MareCat wrote:
> "Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I also keep capers on hand...
>
> Heh. So do I, Christine. When I see that I'm down to half a jar or so, I add
> that item to my list to get the next time I'm out grocery shopping. I use
> them enough that I make sure I always have them around. (I'd be willing to
> bet that a fairly large percentage of RFCers keep capers--and other "exotic"
> food items--in the house on a regular basis.)
>
> Hmmmm...might be a good idea for a thread about what items we usually keep
> on-hand that the general population doesn't...?

Hmmm. I'm not sure about the general population, but here are some
things I thought of, and I may be wrong about how common some of them a

Gluten (aka vital wheat gluten)
Roasted red peppers
Wheatberries
Rye berries
Miso paste
Thai sweet chili sauce
Sambal oelek
Yellow curry paste
Bread flour

> OB Dinner: Lotsa leftovers from this past weekend's meals, so tonight will
> be a smorgasbord of various dishes: tofu/veggie Indian curry; some leftover
> brunch eggs from yesterday
> (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...3635,00.html);
> and crabcakes, broccoli slaw, and a yellow squash-onion-red
> pepper-cauliflower veggie stir-fry medley (as well as cheese tortellini,
> turkey dogs, and lots of fresh fruit for the kiddos).

Took a pork roast out last night. Not sure what I'll do with it. Might
do a trial run on making "pulled" pork in the pressure-cooker. Or maybe
I'll make kili's kalua pork -- yeah, that's the ticket.

Serene

Christine Dabney > wrote in
:

> On Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:28:32 -0700, Serene Vannoy
> > wrote:
>
>
>>It's not as though there wasn't enough food -- I just needed to boil up
>>another pot of pasta, which took me ten minutes.
>>
>>Serene
>
> Okay, I am thinking of this aside from being rude or not....and now
> wondering what folks would do to stretch dinner in such a case???
> I am thinking this was your original question, no??
>
> Like you, I might have boiled up more pasta...and maybe made a quick
> tomato sauce to go with the pasta. Maybe not.
>
> I usually have salad makings in the fridge, so might have added a big
> salad of some sort.
>
> This is to everyone else: do you tend to keep your pantry stocked
> enough so that you can extend a meal if necessary??
>
> Christine
>

I can produce a extra meal or 3 if required....it might delay eating an
additional 20 minutes or so...add a salad (fixings usually on site) and
soup (a freezer full) to the planned meal. 5 minutes to heat the soup 10
or so minutes to throw together the salad. The other 10 minutes would be
devoted to making a dip for corn chips/crackers and fruit/cheese platter
and coming up with an extended dessert, probably ice cream and cookies.
Additions to table... cuke and diakon in vinegar, sliced tomatoes, garlic
toast if applicable; just to help extending. Most meals can be extended
by adding soup, salad and appetizers.

These days when mixed greens come all in 1 container and other salad
greens can be thrown in make having that option readily available
possible and a lazy way to eat healthy.


--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

Christine Dabney > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:18:20 -0700 (PDT), The Ranger
> > wrote:

>> But you asked if I keep my pantry stocked for emergencies.
>> The simple answer is "Yes." The more detailed answer is,
>> "Yes, but..." I keep several bags of rice, multiple choices
>> of pastas, dried fruits and canned goods -- jellies, jams,
>> peanut butters -- galore, breads, dried spices and teas
>> and coffee in excess... My two stand-alone freezers also
>> hold proteins and vegetables in abundance. I also buy leaf
>> products (green, red, romaine, iceberg, spring mix, and
>> spinach) by the two-lb bag.) Dairy -- cheeses -- are also
>> bought by the brick and milk by the gallon
>>
> So if need be, you could go to your "pantry" and extend a
> meal. Sounds like you have plenty of fixins...

Easily -- both metaphorically and physically.

> I have an extra fridge, and it has greens, and other
> veggies in it...

The one thing I really miss is the extra fridge in our garage
but when it gave up its ghost, I gained so much floorspace that
I've been loath to put one back in. (It also dropped my garage
temps back down during the summer months to ranges that don't
make it double as a dry sauna, either...

> If you had to all of a sudden feed more than you were
> expecting, what do you think you might cook or
> otherwise fix?

In the past, when I've suddenly adopted six girls during
mealtime, a quick round of pasta was the easiest addition but
again it's dependent on _who_ it is. I'm often amazed at how
_bland_ others' menus really are! The time I added saffron to
six cups of Basmati rice, it "wowed" the posse of girls and
(later) their parents.

I use garlic and onions, shallots and sour cherries, and when
I'm feeling particular malicious, Jalapenos and Serranos,
regularly in much of my cooking. I dislike "dry frying"
boneless-skinless chicken breasts and serving it with white
rice. I want garlic, soy sauce, and chili to make the chicken
alive with taste. I serve salads at almost every meal because I
like 'em but I also want my daughters to learn to like them,
too. You can only do that through exposure... Frozen (or
fresh, if cheap enough) vegetables are a solid side and can be
jazzed up with slices of onion or simply salt and pepper.
<shrug>

Cooking's an adventure and an enjoyable hobby. My only limit is
the quickly expanding allergies (damn my body's traitorous
ways!) and what I want to eat that night.

The Ranger

On Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:14:03 -0700, "The Ranger"
> wrote:


>I use garlic and onions, shallots and sour cherries, and when
>I'm feeling particular malicious, Jalapenos and Serranos,
>regularly in much of my cooking.

How do you use the sour cherries?

