Text 6431, 129 rader
Skriven 2008-05-02 21:09:27 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
   Kommentar till text 6353 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
Ärende: picnic                                                   [1]
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Hi Janis,

>> No, she never did.. I think her English blood prevented that (bg)..
 JK> > Then I can "blame" my mom's German blood? (G)

 JK> I don't know :)  I know my MIL wasn't big on Italian food :)  She'd
 JK> enjoy it now and again if they'd have it somewhere and it was
 JK> especially good but she never cared to try to change the way she made
 JK> sauce, that's all.. She liked very bland foods.

My dad had stomach troubles (never formally diagnosed as ulcers) and
liked bland foods as well.  He'd tolerate Italian about every couple of
weeks but it had to be really mild.  Mom still cooks that way; if
anything, it's worse (blander) than when I was a kid. Then, too, I've
changed my food tastes to much more use of herbs & spices than I grew up
having.


 JK> > What Ron experienced when you married him sounds about like the
 JK> change > in eating I made when I married Steve.  My heritage is all

 JK> Ron's dad also cooked though.. he did a lot of cooking later in his
 JK> life too.. He could really make incredibly great stews.. and hams.. it
 JK> was one of those things you just never expected, and he just started
 JK> doing this..

My dad is doing more but it's still pretty much the same old bland &
boring.  He started after he retired but Mom was still working--he may
do things in a different manner but it's not any different in taste. He
will do sauce in a crock pot vs the stove top (actually, she used to use
an electric fry pan, probably still does) my mom used/uses.

>> ("Hey, those aren't done enough to steal them yet!!" (g))

 JK> > Have to stand over the sauce pot with a couple of wooden spoons--one
 JK> for > stirring, the other for spanking hands that try to sneak a meat
 JK> ball?

 JK> haha, yep..

That'll be one way of ensuring the meat balls are still there at serving
time.


>> that long, it should be fine really.  The real trick is in the simmer,
>> not letting it boil.  Sometimes I put the whole large pot of sauce in
>> one of my cast iron skillets to slow things down in the extreme ..
>> that does the trick (g).

 JK> > What is size pot do you use?  For this one, I would probably use an
 JK> 8 > quart one to fit all the sauce and meat.  Do you want me to bring
 JK> one or > what?

 JK> I have plenty of huge pots..hehe.. but I'll get an accurate list
 JK> hopefully tonight, of what's here so everyone knows.. just in case
 JK> there's something that anyone does need to bring along those lines..

OK, depending on what you post, I may/may not need to bring a big pot.


>> It allows the cheese to firm up.  If you don't do that, you get runny
>> lasagne.

 JK> > That's generally why I've double baked mine.  Maybe if I let it
 JK> stand > for a bit, I wouldn't have to. Something to think about.

 JK> Yes, there's a difference between letting it stand to firm up, and
 JK> double-baking...the Ricotta's texture would lose some of it's
 JK> creaminess perhaps? Not sure if it would make a difference.

We've gotten to like it that way.  The cheese is a bit drier but not
enough to change the taste.  The reheatings after that dry it out enough
that it isn't as creamy.


>> > I usually bake mine once, then freeze.  When I want to serve it,
>> I'll > thaw it, then bake again. I do it at 350F.  It seems to firm up

>> Yes, it would.. because freezing removes some of the moisture.

 JK> > Tho this one I probably won't freeze, just fridge.  Altho, it may be
 JK> a > smart idea to make it the first day we're at my folks, freeze it
 JK> and
 JK> > then let it thaw in Windsor.

 JK> True..

I think that will be my best bet. That way I can make a small pan for my
folks to have as well--maybe enough to put some in the freezer for
later.

>> that we ripped out between the two kitchens. There  is some
>> counterspace remaining, but not very much... but I don't think we'll
>> run into very big problems though :)

 JK> > Probably not, we didn't seem to have problems with that last year. I
 JK> did > my peach cobbler about mid morning so it could sit & cool a bit
 JK> while > others were cooking.  I'll have the lasagne made so won't need
 JK> to spread > out to do that, just room for doing the meat balls and
 JK> bracciole.

I'm thinking I probably won't make a cobbler this year--maybe let Steve
do one?


>> Fibromyalgia, and that's a painful one..

 JK> > Then maybe we will see her at the picnic? I've enough aches and
 JK> pains > that I can sympathise with your mom.

 JK> Not sure.. I talked with her today, and she was pretty miserable.. no
 JK> talk of the summer visit yet.. I don't push when she's feeling crummy
 JK> because I know it just makes her feel worse.. Hopefully she'll have a
 JK> good day tomorrow and she'll call me back with some plans in mind :)

I know; some days I've got lots of energy to start and then all of a
sudden...............poof!; it's gone.  Other days I start slow and end
up getting a burst of energy that lets me get a lot done.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly@earthlink.net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


... If you focus only on the thorns you will miss the beauty of the rose.

--- PPoint 3.01
 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)