Thanks for the Crepes

I have no idea what is killing sartoric's snow pea seedlings, because almost every vegetarian or omnivore would love to partake, including me. I love pea shoots, but I like to let them get bigger than those in her photo. So all I can say for sure, is it wasn't me this time. Deryn, I had heard of an earwig, but didn't know what they looked like. Thanks for identifying the especially creepy creatures I occasionally find in my house crawling on the floor at night. They really skeeve me out, and it looks like from some of the images of stings or injuries from these things I found online, I was right in my instinctual avoidance of the pincers. They look like a missing link between insects and arachnids (scorpions) to me. At least my unwelcome night visitors are well under an inch long. Even creepier, according to what I learned, they are hiding in crevices during the day. Ewww! They will eat seedlings though, and hide in crannies in plants.

I only have one that I would consider "mine" on the baking side, and that's my Southern Indian (the continent)/Southern American fusion corn pone vegetable pancakes. It started out as trying to duplicate utthapam with carrot, onion, peas and hot peppers cooked into one side of a lentil/rice flatbread pancake cooked on a griddle or skillet. I did a lot of research on line and asked questions here about making the batter for utthapam and came to believe it was similar to dosa batter, with dosa batter only being more hydrated. I tried for a while to make this and finally gave up on it after a lot of effort and time. My results were just not as good as the inspiring Southern Indian restaurant's were, and it was a lot of work. It didn't help at all that I did not have the right grinding equipment to reduce the rice and lentils to a smooth batter, and was using an Osterizer blender circa 1989 as a stand-in. I don't consider it a waste of time at all though, because I learned a lot in the process, and it brought me to a great recipe that I could master. I had been for many years making corn meal and wheat flour pancakes and thought they would pair well with the caramelized grilled veggie topping. This is one of my favorites in the rotation now, and I usually serve it when I cook up a pot of beans. It's not utthapam, but it's delicious, and I can always go the the Udipi Cafe if I need a genuine utthapam or dosa fix. So like the other experienced cooks here who have tried to help you, I start with something I know is going to work well, or if trying to do something completely new to me, do a lot of research and asked trusted sources about their experience, procedures and results. It would probably take something on the order of artificial intelligence for a software program to be helpful in this area, IMO. We just aren't there yet, but I do find the research fascinating if a little scary.

Thanks for posting that. The artichokes with flowers still attached are so beautiful, and that is the first time I have seen them like that. I knew they were related to wild thistle, but with the flowers, it's really obvious. Makes me tempted to try to make use of some of the wild ones growing around here. Lots of interesting info about foraging wild thistle here. Just wear gloves and long sleeves and pants.

Hi Tere, You said over in the Gardening thread that you had a plan (and I respect that) but also mentioned you will miss pursuing your interest in Lebanese, Indian and Mexican cuisines. I can't help at all on Lebanese, but Southern India has an ancient and rich all pure vegetarian food culture. There are also many vegetarian dishes in Mexican food, and everything can be toned down on the heat level. Contrary to popular belief, not every single person of Mexican or Indian heritage enjoys spicy hot foods. In the Mexican area there is Chile Rellenos, Huevos Rancheros, bean and cheese or spinach and cheese burritos, bean, cheese and salad tostadas, chips with cheese, bean or salsa dip, cheese or veggie enchiladas, quesadillas with mushrooms or other veggies, meatless Spanish Rice, and don't forget zucchini and avacado. I think you could put on quite an impressive and delicious Mexican spread within your vegetarian, no spicy parameters, if you chose to.

Mr. Wiki says over 300 species, and lists commercial fishing tonnage for 9 species. Some of them look very different from one another with basic similarities as well. So it wouldn't surprise me greatly if optimum cooking techniques varied among them. Then one could reasonably expect small young specimens like Josh71 had to be more tender than larger older individuals even within the same species. Very weird but delicious critter if cooked properly. I like fried tentacles the best. I do agree that sometimes having that hammer can make your chosen ingredient look like a nail when it really isn't.

