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Conference turris::cooks

Title:How to Make them Goodies
Notice:Please Don't Start New Notes for Old Topics! Check 5.*
Moderator:FUTURE::DDESMAISONSec.com::winalski
Created:Tue Feb 18 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:4127
Total number of notes:31160

260.0. "Traveling with Food" by DINER::SHUBIN (Sponsor me in a walk for AIDS research and care.) Tue May 13 1986 14:58

We're going to a wedding in Syracuse, NY, in late June, and have to bring
some food for a pot-luck dinner (informal weddings are the most fun).
Here's the situation:
	1. it'll probably be warm, so spoilage is a problem,
	2. we're driving, and will leave the day before,
	3. the people getting married are vegetarians, so I'd like to bring 
	   something vegetarian,
	4. we can bring basically anything (appetizer, entree, salad) except
	   bread, which would be the easiest.

I was thinking of the pesto/ricotta calzone in "The Enchanted Broccoli
Forest", which is very good, and carrying an ice chest, but I'm a little
concerned about its keeping.

Anybody have any suggestions before I bury myself in cookbooks looking for
ideas? 

					-- hal

(This sounds like an exam question!  In 5 ingredients or less, describe ...)

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260.6Hmmm....ARNOLD::WIEGMANNThu May 15 1986 15:0526
    Sounds a lot like what I was asking for in #258!

    You didn't include desserts in your list of choices, but that was
    the first thing that came to mind - maybe a Bundt cake with some
    kind of fancy filling, take some powered sugar to sprinkle on top
    when you get there?  Or some kind of tarts, or baklava??
    
    Since you are driving, I'm imagining you passing small fruit/vegetable
    stands on the side of the road; maybe you could take along some
    zip-lock bags, and as you get closer, stop and get some ripe, juice
    fruit, then combine it into fruit salad when you get there.
    I guess this would work for ingredients for fresh spinach salad,
    too; you could hard-boil the eggs at home and peel & slice them
    when you get there, add nuts & raisins, sprouts, maybe.
    If energy or inclination is the problem, even though the b & g are
    veggies, maybe you could call ahead and order a tray of something
    from the local grocery/deli and pick it up when you get in town
    - that could save a potential disaster in the car.  Maybe you could
    look in a Syracuse phone book at your local library and check under
    vegetarian restaurants and see if they can help you out.

    good luck, sounds like a wonderful time!
    
    :-)
    
    tw
260.1Hmmm...ARNOLD::WIEGMANNTue May 27 1986 17:1835
    Interesting! Sounds like a situation similar to mine, Note 258,
    there are some suggestions there for make ahead yummies.  Picturing
    driving to Syracuse, I'm imagining you passing all kinds of roadside
    fruit stands - take some giant zip lock bags and fill them up with
    ripe juicy fruits & veggies.  Or try your local library for Syracuse
    yellow pages, look under restaurants and see if there is a vegetarian
    restaurant - call and see if they could make up a dish that you
    could stop and pick up when you get in town - might save potential
    messes in the car, too!  Or, some groceries make up deli or relish
    trays that you could pick up in town, too.
    
    speaking of the library, I picked up a book called something like
    the "Wonans Day Book of Cold Dishes" that has about 400 recipes
    for non-hot/cold dishes in all categories.
    
    If none of these sound quite right, I think i'd go with desserts
    - baklava is good, unusual, fun to make and impressive to tell your
    friends that you did from scratch, and there are lots of recipes
    in this file.  A variation would be the cheese/spinach triangles.
     A word of caution, though, about phyllo - i'd make a trial batch
    first to experience working with it (keeping it buttered, etc) before
    the real thing.  Or, maybe a Bundt cake with a sinfully rich filling
    - then you could sprinkle confectioners sugar on top which would
    travel better than regular frosting.
    
    As an alternative to cooking/packing/travelling, maybe you could
    offer to bring the paper products - plates, forks, spoons, cups,
    trash bags, etc.
    
    Not knowing what facilities/equipment you will have access to, maybe
    these suggestions will help get you started!
    
    Sounds like a lot of fun!
    
    good luck, tw
260.3Try ThisINK::KALLISWed May 28 1986 11:1315
    For the trip itself I suggest an old-time favorite of mine: peanut-
    butter and honey sandwiches.  Easiest way is to use the so-called
    "honey spread" or "honey butter": mix 50-50 with peanut butter (brands
    I use are Souix Bee honey and smooth Skippy peanut butter) and spread
    on buttered white bread.
    
    For "fancy" at the party, these can be used by trimming off crusts
    and cutting diaginally.
    
    Styeve Kallis, Jr.
    
    P.S.:  That sandwich doesn't spoil easily, so it's good from the
    day before, if kept from having the bread dry out.
    
    
260.4can't eat 'em fast!ARNOLD::WIEGMANNWed May 28 1986 12:147
    Thanks for reminding me - I used to take them to school for lunch
    (in a brown paper bag, of course!).
    
    if you want to be really festive, take along large bell or heart
    shaped cookie cutters to cut them up - although it seems a shame
    to waste so much yummy stuff (maybe save the scraps for the ride
    home???)
260.5Sichuan Pickled CabbageDAIRY::SHARPOh no! Not another Don Sharp clone!Mon Jun 16 1986 11:4619
How about some Szechuan pickled cabbage? Being pickled is good proof against
spoilage, it's vegetable-oriented, simple, yet easy, different and delicious.

Here's how I make it:

Shred 1/2 a head of green cabbage, as though for cole slaw
shred or grate two carrots
shred finely 2-3 Tbsp fresh ginger.

mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/4 cup rice vinegar.  Shake them up
together in a jar with a tight fitting lid until all the sugar is dissolved.
Add 1 tsp. chili oil, and shake again until the oil is dispersed in the
vinegar.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables, and toss well. The longer the
vegetables marinate the better it gets. I generally make this at least 3
days before I plan to serve it, a week ahead is better.

Don.