jgm

... And you have to love a woman who plops 3 pounds of hamburger into a stew pot and refers to it as a "big mother"... Her attitude toward food, herself, and her cooking show is so refreshing. I keep wondering, though: If my bathtub and bathroom were as nice as hers, would it also be sexy if I turned my tub into a giant wine and beer chiller, like she did? Somehow I don't think so. The last time I tried to do sultry, the way she does, I was offered an allergy pill. So I'll live the sexy, sultry life vicariously through her. Every Sunday!

I saw the first installment of her show on Food TV yesterday, and I was impressed, as far as personalities and Food Network shows go. I've never made any of her recipes, so I can't comment on the level of cooking, although she seemed to use good ingredients. She had me hooked when she went into her pantry and explained that others may bring back art museum souvenirs when traveling abroad, but she brings back food. And I loved it when she licked melted chocolate from a spatula and with a half-guilty, half-defensive expression, admonished the audience, "Don't say you wouldn't." And her advance warning about the 'little noises' (or whatever term she used) that the ketchup bottle would make as she squirted ketchup into the chili, had me rooting for her. So many cooking shows are so sanitized, I found it all quite refreshing. She'll no doubt appeal to the young male audience; but she also appeals to this middle-aged female. And I think my husband's gonna love her! She's not destined to heavyweight cooking fame, e.g. Julia, Sara, and Mario - but she does a really entertaining cooking show. Other opinions?

Given the information that the ex is a chef, that changes the "atmosphere" of the situation. This is a control battle. He's having one with you (by leaving a big pot of stuff in your fridge that he thinks you "have" to eat) and one with your daughter by not respecting her food preferences. He's determined to have everybody dancing to his tune. The advice I gave above still holds, but I predict that if you get the vegetable stock and the big pots out of the house, he'll find some other way to assert himself. You may want to find a good book on the subject of dealing with controlling people, and see what it has to say. For the daughter, I'm in favor of seeing you make some meals for her and putting them in the freezer. You might also want to leave some meals for the other kids, in case Daddy decides to wage a battle with them, too.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I'm no food expert, but I work for a divorce attorney, and part of my job is what I call "holding hands and kicking butts." Life is to short to mess with this issue. Get the vegetable stock out of the house before you leave. If it's canned, put it in the trunk of your car. If it's refrigerated or frozen, stash it at a friend's or neighbor's. Ditto with ALL of the large pots. It's your house. Leave a menu and the appropriate ingredients. Take the bull by the horns. Tell Superdad that nobody eats his stew, and if he's going to insist on making it, he must take it with him when he leaves. Be frank and direct; tell him if he doesn't, you will throw it out the moment you get home. Your kids need to see you in action taking care of this. It's how they learn to cope with such things. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for them. Allowing this to continue is nonsense. To do so is to set the stage for further resentment when you're ready to make risotto. Those resentments build over time, and the kids do pick up on them. Trying to make something edible out of wallpaper paste is a useless waste of energy and an unflattering venture into martyrdom. You can't win this fight, so prevent it!

When it comes to stuff like this, one person's godsend is another person's useless space-wasting gadget. I happen to find chopping onions very satisfying, but I don't think all of my friends would. As long as this thing is well made, I think it definitely has a place. We've had other gadget threads that have been very informational. Some people think a battery-powered pepper grinder is ridiculous, but with my arthritis it makes a huge difference for me. I'm still able to use a knife, but at such time as I'm not, I'll get one of these onion-chopping things, and no doubt will love it. There was a day when I hauled my food processor out for everything; at this time, my knife skills have increased to the point where I no longer need to do that. That may change one of these days. Another, somewhat more expensive Christmas gift, would be Oxo's mandoline. Wonderful, wonderful gadget for those times when you need uniform slices.

I found this thread while looking for some lunch ideas. Wow. Great stuff on here! With hopes of getting things rolling again, I'll add one I had at the Nearly Famous Deli in Springfield, MO, in 1977, and have loved ever since: Onion roll, turkey, smoky Swiss cheese, mayo; heat it and add lettuce. A local bar, the Artichoke (which does not serve artichokes at all) has the Nancy's Number 8, often described by locals as "the best sandwich on the planet": Turkey, swiss, cream cheese, bacon, grilled on an onion roll, with tomato, shredded lettuce, Parmesan, and Italian dressing. Mmmmmmmmmmm I'd love to see more added to this list.

I may be able to get you close... once you feel you can eat some more or less solid food. Try these Balsamic Portobello Steaks from the Williams-Sonoma website. I had them this week with a little bit of chevre, and they were just wonderful. Also easier to chew than actual beef, but with a flavor that does at least in part address the beef craving. If the link doesn't work, go to the W-S website, click on RECIPES and search for Balsamic Portobello Steaks. Or PM me! And do enjoy the drugs!

Only if using a pancake turner to smack kitty butts (when said butts are up on the counter, where they KNOW they're not supposed to be) counts, too. (Don't worry, this particular kitty has long, thick fur, and he barely feels it.) One of those pasta things, you know the spoon with the teeth on it?, makes a great back-scratcher.

Why didn't I think of that??? It's both obvious and brilliant!

I use my oven to allow freshly-made noodles to dry out. I just put thin kitchen towels over the racks, lay the noodles on the towels, and leave the door open a few inches. The best part is that the cats can't get to them there, and I can eat them with confidence, knowing they weren't walked or nibbled upon when I wasn't looking. In a small kitchen like mine, it also keeps various noodle/pasta-drying apparatuses off the counter while drying takes place, and that's a definite advantage.

