reesek

that lunch sounds like my fantasy last meal. crisp potato skins, rich & creamy mealy insides, burst yolky goodness, slightly bitter crunch of frisee and browned yet amazingly juicy salty sausages. if they ever (catch me and) string me up - can i call you to prepare my last meal?

my bf calls Ina "the ego contessa." he thinks she's showing off her lux lifestyle. i think she comes off as pitiful...funny the way 2 people take the same, "everybody's gonna love this" kind of comment. Every day is a celebration calling for 2 sticks of butter which makes the show (IMO) much less useful than the great cookbook of the same name. Her holiday food that looks very good, but there is so much gratuitous filming of her neighborhood, her yard - etc, (like she'll go and cut a branch and then tromp inside and suddenly she has 10 perfect branches for a centerpiece.) what's the point? i also think the fact that jeffrey is always working (on christmas!) is odd. i'm sure "christmas" is april 6th at 10am for tv purposes and jeffrey doesn't work an exaggerated amount, so why add that in?. it makes me sad for her...and inevitably wonder if he doesn't have a little pate choux on the side.

bloviatrix - i LOVE your dairy cutlery. the spoon is so round...i just want to pinch it's cheek! gifted - did that lennox ever come with a gold border? it looks very much like my mother's wedding china with that alteration. i love dishes. no kids, but i'm a major klutz. i'd love to buy some square white plates. otherwise, i'm addicted to glazed stoneware. i have some sushi, salad and dinner plates in a blue-green glaze and rob has some more everyday stoneware with a yellowish cast to the glaze. i'd love to have a full set of them - all mismatched in color, but the same theme. with bloviatrix's dairy cutlery!

at shanghi garden they have "barleygreen handshaved noodles" available in either soup with stuff or stirfried with stuff. both ways are good - nothing to knock your socks off flavor-wise, but the texture of those noodles is wonderful and the flavors are very comforting. i'd get them stirfried i think, unless i was feeling sorry for myself. self-pity always puts me in a soup mood. at 7 stars, the twice cooked pork szechuan style is amazing. so is the crab. if you like spice - get the crab. a satisfying way to end up with food in your hair. the house special fried noodle is also very good - and immense. even good the next day. i'm not sure if these are the "hong-kong fried noodles" others have mentioned - can who's had them and knows clarify?

shalmanese - how did it go??

best lunch in the ID is definitely going to depend on what you want...i love 7 stars pepper and the hand shaved noodles at shanghi garden. if you're looking for a cheap lunch - i suggest a bahn mi tour (threads abound). one of my faves (credit to that thread) is what i like to call the cardiac thump bahn mi - 3 fried eggs with mayo...i think pate is also an option. it's right on the corner of king and 4th. troiani is expensive (i haven't actually been) but i've heard lunch is very good there - and it's a way to sample the place without ponying up for dinner. cap hill - definitely definitely go to kingfish. eat dessert. vios is across the street from kingfish - haven't been, but it's supposed to be good. so is the tiny ME place on broadway...in the seedy mini-mart. edited to add - what about taco trucks? there's one on rainier near edmunds

Palace Kitchen or Circa in West Seattle are my go-to's for burgerage. The key (in my also recovering veg. opinion) is to go someplace that not only cares what kind of beef they use, but also will accept your order of medium rare (or whatever) without breaking a sweat.

ellen, your travelogues are gripping. i am hopeful that you'll share the rest of your trip with us all in as much detail as you shared the first 2 days!

placebo - great blog! i was at PCC on saturday and bought some beecher's butter - it was wonderful. very delicate, but cooks wonderfully. i can't wait to see more of this terrific blog.

a good friend just had her wedding reception there - and even the wedding food was good. i'd definitely give it a shot. the view can't be beat!

susan, once again - thanks for sharing. i kind of like the lack of pictures...comraderie like you had is so lovely simply imagined. glad you had fun - you certainly earn your annual trip, my dear.

chufi, your potatoes and tomatoes look so delicious - and i LOVE your table (pictured last page) last night was a meal to nurse a sick friend. egg drop soup made with the last of my turkey stock (simmered slowly with ginger & shiitakes sauteed with stock fat and deglazed with sherry & mirin) main was seared albacore over cabbage slaw with my favorite dressing (sambal olek, rice vinegar, sugar, veg oil & fish sauce) dessert was juicy comice pears cut in half and filled with sweetened mascarpone. tea to drink...which kept me up all night.

