-=> JIM WELLER wrote to DAVE DRUM <=-
 >  I've not had a Mickey D's hot chocolate for years. And it's easy
 >  enough to make my own.

 >    Title: Quick Hot Chocolate
 > 1 1/2 c  Water
 >    3 oz Unsweetened baking chocolate
 >  1/3 c  White sugar
 >      pn Salt
 > 4 1/2 c  Milk

 JW> I like to make a large batch of chocolate syrup periodically and keep
 JW> it handy: bring a mixture of equal parts by volume water, cocoa and
 JW> sugar to a boil, stirring constantly. Let cool and decant into a
 JW> lidded jar. Later on, small portions can be flavoured separately
 JW> with vanilla, mint or one of the brown liquors if desired.

Nestle or the "female" chocolate company (Her/she/y) make it so available
and inexpensive as to not have inspired me to do that.

 JW>   Subj: A Cook's Tour

 DD> Pennsylvania Dutch Kluski Noodles

 JW> I doubt very much if the real Amish in Lancaster go
 JW> to town to buy packages of frozen spinach, envelopes of onion soup mix

 > No, they call up on their cell phones for Instacart delivery.  Bv)=

 JW> Yeah, right! [vbg}

The common "wisdom" in this area is that a Mennonite is an Amish with
a telephone. And a Hutterite is an Amish with both a telephone and an
automobile.   Bv)=

 JW>   Subj: range hoods

 > Lint ... My dryer vents [get] an annual cleaning ... if it was
 > ignored for too long it would become a fire hazard.

 JW> Indeed. There was a house fire here last year from just that very
 JW> thing.

 JW>   Subj: Enchiladas was: Chiili/so

 DD>       Title: Make Ahead Breakfast Enchiladas
 DD>  8 sl Bacon; cooked, drained,
 DD>  12 oz Breakfast sausage; cooked,

 SH> peameal bacon

 JW> Peameal bacon is a regional Ontario thing; it's hard to find in
 JW> Alberta or up here.

I have a couple recipes - but they've not inspired me to "have a go".

 >      Title: St. Augustine Breakfast Enchiladas
 >      2 c  Diced ham

 JW> They are all tasty choices but I think for an egg stuffed breakfast
 JW> enchilada or burrito I'd go with ham and save the other things for
 JW> other dishes.

I prefer a good amount of sausage or chopped bacon to ham - any day in
almost any dish. (Note the "almost")

 JW>   Subj: Fishies

 > Some of my local cafes have jacked the price of a cuppa north of
 > U$2.50

 JW> And the fancy places have offerings over $6! I have one cup at home
 JW> and a second one at work. We keep good quality freshly ground coffee
 JW> at both places and never go to coffee shops.  On the rare occasion
 JW> when I have a fine meal out at night I generally indulge in coffee
 JW> with a liqueur in lieu of dessert but I don't worry about the price
 JW> of the coffee then.

 > And coffee is increasing in price.

 JW> Yep. Brazil has rainfall problems this year and people in both China
 JW> and India have learned to like it. I suggest buying several pounds of
 JW> whole beans before things get worse.

No place for a stash. My kitchen it *tiny* and my "pantry" is already
stuffed to the rafters.

 >   Subj: One Pot Meals - 14
 >   Title: Sausage & Shrimp Panzanella Skillet
 >   RECIPE FROM: https://www.mrfood.com

 JW> Panzanella is a bread and fresh tomato salad. It doesn't have
 JW> sausage or seafood in it and it certainly is not fried in a skillet!
 JW> The original Mr. Food, Art Ginsburg, has passed away. I don't know
 JW> who is running that website but they sure have some goofy ideas.

That they do. The trick is being able to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Another web site I use for dining recommendations is "Eat This,Not That!"
which claims to be "The leading authority in food, nutrition, and health.
Make better eating choices every day."

They are such bugs on healthy eating that I parse their lists for the
"Worst of .... " for new things to try. Their criteria are not mine by
any stretch of the imagination.

For instance "Dairy Queen's Loaded A.1. Triple Stack Burger"

PER BURGER: 1,020 calories, 67 g fat (27 g saturated fat), 2,500 mg
sodium

Dairy Queen is royally proud of their new burger release, the most
substantial menu update they've had in years. The Loaded A.1. Triple
Stack Burger, in particular, is quite the creation: it slathers three
patties with Steak Sauce and creamy peppercorn sauce, and then stacks on
thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon, melted Sharp American cheese, and
onion rings.

As Goodson points out, this burger alone has more sodium than a person
is recommended to consume in a day, plus over 1,000 calories. Instead of
indulging in this extreme option, she suggests getting either a regular
cheeseburger or a grilled chicken sandwich.

It's on my "Try It This Week" list.   Bv)=

 JW>   Subj: credit cards

 DD> 5% "cash back"

 JW> Your credit card companies sure do offer more incentives than ours.
 JW> The best I can do is get 2% towards flights (along with other travel
 JW> perks) rather than just 1% but I'm tied to a single airline and the
 JW> card has an $80 per year fee attached to it.

My first Amex card was a "Sky Miles" card. But, since I fly so seldom -
rather take the train if not driving - I have since dropped it in favor
of their "Blue Cash" card.

 > those "rewards" are paid for by the processing fees that the
 > various companies charge the merchants to process credit card
 > purchases.

 JW> And ultimately by consumers who are all forced to pay jacked up
 JW> prices as a result.

 > Many of the smaller restaurants that I *used* to visit have begin
 > charging a "convenience fee"  of 4% to 5% for paying w/plastic.

 JW> I don't blame the ones who are already on slim margins. But the
 JW> practice is illegal in Canada and rarely done here.

It's supposed to be illegal here but my local (city and county) and the
State of Illinois offices charge a "convenience fee" for paying with 
plastic. Which skirts the as-written provisions of the law in place.

The gas/convenience stations skirt the statute by adverting on their
sign(s) a Cash/Credit price and a Member Price .... promoting using 
their direct debit loyalty card. The difference at some is 10c/gallon.

 JW> ... Quesadilla summarized: corn tortillas + cheese + just about
 JW> anything.

Stolen - but note:

Traditionally in Mexico quesadillas are made with corn tortillas, not 
wheat flour tortillas, and a melty, white cheese.

Here in the states though, because of how close we are to the Sonoran 
area of northern Mexico, quesadillas are more often made with flour 
tortillas. We like to get the flour tortillas lightly toasted because 
it improves the flavor. 

Here's one of the few Eat This,Not That recipes that I might try:

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Chopped Steak Sandwich
 Categories: Five, Beef, Vegetables
      Yield: 1 sandwich

      3 oz Sirloin steak; in sm pieces
  1 1/2 oz Onions & peppers; sauteed
      2 oz Sliced American cheese
      1    Brioche bun

  Slice the brioche bun and toast.

  Place steak on one half of the bun.

  Place sauteed onions/peppers, and American cheese on the
  other half.

  Place in TurboChef open-faced. *

  Cook @ 525§F/273§C for 45 seconds.

  * Chef Brian Landry's recipe uses the TurboChef oven,
  but you can also cook this open-faced sandwich in a
  regular oven if you don't have one.

  RECIPE FROM: https://www.eatthis.com/

  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

MMMMM

... French Food in France. They seem to like it there. -- Basil Fawlty
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