Live Q&As

You sure can, with or without the meat. You don't need the noodles at all. I could easily make a meal of mushrooms stroganoff-style.

We are going to look into how we might post recipes with the Mindful Makeover, Dinner in Minutes, etc. tags. Just keep in mind it won't be a column per se -- same format as Nourish, as in recipe-only. We also put in a new module at the top of the page titled "This Week's Recipes" that will take you to our recipe database and show you, yes, this week's dishes. You can also search for Mindful Makeover through the database.

I think a meat-and-potatoes meal calls for something green to balance out the heavier food.

So how about Broccoli Rabe Saute?

Or White House Kale Salad.

You're referring to Jane Touzalin's Chat Leftovers today? Thanks for the intel. 

Yes on that. I've bought those pounder bars there and have baked/melted/dipped with excellent results.

You've seen the two cuts of meat up close and personal, right? Are you talking about roasting them whole? I'll stick to that general kind of advice. These days, I'll almost always pan-sear the tenderloins and finish them off in the oven.  That meat, to me, is more tender than the larger pork loin (think of the meat at the center of a thick-cut pork chop = loin). Both are lean; in addition to the time difference, you might want to tie the pork loin at intervals with kitchen twine -- especially if you stuff it, which both cuts of meat take kindly to. Keep a good digital thermometer at hand to monitor both tenderloin and pork loin in the oven.  Shoot for 140, figuring it will rise another 5 degrees to 145 in carryover cooking. You might want to keep the large pork loin tied to the bone as it cooks, for flavor.  It has an affinity for fruit, for sure.  Glazes/marinades are good on tenderloins. You'll want to remove the silver skin from the exterior of the tenderloin, which tends to make the meat curl in the oven and you don't want to chew through that stuff, anyway. Chatters, share more tips! 

Recipe recommendations, you say? This Italian shot at a pork loin is quite nice, as is this summery Spice-Rubbed Pork Loin With Corn Salad and Lemon-Lime Vinaigrette. If grilling's an option, I'd go with this recipe for the pork tenderloin (2nd one pictured below), brined and coffee-barbecue-sauced. Like this one with pesto slathered on top and a crunchy vegetable salad, too. 

Boy, I think just reading that recipe has made my teeth hurt. I can't vouch for the provenance of it as a regional food other than to say Southern pals and their mothers have similar cakes in their repertoire.

I have made -- and much admire -- the coca-cola cake recipe from Washington cookbook author and FOF Lisa Yockelson. Hers has an incredible light and tender crumb; tastes like a mellow root beer met a mellower caramel and decided to infuse a very light cake batter.  Only has a  cup of the cola in the batter and less than that in the frosting.  Please try it and report back (And don't substitute Diet Coke). 

The hands-down best way I've found to use extra bananas is in smoothies. I peel, wrap and freeze the ripe bananas. To make the smoothies, I break or cut a frozen banana into 1-inch chunks, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of frozen fruit (pineapple, strawberries and mango are the house favorite at my place), add 1 1/2 cups orange juice, a few tablespoons of honey, 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt and water to just barely cover everything. Process in your blender until smooth. You have enough for two good-sized portions. This sounds like a lot of work, but it's not and the smoothies are delicious and it will cost you a fraction of what you'd pay at a smoothie shop.

What brand is it? Can you look up the instructions online? Different griddles work different ways (as in some have surfaces that totally detach for easy sink cleaning), so I'd be hesitant to make a sweeping recommendation.

Save the olive oil for dinner,  but try this-a little Grand Marnier in your french toast soaking liquid. It's amazing how much flavor a tablespoon or two will bring.

We consulted ace baker and FOF Nancy Baggett, who, of course, is so smart about this:

Your plan may work, but there are some problems with it. For example, even though peanut butter has a lot of fat, it doesn't bake up the same way as butter, so it won't really compensate for reducing the butter. Also, even though peanut butter has some sugar in it, adding it in is going to make the cookies seem less sweet. So, for tasty, tender cookies, you shouldn't try to reduce the sugar much.  (Sugar helps tenderize as well as sweeten.) 

