We aren't having our family dinner until the end of next week due to my parents being away. Mom will make brisket and bring in the crock pot to reheat at my house. I am not inclined to make matzoh ball soup this year, I'm feeling like a pureed carrot-based soup would be nice for a change. I've never made one before, but I'm looking at recipes for minas (layered dish made with matzoh, think of the format of lasagna without noodles). Maybe one with spinach/feta. Then some plain roasted yukon golds for the brisket eaters ..read more

I recently decided to start making these.  I had this preconceived notion that I didn't like them but then I had some and realized I was mistaken.  I have had the book 300 Best Tacos on my bookshelf  for I know not how long (or why) and dusted it off.  The first recipe I made was Kalbi tacos with Asian Pear salsa.  They were delicious but I used the marinade on a strip steak rather than short ribs.   I'm looking to make more.  Any good taco ideas out there ..read more

This morning I discovered this product.  Just add water.  Has anyone tried it? For what have you used it?  It might be nice in some spreads or sauces ... There's also a version without added sugar or salt, although there's very little added sugar in this version and salt s considerably less than in a comparable amount of typical peanut butter.   ..read more

This thread is devoted to cooking recipes from the book, Dining In by Alison Roman.  Both @Anna N and I have made the Crispy Kimchi Omelet, here and here. We both thought that kimchi + sharp cheddar + an omelet that's browned on the outside and runny in the middle seemed like all kinds of wrong but it turned out to be quite good.  That recipe is also available on Food52: Crispy Kimchi and Cheddar Omelette   Last night, I fixed a little snack of the Buttered Radish Toasts that the book serves with a steak.  The topping of parsley, anchovy and capers gives the simpl ..read more

I've always used corn starch as a thickener. Over the last number of months, potato starch has shown up with greater frequency in recipes to use as a thickener.   Is potato starch gaining in popularity, or am I just becoming more aware of its use? More to the point, what are the advantages/disadvantages of these two thickeners?  When do you use one or the other ..read more

I despise low fat food.  At least, most of it.  There's a handful of dishes that I'm aware of that seem to create palatable gold from low fat lead.  They are: Red sauce, lean beef and pasta Sushi Lean beef chili Cocktail shrimp Chicken teriyaki   I've spent a lot of time googling this, and most of the recipes lean towards the pretentious.  I'm looking for staple low fat high protein dishes.   Does anyone have any favorite low fat high protein dishes they can recommend?   ..read more

Does anyone make Quinoa in a Zojirushi? I have an older model NHS-10 (just an on/off setting), I've contacted Zojirushi who tells me they haven't tested it for quinoa. Their newer models have quinoa settings. Anyone do this? Just trying to get a rough start on water to quinoa (red vs white) ratios before I start my own testing. Thanks for the help ..read more

ATK has a recipe for corn muffins that I like. It includes adding cornmeal to milk and heating it in the microwave. The idea behind the technique is that the heated cornmeal mixture absorbs more liquid resulting in moister muffins.   I like the recipe and would like to try something similar with buttermilk. I have read, in multiple places, the buttermilk should not be heated. In lieu of heating the mixture I allow the cornmeal to soak for a long time at room temperature in the buttermilk, and the results are pretty good.   Could the buttermilk be heated, perhaps on the stovetop inste ..read more

I'm looking for a high quality, unadulterated, pure honey with a mild flavor to use in some recipes. I've read that much of the commercial honey isn't real, or has been cut with other sweeteners, and I definitely want to stay away from such products.  Any suggestions?   I'm considering Tupelo honey, which I recall as being quite mild.  Is my memory accurate?   ..read more

I often enjoy hoe cakes, sometimes called Johnny cakes, and also by other names. It's a simple recipe that has its roots in Native American cooking. Over the years, the original recipe has been "improved" with the addition of other ingredients besides the original corn and water, such as white flour, sugar, and so on. I make mine by closely following traditional methods.   Yesterday I saw a video where someone made stock from corn cobs which were left over from cutting the kernels from the cobs. I want to try this, and use the corn cob stock instead of water in my hoe cakes. Unfortunately ..read more