Back to previous post: Amazement

Go to Making Light's front page.

Forward to next post: Want to Buy an Ambulance?

Subscribe (via RSS) to this post's comment thread. (What does this mean? Here's a quick introduction.)

November 19, 2008

Cooking With Light (Recipe Index)
Posted by Jim Macdonald at 02:47 PM * 151 comments

An index to the recipes at Making Light.

Thanksgiving in particular:

Parties in General: Salad: Soup: Entrees: Savories Sides Desserts: Breakfast: Beverages: Bread: Mormon cooking:
  • La cuisine du Nouveau Sion (incl: Funeral Potatoes (two versions), Pretzel Jello, Quick and Creamy Fruit Salad, Pistachio Salad, Orange Sherbet Salad, Mormon Pioneer Salad, Jello Plum Pudding (a Christmas dessert), and Missionary Dessert (Bishop’s Dessert))
  • Stuffed Squash Deseret
Ingredients: Links: Related Interest
Comments on Cooking With Light (Recipe Index):
#1 ::: James D. Macdonald ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 02:51 PM:

Think of this as a work in progress: if other posts have recipes, suggest them; if my fellow mods want to re-categorize or alphabetize or otherwise overachieve, they are welcome to do so; and as other recipes are posted in the months and years to come, they should be added to this list.

#2 ::: Lori Coulson ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:04 PM:

Jim -- Doesn't the post, What is it with Fruitcake?, have recipes or links to some?

#3 ::: R. M. Koske ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:07 PM:

Lori, you beat me to it. The main post has a link, and at least one person contributed a recipe in the comments.

(As an aside, I seem to be unable to spell "comments" correctly today. *sigh*)

#4 ::: abi ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:07 PM:

The contrast between this and the poison thread amuses me.

#5 ::: R. M. Koske ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:08 PM:

And I should have said - it's lovely lovely idea to have a post collecting the main foodie threads. Thank you.

#6 ::: James D. Macdonald ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:16 PM:

Help me out here, kids. When suggesting a thread, please post the link here too.

(If you need to know how to make a link live: It's <A HREF="[URL]">Noun Name</A>)

#7 ::: abi ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:19 PM:

Jim,

Caught the fruitcake one already, and added one other that sprang to mind.

But yeah, folks, links are yummy.

#8 ::: Xopher ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:33 PM:

Are you linking to specific recipes given in the comments, or only the main posts? If the former, I respectfully submit my Black Hole Brownies of Death. Of course, that's under Jon Singer's Turkey Algorithm.

#9 ::: East of Weston ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:34 PM:

You left out the one I've frequently made: A savory pie for the first day of winter. It works nicely with ground turkey mixed with Penzey's breakfast sausage seasoning. (Although I've been tempted to buy the venison sausage seasoning just for this dish.)

#10 ::: Madeleine Robins ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:35 PM:

What a lovely compendium!

#11 ::: abi ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:36 PM:

I'm gonna let Jim do the adds for the moment...he and I have been edit-warring, which at one point made The Vanishing Gibson, well, vanish.

And Jim, I removed the heading I'd added and just put all the salads together.

#12 ::: Skwid ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 03:55 PM:

I posted my recipe for Schadenfreude Cookies in Open Thread 91

Another favorite: Nancy C's "Flourosphere" recipe in All glory.

#13 ::: Debbie ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 04:22 PM:

I'm in heaven. (The White Ziti recipe has been made regularly here -- when all 4 family members snarf something down, it is a keeper.)

There were a number of ginger recipes in the AP to negotiate with sham “Media Bloggers Association" thread.

And not so much with the recipes, but there's a lot of good beverage information in Chimay Ale.

People were sharing recipes at Passover this year, too, but darned if I know which thread now.

#14 ::: Linkmeister ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 04:44 PM:

From the post title I expected solar as a heat source, or maybe a takeoff on the old Valerie Carter song.

#15 ::: vian ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 04:52 PM:

In a marvelous display of serendipity, this was in my mail this morning.

Roast Peppers a La Water - yum.

#16 ::: Andrew Plotkin ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 05:03 PM:

vian@15: I am slain.

#17 ::: Janet Croft ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 05:58 PM:

Vian @ 15, that is the silliest thing. Now I have to send it to lots of people! Several of mine have ended with "Go down to the pub" or "Order out," which is what you would have to do if you attempted one of these...

#18 ::: Caroline ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 06:05 PM:

The random recipe generator reminds me of writing recipes when I was tiny. My mother kept one that called for 3 cups of ketchup and 8 cups of salt.

#19 ::: Kathryn from Sunnyvale ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 06:07 PM:

Vian @15,

Better than Epicurious, that. I think I'll stop with "Zingy Plain Flour And Pinches Of Salt Soup."

Bittman has added an update to the No Knead Bread recipe he had two years ago-- Faster no-knead bread (if the NYTimes links don't work, the recipe is much-copied on the web). Tasty and still provides the benefits of the original recipe. (I haven't tried the whole-grain version.)

#20 ::: vian ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 06:25 PM:

My mother kept one that called for 3 cups of ketchup and 8 cups of salt.

Good god! That'd cure anything!

*ducks*
*runs*

hmmmm ... ducks ...

#21 ::: Stefan Jones ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 06:38 PM:

I was just reading a thread at Whitechapel in which Thomas Kinkade is being mocked.

I hope "cooking with light" is nothing like "painting with light."

#22 ::: Ginger ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 06:44 PM:

Every time I see "Cooking with Light" it reminds me of the classic paper from JIR, "Cooking With Potential Energy", in which the authors describe throwing a frozen turkey off the top of a building repeatedly. The well-done turkey was apparently quite tender.

#23 ::: Teresa Nielsen Hayden ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 07:08 PM:

Vian, I laughed myself silly over that thing. Here's the best one so far:

Anchovies Supreme
Serves 4
You will need:
* 2 spoons of mayonnaise
* 140g bacon
* 5 oxo cubes
* 130g anchovies
* 150ml cream
Instructions:

1. pre-heat the oven to 220 C
2. throw the oxo cubes away
3. sift the cream
4. melt the cream
5. discard the cream
6. grill the anchovies
7. put the bacon in the saucepan
8. fry the spoons of mayonnaise
9. bake for 40 minutes and serve hot

Yum.

It's like something out of a Charlie Stross Laundry novel.

#24 ::: James D. Macdonald ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 07:11 PM:

#23 Anchovies Supreme

... I think I actually had that in the Fleet.

#25 ::: Caroline ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 07:21 PM:

So I kept reloading the recipe generator, thinking that the monkeys with typewriters principle would eventually apply. Then I got bored and went and did other things. I just now came back and clicked on the link again, and lo and behold:

Cloves Of Garlic Bake
Serves 4
You will need:
4 oxo cubes
110g ham
3 sprigs of asparagus
4 cloves of garlic
Instructions:
pre-heat the oven to 200 C
sauté the oxo cubes
stir-fry the sprigs of asparagus
toast the cloves of garlic
grill the ham
bake for 50 minutes and serve hot
Yum.

It actually sounds good. Just a few tweaks of quantity (more asparagus, a bit more ham) and add a white sauce, and it sounds like brunch to me.

