Cusina

I know! It isn't just you. I agree lighting is important for ambience, but it can definitely go too far. Some places provide a flashlight if you ask for it.

bwahahaha... exactly! I knew you guys would get it.

Today I drove past a Perkins. Their sign read "Why Cook? Come in and try our bla blah blah..." Why cook? What a question! I can think of a thousand answers. Spent my ride home pondering. Here are a few of my thoughts: I love discovering something new every time. The look of bliss on your fellow diners' faces when you get it just right. Creativity Variety Learning from my mistakes Blending and balancing Using beautiful tools like a sharp chefs' knife and a seasoned iron skillet Spending time thinking and doing Being able to actually have a tangible result of your efforts Appreciating the fact that while the sum is often much more than the combination of the parts, it can never be better than the baseline level of quality and freshness. Spontaneity Being able to reflect my mood or my surroundings, even the weather, in what I make Being able to make the day of the person I'm cooking for (myself or someone else) There is always a new challenge. Even your worst disasters are only temporary. There will be another opportunity in less than 24 hours to try again. Conversations about cooking are often rewarding and have intrinsic appeal. There are so many wise words, beautiful books, articles and pictures about the subject. Research is a joy. Developing a feeling of mastery that grows and reaffirms itself daily balanced by a feeling of wonder at how little you really do know about the art and how much there is yet to learn. The ability to appreciate the thought and effort involved when someone else cooks for you.

I am rolling with laughter! and secretly wishing I had paid more attention in ancient world history so I could be even close to this witty.

Match your eGullet face... are you a classic blue kind of guy or a red lover? (Tangent... I used to chuckle at that Chicago dog spot... Irving's for red hot lovers.)

My problem with clogs is the opposite, my feet are really narrow and they just slide off when I back up. I just got a pair of these and LOVE them. Wolky link

Or this Garlic Sesame Pork Tenderloin works well too. Put all this in the pot and cook at least 4 hours. This serves two, but it can be easily doubled. 1 t honey 4 T soy sauce 2 T sesame oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 T brown sugar 1 T dry sherry 3 scallions, chopped (3 to 4) 1 pound pork tenderloin

In this beautiful thread on Paprika, there is a recipe for chicken thighs. Fifi suggests down the thread aways how to do them in a crock pot. That is next on my list of things to cook in mine. link! I also love to do a side that is chopped (and peeled, of course) sweet potatoes, ginger, apples, maple syrup, ground allspice and cinnamon. Add orange juice for liquid. Makes your house smell really good too. Edited to add the link.

This is beautiful work Ronnie, thanks for all the detail. It's not just for deviled eggs anymore. My hands down favorite paprika recipe is a simple stew... recipe gullet link. I am going to try the chicen thighs for sure, probably the crock pot method ala fifi.

Wisconsinite here... The carbonated sweet stuff is soda and you drink water from the Bubbler. Ya der hey.

Paprika Beef Stew Serves 4 as Main Dish. Perfect over saffron noodles on a cold winter night . 2 cans diced tomatoes, 14 oz 2 lb stew beef, cut in 1 inch cubes 2 T EVOO 1 onion, diced 2 red peppers, fresh roasted, skin removed (or 3 oil packed) 2 T Paprika Salt, to taste Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste In dutch oven or very large heavy frying pan saute beef in EVOO till lightly done on all sides, not too brown. Take out of pan and set aside. Saute onion in same pan (adding more EVOO if needed) till translucent. Add tomatoes, peppers (seeded and chopped), paprika, S&P. Stir and cook for a few more minutes. Stir the beef cubes back into the pan and cook, uncovered, for about 50 or 60 minutes on med-low heat till cooked through, stir every now and again while in the kitchen refilling your wine glass. Serve over pasta or rice. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Beef ( RG920 )

