bloviatrix

I figure my baking will start on March 2, so no need to rush.

This leads to .... I use chicken carcasses to make chicken stock. There's plenty of leftover meat on them for flavor. You have significantly less fat to deal with. And it's economical.

I've been reading the thread on dried beans, and I was overcome with the need to make some. So last night I made a pot of black beans. I added some chopped garlic, chipotles, and a bay leaf to the cooking liquid. The chipotles gave the beans an amazing smokey flavor. They actually became "meaty." With the beans we had some plain roasted chicken and some cranberry-dried cherry compote which I had defrosted.

That all sounds wonderful. I was wondering where the picture on the front page of today's Times was taken. Sounds as if it was at Rare.

i'd think that some people would look for that quality in a roommate. in fact, where i come from, that'd be considered an "awesome roommate". Even if I were into the random chicks from time to time, they were inevitably so inebriated as to have rendered themselves useless. If he were gay and had brought men home to stumble into my bed that would have been refreshing. Except they would have been gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just a small handicap in terms of stumbling into my bed and making themselves useful rather than an unwelcome/unpleasant surprise. Just another example of my theory that men are like parking spaces. All the good ones are either taken or handicapped Katie, I can imagine what you went through was pretty rotten. But you've got to admit, it makes for a funny story.

Have you guys that one of the ads up top for this thread is for Camilla Red Beans and when you click on the link it says they're all sold out? I wonder if eG has something to do with that? Anyway, my beans are done. The apartment smells like broiled hotdogs - garlicy and smokey. I took a taste of the beans - the broth is great. And the beans are nice and tender. Guess what I'm having for dinner.

The cookie dough would be preferable. I'm looking for something easy as I'll be doing 2 or 3 hamentasch variations.

Jodi, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to tack on my hamentaschen-related question here. In past years I have made a chocolate hamentasch with raspberry filling. Anyway, I have never been happy with the chocolate dough I've used. It cracks and isn't easily manipulated to form the triangle shaped cookie. Does anyone have a chocolate dough recipe they can share that is sturdy enough to hold up to hamentasch making? I'm on a quest for a new one.

I've been following this thread since the inception, and finally the urge overcame me. I decided to make a bot of black beans (it was the only kind we had in the house). I'm using Russ's instructions, so here's what I did -- 1) boil up about 3 qts water 2) preheat oven to 250 3) in large pot, place beans, 2 garlic cloves - chopped, 1 bay leaf, 2 chipotles, and 1 tsp of kosher salt. Add boiling water and bring everything back to boil 4) place pot in oven. I'm going to check the water level every 30 minutes of so. The apartment is smelling of smokey chipotles. I'll report back when they're done.

I've used chocolate chips in the past. They maintain their shape, don't run, and actually work fairly well. My other suggestion would be to make a hamentash shell and bake. Once it's cool, pipe some ganache into the center.

USA Today has an article about the new restaurants opening at Time Warner.

There's another article in today's Times about the Time Warner Center. Tomorrow is opening day. This accompanying graphic lays the whole design out.

My mil has bought 3 there. If you find them without knobs, just call Le Creuset and they'll send you replacements at no charge.

What about Home Depot? There's no way I spent $454 on mine. But then I bought it 13 years ago at the now defunct Conrans.

Substitute bacon fat for the olive oil for a real treat Duck fat is also good.

Other than chickpeas and cannelinis (sp?), what constituties "old world" beans?

That looks so much better than the bowl of Coco Pebbles I chowed down this morning.

An ode to Whitefish Salad..... Forgive me if there are times when it seems I ignore you, sitting so seductively in the appetizing case. For I know if I let my gaze linger too long, I will be salivating and buying you by the pound. Your luscious chunks of whitefish - so oily and smokey. And just a hint of lemon dancing around. With flecks of chopped scallion which look like emeralds. Eaten plain or spread on a bagel, I go weak at the knees. My lips quiver with anticipation of your goodness, my mouth waters. My jealousy knows no bounds when I see someone help themselves to your bounty. If they dare to sample your wares, my eyes flash green -- measuring the extent to which they take advantage of you. For you are mine. And I am a jealous lover. Ok, I'm done now. I think I need to take a cold shower.

Very interesting. My feeling is that any program that helps keep fertile land being used for agriculture is a plus.

Who's the sumo fan??

I walked over the Barnes and Noble this afternoon and actually found a copy sitting on the shelf. So, I spent some time perusing. It looks like a nice book. What I like is how she takes different components and puts them together. I think it encourages home bakers to think out of the box and to try to make combinations out of desserts they have in their repetoire. My only complaint is that I would have liked more pictures. But I realize that would have pushed the cover price beyond $35.

You have my sympathies as well. I broke a bottle of toasted sesame oil a few years back in my pantry and the clean-up was a bitch. After wiping whatever we could up, we used soap to break-up the grease. But like everyone else, make sure your floor can handle it.

I found the Recanati SR on friday. I plan on picking up a couple a bottles to try.

Back in my Ithaca days we used to joke: It it's not grey, it's raining. If it's not raining, it's snowing. If it's not snowing, it's sunny. In which case, you're someplace else.

Truffles are made using ganache.