Yesterday we made the short trip to our fish market and had them fry us up some fresh, local catfish. My husband only wanted a double order of tater tots, and I got okra and fried plantains as sides and tried one of their egg rolls. The okra and plantains, which were maduros rather then tostones, were winners. The egg roll was homemade and edible, but I won't order it again. People who want more pork than veggies would like them though. I also got an unusually tasty lemon there and a couple of tomatoes. I wish I had bought more of the lemons. They were homely-looking compared to the ones at the grocery store, but it has been quite a while since I has such a bright, tasty and juicy specimen. The tomatoes were quite acceptable, but from past experience will be better later in the season. Still, they are better than what's offered in the regular chain grocery. Leftovers from last night's dinner tonight filled in with sides of baby green lima beans and tomato soup. I used a little cinnamon for the first time in the soup, and I think it really brought out the sweetness of the tomatoes, although I did not add enough to be distinguished from the basil, onion and garlic in there as well.

I can read it fine by right clicking on pbear's posted image in the thread and selecting "open in a new tab". My eyes aren't as good as they used to be though, and it is pretty small print.

@andiesenji, I agree on Porthos' skillet. It looks a lot like my Wagner Ware one. Mine has the same shaped hole in the handle and pouring spouts on either side. It has the number 8 etched or stamped (rather than embossed or raised) at the base on top of the handle where it meets the body of the skillet. On the flip side, it says Wagner Ware, but only the "NE and WARE", one under the other, is still legible. The W in "Ware" is that stylized logo with two overlapping curved V shapes. This is at the top edge of the skillet away from the handle. This may be due to age or abuse. I can't say, because I acquired it about 17 years ago at a yard sale. At the bottom of the underside of the skillet nearest the handle, it says, "10-1/2" SKILLET" and a line underneath says, "MADE IN USA". Those are the only markings, and they are all sunken into the metal rather than raised. Also the inside of the hole in the handle is rough except where it would contact a nail or hook in comparison to finish of the rest of the skillet. Do you have any idea when mine was manufactured? You are very knowledgeable about such things. Hauling it out for close inspection prompted me to reseason it when I noticed a small spot on the bottom that was trying to rust. The inside is still black and glassy, though.

This post is in re the above quote from DDF. I couldn't type below it. Applebee's recently began advertising their wood-fired grill capability. So it probably wasn't too much beer. Wood fire grilling can improve just about any meat, I think, so with your good burger report, I may darken their doors again after over a decade of giving up on them. The best fast food burger I can get is at my house. If I have all the ingredients here, I can be eating a pan grilled one before I can drive to Five Guys or Corbett's (which is a good mom and pop burger joint), wait for my order and receive it. I might not beat them speedwise if I grill them over charcoal, but then the burger will be even better, and mine will be cheaper either way. My order is always right too. While Corbett's grinds meat in house daily, they have a hard time getting your order straight.

I reckon, as with any franchise, your experience is subject to variance by location. Our local Five Guy's is very good. Pricier than McDonald's et al, but well worth it IMO. It's in the running for a "Best Burger in the Triangle" contest. I assume that is the various locations throughout the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area, not just the location a mile from my house.

I made @sartoric's pull apart bread for dinner tonight. I used scallions, 4 bacon strips crumbled, and cheddar cheese in the filling. I patted it out on a piece of waxed paper dusted with flour, and this helped a lot with the rolling up. The dough was quite sticky. I called them loaded baked potato rolls, and they were delicious. The only thing I would do differently is to up the salt with cheddar. I'm sure that won't be necessary when using the saltier parmesan called for. I fried up a couple of pork chops in the rendered bacon fat and sauteed some spinach with garlic to round out our meal.

I noticed that too, and almost commented. The steroid therapy must really have advanced lately for chicken farming.

