Betts

What a great, pithy and dead-on-the-money essay. I grew up in Southern Ontario and Ruth could be speaking for me. What I recall most was the idea that " plain food " was a virtue and thus any creativity was seen as less than desirable since it was surely only trying to cover something up.

Cracker bread is Lavosh

That corn fungus that is found in upscale Mexican restaurants. I used to have nightmares about it after working in a cornfield growing up. Otherwise, I have a low tolerance for slime, melons and will not drink fluid milk.

Why is salt always added as a dry ingredient when it would disperse much more evenly if added to the wet stuff. I know in bread making that salt needs to come in late because of it's effect on gluten and yeast but muffins, cakes, cookies etc why not dissolve the salt?

I have had the best success with Gale Gand's recipe - very dark, moist and intensely chocolate. The recipe uses what was called the "muffin method" so over mixing isn't as likely. The cake stays moist for days and bakes up flat and even. There is a picture of it on the cover of "Just a Bite" and the sauce that she has with it - perfectly fine. Just one little point - this recipe makes enough for 2 9X13's rather than one per the recipe and the directions actually have the baker using a sheet pan. This is the only bit of sloppy editing of all the recipes that I have tried.

Reading this thread has me salivating. I last had the braised veal cheeks and they were meltingly meaty.

Can go away Sushi Hamburgers made with lean beef and then well done "for safety" Those are now hockey pucks! Overly manipulated food - foams and all - just processed food in expensive dress Frou frou martinis in glasses big enough to soak your feet Please give me more Restaurants with real personality on the menu Vegetables - any fool can cook a steak but what the chef does with vegs is the real story Sane portion sizes Dry aged and appropriately seasoned beef House dressing - something really made on premises Children with table manners - corollary no babies/ toddlers/ cranky children in adult restaurants after 7 pm. No ill mannered, cell phone abusing adult churls either Cheese as a course Really good quality tea with suitably hot water in an attractive vessel

Follow Nightscotsman's advice - he helped me with my last marshmallow craze. With the leftovers, I tossed them with a mix of cocoa( the good stuff), powdered sugar and a dash of cinnamon. Perfectly delicious, a big hit but they looked just like cubes of browned meat -

Mayhaw Man - that piece was worthy of being reade on NPR. Very evocative and heartfelt. Thanks.

Could you add a few to a bag of sugar to have a "cinnamon nuanced sugar". Are these dried or fresh? If dried, can you run them through a spice mill or is the whole idea that they are used whole?

Sorry to hear of the job evaporation. I read all your articles and got a real feel for the places.

As an expat Canadian - I truly miss peameal bacon sandwiches. I don't know why it never caught on in the US - it's tasty, healthy and easy to cook.

Jello 1-2-3 - my kids are grown but still miss the stuff.

What makes people think pie is inappropriate for breakfast? If you deconstructed it, you'd have fruit, sugar, flour and fat. Reconstructing you get toast with jam and butter and fruit or a flaky pastry with less fruit. Besides wasn't pie was a traditional Yankee breakfast item?

This is where we ended up... Oak Creek Brewery - very tasty food- I had the apricot pork rotisserie loin with mixed rice pilaf. Moist, flavorful and great with the nutty pilaf. Guys loved the beer but my margarita was insipid. Service was notably slow but the beer was speedy. Fournos - a Greek Taverna in the Red Rocks - very authentic, a Greek, NY lawyer turned chef via a stint at the CIA. Two had the halibut with tomatoes and 1 had an ultra tender lamb shank and I had shrimp with feta. Homemade dolmas and honeycake with peaches. Great Santorini wines. Like in Greece - bring cash! The credit card machine mysteriously does not work but they will take a personal check from anyone. Pizza Picasso - I highly recommend the Pizza Carbonara in a very stylish setting Cowboy Club - This place has a great bar for locals and tourists. Very popular place for steaks with a Southwest flair. Coffeepot - Home of the 101 omelets and you have to order by number and no they do not encourage making up your own combinations. We ate there twice. It is a busy breakfast/ lunch place where the coffee comes fast in a carafe for the table and they use big thick trianular mugs. Omelets are more done than I like but the breakfast burrito with potato and chorizo was delish! The Airport Cafe was just average for breakfast and slow. The rumors of a fabulous view were overstated.

If it's just a simple Monday thru Friday I like grainy toast spread with cream cheese and marmelade orange or ginger, good tea darjeeling, oolong or green For more leisurely mornings biscuits and sausage gravy, a homemade omelet with softly set eggs or a Dutch Baby from the Original Pancake House (preferably while wearing a black sweater- if you have ever ordered one you know what I mean!!). Also never underestimate the power of bread pudding - sweet or savory, in the morning. It's interesting that no one in this thread has mentioned commuter food - the kind you eat on the freeway. Does everyone here sit down to breakfast?

So what's new. There has been a Spamjam in Austin, Minnesota for years. It's the home of Hormel and it's the town summer festival - cooking and eating Spam, new recipe contests and Spam carving. You can get T shirts and assorted other memorabilia.

I had a Hypnotique sorbet that was fabulous - and the colour of glacier ice. I bought a bottle to do the sorbet at home but drank it all before getting around to the sorbet. Beware of ice cream experiments- I put on 10# one summer perfecting chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I'm a sucker for the salt sweet combo. A Bloody Mary sorbet garnished with a bit of leafy celery top and splashed w/ vodka isn't bad either.

Although I am sure there are eG people who cook the garbanzos, here is my stand by method: 2 cans garbanzo beans, drain and rinse but retain 1/2 can of liquid 3-4 cloves garlic juice 1/2-1 lemon 1/4 c or more olive oil 1/4 c tahini pepper salt if needed In food processor, chop garlic and add garbanzos and process until almost smooth Add remaining ingredients except salt and pepper. Process and then taste for a nice balance of garlic, lemon, bean. Correct as needed or to your taste. Spread out on a plate and drizzle with more olive oil. Yield: about 1 pint

Thanks so much - especially for the Garland's Trading Post tip. Sounds like the kind of place to get the local flavors.

I'll be in Sedona the first week of March. Where are the tasty spots and best places to buy foods to cook since this is a condo and we like to alternate eating in and out. How about great take out?

As a Canadian ex-pat I'm thinking Maple Leaf Martinis will be in order soon. Now what would be a suitable garnish ?

I love dried fruit but "chacun a son gout" Alternative ideas - Raisins and pearl onions cooked with red wine vinegar and sugar; finely chopped and added to savory shortbreads to use with cheeses; macerated with wine , pureed and added to savory sauces.

I like the oven baked polenta 1:5 ratio that Paula Wolfert uses and a big knob of gorgonzola dolce added. It is still creamy when reheated the next day ( and the next after that, if you want to eat all the leftovers)

I am planning to take my daughter to Paris if she ever finishes college. It sounds as though your daughter is a picky eater - what a shame in Paris. My husband had to spend 2 weeks in Paris with a vegetarian and he truly mourned the missed opportunities. Apparently Parisians are not very accomodating of the non meat eating diners - at least when neither spoke French.