Like you, I can't imagine getting furniture, etc. from a grocery store. They've had expensive TV's, which do sell (slowly), and I've never been able to figure that one out. There are a lot of things that aren't available within 10 miles of my home. I've recently dusted off (literally) my bread machine and am experimenting with recipes, so that I can have decent bread for toast and sandwiches, without having to dash to Picadilly on my lunch hour. They're tearing up Central for construction, so that dash won't truly be a dash for several more months. I doubt I'll come up with anything even close to Picadilly's French, but something better than Sara Lee would be a godsend. The local Dillons does carry Progresso products, but not all of them. I bought 5 cans the last time I was in the store at Central and Rock. Too bad bread doesn't keep that well! Recently, I've had a difficult time buying leeks at either of the stores in my area. There are times when I can't find red onions and other basic stuff. It's frustrating.

It's still a work in progress. It looks huge. But Judy, it does obscure the view of the Olive Garden! A recent announcement indicates another such remodel is in the works for a store in the northeast part of the state, but I don't remember which city.

If you do any experimenting, you might see if the caramel will come off that sorta-new nonstick aluminum foil. You need somewhere to set the apple after it's been dipped in caramel, and preferably that would be a place where the apple could be lifted off without creating too much mess. Consider the possibility, too, of having a few people do the dipping, while the person waits and watches. It might go a little faster and easier that way. Sounds like you're dealing with a good-sized crowd. Do have a large variety of stuff to roll the apples in. You may want to consider having some melted milk, dark, and/or white chocolate to drizzle over the apples after they've been rolled in other things. I'm thinking of a local store that has done apples like that. Here are some ideas: chopped up Reese's cups (refrigerate first for easier chopping) chopped up chocolate chopped up other kinds of candy bars interesting nuts, depending on your budget; I'd think macadamias would be great granola chopped dried fruit chopped up molasses cookies Have fun!

Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm here! I will be husband-less this weekend, and so will have a little time to look around for bricks of chili. All in the name of research, you understand...

In my experience, the interchange with the instructor and the students is a major advantage. You can ask for clarification, about substitution of ingredients, or even ask "What was that again?". This is not possible while watching television. Visiting afterward, which is sometimes possible, is also a pleasant aspect of the class. ← I've found the question-and-answer aspect of local classes to be extremely valuable. Additionally, in a class, the chef is more likely to be informal and chatty, which can result in the class receiving some pretty valuable information. On TV, chefs often have to be careful lest a sponsor be offended. And I think it's entirely possible that on TV shows, certain ingredients might be used, although the chef would prefer another form (say fresh tomatoes versus canned), but one of the network's sponsors makes the product (the canned tomatoes in this example) and the network is trying to please the sponsor. It's possible the same kind of influence could arise in a local class, but I think it's much less likely. A demonstration class at the local Williams-Sonoma is $40, and it's two hours. The chef has been trained at one of the major cooking schools and she's quite knowledgeable. Another local woman gives classes, and they tend to be $60 for one evening. I haven't taken any of them, but I would guess they're a demonstration class also. Students may be helping with chopping, etc.

This method has the particularly attractive result of a finger to lick honey off of. Makes it a winner in my book!

I have less than about 25, most of which I've learned about here on eGullet. I'd love it if everybody would follow SuzySushi's example and post them! One that I think is worth offering is Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages, which Paula Wolfert referred me to when I asked a question about an herb a couple of years ago. ETA: After I posted this, I LOOKED at Suzi's list and found the very same link. Consider this an endorsement.

Cherry tomatoes; slice off top and scoop out innards. Make a mixture of goat cheese (with a little cream cheese to tame it, if you wish) and chopped basil. Put a drop of balsamic vinegar in first, if you like, then add the cheese. You could riff on this a number of ways. I like them because they're nice and tidy - a one-bite app.

I had not realized I use spinach in cooking -- especially in cooler months -- as much as I do. It's mainly in soups. All of a sudden, there are several kinds of soup I'd like to make, and every one of them calls for spinach. I know it would be safe, as long as I simmered it above 160 degrees for more than 15 seconds. But there's none to be found on local shelves, bagged or not. What would be the best substitute? One soup has vegetables, barley, pasta, and beans; another one is lentil; a third has sausage and tomatoes.

Hmmph. I've already caught the going-around-the-office crud from a certain co-worker; WWIII is currently being waged in my belly. What are the chances that those already heavily-armed bugs will kill of the ones on the spinach?

Although I can't identify these guys specifically, you might do a search on "fish", and you will find that people are often horrified by the little "extras" they receive with their fish. Seems like the consensus is 1) they're to be expected and 2) they're harmless. But I wouldn't blame you for wanting to know exactly what they are.

Details, details, we need details. Pictures would be great, too!

I won't tell anybody about your unkempt mise en place if you won't tell anybody about the Fritos I ate for dinner last night! I had exactly the same thoughts!

. . .when you're planning a trip, and you inform your husband that you'll be eating wherever the people on eGullet said you should eat, and you already know where you want to go when you get there. . . .when your husband has learned that when you're sitting at the computer laughing hysterically, it's worth interrupting a football game to come in and hear about it, because you're probably reading that "never again" thread, or something else equally as good. . . .when your co-workers are staring at your lunch, trying to figure out what it is, and ask, "so which eGullet thread is this from?"

I've been thinking really hard about getting one of these. It was a brutal summer in Kansas for anything growing outside, and although the neighborhood squirrels and bunnies are well-fed, in the end it was not even close to worth the effort. Is there any way to grow things from your own seed, Daniel, or is it absolutely necessary to buy what the company offers? For what I spend in the winter on fresh herbs --usually in really poor condition-- I could buy one of these things. I'm just trying to figure out how to keep the cats out of it.