I use white pepper when called for and in a few other dishes. I buy ground white pepper and it is quite fine compared to the black from my grinder. I get a peppery heat from it, but not the nuance of black. When I have a cold I like a hearty dose of white pepper in my chicken soup - can't taste anything but the heat and I don't want the grit. I also like it on cottage cheese.

Asparagus and spinach are in! I'm solo this weekend as b is visiting his mom - so last night was steamed asparagus and spinach on toast topped with melted tallegio. Tonight is going to be asparagus and capallini with a bit of tuna. I'll keep at the asparagus until I turn green or its over for the year. Looking forward to escarole and green beans...

Tend to shop for a meal, not a big weekly shopper. I usually use an envelope or scrap of paper. Sometimes I just take a picture of the recipe with my phone. Even more rarely I use notes on my phone.

If you have a garden full I think pickled asparagus is AMAZING and it's expensive imho at the store, making it a great gift (maybe with a bottle of vodka and recipe for great blood mary's).

There is a recipe in the 90's edition of Joy of Cooking that has a recipe very similar to goodhealthgourmet suggests that is excellent. If I track it down I'll post it. It's sweet for my taste so I cut back on the sugar, but these are great flavors w. asparagus!

I have similar feelings towards 'healthy' as you - OP- do. I LOVE cheese and carbs. But, I also LOVE veggies - the boy is more meat and taters, but over years has come to eat more veg. I really love 101 cookbooks blog for recipes - they are different, and I read it religiously for a long time before cooking from there, but I've been really pleased. It is nice because the recipes are for things that should taste good, but don't try to imitate something else. Anything by Yotam Ottelenghi is good too - some ingredients are exotic, but I find the preparations to not be overly complex.

Finally, non-cookbook advice - waiting for vegetables to be in season makes them 'special' we are LOVING spinach and asparagus right now because it is what is in season, affordable and delicious. Of course over the cold months we eat veg, but a vastly limited selection. It's exciting to eat asparagus or fresh tomatoes for the first time in months and makes it easier to steer away from (at least some) of the cheese and pasta! Good luck on your search, everybody has different habits that work best for them and theirs... I'd love to hear what you find works well for you.

I would add breadcrumbs, egg and maybe some cheese and fry/grill as a croquette type thing. Might be good with meat added into a sort of porcupine meatball variant.

I like those sites. But, realistically, I usually don't make separate meals for lunches, I just repurpose. Bento is great for encouraging variety. I usually have a sandwich or leftovers (pasta or rice or something) account for 1/2 the box. I usually like to have a little container of vinagrette or mustard to add variety to things. Then I fill it up with different fruits and veg., maybe a few nuts or small piece of cheese. Finally, I like to add a little piece of chocolate or dried fruit to finish. I try and add just a few bites of different things laying around the fridge. Makes it more interesting and I don't waste as much food.

I've stuffed them diced cucumber, feta and olive tossed in vinaigrette for a cute presentation of a greek salad. I also like to stuff a couple with hummus as part of my lunch with other chopped veg. and some crackers.

I do something similar. Get a dishrag wet and ring it out. Zap for a minute or two and then leave the door closed for 5 or 10 minutes. The steam softens all the gunk and it will wipe clean quite easily. If it is really bad it might take 2 or 3 rounds.

lunch today was pb, honey, sriracha and tahini. It was dying for sliced apple and or celery and grilling.

Besides adding lemongrass to stir-fries, marinades and curries, I will bruise a branch (or use the tough yet fragrant outer layers) and add it to a water bottle in the fridge overnight. I will also chuck it into a pot of rice or other grain as it steams to gently infuse the citrusy flavor.

I've only used the Chinkiang style black vinegar, but I like it in dipping sauce for dumplings and I've used it as a sub for both balsamic vinegar (in dishes where that isn't the dominant flavor) and worchestchire. IMO it works really well as a boost to dishes that are missing that indistinguishable little something since it has some acid and some umami notes.

I feel the rut as well! I can't wait for the farmers market and warm enough weather for a chopped salad to sound satisfying. I need to console myself with a few last loaves of bread before it's too warm to start the oven. I've been adding loads of parsley to everything to 'freshen' it up.

I would still marinate the chicken and then pull it out of the marinade to bake at 350. There are 2 possible problems with cooking in the marinade - if there isn't a lot it will burn to the bottom of the pan before the chicken is cooked. If there is a lot the chicken will stew and the skin won't get crisp. You could reserve some of the marinade before putting the chicken in and baste the chicken every 10 minutes or so.

