Toliver

I concur on the Wheat Chex luv going on here. They get crispy and turn out so much better than the rest of the Chex flavors. Sadly, Wheat Chex is but a memory now that my mom uses only Crsipix. I've seen ads for a new brand of corn nuts that isn't hard like the corn nuts we grew up eating. They crunch very easily according to the commercials so there's less of a chance of breaking your teeth on them. It is surprisingly atrocious! You would think since they launched the famous Chex Mix recipe that it would taste something like the original recipe, but it doesn't. I wonder if anyone in the company is aware of how bad it tastes.

We've always made the original recipe but also add Cheezit's (cheese flavored crackers). And my mom eventually dropped the 3 kinds of Chex for a box of Crispix. My niece always liked to pick out the Cheezit's from the mix and my SIL picked out the cashews, so one year I bought the big Costco size box of Cheezit's and a Costco cannister of cashews and baked each separately with the original "sauce"and gave them as gifts to the respective recipients (The cashews were easy...once baked I put them back in the original cannister...and the Cheezit's ended up in a holiday-themed Ziploc-type bag). Both my niece and SIL were thrilled. One year when my mom wasn't looking I sprinkled chile powder over the mix as it was baking to give it a kick. Mom couldn't eat it but all of us chilehead kids ate it up.

I say if you've had bad balls, it can ruin the experience for ya. The first time I tried them, the tapioca balls just weren't that good (from a latin joint nearby). A new "Little Saigon" opened up in town and there's a new drink shop now and the boba balls they use are great. They even have a little machine they imported from Asia that seals the cup with plastic instead of using a lid. To wander off-topic, I tried mung bean ice tea recently and it was just too weird for my tastes (gummy bear-like shreds, mung beans & ice tea all mixed together ).

Inbetween using the stone, I hope you're using a steel everytime you go to use the knife. Steels help maintain a straight edge.

Sadly, I don't think I will be much of an inspiration for you. My solution would be whatever chiles aren't directly revived for cooking purposes get ground into pepper flakes to be added into everything from pasta dishes to stews & chilis to eggs, etc.

From what I understand, MSG can legally be listed as "spices" on U.S. food labels so often you won't know if what you're eating does or doesn't contain it.

It may be the end of an era... Sorry for the double post but I just noticed that the Calphalon Commercial NonStick line of cookware doesn't seem to be listed on Amazon.com anymore if you go through the regular channels (Kitchen & Housewares>Featured Categories>Cookware>Calphalon). However, if you do a search for "Calphalon Commercial Nonstick", some pieces still show up, though most are no longer in stock. Here's a Calphalon Commercial Nonstick 10-Inch Stir-Fry Pan currently just under twenty bucks. Buy something else for $5.05 and you may qualify for free shipping.

Crock pot dishes are always good as long as you have an outlet near your desk to keep it plugged in until the potluck. Or if a staff refrigerator is available, cold salads (pasta or otherwise) can be good. As long as you can make sure the salad is sealed tightly so it doesn't absorb the odd smell one usually finds in a staff refrigerator.

There's a snack shop owned by some Greek immigrants at the Trolley Stop near the new Petco Ballpark in dowtown San Diego. They have a printed menu describing a Rueben Sandwich as containing "sour trout". We knew what they meant...

There have been different discussions reporting good deals for food and/or cooking related items so I thought I would start something more general...a sort of catch-all thread. I received this info in an email from Amazon.com and have edited all links to make them eGullet-friendly: "For the Foodie on Your Holiday Gift List - Save 73% on "Gourmet" and get exclusive savings on 14 other top-shelf magazines. These prices are available only at Amazon.com and only through December 25, so hurry! Gourmet Magazine Get $5 off a future Amazon.com order when you subscribe to "Bon Appétit" Get $5 off a future Amazon.com order when you subscribe to "Cook's Illustrated" Get $5 off a future Amazon.com order when you subscribe to "Sunset" See our complete selection of food and cooking magazine titles Prices valid through 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time) December 25, 2004." Consult Amazon.com for specific details and restrictions to all offers.

I found this recipe while doing a Google search based upon your information. Hope this helps... There's a recipe for Horseradish Whipped Cream by Donata Maggipinto at the bottom, which sounds wonderful. edited to add I am curious why no other spices on the outside? I've grown accustomed to rosemary and thyme along with the garlic, s & p...it adds a nice hint of flavor.

