jgm

Bowl prepper, definitely. The counter where I prep ingredients is opposite the stove, which means I have to turn around and take a couple of steps to get back and forth between them. In our house, that also means dodging a large dog (who is deep in prayer at that point) and probably stepping on a cat, with the result being about 5 seconds of screaming, minor pandemonium, and frantic scrambling - on the part of the cat, to get away, and on my part, trying to stay on my feet. After the obligatory expletives, I take a deep breath and am very thankful if nothing I'm carrying has landed on the floor. Murphy's Law dictates that such an ingredient would necessarily be the last of that one that I had in my kitchen. And of course, if I went to the store after more, they'd be out.

How about wonton skins? They still have some carbs, but once you get the filling in, you can trim them very close. They're very thin, and bound to have, overall, fewer carbs than a much thicker pasta.

I'm no chef either, but I've found this to be true in more than sauces. A friend's recipe for sauteed mushrooms - as you'd serve alongside a steak, for instance - is to saute the mushrooms in butter, then when they start to soften, add any wine and a pinch of hot pepper flakes, along with salt and black pepper, and let most of the wine simmer away. OK, so the first time I did it, I did it her way. The second time, I simply forgot to add the pepper flakes, and noticed a huge difference in flavor. The dish was extremely bland. I've remembered the pepper flakes ever since, and I've never detected that flavor, or any heat, in the finished dish.

The whole story is now up: CLICK Edited to add: No doubt several people will want copies from the print version. If you will contact the newspaper, I would think they would allow you to purchase copies of the magazine only, and send via snail mail for a reasonable fee. If not, contact me and I'll see what kind of plan B I can concoct.

Just putting out a heads-up on a label machine on sale this week at OfficeMax. While this doesn't seem cooking related, many use this handy little machine to print spice labels, and some also like to put the purchase date on certain items while unpacking grocery purchases. I refill my spice containers with fresh spices purchased in bulk, twice a year, and I like to put the month and year the current contents were purchased on the tin. I don't think this model, the 1280, has an automatic date function. It does have 3 "favorites" buttons, so once the current date is typed in and saved, it could be repeatedly printed without re-typing. This machine regularly sells for $39.99 (or so the ad says) but is currently on sale for $9.99. That's 75% off. I believe it can be ordered online. Jenny

The account of what Paul went through in the McCarthy era -- especially when he was called to Washington -- was extremely interesting. That was one of the really memorable parts of the book to me. A little off topic, but worth saying: Jacques Pepin's autobiography has as many wonderful moments as Julia's. I won't even attempt to compare the two, for they are very different stories, but I would still highly recommend it.

Which ones would that be?

I didn't see onions on the list, so I am suggesting that a blend of different kinds of onions - white or yellow plus red plus leeks - might add some flavor dimension.

I think I'm beginning to realize that the food writers for major publications, TV chefs, and restaurants are in the same boat: they must cater to what their public wants. And especially when it comes to food, the public doesn't like change all that much. That's why certain products and flavors - chipotle, balsamic vinegar, pesto, etc., have been beaten into the dead horse category. That's quite a generalization, of course. Question: does anyone know what the catalysts have been for major shifts in focus? Who brought Southwestern flavors to the forefront? Who introduced us to balsamic vinegar? Pesto? Anybody know, or have any ideas to toss out? Could an organization like eGullet be part of a new direction? (Not that I'm saying we could all ever come to a consensus about what new thing to champion.)

If you Google "artichoke and rice salad", several interesting possibilities come up. Unfortunately, some of them call for a box of Rice-a-Roni, but I trust what you had was not one of those. If you run across one that sounds like what you had, please post it!

The green chile risotto was delicious, and was part of a multi-course dinner that had other dishes with southwestern flavors, and some that didn't. That dinner followed the Bluestem dinner, and a day of barbecue tasting. I'd say that rather than "ubiquitous", the use of chilies that weekend was nicely balanced. I had no problem with it at all! My objections, in general, are in the area of "too much of a good thing" rather than "I hate this stuff". Edited to add: another problem with this particular group of flavors, is that way too many people think that 'capsaicin overload' is a flavor. I routinely take one bite of such dishes and refuse to eat any more, because they're so spicy that it wrecks my mouth for a couple of hours.

