I'd like to find a "meat + 3" in the Tampa area, preferably close to Moffitt Cancer Center. Thanks for any tips!

Last week I told you about my success making boudin sausage. What a treat! Now I'm going to try some andouille sausage. A couple of the recipes suggest smoking the sausages over pecan wood and sugar cane. I've used pecan with a great deal of success, but never sugar cane. How do you use it? Do you dry it out first for a certain amount of time? Does it burn by itself? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

A few weeks ago, I asked for some tips on sausage making at home. Thanks to the many foodies who offered such good tips! It payed off with some of the finest Boudin sausage I ever tasted, as good as any I've had in Louisiana. I used the recipe from Emeril's "Louisiana, Real and Rustic" cookbook.

I got a meat grinder and sausage stuffing attachments for Christmas, so I guess I'm going to try my hand at sausage making. Any words of wisdom before begin?

For some unknown reason, my dishwasher, which has always worked well, has left a hard, white deposit on my flatware, glasses, and stainless pots. I haven't switched detergents or made any changes in the water supply. I use the type of detergent that is not supposed to harm or cloud up glasses, etc.
The deposit is difficult to remove without scratching the surface of the utensils and glasses. Any suggestions?

I'm going to have some tests done tomorrow that require me to fast, starting this morning, until the tests are over, which will be around 4PM tomorrow. The last time I did this, I almost passed out from hunger during the test. I'm allowedd to have clear liquids, but they don't do much to alleviate the hunger. Any suggestions?

I've fried many a turkey, but I always fried them whole, and carved them later. Suppose I cut it up first, then deep fry it like a chicken? Has anyone tried this? Does anyone foresee a problem?

My girlfriend and I have a long standing Thanksgiving routine with our two good friends. We get our dinner ready (I always fry a turkey) and load it onto the boat and we head for a secluded beach. We drop anchor, and wade to the beach with our table, folding chairs, and our dinner. We eat, enjoy the afternoon swimming and messing about in the Gulf of Mexico, watch the sunset, then off to home. Here's the rub: One of our party of four has become a vegan. I no virtually nothing about vegan cooking, and I'd like to surprise her with a nice vegan dinner. Any suggestions?

Whenever I bbq I always have leftovers, whether it's ribs, pulled pork or whatever. The problem is reheating it. It's never nearly as good as when it was fresh. I've tried reheating in the microwave (really bad) and the oven (almost as bad!). I've heated it up both uncovered and covered, and wrapped in foil. Nothing works. Any ideas?

I used to buy smoked ham shanks for cooking beans, greens, jambalaya, etc., but my local grocery stores no longer carry them. In fact, the butcher told me they're just not available anymore. Can this be true?

My GF and I both love fried chicken livers. The hard part is finding good ones. My local grocery used to carry good quality frozen livers, but discontinued that a while back. They carry their own packaged livers, but it seems that most of the packages contain about 1/4 to 1/2 the livers that are very yellow in color, unlike the deep red that I prefer. My question is this: are the yellowish ones OK, or is there something (besides the color) that isn't right with them?

I use both deep fry and meat thermometers, and I can't seem to regulate them. I adjust them by immersing in boiling water and setting them to 212 degrees. However, if they are just sitting at room temperature, say 75 degrees, the deep fry reads around 100 degrees, and the meat thermometer reads around 60 degrees. How can I trust them to tell me what temperature the oil or meat really is? Should I go with digital units? Are they always accurate?

I have tried three different sea salts, including "Fleur De Sel De Camargue" which I brought home from France. My problem is that I can't tell one from the other, or from Morton's table salt. Is there really a big difference, or is it just hype?

I was in Pennsylvania earlier this month, and made my way to Wegman's to pick up a pound or so of my favorite pork seasoning, "Porketta." Much to my chagrin, I was told that Wegman's no longer makes/stocks porketta! I tried several other grocery stores and Italian markets. I was able to find one market, Shaw's, in Shamokin that makes their own version. It was good, but not like Wegman's. Where can I find some or how can I make some?

This morning at a small yard sale in my neighborhood I ran across, and bought, an ancient, beautifully seasoned WagnerWare #8 cast iron skillet, along with a cast iron chicken fryer, and a 5qt. cast iron Dutch oven! All for $20!

The last time I bought and roasted a duck (which was also the first time!) I wound up with a lot of organ meat; livers, gizzards, and heart (I guess). I hated to waste it all, but didn't know what to do with it. Suggestions, please?

I've never cooked a duck, but I'm going to this afternoon. There's a recipe in the current issue of Esquire magazine that is making my mouth water. I'm just wondering if any of you have tried it.

My wife and I belong to a group of about 5 couples who are all best friends. However, when we have them for dinner, here's the rub: 2 are vegetarians, but will eat fish. My wife won't eat fish. One won't eat anything that she considers organ meat or fungus, e.g. mushrooms. The list goes on and on. I love to cook, but this group is a real challenge. Any suggestions?