Toliver

It's used a lot in Puerto Rican cooking. Daisy Martinez, of the PBS series "Daisy Cooks!", uses it quite often in her recipes.

Toliver, are you sure you used only the highest grade sundried tomatoes? ← Trader Joe's Sun Dried Tomatoes. Kraft Cream cheese. Best Foods mayo. Knudsen Sour Cream. Tabasco. Fresh ground pepper from my Magnum Pepper Mill. Diamond Kosher Salt. Perhaps the weak link in all this was the ordinary supermarket scallions. Now, looking back at the ingredient list, I'm wondering why I was so surprised it didn't taste like much of anything. There's not really any ingredient listed to give it any kind of flavor. Live and learn.

Ina Garten's Sun-dried Tomato Dip. It was just so...bland. I was very disappointed. I guess I expected more from one of her recipes. It was a nice color. It did have a little sweet note from the sun dried tomatoes but there was no other flavor to it. I think I posted about its supreme blandness on another thread. It needed a lot doctoring up.

I've noticed this too. Even with the "refill" bags I've purchased, it seems to be rather hit & miss. I'm thinking their quality control on the bag manufacturing process may not be what it should be (hey...I'm a science geek and do quality assurance for a living, what can I say...?). Some work swell even two or three times reused. Some fail out of the box. It *is* annoying and I keep meaning to write to their customer relations folks, but well, life keeps getting in the way. The ones that do seal have held up for me for months. The ones that fail, fail within minutes, so I know pretty well immediately they're duds. ETA--but I still think this product is the best thing to hit the market in about a millenium or so. I can't believe how many things I've saved with it since I bought the thing. ← I've also noticed this. I tried sealing a bag with cheese in it for what seemed like 15 minutes. In frustration, I took another bag out of the box, threw the cheese in and the sealing/vacuuming instantly worked. I could feel the suction on the sealer when pressed against my finger so I knew the machine was still working. I will email the company about this. If they respond I will post it here.

Red Vines "licorice" from the vending machine here at work. Surprisingly soft and fresh...not quite the hard shoe leather I was expecting from a vending machine.

I think it's to lock the pump down when it's not in use. Press the pump down, push in the button (it slides to the side, I think), and the pump will stay down. Or it's to stop the spinner while something is spinning. One of those. ← You're correct. The white button should be the lock to keep the plunger in the down position for easy storage. The black rubber button is the brake which, when depressed, will stop the inner drum from spinning. Be forewarned that the black rubber button can pop off and can be easily lost.

When you speak of BBQ, usually you are talking about pork. Most pork is commanly served with an acidic partner to cut the richness. Sausages & mustard, pork roast and sauerkraut, pork chops and applesauce, etc. BBQ and pickles seem like just another such pairing.

There's an Italian restaurant here in town that has a small center dining area, a bar to the right of that and to the left is the larger main dining area. The waitresses in the small middle section have been there since the place opened (and must have waited on Adam and Eve). They give customers backrubs while rattling off the daily specials. Needless to say, the center dining area (and the bar) is usually filled with regulars who are aware of the tradition, don't mind the contact and are used to it. We made the mistake of sitting in the small dining area once, not knowing about the back rub tradition. It was disturbing the first time it happened ("WTF?!" ). Of course, everytime I've been back to that restaurant since then, I make sure to sit in the larger main dining area. I leave the backrubs for the regulars.

