fifi

Having been a microbiologist in a previous life, I banished sponges from my kitchen a long time ago. I keep a 3M green scrubby thing, one of those plastic mesh scrubbers, and for a cloth I have recently acquired one of the new 3M microfiber jobbies, the other favorite is Handiwipes. None of these things remain wet long enough to grow a really nasty population and all go into the dishwasher with abandon. I also use numerous bar mops as dishtowels and after a cooking session, I run a washer load of them and the cleaning thingies with a healthy dose of chlorine bleach. Sponges are nasty and the microfiber cloths and Handiwipes work better anyway.

I dunno. I have never had enough cooked potatoes to work with. They always get gobbled up the night before. That is why the grated raw potatoes work for me. I am intrigued with the pressed potatoes, however. I will have to try that.

Mabelline, I hear your frustrations. That is why I have advocated above some very simple approaches for spreading the news about what to do with "real food." I am somewhat distressed that some of the big time food bank efforts here are focusing on how to use processed food. The interesting thing about my, obviously limited, experience is that here was all of this "real stuff" and I am wondering, looking at the shopping lists, if the clients knew how to use it to best advantage. For instance, there weren't enough requests for pasta and rice to balance with the meat items. Some of the alloted meat items I could have maneuvered into enough items to feed a family of four for at least a week. But then, I know what I am doing. I appreciate what the OK folks are doing, but I think that a multipage newsletter might be a little daunting. You really need to get down to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle to get the message across. Then, if a local operation like I experienced, blossomed into demos and other ideas, great. But you have to start with the basics. And maybe the market approach should also be addressed. We have the same problem here in the Houston area. The markets available to the urban poor are limited if transportation is a problem. Fiesta Mart has made some inroads but the scale of their stores do demand that they locate at well traveled venues. And Houston does not have a great mass transit situation. The stuff is out there at a good price. The problem I see is getting it to the folks that need it.

Ummm . . . I have always allowed my basils to flower. The flowers are pretty when sprinkled on a salad and I am usually too lazy to keep the flower spikes pinched anyway. Besides, the bees and butterflies like them. I have never found that the basil gets bitter. Maybe it is a difference in climate. I had an African Blue basil once that never froze back due to the mild winters. The thing got to the size of a Volkswagon and bloomed prodigiously. While the leaves weren't the best basil in my garden (I think that African Blue is a different species than sweet basil), they were serviceable in a pinch in the winter.

I was so depressed when Mandola's Blue Oyster Bar closed. That was the uber-restaurant of the Mandola empire. Mama was often there. It was also the meeting place of choice for myself and a dear friend, now deceased, because it was about mid-way between the bay area and SW Houston. There was an article in The Houston Chronicle or The Houston Press about the decision to close it not long ago. It was sad, but you could understand since the demographics had changed so much. But, I suppose that we can comfort ourselves with the fact that the heritage lives on in other Mandola enterprises. I missed the article in Southern Living on Topwater Grill. What issue was that? I am almost sorry to hear about the publicity. The place already gets crowded on weekends. Us "locals" are pretty protective of our favorite haunts.

Unit 3 Q&A on stock in the eGCI course is quite active now so you might also consider posting there. It is really kind of cool that the wisdom and experience is collecting there.

That is why it is a good thing to have the bean counters hold me up. I will be spending some quality time at the camera shop and reading all of the reviews I can get my hands on. After all, I sure won't be working all that hard.

Thanks for the review of Photoshop, Toliver. I think I will just stay happy with what I have for now. I just wish I could find a course to learn more about it "the easy way." I did find out that Nikon has digital photography courses from time to time. Digital 101 looks like just what the doctor ordered. I checked the schedule and I won't be able to make the next one. I will have to see when the next one is. It is a pretty good deal. The course is from 9 - 5 on a Saturday, usually at a nice hotel, and it is $119. That doesn't sound too bad, and who knows, when I buy the camera I may get a break on that. Don't look for pictures anytime soon. It is going to take a couple of months at least to get all of this paperwork done. I am just about to decide on the Nikon basis what I have learned today. But, I will sleep on it and keep my eyes and ears open before I finally lay down the bucks. You guys have been a terrific help.

Our Asian markets are wonderful for produce. I have even looked up the fresh water chestnuts to see what they look like. The really really big store is a long drive so I don't get there that often. Perhaps they are seasonal. I wouldn't be surprised if they were grown around here. We have a large Asian population and some pretty large growers. Most of that goes to the Asian markets and restaurants. (We don't have real farmer's markets.) I guess I am stuck with canned. But I will ask next time I am in Hong Kong Market.

