Susan in FL

Thanks! You have a very nice home.

In my dreams..... Ms. Melkor, that explanation makes sense. Let's say that.

I've been wanting to try something like this since Ling mentioned an omelette stuffed with ham and avocado. I didn't have any ham on hand, so I used salami and avocado in these scrambled eggs. MMM-mmm good. Other than that, I've been on another kick for leftover rice with milk, Splenda, and raisins on it.

So do I. I've been in the mood for panko-crusted-something lately. Sometimes I don't fry, though, and instead make the panko part of a covering to adhere to the meat or whatever, and brown it in the oven. Now you've got my wheels turning for menu planning this weekend.

I finally saw this, too, and one of my favorite scenes was that as well. She put how I feel about wine in such poetic terms. My love of wine is much more like hers than Miles's. (Duhhh. Of course that is true for all of us. ) I know I am not a wine geek and don't really want to be. Count me among those who really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was very well done, and it's a film that is enjoyable to talk about afterwards. I agree there were those flaws that were pointed out in this thread, but like someone mentioned, it's not an epic in film making. I thought it was an excellent job of wine (and food) as the backdrop for a pretty good story. Then again, the wine was also part of the story. I cringed a bit when Miles got too drunk, had the hangovers, and especially when he demanded a full glass of wine at the tasting bar and then threw the fit and poured the wine over himself. I guess I didn't like a wine enthusiast being portrayed like that. Aside from that, I liked it a lot and when I left, I felt like driving around to find the best glass of Pinot Noir in the Daytona Beach area. A trivial question... When Miles ripped open the bottle of wine with his mouth to go running through the vineyard with it, do you suppose that was a screw top or were the film makers trying to make the viewers think he pulled the cork out with his teeth?

Way to go with the child-rearing, Tobin and Stefan. Tonight will probably be our usual happy hours, but it might take place at home. I am off today, so I won't be in such desperate desire for an attitude adjustment. Last night I was already in the restaurant parking lot when my meeting over dinner was canceled at the last minute, so I went in and dined anyway. I thoroughly enjoyed the food, wine, and time to myself. I had Prosecco before dinner; a first course of lollipop veal chops with a balsamic glaze; tortellini, prosciutto, and peas with a cheesy creamy sauce; and White Oak Cabernet. The night before was Shrimp and Baby Corn in Chili-Tamarind Sauce, Spicy Beef Salad, larbed turkey, and Jasmine rice.

Susan, I just can't imagine it that cold. Of course I'm not trying real hard to imagine, either. The photo you posted of the snow was beautiful, by the way. You have an open invitation to visit us down here, pretend or real! Good luck with your gumbo.

One of the things I love about Thai food is how visually appealing it is! This was the plate of accompaniments tonight. I made Shrimp and Baby Corn in Chili-Tamarind Sauce, Spicy Beef Salad, Turkey Larb/Laab/Lahb -- I wish I would settle on one spelling (and what's your guess about whether or not I had lemongrass in it? ), Jasmine Rice, and the usual accompaniments and table sauces. This may have been our best Thai dinner yet. The shrimp and corn dish was the most different from anything I've made before. What pleased me about this dinner so much, besides how good it all tasted, was how each dish showcased flavors different from one another. Cheers!

Pim, you didn't offend me, but I think you might have offended the cookbook authors I mentioned if they were reading this. I understand having strong feelings about how you think certain cuisines and certain regional differences in those cusines should be... I am sometimes guilty of being opinionated about certain Italian cooking issues or "codes," as you put it. However, what you didn't address and I wish you had, was that the addition of lemongrass must not universally cross the line into being another dish IF such prominent authors include it in their recipes and they still do call it laab (or larb or lahb ), not Yum or Pla. Yes, it is an interesting issue, but the only reason I continued my part in this discussion is that lemongrass is so commonly listed by other experts in the ingredients. I didn't mean to offend you, either; I just wondered why the difference of their opinions from yours.

With all due respect to you, and I'm not claiming to have as sophisticated a Thai palate as you, but call it what you may... I will continue to use the recipes of Kasma Loha-unchit online, Alford and Duguid in Hot Sour Salty Sweet, and Victor Sodsook in True Thai and have lemongrass in my Laab. They can't all be "wrong." I think it's a matter of opinion. And now back to the fun part.....

Sawaddee Kha (for women) Sawaddee Krub (for men) ← Thank you!

I have seen several Laab recipes from trusted sources with lemongrass in the ingredients. Wouldn't that fall under the category of "something that you have to go by your own taste", and doing taste tests, to go with what you like most? And Thai basil or whatever kind of basil too, for that matter...

Too funny...! Oh yeah, I forgot about them. They are among my favorites for sure.

