Wow. Am I really the first poster this morning?

Well, then…

FITZ!

ROOTS!

TOOBZ!

Morning MrsMarks. :) Congrats on the zero. How are you this morning? My coffee just finished, so you’ll pardon me if I pour myself a cuppa…you want some?

I’m an herbal tea gal. Also have to keep a glass of ice water by my side for my 19-year-old cat. He’s grown persnickety with age!

Morning, all. Light snow & 20 degrees here in the Mile High City. It’s starting to get old.

Here’s a cookie I haven’t made yet but plan on doing so soon:

Chocolate Peppermint Drops

The peppermint flavor comes from crushed up peppermint candies, although Andes mints or chopped up peppermint bark would make an excellent substitution.

RecipeSource has never steered me wrong when looking for something good. They have shortcuts up now to their holiday foods.

Good morning, everyone. I slept WAY late today, but my tea is finally taking hold and my heart is starting to beat again, so here are today’s NYT columnists, from behind the firewall:

Thomas Edsall, “The Purse Changes Hands.”
http://select.nytimes.com/2006…..amp;emc=th

http://select.nytimes.com/2006…..amp;emc=th
Maureen Dowd, “What’s In a Name, Barry?”

…another source for recipes: Epicurious

PeteCO at 4 — sorry it’s getting old. We had one weird snowstorm in October, and none since then. I could do with a little snow — it’s been freakishly warm here, almost like Spring, and I am missing my usual winter weather.

mrsmarks @
3

I’m an herbal tea gal. Also have to keep a glass of ice water by my side for my 19-year-old cat. He’s grown persnickety with age!

My glass of ice water sits beside me now as our two 11-week-old kittens (sisters) and Malt-a-poo puppy (same age) are terrorizing our 6 year old Springer. We’re so lucky to have an older dog that is patient, he’s so good with our kids too.

Speaking of kids, they want breakfast, I better get going. It’s 20 with a chance of snow to add to the dusting we got yesterday. Unfortunately, we missed out on the stuff that hammered Chicago, etc.

twolf1 @ 8

…another source for recipes: Epicurious

This is a GREAT site. I’ve gotten bunches of recipes from them. If you’re not familiar with it do give it a try.

twolf1 at 5 — ooooh, those do look tasty! You can get andes mint chips in a bag like chocolate chips — convenient and really tasty to eat right from the bag. (whistles innocently…)

Christy Hardin Smith @ 11

twolf1 at 5 — ooooh, those do look tasty! You can get andes mint chips in a bag like chocolate chips — convenient and really tasty to eat right from the bag. (whistles innocently…)

mmmmmmmmm… caaaaannnnndy…..

I used to enjoy making homemade candy and cookies for the holidays. For the past couple of years, though, I haven’t eaten sugar or white flour (or corn or tropical fruits, etc., high glycemic index stuff). I’m dealing with a lifelong obesity problem. I’ve lost 80 lbs so far – kind of slow, but moving in the right direction.

Anyway, I made a homemade pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving with a whole wheat crust, substituting Splenda for the sugar. I even ground my own spices. The crust was a little heavy, but all in all it was pretty successful!

If anyone has some tips along these lines, I’d be delighted to read them.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 9

PeteCO at 4 — sorry it’s getting old. We had one weird snowstorm in October, and none since then. I could do with a little snow — it’s been freakishly warm here, almost like Spring, and I am missing my usual winter weather.

Usually it warms up after a couple of days. Not good bicycling weather.

Mornin’ all,
Did anyone figure out who’s putting the polonium in the Russian cookies last nite in the TRex threads?

T- @ 15

Mornin’ all,
Did anyone figure out who’s putting the polonium in the Russian cookies last nite in the TRex threads?

It was Clinton.

I’ve missed Pull Up a Chair for a couple of weeks and I’m back just in time for cookie recipes. Well-timed too as my grandson will be visiting today and we will be making cookies. I’m off for my second cuppa and to browse the links already posted.

P.S. If anyone feels like throwing in a holiday salad recipe for good measure, I sure wouldn’t mind.

P.P.S. I’m not usually this domestic, but just getting into the spirit of the season.

withcywoman at 13 — I remember seeing a chocolate truffle recipe in one of my South Beach cookbooks that was low on the glycemic index, I think — at least low enough to be a treat for the holidays. Let me see if I can find the recipe for you. :)

bekieann at 17 — don’t apologize for your inner Martha Stewart! *g* And baking cookies sounds like fun, so we may be doing that a little as well today.

Thanks Christy! :D

Not a cookie recipe, but yummy —

Soboro (Ginger-flavored ground turkey)
(This recipe came from the New York Times)

1 pound ground turkey (Or you can use ground veal, but the texture of turkey is better)
1/4 cup sake (rice wine)
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used reduced sodium because I find the regular WAY too salty.)
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger juice (made by squeezing freshly grated ginger).

1. Combine all ingredients and stir to mix well. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for first few minutes to break up any clumps of meat.
2. Cook at medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has been absorbed and meat is a rich brown color.
3. Serve meat on bed of steamed white or brown rice.
Japanese often press rice and meat into mold before serving and garnish with steamed, slivered snow peas. Soboro may also be used to stuff tomatoes, to serve rolled up in lettuce leaves, as an omelet filling or on a bun as sandwich. It freezes beautifully. This is a recipe that you can increase without worrying about proportions. Just multiply everything by the number of pounds of ground turkey you have. Easy, delicious, and because it’s so “rich” tasting not too much goes a fairly long way, at least for me.

Good Morning Firechefs !

witchywoman,

congratulations on the 80 pds – wow – keep it up !
more healthy, less fatty/sugary foods have improved a 1000% taste wise in the last few years (can actually eat lo-fat cheese now) – hopefully it willl help with the season’s eatings

Christy – am loving the Green Bananas site – thx

Christy Hardin Smith @ 19

bekieann at 17 — don’t apologize for your inner Martha Stewart! *g* And baking cookies sounds like fun, so we may be doing that a little as well today.

Just make Rachael Ray go away! The woman is everywhere! It’s freaking me out!

This one is for Witchywoman — I haven’t tried it yet, but all the other recipes I’ve tried from the South Beach Quick and Easy Cookbook have been pretty good.

GREEN TEA TRUFFLES
3/4 c. fat free half-and-half
4 decaf green tea bags
1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate (preferably 65% cocoa), finely chopped
1/4 c. cocoa powder

Heat half and half in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it comes to a simmer, remove from heat and add tea bags; allow to steep 5 minutes. Gently squeeze bags over half and half to extract flavor and discard. Return to a simmer and pour over chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Place bowl in freezer until set, about 10 minutes, removing and stirring every 2 minutes. Chocolate is ready to roll into truffles when it is no longer a pudding-like consistency and is starting to harden.

Scoop out 2 teaspoons chocolate mixture and roll in the palms of your hands to form a 1-inch ball. Repeat with remaining chocolate, Place cocoa powder in shallow dish. Roll balls in cocoa to coat, shaking off any excess. Serve or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes 16 (2-piece) servings.

Per serving: 90 calories, 5 g. fat, 3 g. sat. fat, 1 g protein, 9 g. carbs.

PeteCO @ 23

Christy Hardin Smith @ 19

bekieann at 17 — don’t apologize for your inner Martha Stewart! *g* And baking cookies sounds like fun, so we may be doing that a little as well today.

Just make Rachael Ray go away! The woman is everywhere! It’s freaking me out!

I read an article recently about the woman who started the Rachel Ray Sucks blog. According to the story, “The community is now mentioned in nearly every article about Ray.”

http://www.boston.com/business…..ing_force/

PeteCO at 23 — You know, I love Rachel Ray, but they really have her doing too much at once at the moment. Overexposure is not a good thing. That said, I still love her 30 minute meals show. :)

Marion at 21 — Mmmmmm….now THAT sounds yummy!

Mornin’, ‘Dogs!

Greenwald has YAPOTSOTF up this morning (that’s Yet Another Post On The Stupidity Of Tom Friedman). He’s got a couple of good links (one of which was in the comments here last night).

Check it out– it’s good for a laugh this morning.

http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/

…as for online shopping. There are two sites i frequent but neither are traditional commerce sites. They sell one item at a time for a greatly reduced price so if you’re looking for something specific, they are not the best place to go. On the other hand, if you don’t know what you are looking for, you may find something and get it at a great price.

woot – sells one item per day – usually some kind of electronics or gadget

steep and cheap – sells one item at a time until it’s sold out, then on to the next item- mostly sporting goods and outdoor type clothes

My great grandma added sour cream to her sugar cookie recipe,omg,what wonderful cookies. Take the standard recipe,add 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/2 of powdered sugar. When they come out of the oven and cool a bit,dust them with a bit more powdered sugar. Yummy.

And here’s a hint from grandma’s kitchen:

Sometimes you’ll make cookies that were supposed to be soft but end up crunchy. You can fix that by allowing the cookies to cool,placing them in a large container with a lid and add a couple slices of bread.Let them sit for a day or two.When you open the container,the bread will be dry and the cookies will be moist.Remove the dry bread and repeat if need be. This also works on brown sugar that has become hardened.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 27

Marion at 21 — Mmmmmm….now THAT sounds yummy!

It really is. I make it up in 3-pound batches and freeze in containers that hold about 1 meal’s worth. You can heat it up either slowly in a saucepan with a bit of water to help create steam or in the nuke.

More proof that in BushWorld, the only good government is bad government.

The WaPo reports that the new chief of the U.S. General Services Administration (responsible for managing contracts for the departments of Defense and Homeland Security) wants to SLASH the number of audits of potentially fraudulent and wasteful contracts.

Said administrator, Lurita Alexis Doan, proves herself a true winger gem by likening the audit corps in her department to “terrorists.”

She, natch, is a former contractor.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01645.html

am a big fan of “for Dummies” recipes – here’s a stalwart of the cbl Holiday collection -

this is the recipe as it appears on jars of Kraft Marshmallow Cream

FANTASY FUDGE

3 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter
2/3 c. evaporated milk (5 1/2 fluid oz. can)
12 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate pieces
7 oz. jar Kraft marshmallow creme
1 c. chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla

simply mixing 6 oz semi sweet choc chip pieces with 6 oz milk chocolate pieces makes a huge difference in the final product

another tip -

depending on the size of your batch – (I make mine in a lobster pot) open all the jars of marsh. cream, lift the paper tab, place lid loosely back on jar. place these jars in a pan of water and set on medium heat as your sugar/butter mix cooks. this makes getting the cream out of the jars easier and the cream is easier to stir in to your slurry. (a royal pain when big strong husbands or teenage sons are not around)

you can vary the recipe by using mint, peanut butter, white choc., or even butterscotch chips – just divy up your slurry – 1/2 mixes with choc chips, 1/2 w/ the variant. pouring one into your fudge pan first, let it sit about 8-10 minutes and then pour the other half on top. or wait about 4 min. and using a skewer, you can swirl the two together making it a little more marbly.

be generous with the vanilla, makes for a smoother fudge

some folks mix in kahlua, amaretto, or other liquers in to mix w/ vanilla

candy thermometers are pretty cheap – they are your friend

Christy Hardin Smith @ 26

PeteCO at 23 — You know, I love Rachel Ray, but they really have her doing too much at once at the moment. Overexposure is not a good thing. That said, I still love her 30 minute meals show. :)

I was in a grocery store a couple of weeks ago, and she was on cracker boxes and magazine covers-it was quite disturbing to have this face following me around the store. Mrs CO watches a lot of food network, so Ms. Ray follows me home, too.

keeping cookies fresh when baking ahead of time -

a slice of apple on a piece of wax paper (so as not to touch the cookies)keeps ‘em soft as well

Angry Old Broad at 30 — I have a drop cookie recipe that sounds similar to what you are saying about the sugar cookies, and boy is it yummy!