Thinking back on it . . . I have never had solid wood cabinet doors in a house I have built. Now I remember why. The ex-inlaws built a very expensive house in New Orleans. She had to have these solid cherry (I think) cabinet doors. They had the same problem that andiesenji reports. They ended up having to call the cabinet maker back in but I don't remember what he did to stabilize them. He may have replaced them with a plywood veneer or something. (I wasn't paying much attention as the MIL was the most annoying woman in New Orleans when things weren't going her way and I tuned her out. ) Then we moved into a rental duplex that had solid pine plank doors. Even though they were quite old, they still "squirmed around" with changes in humidity. The doors would close fine one day and not the next. Even though we had air conditioning, it wasn't very predictable at dehumidifying.

Here is what I do the few times that I do. That is usually when I have a bunch of hungry young people in the house. (I normally go find a good diner, but I doubt that you have that option.) First, a terminology clarification. Here, we call the grated potato variety hashbrowns and the small cubes are called something like "home, country, cottage frys" or something else stupid. I much prefer the grated type to get the maximum brown surface. I use the food processor but you could do this by hand. Peel the potatoes and grate on a coarse grater. Add a little grated onion, however much you want. (I don't use a lot, maybe a quarter of a medium onion to a big potato.) Dry the mixture a bit by wringing in a dishtowel. Add salt and pepper. Put some sort of cooking oil in a heavy skillet and heat. (Olive oil could get you linched in Texas.) Be a bit generous with the oil. Put the potatoes in the pan, even the layer out and smash down with a spatula. Cook on about a medium high setting until brown on the bottom. Turn to the other side. You won't be able to do this all at once but it doesn't matter. Brown the other side, adding more oil if necessary. The amount that you put in the skillet (depth of the potato) will determine your ratio of brown crispies to soft potato. I lean to the brown side. When I get my griddle, I will do individual serving size plops on the griddle and wield my oil can with abandon, just like in the diners. I already bought the oil can.

You guys have dredged up childhood memories. My favorite "salad" when I was a little tyke was made with canned pineapple. My mother would put pineapple rings on a bed of shredded lettuce, iceberg I am sure, sweeten the Hellman's mayo with juice from the can and dollop that around, liberally sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Oh man . . . I loved that stuff. *adds canned pineapple to shopping list* One of my favorite salads to serve with chili or posole is a mixture of dark greens, hopefully with some arugula, red onion and mandarin orange sections. The dressing is your basic vinaigrette with a neutral oil and cider vinegar with a little real orange juice added. So . . . where does one find a fresh water chestnut? I don't think I have seen those even in our big Asian market. So I guess you can say I use canned. I love those things. Has anyone else noticed that Armour has changed the jar for the dried beef. No more stars and the top and these don't nest. I can't tell you how much that ticked me off.

You guys are the greatest. Terrific links. I am actually learning something. Behemoth . . . I am always glad to hear from someone that has actually used a product. Many thanks. I am getting a little less nervous about spending this much money even if it is OPiuM (Other Peoples' Money).

We have some lovely suggestions here on how to use this. I am wondering how I would get that far. My visual image is one of eating it out of the pot with a spoon.

A second here on the diced green chiles and coconut milk. I load up on the Chaudoc brand coconut milk when I make a run to Hong Kong Market. They usually have it for 50 cents a can.

Thanks jayt90. I will definitely be giving Canon a look. Response time was one of the big pluses in the review of the Nikon. I, too, get annoyed with slow response. I want the camera to take a picture when I push the button, dammit. That tip about the CPC is particularly helpful. I didn't know such a thing existed. I also agree on the ergonomic part of your suggestion. I bought my current Sony Mavica for just that reason. These old paws are used to holding a 35mm SLR and the little digitals give me fits.

OK folks . . . The fifi needs some help. I will be retiring in a couple of months and my company has a quite generous "grant" that you can apply to anything you might want to do after retirement. Think of it as a much more practical gift than a gold watch. Years ago I was really into 35mm and got all technical and such. I have fooled with digital photography only enough to know what I don't know. I am now intent on wrestling digital photography into submission. My question has at least two parts. The camera -- Without getting ridiculous, I can buy a high end camera. I am looking at the Nikon D70 SLR. Looking at camera specs has taught me one thing. I mostly don't know what they are talking about and the language is certainly not English to me. My main interests are macro and I would like to know more about low light capability. Obviously, this plays into photographing food, both for instructional purposes as well as reporting. I almost never need any fast action capability like for sports. My son gave me a magazine subscription to "Photo Life" and the first issue had a really good review of the D70, that is why I am considering it. Any opinions or experience out there? The brain -- What is the best source for classes in the basics? I am thinking both the camera and post processing software. I have Photoshop Elements and really think that it has all of the capability that I will ever need. I don't plan to invest in the full blown Photoshop unless someone can come up with a good reason. I would really like to find a course for that. Any help that you guys can provide is appreciated.

