reesek

i love jager - it's the shot i enjoy most (no ick face!). i can't stand red bull though, and to me the flavor of RB (medicinal) clashes with jager (herbal as trillium says).

the lemon is a revelation. the raspberry sorbet is also amazing. oddly - the chocolate doesn't do much for me. it's good - but i can make a comparable facsimile. that lemon though...the container is half the weight of the others - it's very mousse-like.

bleu - do you add those herbs to sour cream? mayo? a combination? (just curious) rachel - as you can see -you really can't go wrong - but i would not break the bank for these people. mixed nuts and veggies and dip is fine... also - i think i read that you were planning to get fresh lasagne sheets. if so - you don't need to boil them. (frankly i never boil them because they stick together and then rip) - if you use dry noodles you just need to compensate by adding more liquid (sauce).

so...had a celebratory dinner at lark on tuesday. we arrived at about 8 and got a table right away - though a couple of other deuces who came in right after us had to wait. my bf was slightly less impressed this time than last - but that's only because one dish (of 5) was kind of a dud. i just can't stop thinking that lark is a tremendous value...in no small part because it's an oasis in a culinary desert. as a former hill resident, i would have wept with joy had lark been around in my time there. street parking is still pretty easy and the pacing, wines and quality were all top notch. i feel relaxed just thinking about lark...and having lobster salad and joel robouchon's potato silk on my birthday didn't suck either. one question - and this is a little strange - largely because of comments on egullet one of the dishes called to me. thing is - i'm a pescetarian, and the dish was the pork belly with grits and pea vines. bless the bf - he (a ten year veggie) said we should order it. clearly the appeal of a dish like this is multi-layered...crispy top, meaty, tender bottom...obscene amount of rendered fat (which was oddly ungreasy) to flavor the grits and greens. but the spongy thick fat...are you supposed to eat that? i hid it under grits and vines...that part was not appealing at all to me. the waiter asked when i ordered "have you been here before?" i said, "yes. why, did i order well?" he kind of smirked and said, "yes, well, only people who "know" order the pork belly." so clearly...i couldn't ask him what was up. so...school me - please. by the way - the crispy and meaty parts, the obscenely coated grits and accompanying bathing vines - ridiculously good. i will be having that again...but i think the "tempurpedic fat part" (per bf) was too traumatic for him. i'll be going it alone.

what's got me hooked by reesek - a total cheese ball mags cracks me up new restaurants reviewed by people who care expanding my horizons to include roasted cauliflower and more mongo's blog old restaurants revisited and re-reviewed by people who care new threads like the shutter bug club inspiration not to be lazy, but to try harder and be a better cook cooking forum insight from experts self-improvement. just don't confirm that with my boss hillvalley and i know people in common. how cool is that? addicitve personality research for trips drama. sometimes troubleshooting recipes with other members opportunities snowangel's wonderful cabin blog preserving my anonymity exceptional people on the PNW board living vicariously through the meals of jinmyo living vicariously through the lens of bleudauvergne

also from annie hall (the "djoo eat" one is very popular in my house too) from Sleeper edit: for quotation marks in header from Bullets Over Broadway i adore (old) woody allen

pudding?

wow. that's a lot to deal with, rachel - i'm very impressed with your attitude...i don't think i would be nearly as gracious under similar circumstances. lasagne - there are millions of wonderful recipes out there...you might want to look at epicurious. i'm not crazy about bechemel usually - i think it can be pretty heavy - but if you do choose to make it - you'll have milk on hand in case the in-laws want it. you could certainly use mozzarella in lasagne - i usually do, and like to add chopped spinach and basil to the ricotta/egg mixture. i also like to add mushrooms to my sauce. but that's just me. for the salad - i suggest crisp lettuce (green leaf or romaine and red leaf for color) some thinly sliced radishes if you like them and maybe some diced green onions. i had a green goddess dressing the other night that knocked my socks off...basically it's a vinagrette with loads of herbs and something creamy...buttermilk maybe or sour cream? i think bittman's book has a recipe. that might be nice. for serving - i suggest having a plate of snacks on the table when people arrive. if you have a living room area with a coffee table - put it on that and just put out napkins - if not - put it on the dining table. when you're ready to serve, you can clear the snacks and plate everyone's food in the kitchen and just hand people full plates of lasagne and salad and then serve bread/butter at the table. you'll be fine! and do not worry about how these people will judge you, your house etc - it's a waste of energy and they're not worth it.