Paprika Beef Stew Serves 4 as Main Dish. Perfect over saffron noodles on a cold winter night . 2 cans diced tomatoes, 14 oz 2 lb stew beef, cut in 1 inch cubes 2 T EVOO 1 onion, diced 2 red peppers, fresh roasted, skin removed (or 3 oil packed) 2 T Paprika Salt, to taste Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste In dutch oven or very large heavy frying pan saute beef in EVOO till lightly done on all sides, not too brown. Take out of pan and set aside. Saute onion in same pan (adding more EVOO if needed) till translucent. Add tomatoes, peppers (seeded and chopped), paprika, S&P. Stir and cook for a few more minutes. Stir the beef cubes back into the pan and cook, uncovered, for about 50 or 60 minutes on med-low heat till cooked through, stir every now and again while in the kitchen refilling your wine glass. Serve over pasta or rice. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Beef ( RG920 )

I just got my lovely Zojirushi (from the eGullet approved link, of course). Wonderful! Thanks so much for the recommendation. My first loaf was a brioche which came out beautifully. Pizza dough is on the menu for tonight. Pretzel dough and some raisin bread to follow next week. This is definitely the start of a beautiful relationship.

They just opened a melting pot here in my burb. I didn't realize it was a chain and we tried to go there a few weeks ago for dinner as I do like fondue. In retrospect, thank goodness it was booked for the evening. We ended up having a nice meal at another place in town. We obviously saved ourselves a "craptacular" experience. Sounds like a bad prom date. My daughter LOVES the rainforest cafe. (She is 6, so I guess it is understandable). Unfortunately the food is mediocre and overpriced and we discovered my son HATES the place. Too weird and I get the heebie jeebies when I wonder how long it has been since they dusted all that "ambience".

Onion Blue & Blue Cheese Pie This can be a side or an appetizer. If using as an appetizer substitute slices of lightly toasted french bread for the crust. 1 piecrust, baked till just slightly brown 2 red onions, thinly sliceds 1/2 lb good blue cheese, crumbled 6 T unsalted butter, softened 1 T dry sherry or Worcestershire 1-1/2 tsp basil, minced 1 tsp dill weed cracked pepper Line a lightly greased 9 x 11 baking dish with piecrust, prick and prebake until just golden. Oven at 400. Separate onion slices into rings and place evenly over piecrust. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. It will be lumpy. Cover the onions with the mixture as best you can, but don't worry if some show through. Bake 20 minutes or until top is bubbly and lightly browned. Keywords: Side, Easy, Chocolate ( RG917 )

Onion Blue & Blue Cheese Pie This can be a side or an appetizer. If using as an appetizer substitute slices of lightly toasted french bread for the crust. 1 piecrust, baked till just slightly brown 2 red onions, thinly sliceds 1/2 lb good blue cheese, crumbled 6 T unsalted butter, softened 1 T dry sherry or Worcestershire 1-1/2 tsp basil, minced 1 tsp dill weed cracked pepper Line a lightly greased 9 x 11 baking dish with piecrust, prick and prebake until just golden. Oven at 400. Separate onion slices into rings and place evenly over piecrust. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. It will be lumpy. Cover the onions with the mixture as best you can, but don't worry if some show through. Bake 20 minutes or until top is bubbly and lightly browned. Keywords: Side, Easy, Chocolate ( RG917 )

I am sorry, but I MUST say in a completely respectful way for other's tastes, that real fresh guac is food of the gods and anything less just plain doesn't cut it. And it could not be easier. If you can make a tossed salad, you can make guac. 4 Haas avocados, nicely ripe but not overly so scooped out into a bowl with 1/2 a lemon's (or lime's) worth of juice, add in 2 or 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 diced smallish red or white onion, 2 large chopped and seeded tomatoes. A splash of tequila and some minced cilantro if you so desire. 1 tsp of coarse salt, a couple of grinds of pepper and your favorite hot sauce to taste. Chop it up in the bowl with two sharp knives to your desired consistency, I like mine kind of chunky. Eat immediately. Once it is more than an hour old, forget it.

