Susan in FL

Both sound delicious and look it, too. On this thread, all I have to do is look at one thing someone has had, and it's what I have to have. In this case, is was the grilled pork chops and asparagus! I have the use of my camera back!! I feel like I'm back to abnormal again. Last night: Halibut over white beans with warm vinaigrette atop, and arugula & avocado, garnished with little yellow tomatoes and nasturtiums from our garden.

I'm so glad you mentioned that. There is a chance of my husband going up north in June and could look for some. Do you think there would still be any available anywhere?

Pizza really is food pornographic, isn't it? Beautiful, All.

Since it's sushi and it's eaten raw, no cooking treatment is required. I only made sure, that the tuna is as fresh as possible, neat, clean and with a good cut. I bought a japanese sashimi/sushi knife (single sided/sharpened) and a waterstone to sharpen it. ← Just an FYI: Some folks believe that tuna, and other fish for that matter, needs to freeze briefly before eating raw to guarantee safety. I don't know a lot about it, and maybe that's just some overly cautious Americans, but that was (is? -I don't know) a law in Delaware when I lived there for restaurants. Even though it was "sushi grade," and very fresh, it still had to be frozen long enough to get it solid, then thawed and used.

Susan, those ideas sound real good to me. However, I make composed salads fairly frequently. How about a Cuban dish or some Caribbean cuisine? I'm just starting to make some authentic Cuban dinners, much like when I was a Thai newbie a few months ago. Another thing that interests me is Lo Mein. Would we have some advisors on that? Chinese egg rolls or wontons? Authentic Spanish something?

It could be that you have gotten bad Hop Devil. When we were in Delaware to sell our house up there about a year ago, we went to "our" package store and bought some Hop Devil, which was really good. But also, the owner gave us a case which was past the fresh date at no charge. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't good. If you ever get the chance, go to the brewpub and have one from the tap. Oh my... one of the times I did that, it was the best beer of my life. I still remember it vividly. Can't wait to hear about your tasting tomorrow!

I am being reminded of beers I forgot about. Oh how I wish that I could drink at least one of everything discussed here. Earlier tonight, before dinner, I had an Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA. I'll quote the label... I can't yet come up with this stuff myself, but I'll keep working on it. In the meantime: "Hop-heads, your dreams have come true! Hot Ottin' is Boontling for 'hard working hops,' and they're surely hard at work in this brew. Hop Ottin' starts with a strong floral aroma, which winds into a deep and complex body. In an intriguing balance, honey-drenched malts coat rich hop undertones. At length, the hops prevail, with a satisfyingly crish finish. Hop Ottin' bites like a can-kicky bluetail (Hop Ottin bites like a rattlesnake looking for a fight)." I agree. Here's the web site. Over the weekend, I drank another Old Dominion Spring Brew 2004, which is an Impy Pils. Unexpectantly, and pleasantly suprisingly, it seemed to have improved from last year. It had intense aroma and flavors and still had the big hop punch. It actually tasted more balanced to me now than when we got the case last year... less of an alcohol finish. Tangy, crispy, and clean, it had a nice hoppy finish. We also had another BBBCS stout float last night.

One night last week we had one of our best Thai dinners yet: Savory Stir-fried Pork with Yard-long Beans, sticky rice with two or three table sauces, spicy cucumber relish, a platter of lettuces and raw vegetables, and Riesling. Sorry my camera was still out of commission... it was as usual for Thai, beautiful food as well as full of wonderful flavors.

I love the names homebrewers give to their beers. I've been wondering what you homebrewers have named some of yours. I didn't want to "dilute" the good threads about making beer that you have going, with this question, since it's kind of a playful topic. What are some good homebrew names you've given beers or others that you know of? During the short period of time that we homebrewed, we called ours Burgess Bedroom Brew. There was a reason for that. After we made the beer, we put the carboy in our bedroom because (1) it was the coolest darkest place in that house and (2) it was fun to regularly observe it and watch for bubbles there. I can't remember the name of all the beers we made, but you can imagine the possibilities. The first time we did it, it was of course called Virgin Brew. We also made a 4-Play Stout. Let's hear it, brewers!

We got a whole case of this Spring Brew last year and I drank a couple of them recently. I don't know if it was my imagination, but it tasted better to me. I didn't expect that this would be a beer to benefit from aging. Any thoughts?

Last night we grilled some pretty Porterhouse steaks -- about 1 1/4 pound each -- which I was surprised to find on Mother's Day at Publix at the last minute. It was 5 PM when I decided that's what I wanted. (The supplies of flowers and boxed candies were wiped out, though.) Beforehand, we brushed them with melted butter and put them in the fridge to get the butter coating to solidify a bit. They were then grilled to perfection, and really tasted good too. With the steaks: purple and red and white fingerling potatoes; broccoli rabe with garlic, EVOO, and a splash of balsamic vinegar; salad of arugula, tomato, red onion, pinenuts, etc.; and from Lodi , a bottle of Shiraz.

Very nice! ...Attractive, very appealing, and the plate isn't too busy. That's the kind of presentation I like. Don't worry about the photographs; this is a topic about presentation and plating, not photography, which sometimes can get confused with each other! I like simple elegance, or is it elegant simplicity?

