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There's a bit on Rebeka Denn's blog today about the Swinery being closed down all of the sudden. Apparently, Gabe's only posted on his Facebook page, but blames it (somehow) on retaliation for Gypsy. The Swinery website and all mention of it on the CC website have been taken down. Does anyone know what is going on? I was looking forward to stocking up at the Ballard Market tomorrow! http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/devouri...ives/160475.asp

Onion Soup Gratinee is a touchstone in my family. We (I) made it every New Year's Eve, always using the recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Ahhh... Julia. The secret is to use both chicken and beef stock, with a good dollop of sherry to deglaze. I make a big pot of this every winter and freeze it in batches. I can just heat a bowlful and top with croutons and gruyere/parm mix and pop into the toaster oven for a few minutes for a perfect bowl. This soup is special to me. Not only was it a holiday tradition, it was the last thing I made for my Mother. A few months later, it was the last thing Julia ate before she passed. It's taken me a few years, but I can finally eat it again without crying.

Frozen wine works just fine in cooked dishes. If I have a small amount, I freeze it in ice cube trays - a cube or two works great to deglaze a pan for a pan sauce. Otherwise, I freeze in 1 cup containers. I sometimes use the individual sized bottles (187ml) of wine - I know that the brands aren't premium, but they work fine when I don't have any frozen, or don't want to open a bottle.

My rice always turns to mush. I just can't believe it. I finally bought a rice cooker and now everything's all better.

This thread has some great ideas: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=120961

I think it's highly relevant. When we feed our kids crap, it affects them. When we feed our kids well, it affects them. I interviewed with a local, wealthy school system to be an admin in the lunch program. I was shocked to see the menus - pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs - and these were the wealthy schools! I'm glad to see that Sidwell Friends provides healthy, tasty meals. Other schools would do well to emulate.

I have another sneaky tip. We all know it's cheaper to eat lunch out then dinner. Check out your local ethnic lunch place - many of them serve lunch specials that are cheap and huge such as rice, pad thai, entree and soup combos - definately enough for two. I just get one as a takeout and save it for dinner. Restaurant dinner for two for $7.00! If you're extra hungry, make more rice or saute more veg to add to the meal.

Something happens to the texture when you freeze cheese - I think it's something about the fat and proteins seperating.

You may want to post this query on those country boards for a better response...

Let me also mention: In my experience, Trader Joe's has pretty much the same prices as Costco, but in smaller packages. Sometimes I buy the aged gruyere, sometimes the less expensive emmenthaler... Drug stores can offer some great deals on food - I've bought walnuts at $6.00/lb, Bob's Red Mill products for $2.00/pkg, raisins, pasta, organic canned tomatoes ... so check out the food aisles at your drug store when you pick up your toothpaste! A Safeway card gets you 3 cents off per gallon of gas. If you accumulate $100 in purchases, you get 10 cents off per gallon. As well, for unemployed folks, there's local help - with phone bills, utilities, insurance, etc. Look for local help and take it if you need it. It's all karma, pay it back when you're flush again. It's also fun to call your friends and pantry shop to put together a potluck. We've done quesadillas, pasta and stews, while watching videos from the library. As much fun as going out, and you don't need to dress up! Stick together, we'll all get through this.

Maggie, and all the others who have lost your jobs; I'm so sorry. I've been in that boat for a while now. I have two words, which no one has mentioned: Food Stamps. Yes, I know, they're for "other" people - those poor ones who are always destitute - NOT! Did you know that Food Stamps are a Federal Program, and you've been paying into it your whole working life? Just like Unemployment, you are entitled to this help. And I Never use the word "entitled". Really, check it out. Each state has different requirements, but you may be able to do a quick check online to see if you qualify. Just Google Food Stamps and your state. If you do, it's totally worth it to apply. Here in WA state, as a single person, I get $176 per month. It goes up to a max of around $500 for a family, depending on your qualifying factors. Once I qualified, I smacked myself for not doing it sooner. It's not overly generous, but it keeps food on the table. WA has a "pay back" deal where you have to either work at a job for 20 hours a week, or volunteer 16 hours a month. I found this annoying, and of course said to the woman "If I could get a job, I wouldn't need the help!". So I'm volunteering at the Leukemia Association - doing mailings, computer work, etc. a few days a month. They're very nice people, and it's good to keep my computer skills at a workable level. And it's not literally stamps any more - it's a debit card that works just like a credit card. All major stores take it. They have different ways of ringing up your purchase (some need to know that you're using the card before you swipe it). I've never been treated badly or been embarrassed because of it. Check it out, it's well worth it.

