Text 31475, 108 rader
Skriven 2012-11-29 21:34:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: not my style 637
========================
 NB> Always nice when something done as an make-shift alternative turns out
 NB> well...  :)  Your squash must have turned out really well, too...  As
 NB> to the onions, they were always a Thanksgiving favorite at our Backus
 NB> gathering... I never seemed to have them any other time, but Mom made
 NB> them so nicely, I always managed to eat more than I intended...  ;)

I used to be semi-part of a household that had to have its
creamed onions, which was more a solid mass than you would
expect from the name - extremely, er, nourishing, as it
consisted of layers of onions, crushed saltines, heavy heavy
white sauce, and grated sharp Cheddar, in that order. It was,
I admit, pretty good, and after leaving that family I sort of
missed it and introduced that artery-clogging mess to various
others. This time in a nod to the fact that I was planning to
eat a fair quantity of the stuff - and so neglected to remind
my hostess to procure some milk - I used a beef gravy, so the
end result was sort of like onion soup without not so much
soup in it.

 ML> Very simple. About 4 lb squash, roasted and then mashed with
 ML> 1/2 stick of butter and a sprinkle of salt. No herbs, no fancy
 ML> sweet spices, not even pepper. The roasting intensified both
 ML> flavor and sweetness. I am not sure if there are enough to make
 ML> the planned-for Saturday ravioli with.

I can claim no credit for the tastiness of the vegetable,
which must have been nice and sweet to begin with. 

 NB> Shoulda made three, I guess...  (G)

And as it turns out there was plenty for the ravioli filling
and also for risotto the day after. I should have made a double
recipe of ravioli, though, as they disappeared rapidly.

 ML> Speaking of which, the n/a beverage of the day was Florida's Natural
 ML> cranberry grapefruit cocktail (30% juice), which tasted pleasantly
 ML> of grapefruit and cane sugar - I was surprised how welcome the real
 ML> sugar was. No cranberry taste at all, but a nice pink color. 
 NB> Was it maybe made with white cranberries...?

Hum. White cranberries and pink grapefruit vs. red cranberries
and white grapefruit. I hadn't thought of that.

White cranberries to me are pretty useless - they're just
unripe berries, after all, lacking much flavor at all.

==

 ML> hold off until Christmas day, I can get there for the now
 ML> bargain price of $211. Probably won't do that, though.
 NB> Weighing the benefits of bargain price against the benefits of being
 NB> there for the whole holiday, eh...?

Something like that. But with Billy gone, it is unclear how
much Annie wants me around; once she gets over the acute phase
I'll inquire. There is not going to be a funeral, by the way -
just a memorial service sometime later, perhaps when the weather
gets nice again.

 NB>> So the potatoes are substituting for the eggplant...?
 ML> Not really - the Serb version apparently never had it. 
 NB> Perhaps better stated, the Serb version uses potatoes where we expect
 NB> eggplant... 
 
Yeah. So I am not eager to actually try Serbian musaka, as I
enjoy eggplant more than potatoes to the same degree that I
prefer bacon to tempeh.

 NB>>> We've found over the years that our cats tend to be only mildly
 NB>>> lactose intolerant...
 ML>> Lucky - most critters totally lose the ability to digest
 ML>> dairy foods, same as me.
 NB> Most of them have been fairly young when they came to live with us...
 NB> might have something to do with it, dunno...

So they never lost the knack, you think?

 ML> now the very small quantities might not manifest themselves
 ML> until the most embarrassing possible time. Like one minute
 ML> before boarding a plane, just enough time to pee, but whoops,
 ML> and I'll leave the rest to your imagination.
 NB> Sounds like an application or corollary of Murphy's Law...  ;)

Murphy chases me around every corner, and not in a good sense.

Green plantain chips
categories: Caribbean, snack
yield: 1 batch

1 lg unripe plantain (1 lb)
oil for deep frying
salt

Peel the plantain. This is more difficult than peeling a
banana, because the skin is tougher. You may have to use a
knife to cut starter cuts in the skin before you unzip it.
Remove all the stringy bits from the outside. Slice
plantain paper-thin.

Fry at 375F in batches of a dozen chips for 3 - 4 min or
until golden. Drain on paper towels and salt to taste.

from T/L Caribbean


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