in the interest of science, i had a mai tai. interestingly - i discovered that i'm either not crazy about zig zags - or just not all that into mai tais. they make theirs with 3 rums (light, dark & spiced - though there was no visible floater) orange juice, almond syrup and soda. not sweet enough and too orangey (might have been a spot of triple sec as well) i can, however, vouch for the mojitos. damn. old cubans (despite the name that doesn't fit the look of the drink) were also a hit with our group. we sat outside and thus missed the very different scene inside. the food we had was fine and despite dumping 2 drinks on my friend (d'oh!) the waitress was very good and nice. (she handled the spillage very well...got her a towel, bought her a drink and didn't ignore us.) i would definitely return.

i think mags and enrevanche are right - don't try to impress them - it will only add to your stress level...but feel free to hide out in the kitchen! definitely do something you're comfortable with - this is not the evening to try out something scary - or overly creative - they don't really seem worth it anyway... lasagne or another pasta dish would be easy and you could assemble the lasagne the night before and bake it off the day they're coming. served with a crisp green salad, and good bread and finished with a blueberry or sour cherry pie (my current obssession. i've never had one, but how good does that sound?) as for vinegars - regina is a pretty basic red wine vinegar that doesn't totally suck. i'd also suggest investing in a basic balsamic vinegar...there's one that comes in a pretty green bottle that i'm blanking on - it's fine for now. for sherry - go to the liquor store or to the wine department. you want a dry sherry not a cream sherry. i have no idea about brands but once you add that to some sauteeing mushrooms and shallots - you'll never go back.

Lisa: Is there anything [to eat] that wasn't brutally slaughtered? Homer: I think the veal died of lonliness. the simpsons

well, then in the interest of science...

we're celebrating and it's lovely outside so i'm now twice as excited for the evening to arrive! thanks!

ambrosia "salad" a gross but essential component to every thanksgiving feast i'm a part of... canned mandarin oranges (well drained) pineapple bits (drained!) sour cream mini marshmallows unsweetened coconut flakes takes 8 seconds to make and keeps all day (the marshmallows bloat and then disintegrate after a day)

rachel - you should be so proud of yourself (and i hope your husband is grateful! ) i wish i had a tasty fritatta for lunch! is there a way you can take your food budget and spread it out over the course of 2 weeks? you're right that fresh vegetables won't last that long, but if you buy half your ingredients at a time - you'll have a little more flexibility. when i was on a very strict budget i would divide my monthly food allowance into 4 and take only a week's worth of cash with me at a time. since you have so many staples at home (the pastas, rices & beans) and lots of stuff in your freezer - you can supplement with fresher ingredients. as far as the reese brand stuff - yeah it's a shame to my name... the bottled green olives are good, but otherwise that stuff is no good. the problem with "cooking" wines/sherries is that they're salted (in addition to being of lousy quality) and salt is definitely one of those things that you should try to add yourself as opposed to having it in your food already. the general rule is that you shouldn't cook with it if you wouldn't have a glass of it. i'm sure lots of people here would disagree, but "drinkable" is on a sliding scale for me. if i'm going to cook with a little of it and drink the rest - i buy nicer bottles, but if i'm making food in quantity will i add carlo rossi jugged wine to beef stew? hell yes. drink glass o' carlo while stewing? anytime.

i'm heading to zig zag tonight but can't find anything on this board about it (except that ben thinks mai tai's might be good there...i'll let you know) anyone been? good food? i've heard it's smoky but i'm hoping it won't be too bad - i'm recently reformed and not looking to stray.

kiliki - that's so nice to hear...thanks for sharing that with us. i live in west seattle and have to say that the U District Market is better (IMO) - bigger. the flowers in WS are very good, but the selection in the U is better. the parking, on the other hand...not ideal.

i confess slavish devotion to the mojito float. the truffley mac and cheese doesn't suck either.

