Just had to pipe up, even at this late date.

I'm laughing at the anti-liver and onions litany.

Our mother died and because A. my older sister was/is a disinterested -- read, "negligent" -- cook, B. our dad was "traditional" i.e., gender-bigoted and C. anyway, my three brothers were self-centered and undependable; at the age of ten, I had the job of making dinner for the whole family.

In the seven years until I left for college, the ONLY comment my father made to me re: the meals was the demand that I make the liver "that way" all the time. Not, that was tasty, I enjoyed it, or good job.

My daddy had a warm and loving personality . . . to everyone except his family. XD

if it's really crisp and well-rendered, my "cook's treat" is the pope's/bishop's/parson's nose

One thing is to not just try to reheat the macachee: I cut out blocks of the solidfied leftovers and bread them. They make nice "pasta steaks", baked or pan-fried.
If I'm thinking ahead, it really helps to mix in a bit of herbes de provence -- or your favorite seasoning -- or slivers of ham in the still warm leftovers before storing.

Ditch the car and rent a good bike. Even on a Saturday, traffic will be a real obstacle and parking will be non-existent for much of the suggested itinerary.

the wonderful Peg Bracken has a chapter in the "I Hate To Cook" book on putting together a satisfying, hot meal for one, which easily fits this topic. As she put it, the basic technique is to put something on, over or inside a potato, rice or good yeast roll like an English muffin. Many versions of eggs; veg, etc in a sauce, canned items like soup or chile. She suggested making a Column A, Column B sort of chart so you wouldn't end up nutritionally deprived or ruin your budget with take out or delivery food because you're bored of the same ol', same ol'.

I put mine -- completely cooled, of course -- in a zipper food storage bag and keep in the fridge. there is no "sugar coating" as such: a lot of sugar flows off with the rendering fat and the rest is incorporated into the caramelized meat. two pounds have lasted a week with zero ill effects.

I use the Martha Stewart recipe of brown sugar and lots of fresh ground black pepper, but don't do the twisting. Line a jelly roll pan with foil and layer on a rack in the oven; I turn and move them around at least once for quicker cooking.

Add avocado and chipotle Tabasco for the best BLTs, imho.
Have fun, it's a SUPERB brunch item.

I'm really late to the party, but I always make sure to get my radishes with the tops so I can put the greens through the juicer. Peppery and SOOOO healthful. I literally feel good drinking it.
Helps cut though the heaviness of carrot juice, and really perks up fruit based juices.

In colder weather, I agree with others that they are an excellent green for braising. Love them with garlic and a splash of red wine vinegar to finish. Stuff them in a baked potato and you've got a satisfying meal with vegan complete protein.

Brussel sprouts with chestnuts.
I steam the sprouts, roast the chestnuts; when they're ready and hot, toss with melted butter, a good dash of powdered ginger and freshly fine ground black pepper. Be generous with the butter and pepper. I use salted butter, so I don't add more to the dish. But I recognize that I'm a light salter, so I always have salt on the table.

Love, love, LOVE bs&c. Freshness of the sprouts + richness of the butter + sweetness of the chestnuts + taste treat of the spices. The mix of textures is amazing. Love, love, LOVE!

Trimming the sprouts is a little tedious, but peeling the chestnuts is a burnt finger tip horror. So, it's definitely a celebration dish. But it's so pretty in the serving dish and delish in the mouth, it's always worth it.

I'm wondering why you have to scrub your pans. If you're cooking on low to medium flame (and once cast iron is up to temperature, that is what you should be using) AND allowing the food to caramelize, there is no sticking. In fact, if the food is properly browned in any kind of pan, there is going to be minimal or no sticking.
NOTE: Every time you scrub cast iron, you remove the seasoning. Ditto for using soap (does not leave a soapy taste unless you're not rinsing well).
It's ironic that people buy non-stick cookware because the coating actually prevents proper caramelization (to get it up to temperature, you need to heat the pan to the point where the coating deteriorates and gives off toxic fumes), so, 90% of the time, you need to spray or oil the pan to prevent sticking. Crazy.

