Calling all foodies! Join us Tuesdays at noon for What's Cooking, our live online culinary hour with Kim O'Donnel.

A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly known as Peter Kump's New York Cooking School), Kim spends much of her time in front of the stove or with her nose in a cookbook.

For daily dispatches from Kim's kitchen, check out her blog, A Mighty Appetite. You may catch up on previous transcripts with the What's Cooking archive page.

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Kim O'Donnel: Whew. I'm exhausted. today's blog post has given me a headache. Someone please pass the smelling salts. Maybe it's time to go hide under a rock and get out of the information exchange business. Anyone looking for a secretary? I'm really good at filing. Sigh. Who's getting ready for Passover? I'm working on a few recipes -- one old school, one out of the box. Let's hear what you've got cookin'.

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Washington, D.C.: I used to buy tomato paste in a tube, which was great for when I only needed a tablespoon or so. Now I can't find the tubes anywhere. So, two questions --

1. Anyone have any sightings of tomato paste in a tube in N. Va?

2. If I have to use a can, how long will the leftover paste keep in the fridge? Can it be frozen?

Thanks Kim -- you're the best!

Kim O'Donnel: I have a couple of tubes in my midst, actually. I've seen it at Whole Foods and I believe at My Organic Market. Have you tried Trader Joes? But in answer to 2): Scoop out the remaining paste, put in a small airtight container and it'll last a good while in the fridge. And yes, you can freeze, absolutely.

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Organic Gal: Hey, Kim! Just wanted to let you know I'd be here today, and reading in real-time, in case you or anyone has questions about exactly what the National Organic Program says about milk, livestock or anything else!

Kim O'Donnel: Thank you! We are lucky to have in our midst an organic certification specialist for the state of North Carolina, and if you are still confused about what's been said in last week's post on milk, here's a great opportunity.

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Alexandria, Va.: Miss O'Donnel,

What would you cook when you are about to sit down to watch the Washington Capitals in their 1st round playoff vs. the Hated Flyers?

LETS GO CAPS!

Kim O'Donnel: You're saying "Hated Flyers" to a Philly girl? Shame, shame, Alexandria! sounds to me like you need a pot of turkey chili or some chicken curry...tell me more. Do you want dinner or snacks, do you eat meat and how much time do you want to spend in the kitchen?

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Dying for the chickpea curry recipe: When will you post it? And I am not Indian, but I love Indian food, and I'm trying your roti regardless of how authentic it is. Looks fab!

Kim O'Donnel: I will post it tomorrow, if that's okay.

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Arlington, Va.: In one of your columns I read recently, you mentioned teaching an online food writing course through UCLA. Do you still teach this class? Do you have any recommendations for food writing courses in the D.C. area or online?

Kim O'Donnel: I don't teach this course any longer, no. I know there are online food writing classes through Avant Guild (www.mediabistro.com) and from what I understand, UCLA extension is still offering the class.

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Washington, D.C.: Kim,

I find your blog post today patronizing and offensive. What, South Asians should be happy you bothered to write about them?

What part of your post made it clear that you weren't doing a traditional roti? And which comments did you find so hurtful?

in the future, do you think readers who are perhaps better informed than you should refrain from commenting when your recipes have steps that could be avoided (microwaving) or recipe tips (don't flip too many times)?

Kim O'Donnel: Well, let's see. I make red Thai curry paste, and no one from the Thai community bats an eye. The Italian community doesn't get upset when I use bacon instead of the traditional guanciale, the Jordanian and Lebanese community does not turn up their nose when I share a recipe for fatayer, spinach pies. I am in the business of sharing cooking adventures. If you read my work regularly, you know I never claim to be the all-knowing cooking authority for all cuisines. As I wrote in today's post, I welcome constructive criticism, it's an important part of an online commmunity. But it's the tone that some readers have taken that goes against the very spirit of this blog. We all have something to teach and to learn from each other.

"I would define Jaffrey's version, below, as a roti-chapati hybrid -- chapatis traditionally are made from very finely milled whole wheat "chapati flour" and tend to be thin and papery," is what I wrote to imply I was not doing a traditional roti, and I further added today that Jaffrey herself uses quote marks around the word roti in her recipe name, implying that it is an adaptation.

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Question for Organic Girl: Is there an organic lactose-free milk? We don't drink a lot of milk in my family, but when we do (mostly cereal), we need lactose free. I hate that I have to give up organic, but without the lactose... its just not worth it. FWIW, I'm not in the D.C. area, Trader Joes is 45 minutes away and there are no Whole Foods or MOMs around. The one thing I really miss about living in the DC area is the food options. (wistful sigh)

Kim O'Donnel: I am going to let OG answer this...

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Vienna, Va.: Kim -- I love your blog and greatly appreciate your efforts to bring world cuisines under our radar. I'm an Indian-American, and I really enjoyed your roti post. Sure, they don't look like some of the rotis I have eaten in various homes, but they do look delicious. I plan on trying them later this week, as my own attempts at rotis or any other Indian flatbreads have miserably failed in the past.