SOUR CREAM CINNAMON DROPS

Cookie Batter:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1.4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 lg. egg
1 c. sour cream

Cinnamon Sugar:
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. sugar

Set the oven racks on the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375 F. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda; stir well to mix. In bowl of standing electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until combined. Add egg and continue beating until smooth. Lower the speed and beat in half of flour mixture. Add sour cream. Scrape bowl and beater and beat batter smooth. Add remaining flour mixture. Remove bowl from mixer and give dough a final mixing with a large rubber spatula. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough 2 to 3 inches apart on baking pans covered with parchment paper or foil. Mix cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle tops of each cookie before baking. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they spread and become firm. They should remain fairly pale, not too dark. Slide papers off the pans onto cooling racks. After cookies have cooled, detach from paper and store between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in a container with a tight-fitting cover. Makes app. 48 cookies. (From Nick Malgieri’s Cookies Unlimited.)

Angry Old Broad @ 30,I’ve tried that slice of bread in the brown sugar bag trick and it really works.

Christy @ 19, it’s even worse than just cooking and baking. My daughter and I joined a group at work knitting cozy hats for chemo patients at University hospital. I’ve finished three so far. *embraces my inner Martha Stewart – does not plan to join a 12-step program*

P.S. I like Rachael Ray.

o/t – with a Holiday tie-in

in the event you are seated next to the lone surviving ditto head at the spouse’s company holiday party or a dead ender in the family -

your Iraq Talking Points -

10 Media Fallacies About Iraq -

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/44771/

darlings, am so behind in the threads – my apologies if prev. posted

cbl at 33 — oooh — we make that EVERY year! It is Mr. ReddHedd’s favorite part of the holidays, to be honest. :)

A great gift for yourself or someone that loves to cook – a subscription to Cooks Illustrated Magazine – all information, no ads.

Cook’s Illustrated is dedicated to finding the best methods for preparing America’s favorite recipes. Every week our cooks test hundreds of recipes to find out which techniques work and which ones don’t. We repeatedly test recipes, gadgets, pantry staples, cooking techniques, and cookware. If it’s not worth buying, we’ll tell you. If a cooking technique doesn’t work, we’ll tell you why.

Cook’s takes no advertising, so we’re not afraid to tell it like it is.

Published by the same people that produce America’s Test Kitchen on PBS.

ORANGE BREAD

Use thin-skin oranges. Peel oranges & chop peeling w/scissors into smallest pieces possible – no larger than 1/8” X 1/8”.

3 C. chopped orange peel
2 C. granulated sugar
2 C. water

Cover orange peel w/water & bring to boil; drain off water. Cover w/water again & simmer ‘til peel is tender (1 hour plus) & drain off water. Mix sugar & water & bring to boil to make syrup. Put cooked peel in syrup & slowly simmer ‘til peel takes up syrup (approx. 2 1/2 hours). Cool.

1 C. granulated sugar
1 T. melted butter
2 large eggs
1 C. milk
3 1/2 C. plain flour
4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

5 king-size beer cans – Remove one end of each can. Temper in slow oven. Wash & dry. Grease & flour.

Mix ingredients. Stir in syrup-cooked peel. Fill beer cans 1/2 full or can be baked in small loaf pans. Bake 45 mins. 350 degrees F.

Turn open end of cans upside down on wire rack. If bread has not dropped loose from can after cooling, use thin knife to slip around side of can & shake to loosen. Wrap in wax paper while hot & then in tin foil. Put in frig or can be frozen. Slice thin & serve w/cream cheese smear.

Notes:

1. Warning: this recipe takes time but is well worth it.
2. Great use of residue if you’re making ambrosia.
3. You could probably chop the peel in a food processor. Anal-rententatives like me always have to do things the hard way ;-)
4. You can cook the syruped peel ahead of time, freeze it & thaw for putting in batter.
5. Have never tried cooking this in anything but the beer cans so can’t offer modification suggestions for cooking time.
6. Can’t remember how long it takes to “temper” the cans (try an hour). Be sure to save them in a plastic bag for future use.

cbl @
38

o/t – with a Holiday tie-in

in the event you are seated next to the lone surviving ditto head at the spouse’s company holiday party or a dead ender in the family -

your Iraq Talking Points -

10 Media Fallacies About Iraq -

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/44771/

Thanks, I may put that article to use.

twolf1 @ 6:33 -
Keep meaning to gift myself w/this mag…….maybe this year. Tks for the reminder.

My mother who passed away New Years Day 2000 (always said she wanted to make it to the new millenium ~ fit right in with her kick-ass sense of humor that she pulled that off)…was an amazing cook. And every Xmas – EVERY – Xmas, she wowed friends and family with baskets full of the most amazing goodies. From Candies, to Cookies to Jewelled Candied Whole Oranges filled with Fruitcake, she produced amazing gifts of edible love.

And she would have LOVED ~ Firedoglake.

So I offer her Toffee recipe as a gift from her and I ~ to all of you (hint ~ don’t make it on a rainy day; and do use an accurate candy thermometer…that really applies to any candy)

1 cup butter or margarine
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 Tbls light corn syrup
3 Tbls water
1 Cup coarsly chopped blanched, toasted almonds
Milk Chocolate to cover (usually 1 17.6 oz bar does it)
Finely choppped toasted almonds to sprinkle on outside of chocolate

Melt butter in large pan (don’t use teflon). Add sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then to Hard Crack stage on thermometer (300 degrees). Watch carefully after temp reaches 280…it moves fast and you don’t want to go beyond 300. Quickly stir in almonds and spread mixture in well-greased 13×9×2 in pan. Cool thoroughly. Turn out on waxed paper; spread top with melted chocolate and sprinkle with rest of nuts.

Break up into pieces when cool. Guaranteed to knock your socks off and bring smiles from friends and family.

A SCREAMING RAVE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES!!!!!! If you’re in New York do not fail to catch my very good friends Jim and Steve in their fabulous new show.

Waccamaw @ 43

twolf1 @ 6:33 -
Keep meaning to gift myself w/this mag…….maybe this year. Tks for the reminder.

You won’t regret it.

OT Breaking: Iraqi police: At least 38 killed, 84 wounded in triple Baghdad car bombing.

…the last throes continue…

cbl @ 38

o/t – with a Holiday tie-in

in the event you are seated next to the lone surviving ditto head at the spouse’s company holiday party or a dead ender in the family -

your Iraq Talking Points -

10 Media Fallacies About Iraq -

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/44771/

darlings, am so behind in the threads – my apologies if prev. posted

wow, cbl– I was just reading and linking that on mfi’s blog…

shrimply amazing.

Thank you Horsewoman– I love toffee.

I am sorry your Mom has passed– you make her live on with your words and sharing, though.

David at 45 — oh, that sounds like a scream. Thanks much for highlighting the review — wish I were in NY to see it.

Horsewoman at 45 — oooh, luv toffee. Am writing that one down…

twolf1 at 47 — oh…what a horrible bit of news.

Horsewoman @6:38 -
Yuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmm…….Toffee!!! to die for. Tks so much for sharing your Mum’s memory treasure.

twolf1 @ 47

OT Breaking: Iraqi police: At least 38 killed, 84 wounded in triple Baghdad car bombing.

…the last throes continue…

Don’t worry, in six months we’ll be turning a corner!

yeah, I know The Head Cheese of Desserts

but should you or someone you know love it, these are the Fruitcake Gods-

http://www.collinstreet.com/pages/about_us

I collect fruitcake tins – there, I’ve outed myself. do you own a Battle of San Jacinto Commemorative ?, well do ya *g*

PeteCO @ 53

twolf1 @ 47

OT Breaking: Iraqi police: At least 38 killed, 84 wounded in triple Baghdad car bombing.

…the last throes continue…

Don’t worry, in six months we’ll be turning a corner!

That’s actually 1 Friedman Unit…

Here’s my oldest, dearest girlfriend’s neighbor’s egg nog recipe. (Credit where credit is due!)

7 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1 1/2 quarts milk (43 oz.)
1 1.4 c. sugar (divided)
2 oz. rum
2 oz. bourbon
1 pint applejack
2/3 quart whipping cream (22 oz.)
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat egg yolks with 1 cup sugar. Add bourbon, rum and brandy. Add milk.

In separate bowl, beat egg whites with 1/4 c. sugar.

In separate bowl, beat whipping cream stiff.

Folk whipping cream and egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Add 2 tsp. vanilla.

Spinkle with nutmeg.

Any commenters this a.m. with a southern bent, please pass along your Divinity recipe. Thanks.

Re Rachel Ray: Not my fav.

Favorite food network people: Paula (who is on the verge of over exposure too) and Giada (love Italian).

Christy @ 50…that ~ makes me smile; truly a pleasure to offer something back at you guys.

Another little trick she used to do for fudge? She’d soak raisins in rum and throw them in a batch (always making sure to lable them well :)Really good.

And hey – Mrs. Marks @ 3 with the 19 year young cat? (and for anyone else with a senior feline that might want to take note) – a year ago this month we thought we were saying good-bye to our then *23* year old Tigger. Condensed long story? In a last attempt to perk him up, because he wasn’t eating his expensive Senior Diet cat food any longer, I put a bowl of Gerber’s Chicken Stage 2 Baby Food in front of him.

Mr. Furry Cranky-Pants is consequently still with us ~ still eats Gerber’s Chicken Baby Food. Won’t touch the fancy senior diet stuff but LOVES the Friskies Ocean Fish I buy at Costco for the outdoor cats. He put on weight, still jumps on my desk and tries to type with me; jumps on our platform bed at night to sleep with us…this cat at now *24* years of age ~ and is a daily reminder that attitude is everything. Oh…he’s also loved and fawned over like nobody’s business. So let’s say he’s a daily reminder that attitude – and LOVE – is everything.

G’Morning from a bright AZ morning with my current temp at 33, a nice warm spot from the 29 of yesterday AM.

Today we are loading into car pools to the AZ State Democratic Winter Meeting in Tucson…..

Compelled this week to crack open those boxes untouched in 18 months since the move as a dear friend needed a self-help book that was buried in one of those boxes.

And voila, I found my Martha Stewart Cookbook…along with my Ghiradelli Chocolate cookbook that I completely forgot I owned. Yum!! A cosmic bonus!!

Mentioned last week I made Chocolate Moose cookies using a recipe from Martha Stewart, using a moose-shaped cookie cutter that the kids loved. This is the recipe we used, however we skipped the spices (particularly the pepper). I see in the notes that Martha actually adapted Maida Heatter’s Chocolate Icebox cookie recipe; I figure adaptation is fairplay.

====

BROKEN HEART CHOCOLATE COOKIES

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups best-quality cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper*
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*

4 to 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and beat until fluffy. Sift the dry ingredients together. Sitr them into the butter mixture and beat until well incorporated. If the mixture seems too soft, add up to 1/4 cup more flour. Divide the dough into thirds and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill well, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 deg F.

