shallots's Profile
Turning tamarind in to tama-edible
FWIW I got a whole seed out of the block of tamarind paste and after soaking the seed for about three weeks in water in sunlight (changing the water every day or so), it swelled, and then the formerly hard outer layer came off. I planted it and now have a rather beautiful foot high house plant. It is growing actively. And the leaves are light sensors and close up every night (if you are looking for a science project or some such thing.)
Great fried green tomatoes
Puleo's hasn't always been a chain. The first was filling the space when Perkins at Strawberry Plains Pike failed. I wish there were another name for smallish regional chain restaurants to separate them from the big ones.
I should admit that my family FGTs were mediocre as Mom made them as a mayonaise delivery system. As did at least some other people in my home town.
FGTs should never sit on a warming table where they loose their coatings.
Tips for dining out with babies and toddlers, please
In England, those rubber bibs are called Pelicans and used to be available at every Boots.
GIETOST (brown goat cheese)
If you live near a major port city, there is probably a Norwegian Seaman's Mission there. That's the sort of place that might be able to come up with a lot of recipes, especially if you talk to the sailers themselves.
The Cookbook of the Month for June 2012 will be: The Homesick Texan Cookbook, by Lisa Fain
I bought the book when it first came out in gratitude for her sharing Ninfa's green sauce recipe which I had craved in the most serious way since I left Houston. So far four other recipes have met long smouldering food wishes.
I'm so glad I'll be able to participate this coming month.
Great fried green tomatoes
In Knoxville, I really like the way Puleo's does Fried Green Tomatoes (much, much better than my family's way of cooking them).
I know someone in the food industry (he's a Yan---, from north of the Mason Dixon line) and he first had FGT at Puleo's and really liked them. So he tried them on his night off at as many other local restaurants as he could. He said that none could compare to Puleo's.
The Puleo's appetizer of FGT with grits and two gravies is one of my all time favorites.
Funniest thing you seen in a restaurant?
Sunday morning breakfast at Wolfies in Miami Beach: sitting elbow to elbow (tables pushed together) with two men. One was a movie producer who didn't say much. The other younger man was trying to get his 11year old sun a part in a movie, or TV, or anything. No pix of the kid, no nothing, just his Father talking about his tallented son. For 45 minutes. The producer ate a lot and said very little.
Camellia Grill in New Orleans. Local woman, finishes her dinner and goes into the ladies' room and comes out with a white plastic bag with (obviously) six rolls of toilet paper. Pays her bill and leaves. We asked our counter man what was going on. He said she's local, she always comes in when she's low on TP, she takes what she wants and we adjust her bill accordingly. It had been going on for decades.
The dream kitchen
I have the floor to ceiling (10') windows across our south facing wall overlooking my rose gardens, open fields and the Smokey Moutains in the distance (on clear days). To have that, I had to sacrifice some storage that I would want- like glass storage immediately above the sinks and dishwasher. For me, that view is worth minor inconveniences.
Silent hoods seem to be a universal dream.
There are days that I wish I could just hose down the floor, especially after a day of baking.
Tried and True Cook's Country Recipes
I remember staying up late to watch the Ep. with the Shaker Lemon Pie and having a "You're not doing it that way are you" moment when I yelled at the TV. Shaker Lemon Pie makers don't do it Cooks Country way and it doesn't have to be bitter. I've had the real thing, I've used an internet recipe shortly thereafter and made one close to the Pleasant Hill pie, so I think their (CC) way was just wrong. All gushing aside.
Burnt plastic in a stainless steel pot [moved from Not about Food board]
I like Meatn3's suggestion.
If the very cold pot doesn't work, either, you could try to load the plastic up with icecubes, and then put the pot in a larger pot of water that's already boiling. Maybe a physical change like the pot expanding even a few millimeters might work to separate the less expanded plastic residue.
Burnt plastic in a stainless steel pot [moved from Not about Food board]
For thinned plastic, a single edge razor blade works to remove the gunk when a plastic bag meets a hot surface.
I agree with 'do it outdoors' I'd heat it, have some really coarse scrubbing pads to swish through the goo with either paired spatulas or tongs to lift out a series of things you'll use to get most of the goo out while its' liquid.
Granola - can molasses be substituted for honey?
I picked up some date molasses that is pleasantly mild and would use it. If all I had were Black Strap, I'd pass.
Tehina--Other uses besides making Hummus?
Not a dish, exactly, but Tahina cookies, rolled in sesame seeds, baked.
Very delicate (and addictive.)
Kitchen Limitation Challenge!
Before you add any 'home kitchen' appliances, be sure that they are allowed in your state in inspected kitchens.
I'd expect you've got the California Pizza Kitchen cookbooks; lots of ideas there for unconventional pizzas with lots of veggies.
Recommendations for Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis
Davwud,
Yes, I did. (!)
At every Cracker Barrell I've been to, I've found that they are good places to see the locals and the dynamics of local families. Really good for people watching.
I agree with your Dixie Freeze recommendation which has lead us there four times. I thik we can work in Puckett's on a trip to the boat later this spring.