Christine

Christine Dabney > wrote in
:

> On Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:14:03 -0700, "The Ranger"
> > wrote:
>
>
>>I use garlic and onions, shallots and sour cherries, and when
>>I'm feeling particular malicious, Jalapenos and Serranos,
>>regularly in much of my cooking.
>
> How do you use the sour cherries?
>
> Christine
>

pork comes to mind. Pasta also.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

Christine Dabney > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:14:03 -0700, "The Ranger"
> > wrote:
>> I use garlic and onions, shallots and sour cherries,
>> and when I'm feeling particular malicious, Jalapenos
>> and Serranos, regularly in much of my cooking.
>>
> How do you use the sour cherries?

With Basmati rice and shallots.

The Ranger

Serene Vannoy wrote:
> <snip nice story>
>
> Do you have any stretching-dinner stories? I know some of you don't
> like it when people show up unannounced, and I totally understand that,
> but my friends have my express permission to do so, so any intimation
> that she was being rude will be dismissed as silly.
>
> Serene

Yes indeed. At university, my housemate and I asked some people (10
maybe) over for a Saturday night dinner. The plan was Indian food with a
few meat curries, veg curries and rice. Don't remember what dessert was
planned, if any.

Everyone brought someone with them without telling us beforehand! So now
dinner had to stretch to 20+ diners. The curries were diluted somewhat,
another pot of rice put on. More cucumber raita made and pita breads
procured around the corner. Dessert ended up being a trip to the
late-night doughnut place that started the day's baking at midnight.
Could have been worse!

Serene Vannoy wrote:
> Dimitri wrote:
> > When my girls were growing up we had the same type of policy and
> > frequently had guests for dinner. �My nickname was "enough for an army"
> > However kids asking if their friends can stay with enough time to modify
> > the dinner is very different than people just showing up and expecting
> > dinner. �The the GOOD OLD DAYS it was considered impolite to just show
> > up at anyones house without calling first unless you were invited.
>
> They ARE invited, you silly person.
>
> Serene

Dimitri said "unless you were invited",... he acknowedged the
invitation... you dim witted person.

Anyway what kind of mental midget puts out a blanket invitation for
dinner to everyone they know and then prepares enough (barely) to feed
just themself. After reading the description of the food you serve
I'm sure no one responds to your dinner invite more than once.

Sky wrote:
>
> Yep, same rule in my neck of the woods with my family. �Before going
> over to someone's house, we always call first, even if plans had already
> been made beforehand. �Plus, this gives an opportunity for someone to
> pick something up at the store should something be needed when on
> their way over to visit. �It's just mutual courtesy (to me).

I have on hand at all times enough food that if a jumbo jet of three
hundred landed in my back yard, and I'm quite capable of feeding all
of them within an hour and not even work up a sweat... but food is not
the issue. Of course it's __courtesy, manners, hospitality__,
whatever you want to call it... but real friends and even family don't
show up unannounced whether meal time or not. My friends and family
members are considerate, they always call first, even if they truly
happen to be in the neihgborhood, still they get on the horn if only
to apprise me in case I'm on the throne and to give me a few minutes
to squeeze out the last turd and wipe my ass before they knock on my
door. The only times my friends and family have arrived unnanounced,
and it's not been very often, it's not to eat, it's some sort of
serious emergency one can equate with that phone call in the middle of
the night. My friends and family have an open invitation to visit
anytime, BUT with the admonition to let me know... I mean it would be
truly jackassmanship to tell folks to arrive anytime and then they
drive for three hours and I ain't home. duh I mean all my friends and
family don't live in the same trailer park with me. Some of yoose are
truly sad... the critters growing up in my barn have better manners.

Serene Vannoy wrote:

>
> Do you have any stretching-dinner stories? I know some of you don't
> like it when people show up unannounced, and I totally understand that,
> but my friends have my express permission to do so, so any intimation



I can remember at about age 5 being horrified when a friend of my
grandmother's (both born in the 1890's) reported:

"I don't mind having unexpected company for dinner. I just add another
cup of water to the soup."

I think Gram was pretty shocked also since both of them came from a
culture where food was very important.

gloria p

> My friends know that 7pm is dinner here, and around once a week, someone
> takes me up on my open-door dinner policy and crashes dinner. I love this.
> Sometimes it's easy to make another plate, because there's a pot of chili
> on the stove or something. Tonight it was a little more tricky, since I
> had just enough of the main dish for three people. It was store-bought
> ravioli, for which I'd made a tomato sauce. I'd also roasted a couple
> heads of garlic to put on slices of baguette, and roasted a small amount
> of green beans (enough for three generous servings, or four small ones).
>
> My guest showed up around 6:45, so I quickly got out another pot and
> boiled up some spaghetti. I tossed it with butter/salt/pepper/parmesan,
> and cut more slices of baguette. The guest helped with putting roasted
> garlic and butter on the bread slices, and dinner went off without a
> hitch, and without a mention of having planned on having less food. She
> may have thought it was weird having two pasta dishes on the plate, but
> she didn't say anything. I figured, heck, you can get half-and-half at
> some Italian places. :-)
>
> Do you have any stretching-dinner stories? I know some of you don't like
> it when people show up unannounced, and I totally understand that, but my
> friends have my express permission to do so, so any intimation that she
> was being rude will be dismissed as silly.
>
> Serene

My son oldest son came over on Mother's Day and stayed and stayed and stayed
heading towards dinner time. He's always a welcome visitor though!

We had planned on having a large rib eye steak with stilton sauce that we
were going to cut in two for two people and we were also planning on
splitting an extremely large baked potatoes.

