Malawry

For that matter, I bet Wilton makes a fish-shaped cake pan that you can use and decorate yourself. Most of the Wilton pans take a standard amount of cake batter. Look at Michael's, they usually have a good selection of Wilton pans.

I don't think Cake Love does Nemo-themed cakes though. Plus, they aren't cheap. Whole cakes are in the $50 range IIRC--I called once while trying to figure out how I should price a cake a friend wanted me to make. If we're talking $50+ budget I'd rather try for a small cake from a place like Amernick, personally.

I like to add it to chicken broth along with ginger, star anise and garlic. Let steep and then strain out aromatics. Serve as-is, or add miso, or add slivered shiitake mushrooms and seaweed, or drop a beaten egg into it. I also like lemongrass beurre blanc, served with fish en papillote and pak choi.

I used to bake them in a half-sheet pan instead of a hotel pan. I could then pour the water off the corner of the pan carefully when I pulled the pan out of the oven. The only danger: I could easily get my dry towel wet from the pouring water and it would therefore get hot. Another method: Pull the rack holding the hotel pan of finished creme brulees out from the body of the oven and use tongs to transfer the ramekins to a sheet pan. Then you don't have to worry about wobbling when you pull the hotel pan out of the oven...the brulees are already gone.

Try this sequence: Flour Eggwash Breadcrumbs Eggwash Breadcrumbs Let set for an hour in the fridge, then pan-fry. Works for me!

A fresh young chicken, with fresh basil butter rubbed under and over the skin, stuffed with more basil and some lemons, roasted in the oven Broccoli blanched, shocked, and warmed in the juices from above chicken Chocolate chip mint ice cream

I love my Foley. Perfect for soups, applesauce, hummus, anything really. I own a KA mixer but own no special attachments. Sometimes I eye the meat grinder but that's all that captures my interest. Maybe I'll look at the food mill when I have a child down the road, so I can use it to make baby food without occupying both hands and full attention. (I suspect babies will make it hard to keep an eye and two hands on the Foley.)

I don't tip on takeout orders. To me part of the point of taking out is to avoid accepting service, and therefore avoid paying for service (in addition to enjoying the convenience of eating at home or at my meeting or whatever). I recognize it's a little bit of work at a place that's mostly sit-down but I don't regard that as the sort of service warranting a tip. I rarely order take-out from a sit-down place when the restaurant is super-busy, FWIW. (I rarely order take-out PERIOD, actually.) I was really bothered when tip jars started appearing everywhere--coffee shops, takeout counters, etc--about 10-15 years ago. To me the whole point of those places is that you're in and out without having to wait for full service--and therefore you shouldn't have to pay for full service. I'm not a cheapskate when it comes to tipping, but I only tip if somebody actually waits on me--not takes my order from behind a counter. On rare occasions, I have been comped something while waiting for takeout, seriously inconvenienced somebody by placing a takeout order in the midst of extreme busy insanity, or witnessed somebody performing a special service for me. This is the only time I tip on takeout.

I ate there a little over a year ago. It is kind of a cool environment, in that it's on a big riverboat, but other than that it's not a highly recommendable place. The service is decent (as it is almost everywhere in WDW) but the seafood was only acceptable--not outstanding in quality or presentation, and somewhat pricey to boot. I don't mind paying a pretty penny for a decent meal on vacation, but I expect more when I pay more. For a good seafood meal on the WDW properties, hit the Coral Reef in Epcot (assuming you have "passports" or can plan to visit the park on the day you will be dining there) or Flying Fish at the Boardwalk resort (if Coral Reef can't work for you). We are big seafood fans and were not disappointed at either restaurant. I love eating right next to the aquarium at Coral Reef in particular--a more fascinating environment than aboard the Fulton riverboat, especially since it's somewhat interactive. Kids love it too, I saw plenty of happy families there. Flying Fish is a brighter restaurant (not being underground), and we enjoyed eating at the counter overlooking the kitchen. The staff was very friendly and helpful there, and by facing the kitchen it felt more like a "grown-ups" experience than the remainder of the park experiences. I remember enjoying a salad with braised duck and wonton croutons at Coral Reef, and can recommend the potato-crusted fish with demi-glace sauce at Flying Fish. If you're at Coral Reef you can hit the big light show after dinner around the World Pavilion, while Flying Fish is situated right along a boardwalk environment of beachside amusements that are fun to peruse post-dining.

I vote for simply using them as a crudite with whatever else looks interesting (scallions, endive leaves, etc)--maybe make a couple of flavorful dips (tzatziki, a spicy roasted red pepper dip) to serve with. At least it won't take long. I wonder if there will be blossoms attached to the squash? That expands the show-off possibilities.

I got my first bad one at age 16 when I worked in a food-court pizza place, on the 600 degree pizza oven. Almost every time I've gotten a deep burn, I've been extremely busy and therefore didn't really have time to react. Only later did I realize how bad it was.

Citronelle has never participated, to my knowledge. (Though it sounds like some people try to eat there and then claim they were participating when presented with the bill!) Sara, I'm hitting Vidalia with my esteemed spouse and long-suffering roommate too. We'll have to compare notes here.

Grab your ankles.

The Washington Post weighed in on this, too. I really hope the price of shrimp doesn't go up. I've been spoiled.

Make that 12 adults. It looks like I won't be able to make it after all.

