Mike R.'s Profile

I have so much oregano, and the leaves are so large, that I usually just put whole leaves of it in my salad. Delicious.

This works for tortillas to. Even frozen ones. They come out perfectly. Turn up the heat for a little smoky char.

How do you put a 1/4" layer of baking soda on the walls of the oven?

If you want to have some fun, look for some antique Griswold skillets. The insides are machined and much smoother than any new skillet made today. They aren't much more than the Lodge ones. I have a 12" Griswold that my aunt gave me that is the most amazing pan I own.

Just eat 15% less cheese, or eat it 15% less frequently. There's no way you're taking away my cheese. I already don't eat meat basically at all, I mostly eat whole grains, legumes and fruits and vegetables. A cup of milk or yogurt for breakfast (skim milk, low or nonfat yogurt). I deserve the occasional few tablespoons of Brie, or a chunk of salty aged provolone one or twice a week.

The problem is when you get a pizza with cups of gooey, cheap mozzarella on it, and you do that several times a week, on top of your bacon double cheeseburgers and salads with blue cheese dressing. Again, a slice once a week isn't a problem, but we need to moderate our cheese intake, not replace full-fat cheese with low-fat cheese.

I guess we do the Costco edition of GORP--mixed nuts (no peanuts) and dried cherries. Sometimes raisins and/or cashews and/or dried sweetened cranberries.

Parmesan rinds are great in soups, especially if you're vegetarian. Adds a rich, meaty flavor.

Can I just say that glass top radiant cooktops are the devil's work? You look at them funny and they get stained. You can usually clean them with hours of scrubbing, but you have to do it every time. Add to that the miserable heat transfer, thermostatic cycling (they can't overheat) and burner sizes that are too big for your pans and it's just trouble all around.

I remember the story of the guy in Atlanta who was rigging his ovens to go up to self-cleaning temps without latching and cooking pizzas in the 800-1000 degree heat, and doing well. He also destroyed ovens quickly with the repeated prolonged use at those temperatures.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111479872

I've been tempted to try and get those temps by preheating my stone, and then preheating it more under the broiler. Then use the hot stone and the broiler to cook the pizza. Should work. Now that it's winter we'll see. Do need to find an oven thermometer that goes up to 1000 degrees.

Mix it with some maple syrup and a little water and drink it.