On well-floured board, roll out the dough to 1/8 in thick. Cut into hearts (or desired shapes) with cookie cutters and put them on a partchment-covered baking sheet. To make broken hearts, cut a zigzag through one side of each heart. While baking, the cookie will separate slightly and look just like a “broken heart.” Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crisp but not darkened. Let cool on racks.

When cookies have cooled, drizzle some melted chocolate over each in a haphazard fashion. Let it harden completely before serving or storing.

====

* omitting from my version.

Jeepers. I just realized how cosmic this recipe truly is; my friend in need of the self-help books is suffering from a broken heart. Had completely forgotten the name of this recipe, having filed it mentally under “chocolate moose”.

[sigh]

katymine at 59 — awww, I’m so jealous. I love Tucson. :) Have a great time — and take a moment to celebrate the loss of J.D. Hayworth (which, frankly, still makes me smile to think about it).

Horsewoman @ 58

And hey – Mrs. Marks @ 3 with the 19 year young cat? (and for anyone else with a senior feline that might want to take note) – a year ago this month we thought we were saying good-bye to our then *23* year old Tigger. Condensed long story? In a last attempt to perk him up, because he wasn’t eating his expensive Senior Diet cat food any longer, I put a bowl of Gerber’s Chicken Stage 2 Baby Food in front of him.

Mr. Furry Cranky-Pants is consequently still with us ~ still eats Gerber’s Chicken Baby Food. Won’t touch the fancy senior diet stuff but LOVES the Friskies Ocean Fish I buy at Costco for the outdoor cats. He put on weight, still jumps on my desk and tries to type with me; jumps on our platform bed at night to sleep with us…this cat at now *24* years of age ~ and is a daily reminder that attitude is everything. Oh…he’s also loved and fawned over like nobody’s business. So let’s say he’s a daily reminder that attitude – and LOVE – is everything.

Horsewoman: Thanks for that — both for the tip and the encouragement! Cheers to you and your 24-year-old baby!

We are snowed in – had 21 inches here in eastern Kansas!! It also drifted spectacularly with high winds during the storm on Thursday night, we have drifts 4 & 5 foot deep! Being snowed in, I have enjoyed reading the cookie & candy stories, and am getting in the mood to bake.

I’ll share my mother-in-law’s old time recipe for peanut brittle – it’s wonderful and I make a couple of batches every year.

Peanut Brittle
1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 C. white syrup
12 oz. bag of raw peanuts
3 T. butter
1 rounded tsp. baking soda

1. Put sugar and syrup in deep, heavy saucepan. Heat till sugar melts.
2. Add peanuts. Bring to 250 degrees on a candy thermometer, stirring to keep from burning.
3. Add butter & cook to 300 degrees (continuing to stir enough to keep from burning). Quickly remove from fire when candy reaches 300 degrees & stir in baking soda. (Candy will foam up)
4. Immediately pour onto 2 buttered cookie sheets (use butter, not Pam!). Tilt cookie sheets to spread out (can use spoon to help spread it, but be quick as it starts setting up fast!).
5. Cool on sheets till brittle can be removed from sheets and then break into pieces. Eat & enjoy!

P.S. I tried to insert the degree symbol by holdin down alt key & typing 248 on keypad, but when I previewed it came out as a Quesion mark?? How do I make a degree symbol?

PeteCO @
53

twolf1 @ 47

OT Breaking: Iraqi police: At least 38 killed, 84 wounded in triple Baghdad car bombing.

…the last throes continue…

Don’t worry, in six months we’ll be turning a corner!

Hey PeteCo, are you into the Jam Band scene in Colo at all? Great shows coming up in two weeks.

Ah-ha! Somebody blogged the source recipe from Maida Heatter: Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies.

They look yummy, and there’s more detailed baking instructions. She’s right, they bake up with nice clean edges. The original also includes vanilla, which I think I would very much like in the chocolate moose (meese?) we will bake.

Good morning FireDogs! And Balrog, what did you do to get Dan Monson fired?

I remember Mamma Balrog’s Pfefferneuse

Anyone else tried this?

Does anyone have a yummy beef stew recipe?

I rarely eat beef anymore, but am yearning for good old fashioned comfort food.

angie @ 68

Does anyone have a yummy beef stew recipe?

I rarely eat beef anymore, but am yearning for good old fashioned comfort food.

How about a good ghoulash recipe? Ahhh, paprika…

lina @ 57

Any commenters this a.m. with a southern bent, please pass along your Divinity recipe. Thanks.

Lina — Here’s my grandmother’s recipe. From Arkansas!

3 c. sugar
3 egg whites, beaten
1/2 c. white corn syrup
2/3 c. boiling water
1 t. vanilla
dash salt

Mix sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Cook until syrup makes a clicking sound — “hard boil” stage.

Pour over egg whites. Mix until cool. Add vanilla. Pour into 8 x 12 inch pan.

Put pecan halves on top, if desired.

angie @
68

Does anyone have a yummy beef stew recipe?

I rarely eat beef anymore, but am yearning for good old fashioned comfort food.

If you have a Buffalo Wild Wings franchise near you, order 12 Boneless wings in varying heat sauces. I was so perfectly full with a slight burn on my tongue. Heavenly!

no such franchise ’round these parts, Balrog.

(I do like spicy, though.)

Twisted Martini @
66

Good morning FireDogs! And Balrog, what did you do to get Dan Monson fired?

2-6. The Barn is half-empty. Rumor has it that Flip has an out in his Detroit contract for this job only.

Stay tuned.

mrsmarks @ 70

lina @ 57

Any commenters this a.m. with a southern bent, please pass along your Divinity recipe. Thanks.

Lina — Here’s my grandmother’s recipe. From Arkansas!

3 c. sugar
3 egg whites, beaten
1/2 c. white corn syrup
2/3 c. boiling water
1 t. vanilla
dash salt

Mix sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Cook until syrup makes a clicking sound — “hard boil” stage.

Pour over egg whites. Mix until cool. Add vanilla. Pour into 8 x 12 inch pan.

Put pecan halves on top, if desired.

Gracias!

Balrog @
64

PeteCO @
53

twolf1 @ 47

OT Breaking: Iraqi police: At least 38 killed, 84 wounded in triple Baghdad car bombing.

…the last throes continue…

Don’t worry, in six months we’ll be turning a corner!

Hey PeteCo, are you into the Jam Band scene in Colo at all? Great shows coming up in two weeks.

I rarely get out to see bands any more, on account of the insanely early shift I work. Who are you talking about, specifically?

angie — what sort of beef stew are you hungry for? A traditional sort of French-style/country stew with a hint of wine? Or a Mexican-ish spicy stew? What sorts of flavors in it say comfort food to you — because I have several recipes that I could share?

The traditional French style, Ms. Christy! I have perused the net but am sorta boggled by the many recipes there; my favorite recipes are in books currently in storage and I want a tried and true one.

thank you.

angie @ 68

Does anyone have a yummy beef stew recipe?

I rarely eat beef anymore, but am yearning for good old fashioned comfort food.

Angie: Beef stew is like jazz. It can absorb a lot of notes. You choose the medley.

I usually dredge the beef cubes in flour with a little salt and pepper. Sometimes I also throw in thyme, basil and oregano.

Brown quickly in piping hot oil. Remove.

Reduce heat and scrape the bottom of the pot. Put in a little more oil. Then add (any or all) chopped onion, green pepper, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables sweat.

Add seasonings of your choice. I usually toss in more basil, oregano, etc.

Now add moisture. Midwest country cooks of my childhood would go with plain old water. Most people use beef broth. You can also add chopped tomatoes/plum tomatoes/tomato sauce here.

Want to Frenchify it? Add wine. Germanize it? Use beer.

The most important thing is to suit your own taste! And have fun!

P.S. Mr. Marks likes his stew poured over egg noodles.

PeteCO @
75

I rarely get out to see bands any more, on account of the insanely early shift I work. Who are you talking about, specifically?

Steve Kimock, IMO the best guitarist alive. Down to Cervantes on 12-21,22,23.

Kimock

angie @ 68

Does anyone have a yummy beef stew recipe?

I rarely eat beef anymore, but am yearning for good old fashioned comfort food.

Stifatho – Greek Stew
2 lbs lean beef cut into cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
1 medium onion chopped
1 large can whole roma tomatoes – cut up
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
1 bay leaf
4-5 whole allspice corns
1 stick cinnamon
2 lbs small boiling onions
2 cloves garlic – chopped
chopped fresh or dry herbs – italian parsley, basil, Thyme, oregano

Brown meat in chopped onion in olive oil. Add to a pressure cooker or slow cooker. You can cook this in a slow cooker or what I do is use a pressure cooker (what they use in Greece) and cook for 20 minutes or 3-6 hrs in slow cooker. Fish out the bay leaf, cinnamon & allspice corns prior to serving.

Serve with crusty warm sourdough bread & good red wine.

OOOH, Beef Bourgingon (sp), yummy!

Hi everyone! My husband and I just got back from drinking our first Gluehwein of the holiday season at the local Christmas market. Hope I won’t have too many typos!

Witchywoman @5:52 Congratulations! I think slow is the way to go. I’ve only lost about half of the weight that I want to, but I think it’s going to stay off because I’m doing it slowly.

Waccamaw @6:33 That orange syrup sounds yummy! How long do you think it might keep in the fridge? Sounds like it would be delicious spooned over lots of things.

Horsewoman and Kansas Kitty: I will save the toffee and peanut brittle recipes for when I finally get around to getting a candy thermometer! I’ve always wanted to try making candy.

y’all are so nice!

thank you mrs.marks, katymine, Christy, Danbury and everyone!

I love this part of your recipe:

Angie: Beef stew is like jazz. It can absorb a lot of notes. You choose the medley.

mrsmarks @ 78

angie @ 68

Does anyone have a yummy beef stew recipe?

I rarely eat beef anymore, but am yearning for good old fashioned comfort food.

Angie: Beef stew is like jazz. It can absorb a lot of notes. You choose the medley.

I usually dredge the beef cubes in flour with a little salt and pepper. Sometimes I also throw in thyme, basil and oregano.

Brown quickly in piping hot oil. Remove.

Reduce heat and scrape the bottom of the pot. Put in a little more oil. Then add (any or all) chopped onion, green pepper, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables sweat.

Add seasonings of your choice. I usually toss in more basil, oregano, etc.

Now add moisture. Midwest country cooks of my childhood would go with plain old water. Most people use beef broth. You can also add chopped tomatoes/plum tomatoes/tomato sauce here.

Want to Frenchify it? Add wine. Germanize it? Use beer.

The most important thing is to suit your own taste! And have fun!

P.S. Mr. Marks likes his stew poured over egg noodles.

Oops! I forgot the most important part: STEW slowly for at least a couple of hours. The slower and lower (temp) you go, the more tender the beef will be.

Angie@68:

Not beef stew, but two yummy comfort food dishes that have been huge hits when I’ve made them are Colcannon (Tyler Florence – mashed potatoes with chopped boiled cabbage and ham and lots of butter all mixed together) and cheddar corn chowder (Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa – my favorite host and show).

Both can be found at foodnetwork.com.

Garten’s recipes NEVER fail to please.

Balrog @ 79

PeteCO @
75

I rarely get out to see bands any more, on account of the insanely early shift I work. Who are you talking about, specifically?

Steve Kimock, IMO the best guitarist alive. Down to Cervantes on 12-21,22,23.

Kimock

I’m not familiar with him. Maybe I’ll check him out IF IT EVER STOPS SNOWING HERE!!!

