Alex

Lemon squeezy? The spirits are about to speak. Lemon seeds are only a very minor annoyance for me, but I found this an interesting question purely from a scientific standpoint.

I use Paul Prudhomme's cornbread recipe (cutting back on the sugar) and it, too, works fine in my large Breville. I also noted that it takes less time than in my conventional oven, even when I cut back on the temperature by 10 or 20 degrees F.

Two new ones: one bought, one a present 50 Great Curries of India, by Camellia Panjabi Southern Cocktails, by Denise Gee

Your NYD menu sounds wonderful. I agree enthusiastically with "NO CREAM." New Year's Eve: going out for dinner here, then coffee here, then doughnuts here New Year's Day: breakfast = pancakes with banana, strawberries, and BLiS Bourbon Barrel Maple Syrup; dinner = Hoppin' John plus a baked pear/goat cheese/honey dessert

Hmm. My mad scientist self wonders about an immersion blender. Could be a disaster. Could be brilliant. Has anyone ever tried it?

Actually, I thought this was a very appropriate post. In fact, the next time I'm at Costco--probably in a couple of weeks--I think I'll pick up a jar of the organic and compare it to my usual.

How much time do you anticipate allowing between the end of the main and the beginning of the dessert? I ask because both courses look very "serious" and on the filling side. If I were to put anything at all between the two courses, it would have to be small, simple, and very light--even ethereal. To riff on your post, I'm thinking of a small (~15 g) piece of cheese, perhaps a cave-aged Gruyere; a couple of neutral crackers; a few small pieces of tart dried fruit; and some green tea syrup.

I make my own pb so I can't address your question directly. However, I can't imagine that either would be less than desirable, so have you considered buying both then doing a blind taste test -- maybe with a bunch of friends?

The whole story, from The Detroit News I've had a couple of close calls at home, usually involving Bananas Foster and a questionable BAL, but never at a restaurant.

A few ideas: 1) You might be doing this already, but I'd do more than just sweat the vegetables. For example, I'd slowly cook chopped mushrooms until they're no longer releasing any moisture 2) Salt the cabbage and let it sit for a while in a colander, then quickly rinse and pat dry--much as you might do for cole slaw. 3) Press the heck out of the tofu. Or freeze it in a block, then thaw. It becomes chewy and meat-like. Liuzhou's tofu suggestions would work, too, of course.

The McRib analysis to end all McRib analyses.

I don't think so ... cute and fun, perhaps, but, for me at least, totally impractical. Yeah, I figured. I'm actually going to buy a set as a present for a friend--and maybe one for me. Is there a particular style, color, or material you'd prefer? If you like ceramic/stoneware, there are some lovely ones by Denby on eBay. Just do a search for "Denby salt" (w/o the quotation marks).

The old school one is fun and practical, but I'd go for this one.

Me, too. That's if I bother cutting it at all. For example, I never cut PB&J unless I'm taking it on a trip or to work, when I might want to eat only some and save the rest for later. (Yes, I know I can do that with an uncut sandwich, but that's sort of uncivilized.) On the other hand, Ms. Alex likes her PB&J cut into four pieces, with cuts along the x-axis and y-axis. Hmm. Just to shake things up, I think I'll try an X cut and see how that flies.

Blender Mousse 6 oz. 70%-ish chocolate, in pieces or chips (a lower % would do in a pinch) 2 large eggs 2 T strong coffee or espresso, cooled a bit 1 t vanilla extract 2-3 T Kahlua (start w/2; increase for the next batch if you like) 6 oz heavy cream at 190°F, give or take Dump all the ingredients into a blender, cream last. Quickly put the top on and blend at high speed for 2 minutes. Pour into ramekins or whatever you're using, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least six hours; twelve or more is best.

Do tell...

We've been using a Brita faucet filter since forever. I was mainly interested in getting rid of that nasty "municipally treated" smell and taste, which it does nicely. Dissolved solids is less of an issue. I'll look into ZeroWater, anyway.

I've done some serious culling a couple of times. I try to be as cold-hearted as possible. My criteria are cooking usefulness (including reference information), reading enjoyment, and emotional association. First, I triage: absolutely no way, probably no way, possibly way. I then go through the possibly way group--more than once, if needed--and choose the lowest-rated, so to speak, based on those three criteria. What helps is that I donate the departing books to my local community college's culinary program. Some go into their libray; the rest are available for students to take. All are tax-deductible, within the limits of the law.

What pretty much everyone else said. Although it's possible to cook pasta in a smaller pot with a minimal amount of water, the traditional (and easier) way is in a large pot with plenty of water. This facilitates the stirring that pbear and Shel_B mentioned. If cooking pasta strands, I use a wooden pasta fork (like this overpriced one). For non-strands, I use just a plain wooden spoon. Add salt when the water starts to boil and stir to dissolve. Season it as if it were a broth. No oil, nonononono.

Which model do you have? What do you use the oven for? Thanks! We have the big one. We use it for toast; bagels, both fresh and frozen; Pop-Tarts (Ms. Alex); frozen pizzas (Amy's); baking (brownies, cobblers, cornbread, etc.); reheating frozen rolls; roasting vegetables; top-browning or quick cheese-melting; plate- and bowl-warming and occasionally broiling a flank steak. The temperature is pretty much accurate, although the baking time tends to be shorter than in our regular gas oven. It's 3-4 years old, used 5-7x a week, with nary a problem. $199 at BB&B is a good price. Pay with an AmEx card and you double the manufacturer's warranty. Just buy it already!

If you have the room, get the larger one. Seriously.

Hi, Tory. Check for a PM from me with contact information. -Richard

Yes, Grove is the place to go for dinner if you have only one night. It'll be a cab ride from wherever you're staying. Make your reservation as soon as you can; they're on OpenTable. The three-course prix fixe, with wine pairings and dessert option, is a bargain. If you're staying at the JW Marriott and don't feel like venturing outside, six.one.six is very good. It's also walking distance from the Amway Grand. Let me know where you're staying and I can make some recommendations. (If you want to also do this via a PM, that's OK, too.) I don't think of our having local specialties per se, but there are some interesting options, depending on your food preferences and how much time you'll have available. GR has become quite a good food (and beverage) town. I love letting people know what we have to offer.

'Tis the season. We went to a "dinner club" meal tonight that was held outdoors in a chestnut orchard. Before the meal, we walked around and gathered about five pounds of Chinese chestnuts. We're planning to vacuum pack and freeze most of them, so the orchard owner gave us a tip similar to dcarch's: Cut each chestnut completely in half from pole to pole, then blanch for a couple of minutes. Most of the chestnut meat should slip right out. If it doesn't, it shouldn't be difficult to remove the shell and skin. Here are a bunch of recipes from the Michigan Chestnut Growers' website. I made this rather good chestnut pâté a few years ago. The Chestnut Brandy Ice Cream and Bourbon Chocolate Chestnut Torte also were quite good, if memory serves.

What recipe? (It looks like you wanted to insert a link.)