edemuth

I'd love to come, but can't make the 16th. I'll be in NYC for the Chocolate Show!

That could work for me... I'll know for sure tomorrow.

I vote for Eat First... we can always try NBW another time. Are we on for tonight or sometime in the future?

Seth, thanks for the wonderful review. I often wonder about the "whys" myself! I agree with Dave and marie-louise about Cookwise: excellent reference, but I look elsewhere for recipes and inspiration. Great idea, Mottmott! What does everyone else think? FWIW, I will peruse J & J and Making of a Cook at lunch and report back on my impressions.

Malawry, not surprisingly, makes the best applesauce I've ever tasted (alongside her yummy potato pancakes)... maybe she'd be willing to share her procedure with you!

double post

I just saw this thread... what a cool idea! May I join this merry band, please? If J&J is the definite text, I will purchase tout suite.

I'd love to go. I'm assuming we're talking sometime in the coming week... if so can we make it Monday? My crazy work schedule thanks you. Alternatively, if we do New Big Wong at 2 a.m., I could go this Saturday and then walk to work from there!

I'll be happy to make the banana pudding, Rachel... but I'm sorry you and Jason won't be able to come. I was very much looking forward to meeting you both. We'll all drink to your mother's health this weekend, and at that rate she'll most certainly get well. Best wishes!

Mr. Varmint, sir, I think I heard you mention earlier that you will be going to Allen & Son on Thursday. Is that still true? I'm headed down to NC that morning and would love to meet you there for some good 'cue. I should be in your area around 2 p.m. if that would work. Lemme know! Also, count me in on Friday's pit crew. I will be spending part of the day with my family but also plan to come over to help at your place. I'm also cool with doing potatoes if you want. I'm really looking forward to this! Erin

Stoney's is at 1307 L Street NW (between 13th and 14th Streets). The closest Metro station is McPherson Square (14th & I, Blue/Orange Line). Metro Center is not too far either (13th & G exit, Red Line).

Thanks, Heather! Here's a vote for rescheduling when Awbrig will be here (assuming, of course, he's up for it)... then I will actually have time to COOK something to contribute! Yay!

I have now returned from two weeks in the Pacific Northwest (more on that later), and Malawry has just alerted me to this lovely thread. Count me in, dear Varmint! I have a trip to India provisionally scheduled around Columbus Day weekend, but I will figure something out... how could I possibly miss this???? Looking forward to being a part of the ladies' (however you choose to define that word) contingent too!

Count me in... although I'll be out-of-pocket for most of the rest of May, so I probably won't be able to help coordinate dishes. For that reason, and because I will be in full-bore studying mode for the LSAT, I would like to request that I bring something simple or something that can be purchased, since I won't have a lot of time to cook. I hope that's OK! I'll check this thread when I get back, so just post what you need me to bring and I'll take care of it. Does that work? Heather, thanks for the invite!

I just looked up Natta Thai, which is in Vienna (never been though). Their website is at www.nattathai.com. THAI in Shirlington gets my vote for Virginia Thai food, although most of my Thai-food experiences have been in DC (I like Bua). I've also heard the THAI in Shirlington owners are opening another Thai restaurant in the Washington Harbour complex later this year; I believe the name is Bangkok Joe's. Hopefully it will open soon enough to take advantage of Sequoia's waterfront bar before dining there! I do not like any of the Tara Thai locations--many of the dishes are one- or two-note flavors and too sweet for my tastes. However, if you're nearby and just want drinks, the Ballston Tara Thai is worth a visit for the gorgeous decor.

I don't really enjoy dried fruit on its own, but as a hiker I find it great for trail mix with nuts, spices and other goodies added. With my Cuisinart, I can chop any variety of dried fruit in no time flat (long pulses until it looks right). Trail mix packs easily, provides a steady energy source and balances out the M&M consumption. Here's a link to winning recipes from Backpacker's gorp (trail mix) recipe contest.

Peanut butter, banana and Miracle Whip sandwiches. Seriously.

. . . use extra-virgin olive oil in a sweet muffin recipe. (And I HAD vegetable oil in the house!) Ay-yi-yi. . .

If anyone wants to carpool to the Helmand on Wednesday coming from DC way, let me know. Or, if you'd like to come but are sans wheels, PM me and we'll see if we can figure something out.

Someone under FG categories 1 and 2 would be a Mise en der No!

What are the particular challenges/issues you both face in directing the kitchen as a team? What day-to-day responsibilities do you each have? What is your management style like (assuming a "unified front") ,and how have your experiences working for other chefs influenced this style? Do you enjoy the management/business aspect of your jobs? How do you find, retain, and motivate good kitchen staff? Do you bring them at all into your creative process? If yes, how so? Thanks for taking the time to participate in a Q&A with us!

Batgrrrl, an old college friend of mine used to use the term "scrumpable" to describe attractive females he took an interest in. He has no British heritage that I know of. He said he just made the word up--I wonder if he had ever heard of "scrumpy" cider? "Scrumpable" is a sniglet if I ever heard one!

Macaroni and cheese, applesauce and potato chips, eaten together.

Peanut butter, banana and Miracle Whip mashed together and eaten on bread or with crackers.

From Russ Parsons' review of Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé in today's Philadelphia Inquirer: "Greenspan is one of the few recipe writers who actually convey a voice. Read her instructions, and you sense a real person there, someone who has prepared this recipe before and who is there to help you." Arthur Schwartz comes immediately to mind as a recipe writer with a similar "voice." When I make one of his recipes, I feel as if he's right there in the kitchen with me. I was lucky to find his cookbooks when I first began to cook, and I still return to them time and again. Partly because there are some simple, classic favorites of mine in the books, but also because reading the recipes is like a visit with an old friend. Which recipe writers have a "voice" you like, and what do you like about it? I'm making a distinction here between writers who can skillfully enumerate recipes for the novice and those who bring some other engaging or interesting quality to their writing. Nominations for either category, or both, are welcome. Note: This thread springboarded from here. (Thanks, Jinmyo!)