One of my very favorite ways with pasta is quite simple. It calls for a pound of good fresh wild shrimp, a 1/4 pound stick of butter, several garlic cloves minced or crushed to taste, a pound of white button mushrooms, a pound of good spaghetti, a dusting of flatleaf parsley to finish and... Parmesan cheese. Sorry hardcore, no fish with cheese Italians, but this is delicious. Wash/brush off, dry and thinly slice mushrooms. Peel and devein shrimp and keep refrigerated until use. Start the pasta water during prep. 1. Melt 2 T butter in a 12" skillet, and stir in 1/4 of the minced or crushed garlic you are using. Let it get fragrant and blond then add half the mushrooms. Saute until the liquid evaporates and you start getting some browning. Remove contents of skillet and keep warm. 2. Melt 2 T butter in same skillet, and repeat all the steps in 1. 3. Add spaghetti to boiling pasta water and set timer. 4. Melt 2 T butter, 1/4 of the garlic you are using and let it get fragrant and blond. Add half your peeled shrimp. Stir fry just until pink. Don't overcook, and remove to the container with the mushrooms and keep warm. 5. Repeat exactly step 4. with the remaining 1/2 pound shrimp. About this time, your spaghetti should be cooked to al dente. Drain it, but not too well, and reserve a bit of pasta water in case you would like your sauce a bit looser. Add the cooked shrimp and mushrooms and stir it all up with a little grated Parm. Serve in heated plates or pasta bowls and top with more Parm and a little finely chopped Italian parsley. The original recipe feeds a lot of people. I usually halve it for the two of us, and it's even easier, because you can cook all the mushrooms at one go and the shrimp in another separate go. Still with us two old folks we have leftovers, which are wonderful. A roommate I had in my twenties made this for my birthday one year, and I have always remembered it and keep it in the rotation when I can afford good shrimp. I have caught more than one person sneaking down to the refrigerator for a midnight snack of this dish as soon as they had more stomach room. Not me of course.

sartoric, This recipe sounds very appealing. I want to make it. I'll need to convert your metric measures to the pesky Imperial, but that's easy with Mr. Google these days. I think I would like it with chives or scallions in the filling. Seems you add half the potatoes with the buttermilk, but the other half seems not to be mentioned. Do they go in the filling mixture? What happens to the other half of the potatoes you boil and mash up?

Sorry it's too late to answer your question while at 11MP, but it might be this. Sorry, @FrogPrincesse. Note to self: that is why one needs to read the whole thread before posting.

Oh, liuzhou! How lucky are people who live in the EU where consumers still have a voice in the politics of food. Here it is all about the agribusiness lobbyists controlling our politicians. Sadly, I do believe that we are the very worst place in the developed world (encroaching very hard on anywhere) for food quality and safety because of this.

Mmmmm... ghetto pizza! It's so easy, and so good. I haven't made any in a long time, and need to correct that tout de suite, but I have to purchase English muffins first. They are on the list.

Tonight's dinner was ground chuck burgers that were freshly ground today at the grocery store. I topped with the usual suspects of grilled onion, melty thick-sliced good American yellow cheese from the deli, iceberg and sliced tomatoes. I made a creamy angel hair herb, garlic and onion pasta side to go with it, and I had a cornichon (labeled "Petite Snack Crunchers" by our NC supplier, in Mt. Olive, NC) and a pickled pepperoncini pepper. It's been a while since I made burgers, and these were so good to both of us. I put my cherished ham bone in the crockpot after dinner, and some large dried lima beans on to soak overnight for tomorrow night's dinner. I'll make either cornbread, if I get a case of the lazies, or my fusion corn pancakes, which combine vegetable Indian uttapam and Southern corn pone if I'm more energetic. Either way, we are in for a great dinner, if the crick don't rise.

In my experience, Naftal, acid will turn spinach a rather nasty dull, almost grey color with time. It still might taste okay to you, but it's bright green appeal won't be there. I love spinach in a vinaigrette, even a hot one with bacon fat, but I do not like it if it sits in acid for very long. My favorite for spinach salad is the thicker, sweeter, almost succulent curly leaf spinach. That might work better for your plans as it isn't as delicate as flat leaf spinach.

