amselby81's Profile
Has anyone ever heard of peas and cheeseballs?
My mom would make a dish that she called "peas and cheeseballs." It was a little on the strange side, but I loved it! She basically made a mixture that included parmasian cheese and bread crumbs and rolled them up like meatballs. I can remember if she fried them or baked them. She cooked the peas in a tomato sauce along with the cheeseballs. And voila! That was peas and cheeseballs. I'm pretty sure there was some garlic in there too.
I don't know if this was an ethnic recipe or what. My mom was half Italian and grew up with her Italian born grandparents. So there was a strong Italian influence in her life. I don't know if this recipe came from my great grandparents or not.
It makes me really sad b/c my mom passed away 2 years ago and I can't find her recipe for this. And I can't find a recipe online that is anywhere close. :(
Anyone been to the Polish Festival in Baltimore?
Thanks, guys. Your input definitely gives me a better idea of what to expect. So it looks like if we do go, we should make additional plans to visit the harbor. Maybe the aquarium, since my 2 year old loves to see fish. Sadly, as a native Marylander from Frederick Co., I've never been to the Baltimore Aquarium.
A couple more questions, if you don't mind. Do you need to pay for parking at Patterson Park? I know we will if we go to the harbor. Looking at a map, it looks like it'd be a hike to walk all the way from Patterson Park to the Inner Harbor. I'd hate to have to pay for parking twice. Once to park at the park, and then again to park near the harbor. Or do you think the walk from Patterson Park to the Inner Harbor isn't too bad? I also know nothing about the neighborhood between the park and the harbor.
Anyone been to the Polish Festival in Baltimore?
Here's the website: http://www.familypolka.com/Festival.html I've never been. We live in Charles Town, WV, so it's a drive for us. I've heard that it's kind of small. We would be bringing our 2 year old, if we went. If you've been, would you say it's worth it for us to travel all the way out there with out 2 year old? If it's not too far from the harbor, then maybe we can hop on over to the harbor and make a day of it. I'm just curious. Thanks!
Questions about Amish Friendship Bread.
I already did a search to see if I could find the answers, but I couldn't, even though there were quite a few threads about the AFB.
So, a friend gave me a baggie with the starter in it, along with a recipe. There's already a cup in the bag, when I get it. The recipe calls for the addition of the cup of milk, cup of flour, cup of sugar on day 6. Then on day 10, before dividing the starters up, you add another cup of each. This recipe tells me to take out 4 1 cup starters. There didn't look like there was a whole lot left in the bowl, but I followed the directions. The bread came out very dense, and it didn't rise much. Most of the recipes that I find online call for the same directions about adding a cup milk, cup of flour, and cup of sugar, so they should have the same amount of starter near the end. But most ask for you to only take out 3 1 cup starters. You would have an extra cup of starter in the bowl. Would this make the bread rise more? Which would you recommend; taking 4 1 cups out or only 3 1 cups?
My other question is whether it makes a difference whether I add the 1 cup milk, flour, and sugar on the 5th day or the 6th day? Like I said, my recipe calls for the 6th day, but most of the ones that I've found on the net say to add them on the 5th day. Does it matter?
Thank you
Cast Iron seasoning peals everytime I make stroganoff (sp?)
It looks like small black flakes. The flakes are bigger than pepper flakes, to give you an idea of the size of flakes. And they are shiny, too. I can rub my finger on the side of my skillet and I can feel it flaking off. When I look at the spot where it's flaking, I see gray, like it's the bare metal. If it's not seasoning, then what else can it be?
Cast Iron seasoning peals everytime I make stroganoff (sp?)
Thank you. I'll try your advice about keeping it in the oven when baking. That sounds simple enough. :)
Cast Iron seasoning peals everytime I make stroganoff (sp?)
