response 262 of 494:

Sep 7 04:05 UTC 2006

Basic Cashew Milk

1/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 quart or liter hot water, not quite boiling

Optional:
honey or maple syrup or other sweetener (I usually add ~1 tbsp honey)
a dash of vanilla
cheesecloth

Pulverize the cashews using your favorite method.  Be careful not to
make cashew butter.  Aim for somewhere close to the consistency of
coarse cornmeal.  

Put the cashew meal in a blender.  Add the hot water and any sweetener
or flavoring.  Blend for 2-5 minutes depending on how powerful your
blender is.  Pour into a container with a lid.  The milk keeps in the
refrigerator for five to seven days.  Shake before using.

Other notes:

If you don't want cashew meal particles in the end product, let the milk
steep a while longer, then strain through cheesecloth before
refrigerating.

If you want to use any other variety of nuts, use a half cup instead of
a quarter because they are not as rich as cashews.  Raw almonds and
hazelnuts can be skinned before making milk, or the skins can be left on
for darker color and more intense flavor. If you want thicker milk, use
more nuts.  For thinner milk, use fewer.

response 264 of 494:

Nov 18 01:51 UTC 2006

The last thing I cooked was chili:
-browned ground meat, tomatoes, onion, kidney beans, and a bit of corn thrown
in for more color. Plus chili powder, italian seasoning, a bit of salt and
pepper and a secret spice.

response 266 of 494:

Nov 24 23:26 UTC 2006

re resp:263: I don't usually strain mine.  The particles can be used to
make a kind of cheeze, though.

Recently I discovered that oat milk tastes just the same in black tea as
dairy milk.  So I think I'll start making my own oat milk.

The last thing I cooked was 'maters and sprouts for yesterday's dinner:

~1 to 1.5 lb Brussels sprouts
1 30-oz can diced tomatoes with onions and garlic
1 15-oz can white beans (I used cannelini yesterday), drained and rinsed
Dried sage to taste

Wash and trim the sprouts.  I cut a 1/4-inch-deep X in the bottoms, but
I think it might have been better if I had simply halved them.  Put
everything in a pot.  Bring to a slight boil, then simmer till the
sprouts are done.  Serve.

Yesterday I needed to add an extra 15-oz can of tomatoes because I had
more sprouts than I thought I did.  This dish also makes a pretty good
supper served with a salad and good chewy bread.

response 268 of 494:

Nov 25 07:11 UTC 2006

Light-colored liquid made from oats that can be used as a dairy milk
substitute.  Like almond milk, soy milk, or rice milk.  Pacific makes a
pretty good oat milk, but store-bought stuff always costs a boatload
more than what you can make at home.  See resp:262 for a recipe for
homemade cashew milk.  Here's a link to Pacific's grain and nut beverages:

http://www.pacificfoods.com/products-nut-grain.php

I am looking for a recipe for oat milk using steel-cut oats.  All I have
found so far are recipes calling for rolled oats and I have none of
those on hand.

response 270 of 494:

Dec 4 06:35 UTC 2006

Made some oat milk tonight:

1 C rolled oats
5 C water

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.  Pour into a
blender, blend, and then strain.

It turned out very thick.  I'm not sure I like it.  Next time I won't
blend, I'll just strain off the liquid.

response 272 of 494:

Dec 4 21:50 UTC 2006

Bummer, I can't seem to get that link to work.  I really like rustic 
dishes, like ragu.  I'm planning to make this recipe tomorrow:

http://tinyurl.com/yk97d6

The last thing I did cook was a slow cooker chicken noodle soup.  Very 
traditional. Nothing unusual. Very good.  

response 274 of 494:

Dec 4 23:47 UTC 2006

Hmmm. I suppose I dont get to count the frozen pizza I had for dinner 
last night, huh? ;)

The last thing I actually cooked was a bacon and cheddar quiche. 

response 276 of 494:

Dec 4 23:57 UTC 2006

shoot...I know what's wrong...

http://tinyurl.com/y9znt8

response 278 of 494:

Dec 5 00:27 UTC 2006

Heh....well in my case last night, I more than succeeded..burnt the 
living crap out of it...which is a bummer, as it's so tasty.

response 280 of 494:

Dec 5 16:28 UTC 2006

Hmm, the last thing I made was Sunday dinner- whole wheat spaghetti with
DeLallo spaghetti sauce (tomato and basil) with my own assortment of
herbs added. 

Hubby made 'Stuff' yesterday for lunch, which is something like a
shepherd's pie- but it's his own creation. Ground sirloin, onion, corn,
gravy and mashed potatoes on top. We think it's yummy.

response 282 of 494:

Dec 5 23:18 UTC 2006

Anne, your husband's 'stuff' sounds good! :-)

response 284 of 494:

Dec 6 08:33 UTC 2006

The stew I made on Monday evening includes the stewing meat [browned first],
then added a can of onion soup, crushed tomatoes, diced potatoes, chopped
onions and chopped onion. Also added was a bit of salt and ground pepper,
Italian seasoning, cumin and tumeric [they smelled good and I hardly ever use
them; I brought them for a particular recipe, but i forget what the recipes
are]. Then let it all simmer for awhile. It was good but needed a bit more
salt. Oh, and sometimes after reheating the stew, I add a bit of sour cream
and stir that in to make a creamier broth.

Tuesday evening, I made cheese quesidilas.

response 286 of 494:

Dec 6 14:13 UTC 2006

That's true, Mary; stew IS a good comfort food, though as a kid, I hated the
stuff!

In my response in 284 in my list of ingredients, that should be chopped onions
and chopped green peppers [not onions and onions].