I love sharing in the cultures of the various immigrant communities we find here, and when I try to replicate their cuisines, it's inevitably with a personal twist or spin. And why not? Good food is good food. No need to be huffy about perceived inauthenticity, fellow posters out there. Sheesh. Kim, thanks for sharing your culinary adventures every day, and I look forward to reading about your future Indian-inspired meals (can't wait for the alluded-to chickpea curry later this week!)

Kim O'Donnel: As I said in my post this morning, "A recipe is as real as the moment and the cook who has brought it to life." That applies to all cuisines. Thanks for your comments.

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Alexandria, Va.: Looking for lime leaves -- any sightings in the Alexandria/Annandale area? I will travel a bit if I must. I was told that some stores keep them in the frozen section. Thank you!

Kim O'Donnel: Bangkok 54, a Thai market on Columbia Pike has them in their frozen section. Just bought some last week, in fact.

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Tomato Paste: I have found the tubes at the Italian Store on Lee Hwy and they are usually significantly cheaper than at Whole Foods. A good trick for freezing is to scoop tablespoons onto a cookie sheet, freeze and then pop into a ziploc so you can just take out what you need.

Kim O'Donnel: Oh this is a great idea! Thanks for chiming in.

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Lincoln Park, Chicago, Ill.: Kim,

Everyone complains about the Wal-Mart effect -- putting small mom and pop stores out of business. I'd like to complain about the Whole Foods effect. Since they've become so ubiquitous, it's getting harder to find good, indpendently run health-food stores. I don't mean vitamin stores, I mean the little places with the tiny salad bars, and the weird no-name sandwiches in the fridge case, and the one brand of soap that you really like and can never find anywhere else.

I have fond memories of those places from when I first went vegetarian in high school. Now, at least in my neighborhood, it's just Whole Foods and Trader Joes. Ugh.

Kim O'Donnel: I agree. I miss my neighborhood food co-op, which closed a few years ago. But as you know, the big guys continue to swallow the independent merchant in so many arenas -- hardware stores, record shops, bookstores...

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Rockville, Md.: Hi Kim, as I'm sure you and many of your readers know, there is a large literature on what "authentic" means, when and whether it's important, etc. (Just yesterday in your rival N.Y. newspaper there was a story about what authentic means for a national cuisine when immigrants are cooking; specifically here Italian.) Discussions about what constitutes authentic 'for you' are fantastic to have and I think most of the posters to your blog were trying to get to that, but seemed to have at the same time forgotten the prime rule of electronic postings: tone does not compute. "Those are not like my mother's" can mean 10 different things depending on the tone. Given what an otherwise cool crowd I like to think of this group as being, I'd urge everyone to be a little more careful with that. It makes me sad to think of someone being exhausted from discussing food. It should be energizing.

Kim O'Donnel: Thanks for your commments, Rockville. Tone is definitely part of the problem here. Plus, the anonymous quality of the Web gives people license to be less mindful with their words because they don't have to look you in the eye.

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20009: I love Organic Valley's lactose-free milk. They carry it at Whole Foods.

Kim O'Donnel: Here's one LF milk idea...

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Austin, Tex.: Dear Kim,

Love all your ideas on Indian food and would like to know if you or anyone else has a good recipe for Saag Paneer? I LOVE it and cannot find a decent recipe to make my own.

Thank you!

Kim O'Donnel: I'm not crazy about saag paneer, so I'll defer to those who can offer more enthusiasm and tried-and-true recipes...

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Bag of oranges: Hi Kim,

I recently bought an 8lb bag of oranges and am finding that several of them are quite dry and not much fun to eat. Is there anything I can do with them, so I don't have to throw them out? Maybe a fish marinade/sauce? Can I combine the juice with any vegetables, do you think?

Kim O'Donnel: Oh that stinks. Juicing them is one way to go, to be used for a marinade or sauce, sure. Thing is, you won't need that much. Don't know if this would be of interest, but you could try a cuban-style pork shoulder, which traditionally calls for sour oranges, but in this case you'd add limes to it to make it sour, plus lots of garlic and oregano. Are you game?

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Organic Gal: About lactose-free milk, I really don't know, because I don't know how the lactose is removed from the milk. I'm guessing there is a process where something is introduced to the milk that affects the lactose. Whatever that material is, it would have to be on the "National List," which is the listing of all ingredients that may be added to products labeled as organic. For example, yeast is on the list, and dairy cultures (without which we don't have bread or yogurt!). So, the de-lactose-ing material would have to be listed.

Alternatively, I know there were drops that can be added to regular milk to remove lactose. My daughter, Organic Kid was terribly lactose intolerant as an infant and toddler; when she was old enough for cow's milk, we would add these drops to organic milk (of course, it was then no longer organic, but I wasn't selling it!) for her, and she could drink the milk with no problems.

Kim O'Donnel: For the reader looking for info on LF organic milk...

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Morristown, N.J.: Kim:

HELP! For our annual progressive dinner with my siblings, I was going to make penne with fennel, onion and sausage since it is an Italian-themed night. Unfortunately, too many people are making pasta dishes so I was asked to now make either a soup or side dish. Most of the Italian soups I've seen in cookbooks have beans which I can't stand and I'm not sure about side dishes. Any suggestions? The dinner is this Saturday. THANKS!

