Tropicalsenior

Puddings, porridges, it doesn't matter how the raisins plump in them because they have enough moisture to do the job. But if you put dry raisins in baked goods the moisture that is used to plump the raisins has to come out of the final product and can cause it to be dry. I always have a jar of raisins in the refrigerator covered with rum. Then when I put them in baked goods they are preplumped and delicious.

Damn, girl, you have come a long way! That is absolutely gorgeous. Time to change your moniker to: Cancookandproudofit.

I have been told that they make aluminum pans that can be used in microwaves and some microwaves that can tolerate TV dinner style trays, but having once lost a microwave to a twist tie from a bread wrapper I have never been tempted to put aluminum in my microwave since. if you decide to go the fresh then frozen route as we did, we made four entrees a day on a rotating basis so that we always had a variety in the freezer. It depends on how heavy you want to go into it. It's a lot of work but people really love what they considered to be a home cooked meal without all the preservatives.

I used to work for a deli that did a lot of catering. A lot of our entrees we sold as takeout food also. They were always baked just to the point of coloring. We sold them the first day as fresh entrees and anything that was left the first day went into the freezer immediately. I have no idea what it was called but we had containers that could be used in the microwave or the oven. We found that most people when they want take out they want convenience and they don't want to wait for the full bake time of a product. We didn't sell any pot pies but I have made them and put them in my own freezer. I had best results by baking them about 3/4 of the way. If you put them in the freezer unbaked, the bottom crust is always soggy. If you bake them all the way, the crust on top will get too dark. we sold our entrees in two and four serving containers and took special orders for larger sizes. I don't know if this helps but it is what we did when I worked in catering.

I keep some snack sized packages of Doritos and chips on hand just to put on the top of some casseroles that I make. It's faster than crumbs and it has crunch and flavor.

@TdeV That's it, I had forgotten that I had posted this. It says that it is for bread machine but I have made it both ways with great success. These taste just exactly like the great ones we used to get at a Chinese Bakery in Seattle. It could even be their filling recipe. it says that it will make six but those are awfully big. I usually make 8 to 12. I have even made 24 little ones and the marvelous thing about the filling is that it has always come out even with the dough. I've tried a lot of recipes and this is the only one that I will use from now on.

There is a trick to that. when you roll out the bun, leave a hump in the middle and make the edges very thin. In fact, you can make them thinner as you pull the dough out to wrap around the filling. With the thiner edges it is a lot easier to make the neat little pleats, too. The best recipe that I ever found on the internet for making them was by David Soo. I can't find the link right now but he should be easy to find because I think it is the only thing that he ever posted on the internet. if you want to PM me and give me your email address, I would be more than happy to send you a copy.

I always put mine on lightly greased cupcake liners. It keeps them from sticking to the pan, catches leaks, and they don't get to brown. These look great for a first attempt.

We are so lucky here. Costa Rica has excellent pork and in over 20 years I have never gotten an unsatisfactory piece. Sometimes the cuts are a little strange, but that is a cultural thing. My first thought when I saw the price on your pork was, 'Man, you're paying a lot for that lil' string bag'!

Holy cow! And I have been complaining about pork going up to about $3.50 a pound here in Costa Rica. And we have excellent pork with no shortages.

It has everything to do with the method of cooking. I wish I could find the article that I read by an eminent food scientist that explained it so simply. Cooking eggs underwater causes the membrane, especially in fresh eggs, to fuse to the egg. Streaming the eggs causes the membrane to fuse to the shell.

this thing has kept me in stitches all afternoon. Maybe I'm just sadistic.

So I have a weird sense of humor.

That was exactly my thought. The Chinese are clever people. I could imagine a tiny press 6 inches high.

Okay, I give up. What in the world is sparrow juice? I can't find it on Google and I am left with the image of a tiny copper duck press. The only other image that I have is unspeakable.

Heard a Dr. on TV saying in this time of Coronavirus staying at home we should focus on inner peace. To achieve this we should always finish things we start and we all could use more calm in our lives. I looked through the house to find things i'd started and hadn't finished, so I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Chardonnay, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of wum, tha mainder of Valiumun srciptuns, an a box a chocletz. Yu haf no idr how feckin fablus I feel rite now. Sned this to all who need inner piss. An telum u luvum. And two hash yer wands, stafe day avrybobby!!!

If that is somebody's idea of progress, Lord help us all! If it was something that could actually print out and make the different kinds of cheeses I would put my order in tomorrow for two of them

Love it! I have already sent it on to my friends and family and I'm getting back the reply from everyone, been there, done that.

I did that once when I was first married. You could have resoled your shoes with them.

Yes, I would be interested but not if the memories make you sad. It does, however, explain your love for unique, interesting, quality food. It also explains why you are such a good cook. Many times I have drooled over pictures of your food. You have no idea how many times you have sent me to the internet looking for the definition of one of your dishes and the recipe.

I loved this so much that I used it as my Christmas greeting this year. All my friends and family enjoyed it as much as I did. I did accidentally send it to a niece who is a born-again Christian (I don't quite understand this, it seems like once should be enough for anyone). She thought it was hilarious My grandson even had it enlarged poster size and hung it in his office. He works for Amazon. Thank you for the great Christmas humor.

Today I came across a topic that was started in 2002 by Ivan, who is no longer active. It was fascinating and it is wonderful to see the diversity of the members and to be able to share in their heartfelt reminiscences. I think that this topic deserves resurrection. These are all Ivan's questions from the original thread. https://forums.egullet.org/topic/12849-how-we-ate-growing-up/ "What was your family food culture when you were growing up? Was meal time important? Was cooking important? What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table? Who cooked in the family? Were restaurant meals common, or for special occassions? Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over? When did you get that first sip of wine? Was there a pre-meal prayer? Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)? How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life? Even though other threads cover memories of specific foods or dishes, please include those memories here if they illustrate your family's food culture."

Yes, please explain! I'm beginning to have these terrible images running through my mind.

That's why I say befriend your local vendor. If you are true to your word about picking them up, they will usually bring you some the next week. Or get their phone number, and ask them a couple days ahead of time. My local vendor is very accommodating about this,because I give him a couple English lessons each time I see him .

I'm sorry, I forgot that up there you don't have year-round farmers markets.