Alex

Does anyone have an opinion on Pepin's Fast Food My Way? I'm hearing it pushed a lot this week as a premium on my public radio station's fund drive. I already pledged and claimed Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but for a bit more (far more than the book costs, of course) I could get both. ←

It might have a little texture, but nothing objectionable. I use mine primarily as a last-second sprinkle over fish or scallops. Occasionally I combine it with herbes de Provence and salt to coat some pork before roasting. Sometimes I just open the container and smell it.

LOL, Suzanne~ I thought that was a myth! If I'd posted what the area looked like just prior to the "crash of '03" (as we call it), you'd have seen my laptop sitting there which is where I usually am when I'm on the computer Believe me, I almost brought up Alkan when I called the development company...but was afraid it was a little too melodramatic (and I didnt' want to confuse them ). Don't dishes weigh more than books??? ← Yep, it's a myth, but a good one. As for me, I keep all my cookbooks on the lower shelves, next to the Talmud.

Interesting timing. Just yesterday, my trusted local wine retailer recommended the 1975 Gran Reserva from Toro Albalá ($26US, 375ml). We'll probably drink it next weekend -- I'll post again after we do. Here's their web site (in Spanish).

Living roughly equidistant from Chicago and Detroit, patiently awaiting a Tigers-Cubs World Series, I empathize. But if that ever happens -- Chicago dogs and Coney Islands, diplomatically washed down with Bell's Amber Ale!

One more fun one from Bargain Books: amuse-bouche, by Rick Tramonto with Mary Goodbody.

At Erika's Delicatessen in Grand Rapids, MI (quoted from their web site): September 15th, 2004. Our 3rd annual OKTOBERFEST @ the Airport Hilton from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. We will feature 45 beers, serve 15 kinds of brats with 16 mustards plus other great German foods and cheeses. The cost: $15 per person. Also at Erika's, btw: October 6th, 2004. Pinot Noirs of the World @ the Airport Hilton from 7 pm to 9 pm. We will offer New and Old World Pinot Noirs and have some excellent food parings to make the evening complete. The cost: $15 per person.

Bargain Books strikes again! Los Barrios Family Cookbook: Tex-Mex Recipes from the Heart of San Antonio Down to Earth: Great Recipes for Root Vegetables

Oh MAN, I want this book! Do you mind saying where you found it, and how much (yikes!) you had to pay for it? Thanks, Squeat Well, I really shouldn't say, but, um...dark alley....midnight...unmarked bills.... Or, eBay, $76 (+ shipping). Earlier this year I made it one of my Favorite Searches, with e-mail notification. I entered the $76 proxy bid four days before the auction's end, and fortunately it held up. Someone else wanted it, too, but ended his/her bidding a few hours before the end at $75 (whew!). There's one available right now from alibris, through Amazon, for 99.80 + shipping.

Two more: Classical Southern Cooking, Damon Lee Fowler Out of print, but I really wanted it. The Artist's Table, A Cookbook by Master Chefs Inspired by Paintings in the National Gallery of Art This is a fun book — great art, with great recipes by Bayless, Child, Cunningham, Madison, Miliken & Feniger, de'Medici, Robuchon & Wells, Silverton, Tower, Waters, and Wolfert. It's available for a song through Amazon's booksellers.

Deal. FedEx overnight?

Rye toast; crunchy natural pb; bacon; sliced tomato in season; pinch of salt; rye toast. If no pb is available (horrors!), cream cheese is a fine substitute.

I am doing a roast chicken with buttered green beans and French bread slathered with butter in honor of Julia. I'll take a photo and post it on your thread. Don, I'll be making the very same dinner tomorrow night — I'll be picking up the green beans at the farmer's market in the morning and the just-killed free-range chickens that afternoon.

There are nine eGullet members viewing this thread as I write this, more than I've seen on any other thread since joining eGullet one year ago. That says something about her, yes? Edited to say: After I posted, there were *seventeen*.

Dark chocolate-covered dried Michigan cherries: Raisinettes® for grown-ups. Grand Marnier ganache filling isn't bad, either.

I second that -- La Fiorentina's a great spot to while away an hour or two.

Ice cream at Herrell's. Nothing else matters.

I've been using David Rosengarten's recipe for "The Frosty Plymouth Gin & Tonic" -- it's the best ever, imho. It's reproduced (among other places, I imagine) here.

There was a study in which participants ate all of their calories (a moderate amount, I don't remember exactly how much, perhaps 2000) in one meal, either in the morning or in the evening. On the average, the morning group actually lost a little weight; the evening group gained.

If you feel comfortable doing this, it would be of great service if you could post the seller's eBay name.

Ditto a similar scene in Bull Durham, except with more laughs and less goose-flesh.

I thought that Bizen was excellent. Terrific sake selection, very fresh fish/sushi. Not cheap, but not horribly expensive. It can be very crowded, especially on weekends, so reserve early if you decide to go there.

There've been so many, they all blur together... The earliest one I clearly remember was a lesson in mindfulness somewhere in my early 20s: trying to slice some recalcitrant vegetable but winding up slicing the side of my index finger. The scar is still there.

From www.tunaresearch.org:

It's not your little shop in California, Greg, but Michigan State University makes a pretty good (if memory serves) chocolate cheese that you can mail order. Check it out here (scroll down).