Technically speaking, corn is a starch. My mom does the same, though. She'll make corn but then will also make another veggie dish. Is it an Old School thing? The thing that drives me crazy is [sTANDS ON SOAPBOX] when someone brings doughnuts to my workplace. Invariably, someone will take half a doughnut. Half. Not the entire thing. C'mon, people! Channel your inner Homer and take the entire freakin' doughnut! Is it really that difficult?! Do you really think someone else is going to come along and take that remaining half of a doughtnut that you tore in half with your fingers that have been typing on your computer keyboard or dialing your phone. Have you ever stopped and looked at how dirty the number pad is on your office phone? And you used those same fingers to tear that dinky little dougnut in half and expect someone else to eat the remains because you just can't bring yourself to eat an entire doughnut? Grow some stones and take the entire doughnut back to your cubicle! Then eat half and throw the other half away if you don't want it. We don't want it either. Thank you. [DISMOUNTS SOAPBOX]. ← NICE. I too am pissed off by this occurrence. I actually saw someone doing it once and made them take the whole thing. I think they were a little annoyed, but I didn't care. It felt good to be a doughnut nazi. ← You are my hero. At my workplace, the doughnut goes through various stages of disintegration. First it is halved, then that half is halved and so on. I call it Zeno's doughnut.... ← I had a smart ass of a co-worker once who brought in some bagels and doughnuts. He said "I bought some raisin bagels. But come to think of it, the bakery really didn't look that clean, so let me just say I hope they're raisins." Needless to say, I never again consumed any food item he ever brought in to work. Neurotic, or just cautious?

Funny you should ask: Easter Ham, What do you do with all of the leftovers Yes, you can freeze the leftovers. I portion it into smaller packages for freezing.

The last time I was there, my local Costco was selling a 24-pack of bottled Mexcian Coke "made with cane sugar" for $17.99. They weren't the huge Coke bottles but on the other hand they weren't the dinky bottles either. A little pricey per 6-pack but people were buying them.

Technically speaking, corn is a starch. My mom does the same, though. She'll make corn but then will also make another veggie dish. Is it an Old School thing? The thing that drives me crazy is [sTANDS ON SOAPBOX] when someone brings doughnuts to my workplace. Invariably, someone will take half a doughnut. Half. Not the entire thing. C'mon, people! Channel your inner Homer and take the entire freakin' doughnut! Is it really that difficult?! Do you really think someone else is going to come along and take that remaining half of a doughtnut that you tore in half with your fingers that have been typing on your computer keyboard or dialing your phone. Have you ever stopped and looked at how dirty the number pad is on your office phone? And you used those same fingers to tear that dinky little dougnut in half and expect someone else to eat the remains because you just can't bring yourself to eat an entire doughnut? Grow some stones and take the entire doughnut back to your cubicle! Then eat half and throw the other half away if you don't want it. We don't want it either. Thank you. [DISMOUNTS SOAPBOX].

Dakota's, in the Gaslamp district of San Diego, used to offer a daily mixed grill which sometimes included game (rabbit, quail, etc). I checked their online menu which doesn't list it so I'm not sure if they still offer it. At my workplace's Christmas party one year, we had "wild" appetizers which included rattlesnake, ostrich, alligator and turkey "Rocky Mountain Oysters". I've also had Buffalo Burgers which were quite good. I think it says a lot about a restaurant that offers game on their menus. It says they're not afraid to step outside of the box, that they take chances and that they know what they're doing in a kitchen.

For this very reason many areas now require the price shown on the shelf to not only show the unit price but also the price per ounce. If you take enough time looking at these prices you'll see in many cases the bigger package is not really a bargain! ← The problem you can run into that they break items down inconsistently. One item will list price per ounce, another will list price per whole item. It helps to carry a calulator with you. Usually, the smaller the container, the more expensive it'll be when broken down to the "cost per ounce". Which is why "family-sized" items can be such a deal.

Yup - but after I took a good look at the vine, I decided that it didn't deserve my sole tomato spot, so it went to join its maker... ← That's the thing about this tomato plant in the Topsy Turvy planter. I don't know if it's because it was growing upside down and had to turn and grow up to the light or what but the stalk/vine is unusually thick and sturdy. It's no wonder it's stubbornly still alive. It'll be interesting to see what kind of fruit it'll put forth.

Wow. Where have I been? I just opened a new box of Lipton Onion Soup Mix and found only two envelopes inside. This is getting depressing.