Angie @ 68, when I make beef stew rather than “stewing” it on top of the stove I put it into a slow (275 or 300 degree) oven for a good loooooonnngg time. You don’t have to worry about it scorching on the bottom if you can’t stir, and somehow the flavors seem to blend better. (My stew is a simple thing, dredged beef cubes sauteed, beef broth, carrots, potatoes and onions. And thyme. A really good amount of thyme.) Of course, all stews are better the second day!

A wonderful food web site is davidlebovitz.com.He lives in Paris, his passion is chocolate, and he gives many good candy making recipes.His site also happens to be very clever and funny.Merry Christmas, Y’all are going to like this tip.

angie 68 — sorry, I just make stew, no recipe per se, but this is what I do, if I had to put it down in writing:

- Peel 6 waxy potatoes and cut into quarters
- Peel 6 carrots and cut into large chunks
- Peel 1 onion, chop coarsely
- Peel 2 cloves garlic, chop coarsely (optional)
- Peel 2 large turnips or 1/2 rutabaga, chop into large dice (optional)
- Add 1 bay leaf if desired; may also want to try 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

Set veggies into a crock pot or a heavy dutch oven (be sure to spray pot with non-stick spray for easier clean up.

- Cut up 3 lbs. lean chuck roast into 2-inch chunks.
- Season liberally with seasoned salt, garlic powder, freshly ground black pepper.
- Brown in batches in olive oil in a heavy frying pan (don’t crowd pan), so that meat has a nice crusty brown sear on all sides. Put meat in crock pot or dutch oven over veggies.
- Deglaze pan with your choice: 2-cups beef broth or 1-cup dry red wine and 1 cup beef broth (adjust if you have a full 15-oz can of broth, or use prepared bouillion. Liquid quantity is ballpark, doesn’t have to be exact). Scrape all the crust off the bottom of the pan and pour entire deglazing mixture over beef.

Turn crock pot to low for 4-6 hours, checking for doneness (meat will be tender), turn up to high as necessary. For dutch oven, bring up to boil, then turn down to bare simmer; not certain how long this will take, but my guesstimate is 2 hours (I usually start this at noon on days when we don’t know exactly what time we will have dinner; if it’s done before we are ready, I put the stove on the very lowest setting and let it wait for us).

Just before serving, drain off juices into a pan, bring to a boil; if more volume is needed, add more broth at this point. Prepare a flour-water slurry and make gravy with juices, adjusting seasoning as necessary. (I also add 1/2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet at this point, but it’s not necessary.) Return gravy to rest of stew. Oh, and pick out bay leaf if used at this point, before somebody gets it and complains about it (like certain kids in my household).

I add 2 cups just-cooked green beans at this point; some may prefer peas, but my spouse detests them. The beans or peas will not hold up under long cooking, so they are added last; their color is better when added this way anyhow. Stir through gently, and serve with a crusty bread or rolls, a tossed salad and a nice hearty red wine.

And that’s about it.

I agree with Mrsmarks, beef stew is sucha tweakable dish.

I too dredge the beef cubes in flour and then brown in olive oil. I then sauted the onions (after removing the beef). Then in goes the red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

But then I add spinach and ditalini pasta instead of the usual veggies and potatoes. I use beef stock, and then take a bit of the liquid out, mix in a couple of tablespoons of flour or corn starch and mix it back into the stew to thicken. You can also make a roux at the beginning – rather than adding the flour or corn starch later.

Season to taste with thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper – whatever.

Back to cookies……. If you need to have a large number of cookies, this IS the recipe.

Bake 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Best Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups butter/margarine
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups raisins
6 cups rolled oats
2 cups chopped nuts

Cream butter & sugars, add eggs & vanilla. Sift flour, salt & soda adding into the creamed mixture. Add raisins, nuts & oats. Roll into small balls and place on cookie sheets, flatten with a fork.

Refrigerator cookies – using wax paper, roll dough into logs, chill throughly & just before baking, slice dough into 1/4 thick slices.

Make sure you have a HUGE bowl and time because this really makes 5 plus dozen cookies.

katymine 80 — oh yummy!!! Now I know what to cook on Christmas Eve! my sister-in-law is Greek, but won’t have the time to mess with dinner before she arrives. I can do Stifatho, no problem. Thanks!!

Danbury @ 90

I agree with Mrsmarks, beef stew is sucha tweakable dish.

I too dredge the beef cubes in flour and then brown in olive oil. I then sauted the onions (after removing the beef). Then in goes the red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

But then I add spinach and ditalini pasta instead of the usual veggies and potatoes. I use beef stock, and then take a bit of the liquid out, mix in a couple of tablespoons of flour or corn starch and mix it back into the stew to thicken. You can also make a roux at the beginning – rather than adding the flour or corn starch later.

Season to taste with thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper – whatever.

That sounds fantastic! You are, of course, making my grocery list longer today!!!

Okay, Angie, here’s a fave of ours:

COUNTRY FRENCH BEEF STEW

2 lbs. boneless beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 Tbsp. oil
1/4 c. Cognac (optional)
1 env. Lipton onion soup mix (or, if you don’t have that, minced onion and a little beef boullion)
2 c. water
1/2 c. dry red wine
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 lbs. mushrooms, halved
1 pkg. (8 oz.) broad egg noodles

Lightly toss beef with flour; set aside. In Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; remove. Reserve drippings and add oil; brown beef, in three batches, over medium-high heat, and set aside. Into Dutch oven, add Cognac and cook 1 minute until only a thin glaze of liquid remains, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in onion soup mix (or minced onion and boullion), water, wine and mustard; bring to a boil. Add beef and bacon and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender. Stir in carrots and simmer covered 25 minutes. Add mushrooms and simmer, covered, an additional 5 minutes or until beef and veggies are tender. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. To serve, arrange stew over noodles.

(oops — forgot to add, season with pepper and salt to taste, and I always add a bay leaf for the stewing of the beef — I think it adds a nice bit of flavor.)

http://davidlebovitz.com
This is the link that takes you to the world of French chocolate candy with a heaping of humor thrown in.

I always go back to the classics – the Nestle Toll House recipe. But the variation I use is (a) double the vanilla, whatever size batch, and (b) instead of chips, use a high-quality, fairly thin bar of semi-sweet chocolate in half the weight of what the chips would be (i.e., if the recipe is on a 12 oz. package of chips, use 6 oz.) and chop it into irregular-sized chunks. Scharffenberger has 3 oz. bars which are perfect for this – haven’t used Ghirardelli but I’m sure that would work well, too…

Thank you all!

Cannot wait to make this house smell cozy and wintry!

I think truffles were mentioned a couple of weeks back. Here’s a recipe I’ve tried:

4 ounces chocolate
2 ounces cream
cocoa or ground nuts

Bring the cream to a boil, pour it over the chocolate to melt. Stir, but avoid letting in air.

Let it cool to room temp and then stick it in the fridge until it’s firm enough to roll into balls.

Roll them in the cocoa or ground nuts.

These are a bit messy, but very quick and easy.

CHS 94 — Cognac!! delish! will have to try that. I’ve used sherry before when I haven’t had red wine on hand, but not cognac, will give that a try.

Rayne @ 92

katymine 80 — oh yummy!!! Now I know what to cook on Christmas Eve! my sister-in-law is Greek, but won’t have the time to mess with dinner before she arrives. I can do Stifatho, no problem. Thanks!!

The reason why the Greeks use a pressure cooker(besides that very few had ovens in their homes) to cook the Stifatho is so they can use the less tender parts of beef, or other types of meats such as goat or sheep. The pressure cooker will cook the meat very tender where it is fork tender.

I have used Venison with this recipe and no one knew that it was anything but beef. The spices add such a great flavor which compliments the meat.

Loosetooth, I think David Lebovitz is the one who has an amazing ginger cake. He’s great!

katymine — great idea, the venison. My father-in-law may have some in the freezer, this would be a perfect recipe. I’ll use a crock pot, should be just fine if I give it enough time. I use venison in a Mexican stew recipe, cooked in the crock pot, turns out very tender every time. I could use my pressure cooker, but I generally save that for when I’m in a hurry. Christmas Eve will be leisurely (I think), so I’ll use the crock pot.

I’m running late this morning with no time to relax and enjoy this thread. :(

I’ll be back later to savor all the good recipes. Here’s one of my favorites–rich, chewy, and yummy!

White Chip Chocolate Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in the white chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are set. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

We are having pancakes and hot cakes this white (snow-blue-sky morning). There is a difference.

Mrsmarks,

I bet if you add gorgonzola (either right in the stew or sprinkled on top at the end), that would make the spinach and beef stew a true delight.

Beef, spinach and bleu cheese are a favorite combo of mine. I once had filet mignon with a topping of spinach and a gorgonzola cream sauce at a restaurant in Providence, RI, (GREAT restaurant city!). I nearly fainted, it was so delicious.

Angie,

Anyone who can thank someone in post 84 for info. in post 86 has simply got to be able to make a magical beef stew! Your prescience is noted!

Oklahoma kiddo @ 104

We are having pancakes and hot cakes this white (snow-blue-sky morning). There is a difference.

How much snow did you get? (Assuming you are actually in OK!)

Wow! Around 6am I heard all these sirens and trucks, and I thought, “Geez, that sounds really close!” Then they stopped and I heard men yelling, so I went out the back door (which is actually on a side street since I’m on the corner) and there were fire trucks everywhere, and firemen hauling hoses down my alley.

I looked around the corner of my garage and about four houses down there was a huge garage fire in the alley. Firemen were spraying it and others were on the roof opening it up. Then the neighbors started showing up to see what was going on. After they got the flames under control it looked like the firemen were trying to cut something with a metal cutter. I’m hoping it was a padlock on the garage and not a vehicle. One of the neighbors went down to investigate so I’ll get all the details later.

It was a shocking reminder how quickly circumstances can change your world. I’m wide awake now!

Waiting for my cable tv and internet connection to come back…

Ok, I’m back!

Danbury @ 106

Mrsmarks,

I bet if you add gorgonzola (either right in the stew or sprinkled on top at the end), that would make the spinach and beef stew a true delight.

Beef, spinach and bleu cheese are a favorite combo of mine. I once had filet mignon with a topping of spinach and a gorgonzola cream sauce at a restaurant in Providence, RI, (GREAT restaurant city!). I nearly fainted, it was so delicious.

Angie,

Anyone who can thank someone in post 84 for info. in post 86 has simply got to be able to make a magical beef stew! Your prescience is noted!

it was the wordpress boogeyman! I had typed a thank you to mrsmarks and then tried to edit to add my thanks to you, et voila!

I love to cook, and I do fairly well, but my favorite recipe is far away and I am a bit shy about cooking beef since the flavor seems to be long gone (and then there’s that mad cow thingie)– same with pork and chicken unless they are free range and grain fed without all of those injections.

PeteCO @ 107

Oklahoma kiddo @ 104

We are having pancakes and hot cakes this white (snow-blue-sky morning). There is a difference.

How much snow did you get? (Assuming you are actually in OK!)

I am in Oklahoma. I live by the Red River. We got quite a bit of the white stuff. Hasn’t been this much here in years. Most schools were closed Thurs. and Fri. It was almost a blizzard. Got down to 7 deg. F night before last. We love it! My family has about a bazillion acres planted in winter wheat. And winter wheat loves snow.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 109

PeteCO @ 107

Oklahoma kiddo @ 104

We are having pancakes and hot cakes this white (snow-blue-sky morning). There is a difference.