I threw an extra russet in the toaster oven, added a veggie (broccoli with
cheese sauce), cut the steak like you would a London broil, and thawed out a
Pepperidge Farm Coconut Cake that I had on hand.

He adored the stilton sauce, the steak done medium rare (he has trouble at
home getting steaks to the proper doneness... his wife is a "well done"
person (gasp), but he vastly prefers rare to medium rare. The stilton sauce
especially made a big hit and he requested the recipe. All was well!

Chris

On Jun 16, 10:20 am, hahabogus > wrote:
[major snip]
> This is a hold out from the depression IMO.

Since _both_ of my parents live through the depression, I know this
isn't the case. Anyone that was there during mealtimes was going to be
extended an invitation. Same with the ranch on either families' farm/
ranch (and neither set of grandparents were unfamiliar with stretching
budgets.)

The Ranger

Chris Marksberry wrote:

> My son oldest son came over on Mother's Day and stayed and stayed and stayed
> heading towards dinner time. He's always a welcome visitor though!
>
> We had planned on having a large rib eye steak with stilton sauce that we
> were going to cut in two for two people and we were also planning on
> splitting an extremely large baked potatoes.
>
> I threw an extra russet in the toaster oven, added a veggie (broccoli with
> cheese sauce), cut the steak like you would a London broil, and thawed out a
> Pepperidge Farm Coconut Cake that I had on hand.
>
> He adored the stilton sauce, the steak done medium rare (he has trouble at
> home getting steaks to the proper doneness... his wife is a "well done"
> person (gasp), but he vastly prefers rare to medium rare. The stilton sauce
> especially made a big hit and he requested the recipe. All was well!

How lovely! See, now that's what I was talking about. :-)

Serene

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:28:32 -0700, Serene Vannoy
> > wrote:
>
>
>>It's not as though there wasn't enough food -- I just needed to boil up
>>another pot of pasta, which took me ten minutes.
>>
>>Serene
>
> Okay, I am thinking of this aside from being rude or not....and now
> wondering what folks would do to stretch dinner in such a case???
> I am thinking this was your original question, no??
>
> Like you, I might have boiled up more pasta...and maybe made a quick
> tomato sauce to go with the pasta. Maybe not.
>
> I usually have salad makings in the fridge, so might have added a big
> salad of some sort.
>
> This is to everyone else: do you tend to keep your pantry stocked
> enough so that you can extend a meal if necessary??
>
> Christine


Chris,
Hubby here actually likes leftovers for lunch. When I cook, since I
learned from the Greatest Cooking Aunt Ever (she had 10 kids and 12
fosters), I cook as was said earlier 'enough to feed an army'....I usually
prepare enough to make at least one storage platter full for His Nibs'
lunch. If we have an unexpected, there is usually enough and Nibs gets a
cold-cut sandwich the next day. Usually not a problem. Besides, I buy in
bulk so that I can add another potato, a few more grains of rice or stretch
the sauce so that it 'Looks" like I cooked for an army if the actual meal it
a little short.
-ginny

"Serene Vannoy" > wrote in message
...
> MareCat wrote:
>> "Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> I also keep capers on hand...
>>
>> Heh. So do I, Christine. When I see that I'm down to half a jar or so, I
>> add that item to my list to get the next time I'm out grocery shopping. I
>> use them enough that I make sure I always have them around. (I'd be
>> willing to bet that a fairly large percentage of RFCers keep capers--and
>> other "exotic" food items--in the house on a regular basis.)
>>
>> Hmmmm...might be a good idea for a thread about what items we usually
>> keep on-hand that the general population doesn't...?
>
> Hmmm. I'm not sure about the general population, but here are some things
> I thought of, and I may be wrong about how common some of them a
>
> Gluten (aka vital wheat gluten)
> Roasted red peppers
> Wheatberries
> Rye berries
> Miso paste
> Thai sweet chili sauce
> Sambal oelek
> Yellow curry paste
> Bread flour
>
>> OB Dinner: Lotsa leftovers from this past weekend's meals, so tonight
>> will be a smorgasbord of various dishes: tofu/veggie Indian curry; some
>> leftover brunch eggs from yesterday
>> (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...3635,00.html);
>> and crabcakes, broccoli slaw, and a yellow squash-onion-red
>> pepper-cauliflower veggie stir-fry medley (as well as cheese tortellini,
>> turkey dogs, and lots of fresh fruit for the kiddos).
>
> Took a pork roast out last night. Not sure what I'll do with it. Might do
> a trial run on making "pulled" pork in the pressure-cooker. Or maybe I'll
> make kili's kalua pork -- yeah, that's the ticket.
>
> Serene

Most unusual, and actually pretty tasty, recipe for pulled pork I have ever
seen calls for a 20oz. bottle of root beer and a pork roast. Put the roast
in the crock and pour the root beer over it and let it cook for 6 hours on
high......
-ginny

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:

>
> Most unusual, and actually pretty tasty, recipe for pulled pork I have ever
> seen calls for a 20oz. bottle of root beer and a pork roast. Put the roast
> in the crock and pour the root beer over it and let it cook for 6 hours on
> high......

Funny. May try that. I bought a ginormous pork shoulder at Costco and
cut it up into one-pound-or-so chunks. I'm making a few of them for the
Solstice Party this Friday, but I'll have a few left over.

Serene

"Serene Vannoy" wrote

> My friends know that 7pm is dinner here, and around once a week, someone
> takes me up on my open-door dinner policy and crashes dinner. I love

Used to do the same all the time in Sasebo. Tight knit community, Mom would
call the kids and say Daddy was stuck at work and she wasnt off til 10pm ;-)

So the kids were added to our dinner. Keep in mind this was totally
reciprocal as when I had duty and Don was working til 8 or 9pm, Charlotte
would eat at various neighboring kids houses too.

