I like to go by a tested recipe first to get a baseline reference. After that, I'll tweak it or radically change it to suit my taste. Oooo Smokemaster, yes, Jerk! If anyone's game, I've found this recipe comes as close to authentic Jamaican Jerk than any other I've tried. I always end up doing two versions; one with two Scotch Bonnets for the GF and one with 12 for me ;-) The recipe is from a... wait for it... Weight Watchers recipe book. Here's a copy of the original recipe. I use it without any changes, it's perfect as is IMHO. Works for pork or chicken. Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin This fiery barbecue was invented by the Maroons, or runaway slaves, as a means of preserving meats without refrigeration. The more Scotch bonnet peppers you use, the more authentic the flavor. Use one pepper for a mildly spicy dish and four for a very spicy dish. (To approximate the heat of the authentic jerk marinade, you would have to use 12 Scotch bonnet peppers.) Here, we butterfly the pork to increase the surface area for the marinade to penetrate. This recipe will also work with pork loin and chicken breasts, wings and thighs. 2 cups coarsely chopped green onions 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground allspice 2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 - 12 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero peppers, seeded and chopped 1 (1 1/2 pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed Cooking spray 1. Place first 15 ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Pour into a large zip-top plastic bag. 2. Slice pork lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open halves, laying each side flat. Slice each half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open flat. 3. Add pork to marinade in bag; seal bag, and marinate in refrigerator 3 to 24 hours. Remove pork from bag; discard marinade. 4. Prepare grill. 5. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer registers 160F (slightly pink). Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork).

basilcook, I guess it shows that taste really is objective, not subjective. My daughter HATES the LiveGfree pasta. The varieties available in my small town are LiveGfree, Barilla, Ronzoni, Ancient Harvest and a refrigerated type called Three Bridges, as well as the "store brand", called "True Goodness". That's pretty much like Barilla/Ronzoni, but more expensive. No one liked the Ancient Harvest stuff. Annie's has some box mixes, like mac and cheese, which we haven't tried. Tinkyada is only available on-line here, along with any brand of lasagna noodles. I am not celiac, nor gluten sensitive, but I'm not really a fan of pasta either. I can't tell the difference between the gluten free Barilla and the regular Barilla/Ronzoni/Muellers/Prince/etc. dried varieties unless it's overcooked, at which point it becomes a shapeless mass of mush. Annie

It's called alpha-gal allergy from the bite of a Lone Star Tick identified by scientists just since 2002 and mostly occurs in the Southeast States. DH went to allergist and confirmed with skin prick test and a blood test confirmed pork too so all mammalian meat consumed causes a reaction so it should be described as a reaction from eating mammals not red meat. He went into anaphylactic shock after eating stuffed pepper with beef - months after the tick bite. There is no cure but some say the reaction recedes in time - though we don't want to test it out until we revisit the allergist next year and thereafter. It does make it difficult to eat out because beef broth may be used in soup, or ham used to flavor vegetables - stuff we didn't think of before. It's not like a gluten allergy where you get a tummy ache, this allergy can be life-threatening and we carry an Epi-pen. Asking around we've found many of our friends have it too! He can have poultry and fish so is not totally vegetarian. I wouldn't be surprised if they start opening restaurants called "Non-Mammalian". In the meantime I'm revisiting my cookbooks for things that taste like meat (he hates tofu so that avenue is closed). The fake bacon actually tastes pretty good though I would not have tried it before.

Heh, I use tinned condensed soups sometimes. Sometimes I make my own. It can depend on the dish and what I feel like cooking at the time. Sometimes depends on what i have on hand at the time. If you want and have a lot of mushrooms, you can do a duxelles to freeze off in portions to finish off with your thickening and liquid agents later. You can sort of skip a step in the OP's process if you cook the mushrooms on low till they become self-retained and straight flour toast the mix before adding your liquid. Instead of making a separate roux and adding it to the mix. Kick-ups to cream of celery are be sure to use the leaves and ribs. Add in minced fresh parsley stems and also leaves. Use leeks instead of shallots. Add some celery seed if you can. Lovage and celeriac are good to use if you can get them. For intensity in onion and meat soups- caramelize you onions, take time to reduce your stock and make demiglace. And food safety of Maw-Maw's Chicken- yes, since it's a short marinade time in the fridge, and also cooked along with the meat to safe eating (temp check your sauce if you need to). Boneless pork chops or loins work well for this recipe too. Growing up it was Mom's pork chops in mushroom gravy :) If you feeling beefy, use beef tips, loins, medallions..., and instead of 1c buttermilk, use 1/2 c red wine and 1/2 cup beef stock, omit the hot sauce, but add a bit of mustard. Finish it off with a nice bit of sour cream to the liquid after baking if you are so inclined, and serve over noodles for a nice stroganoff. bbstx's OP mushroom soup base is a rather good one. The use of bacon grease as the browning agent for the chicken is spot on- great flavor.