Recent Comments

From Talk

Do You Know an Impressive Christmas Pot-Luck Dish?

I've always thought I could figure out how to make this Pesto Torta from Norm Thompson, but to date I haven't tried, so no recipe here. Sorry. But it looks so good!

http://www.normthompson.com/jump.jsp?itemID=130&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C8%2C64%2C296&iProductID=130

Also, I've made a spinach appetizer cheesecake that is very rich but also good. That recipe I think I could find if you're interested. It's green, and you could serve with red and white tortilla chips.

From Talk

Eat This and You'll Feel Better

@melissalara01 couldn't you just gargle with it and spit it out? Sounds good to me as I always go for a mug of very salty hot water for a gargle at the first signs of a tickled throat. Kicks the cold out completely or lessens its intensity. I'm going for the foursome next time! Thanks for the tip.

From Talk

Best comfort foods to take for a hospital visit?

When a friend of mine was in hospital for an extended period of time, I sent the family (who had rented an apartment because it was going to be long-term) toilet paper, Kleenex, paper plates, plastic flatware, bottled water for the days at the hospital, Sani-wipes for their hands, garbage bags.

Hospitals are notoriously germy places. No matter how concerned I am for the patient, I would not send food to be eaten there by anyone. Yes, the hotel room fridge for the family, but not in the hospital.
I mean, if you push the elevator button, don't touch your face with those fingers. Truly. The family will be there for a long time. They need to stay healthy.

From Talk

Cleaning A Glass Baking Dish?

Ammonia works on glass and stainless steel pans. Fill with straight ammonia or as straight as you can given the volume of the pan, let sit even overnight to dissipate the fumes, then scrub with an old (but cleaned) toothbrush and a few toothpicks to get in the grooves. Use the soaking liquid to mop a floor.

Also, for oven racks that can't go through the self-clean cycle on your stove, put them in a garbage bag, pour in a cup or two of ammonia, tie closed, put outside on the lawn or driveway, or as I do in the bathtub. Leave overnight. Next day, everything hoses off, maybe with a little help from another recycled toothbrush. It's cheaper than oven cleaner and is a great cleaner for walls and floors.

Soak your old toothbrushes in straight ammonia or Clorox to sanitize, then put in the flatware section in your dishwasher.

See more comments by zucchini »

Recent Posts

From Talk

Violet Jelly -- Delicate Flavor or No Flavor?

From Talk

Cooking project for 14- and 15-year-old boys

See more posts by zucchini »

Recent Favorites

zucchini hasn't favorited a post yet.

Recent Polls

zucchini hasn't answered any polls yet.

Recent Quizzes

From Serious Eats

zucchini got 60% correct on How Much Do You Know About Food TV and Its Personalities?

From Serious Eats

zucchini got 55% correct on How Much Do You Know About Condiments?

From Serious Eats

zucchini got 77% correct on How Much Do You Know About New Orleans Food Culture?

See more polls and quizzes by zucchini »

Recent Comments

From Talk

Do You Know an Impressive Christmas Pot-Luck Dish?

I've always thought I could figure out how to make this Pesto Torta from Norm Thompson, but to date I haven't tried, so no recipe here. Sorry. But it looks so good!

http://www.normthompson.com/jump.jsp?itemID=130&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C8%2C64%2C296&iProductID=130

Also, I've made a spinach appetizer cheesecake that is very rich but also good. That recipe I think I could find if you're interested. It's green, and you could serve with red and white tortilla chips.

From Talk

Eat This and You'll Feel Better

@melissalara01 couldn't you just gargle with it and spit it out? Sounds good to me as I always go for a mug of very salty hot water for a gargle at the first signs of a tickled throat. Kicks the cold out completely or lessens its intensity. I'm going for the foursome next time! Thanks for the tip.

From Talk

Best comfort foods to take for a hospital visit?

When a friend of mine was in hospital for an extended period of time, I sent the family (who had rented an apartment because it was going to be long-term) toilet paper, Kleenex, paper plates, plastic flatware, bottled water for the days at the hospital, Sani-wipes for their hands, garbage bags.

Hospitals are notoriously germy places. No matter how concerned I am for the patient, I would not send food to be eaten there by anyone. Yes, the hotel room fridge for the family, but not in the hospital.
I mean, if you push the elevator button, don't touch your face with those fingers. Truly. The family will be there for a long time. They need to stay healthy.

From Talk

Cleaning A Glass Baking Dish?

Ammonia works on glass and stainless steel pans. Fill with straight ammonia or as straight as you can given the volume of the pan, let sit even overnight to dissipate the fumes, then scrub with an old (but cleaned) toothbrush and a few toothpicks to get in the grooves. Use the soaking liquid to mop a floor.

Also, for oven racks that can't go through the self-clean cycle on your stove, put them in a garbage bag, pour in a cup or two of ammonia, tie closed, put outside on the lawn or driveway, or as I do in the bathtub. Leave overnight. Next day, everything hoses off, maybe with a little help from another recycled toothbrush. It's cheaper than oven cleaner and is a great cleaner for walls and floors.

Soak your old toothbrushes in straight ammonia or Clorox to sanitize, then put in the flatware section in your dishwasher.

