Comments for Velvet Kerfuffle Kitchen and Garden

Comment on The one with the dumplings. by Karen

Karen — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:33:38 +0000

I love shumai! This post is making me hungry… and I just ate!

Comment on DIY: Pumpkin Puree -or- Squashing a Squash. by Roasted Pumpkin Seeds « Velvet Kerfuffle Kitchen and Garden

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds « Velvet Kerfuffle Kitchen and Garden — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:17:01 +0000

[...] this post about pumpkin puree where I mentioned always saving the seeds from pumpkins to use for another recipe? This would be [...]

Comment on Baked Green Tomatoes… muffins, that is. by Manu

Manu — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:18:16 +0000

wow this is so different. i can’t wait to try these!

Comment on Homemade blackcurrant juice and a shiny new steam juicer. by Eeva N.

Eeva N. — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 17:07:07 +0000

Yay steam juicer. :) They are quite handy indeed even though they do take up a lot of space. In our family, the absolute favorite of the types of juice my mom makes is (green) gooseberry and strawberry. Sweet and lovely, and good way to use those small and not so sweet strawberries you might get near the end of strawberry season.

As for blackcurrant juice, it makes a great hot drink when you’re sick, but another maybe slightly strange but delicious way of using blackcurrants is making a kiisseli from the juice and then pouring the still warm/hot kiisseli over vanilla ice cream. Sooo good. :)

Comment on Fun Finnish Foods, a pictorial. by admin

admin — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:49:39 +0000

Perfect! Yep, that’s what they are. Not the Fazer variety, but a rum-flavored filling sold by this bakery here: http://www.prassen.fi/kauppa/cat/product_details.php?p=699

I probably would have liked the cookie-filled Fazer ones more, I think. Still, it looked different and I love marzipan, so I had to give it a try.

Comment on Fun Finnish Foods, a pictorial. by Eeva N.

Eeva N. — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:31:05 +0000

To me, “this” (image 0479) looks like a perunaleivos. http://viisitahtea.fi/mestarinkasiala/106/1057.html does not have a recipe, but has some photos on how they are made at Fazer, so maybe you can see if the insides look familiar. :)

Comment on Basil and Black Pepper Chocolate by admin

admin — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:06:45 +0000

Hey lady! I know it has been ages since we last discussed this, but I’m still totally down with this exchange idea if you are. I’ve been craving Reeses stuff something vicious lately and the only place I can get it is at the supermarket that charges 3 Euro per 3-cup package. Which is extortion, but they know how desperate expats can get ;-) So yes, it’s the cold season and perfect for sending candies, what do you say?

Comment on Weekly Harvest Post! by admin

admin — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 11:10:11 +0000

Hi there! It’s been eons since this comment was made, so I’m sure you’ve already got everything figured out. But for the record, I’ve always been too lazy to bother with defrosting, especially since the frozen mussels I used were already cooked. So really, all I was doing was defrosting and heating them in the pot with the broth, then serving. Mussels (like most shellfish) don’t take very long to cook fresh, either, and can get really rubbery if left for too long. The good thing about using frozen seafood, as long as it is handled properly and has been kept consistently frozen, is that it is as fresh as the day it was frozen (usually the day it was caught), hence lowering the chance of food poisoning because bacteria doesn’t get a chance to grow in it. Versus, y’know the salmon filet that you bought three nights ago fresh but then kept in the fridge and only decided to cook today. *cough* Speaking, unfortunately, from person experience ;-)

Comment on Fun Finnish Foods, a pictorial. by admin

admin — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 08:49:55 +0000

Hmmm, I’m staring at that picture now and wondering if that’s actually fried vendace and not herring. Small distinction, but worth noting if you’re as into fish as we are. Still, yes, it’s a good thing those vendors are only around during festivals, because that much fried food is seriously dangerous. Nom.

Comment on Fun Finnish Foods, a pictorial. by Karen

Karen — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 06:18:47 +0000

I want a big plate of pic #3!

Comment on Naked Quiche by Karen

Karen — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:30:22 +0000

This looks delicious!

Comment on Lobster Mornay Sauce over Lemon Pepper Pappardelle by Todd @ Seatech

Todd @ Seatech — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 06:16:57 +0000

Great pasta dish. I placed a link back to this page from the Facebook Langostino page where there is a great collection of langostino recipes. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Langostino/234592716668357

Comment on Argentinian Red Shrimp Bisque by Todd

Todd — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 03:11:04 +0000

This is a great recipe. I just placed a link back to this page at http://www.facebook.com/argentineredshrimp.

Comment on Bread Machine Love: Snickerdoodles by Steve

Steve — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 03:43:09 +0000

This is perfect, can’t wait Torrey it!

