vintagejenta's Profile

Rum raisin bread pudding just came out of the oven. Next time? Go easier on the rum. Lol. Butter rum caramel turned out amazing though.

Also on the docket: bread, rosehip almond pastries, coconut macaroons, and possibly a Breton buckwheat cake, if I get really ambitious. Or Russian buckwheat date bars, since I have the flour now.

Noticing a theme? Lol. No idea what to make for dinner, but desserts are definitely in the offing.

Love it. Tea is underrated in the U.S. and simple snacks like sliced and/or dried fruit, crackers with cheese, and/or cookies are perfect with a pot of hot tea.

I'm curious to know what exactly "goose up your lover" entails! Lol.

Haha. I will be cleaning my own kitchen. I'm "treating" myself to a weekend of cooking. A new job and tons of homework have meant the house has been neglected for the past month or so. On the docket: pastries with rosehip jam, coconut macaroons drizzled with chocolate, rum raisin bread pudding with caramel butter sauce, and if I'm REALLY ambitious, some earl grey madeleines. And mulled wine, if it's still good from New Year's (it's been living in a mason jar in the fridge).

As for real food? No idea. The boy doesn't want steak or anything else super fancy. Might end up with just homemade pizza! Lol.

My guess was also gill, which is an old unit of measurement. In today's measurements it equals a half a cup (defined as a quarter of a pint; pint = 2 cups).

Glass is also a possibility as "wineglass" and "teacup" were often used in historic recipes. Theoretically gallon is possible, but unlikely unless other measurements are equally large.

GL is also the metric abbreviation for a gigaliter, which is one billion liters. Obviously that's not what was intended for the recipe, but still fun trivia. Lol.

I love making a big pot of pinto and/or black and/or red kidney beans from dried. Then over the course of the week we can have bean tacos with onion and lime, beans and rice with sausage, mash/blend them for refried beans with chips, add vegetables and make bean soup, add tomatoes/salsa and raw chicken and corn and cook in the crockpot until the chicken is tender and serve with chips or cornbread. Brown some ground beef in a pot and add the beans and tomatoes and make chili. Warm the beans and serve on top of lettuce with tomatoes, onion, and cheese. The possibilities are endless.

My favorite? Mashed/pureed pinto beans with monterey jack cheese as a quesadilla. So good and the perfect midnight snack.

Other super-fast favorites involve English muffins. You can make mini pizzas and ham 'n' cheese melts in the oven and fried egg sandwiches stovetop. Either way, you just have to wash a sheet pan or a frying pan and you're set.

If you can roast a couple of whole chickens on the weekend or snag a rotisserie chicken from the store that can also be used for numerous one-pot meals like creamed chicken casserole, chicken vegetable soup, chicken in all kinds of pasta dishes, etc.

I hate doing dishes so if I can, I try to use as few dishes as possible when preparing food. If I can get away with just one pot and our plates and cups to wash at the end of the day, I'm pretty happy.

The prune cake looks like wood grain. Unfortunately, the link does not really tell you how to assemble it, just how to bake/fry the layers.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned using mustard in homemade cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese! It gives bechamel that extra kick of cheddary sharpness which is especially nice if you're trying to cut back on the cheese or if you just don't have enough lying around. I usually use dijon though, plain yellow.

And vinaigrette! Honey mustard vinaigrette is my favorite: 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey. So good! Especially on salads with fruit in them.

I also add it to tuna and chicken salad whenever I make it because it adds a little extra kick. I use regular mayo, not "salad dressing."

It's also nice in creamy homemade dips and stirred into pots of cooked greens in lieu of straight vinegar.

Barefoot has a wine they're calling Moscato which is NOT fizzy and is sweet, but not too sweet. It tastes like fresh peaches and apricots, actually. Really good.

Lambrusco is another sweet, fizzy Italian wine that I like, but it's red! Is it related to the grapes used to make Moscato?

Just made green onion potato soup last night. It's just potatoes and chopped green onions boiled in water not quite to cover, mashed IN the water (don't drain), add a little cream cheese, some milk, and a lot of salt and pepper and it's very good. If you leave the skin on the potatoes it sometimes tricks you into thinking you're eating something meatier, because it gives you something to chew on. But you can totally peel the potatoes if you really don't want extra things to chew on. Waxy potatoes work better (and mash up smoother) than mealy ones. I prefer waxy reds. I used local white potatoes (thin-skinned, not russet) last night and the texture wasn't quite the same.

Homemade macaroni and cheese could also be delicious, as could creamed vegetables on soft biscuits. Or crustless pumpkin pie or custard for dessert. Yum! Even people without chewing/eating problems could love this stuff.