The one thing I do know is that I get more extravagant (aka, picky) as I get older. Especially in the realms of alcohol, food freshness and seasonings. By the time I'm 105 I'll be down to dew drops and fresh honey, but only if it is from very discerning bees. And from my (albeit less than scientific) understanding, the water in America is on the whole purer that the water in Europe. Logic based on the fact that it hasn't been in use by a dense population of humans for as many centuries. A helpful London resident warned me against drinking the London tap water saying it had been through a human body at least seven times prior to being in my glass. Definitely enough to have me brushing my teeth with the bottled stuff. Plus it gave me a good excuse to drink mostly beer and cider. Much healthier I'm sure.

What a great blog. Incredibly selfless of you to eat for the blog instead of for yourself this week! Since you are though... I'm rooting for a pie. Sweet or savory, either would be great. I love baking too, enough to be voyeuristic about it. Show us some crust, baby! And the cute ferrets, of course. (I also want to hear about opera cosutmes... which would be way off topic, but maybe you could throw in some little tidbits .) I enjoyed blogging a whole lot more than I thought I would too. Total brain spill, in a good way. And you get this little crowd of nice foodies cheering you on through your daily grind. Sticks with you like a good breakfast.

This thread is hilarious! My least favorite was a trash can punch at a frat party. Red Death. Ever Clear 151 rum entire food service pack of red kool aid mix several jugs of five alive Now this doesn't sound all THAT bad (compared to tequila and buttermilk) untill you meet the really drunk and sweaty pledge with the blazing red kool aid dyed arm and shoulder who has been the "mix man" and realize that his ARMPIT was in your drink. EW!

That is great to hear. I've been thinking of you guys.

But, where would you store the cereal?? We are tall people, the top of the fridge is prime time space. Cereal boxes go up there, as well as a large basket filled with bread and rolls (and the secret ziplock bag candy stash, cleverly out of reach and out of sight). Our cabinets were custom made by the previous owner's son, so we have this weird little nothing space there, maybe 8" tall and 25" wide with a flip down door and handle. I, honestly, think it is completely empty. It's so unusable. At least it keeps the cereal boxes from falling off the back of the fridge. O.k., went to look... it wasn't empty! Two silk flower wreaths (table decorations from our wedding) and several Christmas themed tins got dispensation to stay there, two super cheap vases hit the recycling bin, a bag of tealights that I hunted for forever this past Christmas got put away in the right storage bin and a stash of very inedible cheap candy went in the garbage, ew. Thank you for motivating me to clean it out! I would have had Mayhaw's mice moving in soon if I hadn't.

Gosh, I had completely forgotten this, but when I was little we used to make purple cows. Vanilla ice cream in grape juice. I loved them then, wonder if I would now? Frozen custard in Sprecher Root Beer is my current favorite. umnah! And tall glass, long spoon and straw would be my favorite way to eat them. Not too much mixing, but enough to get the flavor combo going.

My St. Augustine favorites: Downtown on St. George street stop into the Mill top tavern for a drink. Nice atmosphere. Their back porch is literally a little treehouse. The Columbia Restaurant is touristy, but the food is pretty tasty and the atmosphere is nice. link It will be busy at peak times. My inlaws also like Harrys for cajun, but I hesitate to recommend it as I haven't been there myself and my MIL bakes her hams with a pineapple juice and LaChoy sweet and sour sauce glaze, if you get my drift. Then, this is the cool part, take A1A south for a while instead of 95, at least to Ormond Beach. The drive is beautiful, and fun as much of it is the real old, beachy florida. Stop at the Matanzas Inlet restaurant. 8805 AIA south. Be careful, you can drive past it REALLY easily as it is sort of tucked under a bridge. The Matanzas hotel (a 60s style place) is right across the street. This place is great, very fresh seafood and excellent hometown service. Very casual, wear your flip flops kind of place. Also has a back deck with nice waterfront views. You can watch the locals fish and the traffic on the bridge. Their landscaping mulch is cool too, made up of shucked oyster shells. If you dare stop at some of the bars along this stretch too. Some of these places are almost cariactures of cracker florida culture. Have a great trip!

jo-mel thank you for sharing your recipe and the serving suggestions. I've copied them both and will give them a try.