Comment on OK, so it’s more of a fortnightly harvest post… by admin

admin — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 14:26:30 +0000

Yeah, seriously! We just have a small patch, so they usually seem to disappear before I can get them inside and into the freezer. I’m consider buying some seeds and scattering them in the area in the hopes that they’ll help boost the wild population. But the seeds I’ve found so far have been for the alpine strawberry, which is a little bit different from the wood strawberry that we have. Maybe I’ll start another patch elsewhere… there’s really no such thing as too many strawberries, is there? :-D

Comment on OK, so it’s more of a fortnightly harvest post… by Karen

Karen — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 19:01:34 +0000

We used to have wild strawberries around our place when I was a kid. Garden-variety berries just do not compare. I used to use them in homemade ice cream, if I didn’t just shove them into my face first.

Comment on Rhubarb Rhubarb by admin

admin — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 18:54:40 +0000

Nah, pretty unnecessary as long as you rinse them clean and don’t use chemicals. I’ve also seen plenty of people post recipes where they’ve just used them chopped and unpeeled. If they were close to the driveway, I could see how that’d be a concern, though. The thinner stalks are still very tender all the way through and the older ones are okay as long as I chop them small and pick out the stringiest bits that don’t easily get cut through. It’s pretty obvious which ones those are because they all stick together when you’re scooping them into the bowl. By the time you cook them, the heat will soften them down to such a silky consistency that you really can’t tell even on the largest ones. I suppose the freezing process might help denature any leftover stringy bits as well. It’s true that the oldest ones can get pretty tough if you let them sit in the ground for a good long time, but I try to harvest just the most edible ones and leave the real gargantuan ones to the plant. You’re supposed to leave at least half the leaves for the plant to take care of itself anyway, so they get to keep the ones that are too unwieldy to eat :-)

Comment on Rhubarb Rhubarb by Emmuzka

Emmuzka — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 18:43:40 +0000

You don’t peel the rhubarb first? I always peel them… I learned it in my childhood home. Now that I think of it, it might be that we used too old and “woody” stalks, as it was the rule that the oldest stalk had to be used first. Or my mother was concerned about car fumes, dunno. But I just continue peeling them :)

Comment on Weekly Harvest Post! by Tiffany

Tiffany — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:00:24 +0000

Hello there, I just found your website when I was looking for recipes on how to cook mussels via google. I have never cook seafood other than salmon or shrimp so this is very new to me. I am afraid of food poisoning so that’s why I was searching for recipes for the past 2 days. I think your recipe is the most informative one ever! I have one question…can I follow your recipe and then throw in the frozen mussels when it calls for them? Or do I have to thaw them first? Thanks! Tiffany

Comment on Chicken Rice Casserole (with bonus chicken stock!) by Tenesa

Tenesa — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 12:38:18 +0000

Just wondering.. does it have to be cream of chicken soup.. could it be cream of celery/ broccoli? and Also is this a dish that could be prepared in the morning and then stuck in the oven at dinner time?

Comment on Sautéed Soft-shell Crab with Garlic and Butter by PHM

PHM — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:40:00 +0000

It was fun to revisit this recipe now that it’s soft shell crab season again. I think I did even better at this this time, even though I have been cooking so little lately. The white rice I made sure to make this time and it really goes well with these crabs. I’m so happy! Thanks to you and Emeril.

Comment on Un-matzo Ball Soup by Jamie

Jamie — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:09:30 +0000

Sounds absolutely delicious! I’m totally craving Matzo ball soup now ;)

Comment on Un-matzo Ball Soup by nancy@skinnykitchen.com

nancy@skinnykitchen.com — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:45:06 +0000

Yummy! I love matzo ball soup. I make a skinny version that’s really good too!

Comment on Baby orchids and more seeds planted. by Karen

Karen — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 19:15:11 +0000

I have garden envy! Nothing I try to grow ever works out well :/ Plants, anyway. I have better luck with cats.

Comment on Salmon and Scallop Inarizushi by Return of the berries of the sea. « Velvet Kerfuffle Kitchen and Garden

Return of the berries of the sea. « Velvet Kerfuffle Kitchen and Garden — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:11:53 +0000

[...] but they were probably the largest ones I’ve seen so far. Still not as generously sized as the ones I got back in Cali but I’ve come to accept that most things in Europe are on a different scale. Mussels, [...]

Comment on Mystery Meat: Berries of the Sea by Return of the berries of the sea. « Velvet Kerfuffle Kitchen and Garden

Return of the berries of the sea. « Velvet Kerfuffle Kitchen and Garden — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:10:15 +0000

[...] January 2009 (3) April 2004 (1) March 2004 (3) Recent Commentsadmin on Mystery Meat: Berries of the Seaadmin on Lemon Garlic Scallops over Casarecce and Spinachadmin on Viili Viili Good.Irbise on Viili [...]