This doesn't really qualify as "bad" but it sure looked funny enough that no one would eat it. Click here for blue chicken and dumplings. The story is in the last paragraph.

Bad fifi . . . Bad fifi . . . How could I have forgotten Rotel. I also forgot hominy. I always keep that on hand because it goes into my BBQ posole and some of the bean salsas.

Actually, there is one family recipe that demands "tinned", really in jars, mushrooms. The preferred brand is Green Giant. This is a hot dip served during Christmas that includes dried beef (Hormel in the little metal capped glasses), cream cheese, and the canned mushrooms. Somehow, fresh mushrooms just don't work. OK . . . Maybe it is one of those trailer trash things that seem to endure.

Actually, there are a lot of canned goods that I take advantage of. When it comes to tomatoes, canned are almost always better than tasteless cardboard fresh. I am a big fan of Hunts and Muir Glen when I can get them. I use canned beans all of the time for salsas when I don't have time to cook them myself. Goya brand is a favorite. They seem to have developed a technique for canning that doesn't turn the beans to mush. Canned corn, creamed corn, etc. is a staple for some corn soufles. Canned milk products, condensed milk, sweetened condensed milk, are indispensible in some Mexican and "down home" recipes. The cooked milk flavor is important in some recipes. I would be hard put to knock a lot of canned products. Well, actually, I would not advocate canned asparagus.

My current favorite is a rif on my mango salsa. Coarsely shredded iceberg lettuce Coarsely diced mango Coarsely diced red onion Some black beans (I typically use rinsed Goya brand canned) I have been known to add some chopped red cabbage Some jicama straws don't hurt, either Dressing is a standard vinaigrette with some pure ancho powder, some pureed garlic (not too much), Mexican oregano and maybe a few shots of a habernero hot sauce. I generally use cider vinegar but if I could get some of the mild Mexican style pineapple vinegar that would be better.

I was just putting away some things and realized that I have been remiss in reporting on a treasured Christmas gift from my sister. During my mother's life, there were often multiple copies of books and sometimes kitchen utensils purchased for all three of "Daddy's girls." My sister had found a copy of How to Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back in mother's book collection and wrapped it for me. It is one of the seminal books on mulch gardening first published in 1955. Amazingly enough, it was written by Ruth Stout, sister to Rex Stout of Nero Wolf fame. What a hoot of a book. I am going to reread it and see if I can get any more wisdom about mulch that I may have forgotten. If you ever see a copy of this, get it. Ruth Stout is as talented a writer as her more celebrated brother.

Large scale storage for bags of sugar and flour are plain plastic Tupperware. Assorted sizes of canning jars, 1 quart down to 1/2 cup, all wide mouth. I use these for the freezer as well as the fridge. These are especially good for anything that may give up odors or acquire them: various fats like lard, pesto, roasted garlic. The pints are also my salad dressing tool. The sides of the jar have close enough measures, dump everything in and shake, shake, shake. I live alone and use a half pound of dried beans at a time. The pints store the other half pound quite nicely. Zip Lock type baggies, freezer weight, for soups and stews. I squeeze the air out and freeze flat on a sheet pan. That makes for easier storage and quick thawing. Disposable Zip Lock type containers. I refuse to pay for the other types. But I don't buy many of those anymore except for some of the shapes like the large rectangles. That is because: My new love is deli containers from the restaurant supply. The lids seal really well and, interestingly enough, 32, 16 and 8 ounce containers have the same lid! These cost out at about 10 cents a container. I think the key is that when I moved, I finally threw out or gave away all of the oddments that drove me nuts searching for the lid.

DCS makes GE Monogram. I don't know how the price compares. GE service is excellent here in Houston. That made my decision for me. The service issue can be a big one. Sub-Zero has a terrible reputation here. Lots of problems. One set of friends finally got rid of them. I would look at other brands. I have been looking some more and will stick with Ikea for the cabinets unless my contractor can do job built, with quality hardware, for about the same.