-----Original Message----- 
From: Barbara 
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2015 7:56 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Gig Harbor, WA Monsoon Restaurant

Dear Uncle Phaedrus,

My mother took me to this Chinese restaurant when I was little and I took my 
child there when she was growing up.  We loved their food.  They have gone 
out of business/retired and I would love to have some of their recipes.  The 
owner's name was Wilgar Louie.

I would love to have their recipe for sweet n sour sauce and egg foo young 
with gravy.  We have moved to Texas and well, there is no American Chinese 
food here that can ever compare with what they were able to create.

They were once featured on channel 9 PBS in Seattle for their honey walnut 
prawns.  I have that recipe.

Thank you if you are able to obtain their recipes.

Barbara 

Hi Barbara,

Sorry, except for a few mentions on restaurant guide sites, I can't find anything about the Harbor Monsoon restaurant in Gig Harbor, WA other than this brief item about their closing: Patch.com

I'll post this on the site.

Phaed

From: Nancy
Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2015 7:36 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Subject: Ranch Dressing

I would like to know if you have the recipe to the ranch dressing that is from Applebee’s.  Thanks 

Hello Nancy,

Well, you don’t say which ranch dressing you want. Applebee’s has a regular buttermilk ranch dressing, and they also have a “Mexi-Ranch Dressing” that is served with their tequila lime chicken.

I had no success finding anything about their buttermilk ranch dressing.

A former Applebee’s employee posted that the Mexi-Ranch Dressing is just the regular ranch dressing with salsa added:

Applebee's “I worked for Applebee's for over seven years, and I just wanted you to know, the mexi-ranch dressing is equal parts ranch and salsa. That's it. No extra spices or anything. The key is to have a creamy and non-tangy ranch dressing along with a salsa that is not too chunky. Then it will have the right consistency. It just seemed like a lot of ingredients for a really easy dressing mix. Thanks, and happy cooking.”

Problem is, if you don’t have their regular ranch dressing recipe, this recipe, simple as it is, in not much help.

However, there is a scratch recipe for the Mexi-Ranch Dressing posted in a few places. See: Mexi-Ranch Dressing

Phaed

-----Original Message----- 
From: Suzi 
Sent: Friday, October 02, 2015 2:38 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Hershey's Fudge Question

Dear Uncle Phaedrus:

I read what you wrote about the different Hershey's fudge recipes and the 
timeline.  Here is my question:

My father made fudge from time to time when we were young - this would have 
been primarily in the sixties.  I'm quite certain he used a recipe from a 
Hershey's Cocoa can, but the result was unique, and I've never had any fudge 
like it since.  Any fudge I've ever had has been, well, fudge-y and soft. 
This fudge was hard and broke off in chunks.  It was really densely 
chocolate-y and had no nuts in it.  We were crazy about it.  Has anyone ever 
described this kind of fudge to you?

I just wondered if this matches the Hershey recipe, or if my Dad perhaps 
just used Hershey's cocoa as part of some other recipe he got from somewhere 
else.  I would be grateful for whatever input you can give me.

Sincerely,

Suzi 

Hi Suzi,

I couldn't say which, if any, fudge recipe might give you the results you describe. Descriptions like: "This fudge was hard and broke off in chunks. It was really densely chocolate-y..." are rarely included in a recipe. I seriously doubt that the exact recipe your father used to make this kind of fudge was any of the recipes that appeared on the Hershey's can. However, he may have taken a Hershey's recipe and then adapted it to make his fudge. The recipe he used might also have appeared in a Hershey's magazine ad or something similar. I've never personally heard of a fudge recipe that makes fudge like you describe, but I'm not a fudge aficionado, and rarely eat it even when it's right in front of me. (brownies are a different matter...)

I'll post this. Perhaps your description will tickle the memory of one of my readers.

Phaed