Comment on Mystery Meat: Berries of the Sea by admin

admin — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:30:07 +0000

Eh, I LOVE caviar and fish roe of all sorts. Positively adore it. Have since I was a kid. Something about the texture and the way they pop in your mouth and taste like ocean. My favorite sushi pieces are always the ones with roe. Did we really never got out to sushi together in Cali? Anyway, I was rather disappointed that there wasn’t a bigger selection of fish eggs available out here, so figured I’d try the fake stuff partly out of desperation. Since I’ve posted this, though, they’ve actually started carrying real salmon caviar, at least. A bit spendy, but good for the random cravings. Have been meaning to stock up on the black stuff next time we take a trip further east, where they actually make it so it’s more affordable… So yeah, this is a case where I’d probably use your aversion to my advantage and say YAY, more caviar for me! :-D

Comment on Lemon Garlic Scallops over Casarecce and Spinach by admin

admin — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:23:34 +0000

Oh, I love scallops. They’re so mellow and buttery and sweet without losing that salty oceany tinge. Much more tender than most other seafoods, as long as they don’t get overcooked into rubber. Hmmm, now you’ve got me wanting to go pick up a bag of them on our next supermarket run :-) They only sell the smaller ones out here in Finland, not the monsters that I’m used to finding in California. Still, I’m sure those will fry up just as well too… Hope your dinner turned out well!

Comment on Viili Viili Good. by admin

admin — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:12:49 +0000

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by, it’s always cool to meet new people :-) I guess I’ve always been fond of differently textured foods, and am pretty much willing to try just about everything. As for salmiakki — yes, I have :-) It was one of the first things that my very first Finnish friend made me try. Now that I live in Finland, though, it’s everywhere so I’m glad that she introduced it to me so I know what to avoid ;-) I’ve never been much of a liquorice fan, so a salty version is just compounding something I’m not fond of. But yes, it’s amusing to give it to people and see their reactions — I full plan to do this when we visit the States next year. Hehe. And how’s winter out in CR? I heard you guys have been getting some impressive low temperatures…

Comment on Viili Viili Good. by Irbise

Irbise — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:26:03 +0000

Hi, you have written it so nicely about the viili. When I was in Finland, I tried this special product twice. Once it was the fruity colored one, and it was ok… sort of chewing gum, but the second one was natural with some fruit on the bottom, but I didnt know that… so it wasnt so good. But it was fun:)
Btw: Had you tried Finnish Salmiakki?… It is also very funny stuff. Especially watch them been eaten by other people :)
Greetings from Czech Republic.

Comment on Lemon Garlic Scallops over Casarecce and Spinach by Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:23:57 +0000

I am ready to try this!! I have cooked shrimp,fish, even crab but never scallops. So I wasn’t sure on how I should cook them. This Idea is great and easy, Thank you so much!! Can’t wait!!:)

Comment on Mystery Meat: Berries of the Sea by Sassy

Sassy — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:34:50 +0000

o_O … O_o

I thought they were the real thing for a minute.

Fish eggs… blah! I guess I’m not an egg person. (Scrambled eggs, fish eggs, ick!)

Thank goodness you didn’t subject me to this while visiting Finland. Even though it’s veggie, I’d probably have to pass on tasting it. LOL!

Comment on Pommac by johnj vaught

johnj vaught — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:04:47 +0000

As a child I loved pommac soft drinks .I was raised in a small community in Pulaski County Kentucky just northwest of Somerset Ky. The community was called Rocklick and the nearset country store was 5 miles away which is were I got the first pommac soda that ever I drink . I have looked the country over for some of the old bottles without any luck. I am interested in ordering some of this drink….Can anyone help ??? JMV

Comment on Mystery Meat: Secret’s in the sås. by admin

admin — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 05:30:04 +0000

I want to hear Norwegian now. Also, where is the thing on a fish? :-)

Comment on Mystery Meat: Secret’s in the sås. by admin

admin — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 05:26:31 +0000

Hee. You can get that in tubes here in the supermarket, along with several other fish-related flavors. And yeah, they actually are pretty good, if you’re into fishy spread :-) This post is now making me crave the shrimp-and-fish balls in soup that my mom used to make. Will have to see about replicating that one of these days.

