[CH] cookbooks and Sausage Mustard

Ken and Mary Ann Vaughan (kvaughan@ptialaska.net)
Sun, 3 Jan 1999 20:19:33 -0900 

The best value available that I have seen for the PC is MasterCook version
4.  Costco is selling it for $7.99 in a package with a $10 rebate sticker.
Even without the rebate sticker, it is well priced.   The next version is in
the wings (beta testers are finally supposed to have it), and the earlier
versions get discounted.  There are patches
available to update to ver 4.07 at Sierra's web site.

I have tried several other recipe management programs and MasterCook has
served the best of those I have used.  MealMaster files can be imported, and
with a little editing, ascii files of recipes can be imported also.  There
is a "mass ascii file" import processor available from Glen Hosey called
"buster".  Glen has both Mastercook and Mealmaster versions of Buster
available (for free).   I use buster as it provides a lot of format checking
of recipes being imported.

In spite of opinions offered to the contrary, beer is a wonderful addition
to cooking.  One of the premium uses is with sausages, especially bratwurst.
While living in Milwaukee a long long time ago, I learned to saute a sliced
onion or two in a little oil until beginning to brown and then adding a
bottle or two of beer to the pan.  Sausages were grilled until nicely marked
on the outside and added to the beer and onions to simmer.  I figured out
that it mad the grilling easier because undercooked sausages from the grill
could finish cooking in the beer and onions.  It also allowed the sausage
grilling to get ahead of the eating by allowing a stockpiling of sausage in
the beer.

When serving, a beer dripping sausage with some onions went on a warm bun
with a mustard and yum.

A tasty sausage mustard can be made with a can of chipolte in adobo sauce, 1
pint up to 1 quart of cheap yellow (tumeric) mustard and a blender.  Add the
chipoltes, sauce and all,  to the mustard and mix with a blender ( I use a
hand blender).
Use more or less mustard to taste.  Add a tablespoon of wine vinegar if the
mixture is too thick.  Add additional peppers if desired such as jalapenos
or seranos, but the chipolte flavor with the mustard is too good to pass up.