If you're done with cast iron and want to try stainless, remember to heat the pan, THEN lay the meat in the bare pan, or add a thin layer of oil for veg/other foods. For meat/poultry/fish, let it brown whereupon it will release from the pan.
For the veg/other, pay attention to your food; it will tell you through sight or sound whether it needs stirring, et c.

I suggest you're ranting against an item you haven't been using properly. Perhaps you might try the tips and suggestions in these replies before you condemn your purchases. But buying a whole "wardrobe" of cast iron without any experience, and now, considering a very expensive new copper "wardrobe", leads me to believe you're more likely to keep jumping from one quick fix to another.

most butchered chicken for sale is pretty young. "fowl" usually designates an adult bird.

Speaking as someone who worked in a coffee & tea shop, tea is unfortunately, just not as widely consumed in a retail (restaurant) situation.
I don't know which came first, lousy presentation/service because of little demand OR few requests because of the expectation of a terrible cup. I haven't ordered hot tea in a restaurant for over 10 years,--EXCEPT when I go to a place that is serving a "tea" (the meal)--just for this reason.
I do know the shop I worked at offered a dozen varieties of loose leaf by the cup, but when told, about 80% of people changed their orders to one of the bagged teas. On the occasions when I asked why, the answer was either that they wanted a cup "to go", which made sense; or that loose tea is too much bother & mess, which made zero sense, since I was the one brewing the tea and then cleaning up "the mess". So, maybe it's just bred in the American bone, that hot tea is a fussy thing to be avoided or dealt with as expeditiously as possible.

It's sad but I only drink hot tea in private residences (and when visiting some friends, I've learnt to drink coffee or water because of the lousy cuppa they offer).

My theory is that coffee is a restaurant staple, so commercialization has made it almost idiot proof; (also coffee tastes way better brewed in large quantities). Whereas, with high quality tea (certainly for loose leaf) different teas have different temperature and time requirements for an optimum brew. Coffee can sit several minutes after being started to no ill effect; tea is easily overbrewed and can become undrinkable. In a pinch, you can sneak out a cup of coffee in the middle of the brewing; no such thing with tea.
In other words, you need someone to actually pay attention when brewing a pot of tea. Just doesn't pay in a busy kitchen, unless most of your clientele would order tea, as in a tea shop.

We've finally gotten over "blossoming" tea (hand-tied bunches of tea leaves and dried flowers that expand into a floral shape when brewing a pot of tea).

But now there are origami tea bags (as the tea leaves expand, the bag unfolds into an origami animal).

Has anyone seen these available? or was it a one-off art thing? Sure looks like a commercial product (click on photo below), but that might be an ironic, arty thing.

a lot of ovens go from heating (full-blast) until their thermostats reach the temperature setting and switch off until the temp falls and triggers the heating to start again, and seesaw back and forth. if you try to get a dish to self-baste (no added liquid) in this kind of oven, you'll get scorched ingredients on the outside, not braising.
In such a situation, it doesn't matter much what temp the oven's set at; entering the "heating" mode frequently will overheat the dish. With a gas oven, one can hear the flame "whoosh"; I'm not familiar with electric ovens, but my experience with old electric ranges, the coil is either heating or not heating. I hope this has been eliminated with newer electric appliances, but I don't know.

My comment referred to NOT adding liquid, just letting the citrus flavor the meat and fo the meat to self-baste. For example, Uncle Bob's rub idea, is a self-basting suggestion. If your oven keep going to heating, the ribs may be scorced or dried before they're cooked.

Hope this helps.

My mommy stuffed them with cream cheese, just as Niki in Dayton suggests.

For a potluck, I filled dates with a very savory tabouli (lots of parsley, mint & minced hot chiles). the finished product was popular with those with adventurous palates, but the process of filling was uber-tedious using a spoon. By the time I tried it again, I had acquired a cloth piping bag and a jar of Aleppo pepper; even better!

