kosteral's Profile

I've made beer, wine, cider and mead....would LOVE to learn how to make sake and kombucha!!

I don't usually brown meat before putting it in the crockpot. The "Slow-Cooker Barbacoa Beef" recipe from this site (go to RECIPES then search SLOW COOKER) is great (doesn't even suggest browning meat before putting in crockpot!).

While not cooking yourself, a rotisserie chicken could be a nice change of pace, and useful in many, many dishes.

Like Thrift at Home said above, you can use a waffle iron as a sort-of panini press, and there are recipes for baking cakes, breads and even potatoes in crockpots (I've not tried any).

It's sort of like reverse camping cooking, eh? Just think of it as an adventure that will end soon! (Just a week ago here in MinneSNOWta, many people in my area were without electricity for up to 5 days--it's a LOT worse when you can't power a crockpot, hotpot, microwave, toaster oven or stove/oven and you're freezing cold because the temperature in your house has dropped into the 40s/50s! It's all a matter of perspective. Keep your chin up!

Chocolate will naturally bloom (fats coming to the surface) over time. It looks ugly, but is harmless. As said above, probably best used in recipe(s) where it is melted. DON'T THROW IT OUT!!

Super-easy, "cheating" recipe: use Jimmy Dean sage sausage (in the frozen meat or breakfast section of your supermarket). Flatten ~4 oz into a large, thin patty and form around peeled h.b. egg. Repeat. Bake at ~350 degrees for ~1/2 hour, or until sausage is done. Eat warm or cold, with plenty of Coleman's mustard.

Yes! I've owned one of these spatulas (also gave one to my mom) for ~5 years and LOVE IT. It is always my go-to. I love how the whole thing is easy-to-clean silicone. It's very sturdy and durable. Highly recommend!

They look exactly like the peppers I've grown in my Minnesota garden the past 3-4 years, except those pepper seedlings are labeled "Banana Peppers" when I buy them. Mine usually are fairly mild--just a slight bite. So what's the difference between "Banana Peppers" and Shishito Peppers? (FWIW, I do live in an area where there are lots of Hmong and some Chinese <as well as Somali, Ethiopian and lots of Hispanics>; few or no Japanese or Spanish, though!)

MsJessica: I can get a huge bowl of either meat or veg Pho (seriously, the bowl is bigger than my head) here in outstate Minnesota for $5.25 also.....and our rents are MUCH LOWER here (and our apartments are much larger). :-)

As several previous posters have said, GOOD beer (I'm not talking Bud/Busch/Miller crap) is best enjoyed at "cellar temperatures" (55-60 degrees F). Up until recently I haven't had a basement, so I've just kept my beers in a coat closet (eventually had to move the coats elsewhere, and it became a dedicated "beer closet" with shelving units!). I get frustrated with bars that serve beers too cold, and have been known to order 2 or 3 beers ahead, while drinking the first, so they might warm up a bit! BTW, I've been a homebrewer, homebrew judge and beer enthusiast for 20 years.

(back in the '80s when I wore 'em): Nylons/pantyhose--somehow makes 'em less likely to run (read it in an "authoritative" source back then). Just "freeze" them for a day, then take them out and put them in your drawer--no need to store them in the freezer...

I throw a black cardamom pod (or two) into a pot of bean soup to get a nice, smoky flavor if I don't have any ham (or sometimes with the ham, too).