From Talk

The Longest F***ing Bake Sale - Help!

Doggie treats. Even the sweetest of teeth need(s) a break.

From Talk

Volunteered to bake for a Great American Bake Sale. Help!!

Dog treats cut with a bone cookie cutter. Bags of granola or trail mix.

From Talk

Violet Jelly -- Delicate Flavor or No Flavor?

Just an FYI in case anyone comes back to visit this thread. I've decided that I will use the melted down jelly as a glaze for dark fruit tarts -- blueberry, blackberry, dark plum, perhaps even the reds like strawberry and raspberry, etc. The other jars will go to friends with the caveat that they're pretty much a sugar substitute -- sweeten hot tea, use on toast. Perhaps it could even be the sweetener for a bowl of fresh fruit salad.

Hate to waste it all. Plus it's just such a scandalously lovely hue.

From Talk

Violet Jelly -- Delicate Flavor or No Flavor?

Thanks, eaguk, for the link. Yes, I did read that some violets are more fragrant than others, and that some actually have more of a vegetable flavor. I'm going to chalk this experiment up to our having a long stretch of rainy weather and no sunshine. I notice this happens with strawberries. They get nice and plump with a lot of rain, but without sunny days as well, they're tasteless.

From Talk

Violet Jelly -- Delicate Flavor or No Flavor?

@ square_pie What do you mean? Violet jelly, as well as jelly made from other flowers and herbs, is something that's been made for eons.

From Talk

Easter cookies?

Most of the baked goods that say Easter to me are rich, buttery, sugary and and eggy breads that are a treat after weeks of serious fasting. Hot cross buns, yeast doughs, that sort of thing.

I'm including this link to Martha Stewart's Bird's Nest Cookies because you were specifically looking for cookies.
http://www.marthastewart.com/256139/birds-nest-cookies

From Talk

Frozen Blueberries- Looking for some ideas and inspiration

A big bowlful, still frozen, with a generous amount of lemon curd poured over. Okay, I was going to say low-fat yoghurt, but I didn't.

From Talk

New Easter side dishes?

A friend and I were just talking about new Easter sides today. She is thinking about roasting halved radishes. I told her to leave a tiny bit of stem on them which I thought would be cute. I've made thinly sliced radishes sauteed in a little butter. Really good. In either case, they mellow out and turn a lovely shade of pink. Spring radishes are particularly delicious this way.

Also, scalloped potatoes are a classic side with ham if you want to change up the mashed. You could do a cheater version by boiling potato chunks, slice fairly thinly, mix with lots of white sauce (they really soak it up), bake in a greased casserole until bubbly and brown around the edges.

From Talk

Cheater's Corned Beef and Cabbage for a Single Gal

Alternative thought. Make a Reuben sandwich. Deli corned beef is perfect for this. Okay, it's probably a faux Reuben but still delicious. The cabbage for a Reuben is usually sauerkraut, but since you already have a fresh head, use raw or shred and gently saute enough for a sandwich. Melt Swiss cheese on top and decide if you want to squirt some Thousand Island dressing on or in between layers. Good rye bread. Make some thick oven fries with the potatoes.

From Talk

Best bake sale recipes?

Please consider savory options. Cheese straws, or blue cheese and pecan crackers, or these goldfish crackers from a well-known blogger.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/03/whole-wheat-goldfish-crackers/#more-7210

Don't forget dog biscuits. Folks who don't want a sugary treat for themselves will gladly pick up a bag of "bones" for their best bud.

From Talk

Best bake sale recipes?

Please think about inluding something savory. Cheese straws, blue cheese and pecan crackers, or these goldfish from a well-known blog.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/03/whole-wheat-goldfish-crackers/#more-7210

Also, doggie cookies. Lots of recipes on line. Folks who don't want sugary treats for themselves will gladly pick up a bag of "bones" for their buddy. Buy or borrow a bone cookie cutter.

From Talk

Storing homemade pasta for a just a few hours

Never refrigerated either. My dad made me a nifty little rack, looks like a miniature clothes-drying rack, that perfectly sits on top of my stove. Before that I used chopsticks between stacks of boxes or books, but the cats would get up on the dining room table and bat at the strands until they were all down and broken!

I've heard of people using a clothes hanger with the cardboard tube and hanging it someplace safe. If you do hang the pasta, it will dry, so make sure there's something to catch it if it dries and cracks at the fold-over point.

From Talk

What's yer little secret for keeping an herb or veggie fresh??

Ditto on herbs in a container of water in the fridge, but I also put a plastic bag over the top as well.

Wrap celery in tinfoil. It will last a good long time.

From Talk

Low sodium recipes for a 5 yr old please!

We have a local place that makes peanut butter, and you can get salt-free smooth or chunky. He might eat apple or banana slices with a little PB or PB and a homemade chocolate dip.

Sweet smoked paprika has a bacon-y taste to me. Maybe use in a coating for oven-baked chicken fingers.

Maybe honey or maple on the chicken, or as a dip for a change-up, so he doesn't get bored. Sauteed carrots with honey/maple.