A key thing here is I almost always had a crockpot of something going and it
was always easy to add another plate around the Kotatsu table and we had
plenty of spare sitting mats.

> of chili on the stove or something. Tonight it was a little more tricky,
> since I had just enough of the main dish for three people. It was
> store-bought ravioli, for which I'd made a tomato sauce. I'd also roasted
> a couple heads of garlic to put on slices of baguette, and roasted a small
> amount of green beans (enough for three generous servings, or four small
> ones).

I'd have added rice but then we would have had rice anyways and have at most
needed to add a little more. My ricemaker does well up to 10 cups of
finished product but we normally would have 4-6 cups. Easy fix, add more
dry and some water and reset it to make more while they ate what was ready
til more came out.

> My guest showed up around 6:45, so I quickly got out another pot and
> boiled up some spaghetti. I tossed it with butter/salt/pepper/parmesan,
> and cut more slices of baguette. The guest helped with putting roasted
> garlic and butter on the bread slices, and dinner went off without a
> hitch, and without a mention of having planned on having less food. She
> may have thought it was weird having two pasta dishes on the plate, but
> she didn't say anything. I figured, heck, you can get half-and-half at
> some Italian places. :-)

Grin, sounds like fun and much like what we did. When I was at sea, Don
would get constant gifts of 'ohh I made too many lumpia, can you eat these
up for me?'.

When I was home, I'd make too much bread (snicker) and send it out. I didnt
have to feel bad if I sent Charlotte over to Elise's place for 2 eggs and
1/2 cup milk because we traded often. So often we felt free to ask one
another for a special dish such as her rye bread or my pancit.

> Do you have any stretching-dinner stories? I know some of you don't like
> it when people show up unannounced, and I totally understand that, but my
> friends have my express permission to do so, so any intimation that she
> was being rude will be dismissed as silly.

Grin, so many I can not come up with a special story easily. Like you, I
had friends who this was common with. It was a tower building and while i
am not sure if this 'habit' is somewhat military or somewhat filipeno, it's
real common to see in military who are used to filipeno traditions. Those
who aren't filipeno, get used to this fast as well as the gentle social
rules used.

So, at any given time, I'd fix a meal for 3 and find myself with 3 extra
hungry kids or a navy guy who's wife was at work and he couldnt cook. Just
ring the doorbell and welcome to our home!

Grinning again, the social rules were quite non-western but very very sane.
Though seldom mentioned, you'd just naturally reciprocate the favor and no
one really kept count but it seemed to even out.

A common sort of thing would be: 'Mom, Derrick's dad is making snitzel, can
I eat over there?' 'Sure Honey, give me a second to finish slicing this
last 1/2 loaf of rye bread Elise made so you can take it with you, oh and
drop by Elise's place as she was low on garlic so grab a baggie with 2
handfuls of the peeled ones on your way'.

I saw at least one person didnt listen when you said " totally understand
that,
but my friends have my express permission to do so, so any intimation
that she was being rude will be dismissed as silly".

They lack the reference to such being normal. Me, I'm with you on this.
Even had one fellow who was a great fun fellow who couldnt cook worth a darn
and showed up every 6 days with his kids when his wife (Navy lady) had the
24 hour duty. He was always welcome and many a weekend, he'd take Charlotte
off to the ginza (mall) with his trio of kids so Don and I could have the
place to ourselves.

"The Ranger" wrote

>> Yes, it is considered impolite if not RUDE to show
>> up for dinner unannounced. Your friends were not
>> raised properly nor do they have any respect for you.
>
> I'll respectfully disagree in this particular case because Serene does
> expect it as part of both parties' (her friends' and -- most
> importantly -- her's) normal behavior.

Correct. In the specific circumstances I mentioned last post, it would be
terribly rude to *not* accept such.

> I don't have such a liberal open-table policy but all three daughter-units
> are not above asking if friends can stay for mealtimes.

Same here, that or daughter unit eating at their place so need to
reciprocate some way <g>.

> For us, pasta, rice, and bread usually supplement the protein and
> greenery. I don't do a lot of sauces for the pasta because too many of the
> kids come from families that keep things plain. The first time I served
> saffron rice, the group of kids were stunned that rice could be turned
> yellow and have such a pleasant scent... <shrug>

Hehe or the first time I let Elise's kids make their own pancit (careful
supervision of the stovetop by me)

> My Sainted Mother(tm) certainly had a similarly liberal meal
> policy as Serene. No one, ever, got turned away from her tables; if you
> were there when she finished cooking, you sat and ate with us. A quick
> call home was all that was needed. Of

Same ethic. Very southern is how we think of it.

> meals. We served everything family-style so nothing was pre-portioned or
> controlled. You simply took enough so that everyone could get a single
> helping and then, if you wanted more of a dish, you took seconds.

Same here.

I have 2 guys showing up for installing a door shortly. I need to dive off
the group so I can make up the pork loin bits and some rice. I'm a little
short on sides since i haven't shopped recently but bell peppers and garlic
sound nice to make more greenery.

> If the same "guests" are always turning up for mealtime, I can see where
> it would become old -- very quickly. (I know a couple collej kids and
> software engineers that pulled that nonsense.) That's where being a little
> more direct by sending them to the store with a list would assist in
> halting their aberrant behaviors. Otherwise, if it's working, it don't
> need fixing.