Funny, I know this a goulash! The super basic version is ground beef, mac, a can of tomatoes, ketchup and garlic powder. If I were to make it again it would be more like the versions below (and kind of sounds good right about now).

Looks better now!

On Safari the avatars are rendering too large and overlapping the first few letters of a post. Not horrible, but it looks a bit amateurish. Not a bitch - just an fyi.

I'll say I'm closest to A, but I'll qualify. I usually account for availability in my list (I'll want greens, but decide if it is kale or chard or spinach at the store). I do this with produce and meat/seafood/fish especially. I usually shop for a meal and have a good idea of what I'm making but I don't like to be so tied down to a plan that I buy lesser quality or forgo a bargain due to the list.

1 voracious hangover + 1 blue box + .5 recommended butter + 1 can of the hottest Rotel available + 1 gigantic spoon

I tried this tonight as well. I really enjoyed how the earthiness of the tahini played with the sweetness of the squash. I used some sort of pumpkin or something I had on hand from a farmers market in the fall and subbed the toasted seeds for the pine nuts. I also like that it is easy and can be served at room temperature - perfect for guests or nights when I'm trying something new and I don't know the timing.

We just had this tonight and I agree with blue room. Easy and really tasty. I used red pepper flakes since there were no red chills at the store, I cut back on the garlic a bit and did the same with the garnish. We had the tabbouleh from the book, with bread and butter as a side for a really enjoyable meal.

Barley risotto with marinated feta

Saute shallots, garlic and celery. Add tomato, barley, broth, thyme, bay, smoked paprika and chili flakes. Cook until tender. Top with toasted caraway seeds with feta and olive oil.

Really a great dish! Pretty much followed the direction except I used 1 large can of tomatoes instead of the chopped and then the sieved. A really nice, satisfying vegetarian main that even impressed the carnivorous BF. The caraway and feta garnish take a good dish to great. I used a nice sheeps milk feta and the creaminess and complexity worked really well. A standard feta would be fine, but a good one really shines. Certainly something I will make often in the future. Bonus points for basically being a pantry meal.

I'll keep my fingers crossed, glad to know it isn't as clear cut as I'd thought.

Bump!

I tried making caramel candies for the first time today. Being a bit overly ambitious I made 2 batches 1 to which I added espresso powder and the other I salted. Tried layering them 1 on top of the other. The salted batch turned out like a rock, while the espresso batch is too soft and a bit grainy. I used cream, butter and a bit of corn syrup (the salted carmel recipe from chow) and cooked to 255. Two questions:

Is there any way to rescue the failed candy? Can I remelt it to some temp and then let it cool again? Or could I melt it and turn it to brittle or something else?

What is the problem with the 2 caramels? Is it just a tempurature issue? I used different pots so one may have kept cooking longer off the heat than the other...

Thanks for any help!

I've subbed saki before, as well as dry vermouth. I finally bought a bottle, but I can't tell the difference in any of the dishes I've used it in. I also noticed that the one I bought is just alcohol water and salt for ingredients, but some of the other bottles had a lot of ingredients - like 'cooking' wine.

You could try contacting Salt Fork Farms to see if they still have some. Otherwise, New Pi is probably your best bet (unless you can find another farm).

http://saltforkfarms.com

So I made the cinnamon rolls this weekend. Made the dough Saturday and rolled and baked on Sunday. I used coconut milk for most of the oil, an extra egg sized lump of pumpkin for the egg and olive oil for the butter. I also used coconut milk for the melted butter that is brushed on the dough before the filling is applied. They came out really well and I didn't miss the icing (which I just didn't make). In the future I might just use coconut milk for the oil. The recipe is a keeper, and I look forward to making an omni version as well.

Thanks for your advice! I think coconut milk is in for sure. I don't feel like a solid fat is necessary, so I think I'll use grapeseed or olive oil instead. I know Earth Balance is popular, but it's expensive and seems to be a solid form of normal oils. I'll report back how things turned out.

I'm having brunch with a few friends next weekend and want to make these pumpkin cinnamon rolls:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/1...

However, half the crowd is vegan and the other half is omni. I was thinking I could probably sub coconut milk for both the milk and butter. Alternatively, I could try coconut fat and rice milk or something. I'll just make 2 versions of icing and serve it on the side. Does anybody have any thoughts on if these subs would work? I'd like to avoid margarine if possible (I think it taste nasty and I wouldn't know what to do with the rest of the box). It seems like with pumpkin puree in the recipe things might be more flexible, as I know using fruit purees is sometimes a way to cut fat in baked goods. TIA for any opinions!

cg