I'm sorry, but this really frustrates me. If it's not seasoned properly, then what did I do wrong? Please! Tell me. I want to know. I don't really understand how your post applies to me. If the seasoning flaked off with just a spritz of water, wouldn't more come off with a steel scratchpad? I stopped using abrasive stuff on it, after I unknowingly used the rough side of a scotchbrite sponge, and scrubbed the original Lodge Logic seasoning off. No soap was used when I did this. It was after my first time using the skillet that I did this, and that was the beginning of my woes. Since then it's been season...flake...season...flake....lye bath...season...flake...season...flake. Like I said, after the lye bath, I did a seasoning of peanut oil at 350 for 2 or 3 hours and then cool down. The pan was upside down, the layer of oil was thin, b/c I know that a thick layer will peel. I just don't know!! I feel like throwing the darn thing out. It doesn't peel for anything else, just stroganoff.
Cast Iron seasoning peals everytime I make stroganoff (sp?)
I want to love my cast iron skillet. For the most part, I do. But my husband really loves beef stroganoff (sorry if I butchered the spelling). I try to make it at least once a month. When I make it, I use the cast iron lid and let the beef stew in beef broth for a few hours on the stove top. This must wear down the seasoning, b/c when I'm finished with the dish, I always have some seasoning that peels off.
I've had problems with my seasoning before. This is my first cast iron piece, but I've gotten recommendations from this site before. I also bought a book called "Cast Iron for Dummies." I've tried stuff that didn't work in the past, but a few months ago I stripped the thing down to the bare metal, sanded it down for any unseen rust (since someone said that it could be rust causing my problems). And I used peanut oil, baked at 350 degrees for 2 or 3 hours, and then I let the skillet cool down in the oven. I cooked lots of fatty foods and I even gained 10 lbs to prove it. Lots of bacon, lots of burgers, and steak. The seasoning seemed to be doing very well, and then I started making stroganoff again. Sure enough, I had peeling. I reseasoned, since there were spots that were peeled down to the bare metal. This happens every time I make stroganoff.
It seems to do the peeling around the rim, where the lid sets on the skillet, and on the sides closer to the top. Should the seasoning be doing this? I hear that I shouldn't have to reseason a skillet. Should I just leave it alone? But then the next time I make stroganoff, more will peel off, right?
I do not wash my skillet. Most things I can just wipe right out with a paper towel. If I make something saucy, then I just spray the skillet down with warm water with my sink sprayer, and then dry it with a paper towel, put it on the stove, warm it up, and then put a thin coat of oil or lard.
Do I have a defunctional skillet? How am I supposed to develop a fantastic seasoning if everytime I make this dish it flakes off? This is the only dish that I make that I use the lid. Is it b/c I use the lid and let it stew? There's alot of condensation going on in the pan at that time. Still, I would have figured that many before me have made stewed meals in their cast iron. Would they have to keep reseasoning?
I'm just frustrated.
My pie crust tasted great, but looked horrible.
I have no idea what "Blind Baking," is. I keep seeing that term. Is it when you cook the crust w/o the filling, and then add the filling? I didn't think you had to do that with a pumpkin pie. Should I have done that?
My pie crust tasted great, but looked horrible.
Hmmm, so you'd suggest a different recipe? And I did preheat the oven to 425, for the first 15 min. or so. That's what the pumpkin pie recipe called for. I actually didn't pay attention to the heating directions for the dough recipe.
My pie crust tasted great, but looked horrible.
I guess it's better than having a pie crust that looked great, but tasted horrible, but I wouldn't mind some pointers to help next time around. :)
I made two pumpkin pies, for Thanksgiving. I used Martha Stewart's recipe for Easy Pie Crust: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/easy-pie-crust?autonomy_kw=pie%20crust&rsc=header_6
I let the pie dough chill in my fridge overnight. Then Thanksgiving morning, I took the first out. It was as hard as a rock, so I let it sit for a little bit, and then rolled. It rolled nicely, and had a fabulous texture. I put it into the pie pan, making sure not to stretch the dough. I crimped the edges, so they looked just as pretty as Martha's. I put my pie filling in, and started to bake. I peaked in, 5 min. later, and I was horrified to see that the edges had fallen. There was no sign that I had crimped them. I was so upset, b/c like I said, it looked gorgeous!