#27 ::: punkrockhockeymom ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 07:38 PM:

Oh, Jim, this is so well timed, and not just in the obvious "Thanksgiving Is Next Week" sort of way. I won't go in to all of the angsty personal why's and how's, but really. Thanksgiving recipes are welcomed 'round PRHM's homestead right now. I was fixing to delve into the ML archives Friday night in time to shop on Saturday.

THANKS.

#28 ::: Magenta Griffith ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 07:56 PM:

Jim Macdonald, thank you very, very much. I'm going through the early winter doldrums and the switch from summer foods to winter foods. This is very needed.

And vian @15, that is the silliest thing I've seen in days and days, and again, very needed to combat the doldrums.

#29 ::: Allan Beatty ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 08:06 PM:

Okay, I googled for oxo cubes, and the first result also advertised Marmite, so I am wary. ;-)

#30 ::: xeger ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 08:09 PM:

I could certainly go for this one...

Bacon Tart
Serves 3

You will need:
150g bacon
2 spring onions

Instructions:
stir-fry the bacon
eat the bacon
sauté the spring onions
serve chilled

#31 ::: Paul Duncanson ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 08:16 PM:

Here's my turducken recipe for anyone with too much time on their hands and a large crowd to feed.

#32 ::: Xopher ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 08:24 PM:

Am I the only one who finds the word 'turducken' offputting, in part because of the 'turd' at the beginning?

I am?

Then I wonder if I'd still find it a repellent word if I weren't a vegetarian.

#33 ::: Paul Duncanson ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 08:35 PM:

Many people - vegetarians or not - find the word turducken offputting. When the house is full of the aroma of roasting meat, the non-vegetarians get over it. The long cooking time gives them many hours to go from "Eew, turd" to drooling impatience.

#34 ::: Kevin Riggle ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 08:38 PM:

Thank you, Jim. I was having serious trouble figuring out what to make for supper tonight before I read this post. What I made has almost nothing in common with the baked white ziti, its inspiration, except ziti and cheese, but I'm thankful for the meal planning help anyway. (My current medication-induced complete and utter lack of anything resembling an appetite makes not just eating but deciding what to eat hard.)

I also put applesauce-a-la-Elizabeth Bear in the slow-cooker as a way to use up all the rapidly-moldering apples in the house. (Modulo using ground spices, since that's all we have right now... ::sadface::) I hadn't realized you could make applesauce in a slow-cooker until reading that. Will report back how it turns out.

#35 ::: Adelheid ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 09:53 PM:

Speaking of the long cooking time filling the house with scrumptious aroma and turning vegetarians back to meat: I can always get my daughter to eat brisket the way I make it --even in her vegetarian phases.
One beef brisket (not corned-beef) placed fat side up in a roasting pan covered with crushed garlic then thin slices of onion. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 200-250 degrees F for 8-12 hours. Remove from oven, uncover and remove the onion slices (discard them or eat them, it's up to you) slice and enjoy.

#36 ::: Xopher ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 10:04 PM:

Actually things that smelled delicious to me when I ate meat now make me feel vaguely sick. Bacon is about the worst...I actually can become physically ill if I can't get away from the smell.

#37 ::: Joel Polowin ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 10:27 PM:

Adelheid @ 35: Speaking of the long cooking time filling the house with scrumptious aroma and turning vegetarians back to meat

Grain-fed long pig?

#38 ::: Xopher ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 10:36 PM:

True, Joel. I AM noticeably more edible than most of you. Though I must say you probably shouldn't eat grapefruit within 24 hours of having that Xopher a l'orange.

#39 ::: Joel Polowin ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 10:40 PM:

Ginger beer recipe: http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/010354.html#277256

I think this is the only recipe I've posted directly into ML, though I've posted links to several others.

#40 ::: Harriet Culver ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 10:41 PM:

O my ghod! Browsing over some of these recipes and threads, and suddenly the thought struck:

I am SO GLAD that, thanks to the many willing hands and hard-drives and modems that pitched in after the great Crash of last whenever, these great dishes and the great ML conversations around them, are still available for our entertainment and delectation.

Another cause for thanksgiving this season :-)

#41 ::: moe99 ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 10:46 PM:

Turkey Dressing

3 eggs
1tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 cups washed popcorn (uncooked0
1 green pepper, sliced
1 cup diced celery
garlic and salt to taste

Mix ingredients well and stuff turkey. Bake at 350, until popcorn pops and blows the ass off the turkey.

#42 ::: P J Evans ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 11:13 PM:

This one:

December 2, 2007
A savory pie for the first day of winter

#43 ::: eric ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 11:17 PM:

I'm a fan of the Virtue Rewarded drinks.

We've got a 2 quarts of raspberry cordial ready to drink, and a quart of blackberry that's a bit overdue for straining out the berries and sugaring. It's really the perfect use for the two large patches of blackberry in the back yard.

As for random recipe generators, My 4 and nearly 2 yr old are good at that. Sometimes we make dinner from the cans that they retrieve from the pantry. Once or twice, we've actually made it again.

#44 ::: geekosaur ::: (view all by) ::: November 19, 2008, 11:49 PM:

Election cake (not the same as the Election Night cake)
Cookie cutters
Instant microwave cake: chocolate and honey
Passover chocolate decadence cake, chocolate toffee matzah candy

#45 ::: TexAnne ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 12:19 AM:

I'm terribly sorry, but the title of the post about New Zion's cuisine still bugs the heck out of me. Could it possibly be changed to "La cuisine du Nouveau Sion"?

#46 ::: Paula Helm Murray ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 12:59 AM:

A house favorite not necessarily for just the holidays BUT it provides a fantastic way to feed a number of people in a good way,

Murray-Bahm House recipe

Apple Bacon Crisp

Preheat your oven to 375°

4-6 apples, cored and sliced (peeling is optional)
1/2-1 pound bacon, fried crisp and chopped
1 cup shredded cheese, asiago or sharp cheddar, sharper the better

Mix and distribute into a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan or equivalent (I have the oval Corningware casseroles and use the almost-same-size pan.)

Take:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc to taste.

blend together with a pastry cutter or fork until well combined.

Toss 1/2 cup cheese into the mix (see above cheese comment) into the mix.

Spread the mixture on top of the apple mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned.

This can be modified to add raisins, crainsins, etc. to the mix. Just add them to the fruit/bacon part.


I've also got an 'eeeeevil' sausage apple casserole recipe.

#47 ::: Paula Helm Murray ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 01:01 AM:

There should also be 1/2 cup brown sugar in the topping mix.

#48 ::: Anne Sheller ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 01:25 AM:

A friend gave me some smallish Fuji apples from a local orchard recently. Preheated oven to 350, buttered a small pie pan, rinsed and cored a couple of apples. The good apple stuff that came out with the cores went back into the holes, with generous sprinkles of nutmeg and cinnamon, and a small smoky link sausage in each hole. A little water and about 10 more smoky links went into the pan around the apples, and a little brown sugar got sprinkled on top of the apples. Baked about 45 minutes. Apples and sausage and a sort of apple-sausage broth in the pan. I just put the pan on a hot pad on the table and took a fork to it, then drank the liquid.

#49 ::: Tom Whitmore ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 02:03 AM:

TNH once gave Debbie Notkin a really great salsa recipe, and I'd like to have it again.

