Springhaze2's Profile
What would you do?
Glad to hear that most people agree with my decision. :) It really was a delicious dinner. I think the infestation came in the can of paprika. It was a new can. But I still need to check everything else in the cabinet, but I am waiting my daughter to return to college. I don't want her questioning what I am doing. It's hard enough to get her to eat anything containing meat, her head might explode if she heard that she also consumed some added protein.
Funny I remember my Home Ec.teacher in high school teaching us to sift the weavels (little black bugs) out of the flour. Of course that was a long time ago...can you imagine that happening in a public school today? The parents would freak.
What would you do?
Since my guests were all family and would love me even if they found out...I served it and never said a word. Besides the paprika wasn't crawling with bugs..I only saw some webs. And it was a new can.
What would you do?
You have company and are making a traditional dinner from scratch. In this case the dinner is Hungarian. Homemade rye bread and galuska cut by hand are ready to go. Six really nice pork chops were seared perfectly and are simmering away in a paprika enriched sauce. It is getting near to dinner time and you taste the sauce and decide it needs a bit more paprika. That's when you notice that the paprika you used has little webs in it, the sign of a moth infestation. Do you dump out the whole dinner and order a pizza? Or... Do you serve it anyway, after all, lots of people in other parts of the world eat worms and larvae?
Your Once Famous But Now, "Oh My God I Cant Believe I Used To Serve This" Dish
I still cringe when I remember the time I served a very well-traveled boss a fresh tomato and mozzarella salad made with the packaged mozzarella that has no taste and the texture of plastic. I didn't even know there was such a thing as fresh mozzarella. I wondered why he ate the tomato and left the cheese. A few months later we were in NYC at a nice restaurant (with the same boss) and was served the same salad with fresh buffalo mozzarella and realized my mistake. that was pretty close to 20 years ago and it still hurts.
Whole Grain Bakers - Need to "soften" hard flour
I generally use a half and half mixture of unbleached white flour and whole wheat flour for most anything I make that calls for "all purpose flour". I suggest trying some different ratios to get to a texture that you like.
If the recipe calls for egg(s) try separating out the whites and beat until soft peaks form. Go ahead with the rest of the recipe using the yolks as directed for the whole eggs and then fold in the beaten whites near the end. Don't over mix once the whites are added so they don't deflate. This adds more lightness to the recipe in the form of air.
While I have never tried it, I have heard that using milk as part of the liquid adds a lighter texture than say, water.
Seasonings
I would definitely add garlic, but I use garlic in most everything. Some other suggestions: bay leaf, sage, and thyme while cooking; add fresh parsley and/or chives at the end. Thyme and lemon juice. White wine and tarragon.
Cooked my first Lobster - Did I do something wrong?
Baking powder will help with the smell. Fill the pot you cooked them in with water and 1/2 box of baking powder, heat on stove until just about boiling. Remove from heat and let cool a little, add your plastics and other smelly things and set soak for 1/2 hour or so. It might not eliminate the smell completely but it does help. If you have a place, put the pot and plastics to dry outside in the sun.
Puddingstone Inn, Chester
I just wanted to report that the Puddingstone closed down about two weeks ago. It is unfortunate, because the place had potential, but just couldn't seem to get it right.
food prep tragedies
My ex had a habit of using the wrong type of pan/pot/bowl in the oven or on the stove. One year on my birthday, he decided to surprise me with a new Jamie Oliver recipe for a roast tenderloin beef with wild mushrooms wrapped in prosciutto. The recipe called for cooking the wrapped roast in the oven for a while then adding red wine. He had placed the roast in a glass pan in a very hot oven. I walked in just from work just as he was adding the wine to the pan. He used wine left over from the night before, so it was cold from being refrigerated. The pan shattered into little pieces and all those expensive ingredients had to go into the trash. We went out to dinner.
Another time he was trying to make icing for a cake the way his mother used to. His mother always made it in a glass bowl on the stove, so that is what he did. Unfortunately, he failed to notice that her glass bowl was placed over a pot of simmering water. He placed the glass bowl directly on the burner and I had another mess to clean up.
Does anyone remember this candy bar?
Bounty bars are made by Mars, Inc. They tried to introduce them in the US a few times over the past 25 years but they couldn't compete with Mounds. Yes, they are much better than Mounds. They are sold in other countries and you can sometimes find them in import stores in or some supermarkets. I have found them in Stop n Shop on the east coast.
Food company name acronyms
M&M Chocolate Candies (Mars & Murrie) (Forrest Mars and Bruce Murrie)
Forrest Mars was the founder of Mars, Inc., the company that still makes the M&M's candies. Bruce Murrie was the son of Bill Murrie, who worked for the Hershey Company.
A&P = Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. (this is a grocery chain on the east coast, but also sells some items under the A&P brand.)
Y&S licorice such as Y&S Twizzlers from Young and Smylie. The last names of the original company owners.
I'm not sure if this counts as a true acronym, but fun just the same
SPAM = SPiced hAM Originally called Hormel Spiced Ham but shortened to the first two letters of spiced and the last two letters of ham.
