FistFullaRoux

I don't think anyone has ever been so eloquent about Fat Tuesday, and how much the abnormal means normalcy. Thank you Brooks for a reminder of why I love the place, even though I haven't been around for a while. It's kind of like a tattoo. I'm seriously considering a trip for Jazz Fest. It'll be one for the books this year. Besides, Fats has already agreed to play. I'll even forgive the LSU crack in the spirit of the season.

Not exactly true. Some are allergic to different chemicals within the peanut, which are also present in peas themselves. I know there are unrelated botanically, but there are at least similar substances in both. It can be enough to cause a reaction. In my experience, I wore latex gloves at work every day for several years. I ended up with a reaction to them after that time. The sensitivity built up over the course of time, and though it wasn't throat-closing, get a clear airway started, I did develop hives. Since I got out of the medical biz, I can wear them on occasion now, but I have had reactions since, once while having an IV started. It's nothing to fool around with, folks. Even if they are just a picky eater, you still want them to enjoy your food, right? Edited cos I cant tipe

Food allergies vs picky eaters. There's a conundrum. You are torn between proving yourself the superior cook and smarter person who can convert an unwilling person to your point of view. Or you can kill them. This isn't really much of an option, is it?

Bacon, no. Butter, yes.

My true fantasy B&J flavor is already a standard. Phish Food. I could eat that every day of my life happily. Not sure if these have been done or not, but here's my ideas. - Vanilla and banana ice cream swirled with butterscotch/caramel, aka Bananas Foster - Vanilla ice cream with a super tart, strong orange swirl through it, like an ultimate dreamsicle I'd also like to see them make a plain, unflavored, unsweetened item, which we could keep frozen and do what we wanted to at home. Even try savory items. Could be an interesting concept. They could call it product development by requesting recipes made from the base.

It'[s not about being cheap, it's about being frugal. There's a difference. If you are cheap, you wouldn't even think about the expensive items. If you are frugal, you think of ways to use every bit of the cheap AND expensive stuff. It's an important distinction. But compared to some of the OCD postings here, I'm a lightweight when it comes to scraping and such.

You don't scrub down all the surfaces of the stove, including the buttons and knobs? ← I do, now. Before the wife's health problems, they only got cleaned when visibly dirty. Then we had to look at what could be potential causes of infection. Those two came up as ones we hadn't thought of. Also the kitchen phone, as well as cookbooks. Although the cookbooks work well in a gallon ziplock bag now. And I almost forgot the bottle of dishwashing detergent. The outside of it can get pretty bad, if you think about it.

There's a couple of other bug hiding places that few people think of. The knobs/buttons on the stove, and pot handles. At least the pot handles get washed every so often. But for the most part, "what does not kill you makes you stronger."

It's far simpler than you are thinking. A urinal full of stale ice is cheaper than running water for a couple of hours. If you have a full ice maker, and you have/want to dump the contents daily, might as well put it where it can save you some money in the long run. Keeps from hogging a sink during melting timeas well. There used to be a bar in the family, and that's why it was done there at least. The other "features" (aim and odor control) are bonuses.

I've seen the airbrushed/brushed/stamped patterns on acetate done before on one of the Food Network pastry competitions things. I've also seen Jaques Torres do it on his Halloween special. So it works.

Frankie Johnson's FireHouse Diner (with a blinky neon 'u' while everything else stays lit). But what would people go there to "eat"? Hooters has it's wings... ← Easy... Weenies.

I can also tell that some parts of AB's commentary are recorded/edited in later. The sound quality of his voice changes. There are some things that are "fixed in the mix" as they say, but it's still fun to watch.

Or a reality show about the planning and operation of a anti-Hooters restaurant named "Peckers". (Woodpecker as mascot, etc)

I have friends who read the restaurant health ratings before deciding on where to go for dinner. They have ice chests and oven/stove/grill space ready and at the right temp when people show up. I have other friends who would gladly leave the mayo in the pantry, even after opening. It depends on the person in charge, and the facilities. It also involves the type of food being served. But nearly everything, even allowed to sit at room temp for a while is usually OK for an hour or so. I'll pass on the potentially dangerous stuff that's outside the safety zone. For myself, I own two crockpots, several ice chests, and can make room for whatever else needs to be held at a higher temp (meatballs, casseroles, etc). I also have frozen a baking sheet full of water, that can then be used for bowls of dips and such. I'm a bit of a freak on that subject, though... I know which people leave the mayo out on a regular basis, and steer clear accordingly.