#50 ::: TW ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 03:46 AM:

I think I stuck a hagis recipe post around here somewhere.
Possibly mincemeat to.

#51 ::: Debbie ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 05:16 AM:

Joel @39 -- that ginger beer recipe was the main reason I posted the link to the AP thread. I've made it several times (have the stuff to make more right now, as a matter of fact) and it's been a huge hit.

#52 ::: Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 11:04 AM:

Xopher, your Black Hole Brownies of Death (which I often misremember as "of Doom") is a recipe I send friends to this blog for, over and over and over. I second the motion to have it elevated to direct linkage.

#53 ::: Skwid ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 11:32 AM:

Xopher and Paul, I can't think of Turducken without thinking of Kirkonspockerducken.

Damn you, Mike Hoye.

#54 ::: Keith ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 11:55 AM:

it occurs to me that someone could drop all the text into InDesign and have a bitchin cookbook for sale on Lulu in time for Christmas. all proceeds to go to some good cause or another. Just thinking out loud...

#55 ::: Nancy C. Mittens ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 01:05 PM:

This is a list of links to recipes in threads, and threads about food and drink, complete to 7/24/07 but I did cut out the links to things already mentioned above, as much as I could:


http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs.htm
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006555.html - Boom (tomato ideas)
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/002631.html - Chocolate
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/000348.html - Cold Soup
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/001498.html - Cooking with Schmoo

More to follow...

#56 ::: Nancy C. Mittens ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 01:06 PM:

Continuing....

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/000376.html - Fast, Happy Fish
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005984.html - Influenza (contains remedies)
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/001456.html - Lemon-pepper Hot Sauce
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006578.html - Note to Self
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/001501.html - Magia Naturalis

#57 ::: Nancy C. Mittens ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 01:11 PM:

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/002553.html - Mystery Citrus
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004508.html - O Desire
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/000383.html - Omelets from the Beyond
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004503.html#37644 - Open Thread 16 (some sort of apple recipe, and discussion of jam/jelly/preserves)
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005341.html - Open Thread 24

#58 ::: Nancy C. Mittens ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 01:13 PM:

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005571.html - Open Thread 29
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005942.html - Open Thread 34
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005998.html - Open Thread 35
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006047.html - Open Thread 37
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006184.html - Open Thread 38

#59 ::: Nancy C. Mittens ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 01:20 PM:

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006306.html - Open Thread 40
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004405.html - PETA
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005917.html - So That's Why... (rice pudding at the start of the thread, I imagine it drifted!)
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006258.html - Spring
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004924.html - Street Cred

#60 ::: Nancy C. Mittens ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 01:24 PM:

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006527.html - Things I have learned so far this year
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/002670.html - Things I wish I had in my kitchen
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006652.html - We Get Letters (Pirogies)


I don't have the time to pull specific comments out on these posts, but every one should have some discussion of food &/or drink. There is a missing header post up there, and this is complete to 9/18/05, by my records (I messed up the date in the earlier post.)

#61 ::: Caroline ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 02:13 PM:

geekosaur @ 44, your links aren't working for me. They go to #304449 and similar on the current page, which doesn't seem to be anything. Don't know if it's me or you.

I would happily buy a Making Light cookbook, Keith @ 54.

#62 ::: David Harmon ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 02:38 PM:

Nancy C. Mittens: Hmm, maybe it would be easier to list the open threads without recipes! :-)

#63 ::: Nancy C. Mittens ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 03:13 PM:

David, that is true!

I just hope someone goes and release the comment with 6 links in it that goes above the "Continuing..." comment.

#64 ::: Graydon ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 03:46 PM:

I admit I originally put it in a rather silly place, but there's this recipe for maple-garlic-orange sauce as could go under "ingredients".

#65 ::: TexAnne ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 06:05 PM:

Bless whatever kind person fixed the French.

#66 ::: Jenny Islander ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 07:24 PM:

Because of recent heart-attack-inducing price increases, I have been experimenting with cooking jack o'lantern pumpkins, which still sold for about 40 cents per pound this year. Jack o'lantern pumpkin is both stringier and more watery than regular pie pumpkin, but it's still very tasty. To process:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub your pumpkin, cut around the stem as if to make a lid for the jack o'lantern, pull off the top, and discard. Now take a serrated knife such as a sturdy steak knife and cut your pumpkin into roughly similar slabs. Scrape the seeds and strings off of each slab. (The seeds can be seasoned and roasted like any other pumpkin seeds.) Discard the blossom end of the pumpkin.

Put some slabs of pumpkin, skin side up, into a baking dish that has a raised rim. Slide the dish into the oven, then carefully pour about 1/4 inch of water around the slabs. Bake for 40 minutes or longer, until very soft. The skin of the pumpkin will probably have blackened in spots before it's ready.

Take the pumpkin slabs out of the pan with a couple of big spoons or forks and lay on a rack or another dry baking sheet until cool enough to handle. Don't pile them up or the bottom pieces will turn soggy! Scrape the pumpkin flesh off the skin with a butter knife, mash with a potato masher, measure, portion, and freeze. I find 2 cups to be the most convenient portion size. Thaw completely before using.

My two best recipes so far are pretty simple. For a savory side dish, heat some mashed pumpkin, add a little bit of butter or oil (olive, corn, or pumpkinseed), then season as if it were bread dressing. If necessary, add milk or cream, any type, to make a thick puree. Serve with chicken or pork in the place of bread dressing. Reduces carbs, adds veggies, and saves money.

Jack o'lantern pumpkin pie tends to have a soggy crust, so just leave off the crust. It's really pumpkin custard in a crust anyway. Make your favorite pumpkin pie, sans crust, in the slow cooker. Put it on High for an hour or so, then on Low until basically set. If you can wait for it to cool, it will have the texture of pumpkin pie filling. Personally, I like it seething hot with a trickle of cream.

I am experimenting with jack o'lantern bread this afternoon. We'll see how it turns out.

#67 ::: Kevin Riggle ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 08:28 PM:

Keith @54: I continue to maintain, should someone with more free time than I do what you suggest, that the book should be titled Making Food.

#68 ::: Linkmeister ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 09:27 PM:

Kevin @ #67, or How to Cook a Comment, with apologies to M.F.K. Fisher.

#69 ::: Jenny Islander ::: (view all by) ::: November 20, 2008, 11:21 PM:

The jack o'lantern bread is moist and delicious! Note, however, that you need to drain mashed jack o'lantern pumpkin while defrosting it or your jack o'lantern bread may resemble pudding.

I forgot a recipe. This one got a request for an encore from my vegetable-loathing husband:

Heat your mashed jack o'lantern pumpkin and measure. For each cup, take 1 tablespoon butter; 1 teaspoon brown sugar, table syrup, or maple syrup; and 1/4 teaspoon sweet spices (pumpkin pie spice or any or all of the spices that go into it). Mix well, taste, and add a little salt if needed; if you used salted butter, it probably won't be. Mash again and add milk, cream, or sour cream if required to make a thick puree. Serve with pork, ham, or bacon entrees.

#70 ::: kate ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 03:23 AM:

I'm getting my wisdom teeth crushed and removed on monday, so any suggestions for appropriate food to 'eat' when I can't chew would be appreciated.