German Easter eggs
Do a web search for natural easter egg dies. There are all sorts of things you can use to make natural dies. My son and I did it for a school project several years ago. You can use regular Spanish onion skins for brown die and red onion skins for a more purple color. I seem to remember that you boiled the skins (or other vegetable matter) and also added some vinegar to help set the color.
Baby Squash
Thanks for the suggestions.
Kate, I agree that they are too pretty to cut up. Same with the baby zucchini.
Silly Eating Habits
Lisa, I posted too about leaving the last bite. I think it comes from always have to clean my plate as a child. Now as an adult I am being defiant.
Funny, though how you leave the best for last than don't eat that. I plan my exit strategy that the last bite I eat is the best combination of flavors, not the last bite that I leave on my plate.
Fresh mint
Wow, thanks all for the great ideas. I can't believe I never thought of ice cream. That sounds so good.
nofunlatte, The mint I have was just labeled generic "mint". It came with my Aerograden and grew out of control when I transplanted it into soil.
Sarah, Do you use pine nuts in mint pesto? Or some other kind of nut?
What to do with excess tomatoes??
Grape tomatoes are really good roasted. The basic techinque is just drizzle with olive oil, salt and fresh black pepper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until the are soft. I usually add garlic before roasting and toss in some fresh herbs at the end. It is a great side dish, especially with steak. Other variations are to add a chopped onion prior to cooking (or other veggies) and/or topping with parm. cheese at the end. Can also be roasted on the grill in the pan with indirect heat.
For a quick dinner for two:
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 lemon
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 pt. cherry or grape tomatoes
one zucchini
one yellow squash
medium onion, coursely chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic crushed & coursely chopped
fresh thyme sprigs or dried thyme
(optional canned artichoke hearts drained and/or a few tablespoons of capers)
fresh parsley and/or basil
Preheat oven to 400. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a casserole pan. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Put chicken breasts in the pan, drizzle with oil and juice from 1/2 lemon. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and some dried thyme. Flip chicken over a few times to coat with the oil and lemon juice.
Slice the other 1/2 lemon into thin slices. Cut the zucchini and yellow squash in half lengthwise and than chop across about an inch apart so you end up with cubes that are about the same size as the grape tomatoes.
Scatter the tomatoes, squash pieces, onions and garlic in pan around chicken breasts and stir to coat with the olive oil. Spread out so they form a single layer in pan. Top with lemon slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add fresh thyme sprigs.
Put in oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (Add artichoke hearts and capers the last 5 minutes of roasting). Sprinkle with fresh basil and/or parsley. Serve with small pasta shape, like orzo, tossed with butter and parm cheese.
Fresh mint
I have tons of fresh mint growing in a pot on my deck. Aside from tabouli/tabbouleh salad Any suggestions for using it up? Does it pair well with any protein other than lamb?
Baby Squash
I found baby zucchini and pattypan squash in the market yesterday. I know I can roast or grill them with some garlic and herbs, but wanted to see if anybody has a favorite recipe or way to prepare them to make the most of these seasonal treats. I plan to cook them tomorrow and serve with some simple grilled tenderloin steaks. Thanks!
Food gifts from Hungary/Czech Republic?
I second Nyleve on the different varieties of paprikas, well worth checking out.
peppermint pickle?
I don't know anything about peppermint and pickles, but it reminded me of another odd combination I encountered - tomato soup and marshmallows. Has anybody ever heard of adding marshmallows to tomato soup? The person I saw doing this lives in new england and said that is how his mother always served it.
Endangered and Extinct: Taco Flavored Doritos
Yes Combos are still available. The best place to find them is convenience stores, though many supermarkets and mass merchandise stores also carry them. See product locator on their website: http://www.combos.com/
There are now 6 varieties of Combos, some made with a cracker shell and some with pretzel. The newest variety is salsa tortilla cracker. The cracker and pretzel varieties come in cheddar, nacho cheese and pizza flavors. Combos are made by Mars Snackfood the same company that makes M&M's and Snickers candies. They stopped making the peanut butter filled pretzels several years ago.
need some favorites for nantucket
Is the Brotherhood of Theives still open? Last time we were on Nantucket, about 3 years ago, it was closed.
What Were/Are Your Favorite Fresh Food Living Situations?
I live in northwest new jersey, when we were kids we knew where there was a patch of wild strawberries. I have never found cultivated strawberries to match the wonderful flavor of those berries. I can often still find wild blueberries, blackberries and raspberries in NJ, but haven't found a wild strawberry patch in years.
Silly Eating Habits
I almost always leave the last bite of food on the plate, definitely always with a sandwich or pizza. I think this comes from growing up in a family where you always had to "clean your plate", now that I am an adult I am being defiant. When I get near the last bite, I carefully plan my exit strategy to have the best bite last. Then declare that I am full and leave exactly one bite. I don't usually notice that I do it, but apparently people that I eat with often do.
