Rachel Perlow

I thought about it but didn't. I was using the oven to make pita bread at the time. I did put the sliced pieces in that hot oven to reheat before eating, they did get a little more browned and dried from that.

It didn't get as browned on the sides as it would with a rotisserie, but once it is all sliced up, that didn't bother me. If you like the commercial Krynos gyro, up Alton's salt by 50%. Also, I preground the dried rosemary, marjoram and pepper in my coffee/spice grinder. The herb flavor really stood out. I usually winged it when I've made tzatziki, I highly recommend Alton's recipe, the olive oil and vinegar worked beautifully. I even used the oniony tea towel to drain the yogurt, as recommended on TV, but not mentioned in the written recipe.

I haven't been to Fascino yet, but I noticed they're on the list of participating restaurants for Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation. I'll look out for them there and be sure to report back what they made.

Meatloaf method. We don't have a rotisserie for our grill. When it was first done, it was high in the pan, putting another loaf pan with cans of tomatoes in it on top weighed it down into a rectangular brick, so I could get those nice even slices.

I made some Vichyssoise yesterday. I've seen this made so many times on television, I didn't even look up a recipe. I sliced and cleaned 4 leeks, using the white through light green part only, sweated in a couple tablespoons of butter. Added about 1 lb peeled and diced potato (eastern white), 4 cups homemade chicken stock, simmered for about 30 minutes. Pureed, adding about 2 cups of low fat milk (yeah, yeah, I know, it's supposed to have cream, but I didn't have any cream and the potatoes thickened up the soup plenty), salt & pepper. The vitamix pureed it very smooth, so I didn't bother sieving it. Tasted warm it was quite good. I added more salt than I normally would, so I hope it will be just as good cold.

Thank you! As Jason mentioned and linked, the gyro and tzatziki recipes were from Good Eats, the pita bread was adapted from the eGCI Lebanese course recipe.

Normally, I am suspicious of places that advertise in those mailers, but Babylon is really good. I suspect their business has suffered from Huffman Koos' closure. Definitely worth going to. They used to have a totally underpriced item as a Sunday special, braised lamb shank. They used to charge $9.95 for it! To them it was a leftover part from the legs they butchered for kababs. I take credit for pointing out to them that any other place I go to, it is a much more expensive dish. Last time I ordered it, it cost $16.95. Oh well, almost free ride is over! But they're nice people and deserve to make a living.

I'm pretty sure Santiago would make you the Huevos Rancheros at dinner time if you ask nicely.

Reply from Nestle Lean Cuisine: Well, there you go.

That was one of the best pad thais we'd ever made. The tamarind really added something to the sauce. Thanks for the inspiration, all.

Jason is busy channing our Pad Thai after I did most of the prep for him. Ours contains: thin bean thread noodle shrimp: dried and fresh fried tofu strips egg beef: leftover beef skewers from Chinese takeout :) scallion shallot carrots mushrooms: shitaki and black fungus crushed peanuts Pad Thai Sauce The pad thai sauce consists of a store bought pad thai sauce, that we both felt was too sweet last time we used it. So, we doctored it up with some sriratcha, fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind. I bought tamarind in the form of pure tamarind candy (just the deseeded pulp) from a Phillapino store. I'd never had straight tamarind before, yum. Well, dinner smells like it's almost ready, so pictures after we eat!

A quick follow up... I checked the box at Shop Rite yesterday. The title of the dish is "Salmon with Basil" and "wild salmon (with water, sodium tripolyphosphate)" is listed in the ingredients.

This isn't specifically about the article in question, but it's bothered me, and this seems an appropriate thread... Anyone else notice this Lean Cuisine commercial, you know the ones where there are a bunch of women complaining about what they ate for dinner last night, usually something stupid or bad for them. Well the one where they are at a spa laying on chaise lounges with white robes and facial masks on... The one who was "good" rhapsodizes about "Wild Salmon with blah blah blah... from Lean Cuisine." Then they cut to the box showing the frozen meal, and it doesn't say Wild it just says Salmon. And something made mass market like this, of course it isn't Wild Salmon. Isn't this false advertising or something? Who can I bitch to? I checked their website, here's the page for the meal in question, Salmon with Basil, which is described as "Wild salmon on a bed of whole wheat orzo pasta with yellow and orange carrots and spinach in a basil sauce." No ingredient listing on the website. I sent their customer service an email: I'll post any response I get here.

I think the prices on that NY menu are lower than what I saw in Tenafly. I remember the pastry prices being around $4-6 per serving, but maybe those are just breakfast prices? We'll have to check the Tenafly location out and see if they've gotten any take out menus printed yet.

There is $3000 left to the budget, afterall.

Hey Jay, you want to try it? I could add it to my list for my next trip to Han Ah Reum.

Oh, there it is! I feel better now. Weren't you going to do a small alcove between the studs somewhere in the stove area?