You people are whacked. When I tried the Holiday Spice, I couldn't recall tasting prunes at all.

It looks gorgeous and delicious at the same time and looks like it should. I can only imagine the wonderful aroma! Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures. Gosh, I'm hungry now...

My brother has been to Club 33. He was very impressed with the food and the fine dining experience. Very chi-chi. When he was there, they had a buffet with lobster tails. I believe it is the only place within Disneyland that serves alcohol. You have to be a member or be a guest of a member in order to dine there. There's a waiting list to become a member and I've heard through second-hand (or third-hand) info that the membership fee is something like five thousand a year. Of course, a lot of major companies are members as well as some political big wigs, too. The elevator entrance to Club 33 is just down the "street" from the entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean restaurant, the Blue Bayou. Whatta ya know...Here's an unofficial website dedicated to Club 33...with photos, too!

Most dieticians argue against sodas simply because they are empty calories. The body doesn't gain much, nutritionally speaking, from them except for added calories. They also argue against consuming fruit juices since more can be nutritionally gained by eating an orange than by just drinking a glass of orange juice. Apple juice is little more than sugar water and can rot the teeth just as fast as soda.

My mom used to make those. She called them "Pinwheels". She'd roll out the dough trimmings, spread soft butter on the dough and then sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar and roll it up. She'd then slice the roll into about one-inch pieces and bake them along with the pies. Man, they were good! Unfortunately, they disappeared rather quickly. I think the pastries called Rugelach (sp?) are close to Pinwheels, but not quite the same. My mom rarely made pan-fried chicken. She learned to make an oven "fried" chicken recipe from her Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook that she received as a wedding present in the mid 1950's. It involved breading the chicken in a seasoned flour mixture (she put the flour in a paper bag, dropped the chicken pieces inside and shook the bag to coat the pieces). She placed the floured chicken pieces in a 13x9 baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Then she drizzled a melted stick of butter over the chicken pieces and sprinkled garlic salt and paprika on top of that. The butter would actually clarify during baking with the solids settling on the bottom of the pan along with some of the flour. My "treat" was to scoop/scrape out the butter solids-flour mixture and put the scrapings on a baked potato instead of just regular butter. It's been years since I've had that and I can still recall that buttery "chicken-y" flavor today.

Wow, thanks for the recipe. It sounds great! Paternal grandmother: Dutch/English - Midwestern America Maternal grandmother: Bohemian - Midwestern America This Thanksgiving, we had apple pie and pumpkin pie. If my aunt was still alive, we'd have had some kolaches, too.

Welcome Luckylies!

Wow, it looks like an S&M device for a turkey. Not that I would know anything about that sort of thing... I've mentioned this jar opener in another discussion. It "pops" the vacuum seal on jars to make them easier to open. My mom uses hers all the time. And I've just ordered this Can Claw for my mom to help open pop-top cans. And I know fifi will just be upset with me if I don't mention the little green disk thingies you can get from Bed, Bath & Beyond-type stores to help keep your veggies stay fresher longer. I swear by them.

I think 375° seems to be the magic number when it comes to frying. I seem to recall that when we deep fried our turkey, that was the optimum temp. Lower than that and you run the risk of the food absorbing the oil.

I use my ricer quite a bit when making small quantities of mashed potatoes. There is a caveat, though...make sure you don't use hot food items in this kind of ricer. There's nothing quite like the sensation of having hot riced potatoes squished out onto your fingers as you grip the handle. However, this ricer will prevent such burns from happening since the holes are only on the bottom of the ricer.

← Wow...and you got a dog in the deal. Talk about an incentive!

Would refrigerating or freezing the marshmallows help prevent them from melting when put into the caramel? There might be some loss in moisture but I would think the trade off might be worth it.

I recall my sister-in-law making a beer batter for a fish fry. The recipe called for whipping the egg whites and then folding them into the rest of the ingredients and dipping the fish into that mixture. It turned out quite well. If anyone is interested I can try and get the recipe from her.

Last night: Rare bone-in Rib Eye Steak Roasted carrots with dill, salt & pepper and evoo A baked potato slathered with rosemary butter and grated parmesan cheese that was quite delicious and worthy of being a meal unto itself.