MGLloyd

I think part of the appeal of Beth's is that for many years, it was one of the very few places open late at night in the North End. Consequently, everyone headed to Beth's when the taverns and bars closed, especially the frat boys. Large amounts of greasy food is what that demographic craves, and Beth's delivers.

I am a blue cheese mixer Capricorn. Complex, on so many levels.

My fellow Pacific Northwest colleague beat me to it: eat hazelnuts grown in Oregon! I have not tried to make my own Nutella since I can get it for relatively cheaply from either Trader Joe's or Costco.

Heinz Salad Cream is beloved in the United Kingdom. Any store that sells 'British' foodstuffs will likely stock Salad Cream. In my area north of Seattle, there are three stores within a 15 mile radius that sell it, along with many other British delicacies.

Both my parents were born and raised in a college town in NE Arkansas and are MW devotees, but I was born and bred in the Seattle area. My wife was born and raised in Iowa, and she thinks MW is the Spread of the Devil. Sign me up as well as being in the camp of fruitcake and Velveeta. You cannot make a good Southern pimento cheese spread without Velveeta and MW. And I have tried many a dry and hideous fruitcake that could have benefited from some MW in the batter, much like those recipes for chocolate cake that call for mayo. Edited for Miracle Whipitude. And accuracy. Can't forget the accuracy.

Sign me up as someone who uses Miracle Whip in the appropriate settings.

Small portable ovens, intended to be used on a stovetop, are commonly sold in camping equipment stores in the USA. REI.com or campmor.com would be websites that I would check for this. I have actually used one in a basecamp situation, and was surprised at how well they worked on a gas-fueled camping stove. I see no reason why they could not be used on a gas or electric stovetop.

Typed below are the descriptions of the coffee makers. I am not posting the article due to copyright restrictions. Cooking.com Capresso MT500 Coffee Maker $169.95 Cooking.com 800-663-8810 QUALITY: Best Overall. Sleek machine quickly brewed in seven minutes, had the best range of features and produced a great cup. SHIPPING COST/TIME: We paid $16.99 for standard shipping, within seven days. Ours took three. RETURN POLICY: For replacement or refund, for any reason. Buyer pays return shipping, unless defective. PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: Site sells 40,000 kitchen items and has dozens of glass and thermal coffee makers. This was listed as a best seller. COMMENT: All the models recommend a periodic water-and-vinegar flush, to remove mineral deposits -- every eight to 10 months for the Capresso, longer than most. Espresso Zone DeLonghi 10-Cup Thermal Coffee Maker $79.95 espressozone.com 800-345-8945 QUALITY: Best Value. A well-rated brew. Includes a reusable filter, pause function, automatic timer and double-wall stainless-steel carafe. SHIPPING COST/TIME: We paid $7.95, in five days. RETURN POLICY: For full refund within 30 days, in original packaging. Buyer pays shipping. Return authorization required. PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: Site focuses on high-end espresso machines and only carries DeLonghi drip makers. Customer service available on weekdays. COMMENT: Maker recommends decalcifying with water and vinegar every three months. Zaccardi's Zojirushi Fresh Brew Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Carafe Coffee Maker $89.99 zaccardis.com 877-839-8998 QUALITY: Simple to use and attractive. Vacuum-insulated carafe kept coffee the hottest of the five. Features include pause function, auto shutoff and timer. SHIPPING COST/TIME: Standard shipping cost $14.80, in six days. RETURN POLICY: Within 30 days for coffee makers. Buyers must obtain authorization and pay for insured return shipping. PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: Dozens of glass and thermal drip makers are available here, including the Capresso for $169. You can also browse a buyer's guide and 360-degree product views. COMMENT: Delivery includes a free sample of Zaccardi's roasted coffee. Model makes up to 10 cups of coffee -- as do all but the Technivorm, which makes eight. Coffee Bean Corral Technivorm KBTS brewer $190 coffeebeancorral.com 877-987-1233 QUALITY: Looks cool and emphasizes correct brewing temperature, but it had a lot of removable parts. No timer or automatic shutoff. SHIPPING COST/TIME: Ground shipping, at $7.39, arrived in five days. RETURN POLICY: Unless defective, within 30 days. Return authorization required. Buyer must pay return shipping and a restocking fee of 10% to 25%. PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: Site (with 13 makers, mostly Technivorm and Bunn) targets home roasters. Model is out of stock, expected back in early June. COMMENT: A Technivorm spokesman says the removable parts allow for easy cleaning, and adds the flat taste could have been from softened water or the coffee itself. Whole Latte Love Bunn BT10 Thermal Coffee Brewer $139.99 wholelattelove.com 888-411-5282 QUALITY: Coffee brews in a speedy three minutes. Carafe retained the least heat after four hours, but was easy to clean. SHIPPING COST/TIME: Free ground shipping. Items shipped within 48 hours, for arrival within five business days. RETURN POLICY: Within 30 days. Buyer pays return shipping and must receive authorization. PHONE/WEB EXPERIENCE: Site has many models, including Capresso for $169. "Compare-O-Matic" page showed that the Bunn had good customer reviews. COMMENT: Panel thought flat-bottom paper filter left a bitter taste. Bunn spokeswoman says filter "is designed for more even extraction," and that styling is a "classic look."