My dishwasher that failed a few months ago was less than two years old. It was a Frigidaire, and very poorly designed. In order to save costs they put a smaller motor into it, and pump water to the top of the machine. That makes it necessary for them to drop the top dish basket/drawer down a couple inches or so. It also meant that it wouldn't accommodate large serving platters in the bottom basket/drawer or taller pots and pans or even cooking utensils like spatulas or stirring spoons in the lower silverware basket, so they took up precious space laid flat in the top basket. This meant you could not place glass or ceramic ware on top of them for fear of chipping for a 12 or 14" run. To top all this off, this machine was designed by someone who either did not have experience with dishwashers, or clearly did not give a rat's ass about functionality, durability or customer satisfaction. It was one of the electronic jobs, and took 2-1/2 hours on "light wash" cycle. Then it had a 20 minute heated dry cycle, which had no chance at all of drying the dishes even overnight. That meant that I had to monitor the hated beast and wait for the drying cycle, shake off all the water from the dishes, open the racks and hope for the best. Usually, at least some hand drying was necessary. Studies show hand-dried dishes are not as sanitary as air dried. There was no way to ask the machine to start just the dry cycle over again to finish the job, and if the power went out or even blipped hard 2 hours into the cycle, the machine went into deep lobotomy mode and sat there blinking lights at you. You had to start over from the 3 hour cycle's beginning. This thing seriously needed a Resume button on the keypad or a way to select where you wanted it to start in the interminable cycle. This appliance was nicknamed POSTI. You know the first three letters. The last two are "To Infinity". My replacement from the landlord is another Frigidaire, but at least this one is not electronic. It has some of the same bad design features, but at least the wash cycle completes in an hour, and the still inadequate electric dry cycle can be manually dialed back to start over with the door open so the water doesn't come on. It also has the more powerful motor which allows the top basket to be placed higher, so platters, long utensils and big pots and pans can fit in the lower basket or at all. I expect it to last longer than the last one. I don't like it much, but at least it doesn't have a derogatory name yet. On the other hand, I am using a GE electric stove that's from the 70's. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I just recently got a working thermostat back in it, and that is a real treat after years of trying to cook with a timer and oven thermometer and manually shutting the heat elements on and off. In its defense, I fried the t-stat myself when the furnace went out, and the landlord wouldn't fix it. If you are using an electric stove to heat, turn it all the way up, turn it off and open the door, repeat. Don't leave the door open with the heat on, or it'll cook your t-stat. I didn't know. The heat it can produce for pizza or broiling, for instance, would cook one of the new electronic stove's idiot brain in no time flat. It is the devil I know, and you gotta admit, it has been very durable and earned its keep. I also bought a washer and dryer from Sears back in 1989 when I moved in here. The salesperson told me it was manufactured by Whirlpool, and this has been confirmed by a repairman I hired to replace a bearing in the washer maybe 7 years ago. The repair was less than $100 and he came to my house and did it on site. I paid $400 each for these machines and they have also earned their keep. I drove a 1979 Chevy Malibu from 1988 until a couple years ago. The fragility of today's manufactured products also filters down to less fortunate folks who used to buy used stuff that was perfectly serviceable. I don't think the "durable goods" available today are going to be capable of providing anywhere near the long service I have enjoyed from some I have been lucky enough to own. I'm with Deryn. Please, less glitz, "bells and whistles" and much more value for our dollars.

I am very tolerant of the differences of other cultures as well, and understand hunger from first hand experience. I can see eating canine, or equine species, although I adore both as pets and companion animals. I might even eat insects if starving. If necessity is dictating your survival eating choices, sometimes one may have to go native Donner Pass. For those who may not be familiar with that sad part of American history. Here is a link and an excerpt from Wiki: "To reach California from the East, pioneer emigrants had to get their wagons over theSierra Nevada mountain range. In 1844 the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party followed theTruckee River into the mountains. At the head of what is now called Donner Lake, they found a low notch in the mountains and became the first overland emigrants to use the pass.[2] The pass was named after a later group of California-bound emigrants. In early November 1846 the Donner Party found the route blocked by snow and was forced to spend the winter on the east side of the mountains. Of the 81 emigrants, only 45 survived to reach California;[3] some of them resorting to cannibalism to survive." Conditions were very, very dire in post-war Vietnam, and I have seen a PBS documentary about some of the things folks ate in order to stay alive. It was not pretty, but some things that came out of it are still eaten today when things are much more plentiful, including insects. Unless I'm starving, no canine, equine or insect flesh for me, thank you very much. I can't look down from my (relative, as I am not in comparison to the average person here) position of privilege and condemn what others eat, I don't believe, though.