Gotta admit though, we had one such. He wasnt bad at all and lots of fun
(Spouse of Navy lady who couldnt cook). She routinely sent us 'gee, got an
extra roast and it wont fit in my freezer'.

"Serene Vannoy" wrote

> My mother was the same way. I often say that no holidays, and very few
> regular meals, went by without a non-related person at the table. My dad
> was in the Navy, so most holidays saw us with one or more servicemen at
> the table, as well.

Same here. At Thanksgiving, last year, my home was open to the entire
enginerring department of a ship. Sadly they suddenly had to pull out the
day before and i had this huge turkey and no time to get another set in.
(another ship had a problem and they had to pull out fast to replace them).

> Yep. My friends are very considerate, and in practice, I get a drop-in
> dinner guest about once a week, enough to feed my desire to feed people,
> and not enough that it starts to get old.
>
> Being hospitable is the most satisfying thing in the world to me. Or as I
> often say, "Food isn't love. Feeding people is love."

Agreed.

"hahabogus" wrote

> not answer the door. I believe this is a class thing...I never had money
> as a child or as an adult....some folks never had to worry about money
> and sticking strictly to a budget. To them dropping by at meal time is no
> big thing. But to a strict budgeter it could mean a missed or lean meal
> later in the week. This is a hold out from the depression IMO.

Humm, I'm thinking this works in the reverse now. More apt to be us 'lowly
economic folks' that do this now.

Mi casa is su casa.

"Christine Dabney" wrote

> This is to everyone else: do you tend to keep your pantry stocked
> enough so that you can extend a meal if necessary??

Always. I've done it so often, it's automatic.

Today: Just started the rice maker. It's plain white calrose with broth.
Pork loin chops (3 of them) marinating. These get slivered to strips. 2
tilapia fillets defrosted and 1 stick butter waiting.

Don's chopping cabbage for a slaw which is a big bowl and if the door-guys
dont show, we dont make the tilapia and eat just some of the slaw.

Dashi-tofu-soup in the wings is easy.

cshenk wrote:
> "hahabogus" wrote
>
> > not answer the door. I believe this is a class thing...I never had money
>> as a child or as an adult....some folks never had to worry about money
>> and sticking strictly to a budget. To them dropping by at meal time is no
>> big thing. But to a strict budgeter it could mean a missed or lean meal
>> later in the week. This is a hold out from the depression IMO.
>
> Humm, I'm thinking this works in the reverse now. More apt to be us 'lowly
> economic folks' that do this now.
>
> Mi casa is su casa.

In my house, it didn't depend on how much we had, we shared what we had.
In fact, in hard times, it's even more important that neighbors be
neighborly, and that friends are willing to share with each other.

Serene

"Serene Vannoy" wrote
> cshenk wrote:

>>>big thing. But to a strict budgeter it could mean a missed or lean meal
>>> later in the week. This is a hold out from the depression IMO.
>>
>> Humm, I'm thinking this works in the reverse now. More apt to be us
>> 'lowly economic folks' that do this now.
>>
>> Mi casa is su casa.
>
> In my house, it didn't depend on how much we had, we shared what we had.
> In fact, in hard times, it's even more important that neighbors be
> neighborly, and that friends are willing to share with each other.

Same here.

Interesting thread. The door guy ran into a lintel problem so had to get
the other guy. 3 pork loin chops, 1 inch thick each. 6 cups rice with Fumi
Furikake, 2 tilapi steaks, and a cabbage slaw dish. Green bell peppers with
onions and garlic sweated in butter.

Cut the meats before serving to nice long slices and intersperse them with
each other (or might do side by side as the seasonings vary).

Stretchers were adding the tilapia, and adding the bell peppers to more than
a garnish so they make a sizable serving.

cshenk wrote:
> "Serene Vannoy" wrote
>> cshenk wrote:
>
>>>> big thing. But to a strict budgeter it could mean a missed or lean meal
>>>> later in the week. This is a hold out from the depression IMO.
>>> Humm, I'm thinking this works in the reverse now. More apt to be us
>>> 'lowly economic folks' that do this now.
>>>
>>> Mi casa is su casa.
>> In my house, it didn't depend on how much we had, we shared what we had.
>> In fact, in hard times, it's even more important that neighbors be
>> neighborly, and that friends are willing to share with each other.
>
> Same here.
>
> Interesting thread. The door guy ran into a lintel problem so had to get
> the other guy. 3 pork loin chops, 1 inch thick each. 6 cups rice with Fumi
> Furikake, 2 tilapi steaks, and a cabbage slaw dish. Green bell peppers with
> onions and garlic sweated in butter.
>
> Cut the meats before serving to nice long slices and intersperse them with
> each other (or might do side by side as the seasonings vary).
>
> Stretchers were adding the tilapia, and adding the bell peppers to more than
> a garnish so they make a sizable serving.

I've been thinking about what to have handy in case more people show up
to our Solstice party than we're expecting. This makes James laugh,
because I *always* worry there won't be enough food, and there's
*always* way more than we need.

The one exception is the bizarre thanksgiving when I mashed ten or
twenty pounds of potatoes and they disappeared as though they'd been
sucked into a vortex. Still, there was plenty of other food to make up
for it.

Serene

On Tue 17 Jun 2008 12:38:51p, Serene Vannoy told us...

