The cob should fill out the shuck in a well rounded, firm but not hard fashion assuming the corn has had all the nutrients and water it needs. The size of the ear and the kernels will vary from variety to variety. If the silk are "just starting to turn brown" I'd give it a couple more days but that it hard to say without actually seeing it. So where is it DTM-wise and what size ears is your variety supposed to produce? When inexperienced the best way may be to peel an ear and look at it. Dave

I also grew up eating venison. I didn't even know deer season wasn't year round until I got into high school and my classmates were taking the first day of deer season off. (grin) Yeah, I know, my family called it "government beef" and there was one hanging in a garage somewhere nearly all the time. As Michael pointed out, it needs to be well cleaned, I take off all the hair and bits of fat and sinew. The backstrap is the prime piece, we used to "butterfly" those tenderloin steaks and serve with just salt and pepper. Most of the venison was cooked like beef, my beef is nearly as lean as venison anyway so I don't change my techniques much. Venison does have a more assertive flavor so I use more seasonings than I would with beef. Our venison is mostly from the corn fields and apple orchards and that makes a big difference in flavor. As for the sex, if I'm eating it I'd much prefer a big doe than a buck. Unlike paririe-love, I encourage the shooting of does, it's the only way to cull the herd which has grown so big in our area that special kill permits are being given inside city limits because the deer are eating the landscaping in front of city hall, the library and the schools. A friend in Wisconsin says the deer herd there has grown so large that they are required to take a doe before they can take a buck. Anyway, favorite recipes. I like the typical stew/taco/chili recipes, all have enough seasonings to overcome that venison flavor. I haven't learned to like wine, so that's not a usual ingredient in my cooking, but I keep trying. I do like chunks of venison from steaks or roasts, marinated in Nancy's teriyaki marinade and then grilled with onions and peppers. Asian Marinade for Chicken Breasts 1C veg oil 1/4 C sesame oil 3/4 C soy sauce (Kikkomen) 1/3 C minced garlic 4 Tabsp minced ginger 2/3 C minced cilantro 5-6 green onions 1 tsp grd blk pepper I put the onions, ginger and cilantro in the food rocessor and pulse till chopped fine. Combine all and marinate chicken breasts (or whatever meat you are using) up to 24 hrs. but at least 1 hr if you can I have also put marinade in a freezer bag with chicken and frozen (good to do with the left over) Nancy My family liked this recipe, although the tomato sauce was a bit much for me. My Dad likes olives in the stuffing, but I don't care for olives either, LOL. I think you could add anything you like to the stuffing, like capers or pickled jalapenos or mushrooms. Hmmmm, maybe spinach and cheese, a kind of florentine....well, you get the idea. Stuffed Venison Steak Ingredients: Venison (or beef) Steaks Fresh Parsley (chopped) Scallions (chopped) Ham Salami Sliced Provolone Cheese Grated Cheese chopped olives Olive Oil Salt Pepper Prepared Marinara or Meat Tomato Sauce Directions: Pound venison steak to tenderize. Any cut of steak can be used. Layer the meats, cheeses, parsley, olives and scallions on the pounded steak. Once the steak is layered with your choice of stuffing, salt and pepper to taste. Roll each steak trying to keep as much stuffing in the middle. Tie both ends with thread or cooking string. Some steaks may need to be tied a third time. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown venison on all sides. Gently place browned meat into your pot of marinara sauce. Turn on low and allow to simmer for one and a half to two hours. I've not tried it but I think Ann T's salisbury steak recipe would be good with venison too. Salisbury Steak In Mushroom And Green Peppercorn Sauce ====================================================== 2 Pounds of ground Sirloin 1 onion finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic minced 2 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 2 Teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 Tablespoon of worcestershire Sauce 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard Salt and Pepper to taste Sauce 1/2 small onion chopped 1 garlic clove minced 1 Tablespoon green peppercorns Fresh Mushrooms sliced 2 Tablespoons Flour Broth 2 to 3 cups (Beef or chicken) Pan drippings plus 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter/margarine or oil. Saute onions in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil until tender but not browned. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. In a bowl combined ground sirloin, parsley, thyme, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Add onions and garlic and mix well. (I use my hands). Form into oval shaped patties. (I made 5 nice size ones from the 2 pounds, but you could make smaller if you prefer) If you have a grill pan use it. Heat pan until hot and grill steaks until grilled on both sides. Add a bit of broth to the pan to pick up the drippings to add to sauce. Saute onion in 1 Tablespoon of oil until tender. Add mushroom and cook for 3 or 4 minutes and add flour. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes and add broth and green peppercorns. Place Salisbury Steaks in with sauce and continue to cook on low for at least one hour. This makes the meat really fork tender. NOTES: I used Chicken Broth but added some beef/veal demi glaze that I made a week or two ago. It added flavor and color to the sauce. I had actually gone for a walk while this was cooking so it was probably more like an 1-1/2 hours, although 1 hour would probably be enough. Serves 4 (Ann T) Good luck, and have fun cooking. Annie