Trying to add jam/preserves between layers of dough before baking is a bit tricky. Unless you very carefully and firmly press together the two cookie edges alI the way around, the preserves will likely leak out and cause burning. Brushing the interior edges with egg white as you work (a pastry chef trick) would help seal the layers together. Another easier option: baking the cookies individually and then forming sandwiches by adding the preserves between pairs of cookies afterward. 

Still another option: Skip the hearts completely and make thumbprint cookies by shaping the dough into balls, pressing a well into the centers of the balls, and putting some jam into the wells before baking. Don't overfill the wells though, or the preserves will bubble up over the sides and burn on the baking sheet.  Good luck!

Yep, I've had that! Lisa's cake is made with cocoa powder so it's a bit chocolaty too. 

Yeah, baby -- Jim Shahin's Smoked Beer-Braised Beef Shanks. (You can easily cut this recipe in half.) Just begs for a polenta partnership.

Ah, I preferred the taste of fresh sage here, added at the end.  For dried, you're right to wonder about the timing. I'd stir in maybe 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons during cooking, maybe when you add the pumpkin. This sauce needs a sturdy noodle, keep in mind. 

Ways to get around the expense of fresh herbs: Ask your local store to stock those single-serving packets. Or grow your own sage! I can attest to its perennial hardiness outdoors in D.C. Even * I*  can't kill it. 

Well, you win this round. First, here's what the USDA has to say about rinsing chicken: 

Washing raw poultry before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. This is called cross-contamination. Rinsing or soaking chicken does not destroy bacteria. Only cooking will destroy any bacteria that might be present on fresh chicken. 

Second, poaching is a perfectly acceptable way to cook chicken as long as you get the meat up to a temperature of 165 degrees. The only change I might suggest would be perhaps using broth instead of water or sauteeing some aromatics in the pot first to give the meat a little flavor boost!

As long as the internal temperature of the poaching chicken is in range of 130-165 degrees, your germophobic spouse needn't worry. Sounds like you'd have an instant-read thermometer around your house to check! FYI, rinsing won't kill bacteria.  The FDA thinks that splashing raw chicken in your sink environs can create cross-contamination --  just the conditions you're trying to avoid. 

With this recipe, no need to be so exact -- as long as you like the flavor. Figure on a piece that's as thick as a man's thumb. 

A year's about the limit for beef, and because of that, we'd run you through the diagnostics: How's the color? Any freezer burn? If it was well wrapped and survives a thaw in the fridge, there's no need to toss it. 

Check out our handy freezer guide. 

You can but you're going to get a different taste and a slightly different look. Sour cream is less assertive and has more body. I'd try the yogurt in small bowl of the soup and see what happens. I'm hooked on sour cream, but you may prefer the yogurt.

Perhaps an Irish Whiskey Cake?

We'll pass that along. Joe's out of the office today. 

They're definitely out there if you google "Virginia wine tours," but I'd be more interested in specific recommendations from chatters who have taken one. Suggestions, folks?

Also, if you every do decide to take yourself around, here's a cool wine country package our friends over in Weekend/Going Out Guide put together last year.

I think here, it could work just fine. The meat provides texture/bulk more than flavor. 

Oh dear. I'm here to clarify any odd bits.  Let's get it right! 

The best way is to load up on the vegetables. You have to be careful and adjust for the extra moisture the vegetables bring-a litte cornstarch goes a long way to eliminate this problem. I'll work on a recipe for March that will lay out a formula. Look for it under the "Mindful Makeovers" tag.

If you and any of our readers are looking to lighten up dishes, please send your questions and/or recipe in need of a makeover directly to Food@washpost.com and I'll do my best to answer, redo, and makeover.

Hmm. I think whole milk's the usual way to go, not cream.  It's not even a great amount of milk, at that. So that solves your problem, right? According to this Italian chefs' site, the introduction of dairy may originally have helped tenderize the meat in the sauce; added at the end of cooking, it lends a bit of sweetness. And you'll notice there's not a lot of tomato in a true Bolognese recipe; the milk might have been used because it was a more prevalent ingredient.

Here's a nice explanation of the sauce from the Giuliano Hazan blog. I see plenty of recipes that call themselves Bolognese and skip the dairy -- one at Epicurious uses the liquid from soaking dried mushrooms. Another from a blog uses full-fat coconut milk. 

