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We've been in a heat wave for the last several days but it is scheduled to end at 7:00 p.m. later today! I only hope! Normally it is 73° F inside of this new home but it has been 81° F in here. Kitty Buttercup just came out from his sleeping cabinet and went to visit his bedroom...I do hope you all are well and getting by nicely as well. Try to stay cool. Hope it cools down soon.
~ I do not remember ever asking you before: how is your cooking basic knowledge? I mean, could look at a picture of a simple basic meal and manage to make a similar meal without any 'recipe' or anything? It is a very nice ability to have and
many people have it and some people have it but perhaps to a lesser degree. It varies in people, I have noticed. Were you
around the kitchen often when you were young? I can do most recipes without looking up an actual recipe (although I like doing that too!) Yes, I was in the kitchen often while my Mother and Grandmothers cooked.
One simple question: not really so simple(!): If you have a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread and it has gotten a bit stale and
hard, what could you do to likely make it fresh once again? Make garlic bread or pinch it up and feed it to the birds.
Can you give us an example of any little cooking trick or detail some others may not know of? Can't think of anything right off hand.
~ Have you any coffee on hand? It can be decaffeinated, Pam and others.... I always have coffee on hand. Always. One of my most essential and favorite things in the world. Right now we have nesspresso pods, kcups and starbucks Pikes Peak beans. (starbucks was on sale, I only buy it if it goes on sale.)
~ Over the years of your lifetime, can you make mention of some chefs/cooks that you give high praise to? That includes
bakers, of course! My family...
*** Thanks to all of you, my life is somewhat better now. By the way, just take poor loaf of stale bread and lay it on a piece of aluminum foil, put your hand under the running kitchen faucet and splatter the bread and foil a bit. Then close the foil surround (loosely) to make a small 'tenting' and put it in the hot oven for a few minutes! *** ~roosty~ ^Thanks for the tip Roosty!
Location: The Circle City. Sometimes NE of Bagdad.
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~ I do not remember ever asking you before: how is your cooking basic knowledge? I mean, could look at a picture of a simple basic meal and manage to make a similar meal without any 'recipe' or anything? It is a very nice ability to have and
many people have it and some people have it but perhaps to a lesser degree. It varies in people, I have noticed. Were you
around the kitchen often when you were young? No, i was outside exploring my young world.
One simple question: not really so simple(!): If you have a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread and it has gotten a bit stale and hard, what could you do to likely make it fresh once again? A fresh loaf of Italian bread wouldm't last long enough around here to get stale.
Can you give us an example of any little cooking trick or detail some others may not know of? Wife uses a bit of cinnamon to her sketti sauce. Cinnamon actually brings out the natural sweetness of tomatoes and helps to balance the acidity.
~ Have you any coffee on hand? It can be decaffeinated, Pam and others.... I have some de caff K pods on hand.
~ Over the years of your lifetime, can you make mention of some chefs/cooks that you give high praise to? That includes bakers, of course! My mom was a great cook (don't know how she learbed or had the time) and the wife was a observant and quick learner
*** Thanks to all of you, my life is somewhat better now. By the way, just take poor loaf of stale bread and lay it on a piece of aluminum foil, put your hand under the running kitchen faucet and splatter the bread and foil a bit. Then close the foil surround (loosely) to make a small 'tenting' and put it in the hot oven for a few minutes! *** ~roosty~
~ I do not remember ever asking you before: how is your cooking basic knowledge? I mean, could look at a picture of a simple basic meal and manage to make a similar meal without any 'recipe' or anything? It is a very nice ability to have and
many people have it and some people have it but perhaps to a lesser degree. It varies in people, I have noticed. Were you
around the kitchen often when you were young? I stood on a chair and could make french toast from start to finish with my mother's help when I was 4. My cooking experience was gotten from the "I Hate to Cook Book" by Peg Bracken and from "Shortcut Cooking", both from the '60's. To this day I don't like to cook, when I am hungry just give me something easy and I'm good to go. No muss, no fuss.
One simple question: not really so simple(!): If you have a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread and it has gotten a bit stale and
hard, what could you do to likely make it fresh once again? What you described below. Must add moisture back into it to soften it.
Can you give us an example of any little cooking trick or detail some others may not know of? For re-heating anything, do not use full power. Use your "cook time" setting for say, 3 minutes, then the "power level" setting of 3 as well and food gets heated through, not re-cooked. I learned years ago that power level 4 is the "defrost" setting so I go from there when deciding how long and what power to use when reheating.
