pingarina's Profile

A small spray bottle of Sea Breeze astringent kept in the fridge. Good for misting feet, legs, back, neck on steamy days. Lots of cornstarch (no talc - bad for the lungs). Avoid knits, i.e., t-shirts, which are always warmer than woven fabrics, as well as silk, which is very good at insulating.

Stock: worth the time. Fresh wings, necks, thighs are fab for chicken stock. Leftover turkey carcass? Perfect. Neither cost much.
Pie pastry: try, and if you fail, try again. And again. You'll be able to do it in your sleep
Beans: buy fresh dried. Boil without salt, drain (or not), add vegetables, smoky meat.

Two meals that were super-perfect - for the season, and flavor-wise:

A terrific Boeuf aux Carottes from Kerry Saretsky:
http://frenchrevolutionfood.blogspot.com/2010/01/french-in-flash-boeuf-aux-carottes.html
I made Pommes Aligot to go with. And a little tarte griottes(sour cherries). Ouaf, divine!!

And a dead-easy Chinese noodle dish from Appetite for China:
http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/noodles-hot-bean-sauce
I recommend cutting down on the amount of dried noodles by 1/4 to 1/2.

Yup, aint nobody keeping their figure around here!

Lily,

They're "shutting their doors", or just "shuttering".

That said, not surprising re closing. Crazy-expensive tchochke gift shop for pretend gardeners.

Hmm, tonight was prime ribeye steak, roasted greenbeans and parslied potatoes. A few cheeses after.
Tomorrow is enchiladas rojas, made with leftover Tortilleria Nixtamal tortillas.
Sunday night will be pizza. I know it'll have Leo's Latticini mozzarella, but not sure yet what I'll put on top. Maybe just tomato and basil from the garden.

@cmcinnyc: artichokes take as long to cook as a potato. Put it in a pot of salted water (just like macaroni!), cover, let it boil for about 15 minutes; when an outer leaf comes off easily it's ready. That's all. You can cook them and chill in the fridge to eat later - it makes a terrific lunch with a bit of mayonnaise. Don't fear the artichoke!

Although it makes us feel virtuous to consume all sorts of juice and herbs and air in order to feel virtuous, there's nothing that truly "cleanses" the GI system (other than dysentary). Want a silver bullet? Try water!

I'm spoiled for life, having grown up eating my aunts homemade gefilte fish. The snotty-looking jarred stuff is hoovered straight from the fridge by my in-laws, the colder the better. Feh. Much as I'd love to make it for seders, they'd never touch it; they're afraid of food that's not made in a factory. It's taken 12 years to get them to warm up to my desserts (but I still see them scanning the table for a purchased babka or some bakery cookies!)

Why should a kitchen be a showplace? Those of us who use our kitchens for what they're meant for (or as the cowboys say, "ridden hard and hung up wet...") don't really care about how they look to visitors. I love a homey kitchen as much as anyone, with warm colors, ad hoc collections of tools or objects, etc.; but most people on the planet, outside of major North American cities, have functional small kitchens, and are content to use them as areas to prepare food rather than impressing guests.

I cook mine just like splatgirl. I started spatchcocking (butterflying) the bird a year ago, and never looked back. It's the best! I also put lemon slices under the flat carcass - they caramelize and get sweet, and the juice is lovely squeezed over the crispy skin.