Varmint

Hmmm, you deep fry pizza??? Now that's a concept.

The fridge I'm using has nothing but beer in it, so I may not experience the other bugs and avoid much of the humidity problem. Let's hope so.

Knowing that eGullet is full of ridiculously knowledgeable food geeks, I would love for you to create a new cocktail that we, as eGulleteers, can call our own. We'll gladly order this cocktail whenever we meet, singing your praises. This is a difficult task. Are you up to the challenge???

What AB didn't provide was a "per pound" guide as to how long it might take an 8 to 10 pound roast to get to 118. Just wondering for planning purposes.

Oh, to think what this thread could have bean. Seriously, ever since I was a child, I loved to eat chick peas right out of the can. I pile them on salads, toss them in pasta, add them to soups. I haven't ever had a great need to explore the world of dried chick peas. If I were to eat those chick peas out of a can (after a thorough rinsing, of course), would I discern a difference between a properly prepared dry chick pea?

I'm making the standard slow-roasted prime rib again this year, but I wanted to age it in the refrigerator for several days before cooking it on Christmas. Is there anything in particular I need to know about this process? I'll dry it and let it sit on a rack in the extra fridge starting tonight. Any seasonings? Do I need to rotate it? Will the 5 days in the fridge really make a difference? Thanks in advance.

Rochelle- I hope that you are able to take a break from the frantic life you've been leading. I have loved every report you have provided and am looking forward to reading future contributions. Don't worry about the frequency, because as I've often said, "You can call me Jimmy, cuz I'll take what you gimme." Thanks again!

porkpa, I'm glad you discovered Carolina Wine Company. Their principal is Chrish (yes, Chrish) Peal, who is a Stanford Law grad who decided he had a passion for wine but not for law. He knows his stuff and has a great knack at finding importers willing to bringing in wines otherwise unavailable across the country. Plus, they keep their warehouse at the appropriate temperature! Finally, they're in my town. Yeah!! http://www.carolinawine.com/

One of the other reasons people use services such as Harry & David is the simplicity and reliability of the service, rather than the quality of the product. Ordering is a snap, and delivery is guaranteed. Often, finding the best quality sources takes a lot of time, the vendor isn't really set up to do e-commerce, and shipping may be sketchy (and very expensive), at best. We don't send a lot of food gifts to friends, but we usually try to find something local that is a fair representative of what we might eat ourselves. Our choices, without scouring the countryside, are usually quite limited if we look only at businesses with a solid web presence.

Microplane now makes a rotary grater as well. It's a bit clumsy, and, perhaps, unnecessary. It's safer to use at the table if you have children, however. My initial thoughts were previously posted here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...3&hl=microplane

I'm the only individual in this 100 person office who wants to seek out Indian food. It's a cuisine that others in this office don't readily embrace. Part of the problem is that most of the Indian food in this town is of the steam table variety. Yuck. Mrs. Varmint doesn't want to spend a night on the town (when we're paying a babysitter) learning to explore a cuisine relatively unknown to her, particularly when we know that the "best" restaurant in town is very mediocre, if that. Because of this unfamiliarity with the cuisine, making it is even more difficult. I don't know what constitutes good vs. bad Indian food. Next time I visit the "big city" (whichever "big city" that might be), I'll need one of you to be my Indian food guide. Of course, if I can negotiate a deal to get Suvir to come to North Carolina for a weekend, I could learn a heck of a lot!!! Suvir????

Chef Ripert- You previously mentioned liking the cuisines of Alain Ducasse, Alain Passard and Guy Savoy. Could you discuss your perceptions of, and experiences sampling, each chef's cuisine and how they compare to each other? Thank you for participating!

It would be helpful to have pronunciation guides, too. We hicks in the sticks can't pronounce anything properly.

I can only expect that the Argentinian beef would be considered an absolutely tremendous (and, of course, unfortunate) value with the collapse of Argentina's economy. Please be sure to keep track of the prices of the various renditions.

We've been without power since Wednesday night (I'm at work now), so we spent last night at my in-laws' house. I made about 2 gallons of mushroom barley soup and drank several bottles of an inexpensive super Tuscan. That warms the body and soul. Hopefully, we'll have power by Monday. I hate ice storms!

I just did a google search for "potato baker," and, voila This is an el cheapo version for less than 10 bucks at http://www.dreamproductscatalog.com/detail...ls.cfm?item=215

I may give out more of my late grandmother's "artisanal" jelly. I'm down to about 40 jars, so I should have some more shelf space soon.

Mitchell's has totally rebuilt their restaurant, so I'm hoping they'll be as good as always. They're much lesser known than the big boys, but a lot of this is probably due to their relative youth, as they haven't been in business as long as their competition. I can say that they probably have the best pork ribs in the state, and they also have excellent side dishes. Mitchell's is in Wilson, which isnt' too far from I-95. Let me know if you're headed this way, and I'll see if I can't join you!!!

I think Cooks Illustrated actually recommended nuking the stuffing before putting it in the bird. That gives it a head start.

Bacon, potato and corn chowder with baby scallops Seared tuna with porcini crust Barolo risotto with roasted grape tomatoes Slow-roasted haricots vert Hot fudge pie with vanilla bean/bourbon ice cream And, as always, lots of grappa.

Ah, thanks!

that hot dog stand at the tractor-pull place is kinda fun, no? Just because the town of Lizard Lick is less than 30 minutes away doesn't mean that we live in Red Neck, USA. Hell, you can even get Thai Pork Rinds here. I apologize to those who may be upset that I've strayed from the thread. However, remember that we in the sticks have to live vicariously through your events!

Toaster flour?

Fun??? Well, any restaurant has the potential to be fun, right? Now whether the quality is passable is another matter. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king, and here, well, we're pretty blind when it comes to Indian restaurants. Sigh, again.

Suvir, any time that you want to host one of these events in North Carolina, I'd be happy to handle the ancillary tasks! We who did not attend are green, very green, with envy.