you said: i think that's the point! one thing though - you must have a lot of sauce left over. how many people are you cooking for? in baking it's a lot harder to manipulate servings sizes (can't really make half a cake) but i make buerre blanc and only use 2 T of liquid - starting with 2/3 of a cup is a lot. the sauce is definitely intended to be an accent - since it's kind of rich. next time - if you're cooking for one, maybe make a little less sauce. 2 inches of ginger seems like a lot to me...if you reduce the liquid - don't forget to reduce the aromatics (ginger, scallion, garlic) too. vinegar intensifies as it cooks - so does sherry - so maybe pick one and use that as your liquid. overall though - you're improvising and enjoying what you're making - how cool is that??

rachel - spiciness intensifies with heat and time. i bet that chili is even hotter today. with leftovers you can make nachos, (cut your tortillas into wedges and bake until crisp - or fry them) or you can heat it up, top it with cheese and shove it in the broiler for a minute before you eat it with fried eggs and tortillas. yum. as promised - chicken salad with tarragon. you can certainly do this with the legs/thighs - but i think you'll be happier with their flavor if you use them for something better. you can use up your tenders for this. first - you need to cook the chicken. you can cook it however you want - in the oven, in a grill pan, on a bbq grill or you can poach it. poaching is what i suggest if you use all white meat as it tends to dry out and since poaching is cooking in liquid - it's easier to keep it moist. you can poach in plain water, juice, wine, beer, broth or any combination - you can season the liquid (also called court boullion) if you like with any kind of seasoning. you aren't cooking for long, so season aggressively and expect a mild flavor even with strong seasoning. i suggest a combo of dry sherry, veg broth, whole pepper corns, a bay leaf and 2 tarragon stems. (pull the leaves off and save them for later and drop the stems into the pan) if you have a deep frying pan it will be perfect. heat the liquid to a simmer, poach the chicken until it's white all the way through. drain it, cool it and cut it into whatever size/shape you like. i prefer big chunks but that's just me. add whatever you want - mayo, mustard, minced shallot/green onion. celery if you have it, the chopped leaves of the tarragon, salt and pepper. very easy. chill the chicken before you mix it with the other ingredients - just to be safe. check out the EGCI class on mayonnaise for a wonderful way to jazz up the salad -homemade mayo is wonderful!

rogelio, your post is going straight into my travelogue. many, many thanks. any suggestions on the asturian coast? we're sort of flying blind but plan to end up around naves or luarca before heading back to madrid. we're also planning to take coastal roads from cantabria through asturias whenever possible. again - thanks a million edited for clarity

tampoco de sidra? maybe i'll just keep those stories to myself...especially if i want to keep the spain forum on my good side. the info above - totally invaluable thank you so much! edited: above/below