I have to agree about Sam's Chowder house vs Barbaras Fish Trap. My friend told me we had to go to Sam's, so I said ok. This place is popular - there was a 40 minute wait for lunch at 1:30 on 12/26. Once seated, our waiter proved to be as slow as molassas. OMG. 20 minutes to get our drinks! I had to ask for water 3 times. We had their "Famous" lobster rolls ($20, no concession to the currently low lobster prices). The lobster was warm, on a toasted roll, but as it cooled, it was clear just how overcooked and bland it was. The coleslaw was fresh, nothing exciting, and I didn't eat the potato chips. We shared an order of fries, which were dusted with Old Bay seasoning. Afterwards, enjoying the sunshine, we grabbed a couple of the Aiderondack chairs and ordered Irish coffees. Which took 30 minutes to arrive. The sugar sat at the bottom of the cooled coffee and the whipped cream was melted. So...... a nice place if you have lots of time and want to sit in the sun (on the beach, great views), but for good food and service, next time I'll go to Barbaras.

Other than looking for job postings, I highly reccommend that you target places you want to work and contact them. I know that many restaurants are hurting these days, but you never know when an opportunity may open up. When I moved to SF in the mid 80's, I finagled an interview with Alice Waters. After a nice meeting, she reccommended me to one of her former staff, and within a few weeks, I was working at Square One. Follow the ads, but also put yourself in front of people from whom you can learn. There's no shortage of those in the Bay area! Good luck!

I'm sorry, I'm laughing. She put the blanket over her own head to breastfeed her baby?! How very bizarre! Years of therapy are indicated for this woman.

Mushrooms don't have to be precooked. Just slice them very thin and scatter them across the top. Baked properly, the 'shrooms come out crisp and delicious.

I like the bread pudding idea. You could make it into a special "breakfast" item.

I love my air popper. Bought it at a local hardware store 20 years ago, and it pops up the corn nice and fluffy. Even has a little container over the heater in which to melt the butter. I like melted whole butter and sea salt, but also enjoy a mix of melted butter and olive oil, freshly grated parmesan and pepper. I eat that one for dinner sometimes.

I'm confused - what's the "Traditional Buche de Noel" that isn't rolled?

I don't care for celery, but I love braised celery! It's important to "destring" the celery first, then cut into your preferred size pieces and poach in a shallow pan of chicken stock. Serve warm, or chilled with a vinaigrette.

Well, there's always Copia... nope, you blinked and missed it!

Ohh, what a treat! Now you can make my favorite sandwich from Zingermans - #28, Randy's Routine: http://www.zingermansdeli.com/content/pages/menu_fish.php "Zingerman's smoked whitefish salad, scallion cream cheese & tomato on pumpernickel bread." Swoon

Tell me if I'm wrong: I've found that many of the sparkling beverages that come in glass bottles use cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Anyone else see that, or am I just picking particular sodas? Anyway, I like the cleaner taste (you know, when I feel like drinking sugar), and like the glass bottles. Glass is like butter; I know what it is, it's been around longer than these substitutes, and I'm going to stick with it...

Stipe and Batali did an Iconoclast (On Sundance, an interesting series), and they talked about his being vegetarian. They cooked together, and Stipe ate at one of Batali's restaurants. Batali had no problem cooking for Stipe, which is a refreshing change from some "Star" chef attitudes towards vegetarians...

Funny, I thought her Fabulous parents would have raised her with some manners. Even if she is half Jewish, that's just an insult to your hosts. Michael Stipe is Vegetarian or Vegan, isn't he? Did he insult them?

Here in Seattle, the food sections have long been sliding downhill. There seems to be one food writer on each paper (Times and Post-Intelligencer), and they use a lot of wire service stories. The odd thing (to my mind) is that the two writers write "blogs" nearly every day, then just compile them into columns for Wednesday. If you read the paper every day, there's just no point in the Wednesday food section.