About two years ago my mom bought the Topsy Turvy tomato planter. That's the planter where the tomato plant grows out from the bottom of the hanging planter. It was a gimmick that didn't really work as advertised since the plant, instead of just hanging down and bearing fruit, started to turn and grow upwards along the sides of the hanging planter. It actually bore some fruit last year (that a critter got...she had hung the planter above a patio railing which was the perfect height for critter consumption). This week she discovered that last year's plant is alive and is flowering again. She had stopped watering it last year when the last of the (uneaten ) fruit was picked. This week she was going to pull the remains out and put in a new tomato plant when she found the flowers. Who knew the plant would stay alive for so long? I guess it can't be called a volunteer. I told her she should nickname it "Molly Brown" after the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Has anyone else had a tomato plant survive and bear fruit a year later?

I've never done this and I, too, envy you and your opportunity. You should make a list of dishes you like to make or would like to make and break them down into a list of herbs, vegetables and fruits and go from there. There's no sense in growing tarragon, for example, if you're not going to use it very much. I do know that some herbs shouldn't be planted in a bed garden since they like to voraciously expand their territory (I think mint is one of those). These should be planted in containers instead. Keep us updated on your progress!

Last night I had an early St. Patrick's Day dinner. I used my slow cooker to cook the corned beef roast (it was so wide it almost didn't fit in the cooker!). When it was done I used the cooking water to steam some cabbage which was eaten with a splash of cider vinegar. I used the rest of the cooking water to boil red potatoes, onions and carrots. It was quite an easy meal to fix...and to eat. One odd thing about the roast was that the grain ran the width of this roast when it usually runs the length of the roast. It was a point cut so I don't if that makes a difference. Still, it quite a good dinner! Happy St. Paddy's Day to all.

If they crumble when you slice them, do as Dorie suggests and "mush" them back together into a cookie shape. Make sure they're cold when you slice them and bake them off and when you do slice them, don't slice them too thin. Follow the recipe suggestion (1/2"?) to get best results. I sliced them too thin the first time I made them and ended up with a too-thin cookie. They're a great cookie. Enjoy!

....Except that KSF then gave "cups" as the "1" component of the ratios. I think 2 tbs flour : 2 tbs fat : 1 cup liquid would yield a very thick consistency, so perhaps tsp was the "unit" of the first two?.... ← The tablespoon ratio (2 Tbsp:2 Tbsp:1 cup) is correct for a thick sauce (add a cup of shredded cheddar and you've got a great cheese sauce). This is perhaps far too thick for a soup, as is, but might work as a base for a soup, depending upon the quantity being made.

Don't fault Sarah. It seems to be the trend these days. Even Jacques Pepin joined the club with Fast Food My Way.

Linda, Thanks for both posts. Your theory about dinner table position works for me and my mom. I was happy to be out of arm's reach of my dad who sat at the other end of the table. I have a sort of "Wizard of Oz" story, too. Sometimes when "The Colorful World of Walt Disney" (so named because color TV was the new fangled gimmick) was on Sunday nights, my mother would make special wicker basket dinners. She had six little wicker bread baskets. She would make fried chicken and french fries (along with crudites) or other finger-foods and we would put it all in our little wicker baskets (heavily lined with paper towels or napkins) and eat our special "TV dinners" off of TV trays while watching "The Scarecrow" or another Disney series in the living room. These evenings happened only once in a blue moon and the airing of "The Wizard of Oz" became one of our wicker basket dinner nights. Thanks for jogging my memory!

You can't really compare wheat prices to oil/gas prices. I believe wheat prices will eventually go back down. While they may not go down to their previous level, we won't be seeing the continued high price point we're seeing with fuel. Why? Because there's far more competition in the growing of wheat than there is in the production of oil/gas. Competition leads to lower prices. There is no competition in the oil/gas field. As an aside, speaking of smelling the fields as you drive by, in the autumn it's onion time around here. I happen to like the aroma but I can say that since I don't live next to them and only smell them as I drive out of town. A trivia note: Joseph Wambaugh's "The Onion Field" happened in an onion field here in the county.

My Aunt Mary, who raised my mom in rural Kansas, would can chicken. It got them through the winter months when they didn't have live chickens on hand and the early spring months when the new mail-ordered chickens weren't old enough. Everything has its time and place.