So, I wanted to know what I did wrong. While the first one baked, I started to search the net for tips on how to prevent this. One tip that I found said to freeze the crust, before baking. So, the second pie, I did this. After I put it in the pan, and crimped the sides, I put it in the freezer for about 20 min. It was nice and hard when I took it out. I only took it out when my filling was ready, and I was ready to put it in the oven. So I acted quickly. Put it in the oven, and checked on it a few min. later. This one kept it's shape better than the first one, but it did fall in a couple places.
Are there any more suggestions? Should I have let the crust freeze a little longer, before baking? Any other tips would be helpful. I would much rather make a pie crust from scratch, than to use one that's already made.
Please help me to have a beautifully crimped crust.
Thank you!
Ceramic garlic grinding thingy...Rachael Ray mentioned it.
Thanks! Honestly, I have never used ginger, well fresh ginger at least ::gasp:: I'm a rather novice chef, and anything that I've learned I've either learned from the food network, recipes.com, or this website. Yeah, my mom was more of an out of the can, bland kind of lady, I'll look into what I can add fresh ginger to, b/c that ceramic ginger grater looks really cool.
Ceramic garlic grinding thingy...Rachael Ray mentioned it.
I have no idea what this looks like, but I was watching Rachael Ray, and she mentioned that she used to have this ceramic thing that she would rub garlic on, and it would create a garlic paste. She mentioned this gadget while rubbing garlic on a small grater, and she made this thing sound like it was better than using a grater. She couldn't show it, b/c it had broke, and she said that she needed to go back to Provence to get another. At least I think she said Provence. She just made it sound really cool, and I would like to look into getting one. Does anyone know what this gadget is called?
Do I really need a chimney starter?
Man, you guys have convinced me that I need a chimney, and I don't even have a grill! I live in an apartment w/o a balcony, so I have been considering buying one of those small little grills, that I could take outside and grill on the sidewalk. I also have the option of grilling on a community type grill that's right outside of our apartment. I guess a chimney would come in handy for either one. I had never even seen a chimney, until I saw Alton Brown use one. When it came to a non gas grill, I've only seen lighter fluid being used, and yes, there was a funny taste. I never thought that it was b/c of the lighter fluid.
I just got a lid for my cast iron skillet. There's some rust, what should I do?
I'll go ahead and answer my own question. I googled it, and came accross a website that said that the Lodge company recommends taking a steel wool pad to the rusty spots, and then seasoning it. I already got rid of the rust, and the lid is now in the oven, getting another layer of seasoning on it.
Any suggestions on what to do with extra chicken parts?
Wow, you guys are fast! Thanks!
Any suggestions on what to do with extra chicken parts?
I am not used to dealing with a whole chicken. I was raised already cut chicken, that did not have the gizzards and such included. Anyway, I'm doing some fried chicken, tonight. The chicken that I bought was already cut up, but it included everything. So I have the neckbone, and a thing that looks like the liver, and some other stuff that has meat on it. I know, it must be funny that I don't know the names of this stuff, but I am totally clueless.
So, are there any recipes for using this stuff? Any suggestions are appreciated. The things are sitting in a baggy in my fridge, and probably won't last past tomorrow.
Thanks, a bunch!
I just got a lid for my cast iron skillet. There's some rust, what should I do?
You all have been such a big help with giving me advice on my 12 inch iron skillet. And so I'm coming to you with another question.
I ordered a lid for my 12 inch skillet, from Amazon.com. The lid just came in today, and there are 2 small chips in the seasoning, and some rust has formed. Is there a way to get the rust off, w/o having to take the preseasoning off? What do you all suggest doing?
Thanks, in advance. You're all awesome!
best cookware set for ~$50?
I found that if I use enough oil, not much sticks to the stainless steel. LIke I said in my previous post, it's no less sticky then a nonstick pan, at least the nonstick pans that I've used. And I've always needed to use oil with my nonstick pans, too, so there's not a big difference at all, except that you can be a little rougher with your stainless, when it comes to cleaning.
best cookware set for ~$50?
The problem with nonstick, is that you'll eventually have to replace it. Depending on the quality, that could be in just a year or two. I understand that the really expensive, high quality nonstick lasts longer, but chances are, you won't get something that will last decades. Not to mention the toxic chemicals that get into your food, from nonstick. Did you know that they're starting to put labels on nonstick, warning you not to keep your pet birds too close to your stove, b/c the fumes that come off a nonstick pan can kill your bird. And people want to cook with that?
