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Messages - andiesenji

Pages: 1 ... 101 102 [103]
1531
Introduce Yourself / Re: Greetings from the So.Calif. "High" desert.
« on: November 12, 2009, 10:15:13 pm »
My Bimby arrived today and I am reading the manual.  I am astonished at the rapidity of the shipping, especially since yesterday was a holiday (Veterans Day) and there was no mail delivery.  Even my mail carrier was surprised as he said packages from Canada are rarely shipped express.
Now I just have to decide on the "debut" dish....

1532
Spice Mixes / Re: Vanilla Extract - from Shayla
« on: November 12, 2009, 06:51:41 pm »
When my girls took me to America a bit back and we did a bus tour to Tijuana (just over the border and into Mexico), I noticed (apart from the zebra striped painted donkey everyone was having a photo taken with!) that there were signs everywhere advertising the sale of bottles of pure vanilla essence.  Apparently it was really cheap but I only used to use imitation vanilla essence back then and couldn't understand their obsession with the real thing.  Anyone know why they were making such a big deal of it - do they grow the beans there I wonder?


I can't find that anyone replied to your post about the Mexican vanilla, and since I am familiar with the subject, here is the answer.
It is not advisable to buy vanilla extract in Mexico because, although the Mexican vanilla beans are excellent for cooking, some of the companies that manufacture the extract "stretch" the volume produced by incorporating tonka beans in their products.
The tonka bean contains a toxic substance called coumarin, which is related to Coumadin, the prescription medication that slows clotting in blood. 
Mexican and other Hispanic people like the stronger flavor and are willing to take the chance of problems but the FDA here has banned it.

http://www.ptinr.com/data/templates/article.aspx?a=850&z=3

I have been making my own vanilla extract for many years and it makes wonderful gifts.  I also make vanilla paste, which is a labor-intensive task which I hope to find will work and be much easier in the TMX. 

1533
Soups / Re: ENHANCED Carrot Soup
« on: November 12, 2009, 06:28:35 pm »
I prepare an almost identical soup (sans chicken) but with the addition of sorrel (a good handful of the medium-sized, still tender leaves). The lemony flavor complements the carrot and ginger and gives an extra "tang" to the soup.
I served it in mugs at our Halloween party with spicy croutons and it was one of the first things to be completely consumed - no leftovers.
Of course, I have not yet received my TMX but prepared the soup the "old-fashioned" way with a Vita-Mix blender and in a cooking pot.

I have two tubs of sorrel in my garden but it has seeded itself all over the yard and I am constantly picking it to keep it from taking over the entire garden.  The tubs move inside the greenhouse for the winter.

1534
Welcome / Re: Karen's Poll - where are you from???
« on: November 12, 2009, 06:14:57 pm »
I'm in Lancaster,  southern California, USA

1535
Questions? Technical Issues? The Survival Guide / Re: Cooking quinoa
« on: November 11, 2009, 06:00:50 pm »
You can buy triple cheesecloth - or butter muslin, by the meter from (I think it is Cheeselinks) a cheesemaking supply. 
A friend from Oz who visited me here last year makes cheese and told me she buys from that supplier as they sell in small quantities.

Making your own liners would seem to me to be the best answer.  I make a lot of cheese and buy my butter muslin several yards (US measurement) at a time.  I find many uses for it. 

1536
Introduce Yourself / Greetings from the So.Calif. "High" desert.
« on: November 11, 2009, 12:13:58 am »
I ordered the Thermomix yesterday so have a few days to anticipate it.  I'm a life-long foodie (age 70) descended from a long line of recipe collectors and journal keepers as well as appliance junkies. 
I have an extensive collection of early 20th century kitchen appliances, mixers, toasters, waffle irons, coffee makers and a few one-off items that never made it commercially. 
Resurrecting old recipes and bringing them into the 21st century is a hobby and I like to prepare things that at one time were commonly made in the home but have fallen out of fashion. 
From my investigations of the many blogs and forums detailing the uses to which the TMX has been put, I believe that it should be a terrific addition to my battery of kitchen necessities. 
My home is just nine miles from where the space shuttle lands, and where there is a great deal of aircraft testing, so I am sure the noise will not bother me at all. 

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