So far I've got jello, apple mush and tomato soup down as possibilities, as well as well blended fruit smoothies and frappes.

#71 ::: Paul Duncanson ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 07:21 AM:

Kate @ 70 It's been 10 years but I still remember my de-wisdoming. I don't know how much cutting you'll have done on yours so I don't know how your recovery will compare to mine, but this is how I remember it:

The first day was drugs and the persistent taste of blood. I really didn't feel like eating. The day after that, soup was good. Thick creamy soups that were filling as well as nourishing. Ramen, slightly over cooked so it was soft enough swallow with minimal chewing or squishable by tongue. Soft fruit - if you like well-ripened bananas, go for it. Canned pears and similar also worked well, especially with ice-cream.

I had thought well-cooked rice would be manageable a lot earlier than it was. Be very careful with that stuff. I was mostly back to eating normally a week after my surgery. Rice was actually the last thing I got back to consuming in the usual quantities (I do like me some rice). It's nothing to do with it being hard to chew - it isn't. It's all bout the size of the grains and the size of the depressions in your gums where your teeth used to be. For me, one rice grain fit so exactly into those gaps that they were a very major source of frustration and discomfort. It didn't actually hurt having rice grains there, but I was always aware that they were there and there was nothing I could safely poke in there to remove them without the risk of damage and pain.

After the first few days (YMMV) hardness of food is not the major enemy. Granularity is. The less you have to clean out of your wounds, the better.

#72 ::: Sarah S ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 08:44 AM:

Kate @70

I'm getting my tonsils out on Dec. 9th. I'll be similarly interested in recipes for squishy stuff.

#73 ::: Mary Dell ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 09:41 AM:

Thanks, this is a great compendium.

#74 ::: Bruce Cohen (SpeakerToManagers) ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 09:42 AM:

With all the talk of turducken, it's clearly time to drag* out the Recipe for Stuffed Camel again.

And I want to thank Teresa @23 for immortalizing the Anchovie Supreme random recipe. I call that Comfort Food for the Uncomfortable.

* Ever try to put a camel on a serving plate?

#75 ::: Ginger ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 09:45 AM:

For tonsils (and possibly for wisdom teeth; you never know), ask your doctor about sucralfate. There's a paper about administering this medication to help with pain control. Sucralfate is used for GI ulceration, as it binds to exposed mucosal cells, and protects the area of injury, thereby reducing the pain.

Tonsillectomy pain is related to swallowing, so go with liquids for the first day.

#76 ::: Lee ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 11:03 AM:

kate, #70: Everything Paul said, plus one extra caveat: be prepared to throw up anything you try to eat in the first 24 hours or so. This is apparently a common response to general anesthesia, and it's difficult to do wisdom-tooth surgery under locals.

#77 ::: Clifton Royston ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 12:07 PM:

My recently invented Roasted Beet Salad recipe on Open thread 112. (Good, I've since tried a couple variations on it.)

"My" Feta and Bitter Greens pasta sauce on Open thread 109 with some follow-up comments from another regular.

And my best recipe, virtually mandatory for thanksgiving or Xmas, Honey-glazed Onions with Walnuts on the Turkey Algorithm, 2007 thread.

#78 ::: Rob Rusick ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 12:29 PM:

kate @70: I like yogurt and cottage cheese for simple eating (and get on 'kicks', as now, where I will go through 3 large containers of each, each week, for weeks at a time).

I could see where the cottage cheese curds might give you the 'granularity' problem Paul Duncanson referred to @71. I can't see any problems with yogurt.

#79 ::: David Harmon ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 12:55 PM:

Paul Duncanson @#71: I got a couple of dental "picks" (one rubber, one brush) and a mirror to help me clear out those spaces.

Kate @#70: Ask your dentist about such picks, (they're generally available in drugstores) for while the holes heal.

The big gotcha I got when I lost my wisdoms, was that while the anesthesia during the operation worked fine, the Oxycodone for afterwards DIDN'T! (As in, zero effect. &^$*^ idiosyncratic drug reaction....) Thankfully, the pain went down after the first night, but that was a pretty unpleasant night.

#80 ::: Linkmeister ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 01:38 PM:

When I had my tonsils removed back in the 60s I remember mashed potatoes, slightly more creamy than I like now.

#81 ::: Erik Nelson ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 07:54 PM:

the random recipe generator reminds me of a programming language called Chef, in which the programs look like recipes. As I recall, if you say : 2 cups milk, for example, you are declaring a variable named milk and assigning it a value of two, and the word "cups" implies it's a real quantity rather than an integer.

#82 ::: Paul Duncanson ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 09:13 PM:

Re: What Lee said @ 76 and David @ 79.

Good point, Lee. I had mine done under a local anaesthetic (difficult but the oral surgeon had a Mary-Sue-like resume and assured me he could do it), mostly to save money but partly out of interest. I asked the surgeon for a commentary and only regret that I couldn't watch while he described what he was doing.) If you're sensitive to general anaesthetics that way it might be worth investigating the possibilities of a local (unless you're squeamish about the sounds of teeth being crushed coming from inside your head).

After the first day, the worst time for me for pain was when trying to sleep. I tend to sleep on my side and when my swollen cheek pressed against pillow that pressure against my gum kept me awake when the drugs wore off. If you can sleep on your back, pile up pillows in such a way that you won't roll onto your face in the night. A good night's sleep will do wonders for your recovery. If you have a problem like David's, get an alternative pain killer as soon as possible, even if only for sleepy time. (I found pharmacists to be extraordinarily helpful in the couple of days after my surgery. Standing in the pharmacy, lips blood-stained, cheeks bruised and starting to swell, I mumbled "wisdom teeth" and was whisked to the front of the queue before I could hand over the prescription. The other people lined-up and waiting for their prescriptions didn't seem to mind.)

#83 ::: Marilee ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 09:39 PM:

My tonsils resorbed when I was about 12 or 13, but I still have not only my wisdom teeth, but a rotting molar. I haven't been able to find an oral surgeon who would take the molar out without a general and I can't have that again unless I'd definitely die without the surgery that goes with it. I'd be happy to have the wisdom teeth out because my mouth is too small (hard to believe, huh) and having them in makes the very front teeth overlap, almost totally on the bottom.

But I haven't looked for a new oral surgeon in a few years, so I should try again. Maybe there's new stuff. (I already have narcotics for pain.)

#84 ::: Rikibeth ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 09:42 PM:

I'm not much help on the soft foods; when I had my wisdom teeth out, two bony and two partial bony, I had them done under general because I knew from previous experience with extractions (my baby canines didn't come out of their own accord before the adult ones grew down over them) that I in no way wanted to be conscious for the process. I only took the first dose of my pain medication, skipped the next because I wanted to be able to drive, and was eating a pate sandwich on a crusty roll that evening.

On the other hand, soft foods sound like a very good idea right now, because I have an annoying sore throat. Blech.

My mother swears that dairy foods are a bad idea after oral surgery -- she made an egg malted for my dad after he'd had some and her explanation for why he threw up was that it mixed with all the blood he'd swallowed and curdled in his stomach. I personally suspect the raw egg, but I offer the story for consideration anyway.

