"----Dcarch, just how much do they shrink when you dry them? I realize they have a lot of moisture. Sally" Actually they don't have more moisture than most veggies by weight. They have a tendency to give up water, especially in salty food. When they are dried, they don't shrink that much. They shrink more in volume if you slice them. Dried mushrooms are great for adding that special taste to recipes, not only that, if used them dry, they absorb a lot of water, so your dish will come out less watery. I have noticed that, in NY area, I assume it the same everywhere, white button mushrooms nowadays have less flavor, but much firmer. They are almost kind of crunchy when used in salad fresh. I suppose it�s a new variety designed best for transportation. dcarch

Sounds yummy Rachel! I'm putting it on my list of recipes for one of my "cook all day" Fall days here at the lake. Think I'll use the last of my homemade demi glace and a lighter roux. That way I have an excuse to make more demi glace at the same time !! Love having things like this in the freezer, makes putting on a very special dinner an any night affair.

Ann, try saving it to your Clippings. Look to the right of your last post (just above this). You will see the word Clippings in green letters. Under that it will say Clip This Post. For each recipe or comment you want to save, click on Clip This Post. Another way to do it is to highlight the entire thread, or the parts you want, right click with your mouse and then click on Copy. Start a new document in Word and paste the thread into that document, then save it to your computer. If you want me to do that for you and then email it to you, let me know.

Shirl, the chickens were ones we raised ourselves, but they were smaller than the last batch, which averaged 8 pounds each, dressed! These were closer to 4 or 5 and it made a huge difference. I spent my teenaged years working at a fried chicken/sub sandwich joint, so I learned to "break down" a chicken in less than 2 minutes. From whole chicken to 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 breast pieces and a back. The breast pieces weren't as big 45 years ago as they are now, so they stayed a single piece. Now I cut the breast pieces in half and so I get 10 "edible" pieces per chicken plus I use all the backs, necks and feet for stock. OK, we raise beef, pork, chicken. What did we have for supper? Kale enchiladas, LOL. Elery made them with a lot of cheese, some kale, some of my home canned tomatillo enchilada sauce/salsa, some kind of Mexican rice on the side. I spent the day at the shop doing Dave's books, so it was nice to not have to make dinner, and I didn't complain at all, even without meat! Annie