Kim O'Donnel: Hmm...good question. Oh wait -- I have a fun Sicilian-style roasted cauliflower dish, with pine nuts, raisins, anchovies, bread crumbs. Brain is a sieve....let's hear what others have to say.

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Organic lactose-free milk exists!: I buy it every week, but am blanking on the name -- but it comes in a light blue carton. You can find it at Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, etc.

Kim O'Donnel: Okay, we're getting closer...

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Clifton, Va.: Wegman's carries tomato paste in a tube and its price is the best in the area.

Hey Kim could you stop shilling for Whole Foods its getting old and please Wegman's is much better!

Kim O'Donnel: Hey Clifton, if there was a Wegmans near me, I'd be all over it.

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Re: Saag Paneer: There's actually a recipe that I've been hoping to try for saag paneer on the Mahanandi blog (though I haven't gotten around to it yet, so I can't vouch for it). It sounds sinfully delicious...ground up roasted cashews, mmm.

Link: Mahanandi

Kim O'Donnel: One idea for the saag paneer adventurer...

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Gayu: This is probably a strange question here -- I'm trying to make purple frosting. Purple as in princess purple, 4-year-old girl's eyes light up purple -- I mixed red/blue colors with my white cream cheese frosting, but ended up with lilac-y (not the purple hue I want) color. Kim or anybody on the board who has successfully made Purple frosting - please help. Thanks

Kim O'Donnel: Have you gone to a cookware or baking specialty store that sells food coloring? Anyone with deep purple haze expertise?

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Alexandria, Va.: Hi Kim -- Not that you aren't plenty busy, but are you still working on a farmers market update for us? Or is that something the Food section is doing, not you? Thanks!

Kim O'Donnel: I am sure that Food is working hard on an updated list. But one thing you can do in the interim is check out the USDA's updated list, which is organized by state.

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Oranges: If the insides are only marginally salvageable, at least use the skins. Zest is always good for all manner of things. And make an orange tea bread using the peels. Mom makes it every Christmas for us, and I love it. It freezes beautifully. There is a recipe similar to my Mom's in the Joy of Cooking. Essentially, you remove the peel in quarters, then slice it very thinly, boil in it a simple syrup, and fold that into the quick bread dough. I don't have proportions on hand, but I am sure the reader can find them. Wonderful stuff. Or, do some recipe searches on orange peel recipes.

Also, found a recipe for chicken in a garden book (Gardening by the Heart) years ago and we love it on the grill or in the oven. Juice of a couple oranges and a couple lemons (and I'd bet you could make it with limes or even grapefruit if you wanted to). Garlic and rosemary in chunks under the bone-in chicken pieces. Let it marinate 24 hours, then roast at 500 (not a typo, as the author said) or grill. Wonderfully moist and delish.

And Kim, THANK YOU for trying new things and sharing those ideas with us -- and encouraging all of us to do likewise. Let the naysayers stew in their own juices.

Kim O'Donnel: Great ideas! Thanks for checking in.

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Princess Purple: Gel coloring not liquid food color is what you need. They sell it at any cooking/baking store like Sur La Table. It comes in many colors and you can buy the exact color of purple you are looking for.

Kim O'Donnel: Yes, that's what I was thinking about! Great, thanks for zooming in.

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Purple: I just had to make purple playdough for my daughters class. I used McCormick's Neon Food Color & Egg Dye (found at Walmart). It has purple in there. Came out dark and pretty. Another mother had good success with the Wilton gel coloring.

Kim O'Donnel: More purple passion!

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purple frosting: Use paste coloring, available at bakery specialty stores. Call around or use the yellow pages (I am not in D.C. so I can't recommend). YOu will definitely get a deep color. I did it with black and red once -- for a "Time Man of the Year" style cake. Worked wonders BUT -- you WILL have black/red/purple teeth, lips, tongue, fingers, counter, whatever it touches. And it takes a bit of brushing to get it off teh mouth/lips/tongue. Caveat emptor.

Kim O'Donnel: And more!

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Oakton, Va.: Hi Kim,

I'm fairly new at home cooking, and I have a very basic, even embarassing, question.

How do you keep everything hot while other things are cooking, so that everything gets to the table hot? (This is particularly a problem with meat that's rested for a few minutes.)

Thanks for your help!

Kim O'Donnel: Hey Oakton, if it's meat you're worrying about, it needs to rest anyway. Cover with foil, and it'll stay plenty warm while you get the rest of dinner together, as long as you're talking less than an half-hour period.

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Maryland: When I saw the heading for "Indian Bread" I thought you meant Native-American Indian Bread, and I was so excited. I grew up (out West) eating Indian Fry Bread and would love a good recipe for it!! Any chance you could do Indian Bread, Part 2?

Kim O'Donnel: I would consider it, absolutely. Maybe in connection with Native American Day on Sept 4 the unofficial day of remembrance and celebration of Native American culture and history.

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Kim O'Donnel: Signing off. thanks for stopping by.

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