For Cindyxeus or anybody else, a food allergy would be from one food or many? There are many mechanisms involved with cutaneous adverse food reactions. In fact some foods can even have a cross reaction to certain pollens. Lablover, in the foods you mentioned they all stink...LOL not to be mean but they are bottom of the barrel commercial foods. You need to get your dog off as many grains as possible, first and formost wheat. When all is said and done a dog with food allergies usually are responding to the ingredients used in the form they are served. For example whole corn is not easily digestable for dogs, however corn meal is highly digestible. BUT do dogs need corn? The answer is no, dogs do not need grains of any kind. Some dogs do absolutely fine with just corn meal, some dogs have a reaction to it in any form. Unlike the past 10 years of information corn isn't the culprit people thought as much as it was how many corn products were used in one recipe. By far the biggest culprit is wheat. or any food in which grains all added up exceed the amount of other things needed. Another example is say one thinks there dog is allergic to beef, this can be true BUT if you feed real beef ( not dog food) but real beef from your own kitchen 9 out of ten times that same dog can eat the fresh beef without incident. I think in your case your dog would probably do really good with a food like Canidae if you want to stay with a dog food. It has no wheat corn or soy, it is naturally preserved and does work for dogs coming off commercial diets quite well. If that brand wouldn't work for whatevr reason you would than need to go to a very limited ingredient food such as Californa natural or something similar. Now for those who have tried different foods with limited ingredients and they are still not getting much satisfaction but they still think food may be the culprit than I highly reccommend serving a grainless diet such as Honest Kitchens Preference ( just type in www before the name of the food and it wil bring you to the website. or better yet learn how to cook correctly for your dog or go Barf. Hope that helps break it down some for you.

Posted by sheshebop (My Page) on Fri, Mar 12, 10 at 9:12 Wow! I clipped and saved so many of these recipes, and still wasn't even half way through. I ended up printing the entire thread. As one who loves very tart tastes, this thread was perfect for me. I love the tartness of a cranberry. Whoever picked cranberries, good choice! o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Fri, Mar 19, 10 at 20:13 I just finished off my last slice of cranberry apple pie. I still have about a cup of cranberries left, which I think I will use to make those Empire muffins. I've got the carrots, walnuts AND the applesauce. o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 22, 10 at 9:20 Really good recipes! I'm sure I'll be checking these over next fall when cranberries are plentiful again. Time for a new topic! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~drawing a name~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OK...got it........................ >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Pat T <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Pat, please give us an ingredient focus ASAP! Just post it below, I'll watch for it and then start the new thread. Thanks to everyone for the cranberry recipes. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 22, 10 at 9:25 I should have posted yesterday, I made 12 half pints of Gina's cranberry citrus marmalade! OK, Pat T, I'll wait for your selection now... Annie o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by pat_t (My Page) on Mon, Mar 22, 10 at 9:39 OK Nancy - Let's go with PASTA as the new focus. I'm looking forward to some new recipes & ideas! PS: Thanks for picking me. I feel so special! LOL o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by stacy3 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 22, 10 at 9:56 as usual I am a day late and a dollar short but in since these threads get saved I'm going to add two of my favorite recipes - I love cranberries. And I love Alexa's crustless cranberry pie. I like it in the freezer cut into little bite sized pieces to grab a little piece every once in awhile...yum. thanks everyone for sharing all these great recipe! Drenched Cranberry Cake - Lorijean 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted 2/3 cup milk 1 egg 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries Sauce: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 9-inch round pan. Sift the flour, sugar, and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the shortening, milk, and egg. Beat for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Stir in the cranberries. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack. While the cake is baking, make the sauce. Melt the butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water (I just put a small saucepan over an extremely low flame and dispensed with the double-boiler!) Add the sugar, cream, and vanilla bean. Stir to mix well. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean. Serve the cake with each individual slice generously with the warmed sauce. Serves 8 Source: Very Cranberry, copyright 2003 posted by lorijean Cranberry Lemon Cookies -Jenn A wonderful cookie I discovered at Gail's Recipe Swap. They freeze well, but thaw them before adding icing. I posted this last year and got quite a few comments from people who said everyone loved them. * 1/2 C butter * 1/2 C sugar * 1/3 C brown sugar * 1/2 tsp. lemon zest * 1 egg * 2 tsp. vanilla * 1 C flour * 1 tsp. baking powder * 1/2 tsp. cinnamon * 1-1/2 C chopped pecans (I use walnuts) * 1-1/2 C chopped fresh cranberries Cream butter, sugars, and lemon zest. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in nuts and cranberries. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Let cool slightly before removing to cooling racks. Frost when cool. ICING: Whisk together 1 C confectioner's sugar, 2 Tbsp milk, and 1/4 tsp. lemon zest. ============================================================ NOTES: * Though our oven tends to run hot, these cookies seem to take 13-14 minutes to bake. Check after 12 minutes and add an extra minute or two if needed; they should just be golden brown. * Icing is best when made at least a day ahead of time. This gives the sugar time to absorb the milk, and lets the lemon zest impart a strong lemon flavor. * The original recipe did not give the amount of vanilla, so I guessed at 2 tsp. o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 22, 10 at 10:12 Great choice Pat! I'm getting another idea to go along with it. Thanks! Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #24-------PASTA! o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 22, 10 at 12:48 I was half way through the day yesterday, and had already made 2 loaves of bread and a pan of dark ginger bread (since we had 5 inches of snow !!! it seemed like a good day for baking, especially gingerbread) when I remembered about the cranberry cookalong. I'm going to copy and paste this thread, though. There's lots of good ideas for cranberries. Thanks for all the recipes. Sally o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jessyf (My Page) on Wed, Mar 24, 10 at 11:45 I can't believe no one has posted Cranberry Jezebel. Cranberry Jezebel Sauce Recipe 1 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 (12 oz) bag fresh or frozen cranberries 3 tblsps prepared horseradish 1 tblsp Dijon mustard Garnish: fresh mint sprigs Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Add cranberries, and return to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temp. Stir in horseradish and mustard; cover and chill. Garnish, if desired. o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jimster (My Page) on Thu, Apr 1, 10 at 19:35 Better late than never, right? I finally got around to developing and testing this recipe and making the photos. My goal was a zippy cranberry chutney. Cranberry chutney is not such an original idea as I first thought. Malna posted one early in this thread and it turns out there are many recipes for it on the Internet. Anyway, here is mine. Chutney Ingredients Chutney Appetizer CRANBERRY CHUTNEY 12 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries 1 orange, chopped 1 apple, chopped 2 Tablespoons finely minced shallots 1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger root 3/4 Cup white vinegar 3/4 Cup white wine 1 Cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil in a covered pot. Simmer covered for 5 minutes. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Note: Prior to cooking, it may appear that there is not enough liquid. Check the consistency after the first five minutes of cooking. Add wine or water if necessary. The final product should be thick. Jim o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by chase (My Page) on Thu, Apr 1, 10 at 22:03 Jim, I'll go back and check the recipe in a minute but those pictures are amazing. Especially the first one! Gorgeous. You been hiding your talent boy! o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Fri, Apr 2, 10 at 8:58 So was it any good? I've been looking for a good cranberry chutney recipe, the one I have calls for sage and I've been skeptical so haven't made it. o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jimster (My Page) on Fri, Apr 2, 10 at 12:00 Thanks for the nice words, Sharon. You made my day. LPM, this chutney was pretty much what I expected it to be. It's based on a review of many other recipes so I couldn't go too far wrong. My main innovations were to use shallots, ginger root and wine, nothing especially daring but fitting to the concept of a chutney I thought. I was tempted to use balsamic vinegar but went with white vinegar for the sharpness I wanted. I figured the other ingredients would provide enough fruitiness. Since it is the only cranberry chutney I ever tasted, I have no basis for comparison. I can only say it tastes good to me. I agree about that recipe which called for sage. I would not use green herbs. IMO, it's sweet spices you want with the fruitiness of chutney and that is consistent with most of the recipes I looked at. I just looked at Malna's recipe again and it looks like she also used ginger root, not ground ginger. Check her recipe and look at a few of the other on-line recipes and see what you think. Let us know if you make chutney. Jim o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Fri, Apr 2, 10 at 16:55 Right now I have the ingredients for Gina's Cranberry Citrus Marmelade languishing in my fridge, so if I do make preserves, that will be it. Most likely I will make the chutney to give as Christmas gifts next year, so I'll have to save this thread. I liked Malna's recipe too, but somehow I can't get my brain around curried cranberries! There is no total reason for this, other than I've never tried it. But also, I am not a big curry fan, and I don't really know why, because I liked seasoned food. There must be some particular ingredient in curry I don't like, and I think it may be fenugreek. Maybe that's not in Balti seasoning. o RE: Cookalong #23 ------CRANBERRIES clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by malna (My Page) on Fri, Apr 2, 10 at 18:58 I thought I heard my name being bantered around here LOL. Here's my take on the chutney issue - I much prefer the sweet one. As a matter of fact, I can just eat it right out of the jar. On a turkey sandwich? To die for. The curried one - DH loves it. I liked it right after I canned it but, as I said above, I think the curry part got too strong after a few months on the shelf. BTW, the ingredients in Balti are coriander, garlic, ginger, cumin, dundicut chilies, Ceylon cinnamon, mustard, cardamom, cloves, fennel, fenugreek (sorry, LPM), charnushka, star anise, ajwain, black cardamom, cilantro, anise seed and bay leaf. Whew, long list to type!