those tomatoes look heavenly

Your tomato ideas inspired me. I think I am going to work on some of this on the weekend http://www.domesticgoddess.ca/recipes.php?recipe=10136

Ohhhhhhh. That looks good too.

My tomatoes were incredible - I've still got plenty left too for something on the weekend...

I am the very proud new owner of a J.A. Henckels fine edge forged Granton Santoku. :D

sweet. new cutlery rocks!

some of my family members have chipped in and hired a personal chef to cook up a bunch of meals (3 homestyle ones and 6 more entree type ones to be exact) to help out with the daily grind around here during chemo. (how awesome is that, btw!) we met with her and told her what we liked and didn't and instead of choosing each meal, we asked her to plan a menu. she's been here once already. cooked, cleaned up her stuff, packaged it all up and left. she's sooooo nice too. anyway, she just sent us the menu for the entrees and one of the things on it is mojito chicken. i can't wait to taste it.

yum. I have made margarita chicken but am curious about the mint flavor that would be in a mojito. Can't wait to hear about it!

I bought some really ripe Romas and am about to go dry them. Wish me luck!

Neige, those pickles sound similar in taste to bread and butter pickles, would you compare them that way? They sound divine.

I've had apples on my mind and made my Sour Cream Apple Pie this weekend.

Sal's Sour Cream Apple Pie
This pie requires only one crust, use your favorite pie crust recipe. This recipe makes one pie.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix together:
2 Tablespoons flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Add and mix in:
1 egg, unbeaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add and fold in:
2 cups diced apples

Topping:
Mix together the following until it resembles a crumbly mixture
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter

Pour the pie filling mixture into your crust. Bake this at 400 F for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 F and continue to bake pie for another 30 minutes.

Remove pie from the oven and sprinkle the topping over the top of the pie. Return the "topped" pie to the oven and bake another 10 minutes at 400 F to get a nice golden brown "top crust."

Enjoy! I know we did.

Saltistry
 

Not sure if any of you shake it on... but I found this site fascinating.

I am *so* wanting to try the Salish Smoked Salt. I think it's just what my grilled foods are craving.

"In America, if we are what we eat, most of us are fast, cheap, and easy."

This article criticizes KFC and advertising in general, while proving that making a home-cooked meal is neither as expensive nor as time-consuming as the fast-food industry and even American culture has tried to portray it.

It's an op ed sort of piece and he stole the fast cheap easy quote and did not reference it. Who exactly is the "American culture" that you feel is portraying the fast food industry as an answer to anything? Where I live people cook dinner. It's done with love and quality which is not always fast and easy. Nor should it be.

There are many rural places in the US that still do not have fast food restaurants. I'm not saying that the fast food industry has not run rampant. I'm saying not all of American culture has fallen under their spell.

Maybe I've been talking too much to PantyFanatic! :rofl:

(I was not only referring to the people of the United States when I said Americans, but to those of North America.)

Well he should just get a coffee nicotine IV and skip the rest :p

One of my favorite restaurants of all time is called the Bella Vista. It sits atop the coastal mountains (about 2000' up) near Half Moon Bay. Their website is at http://www.bvrestaurant.com/. When I used to make frequent trips to California (before I retired), I tried always to visit them if I was anywhere near San Francisco, San Jose or Redwood City. Wonderful!

Oh, yeah, another great restaurant in that area is La Mere Michelle (http://www.lameremichelle.com/) in Saratoga, CA. French food in a very romantic setting. :thumbs: (Wine is a bit pricey, but the foot is fantastic.)

I just made my own mayonnaise for the first time!!!!!!!!!! w00t! I whisked by hand and broke the mayo the first time I tried, but added another yolk and fixed it! I do believe next time I'll try this tip I just found here:
"Using a hand-held immersion blender makes this task very easy. Crack the eggs in the container you plan to use to store the mayonnaise--a clean generic salsa jar works perfectly. Add the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, oil, and seasonings. Plunge the immersion blender into the container, then turn on high. The bottom of the mixture will turn instantly into mayonnaise. While the immersion blender is still running, very slowly lift up the blender to incorporate all of the oil." It sounds so much easier!!!

I have always wanted to make my own and flavor it. Cool Neige.

I've always hated mayo but that's pretty cool that you were able to make your own Neige. I've always heard that was a very difficult thing to master.

And stop it DB! I already wish I was out in San Francisco. :(

I guess I should have listed tenderloins or tenderloin pizzas at Schooners, shouldn't I. Sorry, IM. :(

Then I'd have missed Morton! :rofl:

Oh, I'm a piece of work aren't I? :p

The only problem is that it makes quite a bit to have to eat within a few days... Unfortunately it doesn't keep as well as store-bought.

Neige I told you it wasn't that hard but it will build up your muscles if you do it a lot.

I'll have to practice whisking with my left hand too if I keep doing it by hand, so I don't get unevenly muscled. :p

I was looking for appetizer ideas today and happened across a darling of a blog, which addresses cooking, photography, homeschooling and a few other assorted topics, the darling owner and operator of this blog is Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. She has great style and delivery, and her recipes sound fabulous.

I've definitely put her Retro Holiday Bacon Appetizers on my must try list along with her Christmas Rum Cake.

It was such a fun site to visit I had to share it.

I am hunting the best and easiest cookie recipes. I am going to a swap party.












A cookie swap that is :D and I need to make 7 dozen cookies.

Lilith take a peek here. They look pretty darn easy. ;) Good luck lady.

Excellent! Thank you.

Ahhh... Food porn...

meh. i was un-impressed. it may have been better served right away. she vac-sealed it in the sauce and the breaded chicken was no longer crispy. the texture was a bit off. the flavor was ok.

I want one of these!!! :D:D:D

:)

Thos are darlin' precious cute.