Last night I had dinner at a family party with my fairly new boyfriend. We have been seeing each other for about three months and this was the first time I was meeting all of his family at once. It was a casual gathering with lots of homemade Italian food. I fixed my plate and ate the whole thing - even the last bite. When I finished, he looked down at my plate and said, wow, you must have been hungry. Then I noticed I had eaten it all and felt overly full for the rest of the evening.
On another topic, I am surprised that the coffee ritual did not come up. I always pour my coffee first, add sugar, stir a bit and then add milk or cream then stir again. It kind of annoys me when somebody does it in a different order. To me it is the only way to get the sugar dissolved properly and the right balance of coffee to cream.
Silly Eating Habits
I do the same thing with colored candy, dump them out and arrange by color then eat whichever has the most, so there is an even number. Then I eat one by one by color leaving the "best" color or flavor until last - usually the red or purple depending on the candy and flavor combination.
The funny part is, I work for a candy company so I am very careful to hide this obsession when eating candy at work.
Wild asparagus
I have never seen wild asparagus, but have cooked very thin stalks of home grown. How thin are the stalks you purchased? Are they just slightly wider than a toothpick? If so, just saute a few minutes in some oil or butter. Maybe add some minced garlic, a little salt and pepper and they are fine. I wouldn't steam or boil them if they are that thin.
I just made homemade whole wheat pasta.....
When I make homemade pasta before it is time to cook, I don't cover it with a damp towel, but let it sit and air dry until I am ready to use it. Depending on where you are and what your weather is like, I would worry about the damp towel sitting for that long becoming a breeding ground for bacteria.
Fresh pasta only need to cook for a few minutes. Maybe 5 minutes if it has dried a bit during the day. The only way to tell is to taste the strands and make sure you use lots of water.
I don't know if this qualifies as a simple sauce, but we like this one with homemade whole wheat pasta.
6 slices chopped bacon
olive oil
1 large onion
1/2 cup white wine
dried red pepper flakes
1 teas. dried basil
32 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (imported, if available.) Dump in large bowl and squeeze each tomato to break up or use an immersion blender to grind up for a smoother sauce.
In large skillet over medium to medium high heat, cook chopped bacon until it just begins to crisp. Add a tablespoon olive oil and add onion. Cook until onions just begin to brown (this takes about 10 minutes or so). Watch heat level so onions don't burn.
Add the wine, pepper flakes and basil and cook for a minute or two until reduced slightly. Add the tomatoes, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Remove lid and let sauce reduce for about 10 minutes. Taste and add salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Serve over whole wheat pasta and sprinkle with parm. cheese.
Camping ? about ck fajitas and marinating for 2.5 days?
Chicken fajitas are one of my standard things to cook while camping. I agree with serving the chicken the 2nd night, not waiting until Saturday afternoon. As for a marinade, use a dry rub (according to your taste) such as chili powder, cumin, dried onion, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper, etc. Coat the frozen chicken breasts with a little oil and sprinkle on the dry rub store in at least two zip-lock bags. Pack some fresh limes to add the juice the last 1/2 hour before cooking. As for Saturday lunch you can make extra chicken for the fajitas on Friday and cut up the leftovers to make quesadillas. Bring along some bags of pre-shredded cheese and salsa, with flour tortillas and the leftover chicken you have the makings of some simple quesadillas.
In case you haven't thought of this before...freeze some water filled zip-lock bags in various sizes to use in the cooler. Keeps frozen longer than cubes.
Cooking without Recipes
In addition to all the great suggestions already posted. I like the cookbook How to Cook without a Book by Pam Anderson. I often give it to young adults setting up house for the first time, but it is also good for the established cook with suggestions on personalizing the recipes.
The cooking show that really helped me move from the "tried and true" dishes, (like the ones my mother taught me) and closely following recipes to improvising on my own was "Ready, Set, Cook". Unfortunately it is not on any more, but the concept was to take 4 or 5 ingredients and challenge the chef to make a meal, with the help of a well stocked pantry. We started doing this at home, often with inspiration from the local farmers market, or a sale at the fish/seafood counter or butcher. Purchase a few key ingredients and then come up with a way to put them together to build a meal. Check online or in cookbooks for the basic how-toos when cooking something totally new to me, but then take it to the next level with your own twists.
Another fun way to improve your improv cooking is to try to recreate a recipe that you have had in a restaurant without checking for a specific recipe. Just go with what you think was in there.
Growing your own herbs also really helps you to understand their uses and flavor profiles. I have always grown herbs (since high school in the 1970's) and my kids grew up being able to identify most herbs on sight, or by taste/smell. My 19 year old son has become a pretty good cook, likes to play the "ready, set, cook" game with me buying the ingredients and challenging him to come up with a meal. The only problem with this is that his heat tolerance is about 10x mine, so I have to keep reminding him to cut down on the chili peppers.
Dips to serve with Steamed Artichokes??
I often make a curry mayo sauce from a cookbook called 1000 Vegetarian Recipes. Unfortunately I don't remember the proportions or all of the ingredients but the basics are the following ingredients stirred into a cup of mayo: white vinegar, milk, lemon juice, pressed garlic, curry powder, paprika, salt, pepper. You could try doing a google search. My family really likes this, even the members who hate mayo.