How much snow did you get? (Assuming you are actually in OK!)

I am in Oklahoma. I live by the Red River. We got quite a bit of the white stuff. Hasn’t been this much here in years. Most schools were closed Thurs. and Fri. It was almost a blizzard. Got down to 7 deg. F night before last. We love it! My family has about a bazillion acres planted in winter wheat. And winter wheat loves snow.

You guys got what hit us here in Denver on Tuesday. Look out, there may be more coming in a day or so. The “flurries” that were predicted are at about an inch in the last two hours, and the temperature is dropping. This is mid-January, not early December. Good for the ski resorts, though.

Danbury @ 105

Mrsmarks,

I bet if you add gorgonzola (either right in the stew or sprinkled on top at the end), that would make the spinach and beef stew a true delight.

Beef, spinach and bleu cheese are a favorite combo of mine. I once had filet mignon with a topping of spinach and a gorgonzola cream sauce at a restaurant in Providence, RI, (GREAT restaurant city!). I nearly fainted, it was so delicious.

Angie,

Anyone who can thank someone in post 84 for info. in post 86 has simply got to be able to make a magical beef stew! Your prescience is noted!

Danbury: if you like Gorgonzola, try this one:

Gorgonzola Flank Steak
1/2 Cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2T fresh lemon juice
1.5 T worchestershire
1T dijon mustard
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 t black pepper
Mix together and marinate the flank steak for 3 hours.
As you grill the steak, put the gorgonzola on after you have flipped it.

I usually put a little A1 in it as well. I have found these awesome steaks at Kroger called flatiron steaks-thicker than a flank steak, and more than enough for a family of 4.

I found the truffle recipe, Christy. It sounds yummy! Thanks!!

BEEF STEW–this recipe has been perfected over the years.

2 packages of stew meat or have the butcher cut up a chuck roast into cubes

2 medium onions, chopped

In a large, heavy pot with a small amt. of hot oil—and in small batches–really brown the beef. Deglaze pan after each browning and pour over browned beef. Then do the same thing with the onions.

Believe me, this browing and deglazing is the secret.

Put the browned beef, onions and “glaze juice” back into the pot. Add:

1 box of Swanson’s chicken broth
1 bottow of Clamato juice

Simmer till beef is tender, then salt and pepper to taste (the chicken broth and Clamato have salt, so you don’t add salt and pepper until this stage.)

Now add:

1 cup baby carrots, halved
2 cups fresh green beans, snapped into 1-inch pieces

Cook until beans and carrots are tender.

Finally, add 2 cup of finely chopped cabbage and simmer a few more minutes until cabbage is tender. Taste again for seasons.

Note that there are no herbs or spices in this recipe, it’s just good, old-fashioned plain beef soup/stew. Do NOT add chunks of tomato or potato.

Serve with hot homemade bread and red wine and a good dessert and you’ve got a great dinner party.

Tastes even better the 2nd and 3rd day after cooking.

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Three parked car bombs exploded in central Baghdad on Saturday near a predominantly Shiite area packed with vendors, killing at least 91 people and wounding dozens, officials said

PeteCO @ 111

Oklahoma kiddo @ 109

PeteCO @ 107

Oklahoma kiddo @ 104

We are having pancakes and hot cakes this white (snow-blue-sky morning). There is a difference.

How much snow did you get? (Assuming you are actually in OK!)

I am in Oklahoma. I live by the Red River. We got quite a bit of the white stuff. Hasn’t been this much here in years. Most schools were closed Thurs. and Fri. It was almost a blizzard. Got down to 7 deg. F night before last. We love it! My family has about a bazillion acres planted in winter wheat. And winter wheat loves snow.

You guys got what hit us here in Denver on Tuesday. Look out, there may be more coming in a day or so. The “flurries” that were predicted are at about an inch in the last two hours, and the temperature is dropping. This is mid-January, not early December. Good for the ski resorts, though.

I never got the chance to ski CO. ;~( But I used to live in Tahoe City, Ca. and skied about two to three times a week in Squaw Valley.

rwcole @ 115

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Three parked car bombs exploded in central Baghdad on Saturday near a predominantly Shiite area packed with vendors, killing at least 91 people and wounding dozens, officials said

I really am so ashamed. crap.

This is our fault.

waving from Montreal … flying home tonight so no cooking today but stopping on the way to the airport at my favorite bakery – Pain Dore – to fill a tote bag with amazing breads (and maybe one of their frightfully good almond croissant layer thingies and some citron tarts!)

Being someplace where they still make a serious Bernaise sauce makes me oh so happy!

How many people have to perish in Iraq to quench the chicken hawks thirst for blood?

How many more nights and days of terror for the children of Gaza?

I found a link to David Lebovitz’s Fresh Ginger Cake at epicurious.com. It’s delicious!

Siun @ 118

waving from Montreal … flying home tonight so no cooking today but stopping on the way to the airport at my favorite bakery – Pain Dore – to fill a tote bag with amazing breads (and maybe one of their frightfully good almond croissant layer thingies and some citron tarts!)

Being someplace where they still make a serious Bernaise sauce makes me oh so happy!

enjoy and I do know what you mean about Bernaise…

almonds in any shape or form make me happy! (Actually all nuts do, but almonds are brain food.)

Angie and RW – I hadn’t seen news yet today … how long can this keep going on? NYT reports W is going to meet with a Shiite leader soon – seen as a sign of distrust of al Maliki – as Teddy says: Out NOW

Morning all!

There go my diet plans again. Yummy ideas. Thanks guys.

Christy and others with small-fry around the house. I wanted to share some books we just re-discovered, in the midst of sorting through old “stuff” as we enter the downsize-ing old-coot stage of our lives.

3 wonderful books for learning and sharing the joys of cooking, science and nature lore, and gardening with your kids. We had so-o-o much fun with these when our kids were young, and we can’t bear to part with them just yet, but at least I can share some titles. I checked & found all 3 are still available from amazon DOT com . Peanut’s a little young for them yet, but not by much. All 3 are written so youngsters can enjoy the read right along with the adults. (apologies – hope all the links don’t cause a mess in moderation ;->)

Cookbook: “The Natural Snack Cookbook” by Jill Pinkwater. 1975. Four Winds Press (a division of Scholastic Magazines Inc., NYC, NY)
http://www.amazon.com/natural-…..mp;s=books

Fun Biology Stuff: “Blood and Guts. A Working Guide to Your Own Insides.” by Linda Allison. 1976. a Brown Paper School book published by Yolly Bolly Press, Covelo, Calif.
http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Gu…..mp;s=books

Fun Nature Stuff: “Growing Up Green. Parents & Children Gardening Together.” by Alice Skelsey & Gloria Huckaby. 1973. Workman Publ. Co. New York.
http://www.amazon.com/Growing-…..mp;s=books

My very favorite of all is Corby Kummer’s Unbeatable Biscotti. VERY dry/hard – great for dunking, a bit hard on the teeth otherwise (tho some of us like noshing on hard cookies – better perhaps than grinding teeth re: world events!)

1.25 C whole almonds, blanched or unblanched (actually, 1 cup is plenty)
2 C all-purpose flour
1 C sugar
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast almonds until they smell great, about 10 minutes (so says Corby – I think it takes longer). Reduce oven temp. to 300 degrees F.

2. Stir together dry ingredients except nuts in a stand-mixer bowl (hand-held mixer not powerful enough). In separate bowl, beat eggs and vanilla. Blend into dry ingredients at lowest speed. Will be messy, then cohere. Add nuts in two additions; blend just until they start to break. Turn out onto floured surface and fold over 3 to 4 times to distribute nuts. Let rest a couple of minutes.

3. Divide into 3 pieces. Roll out into 1-inch ropes, 12 to 14 inches long. OR divide in half, make thicker ropes – this is the size I make, because they end up more like the size of commercial biscotti.

4. Lay ropes diagonally on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or foil (shiny side up). Bake 50 minutes at 300 degrees F, reversing front-to-back, and top-to-bottom, halfway through.

5. Remove from oven, let cool about 5 minutes, peel off parchment, and slice on the diagonal to make 1/2 inch slices. I find a very sharp bread knife works best.

6. Lay slices, cut side down, on baking sheets, and cook at 300 degrees F. for 35 to 50 minutes, depending on how dark you like your biscotti.

7. Cool on a rack. Store in a NON-airtight container, or they’ll get soft. If you are feeling decadent, dip ends or bottoms in chocolate.

The White House seems to have run out of clever things to say about the war in Iraq

No more “last throes”- no more “deadenders” just a daily onslaught of bodies piled high in the streets- and dead but penetrating eyes looking directly at the United States- sayin “Thanks- sorry I don’t have candy and flowers for ye”

Siun @
122

Angie and RW – I hadn’t seen news yet today … how long can this keep going on? NYT reports W is going to meet with a Shiite leader soon – seen as a sign of distrust of al Maliki – as Teddy says: Out NOW

until Iraq is the empty space that these neocons want…

same with Afghanistan.

OUT NOW.

angie @ 69

Does anyone have a yummy beef stew recipe?

I rarely eat beef anymore, but am yearning for good old fashioned comfort food.

Angie,
I have a good one that my daughter’s Mother-In-Law gave me.
Crockpot Stew
1 1/2 # Stew Beef (purchase it cubed or cut it yourself, my preference.
Onions, Celery, Carrots, Potatoes (Any amounts you wish to cut up.)
Place stew cubes in bottom of pot, add vegetables. I usually fill mine to the top.
Cover with one can golden mushroom soup
one can of muchroom soup.
I add Cabbage on top, but it is a preference of mine.
Turn on low about 10-11 at night, let cook on low all the next day.
Enjoy!
P.S. I will probably be EPU’d on this one. So late to the party.

I don’t know- getting out will probably speed up the bloodshed- but that might lead to a quicker end- I’m not clever enough to figure that part out- but the corpses are pretty easy to figure out.

Angie,
Should have been Mushroom soup, not muchroom.

muchroom- the Hitler soup.

Thank you Apple Canyon 2!

rwcole,
The puns on here are really getting to be an added bonus with the site. *g*

rwcole @ 124

The White House seems to have run out of clever things to say about the war in Iraq

No more “last throes”- no more “deadenders” just a daily onslaught of bodies piled high in the streets- and dead but penetrating eyes looking directly at the United States- sayin “Thanks- sorry I don’t have candy and flowers for ye”

“It’s not a civil war, it’s a sub-national disagreement.”

Afghanistan opium crop sets record

Opium production in Afghanistan, which provides more than 90 percent of the world’s heroin, broke all records in 2006, reaching a historic high despite ongoing U.S.-sponsored eradication efforts, the Bush administration reported yesterday.

…any opium cookie recipes?

Pistachio Orange Lace Cookies
(Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies)

• 1 and 1/4 cups shelled pistachios (not dyed red; 5 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
• 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

1. Pulse pistachios and sugar together in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped (but not ground), then stir together with remaining ingredients in a bowl. Spread dough in a 12-inch-long strip on a large sheet of plastic wrap and, starting with a long side, roll up dough in plastic wrap (dough will be very soft). Chill dough on a baking sheet until firm but still malleable, about 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 325F.

3. Roll dough into a 15″ by 1″ log, using plastic wrap as an aid. Halve log crosswise and chill halves, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 3 hours.

4. Cut 1 half crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife and arrange about 2 inches apart on two parchment-lined large baking sheets. Flatten each cookie into a 1 1/2-inch round with the back of a fork or spoon, dipping fork in water and shaking off excess for each cookie.

5. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets for five minutes, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely.

Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets (line sheets with clean parchment).

~ Note: Dough log can be chilled up to five days. You can also freeze if wrapped in foil, as well as plastic wrap, for one month. If frozen, thaw dough, just until it can be sliced.

Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment (cookies should not overlap), in an airtight container at room temperature one week.

cnn – 44 bullet-riddled bodies found across baghdad today

Opium cookies?

Funny- I was just thinking the same thing..

At the turn of the last century- you could have ordered yer opium from Sears and added it to your favorite recipe- said to be good for regularity.

Angie – I do beef stew as my mom does – very tomatoe-y. Brown stew beef in a little olive oil, drain, add tomatoe sauce (not spag, just plain sauce) and water to cover, toss in favored herbs and some nice red wine … simmer for an hour or two … add carrots, onions, potatoes an continue simmer until potatoes are done (add extra tom sauce, water, wine to cover) and add a little tomatoe paste at the end, stir in and cook about 15 minutes. Depending on how much tom paste you add, this can be a very thick stew. Hearty, keeps well and tastes better the day after.

twolf1 @ 134

Afghanistan opium crop sets record

Opium production in Afghanistan, which provides more than 90 percent of the world’s heroin, broke all records in 2006, reaching a historic high despite ongoing U.S.-sponsored eradication efforts, the Bush administration reported yesterday.

…any opium cookie recipes?

nice job bushco.

those desperately poor people have nothing and they used to have fields of gorgeous vegetables and fruits and dreams.

they have to survive somehow, some way. they are desperate and are forced to do something they abhor.

thanks, Siun for your recipe.

angie – when I do beef (or pork) stew, I don’t bother cutting up the meat until after it’s cooked. I put all the ingredients in a slow-cooker, rub the meat with salt/spices/garlic and put it on top. Cook on high for an hour, then low for at least overnight (10-15 more hours?). when it’s done, the meat will b so tender it will be easy to cut or tear into chunks.

i’d give u a recipe but I kinda make them up as I go along. One of my favs included garam masala

twolf1 — Pork stew? Never tried it, but I love pork. Do you do it the same as beef stew? Any particular cut? (Boston butt, maybe?) Tell me more, please!

thanks twolf1!

(something’s wrong with the ‘puter.)

Oh. My. Dog. I’m drooling all over my keyboard. Thank you. I think. Here’s my tragic story: I’m allergic to chocolate. *sound of writer weeping softly* Lay on me your best unchocolate cookies for the holidays, oh please and thank you.

P.S. Cookies and corpses. Oh. My. Dog.

Marion in Savannah @
141

twolf1 — Pork stew? Never tried it, but I love pork. Do you do it the same as beef stew? Any particular cut? (Boston butt, maybe?) Tell me more, please!

I did it kind of like beef stew but with more of a sweet/sour BBQ thing going on. I think I did use butt. Carrots, potatoes, onions, beef stock, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, dijon, garlic, salt pepper, pork — cook. I often double the liquid part but only add half to the slow cooker. I reduce the xtra half on the stove and add in case there isn’t enough liquid after slow cooking is over.

new thread

how can bush go on, smiling and waving and acting macho? how can he stand himself?! it seems everything he does is utterly irrelevant, and he doesn’t even notice…

6 years ago, this could have been prevented.

i don’t understand how kat harris and the supremes, baker? can sleep at night, either.

there IS no reasonable solution possible to their dreadful war-without-end…

Adie @ 146

how can bush go on, smiling and waving and acting macho? how can he stand himself?! it seems everything he does is utterly irrelevant, and he doesn’t even notice…

…because he is a moron

that’s a given…

poppa? mommabar? OMG what an awful family!

sorry guys. i’m goin away for awhile. can’t stand thinking anymore at the moment.

angie-

If you like a spicy version, try roasting some tomatoes in the oven with cherry peppers, chipoltes, jalepenos or what ever you favorite spicy pepper is. Roast them at 300 for approx 1 hour in a tightly covred pan. I use a stainless bowl with tin foil. I usually stir it once after a half hour.

Brown your meat, add the roasted tomatoes, some red wine, and vegetables and simmer until the meat is tender.

As afar as cookies go, I’m bummed. I can’t find my recipe cookbook. Thanks for the recipes over the last two weeks. I guess it’s time to start some new cookie traditions.

barbara @ 143

Oh. My. Dog. I’m drooling all over my keyboard. Thank you. I think. Here’s my tragic story: I’m allergic to chocolate. *sound of writer weeping softly* Lay on me your best unchocolate cookies for the holidays, oh please and thank you.

P.S. Cookies and corpses. Oh. My. Dog.

Sorry about the chocolate allergy. My boss at work is allergic too, poor thing. These are just delicious, and make your house smell like heaven while they’re baking:

Spice Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (yep, really!)

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and mix. Mix soda and molasses (this will foam up) and add to butter mixture. Stir in dry ingredients and blend. Cover dough and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Keeping dough cold, pick off small pieces and roll in the palms of hands, forming balls about the size of a walnut (or smaller). Roll in granulated sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake in a 325 degree oven. Cookies will look darkened, crackled and flattened when done. Remove from pan on wax paper.

I am going to make one last post regarding the controversy I was involved with during last night thread(s).

I never said that Trex posted something inaccurate to advance a political agenda, as one poster took me to task for this morning. My concern was that the information from a “reader” that led off his thread last night set an irrational tone that, in addition to the obvious other factual problems with the piece, does not contribute to an informed dialogue about the issue.

Remember after 9/11? There was a lot of hysteria. I worked in one of the key cities at the time. For a week or two, work would clear out if a group of several police vehicles were seen anywhere in our part of town. Do you think that there might be people right now that will not go anywhere near the sushi restaurant, or hotel, or other sites where some contamination has been found? Posting something that endows polonium with magical properties, suggesting that it can go and travel everywhere. seemingly defying the laws of nature, is not helpful to say the least.

SO I asked a few times if Trex would qualify the source of this information. This is online journalism people, plain and simple, so its reasonable to ask about a “source”. Repeated requests got no reply.

See the supposed expert “reader”, if he or she did separate polonium from uranium, didn’t do it for long as it hasn’t been done that way since 1945. that would reasonably put our expert “reader” in their mid-80’s. Perhaps that is why they thought the Mound DOE facility was in the wrong state.

Please don’t ask me for links. I did that last night when asked and all that got me was ad hominem attacks. Use the google and figure it out for yourself if you care.

Particularly offensive was when I was accused of being a sock puppet because someone else posted the same point as I did at the same time. Cozumel, I think, accused me of having two IP addresses and two computers so I could pull that off. I used to post a lot here as “sonofslothrop”. I defy anyone to provide evidence that I was ever guilty of bad behavior here. Of course, once you are accused by anyone of being a sock puppet, it puts a target on your back. The floodgates then opened.

Again, I just asked an online journalist to source something and this crap happened. There is a terrible group think here sometimes. If you look at last nights thread, you will see that TRex rejoined the thread after I gave up. I refused to be goaded any further into arguing with people. He then thanked his peeps for taking care of matters, obviously me. High fives all around.

I could deconstruct that post further. Why bother. There were a few people who seemed appreciative of the information and supported some of my point, but not too strongly. I suggest to some of the rational regulars that you may have to do something about your ill-mannered colleagues, but I understand it is tough. You have to balance your desire to stay here with having them turn on you. Unfortunately, bullies often rule.

Christy would have done the same I did, I think, if someone posted something about legal matters that was less than rigorous.

I should have known things would have ended the way they did. The incivility thread the other night showed that there are a number of thoughtful people who are disaffected by similar behavior.

Now I request that one of the moderators ban me from the site, as a symbolic act of protest about the tone of some of the late night crowd.

witchywoman @
108

Wow! Around 6am I heard all these sirens and trucks, and I thought, “Geez, that sounds really close!” Then they stopped and I heard men yelling, so I went out the back door (which is actually on a side street since I’m on the corner) and there were fire trucks everywhere, and firemen hauling hoses down my alley.

I looked around the corner of my garage and about four houses down there was a huge garage fire in the alley. Firemen were spraying it and others were on the roof opening it up. Then the neighbors started showing up to see what was going on. After they got the flames under control it looked like the firemen were trying to cut something with a metal cutter. I’m hoping it was a padlock on the garage and not a vehicle. One of the neighbors went down to investigate so I’ll get all the details later.

It was a shocking reminder how quickly circumstances can change your world. I’m wide awake now!

Waiting for my cable tv and internet connection to come back…

Ok, I’m back!

Yup, here in the city we love Dr. Doppler, who makes the sirens pass.

Good morning to all! I’m late to the thread because I slept in, we went to breakfast, and then our retired neighbor wandered over to chat.

Thanks for the Cheddar Corn Chowder recipe–I love Ina Garten’s recipes too. Also, I can vouch for Cook’s Illustrated–a great magazine with wonderful recipes. Some of my old standbys come from it.

Now, to cookies. I’m always looking for a “healthy” option too (to balance my “unhealthy” favorites!), and I love meringues. I just saw this version in Thursday’s paper and haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds yummy.

Mocha Merinugues
2 t. vanilla extract
1 1/4 t. instant espresso powder (instant coffee can be substituted)
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 t. cream of tartar
1/4 t. salt
1 cup sugar
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
Adjust oven racks to divide oven into thirds. Preheat oven to 250 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In small bowl, combine the vanilla and espresso powder. Mix to dissolve and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Beat on medium until frothy, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and add the sugar in a slow, steady stream. Beat them ’til they hold stiff peaks, about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla/espresso mixture until combined. Decrease speed and mix in cocoa until just combined.
Transfer meringue to pastry bag (or even easier, a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off). Pipe small mounds onto parchment paper covered baking sheets (1 inch diameter, 1 1/2 inches apart).
Bake for 30 minutes, then switch baking sheets from one shelf to the other. Bake another 20 minutes, or until meringues are dry. Turn off oven, crack it open, and allow meringues to dry in oven, about an hour (or more).
2 cookies = 21 calories, 0 fat/chol, 19 sodium, 0 protein, 5 carbs.

So are comments critical of the site being censored now?

Crick — I wasn’t up during late nite last night (needing sleep and all), but you are correct that questioning source information is what we do — a lot. I often post material with questions to the floor as to authenticity when I know that we have readers who have a specialty in a particular area that I do not have in terms of expertise. I’ll take a peek at the thread and see — it’s been busy with The Peanut here this morning and I haven’t gone back through the comments from yesterday’s threads in which I didn’t participate. But if you felt that there was some sort of pack mentality going on, I apologize. That’s not appropriate. At all.

And I’m sorry, but you’ll have to find someone else to ban you. *g*

I was not present on the thread crick, but I did read it and appreciate your contribution.

don’t leave again. your voice is much appreciated by me, at least.

Barbara @8:39 Sorry about your allergy! I really love this recipe that I posted on a previous thread:

Lemon Bars

Base:
10 TBs butter (5 oz), softened
2 Tbs powdered sugar
2 Tbs gran. sugar
1 1/4 c flour (6.25 oz)

Lemon Curd:
4 lg yolks
3/4 c sugar (5.25 oz)
3 oz lemon juice (~2 1/2 lg lemons)
4 Tbs butter (2 oz)
pinch salt
2 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbs powdered sugar

8 x 8″ pan, bottom and two sides lined with foil

BASE: Whisk sugars together. Cream butter with sugars till light and fluffy. Mix in flour till incorporated. Oven 325 degrees. Put dough in pan and prick. Bake 30 -40 minutes till edges lightly brown and top is pale golden.