> cshenk wrote:
>> "hahabogus" wrote
>>
>> > not answer the door. I believe this is a class thing...I never had
>> > money
>>> as a child or as an adult....some folks never had to worry about money
>>> and sticking strictly to a budget. To them dropping by at meal time is
>>> no big thing. But to a strict budgeter it could mean a missed or lean
>>> meal later in the week. This is a hold out from the depression IMO.
>>
>> Humm, I'm thinking this works in the reverse now. More apt to be us
>> 'lowly economic folks' that do this now.
>>
>> Mi casa is su casa.
>
> In my house, it didn't depend on how much we had, we shared what we had.
> In fact, in hard times, it's even more important that neighbors be
> neighborly, and that friends are willing to share with each other.
>
> Serene

I guess every household is different in some way. Both my parents were
very generous. They loved to entertain and did so frequently. I know that
they hosted many more dinners than they attended elsewhere. However,
neither of them (my mother in particular) like the prospect of "drop in for
dinner" folks knocking on the door. OTOH, it was common for my mother to
prepare food or baked goods and take to someone she knew could benefit from
it. I suppose they lacked spontaneity, as do I. I/we always have
something planned, and I don't like having our plans interrupted. Call me
first. If it's convenient, then you're welcome to anything I've got. If
it's not, then I'll try to arrange a time that is.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 06(VI)/17(XVII)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
A motion to adjourn is always in order.
-------------------------------------------

"Serene Vannoy" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> I've been thinking about what to have handy in case more people show up to
> our Solstice party than we're expecting. This makes James laugh, because I
> *always* worry there won't be enough food, and there's *always* way more
> than we need.
>
> The one exception is the bizarre thanksgiving when I mashed ten or twenty
> pounds of potatoes and they disappeared as though they'd been sucked into
> a vortex. Still, there was plenty of other food to make up for it.
>
> Serene

I have been into carrot and raisin salad in recent months. You can always
keep carrots as long as you want. Same for raisins. (I actually like it
better with dried cranberries) So it's something you can always be prepared
to make and serve and I like it a lot.

On Mon 16 Jun 2008 11:02:44a, Christine Dabney told us...

> This is to everyone else: do you tend to keep your pantry stocked
> enough so that you can extend a meal if necessary??

Not really. I don't expect uninvited guests. In that case, I would
suggest we all go out out eat.

Both the freezer and pantry are well stocked with many items, but not with
the particular thought of stretching a meal. I mean, one certainly could
concoct a very decent meal out of what's there, but it's not something one
could easily do on a moment's notice if people suddenly arrived.

David and I both hate leftovers, and so when I cook almost anything, it is
with that in mind that I cook two portions of each item. It usually
wouldn't be easy to "stretch" that to feed 5-6 people. Exceptions,
certainly are pots of chili and pasta sauce, stews, and soups.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 06(VI)/17(XVII)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
We all have faults, and mine is being
wicked.
-------------------------------------------

On Tue 17 Jun 2008 02:01:34p, Giusi told us...

> "Serene Vannoy" > ha scritto nel messaggio
>> I've been thinking about what to have handy in case more people show up
>> to our Solstice party than we're expecting. This makes James laugh,
>> because I *always* worry there won't be enough food, and there's
>> *always* way more than we need.
>>
>> The one exception is the bizarre thanksgiving when I mashed ten or
>> twenty pounds of potatoes and they disappeared as though they'd been
>> sucked into a vortex. Still, there was plenty of other food to make up
>> for it.
>>
>> Serene
>
> I have been into carrot and raisin salad in recent months. You can
> always keep carrots as long as you want. Same for raisins. (I actually
> like it better with dried cranberries) So it's something you can always
> be prepared to make and serve and I like it a lot.
>
>
>

That is a favorite of mine, and now I'll have to try it with dried
cranberries, which are also a favorite dried fruit. My mother would
sometimes put crushed pineapple it it, as well.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 06(VI)/17(XVII)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
I may rise, but I refuse to shine.
-------------------------------------------

Serene Vannoy wrote:
> My friends know that 7pm is dinner here, and around once a week, someone
> takes me up on my open-door dinner policy and crashes dinner. I love
> this. Sometimes it's easy to make another plate, because there's a pot
> of chili on the stove or something. Tonight it was a little more tricky,
> since I had just enough of the main dish for three people. It was
> store-bought ravioli, for which I'd made a tomato sauce. I'd also
> roasted a couple heads of garlic to put on slices of baguette, and
> roasted a small amount of green beans (enough for three generous
> servings, or four small ones).
>
> My guest showed up around 6:45, so I quickly got out another pot and
> boiled up some spaghetti. I tossed it with butter/salt/pepper/parmesan,
> and cut more slices of baguette. The guest helped with putting roasted
> garlic and butter on the bread slices, and dinner went off without a
> hitch, and without a mention of having planned on having less food. She
> may have thought it was weird having two pasta dishes on the plate, but
> she didn't say anything. I figured, heck, you can get half-and-half at
> some Italian places. :-)
>
> Do you have any stretching-dinner stories? I know some of you don't
> like it when people show up unannounced, and I totally understand that,
> but my friends have my express permission to do so, so any intimation
> that she was being rude will be dismissed as silly.

When we have unexpected dinner guests it generally doesn't cause too
much trouble because I always plan for an extra two or three servings of
whatever protein I'm making so as to have enough for lunches the next
day (we can always have pb&j instead).

Slicing up the main dish myself before serving usually results in
smaller serving sizes than letting teenaged boys carve off their own
hunks of meat.

Adding a loaf of garlic bread and/or a bowl of pasta with garlic butter
and parmesan cheese, a plate full of sliced fresh fruit or a bowl of
grapes or cherries and a gallon of milk is usually plenty to fill in the
gaps.

