ludja

I had to go to McDonald's yesterday for a Filet-O-Fish after reading Holly's informative post and other's musings. I always liked them but hadn't had one in a long time. It was good! I like the tartar sauce and the amount they put on; I think it would be too dry otherwise. The fish was not dry and the fish filet was not greasy. I'm not sure if they "engineer" it somehow, but the filet appeared to have a nice "flakey" fish texture. That is, the fish appeared to "flake" like real fish and was not a solid artificial mass. Again, I"m not sure if this is due to some brillant reconstitution scheme. In any case, it was quite good!

Almost the exact thing happened to me about a month ago. I *love* patty melts but my whole life I have only ordered them in diners, etc. Then, a few weeks ago I was looking for something to make, thought about burgers and then realized I had rye bread and swiss cheese at home. It was indeed a euphoric moment when I realized.... I could make a patty melt...at home! They came out great; next time though I'll try some home ground beef. (I'd definately use a light rye for a patty melt. I love dense, European rye bread, but I think American "light rye" toasts well and tastes better in a patty melt.) Nice article! I want a patty melt today.

A simple favorite I've made many times from Kleinman's and La Place's "Cucina Rustica" is one topped with bresaola and arugula. Whiz together room temperature unsalted butter (~ 1/2 cup) with a small bunch of coarsely chopped arugula. Spread on garlic crostini and top with thinly slice bresaola or Bundnerfleish (another cured and aged beef coldcut). I think this would work well with proscuitto as well. Another good recipe from this little gem of a book is bruschetta made with a zucchini puree and topped with sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil, drained and cut into strips). The zucchini puree has onions, garlic, basil and parsley.

Here's a nice dinner that we had about a week ago: chickpea and parsley soup red peppers stuffed with quinoa, walnuts and provolone (recipe here vanilla pudding This is the first time I used quinoa. We really liked it and I will definately be makinh this particular dish again. I made the soup w/chicken stock but it would also work well with veg stock.

^ None taken! Per foodman's point, I wouldn't put it up against a good deli or mom and pop place (if you have one that goes beyond Boar's Head, etc) AND for me, I've eaten at them at the two airports I mentioned. For me, it is a good option compared to the other offerings at the airport and the decor didn't factor in that situation! Again, per Busboy's and your point, that isn't setting a high bar...

I just googled "cantaloupe" and "savory" and found an interesting salad with cantaloupe, black pepper, olivie oil, white wine vinegar, goat cheese and ... salami! Here it is: click Here is also an interesting musing and results of experimentation with savory flavors with cantaloupe: click Here are the three recipes that the writer offers: Cantaloupe and Tomato Salad with Black Olives and Tarragon Cantaloupe Salad with Prosciutto, Frisée, and Basil Spaghetti with Cantaloupe and Hot Chilies

^Thanks for that recipe; it sounds terriffic! It might be a more challenging combination, but I wonder if certain salamis might also work in a salad like that... Judy Rodger's Zuni Cookbook also has an interesting twist on the melon/proscuitto pairing. She has a recipe for a salad in which melon is lightly marinated with some anise seeds and Sambuco and then draped with some proscuitto for serving.

I had never heard of this Catholic holiday celebration. Here is some other info on the holiday and the crepe tossing game! click Enjoy your crepes; I may make some this weekend as well!

Some other coldcut options which are all good when thinly sliced and which I think would also pair well with the cantaloupe are: Bundnerfleish or Bresaola: The first is from Switzerland/Germany/Austria and the latter from Italy. They are both a type of alpine air-dried and cured beef. Westphalian Ham (Nuss Schinken): a slow-cured, smoked ham from Germany I've had some interesting versions of cantaloupe gazpacho that were savory but I don't have my own recipe. Some of the ingredients were red onions, chiles, and cilantro. (Have to admit though; the time of year that I eat cantaloupe is in August/September when it is ripe in many parts of the US and locally where I live. The fruits I go for now are citrus (grapefruit, mandarins and oranges), apples, pears and mangoes.) And good luck incorporating more fruit into your diet; it's a good thing!

Do you like good quality cold cuts (ham, mortadella, salami, etc)? I don't care about the decor of the place. And I do agree that the "bar" set by Quiznos and Subway is incredibly low. For some reason I found myself at a Subways a few months ago after a very long hiatus; I'll not be eating there again. The quality was incredibly low. I'd still prefer a sandwich made from good coldcuts from an independent Italian, German, Jewish or Polish deli but those are difficult to find in many places. If you like subs or grinders, Potbelly is a good option.

Hope you have some luck finding a place that sells them! Here is a recipe for Faschingskrapfen (Mardigras Lenten Doughnuts) from Germany/Austria. click They can be made "plain" or filled with jelly.

