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Originally posted by settingfiretothislife:
"How do you want your eggs?"

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edited because it ripeNs, not ripes.

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Originally posted by meggo:
I always order over easy because I love them and cannot duplicate them at home no matter how hard I try.
I can make scrambled eggs though! That's all my mom ever made at home because she hates eggs unless they have onions in them - only way to have onions is scrambled (or omlette).

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MEGGO! I must pass on the Egg Tip That Made Life Beautiful Again, that came from none other than Breana.

Heat some butter in a small skillet, open your eggs and add them. (I open mine into a teacup to make sure the yolk doesn't break, and then slide them into the pan that way.)

Let em cook for a bit (and I break up the thicker white part by poking it with the spatula, and rolling the pan around to make it even) and then put a spoonful of water (I actually just reuse the teacup and put a bit in there from the tap) on top of each yolk, cover, and turn off the heat. The top of the yolk will steam cook, and you never, ever have to try to flip an egg.

Seriously, I think of breana every. single. time I make eggs, and send a little bit of love out to her for her life-changing cooking tip.

(Breana's instructions are in bold, my personal modifications have been added.)

a) can I subsitute it in the infamous recipe with peas and pasta?

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Originally posted by flippygirl:
ok, I bought procuitto instead of pancetta.

a) can I subsitute it in the infamous recipe with peas and pasta?

b) will it freeze ok? what can I make with procuitto that's simple besides wrapping it around melon?

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I would think it would be fine to substitute in the peas/pasta recipe.

2) it's fabulous with pasta.

(that might just be an atlantic canada thing, I realise. anyhow...papaya!)

/tangent and begin real cooking question time:

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Originally posted by meggo:
Recipe please....

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Okay, two weeks later and I've FINALLY remembered. (Sorry! :eek This comes from the M00sewood New Classics book (p. 75 in case anyone wanted to know):

2 lbs. tomatillos (approx. 18)
4-5 c. chopped onion
1 TB. olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
6 c. peeled and cubed winter squash
6 c. veggie stock
3 c. undrained tomatoes, chopped (28 oz. can)
1-2 tsp. minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Husk and wash tomatillos well. Cut them in half and place them cut side up on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until soft. (I suggest using nonstick spray and a piece of aluminum foil or Si1pat or something, because it can get a little messy.)

Meanwhile in a large soup pot, cook onion in oil on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until golden. Add garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Stir in the squash, stock, and tomatoes and their juice, cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15-25 mins or until squash is tender. Add chipotles and tomatillos.

At this point, I like to stick my immersion blender in a blend away until very smooth. If you use a regular blender, be careful to vent the top, or you WILL have boiling soup all over you and the kitchen. NOT fun. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper, and perhaps more chipotle pepper as you like.

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Originally posted by flippygirl:
ok, was it because I used skim? There was little or no real sauce...was it too thin and it got absorbed? It was still good, but I feel like something wasn't quite right....

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I didn't even *notice* Yee-fan's recipe! Sorry for the negative response earlier (about infamousness) I hadn't seen her recipe, tho after checking it out, it sounds so much healthier than mine!

When I make my pasta with proscuitto (and I've *just* discovered the joys of pancetta! Yay!) in a creamy sauce, I almost always make an alfredo (an entire stick of butter, 1/2 pint of heavy cream, 1 cup of locatelli) or with a gorgonzola sauce. Like I said, hers sounds much healthier.

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Originally posted by flippygirl:
ok, was it because I used skim? There was little or no real sauce...was it too thin and it got absorbed? It was still good, but I feel like something wasn't quite right....

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Originally posted by geogirl:
I'm not sure how long you can keep it, but I do know that you can NOT store it in the can, transfer it to a plastic container! You probably already know that I just want to make sure that no fellow digsters get poisoned!

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Originally posted by ralphyr:
That is also why cans with dints or bulges shouldn't be used because the lining could be damaged.

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Originally posted by Sonya:
That's definitely a big reason why cans bulge-- that happens if something was accidentally contaminated during the canning process, and then the cans bulge by themselves, because the botulism makes the contents expand, for whatever reason. (And did you know that botulism can leave you PARALYZED for several weeks? Or kill you, obviously.)

But the other reason, which I find more prevalent at MY grocery store is because of careless stockers who drop stuff and dent it, and then put it on the shelf. That's the part ralphyr was talking about, where the can's lining gets damaged and the bad stuff in the actual can (like aluminum and formerly lead) will leach into the food. And the can will rust. Yummy!

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rust only occurs when you get small pinholes that let air in. no air, no rust.

Just stick the gauge into the thickest part of the meat, and wait for the temp to level off. (You can get a meat thermometer at the grocery store for under $5 US. It'll be the best money you spend for anything in your kitchen.) Also, make sure that the gauge isn't touching any bone, 'cause that would give you a false read. The same temperature goes for chicken broth, too.

When you cook any meat, it will have 'carry-over' once you stop actively cooking it (when you take it out of the oven). The temperature actually rises when you let it rest and this will make for a juicer meat by letting the juices re-distribute themselves within the meat. If you cut into it right away, the juices will come pouring out and the meat will end up dry. It will only rise about 5-10 degrees, so don't depend on this to bring your chicken to 165ºF. I usually just take the bird out of the oven, put it on the serving platter and cover it (lightly) with some tin foil while I make the pan gravy, which usually takes about 10 minutes and is the last thing I do before sitting down to eat.

Also, make sure to wash your hands and anything that came in contact with the raw meat before you touch anything else. I usually clean the chicken right in the sink with the water turned on before I unwrap the bird to make it easier to control the 'contamination'. Better safe than sorry!

Down with Salmonella!

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Originally posted by Merimoo:
Re: botulism - that's what they derived B0t0x from! Can you imagine purposefully putting something like that in your body? /end tangent

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ewewew!!!!

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Originally posted by geogirl:
Boy made a HUGE pot of chilli on Sat. I'm still eating it today (probably the last day). If I freeze the rest today will it be OK? I know I'm pushing it, should I just throw the rest away?

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