I grind up fresh lemon and orange peels everyday in my food processor. I usually add a banana peel and any old vegetables that would end up in the disposer. I used to throw the moldy peels away, but I shall start adding those, too. I noticed that they turn moldy anyway in the wet soil. Speaking of which, I soak the peels into the ground so it doesn't harden on the surface, but I heard that the dried and caked peels would keep inch worms away from roses. I began this process because I felt it was an efficient way to recycle and perhaps enrich the soil, and it couldn't hurt the plants. I began adding Epson salts and cider vinegar to the brew. I must say that it smells absolutely wonderful and I have been complimented on the scents of the garden.

My understanding, especially after I looked at the recipe, is that they mean the candied peel that one uses in fruit cakes, for instance. This time of year you should see the plastic containers of candied pineapple, cherries, mixed fruits, etc., ... and hopefully you can find just the candied orange or lemon peel. While it is true that you can "make" your own candied peel (and I've done that with thin slices of orange and grapefruit years ago, and it is a lengthy process), but you don't want to try and cook that up now just for the recipe. And I don't believe that just slicing the peel from a fresh piece of citrus fruit would give you (and the recipe) the true taste it needs. But that's an option, of course. One-quarter cup isn't a huge amount. This recipe actually looks really delicious to me, and I bet it has the taste of almost-mincemeat. While that might not appeal to you, it does me! ha ha I hope you let us know how it turns out, and what you think of it. Good luck. Oh, and you do know that the "white raisins" the recipe calls for are really golden raisins, right? You should be able to find those in any major supermarket along with the boxed standard darker raisins.

Great hint! Do you worry about the plastic being "food safe"? About it emitting any poly-carbons or whatever might be worrysome? Linda C

Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Thu, Apr 8, 10 at 9:44 I'm confused? I thought the pasta cookalong was next week, as the pasta party. I didn't do it this past weekend because I thought that's what we were doing. Well, that, and I've been very busy and was gone last weekend. So, the pasta party and pasta cookalong are/were two different things? Thats okay, as I could eat pasta every day...well, I could if I wanted to gain 300 pounds, lol. Bring on the cream cheese, because I'll buy it thinking I'll use it, then it will sit in the fridge for months before I toss it because it's old. It'll be good to get some recipes. Sally o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Thu, Apr 8, 10 at 11:40 That settles it Sally, you're just going to have to make a dish this weekend that uses pasta AND cream cheese. Might I suggest noodle pudding, known as "kugel" around my house. I may have a recipe if you would like. o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 9:31 That sounds like a great idea. You want to post it on the pasta party or cream cheese thread? Actually, I'm going out of town again this weekend, but I plan to take whatever I need with me to do the pasta party - I just won't be able to post about it till Monday night or Tuesday. Sally o Pesto Trappanese clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by johnliu (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 11:02 Pesto Trappanese This is a dead-easy summer dish, as with many Italian recipes either find really good ingredients or don't make it. Ideal picnic food. Tomato â€" 2 cups, dice by hand, no need to peel or seed. Or, quarter a bunch of cherry tomatoes, which is labor-intensive but flavorful. Parmesan or Asagio or similar salty, hard cheese - 1/2 cup, grated. Chop coarsely by hand: Basil â€" 1-2 cup fresh leaves (or chiffonade which looks prettiest) Garlic â€" 2-3 cloves Almonds â€" ½ cup or more, toasted lightly Optional - a couple of shallots, a bit of fresh mint. Combine. Add to taste: Salt â€" Kosher ideally Pepper â€" fresh cracked Olive oil Lemon - squeeze juice Optional - a bit of red wine vinegar Serve on pasta, cooked in salted water, pasta should be cooled or chilled. I like spirals becuse they are cute and hold the pesto well. Do not use a food processor, the tomatoes tend to turn to juice, the rest becomes too fine, and when mixed up the whole thing looks disturbingly like stomach contents. o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by paprikash (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 14:20 This is absolutely the best tuna noodle casserole I have ever tasted. My husband couldn't stop eating it (little did he know he was eating artichoke hearts....) * Exported from MasterCook * Mediterranean Tuna Casserole Recipe By : Cooking Enthusiast Catalog Serving Size : 4 Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 6 ounces egg noodles -- cooked al dente 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 red pepper -- diced 1 clove garlic -- peeled and minced 4 ounces baby portobella mushrooms -- sliced 1 7 oz can artichoke hearts -- drained and chopped 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy cream 2 4 oz cans bonito del norte tuna -- drained 3/4 cup parmesan cheese -- shredded 3 scallions -- thinly sliced 1/2 cup crispy onions 1/4 cup Italian style panko breadcrumbs Melt butter in large saucepot over medium heat. Add red peppers and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook until soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in artichoke hearts and flour. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in milk and heavy cream and cook until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. In large bowl, combine the egg noodles, tuna, scallions, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and sauce mixture. Grease a 10" round casserole, add noodle mixture and top with crispy onions, remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs. Bake in a 400* oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : I probably used closer to 8 oz of baby portobellas and I used regular panko crumbs. I used the canned French's onion rings (Cooking Enthusiast sells their "crispy onions" but I've never bought them). The French's onion rings were starting to burn after 15 minutes so don't top with them until the last 8 to 10 minutes or leave them off. I do buy my tuna fish from Cooking Enthusiast -- it's packed in olive oil and wonderful but I am sure regular tuna fish packed in olive oil will work fine, too. o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 18:18 I made Lpinkmountain's recipe (sorry, don't know your real name) for Spaghetti al Tonno / Pasta with Tuna Sauce. It was delicious and I used the anchovies, lemon zest, and olives. The instructions did not say when to add in the anchovies, so I added them in with the onion as I have seen done on the food network. My husband and I both went back for seconds. Thanks for sharing such a great, quick recipe! o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA Recipe!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 18:28 Here is a recipe my niece shared with me that is very delicious. Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Courtesy of Giada Delurentis. Ingredients: 3TBOlive Oil 1 pkg spicy sausage casings removed 2 bunches Broccoli Rabe (I use one) 3-5 cloves garlic minced pinch of dried red pepper flakes (or more if you can take it) 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated 1/2 tea fresh ground black pepper Directions: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil Broccoli Rabe for one minute. Strain broccoli rabe reserving all cooking liquid. Cook orecchiette in the same water as the broccoli rabe until al dente. Drain reserving one cup of cooking liquid. Meanwhile cook sausage in large skillet with oil breaking into pieces. Cook until brown and juices form. Add garlic and red pepper, saute until fragrant. Add broccoli rabe toss to coat . Add pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid to keep moisten. Stir Parmesan salt to taste and fresh ground pepper to taste into mixture. Enjoy o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 22:37 That's right Mamalou, Joyce says to add the anchovies after sauteeing the onions until transluscent. Sorry I left them out! I tried to like anchovies but I just can't do it, lol! My name is Laurie but I like to go by my screen name or Lpink for short, just for privacy's sake. If it was just the regular members on here that knew my name I wouldn't mind, but with the Internet, anything can come up in a search anywhere. Glad you like the pasta. I've been wanting to make it for the longest time, but I also want to make Sharon's pasta with peas and bacon, and a recipe I have for spinach fettucinni. And I still have orzo minestrone to eat up, one week later. So much pasta, so little time . . . o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by cookingrvc (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 23:22 Ok, had forgotten about this but I turns out that I was planning to make pasta tomorrow so I guess I'm in! I have some fresh portobello agnolotti which I plan to serve with a white truffle cream sauce (got the truffle cream, just need to make a sauce base) as a first course. Small serving - just enough. Second course will be a grilled flank steak with some sides - I'll see what looks good in the market. I like the boiled, smashed, then roasted red potatoes (Pioneer Women) that someone posted and might add a bit of onion. Sue o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lorijean44 (My Page) on Sat, Apr 10, 10 at 10:41 Here's my contribution to the cookalong: Bowties with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound sweet Italian sausage 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 cup diced onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 28-ounce can Italian diced tomatoes 1-1/2 cups whipping cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 pound bowtie pasta 3 tablespoons fresh minced basil Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage, crumble and cook in oil with crushed pepper until sausage is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook another 5-7 minutes until tender. Drain tomatoes, chop coarsely and stir into sausage along with cream, salt and basil. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. In a separate pot of boiling water cook pasta al dente. Drain pasta and add to simmering sauce. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley. Serves 4. Source: An Appetite for Art, copyright 2001 Lori o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Sun, Apr 11, 10 at 16:54 Thanks LPink! We enjoyed the leftovers today...they tasted even better than the first time!! Yum!