I second and third the Mag. Super place that I dream of. I wish Dirty's was open late so I could sing it's praises...

Between my control freak psyche and my wife's OCD, it's a wonder anything gets put up at all. But she puts the sugar underneath the microwave cart. All the way across the kitchen. Boggles me. My hot sauces are only displayed on the counter for looks, I promise.

What about a Joe Public contestant? Someone with little to no restaurant experience. Just an average to great home cook. Sign me up. I'd like to give it a whirl...

Eggs. I think that most cuisine from pastry to fried rice would become decadent luxury. Think about the current worldwide bird health issues, and it's closer than you think. Edited to add - Pasta. Dear Lord, what would we do without pasta...

Highly impressive. This seems like a perfect reason for a get-together. BYOB (Bring your own beans) and share the equipment. Oh, the things that run through my head...

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll...NEWS01/60213006 James Allen Graham He was one of the chefs who pushed the envelope in Lafayette. His influence will be felt for years to come.

Chains have corporate trainers and efficiency experts who can teach people to work in a certain way. It's interesting and all, but short of "obtaining" those training materials from a chain, how do the mom and pop places do it? You can teach a 9 iron how to do anything with the right training materials. For the smaller places, it has to be personable and smart people to make it run right. Nothing against the people who work for chains, mind you. But the little place down the street from me does just fine without computer aided ordering. There's no secret code of napkins at the table. It's good customer service and good food. Sometimes I think this stuff gets a little overthought.

It's not in there now, but I did have a hard drive in the freezer a couple of weeks ago. The drive in my wife's computer gave up the ghost, so I bought another one, formatted and re installed the programs, but tried the freezing trick to try to get some of the data from the drive. It is possible to do that with some forms of drive malfunctions. The cold temps cause the metal pieces inside the drive to contract ever so slightly, and that can sometimes give you a couple of minutes to move the data. So picture the computer set up in the kitchen, with a 12' USB cable running into the freezer, where I had an external enclosure with the nearly dead hard drive in it. The drive was frozen for about 12 hours. It works until the drive generates enough heat to return said metal parts to normal size, then it just stops responding. I was able to get about 70% of the needed data off of the drive doing this. I would win if it were one of the freezers at my former job. I worked with pathologists.

As stated before, it all depends on the brand. Each one is different. In some instances, it does work. I'm somewhat of a fan of Tony Chacherie's mix, as it is perfect for a lot of the cooking that I do. I almost always tweak it a little anyway, using some of the packaged mix, then adding what I want to it. It's easy to do once you get the salt value right. It is possible, with some searching, to find a brand that does not use MSG. It is also possible to make your own. Just pick the stuff you like, and don't forget the celery salt. That and a high percentage of paprika seem to be the key. You can put your own nuances on it after that.

It can go in the garbage everywhere, at least as far as I know. Cooking oil is not the same as motor oil. It's a food based product. It should go through the same degrading that any other foodstuffs do. Even if it were to get into the water supply in small amounts, it wouldn't kill ya. If it were in large amounts, it would make things a little murky for a while. You may also want to check with a restaurant for their disposal techniques. Ever wonder where soap comes from? Recycled restaurant "grease" is one component, and is actually somewhat valuable. McDonald's has locks on their grease containers, and the waste is sold to processors for soap and animal feed, among other things. It's quite versatile. Although, I think there is a way (I'd have to look for it again) to use it for a torch type thing outside to chase away mosquitos and such, if you don't mind your yard smelling like fries...

They may be an option for those without access to decent beef from the local supermarket. I've tried them, and they were OK, but they are more expensive than even Whole Foods. I'd think there are better/cheaper purveyors available by mail/internet order, though. Or, if you have a big enough yard, you could just raise the cow yourself...