I think a shake or malt would be worth a try... With the beer's carbonation the worst thing that could happen is that you would blow the lid off your blender. I do make it like a root beer float. Please let us know what you try.

Oh my yes. Most recent example is Thursday... I had a work assignment up in Palm Coast, was too busy to eat lunch or anything the whole day, and discovered an Albertson's that looked like a nice supermarket. I had a small shopping list, for on my way home from work: Shoyu, a jalapeno pepper, scallions, ginger, and a bottle of wine. Well, in addition to being hungry, it was a great store with lots of variety and some items that I don't normally see in my usual supermarkets. I had never been in this particular store before. I spent $83.00.

Cuban tonight, with recipes from In a Cuban Kitchen by Alex Garcia that I adapted: Picadillo Fried Plantains Rice and Red Beans Hearts of Palm Salad Before, Mojitos made with Ron Añejo Aniversario Reserva Exclusiva (I mention that because that Rum is really, really good. ) With, a Spanish red wine After, chocolate-covered strawberries

Always glad to hear about a new IPA... For me, the best Hop Devil is the standard by which to judge all IPAs.

I think many of us share your love of cooking and eating alone, as you will see as you read through the pages of this thread and others. Glad you enjoy it, too. Welcome!

Posting is sort of an incentive to menu planning and perhaps to plan more creatively, isn't it? Nice thought. Last night I made pizzas: two individual size Margherita pizzas, each with an egg; a four cheese pizza with halved baby artichokes; and one with prosciutto, arugula, and Parm-Reg shavings. The night before we cooked a fabulous Thai dinner, one of our best yet. The night before that I went out for a meeting over dinner. Goodness, right now I can't remember any further back into my life than that. I do know I have to find out what to do about my camera or else it's going to be an example of a credit card commercial. New camera for posting food porn on eG... priceless.

Please go to Coastal Wine & Spirits at the corner of Route 1 and 5 at Milton for what we think is the best wine selection in the area, and tell Sally, the owner, that Russ and Susan sent you! We both worked with her when we lived up there. If you want a cheese selection and the service to go with it that nobody in the area can match, go to Beautiful Foods. It's in Rehoboth, at the beginning of Rehoboth Ave., on the left, soon after you have gotten off Route 1 and headed into Rehoboth. That is coming from the north. I will try to find the address, and let you know. I don't think you will be sorry, even with bad traffic. Both of these are worth going out of your way for, or stopping when you are on your way down. We usually went to Copp's Seafood, and always went there for clams, especially. If you take Route 24 east, from Route 1 at McDonald's, you will turn right before you get to Peddler's Village. There should be a sign. Their selection will be whatever has been freshly caught, locally. I'm sorry to hear about the De-lux Dairy, Simdelish. That was a regular stop of mine when I lived in Rehoboth. But Busboy, do buy some Lewes Dairy Cream to use in cooking or coffee or whip it up to put on some fresh fruit or something while you're there. It's the best. Have Fun. Just Dewey It!

Congrats on making the deadline. How did the defense go? Today I had leftover duck breast and an egg. I felt like I had a connection with Percy. It really is a good combination.

Wish I could be at The Grey Lodge Pub in Philadelphia on the 13th. It's the only Friday the Firkinteenth of this year. Great line-up! For more information, including the new start tapping time of 2 PM, check out the website. There are new menu items that look really good, too. My postcard to you all is, "Have a good time. Wish I was there."

Those are really good questions, and I don't have succinct answers on the tip of my tongue. If somebody else with more Thai expertise and more ability to put it into words doesn't come along, I'll do a little research and note-taking and get back to you. ...Let me know if you try anything from this book, I'd be interested to hear what you think. ← Yes, please do let us know what you try. I have been thinking about buying it. I keep telling myself that I'll go to the library and check it out, but I keep not getting around to it. Not Chris, but I'll give some input. I do soak it overnight. I often forget too, so I end up having Jasmine rice instead, for a Thai dinner, if I didn't remember to soak the sticky rice the night before. I love it, and that just reminded me... I want to have sticky rice with something tomorrow night. I'll set the bag out now, so I remember. I wonder if there is an amount of time ahead that is too long to soak it... ?

RE: the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, I like it better than the other two for more frequent drinking; however, that's not to say I don't enjoy a 90 Minute now and then. For me, the 120 needs to be occasional. There seems to be a direct link between being active on this Beer Forum and the addition of a few pounds. Of course it has nothing to do with the beer drinking behavior these topics stimulate. So, I've been cutting back during the week. I've done this for two days now. Monday and last night I had one Tuppers' Hop Pocket after work (and a glass of wine with dinner).

Interesting account of your Salmon Wellington! Thanks. I've made Salmon Wellington using a recipe from Pepperidge Farms/ the frozen puff pastry box. It was wonderful... Mmmm, sounds like something to put on the have-for-dinner list. I'll look for that recipe. Last night, a rotisserie-grilled roast of beef, sliced raw onion, horseradish, a bunch of fresh vegetables, and as the starch of the meal, some really good Portuguese rolls I found in a new bakery and butter.