The Best Of... discussion

Made some of my herbed-parmesan pizza crusts, several four inch and a few six inch tonight. This damn job has me turned around, cleaning the kitchen and baking at night. I used one, broke up some thick mushroom pieces, a little pesto, cut up a couple of those little mozzarella balls marinated with garlic and vegetables, a little Canadian bacon (didn't feel like messing with the proscuitto tonight, topped it with more parmesan and baked it. Great with the Botabox pinot grigio I have in the fridge. Shoulda made a six inch!

Oh well, I've got those shortbread and coffee mascarpone cookies I made this morning.

My friend's place is for sale, thirty-nine acres, pasture and woods, horse fenced, ponds, well and utility water, plenty of wild game — deer and turkey you can hunt from the front porch — one existing five bedroom, three bath completely customized house, pool, and several more house sites on the property, one with electricity and water ready and waiting . . .

We'd eat well! :D

Renee wrote: "Made some of my herbed-parmesan pizza crusts, several four inch and a few six inch tonight. This damn job has me turned around, cleaning the kitchen and baking at night. I used one, broke up some t..."

I can't hunt, I get too upset- I'm a hypocrite.
Sounds ideal though!

Having dogs who hunt — and eat what they kill — took some of that out of me, although I'm pretty sure it would be hard to look a living, breathing animal in the eye and then extinguish that life. I try to think about it every time I eat meat, with an attitude of reverence in the spirit of ancient forebears.

And, having worked with cattle for several years . . . well, there were a couple I wasn't all that worked up over putting in the freezer, lol. Some of 'em were real assholes. Like those bedamned Whiteface (Herefords).

I am sure it is more humane to kill what you eat yourself- I just don't have to think about it so I don't. My sister became a vegetarian at age 15 after she read an article in Time mag on this topic. It had that much of an effect on her.

sign me up. run over my neck with the tractor. u can keep my SSI check just throw cookies @ my face.

Cookies are a valuable resource....; into the pot you go! :}

youre one of those people from city confidential who sign people up for life insurance and then kill them by cookie overdose. count me out.

renee why arent you making tres leche cake? *glares

Because I haven't decided on what kind of birthday cake to make myself for Sunday.

I'm leaning toward developing a sort of mocha/espresso/version of Italian Creme cake though. With dark chocolate ganache, maybe mascarpone filling between a couple of the layers, maybe even, instead of making four layers, making three and splitting them into six thinner layers. Hmmm . . . maybe some sort of blackberry or raspberry infusion in the mascarpone . . .

Oh, and never fear, cookies are an easily renewable resource :D

that sounds great

FrankenStan wrote: "sign me up. run over my neck with the tractor. u can keep my SSI check just throw cookies @ my face."

So that's what you look like!

Renee wrote: "Because I haven't decided on what kind of birthday cake to make myself for Sunday.

I'm leaning toward developing a sort of mocha/espresso/version of Italian Creme cake though. With dark chocolate ..."

Renee it seems to me from reading about your cooking you could market it somehow.

I keep pondering that, Karen. Especially since I fill a growing niche — gluten free, and I'm working on adaptations that use alternative sweeteners and sugars, and flour/meal combos that lower the glycemic index of goodies that are notoriously high glycemic.

Discovering I was reactive to gluten has actually made me a better cook and baker, not just in nutritive value, but in the real quality and taste. Using the RIGHT blend of flours to get a desired result is far better than the old, one-size-fits all standard wheat flour, and I've had to learn to understand the way ingredients work, and react together.

Probably should do a cookbook at some point, but one that's technique-centric, that lets people learn how to take a recipe and make it their own and have the confidence to experiment.

I notice you all skipped right past my suggestion of cannibalism.

Interesting. Cultish. But...., interesting. :}

Well, I have proposed that war could be cut back drastically if a) whoever declares the war has to be on the front line, every day; b) all combat would be conducted with weapons that forced combatants to face each other, personally, no long distance weapons; c) you have to eat what you kill.

im sure cannabilism was in one of the city confidential episodes

yeh renee ,you can be the Stuart Smalley of baking.

Little Rock. Barbecue at Huckabee's. Special sauce.

Great episode.

mwha ha haaa

GlutenFree Cannibals.

Band name?? :}

But cannabis is naturally gluten free!

E.D. wrote: "GlutenFree Cannibals.

Band name?? :}"

YES! I love it.

Renee wrote: "I keep pondering that, Karen. Especially since I fill a growing niche — gluten free, and I'm working on adaptations that use alternative sweeteners and sugars, and flour/meal combos that lower the ..."

Your cooking tempts me. And if you can make a good gluten-free pizza crust . . .!! The last one I tasted had a kindergarten paste texture and I felt fortunate that it had no taste whatever.

E.D. wrote: "I notice you all skipped right past my suggestion of cannibalism.

Interesting. Cultish. But...., interesting. :}"

There is always vampirism, which happens in communes if a freeloader worms their way in. I didn't live in a deliberately thought-out commune, but did live with 10 people (if you include kids). Several species of vampire I recall: economic, spiritual, childcare and housework, attention whether negative or positive. There were some genuinely generous peeps too, most of them didn't stay long.

I am not saying it can't be done, however, and still holds some appeal for me. Living with people was for me either the best or the worst with little in between.

My friend, Jake, and I, along with several others (all die-hard dog people), used to dream about setting up Buckshot Island. A true anarchy, where everyone was responsible for their own actions — and the consequences thereof.

Oh, and Kallie, a quick trick for GF pizza crust that I use when I'm in a hurry is to start off with the Chebe brand mix, either their pizza or focaccia (for thick crust). They've based their whole line from the traditional Brazilian Pao de Queijo. When I use them, I tweak (of course, I can't resist), with herbs and cheese, maybe a little garlic, although I'm not a big garlic user in general. No waiting for it to rise, no fuss, especially if you have a stand mixer. I can have crusts ready for the oven in ten minutes that way and they're better than pretty much any regular pizza crust I've ever had.

For me to praise a mix is . . . well, it's gotta be really good, lol!

For my next trick, I think I'm going to try making GF brioche.

Renee wrote: "Oh, and Kallie, a quick trick for GF pizza crust that I use when I'm in a hurry is to start off with the Chebe brand mix, either their pizza or focaccia (for thick crust). They've based their whole..."

Thanks! That sounds great. And let me know about the brioche too.