Hello to all. Does anybody know a greeting in a Thai language? We skipped our weekly Thai last week, unless you count the Thai-style first course I improvised on Sunday, seared sea scallops in lemongrass broth. I still usually follow recipes for Thai, but I'm getting more confident in substitutions and variations, and hopefully will get to the point that I improvise more often and get a little more creative on my own. We will probably have Thai Tuesday tonight. It didn't happen last night because I was too tired after work, and went to see the movie, Sideways instead and then ate leftovers. I had the winning bid on eBay for Victor Sodsook's True Thai! What a great book. I am about mid way through reading it now. Interestingly, about woks he thinks that having a carbon steel wok must be used almost every day to be kept in well seasoned condition and he is partial to woks with non-stick finishes. What do you all think about that? What do you have? We are in the market for another one. Ours used to be my mom's and I think maybe it used to have a non-stick finish, but it no longer does. It is fairly well seasoned, but is small. I also got The Elegant Taste of Thailand by Kongpan and Srisawat. It doesn't have the greatest recipes in my opinion, but does have some pictures that showed me what certain things that I was unfamiliar with look like. I have continued my research for Thai cooking at home by having lunch at Thai restaurants a couple of times. I tried a new one and didn't like it as much as my original pick. I have discovered one dish that I didn't care for, Mee Krob. It was too sweet and sticky. I'm not sure if this was usual, or that they didn't prepare it well. Has anyone had better experiences with this?

Now we're talking. My first thought at the beginning was fried eggs and fried potatoes, especially while I am on this current kick of potatoes fried in chicken fat that I rendered. Oh my... We WILL do that. Thanks for the idea.

I work for Hospice. If I can be of any help to you, let me know. ...Just kidding! That was humor!

I apologize for the delay in posting the recipe for the Steak and Kidney Pie, Jan. Click here for the recipe that I adapted. As you already know, I used the pre-made crust, and I adjusted amounts of just about everything else. The biggest change in the recipe was that I used less water-Worcestershire sauce liquid (and so less flour), and instead deglazed the hot onion mixture with red wine, and then stirred that in. The mushrooms I used were creminis. Basically it's a plain, but good, recipe. It would have been tempting to add some garlic and maybe some other seasoning if I were not trying to recreate what Russ was used to when he was in England. However, he has long told me that a lot of the food there was plain and bland (it was over 30 years ago), and we wanted it to taste like it did then. Surprisingly to me, it did turn out flavorful. I was glad I left it alone except for the wine. Last night my dinner was leftovers of this dinner, after I got home from the movies (Sideways, great film!). Percy, that timbale of broccoli cheese rice w/leeks looks luscious. It's one of those photos I can't take my eyes off of. Did it taste as good as it looks? If so, it is sublime and please let me know how you did it. All these dinner posts look and sound wonderful. It's not even brunch time yet and I'm working up my dinner appetite.

Deep frying.... doing that well is an art and a science. We do homemade french fries maybe every other month. We deep fry more often now than we used to because a nice deep-fryer is part of our grill. It's great, the mess being outdoors instead of inside. Other favorites we deep fry are onion rings, other vegetables, oysters, fish for fish & chips, wings for buffalo wings, and Cornish Hens. It probably averages out to about once a month. If I know a restaurant does a good job, I sometimes order something fried when we're out for happy hours on Friday nights. This past Friday I had delicious "fish fingers" at a martini bar! I love fried grouper sandwiches -- again, if they do a good job at it.

I cannot tell a lie. "Pillsbury Pie Crust New! Just Unroll!" Just kidding about not wanting to tell that... I make no claims of being a baker of any kind. It was good crust. I brushed it with milk and put sea salt and freshly ground pepper on it before putting it in the oven. MMMMmmmm that stamppot looks yummy. That is new to me. I am happy to do that... will be back with it shortly. Tonight, farfalle pasta with: I roasted halved grape tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, crushed red pepper, and S&P; added some fresh oregano after taking it out of the oven; added kalamata olives, capers, and reserved pasta cooking water when mixing it with the pasta; and sprinkled toasted pine nuts on top just before serving. Excellent quick and easy dinner!

#1 I am going to hell. OK! ...I'll call it cake from now on. #2 I have those cookbooks.

It seems that a lot of our recent dinners have had stories to go with them. This is one I want to share with you, too. Since Russ and I have been together, 20-some years, I have been meaning to make him steak and kidney pie. He hadn't had it since he was stationed in England, way before we knew each other. So after all these years, the time came last night. He really liked it. So did I, more than I expected to. Here it is, in progress. The salad to go with it was strawberry, Stilton, and still more nasturtiums. And the final presentation... with mashers and peas, but of course.

That WAS fun. The suspense was killing me... but not as much as the suspense of waiting to see photos of your kitchen!

Jackal10 didn't get it right? Welcome back, Therese.

Impressive, Andie! That is quite an ambitious undertaking. It all looks really good. I hope your tests turn out OK. What will be the first thing you eat after that long fast?

Jeffie Baby has been my favorite since his rookie year. At first it was because he was cute, but it continues because he's damn good! Welcome back to running! Congratulations. It's interesting what we crave. When my run is coming to an end, I crave a cold fresh orange. Maybe it has something to do with what our bodies need... I have some Scharffenberger Natural Cocoa, with nothing added, and have never made panna cotta... Think maybe that could be used? It HAS to taste good! That's a great idea, looks so good. That will fit into our weekday calorie cutback. Thanks!I hope you who haven't been feeling well are all better soon, and thanks to all for the kind words on my lemongrass broth and dinner. I worked up enough confidence with Thai to create something Thai-style myself, without a recipe. We were both pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. All the meals are looking good! Comfort food has been ruling. That is funny. I love them too. I'm going to be picturing that in my head next time we eat some. Photo coming soon... Nasturtium leaves were a major ingredient in our salad last night. Hathor, I love to eat like the lunch and dinner you described.