#85 ::: B. Durbin ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 10:19 PM:

Here's my modular cranberry sauce recipe. If you want the version I do, it is as follows:

-1 cup liquid (water and juice in roughly equal proportions, though I'll default to heavier on the juice) (this year, the juice will probably be Trader Joe's Cherry Cider)

-1 cup sugars (this is where I go crazy. Brown, white, raw, molasses, and honey)

-1 12 oz. bag of cranberries

-mandarins from the Auburn Mountain Mandarin Festival. I bought twenty pounds for myself this year.

-cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg

Boil liquid and sugars. Add cranberries and turn down heat a bit; stir until all berries are popped. Peel a bunch of mandarins and eat them all throw sections in while stirring. Add a little nutmeg and allspice, then dust with cinnamon.

Make this the night before so it and you have time to chill. I make three or four batches at once. One set goes to my work potluck. One goes to my family Thanksgiving. One goes to the creepy nun house gathering of our friends' family, to be spooned over waffles with whipped cream the morning after. And one stays home for ME.

#86 ::: janetl ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 10:53 PM:

Kate: I had a molar pulled about 6 months ago with local anesthesia (whatever the more super-duper novocaine-like stuff is). It was somewhat alarming to be aware of all crunching and pulling, but manageable.
They said to stick to soft food, and warned against using a straw — so by all means, have a smoothie, but eat it with a spoon, no sucking!
I'm really fond of yogurt anyway, so I ate a lot of that. I knew from some previous surgery that Percocet works well for me — controls the pain, doesn't make me sick — so that's what they prescribed. Your mileage may vary.

#87 ::: Madeline F ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 11:02 PM:

I had my wisdom teeth done with laughing gas. Probably there was novocaine also... I remember it as being like "Doo-de-doo-de-doo... Huh, my face is being used as a fulcrum to lever things out of my mouth... Huh. Dee dum dee..." Dissociative. Vaguely aware stuff was going on, but didn't care.

No aftereffects that I remember, either. I'd recommend it.

#88 ::: Clifton Royston ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 11:14 PM:

Marilee:
I had a wisdom tooth which had rotated horizontally against the adjoining molar taken out under a local; this involved sawing it into pieces in place so it could be removed. During was fine, though recovery after was unpleasant. If they could do that with a local, a good dentist/oral surgeon should be able to take out a rotting molar.

Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this in a food thread, but then it seems to have already veered to extreme dentistry.

#89 ::: P J Evans ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 11:24 PM:

I remember eating noodle soup while having wired teeth - once after a major adjustment, and once after the two upper wisdom teeth were removed (simple extraction, local anesthetic, a forty-minute procedure).

#90 ::: Paula Helm Murray ::: (view all by) ::: November 21, 2008, 11:50 PM:

The only thing I can recommend for oral surgery is that my mom learned just how bad I could curse when I was coming out of the first wisdom tooth surgery.... the bottom ones erupted, horizontally, before the top ones. I don't like being anesthetized, I remember surgery as a small child and being held down with an ether mask, fighting for my life...

I remember part of my mind go, 'you should not say that to your mom" and another part waiting to be slapped on the face. And yet another part going, "I'm so out of it I don't give a shit."

When I went in for the uppers (which came in the same way) I meditated beforehand and went into the anesthesia in a much calmer state than before, and therefore came out in a better state.

On the other hand, Dr. Paisley had all his out at once and we got to scare school children when I drove him home... (he was still semi-conscious and kind of lolling his head around, and had blood-soaked gauze coming out of his mouth.)

ON the other hand we learned an important thing about checking drugs--his mom's side of the family is allergic to ALL darvon-related drugs. He started getting sick as soon as he started taking the pain pills, which had a name totally unlike darvon, I called the library to check the PDR, then called the oral surgeon's office the next morning with a "WTF!!!!~ are you trying to kill my husband?" Fortunately for the interim ibuprophen served, and the oral surgeon called in a better pain pill scrip.

#91 ::: Paula Helm Murray ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 12:02 AM:

The tomato recipe leaves me wistfully nostalgic for summer.

We did not go to the farmer's market enough this summer, I intend to go there more next year. I did get a number of good tomato sandwiches this summer, though.

sigh.

#92 ::: Serge ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 12:24 AM:

Paula Helm Murray @ 90... the first wisdom tooth surgery.... the bottom ones erupted

Volcanines?

#93 ::: Paul Duncanson ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 12:37 AM:

Marilee: My two lower wisdom teeth grew and were removed much like those described by Clifton @ 88 (mine were growing completely below the gum). My mouth is a bit small for all my lower teeth even after the wisdom teeth came out. Maybe it's time to go shopping for surgeons again.

#94 ::: Jenny Islander ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 03:21 AM:

I had all four wisdoms out under local anesthesia and did not have a moment of pain during or after. The before was rather nerve-racking because local means local, so the dentist had to stick me about half a dozen times all over the inside of my mouth, but of course the pain of the injections went away as soon as the anesthetic kicked in. I had some of the deepest roots that dentist had ever seen--so deep that he had to have one knee up on the chair to lever out the teeth--but I didn't realize that he had actually pulled any until I heard wisdom no. 2 hit the tray. On the way out, he noticed a cavity and filled it right then and there. Me, I was just zoning out while listening to Toto on these very soft, cushiony headphones provided by the office. (It was Toto or jazz.) Nowadays, of course, you could just take your iPod.

After the surgery, I was sent home with an irrigator that looked like a tiny cookie press with a spout. It shot a stream of water into the holes where my wisdom teeth used to be. Worked great, although getting grains of rice out from under the stitches with it was annoying. You might ask if you can get one.

#95 ::: Raphael ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 06:51 AM:

Bruce Cohen @74:
With all the talk of turducken, it's clearly time to drag* out the Recipe for Stuffed Camel again.

Nice, but it lacks ducks, turkeys, and geese. I mean, if they can put 20 whole chickens in there, replacing some of them with other tasty birds shouldn't be too much to ask.

#96 ::: Bruce Cohen (SpeakerToManagers) ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 11:36 AM:

Raphael @ 95

Well, but that recipe is the equivalent of peasant food: it's intended for those who can go out to the herd and cut out their own camel. Certainly there are recipes for the caliphs among us who can afford to go to the market and buy a pheasant or 50 and a peacock to top off the presentation.

#97 ::: elise ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 12:15 PM:

Wisdom teeth. *shudder*

Won't tell the story. Just going to say: if you get yours out, and it's a tricky extraction, follow ALL the instructions they give you for aftercare even if aftercare hurts. Many weeks of complications hurts worse, I promise you.

(And now that I think on it, I bet that was one of the first experiences of my now-current reaction to general anaesthesia -- staying under too long, I mean -- and somebody competent should have made a note of that. I wasn't aware of the significance, at the time; all I knew was that everybody was mad at me because I didn't want to wake up.)

Back on recipes: might get a chance to try a few things out this week, later. It'd be a good time for cookies.

#98 ::: joann ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 01:55 PM:

Paul Duncanson #82:

When I had my wisdom teeth out, although I was under a general anaesthetic, the last few minutes were the equivalent of a local, as the general just plain wore off before the job was done. [*] The commentary consisted of many curse words and apostrophizations as the dentist tried to remove the last, extremely recalcitrant, tooth from its moorings. I've always had an extensive swearing vocabulary, but I think I may have heard a couple new words just then.