I'm with Boobird with baked sweet potato. Slices or wedges with a spritz of lime juice and a sprinkle of cumin (and maybe some of that smoked paprika, too).

@BitchinFixins I just did a search on milk and cream because I was going to suggest ganache for banana dipping. Seems that cream and full-fat milk have a lot of naturally occurring sodium. Your recipes may not use cream, but your suggestion of ice cream could be potentially off limits. Most raw food has sodium already present (I think celery is particularly high). Not sure whether OP means NA or NaCl. Also not sure what OP means by salt restricted either. Just what is already in the foods and not sprinkling on more?


From Talk

Cooking project for 14- and 15-year-old boys

Excellent suggestions, everyone! That's what I needed.

@ everyone pizza and calzone. I had thought about this but didn't consider the pre-made dough. Good idea.

@lemonfair Fresh pasta with my pasta machine. That might be really fun. Also, we can do chicken-sausage meatballs in my pressure cooker.

@KarmaFree Crepes! Really good suggestion, especially for freezing.

@diane 2001 Quesadillias good idea for immediate noshing.

@AnneiNT Chicken fingers and stuffed shells. Was really looking for things to freeze, so these suggestions are excellent.

Thank you, everyone!

From Talk

Freezer Meals for a single college student.

Roast a chicken or the parts he likes, shred the meat off the bone, bag in individual serving portions with gravy. Good over bread for a hot open-faced sandwich, over a microwaved baked potato, or over buttered noodles. You could even bag up some cooked egg noodles or spinach pasta as well.

Use the bones to make a quick stock and combine with drippings to make gravy, augmented if necessary with chicken Better Than Bouillon.

From Talk

What odd foods does your pet love?

Lentils. Loki, the cat, would beg for them. Plain cooked, maybe onion and carrots but no ham hock or any meat. Have a few, have a few more, and before you know it, it's a quarter cup. Hey, I figured, good for the GI system!

Also, that old cat would come running when I was peeling shrimp. I had to microwave a couple for him just to keep him quiet.

From Talk

Vegan desserts

If you Google "avocado chocolate pudding," you'll get lots of hits. I made one recipe that called for a banana which was too pronounced a flavor. Second time, I only put in a 2-3 inch piece. I used Dutch processed Hershey Dark Chocolate powder and honey. You certainly could substitute agave. All my taste-testers thought it was pretty close to a dairy chocolate pudding. My brother dubbed it Chococado Pudding!

From Talk

Who is hosting Thanksgiving?

@lemons Why can't you cook anyway and just send it all off as first-run leftovers? I mean, eat out, but give everyone serious eats doggie bags. Try a new recipe or two for fun and give everyone a taste. You'll have cooked to your heart's content and provided fabulous leftovers for the week ahead.

I've often taken my own containers to friends' homes because I know they'll send food home with me, and I don't want to have to worry about returning them or having them buy tons of containers. I bet if you plan ahead, folks will happily get you a bag of plastic containers so you just have to fill and give back to them.

Get thee hence and cook!

From Talk

People that have actual real -life food/spice names, Know Any?

Two friends with a common Italian last name of Merlo, pronounced like the wine.
Crossword puzzle clue often is "Apt name for a cook," and the answer is either Stu or Stew. And I do know a Stew, BTW, from Stewart.

Now, if you get into pet names, I bet this will open up considerably! Had a friend who named her two cats Saki and Sushi. Another friend named her Dachshund Spargel which means asparagus in German. A guy I know raised a steer for meat one year and named it T-Bone.

Friends found three orphaned ducklings one spring and raised them in a kiddie pool until they were big enough to be released back into the wild. I said "What did you name them -- Huey, Louie, and Dewey"? They said, "No, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner"!


From Talk

Vegetarian needs to impress meat eater

Eggplant meatless-balls and marinara as a sub sandwich or over pasta (sorry, I know you're trying to avoid but it's a perfect match. Maybe quinoa pasta for the extra protein). Or maybe over soft polenta.

Or zucchini boats stuffed with cannellini beans, sauteed zucchini scoopings, onions, mushrooms, cheese. Molly Katzen's recipe for zuccanoes is on her Web site for other ingredient suggestions.

Bake kale chips for nibbles beforehand. A huge platter of dead-ripe tomatoes with basil pesto vinaigrette. Fresh sliced peaches (or whatever fruit is in season for you right now) macerated in peach liqueur, served over vanilla bean ice cream.

See more comments by zucchini »

Recent Posts

From Talk

Violet Jelly -- Delicate Flavor or No Flavor?

From Talk

Cooking project for 14- and 15-year-old boys

See more posts by zucchini »

Recent Favorites

zucchini hasn't favorited a post yet.

Polls

zucchini hasn't answered any polls yet.

Quizzes

From Serious Eats

zucchini got 60% correct on How Much Do You Know About Food TV and Its Personalities?

From Serious Eats

zucchini got 55% correct on How Much Do You Know About Condiments?

From Serious Eats

zucchini got 77% correct on How Much Do You Know About New Orleans Food Culture?

See more quizzes by zucchini »

About zucchini

Website:

Location:

About:

Favorite foods:

Last bite on earth: