Daily Archives: August 2, 2008

Favorite Utensils

Posted on August 2, 2008 by tdl1501| 1 Comment

Without a plan or notes or anything, here’s what comes off the top of my head. Nothing electrically powered or otherwise is allowed in this particular post, and knives were covered in a prior post.

Varied wooden spoons, spatulas (flat and heat-resistant silicone for stirring)

Good box grater, for when you don’t want to use your food processor

Microplane, beats nutmeg grater and does parmesan as well

Can opener, OXO

Corkscrew and bottle opener to be named later

Peeler(s) – I have one OXO and one cool fingertip peeler

Instant-read thermometer

Meat pounder – heavy to ease your load and time spent.

A turkey baster, tape measure for pastries, pastry bags and tips and anything else is optional.

Potato masher I don’t have, Revere Ware with square holes

Potato ricer that is great for peeled potatoes and gives them a fluffy texture (esp. peeled Russets)

Kitchenaid ice cream scoop

Pizza cutter/roller

Apple corer

But the best one was a wedding gift. Gift certificate from MB and Jim used it at Sears to buy me a strap wrench. Jim’s very strong so when he twists a Dr. Pepper bottle cap it is tight. I was having problems with what I now know is rheumatoid arthritis at the time so that strap wrench opens juices and applesauce and all kinds of things and it is one of my most-prized utensils.

I took out an entire drawer and have it here and didn’t tell you half the stuff in it. But the pastry blenders and pasta cutters and others will get their due. Have a great weekend! Dee

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Posted in Education

Favorite Food Places: USA

Posted on August 2, 2008 by tdl1501| 2 Comments

Since I was born and grew up here I’m not going to deal with the best restaurants but regional iconic food. That means the pedestrian food I grew up with and love.

First of all, farmer’s markets, especially organic. Use them, join co-ops. It’ll broaden your culinary horizons (see my cookbook selections).

I’m going to go around the country now, notice I miss Kansas City BBQ because I’ve not gotten the chance to go there as yet. Only foods and places I’ve visited/frequented.

Here are some of my favorite foods:

Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese and celery sticks (no boneless wings, please)

Corned beef and cabbage sandwiches (Albany NY) with deli mustard

Sesame bagel with very little cream cheese, Nova lox, capers, onions and lemon optional

Cranberry-Orange muffin with Tazo Wild Orange tea

Steak at Peter Luger’s in NYC

Maryland blue crabs, cracked on a friend’s table with butcher paper and mallets

Fresh clams on a grill, with clarified butter ready to dip

The best burger I ever had in the world, in Bonham TX, place is now closed. Father-in-law thought $4.50 was a lot to ask for a burger. Jim and I knew otherwise.

Mussels, in moules mariniere (no tomatoes or cream for me)

Chanterelle mushrooms

Salmon caught off the Mendocino coast

True smoked brisket and Texas (Germanic) sausages

Baby back ribs

Great coleslaw (not sweet) and baked beans

and Buffalo’s wonderful Beef on ‘Weck, a northeastern treat.

Hope that does it for now. Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Recipe Ideas, Travel

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Places

Posted on August 2, 2008 by tdl1501| Leave a comment

Every place I go has food memories. I remember things from my childhood, especially food created by the people to whom I dedicated this blog.

I’d like to take you on some travels that have enhanced my appreciation for, and knowledge of food, its preparation and enjoyment.

To do this, I’ll have to make some outlines and give you cookbook references if I can’t get permission to post a recipe. I’ll give a name to the series (three parts for now) and hopefully start in the next week or so.

For now you’ll have to settle for a non-recipe and story.

My great-aunt Anna died when I was young. I’ve always had cool aunts. And uncles, sorry godfather! My parents didn’t think we were old enough for a funeral so went themselves, a 10-hour drive each way. Our regular sitters were college students but we needed a live-in.

They hired the most awful woman who broke our Scandinavian chairs from sitting in them and when I came home showing a 98% grade on a test just dismissed me. But the worst sin follows.

Mom followed Dad’s mother’s recipe for spinach that calls for a special roux that I (yes I can make a roux) don’t know even today. This woman made us spinach and I couldn’t eat it. I said, at age seven, “where’s the roux?” Yeah, I ate it because she probably would have thrown me across the room if I didn’t. But at nearly fifty, have I forgotten the spinach incident?

While we were good kids and didn’t put dead rodents in her bed or anything, I’m sure her brief stay was anything but pleasant. I can sleep well at night knowing that mean nannies will get their due.

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Posted in Editorial, Recipe Ideas

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The Little Cowboy

Posted on August 2, 2008 by tdl1501| 3 Comments

When we last visited Jim’s folks ranch a couple of weeks ago, their grandson Joseph helped them pick out goats. During his summer visit with the grandparents, he is bonding further with the goats and informs us that they like overdone peanut butter cookies. Sorry, Grandma Margie!

When we visited a couple of weeks ago, every morning the sounds of country singer Marty Robbins wafted through the house… “Out in the west Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican girl….”

So this five year-old is now a country singer, cowboy (don’t want to see him with cows as he’s an expert at locking up our Zoe with our smart dog being none the wiser) and has a future in animal husbandry if he doesn’t go into something silly like physics.

We’ve some news for this future rancher. “Don’t tell anyone the only protein you eat is chicken fingers! Have some veggies and starch, an egg and maybe even beef so you can grow up into a big cowboy. After all, you loved my festive coleslaw. That’s a start. Love, Aunt Dee”

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Posted in Editorial

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