joey madison

Yesterday: New Glarus Brewing Edel Pils, Leinenkugel's Red, and ahem, Rolling Rock. Today: Unibroue La Fin du Monde

If I had a choice, I'd choose to use reggiano with abandon whenever a parm is called for. But it can get really expensive. I think for sauces and other really savory applications there are some decent cheeses out there that a far less expensive. I don't know if they're available in your area, but bel giosio and stella make some parm wannabes that are perfectly fine for occasions when the parm is not going to be the stand out ingredient.

I've slowly been collecting AC SS pots and pans, and overall, I really love them. I purposefully bargain hunt though, only choosing pans when I can get a big discount (or getting them from relatives over the holidays ) I've tried numerous other "peer" brands, and just don't like them as much. I suppose it's also a little bit about what you get used to.

Joe's Jambalaya Serves 4 as Main Dish. When most people think of Jambalaya, they generally think of a dish that includes rice, tomatoes, and various meats. This recipe is different -- a modern interpretation of an old favorite -- because it follows a more northern Louisiana tradition and omits the tomatoes. I think it makes the dish more elegant and subtle. It refridgerates reasonably well, and I like to serve it with a simple Italian country loaf of bread. It's a fairly flexible recipe, so feel free to experiment. 1 whole chicken breast 2 links of andouille sausage 1 c shrimp or other seafood (optional) 1 c long grain white rice 1 c water 1 c dry white wine 1 c chicken stock (preferably homemade) 1 large red bell pepper 2 ribs of celery 1 hot pepper of your choice (optional) 1 tsp Tabasco (or more) 2 T unsalted butter T fresh Italian parsley 1 tsp dried thyme salt and pepper to taste Dice the chicken breast into 1 inch cubes. Salt and pepper the chicken to taste. Heat a large dutch oven over a medium flame. Add the butter, and when it begins to foam, at the chicken to the pot. Brown slightly, but be sure not to over cook. Add the bell peppers and celery, coarsely diced, and stir for a minute. Then add the rice. While your performing the above tasks, bring the wine, water and stock to a bare boil in another pot. Add the liquid mixture to the dutch oven, along with the thyme, tabasco, and parsley. Add the sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices to the same pot. If desired add a diced jalapeno, habanero, thai pepper, or whatever. Simmmer covered for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is softened but not pastey. If desired you can add shrimp or other seafood a few minutes before serving. Careful not to overcook the seafood. Taste and add additional salt if needed. Garnish with choped fresh parsley sprigs. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Chicken, Dinner, Hot and Spicy, American, Lunch, Pork, Fish, Rice ( RG1225 )

Joe's Jambalaya Serves 4 as Main Dish. When most people think of Jambalaya, they generally think of a dish that includes rice, tomatoes, and various meats. This recipe is different -- a modern interpretation of an old favorite -- because it follows a more northern Louisiana tradition and omits the tomatoes. I think it makes the dish more elegant and subtle. It refridgerates reasonably well, and I like to serve it with a simple Italian country loaf of bread. It's a fairly flexible recipe, so feel free to experiment. 1 whole chicken breast 2 links of andouille sausage 1 c shrimp or other seafood (optional) 1 c long grain white rice 1 c water 1 c dry white wine 1 c chicken stock (preferably homemade) 1 large red bell pepper 2 ribs of celery 1 hot pepper of your choice (optional) 1 tsp Tabasco (or more) 2 T unsalted butter T fresh Italian parsley 1 tsp dried thyme salt and pepper to taste Dice the chicken breast into 1 inch cubes. Salt and pepper the chicken to taste. Heat a large dutch oven over a medium flame. Add the butter, and when it begins to foam, at the chicken to the pot. Brown slightly, but be sure not to over cook. Add the bell peppers and celery, coarsely diced, and stir for a minute. Then add the rice. While your performing the above tasks, bring the wine, water and stock to a bare boil in another pot. Add the liquid mixture to the dutch oven, along with the thyme, tabasco, and parsley. Add the sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices to the same pot. If desired add a diced jalapeno, habanero, thai pepper, or whatever. Simmmer covered for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is softened but not pastey. If desired you can add shrimp or other seafood a few minutes before serving. Careful not to overcook the seafood. Taste and add additional salt if needed. Garnish with choped fresh parsley sprigs. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Chicken, Dinner, Hot and Spicy, American, Lunch, Pork, Fish, Rice ( RG1225 )

I, for one, really enjoy cooking for myself. I do a mix of single serving meals and larger recipes that I reheat later on. I approach it much the way I shop at the local co-op. What do they have, and what looks good. That's the attitude with which I approach my refridgerator. Things like chicken breasts, larger steaks, and pork tenderloins are easy to cut in half to make different recipes. My regular standbys include chicken marsala, chicken w/tomatoes, basil, garlic, capers and white wine, maple gazed pork tenderloin, vietnamese pork medalions, korean grilled beef, plain old steaks, homemade mac 'n' cheese, jambalaya, chicken parm risotto, garlic parm gnocchi w/ greens, quiches, omlettes, salades nicoise or lyonaise, etc. Once you get used to controling your portions and buying it's easy not to waste food. And the more often you cook, the less chance of food going bad. Unfortunately... this also means there is no one to pawn the dishes off on afterwards.

I, too, experience cooking as therapy. And I think there are some really concrete reason why many people view it that way. There is increasing evidence that activities that require repetitive motion work to reduce stress and improve mood. And like painting, pottery, photography, and many other hobbies, cooking provides a creative and artistic outlet. Good for the soul. And combining cooking with some libations, as many do, certainly helps reduce tension. After a bad day at work, there's nothing better than coming home, going for a long run, cooking a nice dinner, and settling in to read or take a nap.

Interesting thread. I typically have a couple glasses of wine with dinner each night, and if I'm feeling a little adventurous, I'll have a snifter of cognac or some port afterwards. If I have guests for dinner, or on poker night, I may have a bit more. If I had a bit more the previous night, I usually take a day or two off. Being a resident of the great state of Wisconsin, I've grown up around alcohol (albeit beer, schnapps, and brandy rather than wine). Outside of Madison and Milwaukee, it's very common to see people bring their 5 year olds into bars. I think the state in general has a much more relaxed attitude towards consumption. That being said, I've noticed an interesting phenomena here in Madison. Since the University of Wisconsin here attracts tens of thousands of out-of-staters as students and faculty, the attitudes toward alcohol here are very confused. There are those with a "typical" view of 'drinking is a part of everyday life'. There are those from out-of-state who treat alcohol as the "forbidden fruit" and seek to partake as much as humanly possible. And there are those out-of-staters who think everyone in the state is a hardcore alcoholic. That being said, obviously not everyone fits neatly in these categories... Regarding the consumption of alcohol and athletic performance that was brought up earlier... I recently attended the American Birkebeiner, which is N America's largest cross-country ski marathon, held in northern Wisconsin. About 5,000-8,000 people do the race each year. The race ends in downtown Hayward Wisconsin; and like many Wisconsin towns, the downtown has more than a few drinking establishments. Anyway, I thought it was funny to see more than 1 or 2 racers stop only two blocks short of the finish. After 52 km of skiing, they decided it was appropriate to stop at one of the bars just before the finish for a quick quaf. Carbo loading, perhaps?

I've tried the Ikea route before, and while they are dirt cheap, they break like nobody's business. They're SO cheap that you might as well just toss them after a single use. Bed Bath and Beyond has a set of a dozen wine glasses for $9.99. These are much more durable than the Ikea ones.

The Magic Bullet. Heh. The thing just looks plain silly. I've seen bits of the informerical and I do admit, as infomercials go, this one is oddly entertaining. I especially liked the hung-over, greasy-spoon waitress type with the cigarette hanging out of her mouth. Full disclaimer: I've never used one, eaten anything made by one, or even seen on in person. But I think a lot of the tasks I've seen it used for on TV are bogus. The one that immediately comes to mind is the omlette. I'm sorry, but having all your omlette ingredients pureed with the egg into some musalagenous goo isn't an omlette. Might be good for iced drinks... but why not just use a blender.

Some of my favorites: Bigger Cities: Montreal - St. Laurent, Ste. Catherine, St. Ursle, or anywhere in the Plateau really Chicago - in the loop near marina city, Clark in Andersonville NYC - the Meatpacking district (cliche, I know), lower East side. Paris - Montorgeuil, le Marais Amsterdam - most of it Berlin - Mitte, Kudam Minneapolis - Uptown Smaller Cities: Madison, WI - State Street, Willy St. Neighborhood, Atwood, Monroe Quebec, QC - Rue St. Jean, Grande Alle away from the old city, Bas-ville Burlington, VT - Church Street, near the old mills in Winooski Ottawa, ON - Byward Market

While I've never owned a microwave, I have had access to roommate's contraptions. My last roommate used it to cook vitrually everything (if you can consider warming canned meals cooking), but I only used it for thawing stock and making popcorn. Now, I'm living by myself, and don't miss the thing at all. Frankly, I'm deeply suspicious of the things and am a little bit scared of them.

Doesn't anyone sit Spanish style? (square table, a person sitting on each of two sides forming a right angle)

Well, it's day nine of my (admittedly half-hearted) detox. Over the holidays, my lack of exercise and over-indulgence in food and drink resulted in 5-10lbs of extra weight where I didn't want it. Amazingly, after less than two weeks of abstaining from booze, I've dropped all the extra weight. (okay, maybe all the skiing I've done in the past week has something to do with it, too.) However, I've noticed a strange side effect. I'm normally not much of a caffine drinker. On a typical day, I used to have maybe 1 cup of no-so-strong coffee at work in the morning. I *never* drink soda. Since I've started watching the food and libations, I've really (subconciously) ratched up my caffine consumption. Funny how you're brain medicates itself. How's it going for everyone else?

Oh my, I may win this. I knew working in a cheese shop would one day get me somewhere. When I worked at Atlas Delicatessen we had a 20 year cheddar from a dairy just outside of Tomah, Wisconsin. We only carried it for a year (they ran out). But man, it was really something. They also had a 12 year. Aside from that, I've had numerous cheeses in the 5-10 year range. The advantages of working somewhere that regularly stocks 300+ cheeses... oh how I miss the place.

I'm a bit surprised at how prevalent the post-holiday abstaintion /detox phenom seems to be. Numerous friends have been talking about it... and it seems to be a relatively popular topic here on egullet. As for me, I was lucky enough to have the 23rd through the 4th off from work. That afforded me more than enough to indulge in some fairly extravagant meals, and imbibe in more than my fair share of vodka, bourbon, and beer. So, I'm going to take a few weeks off from alcohol to air-out the liver a bit, and I'm going to be more consistent with getting to the gym and running than I have been in the past months. Nothing to serious, but what my bod needs. I'm curious if most people do their post-holiday curtailing primarily for weight reasons, general heath reasons, or because they feel guilty?

I received the same wustoff knife for xmas as well. I was smart enough to check it out in a local specialty store before I decided on a particular brand. I've been using it in the kitchen now for more than a week, and for many tasks, I think it might soon replace my old-friend chef's knife. I do agree though, it definately took some getting-used-to, weight and sharpness wise. I really am beginning to appreciate the hollowed blade.

I made off with quite a good haul this year. And someone must have been snooping in my kitchen, because many of these things I needed/wanted, but weren't on my list. 3qt All-Clad stainless cassulet 3qt All-Clad stainless sauce pan A really cool looking narrow rectangular serving platter (looks like it's for sushi, but big enough for a roast) Wustoff Santko Knife 2lbs of Shelbourne Farms 3yr raw milk white cheddar And the obligatory coffee mug with strange matching mixing-spoon rest thingy.

I resolve to viciously ridicule anyone who: uses the term EVOO uses canned (or cartoned) chicken stock makes orgasmic noises when eating so-so food ... I suppose that's why I avoid the food network, nowadays.

While not a Youper, I have visted the UP frequenly enough to know the humble pasty pretty well. And, in fact, Madison has a little pasty joint that I visit on occasion. I, too, prefer my pasties with gravy. I think achieving a sufficiently light crust with a good browning is key. Not over-stuffing them with potatoes is also important. I appreciate lots of vegetables. The place in Madison that sells them has quite a number of fusion-pasty selections (hehe, what a funny concept ). They've got a calzone-esque number with marinara, mozzarella, and pepperoni, a mexican influenced option, and the fella that cooks 'em has experiemented with all sorts of more exotic ingredients. I'm just waiting for a curry pasty.

We have one here in Madison. I've always found the "boosts" to taste quite odd. They really make the drinks unpalatable for me. So, I usually choose one of the other juice joints if I want a smoothie.

Working for a non-profit, there isn't much in the company coffers for catered staff meals, so we do potlucks quite frequently. And I think I'm in the minority, because many folks on our staff spend a good deal of time thinking about and cooking food. Of course, there's always some sad-soul that brings in a dish of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup green bean casserole... but I've been pleasently impressed by most of our potlucks. I like to stick with one-pot dishes that are just slightly out-of-the-ordinary for people that aren't foodies. Things like jambalaya, risotto with roasted chicken, gratin dishes, and even plain-old homemade mac & cheese have been my past offerings. But with 50+ staff at our parties, there inevitably are plenty of good eats... including some more than edible spicy/ethnic/vegetarian/whatever dishes.

I've been slowly worming my way into cooking turkeyday dinner as well. This year will be my first as chef. It should be quite the challenge, considering my broom-closet sized kitchen. Luckily the rest of the apartment is spacious. As an added bonus, having thanksgiving dinner at my place will mean my entire family can avoid my dad's much maligned sister, and his ornery rednecked husband.

I too am less than enthusiastic about Magic Hat brews. If they spent as much time on their brews as they do their marketing, they'd have quite the product. They do get credit for having the coolest tappers.

For most applications, picking a dry white works best, in my opinion. I usually go with a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio or sometimes even a sauve. The advice to avoid highly oaked wines is sound (but I do that as a rule of thumb anyway). You should, depending on your location, be able to find a servicable bottle in the $8 to $14 range.