Tropicalsenior

The one that I had must have been unique. I have no idea what brand it was, probably some offshoot Chinese brand because it didn't cost very much. It had a spout at the front and all the bacon grease flowed out of that into a tray at the bottom. The tray that came with it wasn't very big so I just used a larger dish.

That's what mine had, too. It didn't work worth a darn so I finally wound up using an oblong dish that I had for relish. I liked it for bacon because the bacon didn't shrink and it always came out perfect. My favorite Panini was always the Cubano. With Swiss cheese, top and bottom, with ham, sliced roast pork, and dill pickle in the middle. As others have said, just don't put too much in. The layers slide apart and it is impossible to press it together. I have an old George Foreman grill that works great for panini but it is almost too heavy for me to handle right now so I don't use it that often. It's not that good for bacon because it's a real pain to clean.

I used to have one and got tired of paninis so I gave it away. I have regretted it ever since because it was great for frying bacon.

Thanks! That's the kind of testing that I like to see. I've been cooking mine in the oven and as they said the flavor suffers. Next time I make them I will follow the directions in this article to a T.

So glad to know that someone else just uses their phone. Galaxy has a great editing feature so if they don't come out perfectly you can tweak them a bit. I do have a fine camera but in order to use it and to share pictures I have to drag out the computer. It's not worth all the effort. Not when you can get good results with a Galaxy phone.

Sorry I asked!

You mean that you don't have some Australian name that's going to send us off in another tizzy?

Baked today with a new batch of Pate fermentee. I also used a little bit of my new starter. It's not a true sourdough because I only used the starter and the pate for flavor not for total leavening in the bread. My oven isn't hot enough to make true sourdough but this has a flavor that we really like. Four little baguettes at a loaf of sandwich bread.

Ha, ha. Is there anything that you wouldn't put bacon in?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always understood chicken Marilyn to be the cut of chicken not a specific recipe. I was always told that it was the thigh and leg portion together.

It's too big to stick in your mouth so I can only think that it's some kind of cooking instrument.

As if we don't have enough problems, are we headed for another war over tea with England? Lookout Boston here they come again!

It really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Lest anyone feel that I exaggerate, I got some photos this morning of the tomato plant from hell. Not very good ones because of the sun angle but at least you can see how it is spreading. we're going to have to start cutting it back because it has completely taken over my oregano tree. This is the other side of the wall. The wall is about 6 ft tall and about 10 ft long and the whole plant is loaded again with green tomatoes and blooms.

Still living and getting bigger every day. I keep forgetting about them so the other day I told my maid to take them home with her and she got a whole grocery bag full of tomatoes. And now I see little tomato sprouts coming up all over around the main plant.

Thank you, that does make sense. I Googled it and everything that I could find pointed to something that resembled cheesecloth.

This is the recipe that I have used the last couple times that I made custard pie and it turned out beautifully. The ratio of egg to cream is the one that I have always used. It also explains in this article that custard pie that is over baked can taste like scrambled eggs. You want to bake it until there is still some jiggle in the middle. This is also the method that I use. I do not cook the filling before I put it in the pie.

No, you have come to the right topic. You are bound to get more answers. If you don't have room for a sheet pan, I have a 12-in Pizza Pan that I use under any pie that I bake. It's not too big to handle and it catches any spills that might come out of the pie.

I've always filled the shell about 3/4 full and then when it was sitting solidly on the oven Shelf, I poured in the rest of the filling.

I've only seen cheesecloth once in the 30 years that I've lived in Costa Rica so I've had to find substitutes. My first one was fine curtain material and then in an upholstery fabric shop I found the fine, non-woven material that they used to put as dust covers under sofas. It's cheap and it works beautifully. Now, I have been using the reusable non-woven shopping bags, cut up. Moisture and air pass through but it does a great job of retaining the solids. It's great for straining yogurt so it should make a great topper for jars.

You posted this about 6 hours too late. I just threw one away that had been in there for over 5 days. That's okay, I'll just start another.

Sure do. White, Potato Sandwich Bread Yield: One Loaf 3 cups bread flour 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast 6 tablespoons soft butter 1/2 cup warm water 1/2 cup warm milk In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, salt, instant potatoes, yeast, and sugar. Using the dough hook attachment, mix until the flour is completely aerated. Add the softened butter and mix until the butter is the size of crumbs. Stir in warm water and milk,. You may not need all of the milk mixture. Add only until you have a soft, not sticky dough. Run the mixer on low (I use #2 on my Kitchen Aid) until a dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes, rest for 10 minutes and knead for 10 minutes longer. Remove from the mixing bowl and shape into a ball with a firm top surface. Place it on a cutting board or the surface of your counter and cover with a large bowl. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours Gently deflate the dough and shape into a flat 9” wide rectangle, fold in sides about 1/2 inch and roll up into a log, pressing together as you roll. Spray an 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and place dough into it seam side down. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place loosely over the loaf pan. Allow the bread to rise in a draft free spot for about an hour or until it has a 1 1/4 inch crest over the rim of the pan. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, then place a loose tent of aluminum foil over the top and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Internal temperature should measure at 190° on a quick read thermometer. Remove from oven, loosen all around the edges and turn bread out to a rack to cool completely. If desired, brush top of bread with butter for a soft crust. Allow to cool completely before slicing and once cool, place into a plastic bag to keep fresh.

That is true for both Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Years ago we went to an all inclusive Hotel on an island in Lake Nicaragua for fishing. For breakfast we had beans and rice and an egg, for lunch we had beans and rice, a slice of tomato and a piece of fried lunch meat and for dinner we had beans and rice, a salad and a piece of fried meat. This was repeated for 3 days. The only variation was the piece of fried meat for dinner. One night was chicken, one night was pork and the third night was unidentifiable. To this day I think it was a Tapir.

When my husband was alive we always had Thanksgiving dinner for about 30 people. I wasn't about to fight with these lousy potatoes that we get trying to make mashed potatoes so I always bought a big box of Ore-Ida. A lot of people remarked that they were so glad that I was still using real potatoes instead of that phony stuff. I never said a word.

Unfortunately, that is the typical gallo pinto. I have had some better but it's all been made by nicaraguans. Myself, I do not make it because I do not like it. If I'm going to make beans and rice I wanted to have some flavor.