Wrap celery or lettuce in aluminum foil and it will stay crisp for a very long time in the frig.

How can I keep cilantro and parsley fresh? They wilt within minutes, even in a glass of water in the fridge.

Also, what is the best way to store fresh ginger?

@Claudzilla
I've used a couple of different ways to store fresh ginger:
1. Out on the counter, in my fruit bowl -- works for me now that I use it regularly.
2. Peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces, stored in a jar of water in the fridge -- I was using ginger less at the time, and I found it handy to have the pieces basically ready-to-go. You can add a little vinegar to the water, but I didn't like how that changed the flavour.

I rinse, shake and then wrap my parsely and cilantro in paper towels and put in a plastic produce bag. This keep it fresh for a week.

After using fresh ginger I place it in a small zip bag and put it in the freezer. It's always there when you need it.

Is there such a thing as pork stock?

I make my own chicken stock...and vegetable...but I have never made beef stock...nor have I even heard of pork stock. What is that all about?

Which parts of the beef do you use for beef stock?

I would like to start incorporating different types of flour into my baking projects. Any suggestions? I have already tried spelt and barley flour, but I know there are more out there...

Have you tried quinoa flour, blissfulbite? I've used it in bread (mixed with wheat flour) with tasty results. Chickpea flour is another good one, although I haven't tried it in desserts. And what about amaranth or teff flours? The only disadvantage to all of these is their price.

I need to find a few more uses for my rice cooker. (3 cup, no steamer basket, fuzzy logic with settings for porridge and quick cooking.) I love the thing, but I don't feel like I'm getting enough use out of it. Rice (duh), mixed rice (uh huh), and the occasional pudding...going to try steel-cut oats. Other suggestions?

Oh, and I finally found a good resource for how to cut short ribs for kalbi the way I want. Here. They are so much tastier this way, rather than flanken cut where you have to eat around the bones.

@amandatwinks, yes, many Chinese & Japanese broths use pork. I'm a vegetarian, so I can't tell you how to make one. I know this because I have to avoid them! I do know that the Japanese version is most often used for ramen, so if you do a recipe search try using ramen and dashi as key words.

I would love to learn some of the basics of Indian cooking. It is my favorite cuisine, but for some reason preparing the meals myself seems daunting.

http://life-simplicitas.blogspot.com/

Dont't want to stuff yourself on Valentine's Day ... check out this tasty treat we are having - you will have your valentine eating out of your hand!

http://www.chezus.com/appetizer/goat-cheese-wrapped-pancetta/

It's Chinese New Year on Sunday, which means plenty of food for me this weekend. On the day itself, we'll be having a hotpot party (aka Chinese fondue) and Saturday is a potluck party, to which I'm considering bringing a roasted duck.

riscott - I love Indian food but I shy away from making it at home because the smell seems very pervasive. I always have to wash all my clothes after eating at an Indian restaurant...and I can always tell when anyone's been eating Indian food! I don't want everything in my little home to smell like it, so I'll leave it alone at least until I get a larger/airier place.

@gallupgirrl - does the paper towel trick work for chives, too? i keep buying them and they keep wilting too fast to use.

BlissfulBite- try almond flour. I just created a Peach Muffin recipe using a combination of whole grain and almond flours...
http://coldcerealandtoast.wordpress.com/2010/02/17/peachmuffins/

well, for us...we do a recipe of the week with all of our readers! ever 3 to 4 weeks, the hubby does his 'male bites' and even cooks that week's recipe...it's a great way to hold our family accountable for trying something NEW and EXCITING every week! readers send in recipes for me to post as our weekly and i try to keep them easy and simple using seasonal fruits/veggies too! here's a link to what we've done so far:
http://www.casacullen.com/recipe-of-the-week/

riscott - if you are interested in learning some indian recipes, i have a blog where I put a number of north indian and south indian recipes that i've learned from my parents - the cuisines are quite different but both very tasty. this is the site: http://www.abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/

if you have any questions on any of the recipes or where to begin, you can email me directly. my email is in the profile section of the blog.

this is a favorite of mine from south india: http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2009/12/sambar-south-indian-lentil-stew.html

this is a good one for a number of north indian dishes:
http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-i-served-for-lunch-on-sunday.html

good luck! once you start cooking indian food, you may get hooked!

-chitra

We haven't had a "Word of Mouth" entry in a while. I miss those.

What to do with a small amount (maybe 3/4 cup) of water chestnuts? They're leftover from last week's dumpling-wrapping party and I'm at a loss.

@ Michelle of Montreal--add them to a stir fry?

@matchbookhymnal, we must be on the same wavelength! There's an especially interesting Word of Mouth coming up tomorrow morning...

@faith, hooray! Nothing like blog posts on request. :)