NVNVGirl

OMG...that's hilarious

Heeheehee....once I overheard a couple asking about the "Far NEENTY" wine they were thinking about getting. Living in Napa, it just cracked me up at the time. I still think of that everytime I see it mentioned.

I was going to totally agree with you, but there's a Roy's at Spanish Bay in Carmel and it's excellent. Other than that, I've only experience at one other mainland Roy's, which is right where I live...it's in Rancho Mirage and it's not very good. Interestingly, it's a limited partnership with Outback Steakhouse if you can imagine....I know that Roy does occasionally make an apperance here, but still, it in no way compares with any of his stores on any island in Hawaii.

Ludja~ don't know if these are the same or even similar, since I've never had a Good Humor anything,but Von's (Safeway up there I guess) has some icecream bars now under I believe, the Safeway Select name that are vanilla icecream covered with milkchocolate and almonds. They're pretty yummy! They also make them with coffee icecream. They come 3 to a package.

Yep, Paul Fleming started Flemings Prime Steakhouse in Newport Beach CA, but there are now locations in Alabama, AZ, FL, MD, MA, NJ, NV, OK, TN, TX, UT, and VA. The really nice thing there is that they've got 100 wines available by the glass. And yes, he also started PF Chang's...the sad thing about that is, it's the best "Chinese" food we've found in the desert. BTW, does anyone remember Jonesy's Steakhouse out at the Napa airport? It was the greatest! People actually used to fly in there just to have a steak there when Hugh Jones owned it. It's not the same since he's been gone

I'm with Melkor on this one. I forgot that we've got a Morton's here too....talk about expensive, Carolyn! I guess the thing that actually bugged me about them other than their inflated prices for piece of meat that resembles brontosaurus steaks, is that they neglect to inform you that the side dishes are more than enough for 4 people. It kind of ticked me off that they didn't mention this when as a party of 4, we ordered 2 orders of the mushrooms. It was the first time I'd been to Morton's so I had no clue that the portions are gigantic. I just don't think it's right that they try to pad the bill by allowing you to order way too much food without at least letting you know and then letting you decide if you really want that much. There's too much waste in the world and hungry people and the food at Morton's is costly enough without that sort of thing.

I detest the "Got Milk?" commercial...the one where the little kid is sitting on the step and has a big spoon of peanut butter and a thing of milk..and there's a dog sitting next to him; he finishes his milk, still has peanut butter left, so he gives it to the dog. I hate the whole stupid thing esp. the dumb music that accompanies it. Not only that, I hate milk too...gee, I"m hateful today, LOL

Chowguy~ EXCELLENT idea! I LOVE thyme AND marjoram! Will use them next time I make them. Thanks for the suggestion!

Just want to tell you thanks for posting this tidbit. I did them last night for friends and they were a huge hit! Very simple and VERY tasty...plus, something you don't see everywhere you go.

I made one like that last night. Unfortunately, it was on top of a lemon pie. I've never had this experience before, but I used about 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar to 7 egg whites, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, about the same amount of cornstarch and whipped it till not quite stiff peaks formed. I baked it aqt 300 deg. F till it was browned, but it was crunchy sort of on the outside and dry on the inside...not what I was wanting at all.

For some reason, the southern Ca desert is rife with steak houses.Vicky's of Santa Fe, LG's Prime Steakhouse, Flemings, Sullivan's, The Chop House and Ruth's Chris. All good, but not as good as Greg's Cole's Chop House.

Rachel, this is probably a dumb question, but I've got a Moluccan cockatoo who insists on laying eggs...she's laid at least a dozen this year so far and I've been blowing them out and saving them (well, what can I say? They ARE cute). Friends and husband have discussed what they'd taste like and now that I see this thread, I'm wondering if they might not be interesting. (of course, to me, it would be like eating my grandchildren, so I will refrain myself). Where did you find information on the nutritional value of the quail eggs? Or did you just do a search on quail eggs themselves? Thanks!

A soup combining beer and cheddar cheese. I found the recipe in the RSVP section of Bon Appetit section years ago...for some reason it sounded so good....in spite of the fact that I detest beer (or did then) and cheddar cheese. The result was gaggifyingly disgusting.

Marlena, I'm DEFINITELY up for an artichoke party! I haven't had any for a couple of months now and seeing this thread has made me crave them. Am having friends over for dinner tomorrow, so artichokes are definitely going to be on the menu. And I agree with the artichoke/chicken combo....I've got a great recipe of my mom's that combines chicken, artichokes, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes...it's to die for! Will post it if anyone's interested. If you're in the Palm Springs area tomorrow evening, you're welcome to share dinner (and artichokes with us!)