CURD: beat egg yolks and sugar, stir in lemon juice, butter and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, ~6 mins, till thickened (coats spoon). Stir in zest.

When the shortbread’s baked, decrease oven temp to 300 degrees, pour curd on top and bake about 10 mins.

Cool completely in pan. Refrig for about 30 mins to set curd. Lift out of pan, and then cut into thirds, then in half the other way, then each half in thirds (hope that makes sense).

Store in an airtight container at room temp for about 3 days or in the fridge / freezer.

Oops, I should have credited the “Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook” Wiley Publishing 2006 for the recipe I just gave for the Mocha Meringues!

crick at 153 — your comment is up there — refresh your browser. It may just have been because it was a long comment — they get caught in the spam filter until we can free them up to prevent scroll trolling. I know you are peeved about this, but no one is censoring complaints — and I wish everyone would please just take a breath and realize that sometimes it’s just a matter of patience until someone can get to a comment. Our moderators do their work voluntarily, and we cannot expect them to do it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without a break now and then to pour more coffee or use the potty or something. Patience on all sides is a much-needed virtue.

Fresh thread, gang. Just FYI. Feel free to continue to talk recipes here, though, this will stay open all day. :)

Marion in Savannah @ 150

barbara @ 143

Oh. My. Dog. I’m drooling all over my keyboard. Thank you. I think. Here’s my tragic story: I’m allergic to chocolate. *sound of writer weeping softly* Lay on me your best unchocolate cookies for the holidays, oh please and thank you.

P.S. Cookies and corpses. Oh. My. Dog.

Sorry about the chocolate allergy. My boss at work is allergic too, poor thing. These are just delicious, and make your house smell like heaven while they’re baking:

Spice Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (yep, really!)

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and mix. Mix soda and molasses (this will foam up) and add to butter mixture. Stir in dry ingredients and blend. Cover dough and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Keeping dough cold, pick off small pieces and roll in the palms of hands, forming balls about the size of a walnut (or smaller). Roll in granulated sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake in a 325 degree oven. Cookies will look darkened, crackled and flattened when done. Remove from pan on wax paper.

Marion, this sounds WONDERFUL. Oh, sorry about the flaming. I get very pumped when I discover a decadent non-chocolate goodie. Thanks!

Oops, and I adapted the lemon bars recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum.

old but pertinent thot.

can’t we all just get along? PLEASE?!

crick. I was not on last night either, so did not know. But things just aren’t the same around here lately, and I hope they improve. It’s beginning to feel like middle school cliquishness around here… i keep thinking it must be just me. and then I read something like your #150…

Please stay!

….I loved this place….

oh, please

Barbara — That hardly was flaming, more of a squeal of delight! Do try them, they’re the best spice cookies I’ve ever eaten.

crick: I lurked for part of last night’s thread and read the rest this morning. I did appreciate your comments. I think part of the challenge was there were multiple “conversations” occurring, some less serious that the original topic.

I do believe, as Christy noted, it is important for readers with technical knowledge to chime and correct the record. I think science is one of the areas where we must TRY to be precise and make sure we’re providing good info. Heavens knows, there is a tendency for folks to feel it’s OK to “interpret” science in the same way we interpret politics.

Pfifferling @ 83

Waccamaw @6:33 That orange syrup sounds yummy! How long do you think it might keep in the fridge? Sounds like it would be delicious spooned over lots of things.

Hey, Pfiff -
Where ya been, girl? Maybe just missed you in passing. Stepped out to get the mail & pick up meds for the furry child. Hope you get this note since the thread moved upstairs.

Re. the orange peel……when you cook it down w/the sugar & water the end result is a very “gummy” goo w/no excess liquid for spooning over stuff. The only thing I’ve ever used it for is to mix in w/batter to create the bread. But come to think of it, it seems a lot like making crystallized orange or grapefruit rind except you never spread it out & give it a chance to air dry.

TeddySanFran @
164

oh, please

Pfifferling @ 157

Barbara @8:39 Sorry about your allergy! I really love this recipe that I posted on a previous thread:

Lemon Bars

Base:
10 TBs butter (5 oz), softened
2 Tbs powdered sugar
2 Tbs gran. sugar
1 1/4 c flour (6.25 oz)

Lemon Curd:
4 lg yolks
3/4 c sugar (5.25 oz)
3 oz lemon juice (~2 1/2 lg lemons)
4 Tbs butter (2 oz)
pinch salt
2 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbs powdered sugar

8 x 8″ pan, bottom and two sides lined with foil

BASE: Whisk sugars together. Cream butter with sugars till light and fluffy. Mix in flour till incorporated. Oven 325 degrees. Put dough in pan and prick. Bake 30 -40 minutes till edges lightly brown and top is pale golden.

CURD: beat egg yolks and sugar, stir in lemon juice, butter and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, ~6 mins, till thickened (coats spoon). Stir in zest.

When the shortbread’s baked, decrease oven temp to 300 degrees, pour curd on top and bake about 10 mins.

Cool completely in pan. Refrig for about 30 mins to set curd. Lift out of pan, and then cut into thirds, then in half the other way, then each half in thirds (hope that makes sense).

Store in an airtight container at room temp for about 3 days or in the fridge / freezer.

Thank you, thank you. This sounds quite wonderful, too. My family will be grateful, as access to these goodies will greatly reduce my holiday whining. About food, anyway.

Adie, I’m so glad you’re still here. You probably don’t even know it, but I mentioned you in my very first post on FDL many months ago, thanking you for the tips you’d given to newbie-posters. It was great advice.

My reads, one contemporaneous and one reflective, re-inforce that crick’s only valid criticism was wrt the location of the Mound facility. I’m only commenting once on this today, and not again, but in my view kirk murphy answered what needed answering wrt the science.

And putting quotes around the word art when describing TRex’s contributions was enough for me to question motive.

The rest is chaff.

Troops
Home
NOW

Adie @ 168

TeddySanFran @
164

oh, please

See, tone is all! And impossible to convey via toobz!

Pfifferling 170

thanks.

apologies for my hissyfit-status lately.
things pile in for all of us once in awhile.

appreciate your presence.

frankly, don’t know if I’ll stay or not, except to lurk for info on Christy’s analysis threads. That’s where I started, and that’s probably where I should remain. ;->

TeddySanFran @ 172

Adie @ 168

TeddySanFran @
164

oh, please

See, tone is all! And impossible to convey via toobz!

I get it Teddy. Thanks a heap.

Waccamaw! Thank you. My husband will love it even if it’s not “liquidy” enough to pour over something. He’ll probably just sit the pot in front of him! (As a child, he drank his milk through a sugar cube poised between his teeth!)

Barbara, you won’t miss the chocolate when you make these bars. I say that as a serious chocoholic :)

Crick – I thought your contribution last night was valuable and also thought your willingness to provide credentials was above and beyond. I did not follow all the comments but will go back and also discuss with the team after I’ve done so (may be late tonight as I have a flight home to catch)

As Christy says, patience on all sides is sometimes needed – and I know from experience that some comments may simply get missed as the poster dips in and out of the conversation that follows.

We do have to be careful that we don’t jump to the assumption of censorship, etc when it’s simply a matter of filters being tricky critters and moderators having lives beyond moderating. We are doing a bit of research now to further tune the filters and moderation process to make sure we are not inadvertently losing comments – everyone on the team takes this very seriously.

Adie, I’ve always loved reading anything you write. You are one of the loveliest people here.

ahhh I am stew-inspired now, but no snow in sight in this crispy garden-destroying cold and clear part of california. I have never been a stew girl before but intend to become one. This recipe, which I stumbled upon by accident, fit the unexpected combination of very cozy, very delicious and unbelievably classy. It might just have to be christmas eve dinner…which is usually homemade raviolis, we’ll see…

Roast leg of lamb with toasted orzo

I make these every year. OMG are they good.

Forgotten Kisses (easy to make, stupid good):

30 Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolate
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup white sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet. Remove wrappers
from kisses.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla in medium bowl
until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, one tablespoon at a time,
beating 4 to 5 minutes, or until stiff peaks form, mixture is glossy,
and sugar is dissolved.

Drop meringue by half teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheet; top with
chocolate piece. Cover chocolate piece with small teaspoon meringue,
making certain to completely cover chocolate. Place cookies in hot
oven. Turn off oven and allow cookies to remain overnight or until
oven has cooled completely.

Makes 30 cookies.

Fudgy Pudding Cake

8″ square pan, ungreased. Serves 6.
350F oven, preheated.

1 c all purpose white flour
3/4 c wheat germ
3/4 c raw sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2/3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa or carob powder
2 c hot tap water

Blend flour, wheat germ, raw sugar, baking powder & salt. Add melted butter, milk & vanilla to flour mix and stir to blend well. Pour batter into ungreased baking pan.
Blend brown sugar and cocoa powder with fork; sprinkle evenly over batter in baking pan.
Pour hot tap water over carefully.
DO NOT STIR.
Bake 45 min. Remove from oven.
Really! It’s supposed to look like that.

Serve with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream; spoon some sauce over each serving.

Tip: you’d be wise to set the baking pan on a tray in the oven to guard agnst drips. And DO be careful carrying the pan to the oven before baking – that hot water will reach practically to the top edge of the pan.

Adie at 180 — I’ve made a similar recipe and I love it. Seriously yummy stuff. Especially with ice cream. :P

TeddySanFran @ 171

The rest is chaff.

Troops
Home
NOW

AMEN!

Wow – the beef stew looks SO good-

but it’s really hard to square with my inner vegetarian.

(is grass-fed beef a compromise? Bad vegetarian, Kirk.)

Shrink in SF, best wishes for the new garden!

kirk murphy @ 183

Wow – the beef stew looks SO good-

but it’s really hard to square with my inner vegetarian.

(is grass-fed beef a compromise? Bad vegetarian, Kirk.)

Shrink in SF, best wishes for the new garden!

Tofu Stew

kirk at 183 — I make a great veggie stew with big chunks of potatoes, carrots, some chopped portobellos (which are really a meaty texture, I think), finely chopped celery, tomato paste, onion…whatever I have on hand, really. I thicken it up a bit by frying the onions in oil to soften them and then adding a little flour, and browning it to get a good roux before adding the rest of the veggies and some good stock. I don’t have any set recipe for it, but it turns out yummy — especially with some crusty bread.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 181

Adie at 180 — I’ve made a similar recipe and I love it. Seriously yummy stuff. Especially with ice cream. :P

glad you liked it too. Hubby here used to delight in making that his contribution to the annual “dish-to-pass” Thanksgiving get together in the biology department at the U. here. It looked so awful that the older, supposedly wiser folks avoided the thing, and came close to expressing sympathy for his pitiful culinary skills. The grad students quickly learned otherwise, and kept their secret knowledge to themselves so they could gobble it up PDQ every time it appeared. Hooray for adventuresome students! ;->

Siun @ 176

Crick – I thought your contribution last night was valuable and also thought your willingness to provide credentials was above and beyond. I did not follow all the comments but will go back and also discuss with the team after I’ve done so (may be late tonight as I have a flight home to catch)

As Christy says, patience on all sides is sometimes needed – and I know from experience that some comments may simply get missed as the poster dips in and out of the conversation that follows.