I see no problem with putting a disclaimer on the menu. It's nice to also warn the person making the reservation, and even nicer to say something to the host when s/he arrives at the maitre d' stand. I think it is a little rude to announce the policy to the whole group at the table, though. It takes a lot longer to coordinate the food for a party of 6 or 8 than it does for a party of 4. Because it takes longer (to order, to serve, to clear, etc), large party tables don't turn as quickly as 2- and 4-person tables. Large parties can therefore result in a loss of revenue for restaurant and server alike, especially if they come during peak times. I don't mind a restaurant's attempt to guarantee some decent income for its servers by imposing a minimal gratuity. I do agree with Holly that it shouldn't be required--and, like him, I would argue the gratuity if I felt I needed to and would be shocked to not have it waived. However, the society we live in is set up that servers work almost exclusively for tips, and as long as we're in that economic environment I'm happy to pay a minimum gratuity when I show up with my 9 best friends in tow.

I love savory bread puddings. When I worked at Ortanique we occasionally made them for specials. My favorite one included lots of leeks and other onions; it was baked in a thin layer in a half-sheet pan and cut into long triangles. It was served as a special starter with some kind of mache salad with plenty of trout (smoked in-house). Very yummy. On the other hand, I've had a couple of disappointing savory bread puddings. IMO the special flavors in the bread should be carried through the pudding completely for the savory versions. If I had a cheese bread to use, I'd accent it with a little mustard in the mix and perhaps some onion or garlic flavor, and add extra cheese besides what's already in the bread. I think savory bread puddings go best with sauced meats. If there is no sauce and I'm eating the pudding with something like a grilled chicken breast, after a while I start to feel like dinner is mealy and boring.

I peel kiwis with a spoon. Just cut off the polar ends and slip a spoon between the skin and the flesh. Rotate in your hand, cutting away the skin with the edge of the spoon, and then slip the skin off. Voila!

I wanna hear about the cotton candy. Where did that idea come from? Also, with Dad baking the bread, and with the cotton candy being a signature part of the 2941 experience, can you talk about your views of the pastry arts and bread-baking? How connected are they to the rest of the cuisine at 2941? Finally, I think your stove is even cooler than the one they use at the Inn at Little Washington--plus your line cooks don't have to listen to Gregorian chant music while they work it. How did you select it?

OK, so back to the pork butt. Here's how I'd do it: Trim butt of excess fat, without getting too worried about hitting it all (just get the major parts of it off). Cut into large (1.5"-2") chunks of roughly equal size, being sure to cut away any tough parts and "silverskin"/membrane that you encounter. Cover with some red wine and OJ and let sit in the fridge for a few hours. Remove meat from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat dry. Rub lightly with S&P. Brown over medium-high heat in a stovetop-to-oven casserole dish with a minimal amount of oil. (Make sure the dish is hot before you add the meat, and brown only a little bit of meat at a time.) Transfer the browned meat to a separate bowl. When all the meat is browned, pour off most of the excess oil. Add some diced onions and carrots, if you have them, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until they soften. Add garlic (minced) and cook until aromatic. Add the meat, any juices the meat has thrown off, and the reserved marinade. Add stock to cover. Grate in the orange zest. Add cumin, some hot sauce, s, p, tomatoes (the canned ones). Bring to a boil. Cover dish with lid (use foil if you don't have one). Place in a 300 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until meat is fork-tender, which could take as little as an hour and as long as three hours+ depending on cut, how big the cubes are, and the position of the moon. You can do this in your crock-pot once you've gotten everything up to a boil; just stick it in the pot on low while you're at work or sleeping. You can freeze any leftovers just fine. As for assembling meals...you're on an exciting path, learning to cook real food, learning all about new ingredients. I envy your openness and the newness of these things to you, and admire your willingness to try new things. Try reading the "suggested menus" in your cookbooks to learn more about foods that go together. When you go to a restaurant, check out what they put together on the plate when you read the menu. And definitely check out JAZ's course, referenced above. Finally, trust your own instincts...and don't sell yourself short. I just ate some gumbo followed by a handful of blueberries for dinner, which is fine sometimes, but you're worth adding in a salad, a cooked grain, a steamed green along with your hunk of meat. Try adding just one additional dish besides the main event when you cook and your repertoire will expand rapidly.

Discussion of the pantry challenge continues here.

Braise the pork butt slowly with red wine, oranges (juice them and then Microplane the rind), onions, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, stock. Serve over rice or with roasted potatoes. Pasta with caramelized onions, peas, butter, parmesan. You can deglaze the onions with a spot of sherry to add a nice flavor if you like. Pan-seared tilapia with a ginger-soy beurre blanc, with green beans and basmati rice. There's a few ideas, anyway.

Last night: Catfish rubbed with Penzey's Northwoods seasoning and seared in butter, with a tender green salad. Followed by mustard seed-laced olives, cashews, and two Camparis-with-soda-and-a-twist-of-lime at a party.

Dupont Circle market, Washington, DC: Assorted cucumbers from Wheatland Veg Farms Sunnyside Farm organic Kobe ground beef Sunnyside Farm eggs Okra Four teeny-tiny green peppers Butterhead and red leaf lettuces Blueberries The last strawberries of the season I regarded but walked away from baby artichokes--I'd already indulged with the beef and berries and thought they were just too much on top of everything else. I also briefly considered zucchini blossoms but rejected them. I try to prioritize. My friend regarded the purslane from the greens table with a mixture of admiration and disgust: "That's the crap I'm always trying to pull from the cracks in my driveway." Sunnyside had a sign on their garlic referring to the price "per unit," which I assume means "per head."

I have too much going on this weekend, but will try to make a future gathering if possible. Have fun!