I'm thinking of adding ground turkey for a PTA planning meeting; (I've come away feeling ill from the usual snacky, dessert-y stuff). If others like, then I'm getting brownie points for thinking outside the box. If it's not popular, then I have plenty of freezable leftovers for me, my family & friends. I figure, either way, I come out ahead.

you can make a custard pie using Key Limes, it would be like a lemon custard pie (lemon meringue pie).

or are you asking if you can make traditional "Key Lime Pie" without traditional ingredients? no. the SCM reacts with the acidity by thickening as a whole, as opposed to the protein separating from the whey (curdling), which is what would happen to other dairy products.

if you toast a crumb crust, the flavor gets nutty and there's a definite crunch.
also, if you brush with egg white before baking, your crust will be sog-proof.

but others prefer loose crumbs. I like a tender crumb for a creamy pie. as always, your choice is just a question of personal preference.

Yes, cook filling & meringue at the same time, overbaking the custard will toughen the eggs.

I'm not a traditionalist: I enjoy a mousse-y Key Lime Pie; i.e., fold whipped cream/egg whites into the thickened milk-lime mixture. egg whites is old-fashioned, I think; it lets the lime really come through, but there's the issue of raw eggs. And cream is so luscious! then, I freeze the pie to get the filling to "stand proud". Some folks add gelatin but I don't like the texture.

I have noticed that "sources" who give kombucha guidelines (some are unabashedly enthusiastic yet don't say anything about usage) have all advised consuming small amounts: 2 - 3 oz, 2 -3 times a day. which is a medicinal dosage.

I consume about 6 - 12 oz throughout the day (mixed into ice water to flavor). i've noticed improved skin clarity & only one bout of PMS this year (usually 3 - 4 bad cramps or digestion problems), Also, adding to water makes drinking water a lot easier; in the past, drinking >2 qts a day would hurt my stomach and maybe give me a little nausea.

I think the key is consistent consumption: When I went on vacation, my skin started getting dull about 10 days without KTea.

Oddly enough, I no longer crave spicy food. I can still eat blazing food, but I don't yearn for it.
Ditto for caffeine & pastries (used to bake cakes & cookies every week--could this account for clearer skin?).

FYI, I try to catch the fermentation when the KTea when very apple-y with only an edge of acidity. But by the time I finish a batch, it's often quite tangy. I make ~a gallon at a time, which lasts ~a couple weeks.

imo, US sensibilities being what they are, any toxicity issues lie in untempered greed. there's a piece on instructables.com showing how to make 15 gallons at a time. I mean, would you drink 24 oz of vinegar in a sitting? at every meal? but that's what people are doing with KTea.

This is just my experience/opinion, but I hope it helps you.

"Sour salt" is citric acid, so if you know a store in a Jewish community, try there for small bottles (size of a spice bottle).
My local Safeway stocks sour salt in the seasoning aisle. (BTW, not a Jewish neighborhood.)

when you use a scoby to ferment a batch of sweetened tea, the original scoby is the "mother" and the new tissue which develops on the surface of the liquid is the "baby".

fyi: if you're trying to cultivate scobys, after your KTea is fermented to your liking, pour off the KTea. peel the baby from the mother and let it sit in a minimal amount of the old KTea (i.e., don't add fresh tea or sugar). I guess, like plants, the harsher the conditions, the harder they work to pass on their genes. the baby will grow much thicker than it would in a depth of tea; it will grow very white. these always remind me of calamari steaks.

if you need more KTea while you promote growth in the baby, re-use the mother.

hope this helps. I've been fermenting KTea for most of this year, and still as enthusiastic as when I first started.

there's a network of folks who will give away baby scobys. http://www.kombu.de/suche2.htm#usa
a couple in Illinois, but I am unfamiliar with the Midwest so don't know if they're near you or not.

I throw mine in the freezer. The flesh thins out a little (freezing dehydrates things), but as long as they're well wrapped, the flavor and definitely the heat remain intact. The flavor retention is better than drying or using a dehydrator, imho.

I've found pickling destroys the heat and of course, the vinegar changes the flavor dramatically.

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

The large amount of fat makes country style ribs a natural for braising. Slow moist cooking melts much of the fat & the meat becomes luscious. It's pretty hard to make a braised dish "not exclusively about the meat." The braising liquid becomes "meat-ful" and permeates anything you add to the pot.
I suggest making the sides simple but perfect, so they shine and the meal as a whole isn't so meat heavy. Like a variety of impeccably steamed whole baby veg, or selection of raw veg (fennel & endive come to mind) and an herbal quinoa (or other grain/starch).

