JPW

Hey melkor, We had a small discussion on osso bucco on the Dutch oven thread. What's your recipe?

Just make sure to sit as far away from the door as possible if it's cold. The breeze that comes through that doorway is the worst. Both Mrs JPW and I tend to feel that the food downtown is better than the food at the Bethesda outlet. Be interested to hear your comments.

Good luck. For a minor medical reason, I too have been forced to reevaluate parts of my lifestyle. A former 2-3 times a week fast food junkie (Wendy's and Taco Hell), I haven't had fast food since January 9. I looked at their nutrition guides online and a meal at either place provided pretty much 100% of daily needed calories, fat, sodium, and colesterol, if not more. In addition to doing more cardio work at the gym this change has helped me to lose 8 pounds already. Lunch has become a trip to Safeway for a sandwich and some fruit. I still do pizza once a week, cook whatever I want for dinner, and enjoy my beer and wine.

*Insert you own dirty joke here*

Spinach (has to be the least interesting green in existance) Shellfish of any kind - I try them, they're OK, what's the big fuss? TOFU - or is this restricted to actual food?

Almost forgot - the MIL's favorite saying is "Now we're cookin' with GAS"

as happy as a kid in a candy store slower than molasses in January And my all time favorite(s) are the variants on : (S)he's a few sandwiches short of a picnic

Katherine, For home-made stock I am entirely in agreement. But for unopened canned/cardboard-boxed stock they generally have pretty clear use by dates that show a pretty good shelf life. I'll have to check my pantry at home. For opened, but sealed store-bought stocks, I'm not sure how much time I would give it. THose things generally have so much salt in them, that I imagine 2 weeks is not completely out of line. I may be wrong, but it hasn't killed me yet. Any thoughts out there?

But most importantly Hannah -- How was Rollins? Was he doing music or reading? To go back to my High School days -- Black Flag Rocks!!!!

Outside of unreasonable conditions the stock should have been fine. The only thing left in my mind is maybe some soap residue in the pan. Beyond that, I'm clueless. (which is not really surprising)

Jenny, My initial thought was that your chicken stock had turned. Almost got fired from a kitchen job for not checking the stock before putting it on the line for sauces. Many years since my last restaurant job, I still taste EVERY liquid in the kitchen before using. Since the bitterness died down when you added more, not that. My next culprit would be the curry powder. How old is it and what are its storage conditions?

That's it exactly. Don't know why I didn't bother to search there except sheer laziness. As a garlic addict, I also have to throw in some. Will occasionally add some Italian or Anaheim peppers to give it a little kick but not make it too hot. The book has it served not just with the gremolata, but a really creamy risotto. Personally I find the combination a little too rich and instead serve with some basic wild rice, but to each their own.

Tune in tomorrow morning. Got it at home and no working computer there. I generally just use the recipe in Batali's "Everyday Italian Food" with some tweaks noted in the margins.

I don't know about everyone else, but I pretty much picked up the habit of recycling leftovers from working in local neighborhood restaurants in HS. Home fries left over from Sunday brunch? Throw them in Monday's stew. Make a pot of marinara everyday? Hell no. Make one a week and use it for everything from pasta to eggplant parmagiana sandwiches. As I worked in other places, I picked up more hints about how to recycle leftovers and keep the oh so important food costs down.

Welcome, Mark! I've got to say that I've only been in Dragonfly and while it's an interesting design experiment, one's opinion of it is definately a matter of taste. My wife (the graphic design manager) absolutely loves it. I start humming Reethoven's 5th and saying to myself "My beautiful Ludwig von" over and over again. Really not a place I feel comfortable at all. However, someday I will have to check-out Red and ESL

It would be interesting to see how much they got out of the city. Especially given the crap that Tony W. has been getting for tax breaks for the new convention center and plans for the old one among other deals. Even with the lower prices, my take is that they have to be thinking that the waterfront will come around enough to attract the type of visitor willing to pay their prices. Wouldn't you much rather stay at 4Seasons in G'town and be able to walk around then the Waterfront, where I still watch my back VERY carefully after dark? Not to mention that there is a relative dearth of decent dining options down there.

I was going to go more with "bizarre", "extremely odd", or just plain old "Huh?" for the location. Granted the waterfront is somewhat nicer than it has been in recent times, but I'm still left scratching my head. Anybody have insights as to why there?

OSSO BUCCO

Gave up fast food, and man do I miss it. HateHateHate the taste of microwaved food (except popcorn). Spoil myself with an occasional trip to the local pizza joint. BUT, I'm lucky enough to have a kick ass Safeway nearby. They make darn good sandwiches on what by supermarket standards is excellent bread. Nice soup/salad bar, good prepared food section (wings, casserole-style dishes, etc) and a great produce section to grab a piece of fruit.

Just cooking for Mrs JPW and myself usually means leftovers. She's tiny and just does not eat a lot. And now I'm on some medication that seems to have reduced my appetite as a side effect. Two typical ones are: Roast pork tenderloin with rice and steamed veggies and a mustard sauce. Night two = pork quesadillas with a side salad, salsa, and mustard sauce sour cream Night three = pork "garbage" soup. Garbage means throwing in whatever veggies are leftover from night 1 and whatever else is left in the veggie bin. Chicken Breasts done any one of a million ways. Usually par-cook all but one breast so they don't get overcooked on the following nights. Night 2 = quesadillas, baked chicken hoagies, linguini with chix. Night 3 = chicken "garbage" curry. Same as above with the day old bread for dipping if night 2 was hoagies.

thanks for the citation elizabethnathan!

Russ, What issue of New Yorker? I missed it. Thanks.

WOW! While I always try to plate nicely, my one main failing as a cook has always been my inability to use sauces well. You're stuff looks great. I think my problem comes about because I tend to like everything separated -- I was a weird eater as a kid. To this day, I put a spoon under one edge of my breakfast plate so that the syrup from my french toast doesn't get on my sausage or eggs. At the request of Mrs JPW, I'm trying to incorporate more and your pics have definately given me something to shoot for. Keep 'em coming!

You are hilarious. What is even funnier is that you said that w/o hearing the story of the cake stand. Non-stick worries me though. I think I'm jinxed in that regard as I have ruined non-stick pans as quickly as two or three cooking attempts in! JU, Do tell us the story of the cake stand. I wonder if hillvalley's comment rang the same *bells* for you as it did for me. After all, it is how most of us first furnish our kitchens with respectable cookware. For Dutch ovens, I would pretty much second (third, fourth?) the recommendation for the enameled cast iron. I myself don't put it in the dishwasher because of space, but the enamel is non-stick enough that it is not too hard to clean at all. One problem with a cast iron (un-enameled) pot is the occasional reaction with highly acidic foods (was mentioned by slkinsey in a previous thread that I am too lazy to look up) It's worth the investment, especially from the outlet. I had forgotten about the outlet in Leesburg, may have to make an expedition.

Hey beans, If you use that sig line you need to include the link. FREE THE GRAPES