I love artichokes. Any way you fix them. But here's a couple of methods for you to try. 4 sprigs parsley 4 cloves garlic, split 2 bay leaves 2 lemons, cut in half 1 cup (or more) white wine 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 qt water or chicken broth salt and pepper artichokes Bring all ingredients except artichokes to a simmer. Trim artichokes, cut off top, rub with lemon. Place artichokes in liquid, cover and simmer about 30 minutes, or until tender. Serve with oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper nd shaved cheese. Grilled Baby Artichokes with Olive Oil and Lemon You can also use this method with larger artichokes if desired. 1 lemon, halved 12 baby artichokes Cut artichokes in half lengthwise. Trim and scoop out choke, put in lemon water and boil till crisp-tender; about 6 minutes. Drain, pat dry, set aside to cool. Marinade: 1 cup olive oil 1/2 cup red wine vinegar Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. herbs de provence 1 tsp. garlic Pour the marinade over the cooled artichokes either in a glass dish or large plastic baggie and either refrigerate or leave on counter all day. or at least several hours. Grill over moderate heat until you see light char marks and they are warmed through. You can serve with a basil pesto mayo or just on their own. The baby artichokes can be eaten in their entirety....these are delicious!! Happy eating!

I drank a bottle of that the other night. I didn't like it as much as their The Stump Jump. I thought The Footbolt was too hot and unbalanced. Wished I had bought the Penfold's Thomas Hyland Shiraz instead, but there's always another day Last night, as we were at our neighborhood restaurant who has a relatively pitiful wine list, I had a Z52 Zinfandel (from Lodi) with a baked ziti and spicy pork sauce. It was amazingly good...well balanced and yummy.

Danish Blue Castello gets my vote. So creamy and buttery and a little mild but so flavorful. Incredible in green salads with grapes ....one of my very favorite things in the world! Cabazola and Gorgonzola are my next choices.

I would mash them up into a cube of butter, roll it into a log and then wrap in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze it. Use it on steaks, or whatever you feel like having anchovies on. It'll last forever, unless you grill as much as we do Oops, just slice pats off as you need them; obviously you don't need to use the entire log of butter in one sitting.

Not a flourless cake? They're more dense and chewy.

I have the Ronco set it and forget it. I love it. I don't use it a LOT, but it's sure nice when you want to make a nice rotisseried chicken and you also have other things to do. Plus, you can cook the veggies on top too. It's very simple to clean up too and I don't mind the space it takes up b/c I have the room for it. I store it in the pantry when not in use. I used to have the Farberware one too...to me, that was too much of a hassle and too many awkward pieces to keep track of and store. This is mainly self contained other than a few accessory pieces.

Pineapple

So, all these experiences lead me to wonder....I love cooking and I love entertaining. I find that it's a LOT of work doing both and extremely exhausting on my part even tho I enjoy it. I would love to have a personal chef at least once in awhile though. What would you say are the things you appreciate most, being a private chef, in your employer? I mean, what things make it a nice experience for you? I cannot even imagine any of my guests going into the kitchen to regale a chef of their own experience, so you can leave that out. I wouldn't even allow that to happen, I mean, how gauche to have a professional in your home and then have some yayhoo wasting his time yammering about their vast experience. Gag me. And I'd personally see to it that that didnt happen (hey, if I'm not cooking and plating, I've got plenty of time to monitor the guests, LOL). If you don't mind, I'd love a list of your tips and hints and preferences. I think I have most stuff, but I'm not a professional, so I don't really know.

If you do go, have lunch there! They've got a lamb on focaccia that's excellent, or was the couple of times I've been there. My mom lives in Fairfield, so I try to go whenever I get up North. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I'll be interested to hear your review of it. Maybe I've just lead a really sheltered life, but I was blown away by the place.

I saw this was mentioned in another thread but thought it deserves it's own thread. This store is amazing, at least to someone who grew up in the Napa Valley and even tho I've seen some nice supermarkets, this one is really an experience! They've got a cooking school called The Shallot, a wine tasting room (and a great wine section), and incredible food court. The produce section of the store is so beautiful it'll bring tears to your eyes. Sheer poetry. If you are in the area, it's not far off I-80 and is worth a trip just for lunch. The address is 130 Browns Valley Parkway and is on the West side of the freeway. It's owned by a family who has, I believe 2 or 3 other stores in the Davis area. Wish they'd bring one down to Palm Desert! I'd live there

My favorite sub was one I used to get at a deli in Las Vegas..Italian with salami, mortadella, pepperoni, provolone on a sub roll with shredded iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pepperoncinis, and dusted with oregano then sprinkled with a red wine vinegar and olive oil. YUM! One that I had recently at The Nugget (supermarket in Vacaville, CA) was roasted lamb, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and onion on a homemade focaccia...it was to die for!