We do have to be careful that we don’t jump to the assumption of censorship, etc when it’s simply a matter of filters being tricky critters and moderators having lives beyond moderating. We are doing a bit of research now to further tune the filters and moderation process to make sure we are not inadvertently losing comments – everyone on the team takes this very seriously.

I thought Crick had a valid point to make about factual accuracy. I also thought he did it in a rude and bullying way, and that he took a cheap shot at T-Rex. And his continued whining and accusing people of bad faith is really annoying.

Just my two cents, for what it’s worth.

Christy. Hate to bother, but would like to e-mail. thanks in advance… ;->

One of the “funnest” parts of the good food thread is the personal notes folks add (like Adie’s “Really, it’s supposed to look like that”). The sort of thing nobody tells you in the recipe books…..the sort of things friends DO tell you verbally as they hand over a favorite recipe.

Pfifferling @137:

That sounds very similar to a french lemon tart that I make this time of year! May I suggest using Meyer lemons if you can get them – they are so sweet, and you can really taste the difference!

Adie at 188 — my e-mail addy is always available on the contact page linked above, just FYI for everyone. Feel free to use it any time.

reddhedd at firedoglake dot com

Waccamaw @ 189

One of the “funnest” parts of the good food thread is the personal notes folks add (like Adie’s “Really, it’s supposed to look like that”). The sort of thing nobody tells you in the recipe books…..the sort of things friends DO tell you verbally as they hand over a favorite recipe.

..back to the Cook’s Illustrated Magazine – One of my favorite features is that they show different results of common mistakes. If you messed something up, you can compare your end result with their pictures of mistakes and know what you did wrong so as not to make the same mistake in the future.

Nicemonster, ohhhhh, I wish I could. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen them here in Munich, but I’ve always wanted to try them. Someday!

Waccamaw, we have to find a way to slip in some sewing chatting. Maybe we could get Christie to write a post on the textile industry :~)

Sorry if I disappear now and then, but I’m in the middle of cooking dinner.

David Ehrenstein @
46

A SCREAMING RAVE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES!!!!!! If you’re in New York do not fail to catch my very good friends Jim and Steve in their fabulous new show.

Very nice!

Christy thanks. just sent it off. no hurry. ;->

twolf1 @ 192

Waccamaw @ 189

One of the “funnest” parts of the good food thread is the personal notes folks add (like Adie’s “Really, it’s supposed to look like that”). The sort of thing nobody tells you in the recipe books…..the sort of things friends DO tell you verbally as they hand over a favorite recipe.

..back to the Cook’s Illustrated Magazine – One of my favorite features is that they show different results of common mistakes. If you messed something up, you can compare your end result with their pictures of mistakes and know what you did wrong so as not to make the same mistake in the future.

Dagnab it, twolf -
You’re purely going to FORCE me to head to the newstand to try to find a copy of Cook’s Illustrated ;-) There’s another current mag that I’ve been meaning to buy……think it’s maybe from Taunton Press that has this glorious pic of prime rib roast on the cover plus some kind of notes about how to tell the butcher exactly what you need.

Waccamaw @ 196

Dagnab it, twolf -
You’re purely going to FORCE me to head to the newstand to try to find a copy of Cook’s Illustrated ;-) There’s another current mag that I’ve been meaning to buy……think it’s maybe from Taunton Press that has this glorious pic of prime rib roast on the cover plus some kind of notes about how to tell the butcher exactly what you need.

You can get a free copy of Cook’s Ill off their website.

twolf1 -
[Bangs head on computer] Google is my friend *g*. They’ve got a reduced price on rate (bi-monthly publication is good since I NEVER manage to keep up with the “new recipes to try” list.)

kirk murphy @
183

Shrink in SF, best wishes for the new garden!

Thanks for the encouragement, So far i’ve been lucky, only the things I planted out of shame and obligation (but would never really eat) have been hit…ahhh who will miss brussel sprouts?

Here is a family favorite that my European grandmother made every year.

Walnut Bunt Pan Potica

1 C. butter
1/2 C. milk
2 pkgs. dry yeast
1/4 C. warm water
3 eggs separated
2 1/2 C. sifted flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 C. sugar
2 C. finely chopped walnuts
1 t. cinnamon
3 T. sugar
3/4 C. milk
1/2 C. honey

Heat butter and milk together until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm. In bowl dissolve yeast in warm water and beat in egg yolks. Blend in cooled milk and butter mixture. Sift in flour, salt, and 1/4 C. sugar. Beat until smooth and creamy in color. Cover bowl and refrigerate over night (or for six hours). On the following day, blend walnuts, cinnamon, 3 T. sugar and milk in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat and stir until thickened. Remove from the heat and cool. Beat egg whites until stiff and slowly ad 1/2 C. of honey beating until meringue-like. Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 2 equal parts (work fast, dough is easier to work with when cold). Dust each half with flour, roll out one half at a time. Make an 18-20 inch circle of dough. Top the dough with 1/2 of filling mixture. (You may decide to use a little less. The potica is hard to roll and then seal closed, if it is overfilled with the filling.) Spread mixture to within 1 inch of edge of dough. Roll dough into a jelly roll shape. Place in well greased bunt pan. Follow same instructions for second potica and put on top of other potica in pan. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Allow potica to cool in pan for about five minutes, and then turn onto a plate.

Chocolate Filling

1 C (scant)butter
1/2 C. sugar
5 egg yokes
6 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 egg whites beaten stiff
2 T. sugar (optional)
5 oz. chopped almonds (optional)
2 T. breadcrumbs

Cream butter with sugar add egg yolks mix well. Heat chocolate add to mixture. Fold in stiff egg whites. Mix other ingredients. Spread on potica dough, roll into jelly roll shape and bake.

susan at 200 — OMG. I am going to have to go to the store this afternoon for that one. It sounds amazing!

Barbara, if you see this, I just wanted to add: if I’m remembering correctly, I add more grated lemon than the recipe calls for (maybe double?).

Christy, It is not easy….If filled too full, it is hard to close and seal. If the nuts aren’t finely chopped, they poke holes thru the bread dough, if the pan is not a good one (I use Calphalon), and well greased, the dough will stick (due to all the filling oozing out), and then it is hard to release the bread from the pan…

My kids grew up learning most of their swear words as I made the !@#$%^& but DELICIOUS potica!

Christy Hardin Smith @ 185

kirk at 183 — I make a great veggie stew with big chunks of potatoes, carrots, some chopped portobellos (which are really a meaty texture, I think), finely chopped celery, tomato paste, onion…whatever I have on hand, really. I thicken it up a bit by frying the onions in oil to soften them and then adding a little flour, and browning it to get a good roux before adding the rest of the veggies and some good stock. I don’t have any set recipe for it, but it turns out yummy — especially with some crusty bread.

Thanks Christy -

You’ve kept me on the straight and narrow (as long as I can still pretens seafood is a vegetable).

Looks delicious. Just back from the vet – now off to the market.

Thanks!

Shrink in SF @ 199

kirk murphy @
183

Shrink in SF, best wishes for the new garden!

Thanks for the encouragement, So far i’ve been lucky, only the things I planted out of shame and obligation (but would never really eat) have been hit…ahhh who will miss brussel sprouts?

I’ve only been here for three years; my first summer I planted tomatoes – in the Richmond. In August.

Turns out my Santa Monica gardener wasn’t prepared for the big city…

But the mildew on the tomato vines was a lovely shade of grey next to the sages.

Not a cookie recipe, but a real killer rum cake. My dear friend Gisela died in September. This recipe is hers — she would make dozens of these cakes each Christmas and give them to her friends.

Gisela’s Rum Cake

1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 instant vanilla pudding (small box – 3.4 oz.)
4 eggs
1/2 cup Bacardi Gold rum (the dark kind)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water

Mix well, pour into oiled and floured Bundt pan.
Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes.
Cool for about 1 hour, then loosen by gently shaking but leave in pan.
Using a fork, poke holes in the cake (LOTS of holes).

Mix together:
1 stick melted butter (1/4 lb.)
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum

Cook until it bubbles, cool, then drizzle over cake – use it all!
Leave cake in pan overnight, then remove and dust top with confectioners sugar.

When you buy the rum, be sure to get a little extra and drink a toast to a wonderful woman, Gisela K.

kirk murphy @
205

Shrink in SF @ 199

kirk murphy @
183

I’ve only been here for three years; my first summer I planted tomatoes – in the Richmond. In August.

Hey welcome to the bay area! Your tomatoes gotta start as soon as you dare, the nurserys try to trick you by selling tomatoes too early and hoping you’ll buy more when those get killed, but we’re always planted by may, sometimes april (I’m not really SF, just SF adjacent),

Our nearly unbeatable tomato challenge has been of the rodent variety: we are near a school and its huge garbage bin, so we get very intelligent not-white rats that just LOVE tomatoes. Last year we took extreme measures and put the tomatoes INSIDE a cage. It was a huge production, but worth it for the bruschetta alone…

Happy gardening!

Lynne @ 206

When you buy the rum, be sure to get a little extra and drink a toast to a wonderful woman, Gisela K.

Lynne, I will do just that. How wonderful of you to honor your friend, Gisela K, in this way.

I’ve been looking for a good rum cake recipe, so this will have a special meaning now.

Lynn at 206 — Oh, yum!

Shrink at 199 — You know, I bet there is a mildew resistent variety for tomatoes that you can use for your area. I’d ask at the garden center if you have a greenhouse/nursery near you. Not at Home Depot/Lowes, but at a small garden center — that’s generally where I get the best varietal information for here. We have a very humid, wet summer as well, and I try and get varieties that work in that climate for that reason. Be we are warmer than you all, so I’m not sure what works here would translate there. FWIW.

Conga Bars

2 & 3/4 cups sifted flour
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cups shortening
2 & 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 small package chocolate chips*
1 tbsp vanilla

Mix and sift flour, baking powder and salt. Melt shortening and add brown
sugar. Stir until well mixed. Allow to cool slightly then add the eggs, one
at a time, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients, then
chocolate chips and vanilla. Pour into a greased pan.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick. Cut
when almost cool.

*I tend to use a large package. As Rule #4 says: There can never be too
many chocolate chips. (Although there can be too little cookie dough.)

Thanks, everyone. You folks are great; I read every letter in the thread and copied a bunch of recipes. And I (almost) got homesick for the snow (I’m from Pittsburgh but in Tucson at present). I need a recipe for cactus stew …

How about chocolate chip cookies? The best I know… And my other favorites. Enjoy!

DoubleTree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies
http://foodgeeks.com/recipes/r…..e_id=18302

Maple Pecan Cookies
http://www.foodandwine.com/rec…..an-cookies

Cinnamon-Nut-Raisin Crescents (Rugelach)
http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/rugel05.htm

I had such a good time on this thread I looked up the one you had last week (that I had missed). Sorry to post late about the disposal clog issue, but I had my first one over Thanksgiving (the perpetrator was squash innards), but I fixed it thanks to Google!

Not wanted to call a plumber on what I’ve heard is their busiest day of the year, I looked up “unclog disposal” on Google. Several fix-it sites recommended the same thing:

1/2 cup baking soda, followed by 2 cups white vinegar. Let set for 30 minutes and follow with hot water. (Note: it foams up into the sink, then settles.)

My first attempt only dislodged a little of the clog (enough to get a bit of running water through), but I followed with a second attempt and, BINGO, a giant hiccup from the sink and then clean and clear. Saved me a lot of money and I learned a lesson about squash! Happy cooking to all.