Tropicalsenior

I've never seen a more perfect example of famous last words. 22 years ago I moved from an 8 by 10 kitchen into one that is 14 x 30 and I marveled at all the space that I had. I have since filled that and a pantry next door to it and I'm only existing by giving away things as I go, now. There is something about empty space that just cries out to be filled.

I have that all the time. Mine never look good enough to photograph, to me, but I post them anyway and hope that people will excuse them because I'm a little old lady. They aren't often very photogenic but I don't get any complaints. Your food, however, is always drool worthy.

Bear in mind that a KitchenAid mixer weighs 30 lb and that over time these will weaken and the less efficient with more weight.

Wish I had that affliction.

That is a great idea especially for the shelves where you are going to store your toys. Maybe on the shelves were you will be keeping the lighter things like breakfast cereal and chips can be ordinary Hardware but can goods and bottled Goods can also get very heavy.

Thank you, in other words you don't rinse the whey containing the vinegar out of the cheese? I guess that would give it the Tangy flavor that the cottage cheese doesn't have. Going to have to give it a try.

I looked on the internet and this is the best information that I found. http://www.cuppacocoa.com/instant-pot-measurements-are-wrong-for-liquids-and-why-your-instant-pot-congee-is-failing/ Hope it helps.

I would love to have your recipe. I make Mexican food a lot and I would rather use the queso fresco turn the cheddar. They have something similar here but it is way too Tangy.

I thought that I would show you what a 40 year old Costa Rican kitchen looks like and I'm definitely not going to cause any Kitchen Envy in anyone. It is a rental so that about the only thing that we have done to it in 20 years is repaint and add some overhead shelves. There's not much that can be done to it without a complete remodel. When we moved in the walls were Gray and the cabinets were dark dark brown. My husband built the overhead shelves and he also built that thing in the middle. I wanted just a plain Butcher Block on four legs and casters but he had to make me something artistic. It's a total POS but it does have a great drawer for my knives and there is a shelf on the bottom that's great to feed the cat. This is my coffee corner and my breakfast counter where actually we eat dinner most of the time. It was the only counter space that I had in my old kitchen which was a whopping eight by 10. It was tiny but I used to regularly have dinner parties for 30. This is my 30 year old fridge that I bought in a garage sale. I've only had to have it repaired twice in almost 20 years and my refrigerator repairman tells me that I should never get rid of it because it is the best refrigerator in Costa Rica. I love it. Its configuration does everything for me that I need. However I do have another refrigerator and freezer in my laundry room. When we moved in, we didn't have the overhead shelf and I had no place to put my dishes so my husband built me this china cabinet. It doesn't really fit in but it does the job. He also built the table in front, my spice racks, did the wood carvings and several of the drawing on the wall. no matter what I do that picture just won't sit up straight so it's just going to have to go in this way. And this is one of my favorite parts of the kitchen. And also one of the reasons it is so crowded. This is my corner. A good place to take a break from cooking. I've got my recliner, my own little table and my own hanging light and I can just sit and let the rest of the world go by. And Henry, the cat, enjoys it just as much as I do.

I would feel sorry for you but it doesn't look like you went hungry.

Hey, the Chinese use ketchup it a lot of their sauces. It's completely authentic. Nothing at all wrong with that. One of the best catsups that I can get here in Costa Rica is from China. The label is totally Chinese.

Absolutely gorgeous! As always.

Therein lies my problem. Growing up in the midwest it was not part of my culture. I don't think I ever ate rice until I left home and my family didn't like rice. It is probably the weakest part of my cooking repertoire. I would really appreciate a new thread for the different types of rice and the proper way to cook them. Also ideas for rice dishes. It has taken me 80 years but I have found that I kind of like it.

I don't make a lot of rice and when I do I make it in the instant pot. I tried that method and didn't have much luck. How do you do yours? I don't feel that I make enough rice to justify giving cupboard space to a rice cooker.

My friend Lenora that has been staying with me, wanted lasagna last night so that's what we had. Spaghetti sauce, Italian sausage, cottage cheese, two kinds of mozzarella, parmesan and asiago. Did I ever mention that I like cheese. Served with homemade dinner rolls. And a salad with broccoli, apple, celery, and walnuts.

Not amusing but oh so true. Is there one of us that it hasn't happened to? Usually more than once.

When you say pasteurized milk, do you mean the milk that is sold in the wax cartons in the store? That is the milk that I am using. It's pasteurized but not the ultra pasteurized that stays good unrefrigerated. I use plain old 2% supermarket milk. It works just fine, just remember to bring it up to between 190 to 200 degrees.

I've got a friend staying with me for a few days so I made @Duvel's Kharcho soup and it was a big winner. This time I made it with beef shank instead of pork. It is so good with so many layers of flavor. I added a little bit of spinach to it and served it with homemade Greek yogurt, homemade rolls and a green salad. Thanks again, Duvel.

Happy anniversary. Congratulations on 40 Years and may you have many more.

I'm so sorry not to have gotten back to you quicker but I had to write down my recipe. I make my own cottage cheese because down here, 2 cups of horrible, rubbery cottage cheese costs over $8 and I can make the same amount or a little more for less than $2. It is so easy and you just need milk from the dairy case and plain white vinegar.

Homemade Cottage Cheese Making cottage cheese couldn't be easier. Just two ingredients and about an hour and a half of your time. 1/2 gallon whole milk 6 tablespoons white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons heavy cream or sour cream Pour milk into a large, heavy bottomed pan. Heat slowly on medium-high heat to 190°F/88°C stirring occasionally so that the milk doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat, pour in vinegar and stir a few times. The milk will immediately start to separate. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line a colander with a clean tea towel. Pour the solids from the pot into the lined colander. Let drain completely. Rinse gently with cold water until the cheese starts to cool. Gather the ends of the cloth tightly and squeeze out the moisture. Turn the cheese out of the cloth into a bowl and use a spoon to break it into small curds. Stir in salt to taste. For creamy cottage cheese, stir in the heavy cream or sour cream 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. Check taste and add more salt if needed. Chill for at least 1 hour then stir before serving. Use within five days. Note: I used 2% milk because that is all that I can get. It works just fine. I get about 2 cups of cottage cheese. The yield will be a bit more with whole milk.

This is pretty much how I make my meatloaf and I agree, mix it well and pack it tight for a good solid loaf. About the only thing that I do differently is add homemade Italian seasoning. I can't use onions or garlic so I have to go a little heavier on other seasonings. This is my favorite way to use leftover meatloaf. You have to have good thick slice of homemade bread and plenty of good homemade gravy. Served it with broccoli and a green salad with homemade cottage cheese, tomato, and cucumber with homemade Russian dressing.

That sounds very much like what I grew up with but then, my mother was trying to make a pound of hamburger stretch to feed seven people. I think the main difference is in the seasoning. Ours just had salt and pepper and probably much more bread crumbs or cracker crumbs. Compared to meatloaf, mine were quite a bit more solid but still soft. The flavor was delicious.

I made @Duvel's Frikadellen last night and they turned out great. I served them with rice and mushroom gravy. They got a big thumbs up so they are something that will go in my regular menu.

I made mine yesterday and they turned out really good. I went the Nutmeg, Ginger route. Next time I will try the parsley and paprika version. I kind of went non-traditional in serving them. I served them with rice and mushroom gravy and they got a big thumbs up. This will be a permanent item on my menu. Thank you so much.