misstenacity

First wild mushrooms aren't ok because they're not farmed, and now more threats to the tasty cheese arena: New York Times Article on Raw Cheese Here's the Google news link for the topic, with a dozen links already as of noon today: Raw Milk Cheeses.... the news links. Bleargh. I bet this will make it ever harder for gourmets to bring such items through customs.... Andrea http://tenacity.net

Yes, I've heard that raw foodists soak nuts overnight, but just didn't see any documentation (or even explanation) why. Recently I saw a recipe (maybe even here on eGullet) for a sauce or paste with nuts that recommended soaking them for several hours first. Aside from the possible oxalic acid component, would a soaked nut take on any water? I would assume its quite low because of nuts' high fat content. Thanks for the info so far.... Andrea http://tenacity.net

I've seen several recipes and "lifestyles" that use soaked nuts, usually overnight or at least for several hours, in their methodology. What does this do to the nut that makes it either more workable, or more digestible? So far I've not turned up eGullet discussions on this, but point me in the right direction if I have missed something. Andrea http://tenacity.net

On the "less is more" thread, what about actual serving sizes? And I don't mean to refer to the tapas phenomenon, either. There is an excellent restaurant here in ABQ that serves real/sensible portions of high-end food. This type of restaurant, if it served 'normal' portions, might be a $30 entree kind of place, but as it is the menu items top out at about $16. This creates a weird customer response (that I've seen several times) where people order a $12 item and seem to expect it to be larger. Its kind of a weird paradox that I hope I'm getting across in this post. I tell them to think of this place as a "$30-50 per head restaurant" and not go by the numbers on the menu. Having things that are small, proportionately priced but VERY high quality just seems to throw people for a loop. There is a duck confit on the menu at $10 and its a small duck LEG - not even shredded. Serious yummy bargain, that. I apologize if this is turning into a little bit of a rant, but I do scratch my head when I have to contemplate the expectations of diners who see things for $30+ on a menu vs when those same diners see things for $10-15. Small portions rule. Fat pants be banned! :-) Andrea http://tenacity.net

Thank you for the responses. The finger follow-up was a trip to a clinic the next day to have it "looked at" and then after a loooooong and painful bandage-removing session the doc said it looked fine and asked when my last tetanus shot was. He said the flap might fall off eventually, but overall it was fine and just to call him if I got the red streaks going up my hand. Yeah, I'm sure blood poisoning would be fun! And for the record, I love cheese rinds and fish skin. Andrea http://tenacity.net

I am embarrassed to ask this, since the temptation is to suck it up, etc. How do you know if you need stitches for your partially-severed fingertip? I went about 1/4" this time, not fully detached. But it was last night already (I put on antiseptic and bandaged it but didn't scrub it out) and probably now I just need a good glop of something to prevent an infection and some tight closures. Comments? Andrea.... who needs to sharpen her damn knives. http://tenacity.net

I read this post as "only half-joking", and I think it has just as likely a chance of happening as fennel seed becoming the next hot spice. Read many Richard Clarke articles and you'll be hording soup ingredients, too. I know I loves me some fennel seed tea, after all... Andrea http://tenacity.net

I can only imagine (wistfully) the difference in my palate now had my parents subscribed to the Foods of the World series instead of World Book.... Andrea http://tenacity.net

It was mentioned upthread that Batali's passion for cooking really comes through in the show, and I definitely agree. The more I see him, the more I like the way his personality is depicted. He is jocular, lightly arrogant (I recall a scene in his show where he decided to cut lemons paper-thin "because I can!" with a giggle), and obviously in love with all things food. As soon as the lid came off the ingredients table, he had a piece of chocolate in his mouth. That made me smile. Andrea http://tenacity.net

The one I thought of when this topic started, in the "no question is too dumb...." vein was: prix fixe Just couldn't do it, and couldn't bring myself to ask, either. But thanks to this thread, I am instilled with new confidence! Whee! Andrea http://tenacity.net

I had already started cooking for myself with some interest - mostly stir fries and frittata-type things - but there was one event that marked a turning point: 4 years ago, I bought my Wusthof chef's knife. Andrea http://tenacity.net

full set of silicone baking items GAS STOVE! (currently using a 2 burner electric coil....) superautomatic espresso machine (because I like good espresso but am too lazy to put out the effort for GREAT espresso.... ) steam oven - a friend of mine has a Miele and I've seen it in use - very cool! One to mark off the list - kuhn rikon SS pressure cooker - got it for xmas! :-) Andrea http://tenacity.net

Final post, and dinner! Tried to go to Mary & Tito's but were foiled.... for some reason they closed early this evening. Ok, plan B. Gotta have chile, so up the road to Sadie's, a long-standing local favorite, though I've been neutral on it for awhile. Thankfully, that's about to get tipped in a favorable direction. We arrive just as it is getting dark, and pause outside the front doors. Inside we will have a short wait for a table. This is very typical on any night of the week - the place is always packed with a cross-spectrum of locals and tourists, families and acquaintances. The waiting area is nice and not very noisy: Soon we are whisked to our table and start chowing down on the chips and salsa. The chips are thin and very fresh, and the salsa has a good deal of heat. Definitely a good sign. The tables around us are a mixture of different crowds, but everyone looks happy. Visible in this shot is the executive chef (if I could read the embroidery correctly) planning a wedding party with 2 lovebirds and 2 of the shell-shocked parents: I order my "usual" at Chilepenos, bowl of red, no beans, egg over hard on top. This is a meal that rarely fails to please - its warm and fills that spot in your belly, but not so heavy that you have to waddle out of the restaurant. Only if I'm absolutely starving will I attempt to order a big dinner special. Here's my bowl, with the egg bits chopped up (by me) and drowning in the Scoville pool: And another, more oblique shot: Across the table is an order of "Roberto's Plate" which is a corn tortilla topped with a burger, then the whole thing is smothered in beans, homefries, cheese and chile. As I am finishing my bowl of red, I decide to alter the flavor a bit and dump the rest of the salsa into my bowl. Poor, poor, pitful salsa bowl: Since I didn't get any photos this evening.... I leave you with me staring into my wine glass on my 30th birthday dinner last year at Geronimo. Its been great to take you on a tour of both Albuquerque and my own culinary misadventures. I hope you've enjoyed the ride. Andrea http://tenacity.net

chow guy - the Snupper Club food is the responsibility of the host. It has been tossed around as a possibility that each person just brings $5, and/or someone is delegated to bring wine, etc. But the potluck idea was rejected because I do think that a) people wouldn't want to cook something every time, and b) the cooks would prefer to plan a whole meal start to finish. So we might do the per-head charge, just to take a little of the burden off. I think that's a fair compromise if the other alternative is potluck. Andrea http://tenacity.net

Lunch today (part of it, anyway). I had a huge greens salad with just a little Newman's balsamic dressing, then the rest of the broccoli egg drop soup from a few nights ago: A mid-afternoon snack of my favorite energy bar (the brand is my favorite, but I think the flavor I like best is Banana Cookie): Andrea http://tenacity.net

Now those, I don't know. They were part of a huge tray of bite-sized treats that were contributed by the food pantry itself, so it is unknown where they originated... Andrea

Nope. But I may have my companion take a photo of me at dinner tonight just for inclusion to the final post of the blog.... And funny you should mention the dessert bars (the green ones, right?). They were "key lime bars" and my SO, who is a key lime freak, tried one and then told me it was icky. Andrea http://tenacity.net

Dinner last night. We have a local happy hour group that meets weekly. Somehow the name became "snappy hour", and out of that was born the dinner party rotation, or "snupper club". The inventor of the club hosted the first night, and we all decided that monthly would be good enough spacing for the gatherings. (I'm all for weekly, of course, but I must go with the prevailing winds...) The "rules" are - its RSVP; group size should be 4-10, or however many the host wants to take on; and the host is free to provide wines/beverages if desired or could delegate that to someone else in the group. This first round the menu was sent out thusly: creamy german soup involving savoy cabbage and leeks schweineschnitzel (like weinerschnitzel, but with pork instead of veal) green beans mashed potatoes crescent rolls caramelly peach shortcakes Because of the Germanic/porky theme, we brought 2 sturdy white wines, a Viognier and a Pinot Grigio. The other option may have been a lighter red, such as Pinot Noir. Arriving on time as usual, we find that the preparations are going fast & furious in the kitchen. The hostess remarks that she would have done more in advance had it not been for a successful 'social calendar' the previous night. Her sister and I are quickly put to work frying the breaded piggies: ...and cooking down some peach syrup to even syrupierness, then warming the peaches therein: The nuker is deployed to defrost the soup, which was prepared earlier and sealed up in vaccuum bags (note the unopened wine - we must have been very serious about actually doing the cooking!): When the soup is warmed, it is served first (very, very tasty): Whipping up the potatoes, assembling the dessert, and a quick saute of the green beans in the pig-frying oil, and dinner is served: A close up of the beans and one of the juicy pig slabs (with lemon wedge barely visible lower right for squeezing on both...): After we are all very nearly stuffed, the dessert is brought out. This is the Pepin "canned peaches" recipe that was mocked in the NYT.... but it was good! All in all, a tasty dinner. I haven't had fried meat in awhile, so now I'm craving a chicken fried steak.... mmmm. Andrea http://tenacity.net

Breakfast today: 2 cafe au laits, 1 pink lady apple. Soon to be inhaled: bowl of peanut-coconut oatmeal. I really like this flavor combination, as obviously the two flavors work well together but in oatmeal its new to me. I'll definitely be coming up with new combinations when I make my next batch of little baggies to take to work. Later this morning I'll post about the little dinner party we attended last night. Much fried meat was consumed. And tonight, for the final send-off, I will be taking you on a red chile expedition to Mary & Tito's near downtown. Andrea http://tenacity.net

Before arriving to work this morning, I realized I was out of yogurt, and also running a little early, so I stopped at Wild Oats. Here's what I left with: That's a new box of muesli (yay!), a pink lady apple, 2 boxes of Tazo tea (on sale), 1 Balance Bar, 1 Larabar (addictive), yogurt, and kefir. I recently started loving things that are more and more sour/pungent, so I naturally love kefir as a yogurt alternative. Mid-morning breakfast: yogurt w/ blueberries (not very photogenic, ick), and a package of the Kar's nut mix (not pictured). Lunch (at my desk today, unfortunately) was some homemade slaw: ....and then some oatmeal (peanut & coconut) and a balance bar: Whew. I think I got my sweets rush from that Balance Bar - I deliberately chose one of their most confectionary flavors this morning (Lemon Meringue). If I'm having a sweets craving, I will sometimes prefer to eat something sweet that has other "redeeming" qualities to it - in this case, protein. Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday. I'm looking forward to my dinner party tonight.... Andrea http://tenacity.net

(pre)breakfast: 1 Gala apple and huge vat of cafe au lait. Tonight I have a minor event to document - the first meeting of a newly formed supper club at a friend's house. We will be having "schweinschnitzel" as one of the courses.... Hee! And, Susan: foon? chow guy: I have to wonder if this Matt guy is the source for Horseman's Haven, as they have the hottest chile known to my tongue. Hmmm.... Andrea http://tenacity.net

Dinner! The request was for something "cheesy and peppery and chickeny", and FAST, so no complicated multi-stage feats were to be undertaken. As much as I fear the wrath of Jinmyo.... I made a quick & dirty meal of braised BSCB with spiced brown rice, topped with a habanero cheese sauce. Wow, does that sound white trashy. Here's my gourmet description of the meal: A free-range organic breast of poultry gently braised in its own juices on a bed of herbed whole grain rice, drizzled with fiery habanero-cheddar cream sauce. Better? Ok, so I thawed out 2 chicken breasts (this is the most tedious part, actually), then seared & braised them in a covered pan. While this was going on I made a white sauce with butter, flour, milk and salt. Into the thickening sauce went 1 finely diced habanero, and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar (at the end). The rice was also thawed out, then tossed with Penzey's Shallot Pepper seasoning (my favorite blend of theirs). The plating, if horribly monochromatic, looked like this: And then, there is the beauty of vanilla and caramel and chocolate: Quick tour of my kitchen, so you can see what I'm working with. First a view of the stove. Yes, you only see 2 (electric) burners. In the pot is chicken broth from the defrosting of the breasts, reducing for later use: If my stove space is limited, at least my counter and cupboard space is vast: Finally, a closer-up of my stoveside condiments (most of the spices from the rack have been relocated to a cooler cupboard locale): Having a partial island like this has gotten me addicted to cooking while facing the rest of the room. I don't know that I could go back to looking at a wall while doing prep and stove work. Its much more social, and less claustrophobic.... Andrea http://tenacity.net

Quick tour of my desk at work: What we've got is my ubiquitous cereal (sometimes its Kashi, sometimes granola, sometimes muesli.... always friendly to yogurt and/or oatmeal); a pepper grinder; container of kosher salt; jar of crushed green chile (like the red chile you can shake on to your pizza.... except green. ); spiced honey from Colorado; and mints. I won't bore you with a photo of my drawers (har har), but in them I have: tea (about 50 bags of various flavors, mostly Tazo and Republic of Tea brand) tinned sardines canned salmon baggies with my "instant" oatmeal mixes 4-6 cans of soup, mostly Progresso 1 large container of powdered tortilla soup from Comfort Foods, a local company packets of hot chinese mustard and soy sauce bottle of imitation vanilla juice soup cups ...and, the previously mentioned "breakfast of champions". I do not normally keep "treats" in my desk drawers, as that just invites too much snacking. If I do get the munchies I usually will eat some of my cereal. Finally, in the public fridge at work I currently have: 2% milk, frozen blueberries, frozen green chile stew, homemade slaw, baby salad mix, and a small wedge of Maytag blue cheese. Basically, I could survive for quite some time if a catastrophe should fall upon me at work. I would just need to use my spork to fend off coworkers trying to get at my sardines. Andrea http://tenacity.net

Breakfast today (after the yogurt) - homemade "instant" oatmeal. This is the same thing as yesterday's blueberry flavor except today it is peanut-coconut. My problem was this: I like the flavors you can get with instant oatmeal, but think they are too sweet, and the oatmeal itself is gross and mushy. So, what I did was take the "snack size" baggies and make my own flavors with slow-cooking oats. In the baggie went 1/3c of oats plus the flavors: blueberries n' cream (dried blueberries, powdered milk, cinnamon, and walnuts), and peanut-coconut (chopped peanuts, coconut milk powder, shredded coconut). Then, at work I pour boiling water over them, let them soak for awhile, then nuke for a minute or two and its done. So far, so good - I'll have to make more baggies soon! Anyway, here's the photo of the oatmeal: I know ya'll want me to eat New Mexican until my ears melt off , but Albuquerque has lots of OTHER good restaurants, too! As far as ethnic cuisine goes, ABQ is lacking/weak in several: Ethiopian (none), Afghani (had one but no longer), Middle Eastern (a few), other African, Korean (a few), Italian (none great, most poor). Our strong cuisines? Chinese - decent; Thai - good; Sushi - good; and Vietnamese (great). For lunch today I visited a location of one of our well-represented cuisines - Vietnamese. There are at least a dozen around town, and most are very good. Closest to where I work is Huong Thao, and of course I had pho (special beef, which included beef ball, rare beef, and roast beef - I forgot to ask for tendon): The ambiance at Huong Thao is "generic asian", as you can see here: But none of that matters when slurping up the pho, clearing out your sinuses, and waiting for the Viet Cafe to finish brewing: Yum! Andrea http://tenacity.net

Breakfast! Once in a while I need good coffee, so I head over this morning to Dawn's, a local shop near where I live: (Notice the pole & the cigar band on it - the prior owner of the coffee shop - it was then just called "Tom's" - was more of a coffee/cigars/leather-chairs-for-reading kind of place. The current owner is a young woman/bohemian so the theme is more palm readings, tea, and coffee.) Here's an interior shot - note the bulk teas on the far wall: And the resident coffee mascot, Chico: Finally, the other side of the interior with chairs & tables for when they have poetry readings and that kind of thing: Once at work, I finish my Organic Mexican blend (not as good as African varietals, imho), and have yogurt with a tangerine: Hope everyone is having a great morning so far! Andrea http://tenacity.net