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tejon

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Everything posted by tejon

  1. This is the trap we've been using to catch stray Micky Mice. They work really well and can't hurt larger animal types (though in your case I'd hide these in less accessable areas since they might be great fun to play from a ferret point of view). You do want to check the traps once a day or so, but other than that they're pretty simple. I agree with everyone else - how exactly are you not a skilled cook? Certainly looks like you know your way around the kitchen rather well to me. Meal suggestion: a chicken, roasted to perfection. (PS - this Alto II is also enjoying the musical references )
  2. I used one of the brain shaped molds (like this one). They look remarkably realistic, especially with the sauce accenting all the folds and crevices. I just love Halloween Edited to add: the finger cookies won the contest
  3. I made the braised beef tonight along with some boiled potatoes and sweet and sour cabbage. Oh, my, was it ever satisfying and delicious. Thank you, Chufi!
  4. I'm thinking some kind of pizza, too. A truly frightening pizza, that is.
  5. Vanilla panna cotta with pomegranite sauce: This got devoured - nothing was left at the end of the party I took it to last night. Once you got over the appearance, the vanilla against tart pomegranite was really, really good. Lots of shudders, though
  6. I've been wanting to make up the finger cookies for years now and had to make them tonight after seeing that wonderful picture. After the first batch I started playing around and made half fingers, big toes, little toes, and finally a hand to top everything off. Should win the "scariest dessert" competition at my husband's work, I think . Phalanges, ready to bake: Finished digits: The hand that fell apart while baking (note to self, next time lay hand flat to bake and don't get creative and try to curve it) I reassembled it, flat:
  7. That looks like stock simmering at a higher heat before it's been skimmed. Not that this has ever happened to me...
  8. I live in the same general area as Andie so all the same laws apply here as well, sadly .
  9. Chilling brownies thoroughly really does the trick. I worked at Mrs. Field's way back when and that's how they cut up the sheet pans of brownies (measured out perfectly before cutting, natch).
  10. Ahem. I just found this thread and had to comment. The cream cheese and sour cream were far beyond "okay"! Both were incredible, especially the cream cheese. Makes me weep a bit when I break open the block of Philly - it's just not the same.
  11. Not unless I can have your range
  12. I have one of the ones that straddles two burners....and I hate it. There are obvious hot spots, it doesn't fit over the burners very well, things stick to it, and it's hard to clean. It's not a Lodge, but is cast iron as well. I'd assumed that all griddle/grill pans must be about the same, but it sounds like the Lodge might be worth trying out. No hot spots? And easy to clean? Show me the way, oh griddle gurus...
  13. I used MasterCook for many years but became frustrated with bugs and with many of the design features. Now I use The Living Cookbook and really like it - the interface is more intuitive for me, it's far simpler to use, it has all the organizational tools that I find useful, and the price is decent at $30. I would highly recommend it.
  14. Though his Elevenses repast is a bit odd for a Hobbit
  15. Monty Python references make this thread even better
  16. It's so hard to pin down one particular food culture in the United States. What you might find on the East coast will differ from food in the heartland which is also different than Tex-Mex which varies from food found on the West coast. Even those distinctions are far too broad, to be honest. Reading your description of what you see in terms of fruit and vegetable consumption is vastly different than what I am used to. The first food for both of my boys was a raw fruit: mashed avocado. That was followed by mashed banana soon afterwards. They didn't have cooked fruit until they were old enough to grab some pie from the Thanksgiving table (and said pie is a once a year thing here). I do have jam on toast occasionally. Raw fruit is something I buy in large quantities depending on the season. I probably munch on at least one apple a day and the boys love grapes, pears, oranges, apples, melons, berries, pineapple, etc. Vegetables I appreciate in any form, raw to lightly cooked to very deeply tender - it depends on the dish. Most nights we have some form of cooked vegetable. As for dessert, if we have any it's more likely to be ice cream or cake than cooked fruit of any kind. I'm certainly not any kind of representative of U.S. culture, but pretty much all of my friends and family eat similarly to what I stated above, even those who live in other states.
  17. Back in college, I dated a member of the rowing crew so anything you mention won't phase me in the slightest. He needed to consume around 6000 calories a day just to maintain wieght (he ran several miles in addition to rowing in the morning every day). It was truly amazing to watch him eat.
  18. Brains....brains... Get your hands on one of the brain shaped molds and fill with panna cotta of your choosing. Surround with a deep red glaze of some sort - cranberry, raspberry, etc. and drizzle some on top. Best served on a meat carving board for full effect. I make these up every year. Always fun to see who is brave enough to give it a try.
  19. I think it depends a lot on familiarity. I would actually be more comfortable winging an Indian dish than a Japanese one, since I have cooked and eaten far more Indian cuisine than Japanese. It takes a while to get to the point of knowing a particular cuisine well enough to start feeling comfortable banging around and changing things, and that usually comes with time and experience. Indian foods seem more intimidating due to both the number of seasonings and the amount of interplay between them, but honestly I find most of the dishes so forgiving that this cancels out any intimidation factor. There is something wonderful about the way everything comes together in a subtle dance that invites me to experiment more and more.
  20. No, no - canning isn't scary at all. You do need to take some care to ensure airtight seals and proper processing, but it isn't difficult at all. Great family project, so long as you keep the Bebe watching from afar Great idea!
  21. I know what we're having for dinner tomorrow night! Thank you, hzrt8w.
  22. My oven heats up the house to such a degree that I'm wary of using it during the day when temperatures are warmer. If I have baking to do, I do it later at night or make things up in bits in the toaster oven. Having the oven on for any length of time raises the temperature in the house by up to five degrees (tested this several times out of sheer curiosity). All that said, I have a crappy range that most likely isn't sealed particularly well. Haven't had access to a range that didn't heat the house yet, but some day...
  23. Although it may not be practical for a small amount, I think the best way is to lay the strips out on a cookie sheet (one with a rim all the way around!) and bake it in a 350 degree oven until crispy, flipping once. Convection ovens are best, but it works well with a regular oven too. This is hands-down the best way to cook large amounts of bacon, and I think it even beats frying on the stovetop or griddle for small amounts. For one, the strips always turn out flat when you bake them, with no curling or buckling. Of course, you can then pour the bacon fat out of the cookie sheet, through a paper towel or coffee filter and into a container. Keep the container in the freezer and dig out a teaspoon every so often when you want to give sautéed mushrooms or other foods just a little extra kick of flavor. ← This is what I do as well. Keeps the top of the stove clear for other things and there's no spatter to deal with. When I really want to make things easy I place a cooling rack over each half pan, laying the bacon out on top. No flipping needed.
  24. I've eaten mountain lion, and would gladly pick the rib-eye. Carnivores are less than tasty.
  25. A can of Spam, tucked into the back corner of the pantry. It was a wedding gift of sorts, given by a slightly demented (but in a good way!) friend who insists that every house must have a can of Spam, even if it is decorative. We have been married for almost eight years now, so you can do the math. (Like Danielle, we don't intend to actually eat the Spam. To do so would leave our home Spam-less, incurring the wrath of whatever gods are in charge of pork products. Instead, it will remain a kitchen design feature of sorts. When exactly will 1997 become vintage?)
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