~ Have you any coffee on hand? It can be decaffeinated, Pam and others....I keep Folgers instant coffee "sleeves" in both regular and decaff on hand for the occasional guest who would like coffee when visiting. These are hard to find.
~ Over the years of your lifetime, can you make mention of some chefs/cooks that you give high praise to? That includes
bakers, of course! N/A
*** Thanks to all of you, my life is somewhat better now. By the way, just take poor loaf of stale bread and lay it on a piece of aluminum foil, put your hand under the running kitchen faucet and splatter the bread and foil a bit. Then close the foil surround (loosely) to make a small 'tenting' and put it in the hot oven for a few minutes! *** ~roosty~Thanks for the cooking lesson, Roosty! I find it a fun challenge to use up food in the house without having to go to the grocery store for ingredients. It helps that I don't cook fancy or with modern recipes that require all these new food/ingredient items.
[quote=rainroosty;65426117]We've been in a heat wave for the last several days but it is scheduled to end at 7:00 p.m. later today! I only hope! Normally it is 73° F inside of this new home but it has been 81° F in here. Kitty Buttercup just came out from his sleeping cabinet and went to visit his bedroom...I do hope you all are well and getting by nicely as well.
~ I do not remember ever asking you before: how is your cooking basic knowledge? I mean, could look at a picture of a simple basic meal and manage to make a similar meal without any 'recipe' or anything? It is a very nice ability to have and
many people have it and some people have it but perhaps to a lesser degree. It varies in people, I have noticed. Were you
around the kitchen often when you were young?
My mother was the queen of TV dinners and frozen food. I had a friend that was a great cook so she taught me some things, but I'm mostly self taught.
One simple question: not really so simple(!): If you have a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread and it has gotten a bit stale and
hard, what could you do to likely make it fresh once again?
Make some garlic bread.
Can you give us an example of any little cooking trick or detail some others may not know of?
~ Have you any coffee on hand? It can be decaffeinated, Pam and others....
We do, but it's not decaf.
~ Over the years of your lifetime, can you make mention of some chefs/cooks that you give high praise to? That includes
bakers, of course!
I wish I could remember the chef that had this amazing turkey recipe using an orange and an onion with cloves in the cavity. I never make it any other way.
*** Thanks to all of you, my life is somewhat better now. By the way, just take poor loaf of stale bread and lay it on a piece of aluminum foil, put your hand under the running kitchen faucet and splatter the bread and foil a bit. Then close the foil surround (loosely) to make a small 'tenting' and put it in the hot oven for a few minutes! *** ~roosty~
Thanks roost. I'm glad you're doing well.
Possum is at rehab. I caught her on Wednesday night. I stayed up all night checking on her every 30 minutes until 515 in the morning. She was so stressed. She did well in the car ride over to the rehab facility.
The good news, she's on pain meds and is being treated. The bad news. They plan on releasing her into the forest preserve which will most certainly be stressful and could be a death sentence. I'm going to try to find a way to get her back into her territory. She belongs here.
~ Were you around the kitchen often when you were young? Yes, with my grandmother. We (my brother and I) would be on the kitchen's balcony and play or draw or do something else and she would cook.
~ If you have a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread and it has gotten a bit stale and hard, what could you do to likely make it fresh once again? I would make pain perdu, I think it's called French toast in English.
~ Can you give us an example of any little cooking trick or detail some others may not know of? Buy the freshest ingredients possible and keep it simple. No distractions while eating. Buy a watermelon, refrigerate, cut, and squeeze some organic fresh lemon on top. Eat slowly. You'll thank me later...
~ Have you any coffee on hand? No.
~ Over the years of your lifetime, can you make mention of some chefs/cooks that you give high praise to? That includes bakers, of course! My maternal grandmother, she was the best cook ever. Her parents had a small restaurant/hotel...I don't know the English world for it. I don't think that there is a translation for what I have in mind, some worlds do not exist in other languages.
Anyway...she used to do the pastries for the family restaurant. Using very elaborate French recipes (she spoke French and had French food magazines...no internet at the time). She also cooked spectacular dishes. Some were very simple, some very complicated. She was very creative. I miss her dearly.