If the kids are still peckish afterwards they always have permission to
raid the freezer for ice cream, or they can make brownies.

"Wayne Boatwright" > ha scritto nel messaggio
6.120...
> On Tue 17 Jun 2008 02:01:34p, Giusi told us...
>
>> "Serene Vannoy" > ha scritto nel messaggio
>>> I've been thinking about what to have handy in case more people show up
>> I have been into carrot and raisin salad in recent months. >>
>>
>
> That is a favorite of mine, and now I'll have to try it with dried
> cranberries, which are also a favorite dried fruit. My mother would
> sometimes put crushed pineapple it it, as well.

Would you believe no crushed pineapple here? Slices or nothing. I found
myself mincing canned pineapple one day and stopped and said, "What am I
doing? What have I come to?" Same for creamed corn. I sit around and
wonder what is the most efficient way to fale it using niblets. Weird.

On Tue 17 Jun 2008 02:48:59p, Giusi told us...

> "Wayne Boatwright" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> 6.120...
>> On Tue 17 Jun 2008 02:01:34p, Giusi told us...
>>
>>> "Serene Vannoy" > ha scritto nel messaggio
>>>> I've been thinking about what to have handy in case more people show
up
>>> I have been into carrot and raisin salad in recent months. >>
>>>
>>
>> That is a favorite of mine, and now I'll have to try it with dried
>> cranberries, which are also a favorite dried fruit. My mother would
>> sometimes put crushed pineapple it it, as well.
>
> Would you believe no crushed pineapple here? Slices or nothing. I found
> myself mincing canned pineapple one day and stopped and said, "What am I
> doing? What have I come to?" Same for creamed corn. I sit around and
> wonder what is the most efficient way to fale it using niblets. Weird.
>

I do find it odd, especially with as many wonderful food Italy has to
offer, that there is no crushed pineapple.

I have what I suppose is an American version of Zuppa Inglese, which has 3
sponge layers which are doused liberally with a rum, water, sugar solution,
then filled with a layer of a chocolate boiled custard on the first layer
and a pineapple boiled custard on the second layer. It definitely calls
for crushed pineapple in the latter filling. The whole of the cake is then
frosted with Italian meringue. It's one of my favorite desserts.

As to the corn, I don't care for the commercial creamed variety. If you
want to fake it with niblets, may I suggest making *almost* a puree in the
food processor of about 2/3 of the total volume. Then process the
remaining 1/3 until only barely chopped. Add enough milk to achieve the
liqudity you prefer, and finally a small amount of cornstarch. Before
serving, stir in a small amount of softened butter.

I also do basically the same thing using corn cut fresh from the cob, but
in that case, I am also able to cut the kernals off not too deeply and then
scrape the "cream" from the cob.



--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 06(VI)/17(XVII)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
It's Ensign Pillsbury! He's bread, Jim!
-------------------------------------------

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> I do find it odd, especially with as many wonderful food Italy has to
> offer, that there is no crushed pineapple.
>
> I have what I suppose is an American version of Zuppa Inglese, which has 3
> sponge layers which are doused liberally with a rum, water, sugar solution,
> then filled with a layer of a chocolate boiled custard on the first layer
> and a pineapple boiled custard on the second layer. It definitely calls
> for crushed pineapple in the latter filling. The whole of the cake is then
> frosted with Italian meringue. It's one of my favorite desserts.

Zuppa Inglese doesn't have pineapple in it.
My father always spoke fondly of the cakes his Zia Victoria made with
all teh creamy custard, cake, candied fruit, chocolate bits and what a
huge production these were and how he loved her for her efforts!

Goomba wrote:
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>> I do find it odd, especially with as many wonderful food Italy has to
>> offer, that there is no crushed pineapple.
>>
>> I have what I suppose is an American version of Zuppa Inglese, which
>> has 3 sponge layers which are doused liberally with a rum, water,
>> sugar solution, then filled with a layer of a chocolate boiled custard
>> on the first layer and a pineapple boiled custard on the second
>> layer. It definitely calls for crushed pineapple in the latter
>> filling. The whole of the cake is then frosted with Italian
>> meringue. It's one of my favorite desserts.
>
> Zuppa Inglese doesn't have pineapple in it.
> My father always spoke fondly of the cakes his Zia Victoria made with
> all teh creamy custard, cake, candied fruit, chocolate bits and what a
> huge production these were and how he loved her for her efforts!

Doesn't HAVE to HAVE pineapple in it... that's what I thought I'd typed?
Meaning the inclusion or lack thereof of pineapple isn't a qualifyer to
calling it zuppa Inglese, y'know?

On Tue 17 Jun 2008 04:09:36p, Goomba told us...

> Goomba wrote:
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>
>>> I do find it odd, especially with as many wonderful food Italy has to
>>> offer, that there is no crushed pineapple.
>>>
>>> I have what I suppose is an American version of Zuppa Inglese, which
>>> has 3 sponge layers which are doused liberally with a rum, water,
>>> sugar solution, then filled with a layer of a chocolate boiled custard
>>> on the first layer and a pineapple boiled custard on the second
>>> layer. It definitely calls for crushed pineapple in the latter
>>> filling. The whole of the cake is then frosted with Italian
>>> meringue. It's one of my favorite desserts.
>>
>> Zuppa Inglese doesn't have pineapple in it.
>> My father always spoke fondly of the cakes his Zia Victoria made with
>> all teh creamy custard, cake, candied fruit, chocolate bits and what a
>> huge production these were and how he loved her for her efforts!
>
> Doesn't HAVE to HAVE pineapple in it... that's what I thought I'd typed?
> Meaning the inclusion or lack thereof of pineapple isn't a qualifyer to
> calling it zuppa Inglese, y'know?
>

Gotcha... I have eaten a number of different versions of zuppe Inglese,
all of which I enjoyed. There was a very old Italian restaurant in
CLeveland, The New York Spaghetti House, which served a version much like
you described with the candied fruits and bits of chocolate, every bit as
good I thought as one that was homemade.

