Tropicalsenior

I'm wondering about the crust on these. Is it hard or is it soft? Usually ciabatta has a very hard crust which is why I don't really care for it. I agree with you totally on hamburger buns. The ones that we get here are so sweet and so soft that they fall apart before the hamburger is consumed. I always use some type of French roll if I don't make my own. As for pronunciation, my knowledge of Italian is limited but I do know that the c is pronounced with a ch sound and the ch is pronounced like the letter k.

I'm waiting for an offer from @gulfporter. The climate there is a little more to my liking and the food, although maybe a little bit too spicy for me, always looks great.

Chili's are technically a fruit or a berry. They impart a spicy flavor but the question remains, are they a spice?

I agree with everything you say except this. Although they both come from the same Berry the difference is in the Harvest and preparation of that Berry. The Taste is completely different and they are not interchangeable. This article gives a pretty comprehensive overview. I wondered when somebody would mention that.

Me too. That's why it's the one spice that I wouldn't want to be without.

Our choices are very interesting. Technically, thyme and coriander are herbs and not spices. But I'm not about to quibble over that because we all reach for our spice jars and just consider them the same thing. The really interesting thing is to look at everyone's choice and remember their meals from the dinner thread. I can see where everyone is coming from. This is a great topic.

I don't think you can remove black pepper. It is one of the oldest and most important spices of the ancient spice trade. "The spice trade involved historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices, such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove, and turmeric, were known and used in antiquity and traded in the Eastern World" This is from an article in Wikipedia. It may be the most common spice but it can change the nature of a dish tremendously depending on the type of pepper used.

"Peppercorns are the most widely traded spice in the world," That is a direct quote from this article by McCormick one of the biggest Spice companies in the world.

Mine would be black pepper.

And if you want to see the real thing just go to the Smithsonian. She donated her kitchen and it is on display there. It is quite impressive.

I certainly can't claim to be an expert on Petit fours but when I was working for a company that catered for the airlines out of Reno in the early seventies it was one of the desserts that was served In first class. I remember watching the pastry chefs make them. They were two layers of sponge cake filled with Jam. They cut them into two inch squares and put them on a rack and poured almond flavored icing over them. Each was topped with a Jordan almond and then decorated with a filigree pattern. They were delicious but very very sweet. This article gives a very comprehensive description of the many types of petit four. Personally I can't see that the preparation of any of them warrants the price that they charge.

Thank you, Ann. By the way, if there are any of you unfamiliar with this site I highly recommend it. Beautiful photography and great recipes. I was a fan long before I joined eGullet and I have spent many happy hours perusing her pages. .

Our own @Ann_T has a great recipe on her website. Wish I could find it but right now I can't so maybe she could post a link for it. I have used it and I will be making it for Christmas because it is great. For our own Thanksgiving, since there will only be two of us this year, I plan to just stuff a chicken and have the usual Thanksgiving sides with it. I don't like the idea of even a small turkey because we would be having leftovers forever.

I'd rather not think of myself as an enabler. Enablers encourage you to buy new appliances and new products, many of which you will never use. I prefer to think of myself as a converter. I like to find new uses for the things that I have and to be able to make what I want myself. A little bit of background. When I moved to Costa Rica 33 years ago from Seattle where you could buy anything and everything in the line of food products, it was a bit of a cultural shock to be stuck in a country that I can only describe as basic and barren. I had to learn to make a lot of what I needed and before the internet it definitely wasn't easy. I survived and so did my cooking style. I learned a lot along the way. I don't entirely Advocate going back to the good old days but it is a good way to learn the basics of food.

I think I have my own of mustards I have tried and didn't like. Got to clean that fridge.