Now if you could just restore I-75 north of Knoxville from one lane (north bound only) to four lanes.
Recommendations for Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis
The Tennessee Department of Tourism has now got their tourist trails on line. You'll find some real treasures here as well as some that are expected.
Foodwise: Some vineyards are listed as well although the food places (like Ritter Farms in north east Grainger County, to name just one) and the Amish Farms that sell from their farms (north of Lawrenceburg on the western side of the state (in Lawrence County and close to the Natchez Trace Parkway) .
http://www.tntrailsandbyways.com/
Refills To Go at Sit Down Restaurants
In agreement with Rocky and Janet.
It is regional and at the discretion of the restaurant.
Imagine our shock at paying for refills of itty bitty glasses of soda in a restaurant 'up north' when the menu didn't state anything either way.
Egg Slicer?
I use my Grandmother's egg slicer that was old-looking in 1950. Wire on an aluminum frame. Worth your grabbing if you see something like it in a thrift store.
Glass jars - fess up!
Thanks, I'll search for Goo Gone. (Although because I live in Tennessee, home state of Goo Goo Clusters, I may have some explaining to do.)
Pitting cherries without a pitter?
Alexia,
I don't remember. It became restful and repetitive and I really enjoyed the scent. If you get a good yield of Montmorencys, also consider making jam- great color and flavour.
(It takes longer to pit them than to pick them, although the pickers are so puffed at the vol they bring in, DH is like that)
pork enchiladas - green sauce or red sauce?
If you had Carnitas, a tomatillo sauce with a melting Mexican cheese would make an excellent burrito quickly.
Glass jars - fess up!
I threw out a glass jar yesterday. I reasoned that 1) it wasn't particularly re-useful and 2) the labels on the front and back were so thoroughly glued on that it would take acetone to remove the glue. (Even a single edged razor was a hard push to start cleaning.)
Having a cap that is hard to use is my other criteria for rapid recycling.
Kitchen remodel -- which comes first, granite or cabinets?
I'd ask the question you've probably already asked yourself.
Is this the kitchen layout you'll be happy with for the rest of your life in that house? Is the counter space right? Do you need the cabinet where the dishes are stored to be closer to the sink/and or dishwasher? Do you want more electric plugs? Are the counter heights and cabinet heights a good fit for your height?
Recommendations for Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis
My husband visited Nashville when he was twelve. He was really impressed with the Parthenon, downtown, with the huge statue of Athena.
Re watering holes of the alcolhol-persuasion: no one under 21 allowed if no food is served.
There is something on the west side of Tennessee, due north of Memphis that is totally unique, Reelfoot Lake. Formed by an earthquake in historic times. Boat rentals and history lessons combined, and a good visitors center. We had lunch at the cafe there just across the road from the visitor center and were pleased with the food and service even though we got there in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday.
Wow, Tamarind
I found a block of tamarind at the Oriental Grocery Store. I cooked with it and found a single seed in it. So I soaked the seed, etc. and now I have an eight inch tall tamarind tree. The tree has been a hoot to watch grow. Now I need to get the Thai cookbooks out again.
Recommendations for Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis
Tennessee has an out of doors that the list above almost ignores.
I'm going to give you more of a feel for the eastern side of the state.
You'll fly into McGee Tyson. Take your rental car overland to Loudon and go to SweetWater Cheese, on the south end of Loudon County. Buy some really great local cheeses for your drive (you can pick up bread anywhere). Then go west across the ridges and through the valleys.
If Civil War Battlefields are your thing, the two on the ridges above Chattanooga are necessary stops. Lots of restaurants in Chattanooga that are well listed here. Maybe stay on the now docked historic river boat, Delta Queen. Then get on I-26 west bound and prepare to be blown away by the interstate going through the lakes. Have a picknik at the welcome area, where the interstate comes back into Tennessee.
Slow and easy drive to the state park at Fall Creek Falls. Walking trails, a water fall, a timeless state park.
Stay off the interstates whenever you can. They are heavily truck traffic and you can see that elsewhere.
I'm prejudiced by the natural beauty of Tennessee. I'd then drive north to Frozen Head state park and wander over to the Alvin York Homestead, where you can teach your daughter about Medal of Honor winners and what they mean to the country.
Eat at a Cracker Barrell. Greatly loved by locals. Ask them about their town. We are friendly, especially out of the cities. Taste Tennessee style green beans and biscuits and gravy. White beans and corn bread are also comfort food.
Then on to Nashville- which is a city and has music and good people and traffic.
ideas for Green Tomatoes, Not Fried
From the Houston restaurant chain, Ninfa's Green sauce.
Check the Homesick Texan blog for the recipe. No frying, but a bit of sour cream, but lots of green tomatoes and tomatillos.
Rice - How did you experience it today?
Today our rice was Basmati, cooked two days ago, and microwaved tonight to go under a version of Stir Fry Dry Venison with carrots and celery and garlic with hot bean paste with garlic.
(close to a recipe I loved in Calgary)
I didn't know I needed a new hand held mixer.
Both are hand held. (How old is the B&D? It's either tan, gold or that kitchen green that was desirable decades ago. The color faded with age.)