I can and do sometimes buy free range organic chickens, and they taste like chicken perfume compared to the mainstream ones, Shel. Cary has some halal meat available for those who can afford it too, but kosher is hard to find around here. I helped my grandparents process the free range chickens they raised on their farm when I lived with them, and also ate the free range pork they raised. It was hands down, the best meat I will probably ever have the privilege to eat. Trouble is that not all of us are blessed with enough money to buy whatever we want all the time. I wish I was lucky enough to not know that. I just feel fortunate that I'm not hungry these days and have a roof over my head.

@JoNorvelleWalker, as I am also usually confined now to supermarket Big Ag chickens, raised and processed in abominable conditions tolerated only here in the good old USA, as far as I know. I also remove the kidneys, as you do. I pop them out with a table (blunt point) knife. They are waste removal organs, taste terrible to me and leak dark and nasty tasty stuff into the thigh meat (my favorite piece) when cooked intact in their little bone sockets on either side of the spine. You might be surprised how much whiter and tastier the thigh meat cooks up after removing the kidneys vs. not. Before I even take the chicken from the fridge, I wash my hands and both sinks in hot soapy water thoroughly. I remove all things like cutting boards, sink stoppers and sponges from around the potential splash area. No other food is out when I'm working on chicken, EVER. I clean up all water splashes, so I will know if I've inadvertently splashed any contaminated water while cleaning and cutting up my chicken. I take out baking pans, racks, or wraps and bags if I plan on freezing. I spray or oil pans and/or racks so they are ready to receive the chicken or pieces, then place close to the sink so nothing drips on the counter. I wash the chicken I get very carefully to minimize splashing, and rinse kidney bits and other flotsam down into the garbage disposal. If I'm cooking it whole, I transfer it to the prepared pan with rack. If cutting into pieces, I wash my hands and dry my hands very thoroughly again before picking up my knife. After cutting up, I either transfer the pieces to the pan or wash and dry my hands again before wrapping anything that will be frozen with the clean hand/dirty hand method. I just place the chicken on pieces of plastic wrap that I've laid out on the counters with clean hands. Then I wash and dry my hands again and wrap the chicken pieces up. I wash and dry my hands again and place the wrapped chicken into freezer bags. Then I wash my hands again, just in case I got a drop of potential contamination on them and seal up the bags and place in the freezer. If I'm cooking any, I put it in the oven, set the timer, and go about the task of cleaning the sinks and counters. If I've splashed any, I can tell since I cleaned up all the water before I started. It's a PITA, but I think a necessary one. I don't believe everything the government comes out with. Especially not after the way victims of Katrina were treated, and I remember a 1987 60 minutes segment entitled "Fecal Soup", that referred to the way that mainstream chickens are "washed" and processed. I've tried to find this original video, but to no luck. Apparently, I'm not the only one who remembers it, though. No way, am I not washing that chicken, even if it is like handling nuclear waste.

@Norm Matthews, I think forgetting the garnish is becoming my signature trademark. Apparently, in my rush to put out hot food, once it's plated, it gets served. Then, as I'm constructing my plate, I spy the chopped parsley, slivered almonds, deseeded lemon wedges or whatever already prepped on the counter and ready to go. I go around to everyone's plate distributing it as they are eating. It's happened so often, it's become a joke. I had to make a grocery run this evening, so dinner was a quickie. Corned beef and muenster on french bread with shredded iceberg, a thinly sliced and flavorful tomato, green pepper, and raw white onion only on mine. This was served with a haute cuisine side of Tater Tots. Well not really haute cuisine at all , but we like 'em a lot. Chocolate ice cream with sliced strawberries for dessert.

Here are some links to ideas, though I have not tried any of them. Plum Crazy, from the kitchen.com. The popsicles sure look good to me for a hot summer day or evening. Also my favorite way to preserve the muscadine grapes I can only get in the fall, and only if I am lucky, is to wash, dry and freeze them whole. You could make the NY Times torte with them at this point, I guess. I never have, because I always pop a few at a time out of the freezer and eat as is for a frozen snack or dessert on a steamy summer day.