moreace01

That's a great idea! I think you would easily find people willing to go. And well put Saydee.... ← I set up this topic in the Louisiana forum to plan a trip/food event. We can brainstorm ideas and find a suitable time. ← Thanks for starting this thread. I am definately interested in getting involved.

Agreed. Fabulous show. I'm glad they showed it back to back cause I missed the first part and watched it again. I sort of thought I knew the state of affairs, but was shocked to see it on my screen. I've been thinking about heading down for awhile now to do some volunteer work and introduce my husband to the cuisine of the area. Would be great to get a bunch of egulleters to go down for a volunteer/food event.

Can you add me for Saturday +1? Thanks!

It's 2:30 and the only thing I have going right now is pulled pork. The plan is: - carolina pulled pork sandwiches w/coleslaw - mac n' cheese (patti labelle) - nachos and quesadillas as needed - carrot cupcakes

71 for me (finally got off my butt to count).

I substituted white wine vinegar for white wine and had disastrous results (shocking, I know). Um, and also substituted imitation crab for real crab meat in the same recipe. Probably worst "valentine's meal" I've ever had... Alright, hands-down worst thing I've ever made in my life. I blame it on the fact that I was maybe 20 at the time and didn't know what I was doing.

the roasted pumpkin/butternut squash bishops hats are to die for. my mouth is watering just thinking about them.

\Agreed. I don't honestly find the produce at WF any better than anywhere else - nor is the selection any better. Sadly, I shop there because of the ambiance (take notice local Jewel!). Yeah, ok, that's pathetic and I have come to my senses having paid way too much for groceries one too many times and have now vowed to go to my local fruit/veg market instead. Which I guess brings me to my point - chicken breasts for $6 a pound (and I'm not even sure if it's free range or not - butcher was giving me all kinds of stories) vs the Super H Mart for $1.99. (For whatever reason, WH has shrimp really cheap so I'll pick that up there).

I found the Jose Andres at Food and Wine: http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/podcasts (it will take you to itunes - i don't have an ipod but still able to download) They also list recipes for those who don't want to take the time to download. His energy and enthusiasm was amazing - and his kids were very cute. I really loved what he did with watermelon - showed lots of thinking outside the box - something you don't get often watching cooking programming.

I think the Glenview Illinois location has live lunchtime music too - guy playing acoustic guitar. I'm downtown Chicago now and they definately don't have it down here.

Yeah, I grabbed the Cook's Illustrated the other day. They are alright - but they have a tendency to really rush through things (and sometimes not give you ingrediant quantities "dump in the flour" - um, how much?) The CIA student thing - the student blog comments are pretty worthless - i stopped downloading those after week 3. But I still liked the day to day part. I'm watching Jamie Oliver's podcast now. It's alright - but probably better as a tv show - and he spends A LOT of time introducing his cast on every episode. The Food and Wine podcasts are great - especially Jose Andres. Loved all of his (especially the bit on watermelon). And I downloaded some other podcast - Food Science? Yeah, don't do that. It was pretty worthless. Still enjoying my new toy.

That broad is NUTS. I love that book, especially the pictures. ← Yeah, the pictures... I picked up a copy at the library and was walking down the street with it. People kept giving me funny looks. I didn't know what was on the back cover till I got home (Amy in a shirt and stockings - and little else). Anyway, very amusing read.

To be honest, I don't get the Potbelly fascination. But the Wreck isn't bad and neither is the Italian (as long as there are hot peppers!). I think I should try their Roast Beef as I think that is what I like most about the Wreck.

Chicago also has a ribfest. I keep meaning to go...

ah, I too thought you meant bad tasting. the constant fast-food industry bashing is so old school. I say we start bashing mid-priced "family" restaurants instead. Case in point - when I was dieting, I looked at the nutrition information for the Yardhouse Restaurant (small chain) and almost keeled over right there. BBQ Chicken Salad? Yep, that'll cost ya 1655 calories. The Penne with Roasted Chicken? 1645. Ginger Crusted Salmon (oh how healthy! or maybe not...) at 1440. How about the baby back ribs at a WHOPPING 2275?? Isn't that higher than the recommended amount of calorie A DAY for a woman? Goodness... Yardhouse Nutrition Info

See, I knew you'd be able to help! I think I'm alright with the visual aspect of blue cheese (and in the potatoes, I didn't even see it, but I knew it was there - ever so faintly). It's always been the taste - I am also the one who cannot have it on the same plate, touching other foods (this is going way too far, but to me it tastes like what I envision licking a barn floor would be like - I'm sorry, I know that was too far. But that's the comparison I can come up with). I keep trying cause there aren't many foods I don't like. And husband loves blue cheese and he's definately a picky eater, so I don't get my aversion to it. I also love all cheeses (except goat) and usually have at least 5 varieties in my fridge at all times. I really liked the butter - even without the steak to accompany it (I was eating the blue cheese butter alone on a spoon). Perhaps it was the temperature. I don't know. I know that to conquer this aversion I need to appreciate it on it's own. I will try that next. I will also try the pasta sauce (can I do that with the leftover Maytag?). I think the suggestion to try a mild, young cheese is a great one.