I can understand not wanting to use cast iron, but it's really no more maintenance than a nonstick pan. Yeah, you're not supposed to use soap on it, and you have to dry it immediately so that it doesn't rust. But the more you use it, the more nonstick it gets. Some foods won't require more cleaning than just a wipe with a paper towel. You can use metal utensils on it, and it's not toxic.
I guess if you're really against cast iron, then i'd suggest stainless steel. I bought farberware set, before I got my cast iron. It's the Millenium series. The set is out of your price range, but I don't know if you can buy the pieces individually or not. I'll tell you that I liked the stainless steel better than any nonstick pan that I used, and I grew up on nonstick. My mom didn't use anything else. And yes, we must have gone through at least 8 skillets while I was growing up at home. No more has stuck to my stainless steel, than has to the nonstick. And, the great thing is that when something does stick, you can use steel wool on it. When something sticks to nonstick, you have to let it soak for awhile.
Has anyone used a Zanda Panda
The just looked up "Zanda Panda on Amazon.com. It only has 4 reviews, but they're all good. The reviewers were saying that b/c the mold is silicone, that it makes it easier for the cake to pop out. I went to the zandapanda website, too, and I think it's really neat that you can do other things with the molds. The butterfly one looks like it's chocolate, or candy on top of a regular cake. Very pretty.
Is this normal for my cast-iron skillet?
Not to mention that a plastic spatula can melt while you're using it. Yuck! There's nothing like having melted plastic in your food.
Debbie Meyer Green Bags for produce - Any Good? [Moved from General Topics]
I'm curious. If they work so well, why are there so many negetive reviews about it, on amazon.com? I've been going back and forth about whether I want to buy them. My husband doesn't eat fresh fruits and vegetables (says it's a texture thing), and I surely can't eat enough so that I don't end up with some rotten produce. If these work, then I'd love to try them, but I'm just a tad skeptical, after reading those reviews, and now I see that Consumer Reports gives it a negative review,too.
Waffle Iron....on the cheap
I've been thinking about buying the same waffle iron that todao suggested. I've only made waffles on some high tech waffle iron that was in my college cafeteria, so I'm a bit inexperienced, myself. The reasons why I've been thinking about that simple waffle iron, made by Rome, is 1.)It's the original way to make waffles. I'm sure that our great grandmothers were using something very similar. 2.)It's cast iron, and i love cast iron. Most of the electric ones are nonstick, which I'm trying to get away from. And 3.) because it wouldn't take up as much space as an electric one. I live in a small apartment, and I don't have alot of space to store an electric waffle iron.
Just a curious question about cast iron dutch ovens
Oooooh, I never would have thought of popcorn. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. One day..I shall own a dutch oven...one day. I've given the enameled ones a thought, but I'm very old fashioned, or maybe I'm a wannabe old fasioned, since I was not raised in an old fashioned way. But I really like traditional things, verses contemporary. The enameled stuff is really pretty. Maybe I'll buy one of each!
Just a curious question about cast iron dutch ovens
Okay. I just thought that the preseasoning wasn't "complete." I managed to accidentally scrub my preseasoning off with just a scrubby sponge, and water. Totally by accident, I might add. So, from my experience, and also from what i've read, I figured that the preseasoning still needs some work, by cooking fatty foods.
Oh, and I have gone back and reseasoned my skillet, but it's not complete, yet. So, I continue to cook those fatty foods. Bring on the bacon!
Just a curious question about cast iron dutch ovens
I don't own a cast iron dutch oven, but I'm thinking about eventually owning one. As I've mentioned in other threads, I am a new cast iron user. I just bought my first cast iron skillet, back in June. I've had a few problems, since I've been pretty clueless about how to use it. It's finally looking like things are on the right track. We'll see. :o)
On to the dutch oven question. I keep reading that you shouldn't boil things in an iron skillet, until you have a good enough seasoning. In order to achieve a good seasoning, you need to cook in it. The more you cook, the better it gets. I think of cooking things like stews and chilis in a dutch oven. I know that you can also bake breads in it, and I know that bread's certainly okay to bake in a newer dutch oven. But the stews and chilis seem be stuff that would wreck a seasoning that's not complete, or at least taste bad, because of the reaction with the iron.
