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My husband was playing loud, raucous Rock Music tonight, and I asked him to play something peaceful. He came up with this (I especially liked the tribute -?- to American Western Movies): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXuUPcfloQsThe MozART group says this in their 'about' blurb on YouTube: "We exist despite the sober formality of great concert halls, despite the boredom of classical musicians' life, despite fanatic lovers of classical music, despite fans of rock, rap or pop who are afraid of classical music. We treat our Muse with a humorous irony and we're sure, she will have nothing against it!" -MozART group

When we were in the local Lidl last week, the meat counters were practically wiped out – especially the chicken. But if you’ve got chick, this from Food Wishes looks like a great, fast-to-put-together recipe: Chicken a la Crema: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m457svJVDQw ******************************************************* As I’m sure many have been, over the past weeks of teleworking I’ve experienced periods of furious (and frustrating) work; and many slow hours where nothing was happening or could be done. The oddball things that one becomes interested in, while sitting at home with hours to fill, are fascinating. I happened to find some posts to YouTube about...

Some fun - and hope! - in gloomy times, for those of us who are getting older (or are Forever Young) - and stuck at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3a8dTtc4Zo

I went to a 'Fat Tuesday Potluck' last week, and one young lady brought Shrimp Etouffee, which I had never had. Instead of rice, she served it over grits, and I was in Heaven. Here is Chef John's recipe, thoughtfully adapted to frozen shrimp because it's all that many of us can procure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx1yprdgs80We're coming up on Asparagus Time, and I'm looking for new ways to use it. We can get it nearly all year now, but find the nice big ones in Summer. We usually put it on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and...

I’m very sorry to be late with this monthly post; I’ve lost an old, very longtime friend over the past week; am dealing with a household issue; and am temporarily out of ideas. I’m tired of everything I cook; so I thought I’d open this February post up to the folks, to post their favorite recipe. Any – especially fresh, healthy – ideas? We lost someone else, last month, too. Many of you will remember Phyllis Stokes, whose recipes and videos we’ve often posted/discussed here. Phyllis passed away in late January, and her son posted this tribute and update: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJkP-eSyHbA...

The picture above is of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) who ruled Siam from 1868 to 1910. He was a great modernizer and reformer, and is still beloved in the memory of the people of Thailand. Included in his many reforms were the ending of slavery and forms of indentured service in Siam; ending the practice of prostration; and clarifying and systematizing issues of land ownership. This photo of him cooking on his porch is still displayed in many Thai homes and businesses today. I’ve only eaten in a Thai restaurant once, but had a wonderful dish of duck seasoned with...

I'd just like to thank the Admin Moderators on this website, whom I believe do a very good job (even though I was chastised on one of my earliest posts, because I didn't yet understand what the thread designation 'caucus' meant :-)

Not being a great meat-eater, I’ve always been intrigued by the Italian-American tradition of the ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes’ - the Christmas Eve dinner consisting of seven different fish dishes. I like seafood very much, but have had a hard time coming up with my ‘dream meal of seven’. One thing I’ve always wanted to try are Portuguese Codfish Balls (Bolinhos de Bacalhau), which I believe I first saw in an episode of the ‘Two Fat Ladies’. These seem to be usually made from rehydrated salt cod (the dried cod can be found in ethnic stores as well as...

I originally began this cooking thread because – during my many years as a ‘lurker’ here before signing up – I greatly enjoyed the annual Thanksgiving cooking threads that I would see. (Somewhere on my hard drive, I’m sure I have many Freeper recipes that were posted over the years before I officially arrived on the scene.) Now, the holiday season is getting into gear, and Thanksgiving is on the near horizon once again. Please share with us your family favorites, traditions, and your memories of this very American of holidays. We’ve noted many times before that people really don’t...

I’ve had a request from Freeper MomwithHope to post this month on ‘Hearty Fall Fare’ - and even though it’s still hot here in DC, with Wednesday threatening record-breaking temperatures, the leaves are falling and the trees are beginning to morph into their Autumn glory. We can smell Fall. One of my first posts to FR, before I officially began this cooking thread, was about Virginia Peanut Soup. I can still remember how surprised I was on tasting it - while there was little in the soup other than peanuts, it was so rich and the flavor so unexpected. I...

When we have an office party, one of my co-workers brings the most excellent ‘Seafood Salad’. He refuses to give the recipe, but it has crab, shrimp, pasta and that ‘Krab with a K’ stuff. I’m pretty sure that it also has dill and Old Bay. I’ve been trying to find a low-carb or Keto version of this that uses only REAL crabmeat and shrimp, and I’m not finding one that seems similar but has no sugar or pasta, but does have the other ingredients that I detect. If anyone has one, please post! My husband is back on the...