I thought maybe you guys would be able to answer my question - I posted awhile back asking for suggestions for a blue cheese for someone who doesn't like it (but wants to give it a shot). I ended up with a Maytag. I added a very, very small amount to mashed potatoes figuring it would just give a hint of the flavor and maybe I'd end up pleasantly surprised. No such luck - I couldn't stand it (it was the same funk that I always dislike). So then, a week later, I thought I'd be nice to DH and make a steak with some blue cheese butter on top (I mashed up a little blue cheese in the butter - probably 75% butter to 25% cheese). I put a little on mine and eureka! It worked! I loved it. It was tangy and salty - everything I thought it was supposed to be. So my question is - what made the difference? Cause the ratio of blue cheese to mashed potato was way, way less than the ratio of blue cheese to butter, yet the butter version was wonderful and the mashed potato version made me gag. Could it be the fat in the butter? Shoot, I don't know. I'm reaching here. I guess I'm just excited that I found an application where I really liked blue cheese. For once.

never had 'em. not really sure why not. but my mom used to eat bags of them in college - she dipped them in cream cheese. it was her favorite snack (somehow, she managed to stay really thin).

shoot, and I had it the other way around - I was thinking "hey, i can use a microplane for a pedi!". am I the only one who was beyond grossed out when they emptied the shavings into the trash? omg... still, this ped-egg in the kitchen seems like a marvelous idea - containing all the loose lemon zest or parm. and it's ergonomic!

Hi Phan1- have you taken a look at the egullet culinary institute online courses? I learned so much from them! Here's the one that includes hollandaise. And one on other non-stock based sauces. Tons of good info on technique, what it's supposed to look like (lots of great photos), etc.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Right now I'm watching Inside the CIA on epicurious - follows a group of students through culinary school. It's kind of interesting to see what really goes on day-to-day - and how much like a regular college it is. I know jamie oliver has a podcast, so i'll probably check that out and some of the stuff on food and wine. So far the CIA is keeping me occupied during my morning commute (train).

I was going to add that I throw in some cream cheese with my mashed cauliflower to give it a thicker texture (as some pp mentioned the thin consistency of mashed cauliflower). Not sure if that would be against your diet or not.

Go with the mashed cauliflower. If you've never done it, you'll be surprised. It's fabulous. I used to follow directions in South Beach Diet, but now I wing it. I'm sure it's on a thread around here somewhere, but here's a link to another recipe: Mashed Cauliflower.

Would these be like Swedish Pancakes? Love those. Often served with Lingonberries. I have a recipe for Sourdough Pancakes that I used to love - sadly, my Starter is now kaput. I got it from the La Brea bread cookbook (or something like that). 2 cups Sourdough Starter 1 T maple syrup 3 T oil 2 large eggs 1/2 t salt 1/2 t baking soda 1 t baking powder The only directions I bothered to write down are "mix ingrediants together; make pancakes". Anyway, makes fabulous, fluffy pancakes (approx fourteen 4-5 inch pancakes).

I've made a few more things out of this book in the past month: Mashed potato cake: basically layer parmesan in a non-stick skillet, top with leftover mashed potatoes, layer more parm on top and bake. Verdict: great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes when you don't have any gravy (like - why didn't I think of that?). I've done it a few times since then. Fresh Lemon Cake: uses buttermilk in place of other fats. Verdict: Great flavor - love the clove infused lemon syrup - but it's a bit dry. She has an alternative for this to fill with fresh lemon curd - probably a good idea! Calories: 271/serving Fried Artichokes with Crispy Garlic and Sage over Ravioli: basically you carmelize the artichoke cut side down and then build a sauce around that. Wasn't really much of a sauce when placed over pasta. Plus, a lot of work to clean the artichoke (again, something I've never done - and would say I probably won't do it again as it seemed wasteful). Verdict: not so much... Calories: 461 (includes pasta thankfully) Rosemary Buttermilk Biscuits: once again, great flavor but a bit dry. Still, I loved her suggestion to serve as a sandwich with melted sharp cheddar, chutney and leftover chicken. That's what I did with her "foolproof roast chicken" and loved the flavor combo. Calories: 104/biscuit So far, mostly what I've learned is that she's got great flavor combos but sometimes you really just need to leave the fat in!