Recipe recommendation, you say? We liked this version from the Canal House kitchen goddesses.

You can actually find some of the more recent vintages for around $80-100. Port producers only declare vintages in certain years. I'd look for 2007 from Taylor Fladgate, Fonseca or Graham's. I've also seen a 2000 Quinta do Noval in stores for around $90-100. If you don't want to go vintage, you pick up an excellent 20-30 year old tawny port (which is wine from an undeclared vintage that spends at least 6 years in the barrel). I see a 20 yr old Taylor Fladgate for around $50 and Graham's 30 yr old tawny for around $80-90.

Oooh. Nice. 

Yes, planning is key. That's pretty much what my husband and I do. Sometimes we bellyache over having to think ahead for the week, especially when we just want to blob out on the couch over the weekend, but it pays off. Sit down, plan out the menu and do your shopping. Maybe even do some cooking! We've gotten in the habit of doing that and it makes weeknights so much better. Our preferred make-aheads include soup, bean burritos and dal.

Spiced Baked Bananas

Banana Tart With Guava Glaze

Bananas Foster Charlotte

Warm Banana Pudding Pie

Thanks for sharing -- I bet someone (me?) will want to make it.

I sure could, but not in the chat time frame, even I can't work that fast! I'll get to work on it though and look for a lightened up version in the next couple of months. My first instinct is going with an old fashioned but tried technique, gelatin. With gelatin doing the thickening, you could skip the cream cheese altogther. For now, how about going for strawberries and whipped cream this Valentine's Day and give me time to work on a strawberry version that's designed to encourage love and not a heart attack.

We say: Leave it be, and just eat a little bit of the good stuff. 

You can, of course, bake it. It won't taste the same as whiting that's been bathed in oil, but I'd encourage you to give it a try. I actually like the flavor of whiting: Despite what some people say, I think it has a fairly strong fish flavor. Pleasantly so. I'd think with the right seasonings, you could make an excellent baked whiting. 

We try to answer fast as we can...and I think Becky caught that and followed up. But if it makes you feel better, this incident will be ticketed and added to her Official Personnel Manager File with an Asterisk! (Or not. I vote not.)

Contact All-Clad immediately. They guarantee these products and should offer you a replacement pan and they may also some insight on why you're having this problem.

Step away from the refrigerator! Although you could wrap the bread in foil and freeze it overnight, then reheat in a 300-degree oven. But since it's only a day or two, per Marcy Goldman's directions from last week, I'd wrap it in a clean dish towel and leave it on the counter. That will help preserve a crisp crust. If that's not an issue, you can cut the bread to fit inside the largest resealable zip-top bag  you have, pressing out all the air.  

Sure, go ahead and use the farro. I love its distinctive taste. I'd try to find pearled farro; it's around in local stores and it cooks in about the same time as the barley. Whatever you find, just follow the instructions on the package for cooking time. If it's for hours, you may want to partially cook the farro before adding to the soup.

And yes, ham broth is a terrific base for winter winter vegetable soups.:)

Hmmm. I don't know any recipes off hand, but maybe you could do a Cosmo variation, replacing cranberry juice? Here's the original Cosmo. Perhaps try equal parts Cointreau and cranberry liqueur, so 1.5 oz. citrus vodka, 1/2 ounce each of the liqueurs, and lime juice? That's my best guess...

It could work, although I've played around with more of a 1/3 substitution in baked goods. You might want to check out this 100 percent white whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe from King Arthur Flour. Seems to be getting raves reviews from the commenters there, and I would trust KAF with my [baking] life.

Not IF. When! 

What a nice offer. We test in home kitchens, though, and are always looking for committed volunteer testers.  If you're really interested, send your deets to food@washpost.com. It does involve bringing samples to our bldg downtown -- the one with the FOR SALE sign not yet out front. 

Ha. If only we had our own fancy test kitchen. Most of our own are definitely on the petite size!

Ah, yes, the B&B treatment. I love it. :-)

Your suggestion also reminds me of the completely ridiculous breakfast I had at Ann Sather in Chicago -- mascarpone-filled cinnamon rolls turned into French toast and topped with granola and fresh seasonal berries. That was a few years ago. I may still be recovering.

