Cusina
-
Posts
920 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by Cusina
-
-
Wow, just beautiful. Thanks for the pictures.
-
Damn, that looks good MM.
Thanks for posting it. Will you add it to recipe Gullet, pretty please?
-
I go for the two minutes on high each side, the reduce heat to medium, two minutes then flip (adding s&p when necessary) untill required doneness is achieved. It's labor intensive, but it is very reliable. There is a good balance between lid open and lid closed cooking.
-
oh, forgot to add the sources from which my "new" things come from. I usually make several new dishes a week. Most of them are sides that come out of new pantry combinations or things that caught my eye at the grocery (this week it is quinoa). I also get lots of ideas from you all here at eGullet, a few other BB sites that I frequent and sometimes will try a "real" recipe from glossy magazines that catch my eye in the supermarket (Cooking Light and Fine Cooking are my favorites). I also am a big library fan and get cookbooks from there too.
And Mongo, bwahahaha
-
I'm the cook too... I'll try to keep this brief and interesting. :)
We menu plan every week. My husband and I sit down and decide what to eat and when it works in our schedule. Usually we do this on Sunday or Monday evening. Most meals are from scratch, one or two are either take out or restaurant meals. I don't usually prep much in advance (other than basics like stock and marinara), I'm just not that good.
We use an excel spreadsheet to keep track of menus so when we get stuck during the planning process we turn to that. Right now we seem to be particularly health conscious so our meal planning revolves around what is fresh and healthy. Sometimes it is more indulgent and goes more with what we have a taste for and other times it is very seasonal, like when it is sweaty hot or bitter cold.
Dinner in our house is usually about 5:30, if Chris is going to be late which is pretty rare but does happen, the kids might eat first. We don't have an eat in kitchen, so almost every meal happens in the formal dining room, which I really like. We are trying hard to work on good manners, but sometimes we go casual and eat in front of the fireplace in the living room on our big Asian style coffee table. The kids LOVE this. It's a real treat.
We are all required to be at the table at the beginning of the meal, but the kids can be excused if they ask politely. Chris and I like to linger over the wine sometimes and go beyond their attention span. I expect this practice of excusing the kids to be over by the time the kids are 10 or so. My 24 year old bachelor brother joins us for dinner at least twice a week. He's family, so it's no big deal. I'm actually having fun watching him learn how to cook. He learns quickly and it's nice to have him help out. In the future I anticipate having "Friday night friend" nights with my kids and letting them fill the table with other kids.
I don't cater what we eat to the kid's tastes, but I do make adjustments for them. Since they are quite young they tend to eat more plainly than we do. I'll usually hold the sauce or seasoning for them or make a slightly less "interesting" vegetable. I do ask them to try little bits of things, sometimes they like it, sometimes they aren't there yet. Life is just an acquired taste. But they are usually willing to give things a go, which is good. And you would be suprised what they dig into. Edamame are a huge hit around here, broccolini too. Course they wouldn't touch spinach with a 20 foot pole, so, oh well. I figure that eventually they will get there if they keep being exposed to new things and I consider it a good sign that their favorite restraunts in town are a Thai place and the Mongolian Barbeque. It's mighty cute watching them grill their own satay sticks.
Certainly, if a celiac or vegetarian or whatever shows up at our table and I have advanced warning I have no problem accommodating their needs. I find it kind of a fun challenge, actually. My mother has all sorts of food sensitivities and I just work around them, so maybe I'm used to it.
Interesting questions Soba, thanks for asking.
-
In Nigella Lawson's "How To Be A Domestic Goddess", she has a recipe for Gin & Tonic Jelly (Jell-o here in the States). It is delicious and refreshing. I served it for July 4th last year. But be warned: it is also Potent!
On a more serious note: Gazpacho. Soooo refreshing.
oh this sounds good!
I've made gelatin with sauterne and berries or peaches, but never g&t.
thanks for the idea :)
-
I'm definitely guilty of having the child screaming in the background. It sucks, believe me, I want to cry with the child out of frustration and/or dig a hole in the floor and hide. You can rest assured that the mother in that scenario did not take her kids out hoping gleefully to ruin someone elses evening, let alone her own. If she really was the callous "limosine" mother you describe, she would have left the child home with nanny. I hear you, it's no fun listening to a child cry, but I think you are lacking in the empathy department. He's two. You ruined a lot of meals for your parents and others when you were that age too. I'm sure there is a bar somewhere near you that serves decent food to the over 21 only crowd, try that next time.
-
I bought my immersion blender at Target for $7, thinking, well this will fall apart and by the time it does I'll have figured out which "good one" to buy.
It's still going strong after two years, really does just fine in soups, berry sauces etc... If it ever dies, I'll buy another one just like it.
-
Here's one that I just had the pleasure...
The bite of a chocolate chip cookie, offered to you by a very young smiling child. "here, you try it?"
awww how cute, snarf *gobble* and then they giggle when you pretend to eat their fingers too.
-
Here's my dumb question...
Eggs, hard boiled. How do you get the shell to come off easily? How about keeping the yellow and white in good color (no green/grey)?
-
The little bit of cheese that falls onto the skillet while you are making a grilled cheese sandwich and it gets crispy browned.
oh boy
-
Wine or scotch is my usual fall asleep remedy, maybe with a bit of cheese.
My biggest night time snack era was when I was pregnant/nursing. I used to do milk and pretzels with a little cheese or some fruit. Not only did the baby wake me, my body did too, couldn't sleep with an empty stomach or I'd get nauseated.
-
In my mind that question is tip manipulation, but an understandable one in a hectic chain atmosphere where the balance of the clientele seriously undertip. Choosing to be offended by it is optional. I think leaving the offense behind and answering simply yes or no is sufficient. Save your aggravation for the traffic on the way home.
The US utilizes 'tip wages' much more than the rest of the world. I've been taught to think that many service people make next to nothing if I don't tip. Not so elsewhere though. Our hotel bellman in London was clearly overjoyed when we tipped him a pound per bag (quite heavy, and he he hauled them up a flight of stairs for us). We were kind of mystified by that until we realized the wage proportions are different. Still left 10 pounds for the maid though, for cleaning up all those baugette crumbs and wine corks.
-
We have very crafty friends without children. For example, in two weeks they have invited us to a baseball game. They specifically stated in the invitation that they already had FOUR tickets, ergo, leave the kids at home. Which is fine with us, actually. The kids will have just as much fun with the babysitter.
Ironically, this childless couple has a huge very excitable black lab that my kids are scared witless of. We are unlikely to take the kids back to their house anyways as the dog just can't seem to leave the kids alone. Rather scary when she looks them in the eye and weighs at least twice what they do. My kids really enjoy the couple, they just don't like the dog.
I suppose dog manners are an entirely different thread though. -
On the Mr. and Mrs. thing I tend not to be so strict. I ask other parents how they would like to be addressed teach my kids to do the same, defaulting to Mr. and Mrs. Soandso when there is no preference stated. Many, actually most of our grown up friends and neighbors prefer the kids use their first names. We live in the North though and are therefore a bunch of barbarians.
-
Tryska, I'd be tempted to invest in a big black permanent marker and write my name on stuff. She should at least ask permission before diving into your coco puffs!
No way do my kids have perfect table manners all the time, or eat everything I cook. That would be a serious miracle. My daughter won't even touch tomatoes or onions (two of the basic food groups in my mind). But, Fifi gave me some hope in saying that the good foundation finally starts to shine through around age 10. My kids are only 4 and 6, so I can't give up yet.
We do NOT, however, eat in front of the television unless it is super bowl Sunday. Yuck, how unappealing. I can see how that would seriously deteriorate table manners.
-
For breakfast, we really enjoy the cafe in the first floor of the Pfister Hotel. Very friendly and tasty. Get the sausage, Milwaukee does have great sausage. (If you get a hankering for a drink after 4, their bar Blu at the top is really nice too, good view and their cocktail munchies are huge goblets of whole cashews, yum!)
If you like German food, there are a few ethnic German places, not amazing foodwise, but very atmospheric. Mader's and Karl Ratzches come to mind. Maders used to have a good brunch on Sundays, but I haven't had it in a long time.
We also like Louisa's on Cathedral Square as a lunch spot. Kind of loud and often busy, but nice with a good solid Italian menu.
You are right to avoid the seafood and Asian spots. Especially the sushi, not good at all, at least the places we have tried.
Oh gosh, almost forgot... the best burger in town, hands down. Kopps custard stand. I think it is off the I43 Silver Spring exit, North of downtown. huge and YUM!! The custard t'aint bad either.
-
I want tableside service again (a la 1950's thankyouverymuch!). Caesar Salad or Steak Diane prepared while you watch... Carving stations on wheels!
Oh yes! I love that.
Two or three years ago we ate at a tex/mex place (in Georgia, of all places) that made your Guacamole fresh tableside. Delicious.
-
This is a spinoff of this thread discussing a media in/out food trends article.
As a tangent to that, what's in that you wish would go out, or vice versa is out that you wish were in again? What trends would like to see come back? What trends can go out and you won't miss them?
Edited for clarity.
-
wow, I now realize my previous suggestion was completely out of the question. Sorry.
Um,... this is a tough one. I can't blame the guy for not wanting to eat in her restricted way if he doesn't have to or want to. My mother has a lot of food restrictions and part of her deal in life is that she cooks two meals nightly. Something very plain for herself and something more palatable for Dad. They may just have to accept that they will be eating different stuff. It doesn't have to be a complete deal breaker. My parents marriage is very congenial and has been for 40 years.
-
heheh Meatshake.
My very carnivorous husband likes pasta puttanesca with tofu. Cut firm tofu into cubes then marinate in balsamic and olive oil overnight. Toss the tofu into the dish for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
There are a million variations to this recipe of course, but here is a basic one.
http://www.vitacost.com/science/hn/Recipe/..._Puttanesca.htm
-
Tammy, thanks for writing this up, I'm enjoying following your progress. You are very thoughtful and ambitious. They are lucky to have you!
-
My best food related gift this year was a giant red LeCruset skillet with a lid. So heavy I can barely lift it, but wonderful. I use it a ton.
The worst are those "food included" kinds of prepackaged gifts. I have one with several flavored vinegars that is still hanging around. Should just throw it away. Or the one that came with a jar of salsa and some taco dip seasoning. Still use the little chili pepper ramekins that came in the box though.
I have an idea for those commercially packaged boxes of chocolates that you guys don't like. Rather than throwing them in the trash I take mine to Goodwill when I drop off a donation and give them to the volunteers/staff there as a little thank you for your efforts token. They seem to go over well.
-
Fun to see the variety in the postings here.
Mine is bread/cheese/wine/fruit for snacky stuff. When I don't know what to make for dinner the fall back is pork tenderloin. It can be done so many ways reliably.
My husband's is a pizza guy, my daughter is all about pasta with butter and cheese and PBJ, my son has eaten at least 5 grilled cheese sandwiches weekly for 2 years (he is only 4) and will never turn down yogurt with fruit.
Farmer's Markets - 2004
in The Heartland: Cooking & Baking
Posted
I love the market. Being a bit further north than you all, ours doesn't start until after memorial day. Thanks for whetting my appetite though. Our market used to be in a parking lot, just off the downtown area and was limited to a few fruit and vegetable vendors and drew just a couple dozen shoppers each week. Last year they changed it a bit, moved it to the main street and encouraged a wider variety of vendors. It really has taken off and become a weekly celebration with music and hundreds of shoppers. It's such an asset to the community.
When we lived in the Chicago area we would frequent the Oak Park market on Lake St. In addition to the fruit and veggie stands we just loved the cheeses, flowers and especially the freshly made donughts. Yum!