~ I do not remember ever asking you before: how is your cooking basic knowledge? I mean, could look at a picture of a simple basic meal and manage to make a similar meal without any 'recipe' or anything? It is a very nice ability to have and
many people have it and some people have it but perhaps to a lesser degree. It varies in people, I have noticed. Were you
around the kitchen often when you were young? I can do basic cooking, usually with a recipe. I don't need a recipe for things like salads, eggs, sandwiches or spaghetti bolognese. I didn't get to learn to cook at my mother's side because I was taken from her at the age of seven in a custody dispute and saw her only rarely during the rest of my childhood. But after I became an adult and could see her whenever I wanted to, she taught me how to bake bread from scratch and how to prepare peaches or tomatoes for canning. I have inherited all her recipes, some dating back to her high school days in the 1930s.
One simple question: not really so simple(!): If you have a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread and it has gotten a bit stale and
hard, what could you do to likely make it fresh once again? Your answer at the bottom sounded right to me. Moisten it lightly, cover it, put it in the oven and bake. You could also dice it and bake it to make homemade croutons.
Can you give us an example of any little cooking trick or detail some others may not know of? My favorite trick is that, when I chop onion for a recipe but I only need a small amount, I divide the rest into tablespoon-sized portions. Then I wrap each portion burrito-style in squares of cling wrap, and store in a freezer container. That way I always have small amounts of pre-chopped onion on hand. It's saved me a lot of time, especially during the holidays.
~ Have you any coffee on hand? It can be decaffeinated, Pam and others.... Yes, we like Peet's decaf Major Dickason's blend.
~ Over the years of your lifetime, can you make mention of some chefs/cooks that you give high praise to? That includes
bakers, of course! My friends Beth and Eddie are the best cooks I know of. I've given up trying to compete with them. My mother-in-law Frieda made wonderful pies and pastries from scratch using fruit she grew herself.
We've been in a heat wave for the last several days but it is scheduled to end at 7:00 p.m. later today! I only hope! Normally it is 73° F inside of this new home but it has been 81° F in here. Kitty Buttercup just came out from his sleeping cabinet and went to visit his bedroom...I do hope you all are well and getting by nicely as well. Glad to hear you'll have a break in the hot weather soon, roosty! Here in NWIN, we've been having near-record cold weather this week. Yesterday the high temp was in the upper 50s. Right now it's the warmest it's been all day: 60. With high winds we've been having, it feels awfully cold for mid-June! We're expected to reach the 90s next week.
~ I do not remember ever asking you before: how is your cooking basic knowledge? I mean, could look at a picture of a simple basic meal and manage to make a similar meal without any 'recipe' or anything? It is a very nice ability to have and many people have it and some people have it but perhaps to a lesser degree. It varies in people, I have noticed. Were you around the kitchen often when you were young? I'm a pretty good cook and baker, and I understand the basic science behind cooking and baking. From the time my sister and I were very small, our mom taught us how to cook. Mom said that her mom refused to let her in the kitchen when she was growing up, and when she married my dad she didn't know how to cook. Fortunately, my dad's mom taught her the basics, and Mom had a natural knack for it. She became a very good cook and baker. She taught us about herbs and spices, how they pair with various dishes. She taught sis and me to make the BEST pies, from scratch. I still use Mom's recipe for basic pie crust, and it comes out flaky and perfect every time. I love to invent new main-dish recipes and soups.
One simple question: not really so simple(!): If you have a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread and it has gotten a bit stale and hard, what could you do to likely make it fresh once again? After just bragging about my cooking skills, now I must admit that I had no idea one could make stale bread fresh again. I could soften it, but definitely wouldn't know how to remove a stale taste.
Can you give us an example of any little cooking trick or detail some others may not know of? Yes. When making scrambled eggs, if you mix a tiny amount of cornstarch to your liquid (a little milk or water) and blend that into the beaten eggs, your eggs will come out extra creamy and delish. It has something to do with the cornstarch affecting the chemical composition of the albumen (whites) in the eggs.
~ Have you any coffee on hand? It can be decaffeinated, Pam and others.... I have pods for my Keurig in both regular and decaf coffees. I think I have about four different kinds presently. I don't drink much coffee in the summertime, so my present stash will probably last me the rest of the year.
~ Over the years of your lifetime, can you make mention of some chefs/cooks that you give high praise to? That includes bakers, of course! Mom! Julia Child, Martin Yan, Lidia Bastianich, Jacques Pepin.
