Gifted Gourmet

As well you should be! Divine doesn't begin to describe it! Not remote at all ... outside of a major city, San Jose ... look at Mapquest, or the like, for Los Gatos which is a small, lovely suburb ... edited for Melkor's better directions ... see below post ...

Inspiration courtesy of Epicurious.com We have a Mega-thread on Breakfast full of yummy ideas and photos ... and we have a thread on Bed and Breakfasts .. So, now comes: Eating and/or serving Breakfasts in Bed ... Like it or hate it? Do you make them for others? Is it too messy for you to deal with as the donor or the recipient? Favorite things you desire to be served to you?

Dear God, no! Like "what foods led to your divorce"?? "Did you cook all that badly??" Wedding foods, for a first, second, or tenth wedding, are so much more appetizing ....

Thank you for reiterating this idea, Mayhaw Man ... it emphasizes the most important issues and faces the reality of what the article tends to dismiss... it is all about focusing ...

just don't ask Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) his opinion ...

very recent (last week!) thread on star anise Answers.com always has a good example ...

article in Newsweek on a closely related topic and a discussion here on eGullet on southern food and improving what is eaten ...

and please don't forget about our deep fried dill pickles

NY Times article on Manresa's David Kinch When I ate his food, I knew that he understood food in all respects ... a good article!

Slam dunk, TimH!

An invitation to go out and enjoy a Whopper tomorrow? I can't help but think that Dr. Dean Ornish will continue to push his diet which is primarily grains and vegetables ... which he has long proven lowered heart disease ... There will, without any doubt whatsoever in my mind, be further discussion on this study and fats ... In the meantime, in between time, ain't we got fun? Man, that Burger King creepy, slightly weird guy is reallly looking better by the moment ....

Today I read an article in the Christian Science Monitor which seemed highly interesting because of the many ramifications involved: Are there equally compelling arguments for both issues here? Are health and culture equally important?

this Pear Charlotte recipe from Food Network looks relatively authentic to me. See what you think ... it is from Emily Luchetti, which speaks volumes to me.

Hard to believe but there was a time when we didn't have cell phones .. and that wasn't even very long ago ... was cooking somewhat simpler then?

Jason Perlow on the benefits of using Picasa ...

Eating up Atlanta's influence from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (register for free to read) ...

Any day that I serve a rib roast in my house, is a holiday!

When you are happily preparing a recipe for some special dish and find that you are missing one or more necessary ingredients, upon whom can you rely to run out to the grocery and pick up your missing item? Another cup of necessary cream? More butter? A friend? A spouse? A neighbor? An offspring? Any (reasonable) hour of the day or night? Who will do this cheerfully for you? Grudgingly? Or will you simply remain silent and try to substitute something else for the missing item? Love to hear your responses to this one! This topic was inspired by Marlene's comments:

An interesting "sidebar" on refrigerating spices which I had mentioned in my post upthread: One should always refrigerate red-colored spices, such as chili powder, cayenne pepper and paprika to prevent loss of color and flavor. It also helps to avoid possible infestation of tiny insects.

guide to storing spices has some important considerations: controlling light, humidity, and oxygen. And they even bring up the refrigerator as an option which I had never considered ...

Not too certain that this will be of any value to your question, but I did read this some time ago: Chinese dishes and wines

Anise-scented Orange Carpaccio Serves 3 as Dessert. 1 orange for squeezing 3 oranges for slicing 3 star anise 2 tsp sugar Squeeze the juice from one orange. Place in a small saucepan and place over the heat with the star anise. Add sugar. Reduce the liquid by half. Allow to cool. Peel the three remaining oranges, remove white pith. Carefully slice into thin rounds. Place the orange slices in a dish. Pour anise-flavored orange juice over them. Keywords: Easy, Fruit, Kosher, Chinese, Vegetarian, Dessert ( RG1615 )

oops! and from October 2005 yet! sorry!

The beauty of making a finely prepared pie lies in the artistry of making a perfect crust, no? Yum! Patrick, you have outdone yourself yet again ...

Oriental Chicken Breasts Serves 4. 1/2 c soy sauce 1/3 c sugar 4 tsp vegetable oil 1-1/2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp five spice powder 1 bunch sliced green onions 4 chicken breasts 1/4 c sherry Blend soy sauce, sherry, sugar, oil, ginger and five spice powder in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Stir in sliced green onions (both white and green parts). Add chicken breasts to this marinade. Turn to cover chicken. Cover chicken breasts and refrigerate overnight. The next day: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain chicken but reserve the marinade. Arrange chicken in baking dish and bake until golden brown and tender. Baste occasionally with the saved marinade. Keywords: Kosher, Chinese, Chicken, Main Dish, Easy ( RG1614 )