My husband got to reminiscing recently about a cake his mother used to make – a molasses flavored confection called ‘Shoo Fly Cake’, apparently a classic Pennsylvania recipe. (He remembers catching his grandmother sneaking into the kitchen and dragging a finger through the rich, gooey remains on the bottom of the pan after everyone had been served. And he insists that this MUST be made in a metal pan, never glass, so that those 'goodies' at the bottom are done to perfection ;-) I had heard of Shoo Fly Pie, but not cake; so I went looking. Here, from the...

Recently, by a circuitous route, I became interested in submarines and submariners – especially the human aspect of the ‘culture’. What kind of man volunteers for this sort of duty, and how do the Navy, and individuals themselves, compensate for and cope with the extremely unnatural conditions, cramped living and limited resources? It quickly became apparent that FOOD is very important on a submarine, in terms of morale and having something nice to look forward to; and while the job of cook there seems daunting, the submarine force is known for offering the best food of all the services. Submarine...

Freeper Lizma2 requested an appetizer thread last month; and since appetizers are one of my two favorite things to cook, I’m happy to oblige. I’ll repost some of my favorites and a new one I’ve found, and hopefully others will have contributions. This pastry 'Sunflower' - or 'Tarte Soleil' - is visually beautiful, but not that difficult to make. You can do it with a wide variety of fillings, and sweet or savory. Here’s a recipe from ‘Italian Food Forever’ http://www.italianfoodforever.com/2016/07/sunflower-spinach-puff-pastry-tartand from ‘Entertaining with Beth’, a video showing the technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIF-6CFsYxk****************************************************** A couple of decades ago, when chef Jean Georges...

Some years ago a little Indian restaurant opened not far from my home; for a tiny hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall, it has become very popular and received great reviews. This wasn’t my first experience with Indian food, but it certainly is the experience that made me an addict, and I wanted to learn how to make some similar dishes at home. I posted an Instant Pot recipe for Butter Chicken last year: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3659886/postsbut last week I wanted to try an eggplant recipe. We adapted the following from the same book as the butter chicken - ‘The Keto Instant Pot...

I was saying to my husband that I wanted to post a thread for Easter, but didn't know what to post. He said, "A rabbit recipe!" My husband's father raised rabbits, and the family grew up eating them. I said that I didn't think that would be exactly appropriate to the season; and Husband said, "It'll be funny!" So, here's a compromise: a pretty Bunny Cake - I think Liz has posted this or something very like it before - and from Epicurious, 'Rabbit Cacciatore' from Ischia in Italy. (If you're like me and averse to eating actual Bunny, Chicken...

In recent years a lot of Peruvian Chicken restaurants have sprung up in my area. I haven’t eaten at one yet - whenever we’ve encountered one and thought to try it out, the places have always been very crowded with long waiting lines; but I wanted to know what the buzz was about. I found this recipe on one of my favorite food websites – Dot2Trot’s 'Low Carb Living' site; and it looks fabulous. Most recipes I’ve seen for this don’t seem much different from Dot’s, so I think it is a more-or-less naturally low-carb recipe, and Dot says that...

I believe that I've found the first thing that President Trump is reportedly doing, with which I disagree. When the Europeans came to what they decided to call 'America', the Chesapeake Bay was an incredibly fertile food source. After the Industrial Revolution, the bay gradually declined, until in the 1970s, farmers there told me that the bay grasses - essential to the lives of all the fish and shellfish life - were mostly gone. The Chesapeake Bay Program has done a great deal of good and has achieved progress in helping to bring the Bay back. Mr. Trump, please don't...

Tajine (or tadjine or tagine), which derives from words for a kind of earthenware cooking pot, can also refer to the Moroccan or Algerian stew, often a sweet-and-savory or sweet/sour combination, that is traditionally cooked in it. (There is also a Tunisian dish called ‘tajine’ which is different altogether from the more commonly known stew, being more like a frittata. ) The tajine generally begins with searing of the meat, poultry or fish, and then the addition of sauteed vegetables, sometimes dried fruit, and herbs and spices. The dish steams under the cone-shaped cover of the pot - needing very...

My husband’s great grandfather came to America from Italy in the early 1900s. Husband grew up eating wonderful Italian food, and participating in the Great Annual Family Sauce-making – many scores of quarts every year, using tomatoes they had grown themselves. One of the dishes he remembers is Braciola, a kind of roulade made with layers of meats and cheese. Searching for a recipe I happened to hit on a wonderful website – Buon-A-Petitti – featuring Grandma Gina Petitti. She has to be the most telegenic and charming of the ‘Grandmas’ I’ve seen on YouTube; and she’s about 84 years...