I think no matter what version you make, it's a considerable effort to
pull it all together. I make it perhaps once a year, and never at the
holidays because of all the effort going into a holiday meal. Most often I
will make it for a birthday cake.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 06(VI)/17(XVII)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Sleep is for sissies.
-------------------------------------------

"Wayne Boatwright" > ha scritto nel messaggio

snipped fattening cake!

> As to the corn, I don't care for the commercial creamed variety. If you
> want to fake it with niblets, may I suggest making *almost* a puree in the
> food processor of about 2/3 of the total volume. Then process the
> remaining 1/3 until only barely chopped. Add enough milk to achieve the
> liqudity you prefer, and finally a small amount of cornstarch. Before
> serving, stir in a small amount of softened butter.

I don't want to serve it but make corn chowder of it. New Englanders like
that. I probably won't do it, but it's the kind of thing that floats
through my mind.
And cheddar cheese -- that's such a universal lack for Brit and US expats
that any siting is reported like an alien report.
>
> I also do basically the same thing using corn cut fresh from the cob, but
> in that case, I am also able to cut the kernals off not too deeply and
> then
> scrape the "cream" from the cob.
>
>
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright
> -------------------------------------------
> Tuesday, 06(VI)/17(XVII)/08(MMVIII)
> -------------------------------------------
> -------------------------------------------
> It's Ensign Pillsbury! He's bread, Jim!
> -------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>

"Goomba" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>

>> I have what I suppose is an American version of Zuppa Inglese,

> Zuppa Inglese doesn't have pineapple in it.
> My father always spoke fondly of the cakes his Zia Victoria made with all
> teh creamy custard, cake, candied fruit, chocolate bits and what a huge
> production these were and how he loved her for her efforts!

Fortunately, these rich desserts are only for feasts. With all these
gorgeous girls running around half dressed, old ladies have to have
something for which they are adored.

On Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:47:07 +0200, "Giusi" >
wrote:

>
>
>"Wayne Boatwright" > ha scritto nel messaggio
>
>snipped fattening cake!
>
>> As to the corn, I don't care for the commercial creamed variety. If you
>> want to fake it with niblets, may I suggest making *almost* a puree in the
>> food processor of about 2/3 of the total volume. Then process the
>> remaining 1/3 until only barely chopped. Add enough milk to achieve the
>> liqudity you prefer, and finally a small amount of cornstarch. Before
>> serving, stir in a small amount of softened butter.
>
>I don't want to serve it but make corn chowder of it. New Englanders like
>that.

LOL! Love it!

>I probably won't do it, but it's the kind of thing that floats
>through my mind.

Corn Chowder floats *my* boat.

>And cheddar cheese -- that's such a universal lack for Brit and US expats
>that any siting is reported like an alien report.

Ehhh, cheddar cheese.... waffling on the thought.... Nope, I want to
taste the corn, not the cheese - won't do it.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

"sf" <.> ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> On Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:47:07 +0200, "Giusi" >
> wrote:
I don't want to serve it but make corn chowder of it. New Englanders like
>>that.
>
> LOL! Love it!
>
>>I probably won't do it, but it's the kind of thing that floats
>>through my mind.
>
> Corn Chowder floats *my* boat.
>
>>And cheddar cheese -- that's such a universal lack for Brit and US expats
>>that any siting is reported like an alien report.
>
> Ehhh, cheddar cheese.... waffling on the thought.... Nope, I want to
> taste the corn, not the cheese - won't do it.
>
Not for the chowder, silly. For life in general. You have no idea how much
you'll miss it until it's gone. Remnember, there's no fake cheddar, either
to fill in.

On Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:56:11 +0200, "Giusi" >
wrote:

>"sf" <.> ha scritto nel messaggio
>>
>>>And cheddar cheese -- that's such a universal lack for Brit and US expats
>>>that any siting is reported like an alien report.
>>
>> Ehhh, cheddar cheese.... waffling on the thought.... Nope, I want to
>> taste the corn, not the cheese - won't do it.
>>
>Not for the chowder, silly. For life in general. You have no idea how much
>you'll miss it until it's gone. Remnember, there's no fake cheddar, either
>to fill in.
>
Oh, man... I really *did* think you meant corn chowder with cheddar
cheese in it. <hanging head>

I'm not a huge "yellow" cheese fan (hubby loves that stuff). I'm
white cheese fan.... double or triple cream brie, cambezola and
Jarlsberg are at the top of my list.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On Tue 17 Jun 2008 11:49:28p, Giusi told us...

> "Goomba" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> ...
>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>
>
>>> I have what I suppose is an American version of Zuppa Inglese,
>
>> Zuppa Inglese doesn't have pineapple in it.
>> My father always spoke fondly of the cakes his Zia Victoria made with
all
>> teh creamy custard, cake, candied fruit, chocolate bits and what a huge
>> production these were and how he loved her for her efforts!
>
> Fortunately, these rich desserts are only for feasts. With all these
> gorgeous girls running around half dressed, old ladies have to have
> something for which they are adored.
>
>
>

:-)

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Wednesday, 06(VI)/18(XVIII)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
A cat is a four footed allergen.
-------------------------------------------