So if you're not supposed to cook those things in a newer dutch oven (Maybe I'm just wrong about that), then what kind of foods can you cook in it, in order to build up the seasoning?
TIA
Angie
Another cast iron Q. The seasoning seems to be flaking off!
Alright, it looks like it'll be alright. I ended up frying up some squash and then cooked a sandwich, for my daughter, on it. There seems to really only be one spot, and it is black, and nothing is sticking to it. It's just not as smooth as the rest of the skillet. It's really strange, because it is a pretty big spot. It's about an inch and a half in diameter, and I know that I didn't have that much water on my fingers. So now I'm wondering what the heck happened to it while it was heating up. I spread the oil over the entire surface, so I know that I didn't miss this spot.
I didn't witness it actually happen from the water. I just know that after I sprinkled the water on, then I noticed it. Since it's almost as black as the rest of the skillet, and it also seems to be smoothing out, I'm hoping that it will eventually blend right in.
You can disregard my previous post, since it doesn't seem to be a huge problem. Probably just cosmetic. I just don't know how to delete it.
Another cast iron Q. The seasoning seems to be flaking off!
GRRR!!! My love for my cast iron is dwindling. Why does it seem that in my efforts to do everything right, that I get everything wrong? This is what happened this morning. First off, I have a cookbook for cast iron. It's the "Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies." It is Lodge approved, b/c they sell it on their website. Well, they tell you in the book that b/c cast iron retains heat so well, that you usually have to use a lower heat than recommended in a regular cookbook, but they say that their heat suggestions are right on, and that there are no adjustments needed.
Well I started to make some Johnny Cakes, and the heat suggestion was medium-high. Since the book said that they've already adjusted the temps for cast iron, I didn't hesitate to set my stove to medium-high. The recipe suggests that you sprinkle water on the skillet to test the heat. If the drop pops around, then it's hot enough. I put oil on the skillet before doing this, and I guess that was my mistake. I think the oil was in the process of leaving another layer of seasoning, b/c when I sprinkled some water on it, I got "pits" where the water hit the skillet. It's like the seasoning parted ways in those spots. Obviously the heat was too high, so I cranked it back down to medium.
I started to get upset about the way that the seasoning looked, but I figured that I might as well go ahead and cook on the darn thing. I finished the Johnny Cakes, but the pits were still there. There's still seasoning there, but it's like the areas around the pits are higher up, as if the seasoning is just thinner in those spots. I poured more oil on, and did the toast trick. It still looks different in those spots.
I think I probably sprinkled too much water on, too. What I did was I stuck my fingers under the faucet, just to wet then. Then I went over to the skillet and sprinkled it on. It's not like I poured a cups worth, or even a fraction of a cups worth.
I vow not to season again, I guess I'll just keep cooking on it, and hope that it smooths out. But I'm very discouraged.
Another cast iron Q. The seasoning seems to be flaking off!
I'm back! Alright, so I reseasoned the skillet on Friday night. Prior to that, I had used the oven cleaner to clean off all of the old seasoning. To reseason, I used unrefined peanut oil. I set my oven to 400 degrees, and let it bake for 2 hours, just to make sure it wasn't sticky. I then let the pan cool off in the oven. I took the pan out, and I was delighted that the finish looked fantastic. It was a very nice dark brown color. It looked very even, and there were no "puddles" around the edges. I did have one problem with the seasoning, and that is that there were a couple spots, around the rim where there was no seasoning. The spots were where my oven rack was touching my skillet. It looked as if the seasoning may have bonded with my oven rack, and then it chipped off when I took the skillet out. It didn't happen all the way around the rim, just along one side. The spots are small, just the width of the bar things on my oven rack, and you can see the iron in those spots. Is there a way to spot season these spots, since the rest of the skillet looks great? Maybe use a little Q tip and dab the spots with oil, and bake it? Or would I need to coat the whole skillet? Please don't tell me that I have to start all over again.