Try a citrus-strong braising liquid (in fact, surround the ribs with orange & lemon slices in a heavy covered pot & try not adding liquid; if your oven is well-calibrated you should be able to pull it off. Or, add a minimal amount of wine or diluted vinegar.) Of course, olives and dried fruit would take this into tagine territory.

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

"Cooking with master chefs' was one.

a good boxed wine is economical. of course, the crucial word is "good". For sangria, which can be manipulated with the simple syrup and the citrus you're adding, you're pretty safe as long as your base wine is not a complete dog. A good wine shop should be able to direct you to the better varietal & blended boxed wines.

Franzia's OK, for supermarket boxes. (I served Franzia as the last wines of an hors d'oeuvre party and nobody said a negative word. Someone called the red "juicy" and "yummy". It probably doesn't really help as it sounds like you're looking for a fuller red, but there it is anyway.)

Hope this helps & you have fun. Let us know what solution you find. GL.

Unfortunately for me, "tired" usually also means HONgry! So I couldn't wait the 28+ minutes. I've been known to lean against the doorway to my apartment to eat tofu & hot sauce out of the grocery bag (pathetic I know).

If I have to cook something: pasta + a bag of frozen veg. While pasta cooks in my beautiful wok, I toast spices (usually curry powder or baharat), maybe stir in 2 -3 Tbls tasty fat (butter? usually olive oil) or sometimes add 3/4 cup water & bouillon cube. Before pasta is done, add the veg to steam 3-4 minutes. Toss all with spicy-ness and wolf down.

You're a genius.
When you're not weak from hunger, blenderize the salsa and use half to marinate chicken. Roast the chicken. Mix a big dollop of honey into the marinade + other half of the salsa & brush often to glaze the chickie during the last half hour of roasting. If you're a gravy type, boil the leftover glaze for a table sauce.

PS the late, great James Beard's favorite pasta was spaghetti with a can of salsa (he didn't specify which brand, but from his description it was pureed tomato, onion & chiles).
I like to use Herdez or El Pato. Picante!

tell me, is the 3 Minute Lifeguard Squid 50% better than the 2 Minute version? ;)

stir the yogurt until smooth (& lump-free) BEFORE adding to warm milk.

I make a quart every 5-6 days. I think I've made every "mistake" there is.

I'm wondering if your oven was too warm, and the bacteria had an orgy, then collapsed in exhaustion when the temperature/milk sugar ran out. Incubating longer will make a more acidic result, in my experience. Many people insulate their yogurt containers (sometimes crazy complicated contraptions, sometimes just a blanket) to maintain the temp longer.

Since you didn't boil the milk either time during heating, I don't think that was a factor.

Dannon adds thickeners & stabilizers, so if Dannon is your "gold standard" you'll have a hard time making a natural home incubated product of the same texture. Up to a point, more fat & protein = thicker the final product, so you were on the right track adding h&h. Also, for extra protein, the dry milk others suggest is a common remedy. I use "Milkman's" brand, which is 1/2% fat milk when reconstituted. But the non-fat &/or instant is usable (careful about quantities, it can add a cooked taste).

Hope this helps. Fresh 'gurt is about 5 million times better than anything from a tub in a store. GL.

Nordicware has a neat nonstick toaster oven set. A roasting pan ~2" deep with a sheet pan that nests on top of the roaster & a little rack that works in either pan. I make mini casseroles in the roaster pan (like classic tuna, lasagne, enchiladas, ratatouille).4 generous portions! For lasagne, I layer farfalle, not lasagne noodles. Also because the sheet pan nests, it's a good enough lid to bake pilau or quinoa in the roaster while broiling a thin fish filet or a cutlet on top. Roasts for one like in the original article, are a natural.

You know ready made graham cracker crusts? they also come in mini size (about 1/4 cup filling capacity) in their own foil pans. I save them for mini fruit & pot pies.

I think the pans have a Silverstone-type coating; whatever it is, tuna melts & mini pies are super easy to clean up after. It's been over 2 years of steady use and they've only got 2 scratches and crusted cheese & juice still pop off like a dream.