Tropicalsenior

Not at all, in fact it is an excellent suggestion. In Costa Rica we have something called cola de res which is an oxtail soup base made by Maggi. It has a thickener in it and it makes an excellent gravy. The one thing that you do have to take into consideration if you are are using a gravy mix is that it has salt added. So you want to make sure that you season your stew after you have added the gravy mix. Otherwise you can wind up with something totally inedible. Been there done that.

You are so lucky that you can order all these things. I have to make them if I want them. I have made Kouign Amann from this recipe but I can no longer roll out the dough. However I do have two tourtieres in the freezer.

I agree. They certainly are pretty little peppers. If they are so delicious and fragrant and expensive why aren't you going to eat them? Do you plan to press them in the pages of your OED and frame them?

My husband always got sick when we went on trips. Everything from dehydration, food poisoning to Montezuma's Revenge. Most people would look up and make a list of all the attractions they wanted to see. I always had to know where the closest doctors and Clinics were.

My grandmother had one of these. It didn't help her cooking any but I loved it and I always wanted one. Instead of the food grinder on the right, hers had a great big old can opener.

We just finished our third one of the year. Next one, next Saturday.

Instant mashed potatoes also make a pretty good thickener although the stew will be pretty cloudy.

You can always use cornstarch. It does have its limitations but it is gluten free, if that is what you are looking for.

Yep, I definitely did a double take.

I think extract nowadays has an entirely different meaning than what we used to think of. It is simply the flavor of whatever it claims to be and that flavor is made up of chemicals not the actual product. For instance, If I buy a maple extract, I don't expect it to contain any actual maple. This article is rather lengthy but it explains the process by which these extracts are made.

I found this salt in our supermarket this week. I'm going to give it a try. The interesting thing is the ingredients. Yodo is iodine. Costa Rica seems to have the lowest requirement of all the central American countries.

I am too, in fact, I am pastry phobic. I live in fear of making pie crust like my ex mother-in-law. Her own sister suggested that she sell her pastry recipe to a Paving Company. If they paved the roads with her pie crust they would never have another pothole. I have learned a little trick that has stood me in good Stead for 20 years. Living in a hot climate makes it doubly hard to have flaky pastry but this method works every time. I mix the flour, salt, and whatever shortening that I am using until it is a fairly course texture. Then I put it in the freezer for at least 3 hours. When I remove it and add the water I don't have to use ice water. I mix in a minimum amount of water. Pat it into a disc and return it to the refrigerator for at least an hour to relax the gluten. I use half butter and lard for a sweet pastry and half lard and shortening for a savory pie. Knock on wood, I haven't had a failure yet but I live in fear of mother-in-law crust.

How about a battery powered pepper grinder and a selection of pepper?

Which recipe did you use?

I made a small Quiche Lorraine for dinner. I don't like to make pie crust but I'm practicing for my Christmas Tourtiere. If it turns out this good I'll be happy.