I found this in another thread, but read it here and heard it elsewhere often. However, I have never found it to be true. I freeze potatoes all the time. Here are some of the forms in which potatoes can be found in my freezer: Twice baked potatoes: Cut a baked potato in half, scoop out the insides, mix with various flavorings, fill potato shell and bake. In this case, fill shell and freeze. Bake from frozen for 30-40 minutes at 350F. Mashed potatoes: I always make too much. Freeze extra family meal sized-portions in an airtight plastic container. It is best if the container is completely full, so no air can get to the potatoes. Defrost in the microwave. As soon as it can be removed from the plastic, put the potatoes in a microwavable dish with lid, like a Corningware casserole. Microwave on high 1-2 minutes at a time, stirring at the breaks. It might look like they're separated and will never come together, but they will, trust me. Keep microwaving and stirring until steaming. Allow them to rest, they will absorb any remaining moisture. If desired, you can stir in some more milk, butter, cream, or stock at this point. Reheat for another minute or two before serving. In soups: I use potato as a thickener in some "cream of" vegetable soups, and it is diced in my minestrone and beef barley. No problem. Tater Tots: OK, they're frozen by the manufacturer, but hey, they're frozen potatoes too. Casseroles: If I have some leftover moussaka, for example, I will freeze them in individual portions for easy dinners. No problem with the potato layer reheating along with the ground meat and eggplant. Pot Pies: OK, so these aren't homemade either, but show me a chicken pot pie without potatoes... And, it's basically a stew inside a crust, so don't tell me you can't freeze stew. So, how did this "don't freeze potatoes" myth get started? How do you freeze potatoes? Do you have any examples of how not to freeze potatoes where the adage is true?

Very cool. I'm jealous and it hasn't been that long since we did our kitchen! Susan mentioned the number of outlets -- very nice. The only place that I see where you could use another outlet is at the eating bar. There is only one at the end of the penninsula by the stove. I would want one on the free end of the penninsula. That might be a place where you might want to set up a guest cook someday, standing on the eating side of the counter. I was wondering if an outlet could still be installed flat on the countertop or next to the the track lighting on the ceiling or under the counter extension behind the dishwasher? Althought it's probably not necessary, and I'm just obsessing. I love the baking area, btw, especially the corner of the window where there's no frame, very cool.

When I checked the place out I was told that everything is made off site or brought in. What do they actually make there?

Checking my weekly Han Ah Reum circular, the price of Kokuho Rose New Variety Rice is US$9.99/20 lbs. I don't know if that is long grain or short/sushi rice, can't tell from the image. Click here for NY area circular. The dish with the green sliced things is broccoli rabe? It looks like cucumbers or maybe some other squash. Ah, I checked the link, it's a reformed food, like vegetable surimi, huh? I found another link that is interesting, Mannan Life Konnyaku candy, it is apparently banned in the US. Too bad, I would have like to have tried it. I assume you buy it pre-flavored, what other flavors does it come in?

I had them roasted at Craft restaurant in NYC and they were delicious, so I'd go with slbunge's suggestion.

Is she paying for the chocolate separately? Because if you factor in the price of the chocolate, you're only making $3 pp, which seems overly reasonable to me.

All of the above are good recommendations, but you could easily hop on 280 East and go to the Ironbound area of Newark for some great Spanish food or Brazilian Rodizio. I'd recommend Mediterranean Manor at 255 Jefferson St (973) 465-1966 as a place that could seat a large group at one big table, reasonably priced, especially the rodizio. Fun, not BYOB, but you can order sangria by the pitcher to cut down on the individual drinks on the bar tab. Since you asked for websites, The Manor and Portuguese restaurants in Newark.

Our favorite use is for smoothies, it makes them very smooth, better and faster than a regular blender. Jason doesn't like the "whole food juice" which he pronounced "too pulpy." Actually, these are very similar to a smoothie, but not as thick or frozen. I've also made the more frozen "sorbets" with it, they're good -- but you need to follow a recipe because the rapidity of the blend makes for a melting product if you have to taste and experiment. When it gets warm, I'll make some Moo-latte-like coffee drinks with it. I've ground grain it it and made bread dough. I like the pure whole wheat bread recipe that comes with it, but it is little heavy for sandwhiches. Freezing the grain helps keep it from getting overheated when grinding. I've also ground some grain for use in breads where the dough is handmade or I've used the breadmaker or stand mixer -- when I wasn't going for all whole grain. I made a tomato sauce in it, but it turned out way too smooth and oddly colored orange. Like when you blend fresh tomatoes in a blender. But this was canned tomatoes, so it seemed weird to me. I tried cooking it further in a pot, but it stayed orange. It is excellent for making bechamel/cheese sauces. Heat the milk in the microwave for a head start (or not), blend with the flour for a couple minutes -- you can hear the difference when it starts to thicken. Add some butter, S&P, and cheese and blend some more. Perfect perfect cheese sauce without having to pre-grate the cheese. No lumps, no standing over a pot stirring or whisking to keep it smooth and from burning on the bottom. This would extend to a section of the VitaMix cookbook I haven't gotten to yet -- fondues (both sweet and savory). I'm sure I'll make one of those for company at some point. I try to use it every day or so, but I probably wouldn't have spent the money on it if it weren't a gift. What are some foods you would like to use it to make? Maybe I can help you figure out if it is worth it to you.