No need to put on the overalls. Simply wash the sink with a bleach solution when you're done with the chicken. I keep a bottle made up and LABELED so there is no confusion.  As long as you clean up you're fine, the problem is most people don't clean the sink properly.

You're welcome!

I refrigerate both -- but that's partly because I have a big fridge, and a pantry that heats up a lot in the summer. Tahini's okay at a cool room temp, although the longer you keep it the more it may separate (oil) and need to be stirred/emulsified before you use it.  Before I use my chilled tahini, I let it sit at room temp so it loosens up. Not a big deal. Maybe if I used it more often, I'd keep it in a cupboard.

I think I'm prolonging the quality of the hot sauce by refrigerating it. Lots of people, and restaurants, don't do so. 

My choice is Swiss Gruyere-hands down favorite, but I also have had sucess with French Comte, a swiss-style cheese from across the border.

Yes, that was our initial thought, but apparently that list is automatically generated from the recipe names in the database, and we're not sure we'd want those labels to officially be part of the titles. We'll ponder the options!

Nice. Maybe she used cream because it's supposed to be a quicker recipe, and the fuller fat dairy would thicken faster. 

Think of it this way: We're doing a little triage for you. If an exact amount is required, in tablespoons or packed cups, say, we'll include that info in the recipe. No stress. 

Personally, I love red onions and their piquant, aromatic qualities. But I understand an onion's bitterness is not for everyone. The great food scientist Harold McGee has this suggestion: "Chopped alliums to be eaten raw -- as a garnish or in an uncooked sauce -- are best rinsed to remove all the sulfur compounds from the damaged surfaces, since these tend to become harsher with time and exposure to the air."

Give that a try next time perhaps when a recipe calls for red onion.

Absolutely, if you have the time. Toss in the ginger with them. 

I personally would prefer if they would slice the meat thinner. I think if you asked them to, they would do that for you. And I actually prefer the pumpernickel to rye bread. 

Jamie Stachowski says there is only a two-hour window of opportunity while the pastrami is being held in the steamer for serving where the meat is at its best. And depending on which part of the brisket the meat for your sanwich is cut from, you can have a wide variance in the texture. Slicing the meat thinner would alleviate the potential of selling a portion that is on the wrong side of al dente, in my opinion.

It really is a ritual for me to make pastrami hash for next-day breakfast using the leftovers from that sandwich. 

By the way, the other sandwiches at Stachowski's Market are worth investigating. The smoked turkey one is a favorite of mine, but I have them make it with pumpernickel. The French Dip is killer, too. 

I say bravo! Prep and freeze, even on parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Ready to go.  

We are a fan of breakfast for dinner here at Food section HQ. Check out Bonnie's recent Book Report on "Breakfast for Dinner."

Glad you found it. Any restaurant-type insiders want to fill us in on griddle care?

Appreciate the full-circle poultry approach, but we don't have time to get into the egg-washing thing again this week! 

No telling. My, you are close by! For now, send your info to food@washpost.com. 

I think your homemade caramel would work perfectly as a substitute for the store-bought candies in these Almond-Joy Thumbprints.

According to this source, baked beans tend to keep longer than other cooked items because the dish has little moisture, which is the breeding ground for bacteria. It seems you can store it covered in the fridge for a week or longer.

Have a look at our meatless sandwiches in our database (although one or two might have cheeses you can't use). The Chickpea Sandwich would be great for lots of folic acid!

You are Not Alone.  

We'll give it a shot. Did you ask when you were there? Send us your email. (food@washpost.com)

I'm sure that would do the trick too. Does it tamp down the flavor of the red onion too much?

That seems like a variation on McGee's advice. Thank you.

They're not too bad, no! I'd never made macarons before and did quite well with the recipes we ran the other year. Here's the accompanying story, and below are the recipes.

Chocolate Mint Fudge Macarons

Espresso Macarons With Fudge Filling

Pistachio Macarons With Lemon Filling

Strawberry Macarons

Here are some tahini recipes. There are some nice noodle dishes in that list.

Yes, Jane did a fabulous job with this week's Chat Leftovers. She may have even made tempering chocolate sound fun and easy.

As for chocolate truffles flavored with wine, check out Wine Country Chocolates. The company may have what you need.