The 5/19/06 edition of the WSJ tests five drip coffee maker with thermal carafes. Their favorite was the Capresso MT 500, followed in order by the Delonghi thermal, the Zojirushi Fresh Brew, the Technivorm KBTS and the Bunn BT10 Thermal.

Pre-cooked and cooled potatoes, cut in 0.5" dice, a generous amount of oil in a hot pan: toss in potatoes, stir quickly to coat in oil and leave them alone until they get crisp on one side. Quickly stir again and let crisp up on the other side. Repeat as necessary until crispy enough for your needs. If the pan is not hot enough, there is not enough oil, you stir them too much or the potatoes are too mushy, then you won't have good luck. And thanks for the offer, but Mrs. Lloyd here frowns on me sleeping with people from the boards. Go figure.

Capresso MT 500.

Lauren, the article attached to the recipe specifies that the cake is heavy and dense, much like a cheesecake. So I would not add any chemical or mechanical leaveners, myself.

From: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/loca...33_cake27e.html Recipe: Rhubarb Brown Butter Almond Cake Serves 6 3/4 pound butter (to reduce to 6 ounces) 1 cup almond flour 1 2/3 cup powdered sugar ½ cup all-purpose flour 5 1/3 ounces egg whites (5 large eggs) 1 pound rhubarb, chopped into ¼ inch pieces A little apricot jam, melted and brushed on as a glaze 1. Brown the butter. (Stay close to the stove while it is browning. It burns easily. You want it golden brown.) Strain it and discard the solids left in the pan and strainer. Let the butter cool, but don't let it harden. 2. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites, mixing well. Fold in the brown butter. Refrigerate at least one hour or as long as a week. 3. Chef David Jue used individual ring molds to bake the cakes for the presidential dinner, pouring ½ cup batter into each mold. Sprinkle about two ounces or ½ cup of the finely chopped rhubarb pieces on top. Lightly push them into the batter. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until light brown. Jue suggests home cooks bake the cake in a loaf pan, like a banana bread. If you choose that option, expect it to take 30 minutes to bake. 4. Let rest. When cool, brush lightly with a glaze made of melted apricot jam. From pastry chef David Jue

In today's (26 April 2006) Seattle Times, the newspaper reports that due to the number of reader requests for the cake recipe, it will be posted on the paper's website tomorrow. I will keep an eye out for it, and will post the link when it becomes available.

Oh, I can go for either. Duvall is only about 20 minutes or so from home by car, so I am more than willing to go there for something good!

Hey Dave, I note you are from Duvall. I often like to ride my road bike in the Duvall-Carnation area. Are there any good places to eat in Duvall? I have already done the medieval thing at Camlann.

This takes me back to my chemistry school days, in that some of our labs had tables with Fireslate tops. If I recall correctly, it is a mix of Portland cement, silica sand and fillers. I can say that in the environment of a chemistry lab, the tops stained terribly, showed scratches and nicks and generally looked pretty distressed. On the upside, it was essentially fireproof and pretty chemically inert to most solvents. Unless I was building a rustic villa in Tuscany, in which case the look would blend right in, I personally would not choose this as a counter top in a food prep area.

Owen and Michael: converting innocent coffee maidens since I don't know when.

I have used several of the TJ private label chocolates: the 70% cocoa mass bittersweet chocolate and the milk chocolate and some others that I cannot recall. I have only used them for cooking and baking, and not eating per se. Both of them were tasty, had a nice snap upon biting, melted well, tempered well and seemed like an excellent value for the price. I thought that the 70% bittersweet was easily comparable to some of the expensive chocolates I have used, such as Valrhona or Scharffenberger. I routinely shop at the two TJs in Snohomish County, and as was pointed out earlier, inventory can vary by store.

Being the proud owner of a Rocky and a Pasquini Livia 90, I agree with you philosophically.

Coffeegeek Rancilio S-series reviews Richard, the above link will take you to some Coffeegeek reviews of the Rancilio S-24 and S-27 machines. They are pretty much industrial-strength units suitable for high volume use. Probably overkill for a home environment if that is what you are thinking about.

BG, I am going to be very interested to hear your opinion of the Capresso.

Marlene, does the Miele whole bean system actually make true drip coffee, or does it actually make an Americano: espresso diluted with water? Many people call an Americano coffee, although I tend to think of it as diluted espresso.

Excellent. An article earlier this week in the Seattle Post Intelligencer reported that the menu was the creation of the Gates house chef, whose identity was withheld. I did not know that the Gates had a house chef; I would love to see their kitchen and their server room.

Although my Coffeegeek sensibilities are bruised by making this suggestion, I wonder if BG may be just the sort of person for whom superautomatic espresso machines are made for. Unlike Owen and myself, for whom fussing with coffee and espresso is a hobby unto itself, BG strikes me as a person who wants espresso with minimum fuss and bother, if she wants espresso at all. There is also the possibility of using a single group espresso machine that accepts pods. BG, a superautomatic espresso machine is one that does the grinding, tamping, and brewing automatically at the push of the button. Some of them even froth milk automatically. The built in Miele that you were originally thinking about is a superautomatic in a fancy shell. They can range in price from $ 500 to $ 2500. If the learning curve of a conventional machine is not something you want to pursue, and you want to trade off convenience and slightly increased cost for a slight diminishing of espresso quality, probably imperceptible to most, then give some thought to a superautomatic or a pod espresso machine. Perhaps you can find a trade on Craigslist or something.