i like martha. i wouldn't want to crumb coat her cakes or source her fronds, but she's an icon for a reason. i think her "you're fired" should be something like, "reese, your biscuits are leaden, your pastry bag technique sloppy and i wouldn't trust you to hot glue macaroni to a paper plate. your departure...now that's a good thing."

i have this one a cutco and i love it. after nearly 2 years of heavy use, it's still very sharp. it's also very long, which i like, because i cut a lot of large loaves on the bias and this one always goes all the way through. that site is so damn annoying though...the knife was a gift so i don't know what it cost. the site does not make it easy to find out. good knife though...

what about rumaki? (is that right??) a water chestnut wrapped in bacon? i love to use them in soup and in stuffings (dressings) because they don't lose their crunch. they are similar in taste and texture to (though less starchy than) jicama. i love them in salads, thinly sliced in spicy soups and in fried rice. the one thing about them is that they aren't pretty...they're a little pocky when peeled, and sometimes don't slice perfectly. (as you've noticed - my preparations for them don't require pristine presentation) enjoy!

thanks chufi. me too. it's cold here...chocolate cardamom rice pudding...did you steep cardamom pods in milk? i love sweets with cardamom

9 of 11 very interesting!

last night i made reuben sandwiches. i needed some comfort food after searching (unsucessfully) for my missing cat. i decided to make my own as deli is a hard battle in seattle. i ordered 2 grilled (i know) reubens on sunday from the mom & pop deli by my house and was asked (among other atrocities), " lettuce & tomato?" "mayo & mustard?" and the worst of all... "what kind of bread?" my effort was definintely tainted by worry. sigh. but i think it's more than that...even the bread at the grocery store wasn't right. not enough crust and the flavor wasn't rye-y enough. corned beef was ok. very lean, which i prefer, but not super flavorful. does anyone know deitz and watson? that's the brand the gourmet deli carries.

what a great idea...pastrymama, did you by chance sprinkle any additional salt on top of the caramel (what the renowned "Fran" does here in Seattle) mmm, sounds like a lovely holiday gift!

definitely not just you. i've never met a pumpkin pie i've been able to look in the face.

maybe my experience was unusual...but i don't think i'll revisit. i'm very rarely on the east side, and i'd definitely go to one of the indian places recommended on this board over a place i'm now pre-disposed not to like. but i'm kind of a bitch. see? Holiday spirit (from the weekly) how cool are they? glad lots of you have had positive experiences there, and am very impressed with their generosity. happy holiday y'all! edited to welcome daves (welcome daves!) rk

it wouldn't be thanksgiving without my mom's apple pie...but it needs work. mom's pie starts with a frozen shell and has very runny apples in a spicy syrup. it's topped with divine crumb topping. my pie is still a work (mentally) in progress. i'll definitely make my own crust, (and prebake?) and likely add some flour to the apples to dam the deluge of juice. (or pre-cook?) the crumb topping stays, but gets pecans added to it for depth. i'll also make my own vanilla (or cinnamon..?) ice cream. oh - it's tomorrow? i should probably figure this stuff out.

barrels of liquified chicken (BoLC) is a great name for a punk band. mabelline, what do you mean exactly by "loaded in...AK"? gak. maybe i don't want to know.

what a gorgeous photo...my mouth is watering. i love habaneros and summer fruit - peaches and nectarines...can you freeze some of them, or do they lose their heat? i'd dry and grind some, make a sweet firey jam with honey and bell peppers, and maybe a couple of marinades...like an orange habenero barbeque sauce or a pineapple hab. marinade for grilled chicken. ooh - make some pickles too!

rancho gordo, i couldn't agree more. the true horror of FFN is not the food...it's the workers, the conditions and the fact that the fast food (and factory farming, and soda) companies involved are strong-arming the regulatory agencies - and getting huge tax cuts to train workers...while doing everything possible to automate processes - eliminating the need for trained workers. nullo, i think you'd appreciate the book...but i will say that it makes life harder. it kind of pushed me over the hump with food purchases. i wasn't a big fast food eater, but i also wasn't as dedicated to farmers markets and organics as i've become. to me - the idea that big corporations (ConAgra etc) can decide that i'll eat whatever pesticides, or growth hormones they're putting into my carrots or potatoes or beef (that i buy at a chain grocery) is just appalling. buying organic meat and produce costs me more, but it's more than worth it.