[*] Surgery on me almost always takes at least 1.5x the estimated time, don't know why.

#99 ::: geekosaur ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 04:43 PM:

Caroline @61:
No, it's my fault; I got into ther habit of cutting ML URLs short because it avoids the spamcheck when backreferencing messages, and by habit cut those URLs down too far. I'll go dig out the correct URLs again. (Unfortunately, I can't test them until it's saved...)

Election cake (not the same as the Election Night cake)
Cookie cutters
Instant microwave cake: chocolate and honey
Passover chocolate decadence cake and chocolate matzah toffee candy
And one I missed first time around: pumpkin cookies

#100 ::: Melissa Mead ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 04:53 PM:

I had all 4 wisdom teeth out at once, and made the mistake of thinking that refrigerated Nutella would be nice and soft and cold to eat. It almost pulled my stitches out.
After that I stuck (no pun intended) to ice cream. After the cold stopped feeling wonderful, I switched to mashed potatoes.

It wasn't fun, but I was able to go to a job interview the next day and only sounded a bit mumbly.

#101 ::: Elyse Grasso ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 06:04 PM:

I had my upper front bicuspids pulled when I was in college, and learned from the experience of having teeth pulled on both sides at the same time. When I had the wisdom teeth done a few years later, I did one side at a time, about a year apart. That way I had one side available to chew with.

#102 ::: Lee ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 06:24 PM:

Elyse, #101: Whereas I've always said that they were wise to take out all my wisdom teeth at once, because after that experience they never would have gotten me back in for round 2! And I didn't have complications or anything like that -- I was feeling fine and out marathon-shopping for clothes a couple of days later* -- it was just that the experience and its immediate aftermath were so unpleasant.

* Ah, the resilience of youth! I was in college at the time.

#103 ::: Linkmeister ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 06:45 PM:

My college roommate had two wisdom teeth pulled on a Friday and was in agony all weekend; then he went in on Monday and had the other two pulled.

After seeing that I was even more grateful that I'd had four teeth pulled when I had the orthodontics work done; that made room for the wisdom teeth, and I've still got 'em.

#104 ::: Rob Rusick ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 07:03 PM:

I have a friend whose dad got all his teeth pulled. He had the option of having half of them pulled at a time over a couple of appointments; he decided he wanted them all pulled at once to get it done and over with. He described that as "the worst decision I ever made".

#105 ::: janetl ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 07:19 PM:

Sweet potatoes are commonly prepared with a whole lotta added sugar, and incinerated. They're actually delicious cooked simply (nuked and scooped out of the skin, or skinned, chopped and boiled), and then flavored with lime juice and some salt.
Don't store them in the fridge. That causes a lump in the center that will never bake properly.
The Nov/Dec 2008 issue of Cook's Illustrated says that the starch is converted to sugars between 135 and 175 degrees F, so once your sweet potato's internal temperature hits 175, you're done.

#106 ::: Nancy C. Mittens ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 07:20 PM:

My insurance would only cover a general if I had all 4 out at once. Three were under bony caps and pointing out the front of my jaw. My post-op included extra exercises to help me open my jaws enough that I could get a spoon inside.

#107 ::: Graydon ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 09:21 PM:

I had all four wisdom teeth out at once under a combination of soporific and local; the soporific was scaled to the mass of a default 18 year old, and I came out of it enough to try to talk to the dental surgeon for tooth number four, an attempt he was at some vehement pains to discourage.

Nothing hurt as such, but I remember the various sensations of pressures and movement to this day.

They were all big teeth—8mm square, more or less—and the one that came out of the lower right resulted in a cracked jaw and a subsequent hemorrhage. Do not recommend waking up unable to talk because, primus, one has just had all one's wisdom teeth out and one's jaw doesn't move so well, and secundus, one's mouth is full of a blood clot; due to primus, one cannot open one's mouth wide enough to spit it out, and it's too big to swallow. Especially do not recommend everyone being sure you can't have been bleeding that much (until my regular dentist got a look at it and started moving very quickly) because if you'd swallowed that much blood, you would surely have vomited but good by now.

Being high on some sort of opiate pain killer—which gives me the really bad kind of visions; haven't taken any since—and unable to stop thinking about how the major component of the nutrition received over the last two days is the pint or so of one's own blood that's been swallowed I recommend least of all.

#108 ::: Carrie S. ::: (view all by) ::: November 22, 2008, 11:38 PM:

When I had my wisdom teeth out (1 upper left, 1 lower right, both basically horizontal), I was terrified. I don't know why, because going to the dentist usually doesn't bother me, but I about had a conniption fit. It didn't help that I couldn't have a general because there was no one to drive me home.

Once I got out of the chair I went straight to the pharmacy, picked up my painkiller prescription, and took a pill before the Novocaine wore off, so the Vicodin started to kick in in time. Then I had to go to the bookstore and wait for my boyfriend to get off work so we could go home--fortunately, only about 45 minutes. By the time we got home I was crying; the teeth didn't hurt very much, thanks to the Vicodin, but I was just too tired not to cry.

Still, it wasn't nearly as awful as I was expecting, all things considered.

#109 ::: Magenta Griffith ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 12:19 AM:

Noticing the particle about regenerating mammoths, does this mean that someday we will actually get to taste Mike Ford's recipe for hot gingered pygmy mammoth and jumbo shrimp salad?

#110 ::: Linkmeister ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 12:23 AM:

Magenta @ #109, "Lessee, for a pygmy mammoth, if we just trim this DNA sample a little . . ."

#111 ::: Earl Cooley III ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 06:17 AM:

Mammoth BBQ is a compelling incentive to fund genetic paleontology. Chef Bobby Flay could probably drive enough celebrity dollars to make it happen in a reasonable amount of time. Yum!

#112 ::: kate ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 06:40 AM:

Thanks for all the wisdom. The tip about the rice is particularly welcome as I was hadn't considered the issue of granules.

I'll investigate a mouth pick and other goodies.

My initial preference was to have them removed under a local,as I've managed to avoid hospitals and general anaesthetics since a week after I was born, and had hoped to continue the practice. However, my oral surgeon convinced me to go for the general, because he said it would take a couple of hours to do all 4 and would be quite uncomfortable. He is pretty long in the tooth, so I figured he knew what he was talking about.

I was interested in getting a commentary and observing the process, but not that interested.

He has assured me that he'll give me a painkiller before I wake up, along with a prescription for more, and permission to call him at any time for something stronger, if I find it's not working.

My boyfriend has cooked tomato soup and loaned me his blender, so all in all, I'm feeling about as good about it as could be hoped.

I'm about to go to bed (I live in sydney), and the operation is in about 11 hours. I'll come back here afterwards to mouth off about how it went.

#113 ::: Rob Rusick ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 07:00 AM:

Clifton Royston @88: Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this in a food thread, but then it seems to have already veered to extreme dentistry.

And if this had been a dentistry thread, there would have been a sub-thread about recipes.

#114 ::: Mary Aileen ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 09:12 AM:

I'm hoping ethan is all right. If I remember correctly, he has a dental phobia.

#115 ::: Henry Troup ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 02:51 PM:

#41 - afaik, all the popcorn poultry stuffings are hoaxes; the temperature necessary to pop popcorn is way past overdone bird into cinders.

