Betts

I always thought I could start a diet craze based on prunes and call it the "Easy Come, Easy Go Diet". I used to work on a GI surgery floor and I talked about this stuff all day long.

I adore risotto also and personally, I've had the worst risottos in restauants - under or overcooked, bland or over stuffed with too many condments. My secrets- low salt chix broth in the box, augmented with water as needed, the best parmesan and plenty of it at the end, a dash or two of tabasco to sharpen the "savoryness" but does not add heat. Favorite condiments to add - blanched asparagus or tomatoes, corn, lime and basil, baby peas and mushrooms. I do not want any seafood/ fish flavors in my risotto EVER.

I adore raw potato with a little salt but not out of hand like an apple, just a few slices as the cook's treat. As far as indigestible - what about the whole fiber thing? There should be a website keepitmoving.com.

I'm suddenly very interested in this topic and have done a wee bit of internet research. I booked a Minnesota Slow Food proponent to speak at our Les Dames d'Escoffier meeting.

There are often support groups for gastric bypass patients and there may be one in your area. I am sure there are some on line although the quality of advice at some sites may not be up to the e gullet standards. Ask the surgeon or the clinic staff when she goes for follow up. 64 gms of protein is not a huge amount if you divide it up throughout the day. Every little "meal" should have some protein and some carb. Pureed food usually isn't necessary but initially soft, simple, non gassy, non fatty items are tolerated best. The goal is to make sure that the food choices are of high nutritional quality because the she will do better, heal faster and have a better surgical outcome. All my best to you both Beth ( former registered dietitian/ GI surgery)

I buy a use a couple of new beans as I start a new fifth of vanilla and reuse the ones from the previous batch. I love the rum base per Rachel Perlow but have had great success with Stoli. Thanks for the updates.

Would Ada Boni's "Italian Regional Cooking" work for you?

Beautiful - thanks for the pix

Neil - you have the rare combination of facile fingers and a creative mind to drive it all. Thanks so much for a peek into your world. All the best to you and thanks for the occasional bit of your advice along the way.

Interesting thread for me tonight since I spent an hour planning my husband's "Christmas" party for next weekend . This is what we will have and I intend to hire 1 person to help only because I am the hostess to a bunch of people I have never met and may have socializing duties. Except for the risotto, it's all prepped ahead Cocktails/ champagne/ etc Rosemary spiced nuts Polenta mushroom diamonds ( Martha Stewart ) Spinach cheese triangles ( get them from my food serv supplier) Crab cakes/ spicy remoulade ( " above) Roulade of turkey breast/ lemon basil stuffing Cold side of poached salmon, capers, chp onion, lemon Vegetable risotto ( somebody always wants to help and they can stir this) Foccaccia/ herb butter ( I may make my own ) Artisan cheese platter - crax, fruit and nut wedge, grapes Desserts - 1 chocolate do ahead something and maybe lemon chiffon tartlettes I haven't nailed the dessert specifics down.

I had a V-Slicer for years till I wore it out, maybe too many trips thru the dishwasher. I used it almost daily, toted it to jobs loved the little guy. When I decided to upgrade, I got a Bron. I haven't yet figured out why this is supposed to be the Mercedes of mandolines. I hate the thing - its big, clumsy, heavy, awkward to use. I now have a Matfer and it is fine, although it lacks julienne capability, but not nearly as loved as my cheap little V-slicer. It's also harder to change the blades althought they are more securely fastened. Finger situation. Years ago I was watching Jacques Pepin use a mandoline - sans guard. I thought I could do it just like him. After the first four days, I had at least one cut/ bandaide on every finger and decided the guard might be for wusses but too much blood/ fingernails in the food just isn't smart or attractive.

I have had tile backsplash for the last 8 years and not a bit of trouble - even behind the cooktop. It's the narrow grout line plain type and this replaced the "washable "paint. It is the one thing I do like about my current kitchen. I have had laminate countertops for my 30+ years of cooking and thus have not developed certain habits that might impact my choice of countertop material. I do not put hot pots on countertops, nor do I cut anything directly on them. I have some tolerance for light scratching etc - just does not bother me. Apparently soapstone has a lot of oil absorption problems and that is one issue that would be a problem for me. Also, got info that I'll pay a premium because I live a long way from the Northeast where it's quarried.

Nigella Lawson has a Bitter Orange ice cream using Seville oranges and if I were handier with a computer I'd give a link but it is very good with chocolate sauce.

I've always wanted to know ... how long does miso keep if refrigerated. I have a year old package in the frig with no apparent decay. It is a Westbrae Mellow White/ unpasteurized. Making dash with tofu and green onion sounds pretty appealing just now - it's well below zero at noon today!

FatGuy- yours is positively muted and tasteful compared to the showroom sample. Think bright blue- as blue as the top banner on my Internet explorer with coin sized algae- colored green blotches sprinkled with white, just for contrast. I think it was was somewhere in the Pacific. It made the lavender samples look sedate. Personally, I think you have a big emotional hang up with your Corian. It is fine but the hospital association must be making you queasy. What do you think soapstone runs? I'll have to do a little digging.

For Fat Guy- when I was choosing granite yesterday, there is a natural granite that is bright blue with emerald green spots that looks more garishly artificial than any Corian ever could. I am still listening to all the opinions and husband would consider all granite if cost does not spiral out of control which it is threatening to do. Black granite on the perimeter would look spectacular.

After careful consideration of all the opinions, I decided to do a granite island with Golden Flower granite ( but I wished I had thought to ask where it comes from), possibly a honed surface and sealed to prevent oil staining. The perimeter countertops will be a light tan Corian with a tiny gray fleck and an undermount SS sink -large, single bowl serviced by a Chicago high arc faucet with wrist blades. Back splash is 4x4' ceramic plain tile and will be as unobtrusive as possible since I want a utensil rail running the length of the counter near the cooktop. There will be a floor to ceiling open grid style pot rack at the end of the counter, just to the left of the cooktop. I haven't put my signature to any of this yet but D- Day is next week. D for doubt decision, demolition.

I use orange juice and a dash of Penzey's baking spice in the Krustez Buttermilk mix or lately Sturdiwheat ( Original flavor ) makes a very tasty pancake . I do not want any other additives - no blueberries, bananas, choc chips, etc. And real maple syrup and real soft butter. MMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Dave - I read every word of that link. Thank so much. PEDAL VALVES!! Contractor will freak!! I am now seriously thinking of a single large deep sink, integrated, Chicago faucet w/ wrist blade handles and separate spray.

Great input - thank you and more opinions are welcome. Actually the dealer was recommending a "Corian type product - he has several lines, over Silestone because of the scratching. The Corian can be buffed/ repaired but the engineered stone products scratched easily and cannot be easily repaired. I will give the oil absorption info serious thought - like MayhawMan, sometimes I am guilty of incomplete clean up. I keep asking the dealer " Will it pass the spilled curry powder test" Curry and oil are the most stain inducing products I know. I am planning on doing an integrated sink and thus the Corian type surface. An undermount stainless was an option but the junction of materials is a catch-all for crud.

I am redoing my kitchen and will have a 32x80" island - all work surface, no cooktop, sink etc. The choice is Corian type surface (good NSF rating, limitless colors), marble ( best for pastry and I love the silky honed look) and granite (husband loves, great color choices and very trendy). Is there a compelling reason to choose one? This is a HEAVILY used kitchen and I have pretty well decided to do Corian on the other counters because of it's imperviousness and durability. The island will not take the brunt of the wear but will be a work area/ eating surface etc. Beth

Thanks for posting the review. I get the sense that you are not as fond of Korean food as some of the other cuisines reviewed or was it just the relative culinary level of just this restaurant? I read the Strib article on privacy and the internet - very nicely done.

That cake show was the only one I have seen and I could not believe how crappy the final results looked and the thought of eating it was ****(unprintable). AND THIS WAS FOR GUESTS!! There used to be a cookbook "White Trash Cooking" or something to that effect. Isn't that what comes to mind with this show? You have my sympathies for the home situation. How about a special treat for your wife, kind words and flowers so she doen't need to needle you.?

Hearty soups, anything with beef and almost anything roasted. I'm in Minnesota and the meat and potatoes diet is a way of survival for 6 months of the year.

My grandmother's Christmas pudding was immortalized through e - gullet this year. It's a Scots/Irish Canadian tradition. Check it out