well with bacon and eggs i think you might want to try a very simple, but very delicious carbonara - fetuccine or spaghetti would be fine pastas. carbonara is basically bacon & egg pasta. very easy to make - i liked it with loads of black pepper and chopped parsley. dice and fry up some bacon in a little butter in a big skillet. i'd do this slowly - you want to try to render (melt) all the fat and get the bacon brown without drying it out. meanwhile boil a ton of water with lots of salt (1-2 Tablespoons). mix an egg yolk (or 2 depending on how much pasta you're making) with some grated parmesan cheese, black pepper and a nice bit of chopped parsley. if the pasta box says it cooks in 10 minutes - start tasting it in 8. when the pasta is still a little too hard, but looks done (if it's spaghetti, it should be droopy, but still have a white line in the middle when you bite into it) take a ladle and scoop 2 ladles of the hot water into a bowl. then drain the pasta and toss it into the bacon pan on very low. add the egg mix and stir with tongs - quickly - you're not going for scrambled eggs, but for a glossy sauce. add a little of the pasta water at a time (you probably won't even need all of it) and stir for another 10-20 seconds. eat. enjoy. indian potatoes and peas. indian food has lots and lots of spices - my way - not authentic. i'll suggest a lot of spices that you might not have - no worries - use what you do have and see how you like it. this is another dish you can partially prepare in advance. boil whole scrubbed red potatoes (i don't peel, but you can) in salty water until the tip of a knife goes into them easily, but before they're truly soft. (err on the side of underboiling rather than overboiling). cool overnight - or just cool until soft enough to handle. get your spices together, i like to put all mine on a plate or in a little bowl in advance - but that's just me. i use corriander (it's the seed of the cilantro plant - you can buy the seeds whole or powdered - when you can - try some - it's wonderful) for a dinner for one if this is your main course (and enough for lunch the next day - or with fried eggs for breakfast) i'd use the following general guidelines...seriously i never measure though - i'd top these with cilantro - use parsley for color if you don't have cilantro. 8-10 smallish red potatoes 2 cloves garlic chopped 1/2 inch of peeled and well diced ginger 1/2 onion diced 2-3 T butter 1 T corriander powder 1 t cumin powder 1 t chili flakes 1/2 t turmeric 1 tomato chopped with it's liquid 1/2 t brown mustard seeds 1/3 bag of peas in a nice large skillet on medium high, melt your butter, add the onion and ginger and saute until your mouth waters. add garlic and all the dried spices. stir until the kitchen smells divine. add tomato and stir. add potatoes and maybe a spot of water or broth. you don't want the potatoes to stick, but you want them to get a little crusty. it's a feel thing, but remember - you can always add more water. i'd add it if needed about an inch at a time from a juice glass. (very scientific) add salt. taste them. are they creamy inside? savory? good. add the peas (straight from the freezer - never need to defrost peas) and stir until they're hot. with pre-boiled potatoes the full cooking process won't take longer than 20 minutes max. risotto - it is not hard at all to make good risotto. there is one tiny "trick" basically risotto is cooked in a little liquid (about 1/2 cup) at a time. you just want to make sure that the liquid is hot. start by making sure you have the right proportions of rice to liquid. heat the liquid in a small pot. slowly saute chopped shallot in butter until it's translucent. turn heat to med-low add the rice and stir to coat. add the hot liquid - about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until all the liquid is absorbed before adding more. it's pretty to watch. add liquid until it's done - you have to taste it to know - it should not be mushy, but not hard either. it should not stick unpleasantly in your tooth, but rather have a pleasant mouthfeel. add chopped herbs (tarragon & parsley is what i'd use) and a big handful of grated cheese. i'd also add a little lemon zest at the end. chicken tarragon & the pork recipe tomorrow - thanks for starting this thread - very fun. i have a friend who always plays "iron chef" with me - "i've got an onion, some fennel and a jar of mustard...what can i make?"

mags that sounds delicious! i've never heard of cottage pie, but what you described sounds a lot like what i thought was shepherd's pie minus peas plus cheese. not a terrible modification actually. is that the difference, or is shepherd's pie traditionally made with lamb?

hijacking? sounds like fun to me... first - i have to ask - what the heck is "mock chicken marbella" and why, if it's mock - does it call for chicken? ok - i think maybe the best idea is for anyone who wants to play to list the dishes (not necessarily meals) that can be made with the ingredients rsincere has and let her decide what she wants to make and by the way - i'd kill for your pantry. 1) chili - i'm assuming walmart has kidney beans in their dry selection (in fact - in texas you could do it without the beans - i'm partial to the contrast myself) extra taste points if your pantry includes spicy stuff (chili powder and jarred jalepenos can work here) 2) indian - if your dry spices include cumin and coriander at a minimum - you can make lentils, curried cubed potatoes & peas, &/or sauteed green beans with tomato. 3) enchiladas - either chicken or beef 4) roasted potatoes (red ones) & turnipswith thyme and garlic (could serve these with steak or roasted alongside the chicken thighs) 5) beef stew - this i think would require you to purchase a carrot and it would also rock if you had a couple of bay leaves - but we can do without 6) risotto with shallots, herbs and peas 7) pasta with meat sauce or plain tomato sauce with basil or tarragon 8) tarragon chicken salad (this would be my best rec with the chicken breast strips. they don't really taste like much, but i think they make killer chicken salad. 9) potato and onion gratin (baked casserole of thinly sliced potatoes and onions layered with a creamy sauce/cheese) 10) sauteed tilapia fillets with lemon herb butter 11) cheddar cheese burgers with caramelized onions and french fries :) 12) the steak can be broiled or pan seared simply or can be cut into strips and stirfried quickly with ginger, garlic, a little soy and tomatoes. you can serve with jasmine rice (cook extra rice - and refrigerate overnight) 13) fried rice - it's better to use cold rice from the night before. - garlic, oil, an egg if you have it, onions, a bit of soy if you like and some peas. 14) pork butt roast thing. there's a recipe i can find for you that involves slow cooking big cubes of pork with oranges and onions. it's very simple and very delicious. i can go on - but i'm going to say "tag" first - let me know what piques your interest! reese