#116 ::: Henry Troup ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 02:55 PM:

A paper here says

The average temperature at the center of the kernels when they burst was 187°C.

Note that that's C, so 368°F - rather longer than forever at 350°F.

#117 ::: Joel Polowin ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 03:27 PM:

Henry -- On the other hand, if the turkey was being chucked into a deep fryer full of hot oil... well, it'd be disastrously messy, possibly fatal, but you'd probably get some popped corn out of it.

#118 ::: Stefan Jones ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 09:21 PM:

I had all my wisdom teeth out at once. Got gauze and prescriptions for vicodin and expectations from cow orkers and the dentist that I'd be missing work and in general misery after the anesthesia wore off. I was prepared to call in the services of a dog walker.

After the extraction I went to the pharmacy to get the drugs, with a handy pre-written note as to why I couldn't talk.

I went to work afterwards since the anesthesia still hadn't worn off. I figure I'd check email before going home to thrash and moan.

And . . . stayed the rest of the day. I felt achey but fine. I didn't need the gauze or the vicodin.

What's the opposite of a let down?

#119 ::: Marilee ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 10:18 PM:

Stefan, A push-up, of course!

#120 ::: AS ::: (view all by) ::: November 23, 2008, 11:13 PM:

I do believe we are missing the limeade (limeaid?) recipe. Can't forget that. ;)

Link: http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006556.html

#121 ::: Carol Kimball ::: (view all by) ::: November 24, 2008, 11:13 AM:

#118 ::: Stefan Jones ...Got gauze and prescriptions for vicodin and expectations from cow orkers

It took far too long to figure out this was not about some obscure branch of veterinary dentistry.

#122 ::: Mary Dell ::: (view all by) ::: November 24, 2008, 01:31 PM:

I just went and read "Fast, Happy Fish," from 2002, and the comments include a discussion of whether salted or sweet butter is better, and a discussion of ammonia cookies...and yet the thread only ran to 13 comments, and nobody actually posted the recipe for ammonia cookies.

Also there was a person with the handle "Christopher Hatton" posting the sort of things that Xopher would normally say.

The past is an eerie place.

#123 ::: Xopher ::: (view all by) ::: November 24, 2008, 01:51 PM:

Mary Dell 122: Yeah, that's me all right. Back before my hobbit.org email address choked on its own vomit or whatever. Not sure why I switched my name, but I believe that for a while I posted as "Xopher (Christopher Hatton)" to make it clear who I was...though that may have been a specific response to a complaint about anonymous posters and sockpuppets or something. I don't remember clearly.

I put Xopher (along with Christopher Hatton) on my badge at conventions whenever possible, because I'm not in any way trying to hide my identity. I guess I share my legal name with too many people.

#124 ::: Xopher ::: (view all by) ::: November 24, 2008, 01:54 PM:

Oh, and Barbara Nielsen made the final post in that thread, settling the question of butter and sweet butter (ha!) for good. I use sweet butter to balance liquefiers in ganache, and real butter the rest of the time!

#125 ::: ajay ::: (view all by) ::: November 24, 2008, 02:34 PM:

I put Xopher (along with Christopher Hatton) on my badge at conventions whenever possible, because I'm not in any way trying to hide my identity. I guess I share my legal name with too many people.

You are running the terrible risk that an unscrupulous Adept of the Dark Art might actually invoke and summon you and then, by use of the terrible Words of Command, compel you to, uh, make him chocolate truffles or something.

#126 ::: R. M. Koske ::: (view all by) ::: November 24, 2008, 02:55 PM:

...and throw him it the briar patch after, no doubt.

#127 ::: Mary Dell ::: (view all by) ::: November 24, 2008, 02:57 PM:

Xopher @#123: I use my real name almost everywhere on the internet, mainly as a reminder to myself that nobody's truly anonymous on the internet. It keeps me from saying things I shouldn't. Um, sometimes.

I do use a handle for posting artwork at deviantart, but not so much for anonymity as to make it so that a casual google of my name by a co-worker doesn't bring up a page of naked-lady pictures. And once in a while I'll post something as anonymous, here or elsewhere, but with the note that I'm having to pose as anonymous because I'm revealing something I probably shouldn't.

#128 ::: Kate ::: (view all by) ::: November 24, 2008, 09:36 PM:

Well, my wisdom teeth have been removed, and I'm having a much pleasanter time than expected, much like Stefan.

It's been 24 hours since I woke up in recovery, and the mouth-numbing thingy they gave me while I was still under has definitely worn off (I can feel the half of my bottom lip that was numb before), but no pain at all. not even a little bit.

No need to take any panadol, let alone vicodin, and I've been icing and slurping on jello and lemonade, but apart from a little drowsiness yesterday, no side effects. Not even any nausea.

I had arranged to take the week off, but I think I'll go into work tomorrow.

The only precaution I'm taking is to keep my mouth shut as much as possible, and not go poking around the holes with my tongue.

#129 ::: Jenny Islander ::: (view all by) ::: November 25, 2008, 03:12 PM:

I'm trying to track down a recipe, or rather the recipe behind a recipe. I am exploring an old out-of-copyright cookbook called 365 Foreign Dishes, which is an interesting snapshot of what people in the American Midwest ca. 1908 considered foreign and too foreign. Some of the recipes really are foreign, but blandified for U.S. tastes; others are what we might call fusion food; others are about as authentic as cream-soup-based Chinese casseroles.

But what's this?

English Gems.

Cream 1 cup of butter with 2 cups of brown sugar; add 4 beaten eggs, 1 teaspoonful of soda dissolved in 1 large cup of strong coffee, 1 cup of molasses, 4 cups of sifted flour, 1/2 teaspoonful each of nutmeg, allspice, cloves and mace, 2 teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar sifted with 1/2 cup of flour, 1 cup of raisins, 1/2 cup of currants and chopped citron. Mix well and fill buttered gem pans 1/2 full and bake until done. Then cover with chocolate icing.

Can anybody point to a British recipe that might have inspired this one? Or is it something American that has been foreign-ified by the addition of that weird exotic substance, chopped citron?

#130 ::: P J Evans ::: (view all by) ::: November 25, 2008, 03:26 PM:

Maybe it's the raisins and currants too? (Google shows at least one earlier (1889) publication of this recipe, also calling it 'English gems', but we'd call them 'breakfast muffins'.)

Apparently the original version of 'gem pans' didn't have round cups, and muffin tins took over because they were easier and more useful in the kitchen.

#131 ::: Jenny Islander ::: (view all by) ::: November 25, 2008, 06:40 PM:

So maybe these are Fannie Farmer-esque American muffins (gems) with the flavoring ingredients, more or less, for rock cakes or fruitcake thrown in? If you took the fruit out, you could call them mocha spice gems, I guess.

IIRC, the original gems were shaped sort of like elongated lozenges; they survive today as "corn sticks," corn muffins shaped like flattened ears of corn (and often baked in elaborate pans that emboss a corn-kernel pattern on them). My modern "gem pans" make bite-sized round muffins.

#132 ::: Earl Cooley III ::: (view all by) ::: November 25, 2008, 08:09 PM:

Chopped Citroën would indeed be an exotic ingredient; I suppose you could rationalize it as roughage, perhaps.