Comment on Mussels Mariniere by admin

admin — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:13:09 +0000

Sounds like a lovely week, glad to be of help! I’d love an excuse to spend a week at sea myself right about now :-)

Comment on Mussels Mariniere by Lee Spencer

Lee Spencer — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:06:34 +0000

Very nice! Just returned from a week at sea and not looking forward to Monday – This was a great finish to a relaxing week. Had a box of the Kiwi Green mussels in the freezer and was searching for a good recipe to use them on. Yours fit the bill. A nice French Chardonney, some sourdough bread and the evening was made. This goes in the home cookbook under -”Have again”

Thanks

Comment on Pommac by admin

admin — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 06:40:27 +0000

Alas, I think it never quite caught on in the States so was discontinued ages ago. You might be able to have it ordered from a Scandinavian specialty store, however, since it’s still very common out here and would be easy enough to import along with anything else they’re stocking!

Comment on Pommac by Karen

Karen — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:46:30 +0000

I miss Pommac from the 1960s! How can I order it? I live in the States. Thanks!

Comment on The Garden: June in Finland by admin

admin — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 12:58:25 +0000

No parade, just a bit of Googling through various medical websites. Wood anemones, and all plants of that family including the varieties kept in home gardens, contain protoanemonin, which can cause severe skin and gastrointestinal irritation, burning mouth sensation, burning throat sensation, mouth ulcers, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bitter taste in mouth, and blood in vomit. I would not let any child or animal with a propensity for putting random things in their mouths near these flowers. And yeah, the lilies of the valley are as well.

Comment on The Garden: June in Finland by anonymous

anonymous — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:09:42 +0000

Sorry to rain on your parade, but I’ve never heard of those flowers being poisonous.
Kielo (Convallaria majalis), however, is.

Comment on The 2010 Ramen Review by Angela Lai

Angela Lai — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:04:39 +0000

*snerk* You were definitely one of a handful of people that it applied to, yes ;-)

Comment on Sautéed Soft-shell Crab with Garlic and Butter by Judy Weisberg

Judy Weisberg — Sat, 14 May 2011 11:51:19 +0000

Our gourmet grocery store had a nice sale on soft shells for a few days, and our four small crabs looked alive when I selected them. The fishmonger cleaned them, I took them home on ice, and I cooked them four or five hours later. We dredged and seasoned them and sauteed them in butter with a little cooking oil and served them with toasted almond slices, parsley, and butter from the pan. Can you tell me why, oh, why, they came out with a frankly papery shell? And though the meat looked ample, it was tasteless with some watery texture when we bit into the the pieces that we cut?

Thank you so much. We love to eat these critters, and I’ll try cooking them again and again to get them right!

Comment on Food That Moves: Giant Lobster Fried Rice by Lobsteriffic! « Velvet Kerfuffle Kitchen and Garden

Lobsteriffic! « Velvet Kerfuffle Kitchen and Garden — Wed, 11 May 2011 05:11:34 +0000

[...] of lobster, it’s not something that we’ll probably get on a regular basis. Remember the live 7-pounder I got at the Asian store for about $30? Oh, Cali. For a special treat, however, it’s [...]

Comment on Mystery Meat: Secret’s in the sås. by Karen

Karen — Sun, 08 May 2011 22:40:11 +0000

One of the tastiest things I have ever eated from a can was a Danish shrimp paste. Spread it on Scandinavian bread. Scrum!

Comment on Mystery Meat: Secret’s in the sås. by cim

cim — Sun, 08 May 2011 08:29:38 +0000

One time I was having dinner with my brother-in-law’s parents-in-law. The Norwegian served up a dish of egg noodles and a white cream-based fish sauce flavored with leftover salmon and SIL’s mother said “What is this sauce?”

“Fiskesås!”

“What’s in it?”

“Fish things,” was the reply. It’s kind of cuter in Norwegian because it has that extra -e after the K and they have such a strong syncopated rhythm to their words.

Comment on The 2010 Ramen Review by Jules

Jules — Fri, 06 May 2011 14:03:54 +0000

This is actually inspirational to do my own ramen post, since there are more varieties here, but mostly of the south Asian and Philippine variety as opposed to the “usual” Thai and Japanese stuff I get in Florida. Good stuff! I put peas in mine, too. :)

Comment on The 2010 Ramen Review by Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours

Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours — Wed, 04 May 2011 21:26:42 +0000

I love noodles.

my current favourite are the Clearspring buckwheat, and I make my own broth for them with seaweed, tamari & miso.

Comment on The 2010 Ramen Review by Keva Williams

Keva Williams — Wed, 04 May 2011 17:57:04 +0000

Ha! You posted this for me, didn’t you? LOL!

Comment on Mystery Meat: Pâté of Ungulate by Beau @ SomethingEdible.com

Beau @ SomethingEdible.com — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:44:49 +0000

I’ve visited moose country in North America quite a few times, but I never knew that they called moose ‘elk’ in Europe. Wow, you learn something new every day!