*** Thanks to all of you, my life is somewhat better now. By the way, just take poor loaf of stale bread and lay it on a piece of aluminum foil, put your hand under the running kitchen faucet and splatter the bread and foil a bit. Then close the foil surround (loosely) to make a small 'tenting' and put it in the hot oven for a few minutes! *** ~roosty~ Thanks, roosty! That sounds like a very clever way to bring new life to a loaf of stale bread. Thanks for the fun fill-ins!
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~ I do not remember ever asking you before: how is your cooking basic knowledge? I mean, could look at a picture of a simple basic meal and manage to make a similar meal without any 'recipe' or anything? It is a very nice ability to have and
many people have it and some people have it but perhaps to a lesser degree. It varies in people, I have noticed. Were you
around the kitchen often when you were young? @@@ I was around the kitchen some. I was more the person setting the table and washing dishes afterwards.
One simple question: not really so simple(!): If you have a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread and it has gotten a bit stale and
hard, what could you do to likely make it fresh once again?
%%% Toss it. I hate stale bread.
Can you give us an example of any little cooking trick or detail some others may not know of?
### Nope
~ Have you any coffee on hand? It can be decaffeinated, Pam and others....
&&& Not a coffee drinker. None on hand
~ Over the years of your lifetime, can you make mention of some chefs/cooks that you give high praise to? That includes
bakers, of course!
$$$ My sister is a very good cook
*** Thanks to all of you, my life is somewhat better now. By the way, just take poor loaf of stale bread and lay it on a piece of aluminum foil, put your hand under the running kitchen faucet and splatter the bread and foil a bit. Then close the foil surround (loosely) to make a small 'tenting' and put it in the hot oven for a few minutes! *** ~roosty~
We've been in a heat wave for the last several days but it is scheduled to end at 7:00 p.m. later today! I only hope! Normally it is 73° F inside of this new home but it has been 81° F in here. Kitty Buttercup just came out from his sleeping cabinet and went to visit his bedroom...I do hope you all are well and getting by nicely as well.
Summer has just started, so you better have a plan B. Also check on windows and doors insulation. Invest in white or light coloured thermal curtains and blinds, such are better at reflecting heat and light away from your home.
~ I do not remember ever asking you before: how is your cooking basic knowledge? I mean, could look at a picture of a simple basic meal and manage to make a similar meal without any 'recipe' or anything? It is a very nice ability to have and
many people have it and some people have it but perhaps to a lesser degree. It varies in people, I have noticed.
Yes. I can create meals from looking at the pictures or eating them somewhere. It's not hard for someone who knows how to cook and has imagination/common sense
Were you around the kitchen often when you were young?
Yup. All meals were cooked from scratch when i grow up so l often helped and saw how they were made. I consider it a basic survival skill...lol
One simple question: not really so simple(!): If you have a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread and it has gotten a bit stale and
hard, what could you do to likely make it fresh once again?
Hold under running water for a moment then pop into an oven - 300F for 10 minutes or so. It will taste like fresh.
Can you give us an example of any little cooking trick or detail some others may not know of?
The above mentioned ?
Do not saute diced onions and garlic at the same time. Garlic will get bitter. Add garlic later.
Add a piece of dark bitter chocolate to your meat gravy (like spaghetti sauce) for extra rich taste.
Rinse rice before cooking. Don't rinse your noodle after cooking, unless you serve it as a salad.
Make sure to always use sharp knives. ...
~ Have you any coffee on hand? It can be decaffeinated, Pam and others....
I don't drink coffee, but I always have small amount of excellent beans for my guests.
~ Over the years of your lifetime, can you make mention of some chefs/cooks that you give high praise to? That includes
bakers, of course!
My Mom and my nanny. Both were excellent cooks. I don't watch chefs on TV, but sometimes watch regular people cooking. Like on The Great British Bake Off show.
*** Thanks to all of you, my life is somewhat better now. By the way, just take poor loaf of stale bread and lay it on a piece of aluminum foil, put your hand under the running kitchen faucet and splatter the bread and foil a bit. Then close the foil surround (loosely) to make a small 'tenting' and put it in the hot oven for a few minutes! *** ~roosty~
Thats what i just said before I read this. Great minds think alike
Thank you, roosty. Stay cool and enjoy your weekend.
I am glad that I escaped the Texas heat just in time. Where l am now is, thankfully, much cooler
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). She also cooked spectacular dishes. Some were very simple, some very complicated. She was very creative. I miss her dearly.