#133 ::: Terry Karney ::: (view all by) ::: November 25, 2008, 10:32 PM:

Earl... no, more like Iron.

#134 ::: Ginger ::: (view all by) ::: November 25, 2008, 11:11 PM:

Earl @ 132: The only advantage to chopped Citroën would be the ability to raise or lower the baked items, as needed. Other than that, I'm afraid they'd turn out narrow and uncomfortable, but maybe that's just me.

#135 ::: SeanH ::: (view all by) ::: November 25, 2008, 11:30 PM:

I recently moved to Korea, and in my minimalist apartment my cooking apparatus consists entirely of a hob with two burners. No oven or grill. I am finding that this reduces my cooking options to the nearly-unacceptable, having not yet gotten the hang of East Asian food and feeling nostalgic for Western tastes (yesterday I could happily have killed innocents for a decent steak and kidney pie). Any recipe advice?

#136 ::: SeanH ::: (view all by) ::: November 25, 2008, 11:30 PM:

I recently moved to Korea, and in my minimalist apartment my cooking apparatus consists entirely of a hob with two burners. No oven or grill. I am finding that this reduces my cooking options to the nearly-unacceptable, having not yet gotten the hang of East Asian food and feeling nostalgic for Western tastes (yesterday I could happily have killed innocents for a decent steak and kidney pie). Any recipe advice?

#137 ::: Stefan Jones ::: (view all by) ::: November 26, 2008, 12:22 AM:

Sean:

Can you hunt up a toaster oven? Good models come with broiling pans, little baking pans (for brownies and biscuits), little cookie sheets, etc.

I believe that bread makers are popular in some Asian countries.

Between those two, your options really open up.

#138 ::: Serge ::: (view all by) ::: November 26, 2008, 01:45 AM:

I've heard that chopped Citroën is quite yummy if flambé with a Pinto rum.

#139 ::: SeanH ::: (view all by) ::: November 26, 2008, 01:51 AM:

In theory I could get an oven that would plug in to a wall socket, but it's prohibitively expensive. I'll try Home Depot for a reasonably priced toaster oven, though - with a top-down grill I can make nachos. I miss nachos.

#140 ::: Marilee ::: (view all by) ::: November 26, 2008, 10:17 PM:

SeanH, #139, I have a, hmmmm, Black and Decker don't make my kind of toaster oven/broiler any more. The new ones are fancier. I did buy it 17 years ago when I bought here; the one before that lasted 15 years. I've only used the big oven/broiler four times in all those years; I cook almost everything in the toaster oven. The one I have now came with a broiler tray, a roasting pan, a six-cupcake pan, a flat cookie tray, two little pie pans, and two little loaf pans. I kept the broiler tray from the old one, too.

I can fit an average-sized chicken in the roasting pan, so I hope that gives you an idea of whether it would work for a steak-and-kidney pie!

#141 ::: P J Evans sees more spam ::: (view all by) ::: December 12, 2008, 10:29 AM:

More of the same.

#142 ::: P J Evans ::: (view all by) ::: January 03, 2009, 05:52 PM:

Oh yes: for the Black Hole Brownies, the Ghiraardelli "double chocolate" chips are now called "60% Cacao" chips. Just so people won't go crazy (I was, but Google can be your friend).

My supermarket has sweet rice flour in the Asian food section, but I don't know if it's good for this.

#143 ::: David Goldfarb ::: (view all by) ::: January 04, 2009, 07:16 AM:

I made the Black Hole Brownies for Debbie Notkin's New Years open house, and I used chocolate chips from Trader Joe's. Worked great, all the brownies got eaten.

#144 ::: Earl Cooley III ::: (view all by) ::: January 04, 2009, 09:42 AM:

This is just to say, that "Cooking With Light" would make a great cookbook title (if it hasn't already been used up).

#145 ::: Mez ::: (view all by) ::: January 04, 2009, 06:23 PM:

Earl, I haven't checked if it's been used, but it sounds ideal for a cookery book about using solar stoves.

This current bedsit* has 2 electric 'burners', a pop-slot toaster and a microwave. When I go home, I may also have no oven or griller (= broiler?). so my friends gave me a mini 'sploodgerator' (George Forman style griller) for grilling meat or toasting cheese, etc, as an early Christmas present. Their help & friendship has been another kind of light for me these last couple of years.

*In the lovely little flat before (2 rooms!), I had an oven and grill for the first time in years. Had great fun.

#146 ::: emilly ::: (view all by) ::: October 06, 2010, 08:30 PM:

I just noticed that the pasta & pesto from here has not made it to the cooking index.

#147 ::: Tom Whitmore ::: (view all by) ::: October 06, 2010, 09:11 PM:

Bringing up pesto reminds me to post a warning for those who love pesto: Pine nuts, particularly pine nuts from China, have been shown to cause a reaction in a small but noticeable number of people that leaves them tasting everything as bitter for up to two weeks. It doesn't kick in for 24 to 48 hours after eating the nuts. It's not a tainted nut, or a virus of some sort; it's apparently a lipid reaction that takes residence and just sticks around. Karen had this earlier this year, and it is No Fun. The food editor of a Midwest paper caught it and swore off pesto forever -- it could destroy her ability to work.

Google "pine mouth" if you're interested in documentation.

#148 ::: emilly ::: (view all by) ::: July 17, 2012, 07:14 PM:

As long as the cooking with light index is referenced again on the front page:
Open Thread 175 is full of references to easy dinner-type foods& receipes, and also sweet potatoes.

(this now means over 10% of my commenting is in this thread. i like food? and information management.)

#149 ::: Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little ::: (view all by) ::: June 29, 2014, 07:41 PM:

Didn't a link to the recipe index used to live on the front page of Making Light?

I could not find it there today at all.

#150 ::: Mary Aileen ::: (view all by) ::: January 20, 2016, 06:45 PM:

Just re-found this thread and was reminded that I posted a recipe for honigkuchen (German honey cake) in an open thread a few years ago.

#151 ::: P J Evans sees spam ::: (view all by) ::: March 22, 2021, 11:08 AM:

Japanese, again. Same as last time, I think.

Welcome to Making Light's comment section. The moderators are Avram Grumer, Teresa & Patrick Nielsen Hayden, and Abi Sutherland. Abi is the moderator most frequently onsite. She's also the kindest. Teresa is the theoretician. Are you feeling lucky?

Comments containing more than seven URLs will be held for approval. If you want to comment on a thread that's been closed, please post to the most recent "Open Thread" discussion.

You can subscribe (via RSS) to this particular comment thread. (If this option is baffling, here's a quick introduction.)

Post a comment.
(Real e-mail addresses and URLs only, please.)

HTML Tags:
<strong>Strong</strong> = Strong
<em>Emphasized</em> = Emphasized
<a href="http://www.url.com">Linked text</a> = Linked text

Spelling reference:
Tolkien. Minuscule. Gandhi. Millennium. Delany. Embarrassment. Publishers Weekly. Occurrence. Asimov. Weird. Connoisseur. Accommodate. Hierarchy. Deity. Etiquette. Pharaoh. Teresa. Its. Macdonald. Nielsen Hayden. It's. Fluorosphere. Barack. More here.















(You must preview before posting.)

Dire legal notice
Making Light copyright 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 by Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden. All rights reserved.