Gifted Gourmet

article here Are you using more of any of these currently in your cooking? Which is(are) your favorite(s)? Are you using variations of any of these, i.e. the smoked paprika? Are these flavors really "trendy" or just the same staples upon which we have always relied?

I have a reasonably large collection of cookbooks, collected over some 35 years, and I rarely revisit the original cookbooks mainly because I now have acquired a slightly more sophisticated "taste" for what is worth cooking. By using (1)RecipeGullet and (2) the everpresent Internet for recipes, the older cookbooks now seem somewhat "archaic". I ought to donate them really ... as Chris says: when do you bail on a book? which has proven itself to be unreliable because the: recipes don't work well ... recipes are incredibly complicated ... recipes seem "outmoded" ...

oops, my bad ... should have checked more closely .. but I still think the mug is super!

To Michelle and David, I wish you both shalom (peace) and much happiness in eretz Yisroel ... Todah rabbah (thank you) for sharing your Hanukkah with us .. for the beautiful photographs of the food, the candles in your hanukkiah, the background on the country, the animal pictures which were wonderfully hilarious (ostrich behinds and those buffaloes) ... those glorious pictures of Yaffo ... you both have made me wish to join you in making aliyah (moving) to Israel ...

I can definitely identify with this, mochihead! but I love this mug!

I remember that I had changed my main course entree on two separate years for Rosh Hashonah all because of eGullet! one year I made brisket, thanks to Al Dente, and the second year I made stuffed cabbage rolls, thanks to Malawry ... on each occasion, I had purchased a turkey which wound up in the freezer ...

these are exceptionally lovely! Highly absorbent, large dish towel hand-stamped with a lavender design. more towels here as well colorful ones from Spoonsisters

Traditional English teas such as China Oolong, Lapsang Souchong, Earl Gray, Ceylon Orange Pekoe, Darjeeling, Jasmine tea. I personally love Jasmine tea served from a silver teapot .... tres elegante! Accompanied by a tray of freshly cut sandwiches: smoked salmon, cucumber, egg mayonnaise with mustard, cress, turkey and mayonnaise, cream cheese, grain mustard ... all served upon a three tier silver stand and please don't forget those freshly baked scones with jam and clotted Cornish cream ... sweets on the top layer of the tiered stand ... Best high tea to me? Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly Street, London ...

I absolutely love the taste of a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie, still warm and oozing from the oven, soaked with just enough fresh cold milk to make the cookie a little bit soft. Sometimes I do this with doughnuts.

the Dunk Mug Is this not a great idea?? Biscuit.org The thought of dunking a biscotti or a cookie in a liquid hot drink has long appealed to many ... so, upon viewing the clever and very utilitarian Dunk Mug, it made me reflect upon what things people are likely to dunk ... I like to dunk cookies in milk and biscotti into tea or coffee ... and you?

The pleasure is all mine, jrichman! I hope that in reading them over that you will find things which are very much to your liking!

sourcea longer, more detailed answer is found here

and, as Hanukkah comes to an end, one last batch of these latkes hit the oil ... and they were as good as the first batches ... maybe I ought to make them for no apparent reason .. just to enjoy!

Now that none of my friends today even smoke, I have an excellent collection of ashtrays from Europe ... shall I try to sell them on eBay? The quite respectable and excellent replacement for Arby's Horsey Sauce is made by Boar's Head: Boar's Head Pub Style Horseradish Sauce and you need not tear that little package open to enjoy it at home ....

Enjoy yourselves heartily tonight on New Year's Eve but be careful ... which brings us to tomorrow morning's hangover ... bumping up this thread so that you can go out today and buy something to help you feel better in the cold light of dawn ... source

He's digging his grave with his spoon. I am fatter than a tick on a coon dog. I'm ready for dinner on the dirt. (refers to a picnic) It would be better to dress him than to feed him. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. Take an old cold 'tater an' wait. (be patient, dinner will be ready soon) Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.

this is my kind of sparkling wine, Brooks, and it is therefore, completely on topic ...

As you have mentioned, this is a special Hanukkah dinner and the menu I am serving friends and family will reflect that fact ... Lentil, sausage, barley thick soup Green salad vinaigrette Roast Rock Cornish game hen with an orange-currant glaze Latkes (again!!) with a chunky applesauce (no sour cream at this meat meal!) Broccoli in a lemon-butter sauce Cranberries stewed in port wine Apple pie Challah and kiddush wine

If I might: Zambra was terrific when I was there last winter! A friend of mine who loves food said that it was well worth trying and so we did ... it was amazing in all respects ... I never can think of visiting Asheville without a repeat trip to Zambra! On the same trip we tried Tupelo Honey Cafe for a wonderful breakfast ... do try it! And we also went to Rezaz with reservations made well in advance. ... also dynamite food and ambiance! Asheville is a marvelous food lovers' paradise .... I plan to go back shortly!

You just had to make me look this recipe up, didn't you? Leite's Culinaria recipe

If you can conquer your fear of the deep fryer, Marlene, then overpowering your rice cooker ought to be a cinch! The moral of this tale? Never let an appliance sense your fear .. approach it confidently and shock it into submission to your will .. after all, who is the Boss anyway??

Here to report that blackened carbonized sugar boiling over is a nightmare no matter what the stovetop!

I learned that when taking food photographs, select one item and focus in with a good zoom lens for the best photo to post on Image Gullet ... I learned how to read a recipe much, much more carefully ... I learned that to cook a dish properly, I really must set up my mis en place before beginning ... Anything new that you have learned here?

Clean up spilled water, grease, or food peelings as soon as possible .... Always watch food being heated .. I tend to get distracted and then everything bubbles over my glass stovetop ... After cooking, make sure all of your stovetop knobs are turned completely off. Wash and dry knives and put them away immediately.... never ever leave knives to soak in soapy water!

article from Slate Online looks interesting .... An interesting article with a lot of specific information on sparkling wines from America ... your opinions on their opinions?