Great question! I'm interested to hear other's experiences as I am often pressed for extra freezer space as well. (I don't like to choose b/t having my own stock in the freezer or having the Donvier insert frozen and ready to go for ice cream... :-) )

A new favorite for me is The Potbelly Sandwich works (at Midway and BWI, but perhaps at other airports as well). Great subway sandwiches and even reasonable prices as well.! A thread was recently started on the chain here.

Here is a link on their website with their current locations: click

I also think that Potbelly's is much better than Quiznos and infinitely better than Subway. I also agree with annarborfoodie on the size; generous but not huge. I've had the Italian several times with hot peppers on it. My only chance for Potbellies has been at BWI and Midway airports. The last time I was at Midway I was waiting in line at Potbellies next to a pilot. He said it is where most of the flying staff eats on a regular basis. (I like tuna subs, but I don't think they're too useful for comparing sandwich places if the quality of the coldcuts is important to one.)

Nice article in the LA Times this week on "100 Things to do with Meyer Lemons". click Some of the good suggestions:

Baked Apples !

I'd consider "How to Pick a Peach" by Russ Parsons. click Not only will you get good tips on how to store fruits and vegetables but you will learn about the best tasting varieties and when they are at their peak. It's a wonderful book!

^Hmmm... I like the almond paste idea also. And a ground hazelnut frangipane or paste with Frangelico sounds great. I *think* I used Braeburn apples in the dish I mentioned in the first post. They were nice and tender but kept their shape as well w/o the skin which I peeled off. Next time I think I'll try some Granny Smiths that I have in the pantry.

Sounds like a great combo; thanks for sharing, andiesenji! I've seen some recipes with orange marmalade in them. This is a great idea and so lovely looking... With the hazelnuts that I have at home right now, I'm thinking of combining ground hazelnuts, bread crumbs, sugar and softened butter next time.

Carnegie Deli has many tourists but their chopped liver is still excellent. I have their chopped liver at least once a year and it is always fresh and sweet.

I made some delicious baked apples last night when I was looking for a quick dessert from the larder. I prepped them before dinner and then let them bake while we ate dinner. I found a great recipe in Jane Sigal's nice book, "Backroad Bistros, Farmhouse Fare". The peeled and cored apples are partially filled with a mixture of softened, unsalted butter, granulated white sugar, lambig or calvados, and grated orange zest. Bake at 350 deg F for ~ an hour, basting the outside of the apples occasionally. I served them with some softly whipped, unsweetened whipped cream. The flavors were a nice change from the typical (in the US, anyway) "apples spices". Here are the ingredient amounts for 4 apples: 4 Tbs softened, unsalted butter 3 Tbs granulated sugar 2 Tbs lambig or Calvados (I think whiskey or non-apple brandy would also work well) 1 tsp grated orange zest (I had tangerines at home so I used them) 4 apples, cored and peeled (not sure what type I had as they had been in the crisper for awhile...) Next time, I'm thinking of adding some chopped hazelnuts to the mix halfway through the baking. I"d love to hear others ideas for baked apple recipes! I'm thinking of experimenting with speculaas spices, wine, cassis, etc...

I just ran across this thread and checked back at the "Modays with Maida" blog. Cathy, the blogger, finished her plan to cook through all the cookies in the book in November 2007! Pretty cool and what dedication. The blog is a great resource as there are detailed tasting and baking comments on each and every cookie and cracker in the book.

The Wall Street Journal has an article posted on Patatas Bravas which discusses the classic and some new versions of the dish that higher end restaurants are expermeinting with. Here's the link to the article: click (It doesn't appear to need registration but I don't know how long it will be available... Also they list some good places to have the dish in Spain: Also mentioned in the article is this website devoted to the dish! click The website is in Spanish (which I don't speak) but it looks like it is a site for people to report on their patatas bravas discoveries around all of Spain. I've only had patatas bravas stateside, but they are a favored tapas dish for me. I've usually just had it with the hot, spicy "red" sauce. The article mentions that in Spain it is often (always?) served with a white garlic sauce as well.

chilled lychees in a creme anglaise; serve with a nice crisp cookie (Barbara Tropp has a nice collection of cookies inspired from or compatible with Asian flavors in her book, "The China Moon Kitchen". Her "walnut crisps" or "ginger moons"with crystallized ginger would go well with the lychees. edited to add: I've mentioned this dessert on the boards a few times--but it was very good! This was a dessert from one of Hirigoyen's previous restaurants in SF called Pastis. He served a flourless chocolate cake and alongside was a quenelle of Thai basil ice cream covered with grated dark chocolate.