Most of us have a friend who has an experienced palate. Sometimes it's helpful to take them to dinner if you're exploring something new, and get their opinion on the dish, and on what they taste in it. A second idea is to search out recipes for a particular dish, and make two or three versions that have slightly different ingredients, and do comparisons. Or take the ingredient lists to the restaurant, and try to identify individual flavors that might be present. The chef may be willing to discuss the presence or absence of certain ingredients if you're not sure whether you detect them. Likewise, you could gather a group of interested friends, and taste, for example, several varieties of tomatoes, and discuss the differences between them. Personally, I think a major factor is getting as far away from chain restaurants and prepackaged food as possible. That means you're either going to have a substantial restaurant bill, or that you will be doing most of your own cooking. (Chris, I know you already do; that's aimed at others who may be reading the thread.) I really think that the sugar/salt/fat mix in chain restaurant food and prepackaged food, plus all the stabilizers, artificial flavors and preservatives, are palate-killers. Lastly, I think participating in eGullet discussions, or at least reading them, and reading food literature can be helpful. I can't even name how many times someone has mentioned that they don't like, or especially like, a particular dish because of a specific ingredient, and I'd never noticed that flavor before. Just being able to articulate certain things can be a big help. Jenny P.S. Chris, since you started this thread well over a year ago, I'd be interested to hear about the progress you have/haven't made, and about any issues you've encountered.

A couple of my mainstays: sliced apple and peanut butter cottage cheese and pineapple Do you have refrigeration available, or must you keep it cold in a lunch box? Do you have a microwave or stove available?

That's my point exactly. These "southwestern" flavors have taken over American cuisine to the point where we can't even think of anything else. Corn and tomatoes, of course, are a natural for this combination, but other flavors could be used as well. How about Cajun? Carribbean? Thai? Greek? I think there are probably several other flavor profiles (if that's what you would call it; I'm not sure about the correct use of that term) that I can't even think of because I've never had them... because we've allowed this particular combination to take over our cuisine. My point is that we're stuck, and we've been stuck for a number of years, and it's to our detriment. These flavors are lovely and wonderful, and I do like them myself, but I'm very, very tired of seeing them EVERYWHERE. Actually, they are classic, as Katie pointed out, and it's virtually a no-brainer to add them to nearly anything because they can enhance so many foods. Quite truthfully, I remember telling a friend of mine back in 1990 that I had stopped reading cooking magazines on an every-month basis, because even then, it seemed that every recipe contained chilies. I had grown tired of these flavors 20 years ago, and I'm still tired of them. I probably wouldn't be quite so tired of them if they weren't utterly ubiquitous. It seems to me that we've gotten lazy and we've allowed them to destroy our culinary imaginations. Case in point: At the Heartland Gathering, we had a wonderful dinner Friday night at Bluestem. Even though one of the dishes was gazpacho, NONE of the courses we were served that evening contained the cilantro/chilies/lime combination. (You can imagine how grateful I was!) We did have an incredible fish course, which consisted of a Hawaiian walu, vaquero beans (which I'd never had before, and which were just wonderful), and a lemon verbena broth which was so delicious, many of us picked up our bowls and drank the last of it straight out of the bowl. This is a wonderful example of how we can enjoy even a fish-and-beans combination WITHOUT incorporating our current go-to, habitual flavors. There are many, many wonderful flavors out there, and it's a shame we're not enjoying them. Lemon verbena broth? With beans? Not black beans, but vaquero beans! Who'da thunk it? Thank God Colby Garrelts did. He'll forever have a special place in my heart.

I make this one a lot, after first tasting it at a baby shower. Corn and Rice Salad 1 16-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained 2 cups cooked rice ¼ cup chopped sweet red or green pepper ¼ cup sliced green onion ¼ cup chopped ripe olives 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar (I use red) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons snipped parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes ½ teaspoon Dijon-style mustard ¼ teaspoon garlic powder 8 cherry or grape tomatoes, whole or halved as appropriate for size 1 tablespoon finely shredded Parmesan cheese In a medium bowl combine corn, rice, pepper, onion, and olives. In a screw-top jar combine oil, vinegar, soy sauce, parsley, mustard, and garlic powder. Shake to mix; pour over corn mixture. Cover and chill several hours or overnight. To serve, stir in tomatoes. Top with Parmesan cheese. Let salad stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. 8 servings.

I've been thinking a lot about this subject over the past few years, and I wanted to bump up this topic and perhaps encourage some new discussion. I'm becoming fascinated with it. A few random points: Several years ago, I was struggling with some weight issues. (Still am, but on to a different phase of the battle.) I decided to approach food systematically, and came to some surprising (at the time) conclusions. Believe it or not, I realized that I do not like frozen diet dinners, and the reason I was leaving them in the fridge at work and going out for a Big Mac was because when I "dieted", I fell back into the frozen-diet-dinner rut because that's what I knew how to do. So I started cooking more; making my own soups, looking for sandwich ideas, etc. I also realized that I really loved homemade cookies and found them much more satisfying than anything storebought. Yes, I know. You're thinking "What took you so long? And why was this a discovery, when a lot of other people have known it forever?" Because that's the current American way of eating, that's why. It's what my family does and what my friends do. So I cooked and I baked and I had some great lunches and dinners. Then one day, when I hadn't brought anything for lunch, I found myself at a convenience store, hungry, and grabbed an old stand-by: those little powdered sugar donuts that come six to a package. Back at the office, having looked forward to them all morning, I unwrapped one end of the package, lifted one out, and took a bite out of it. Bleeeech! Absolutely nasty. I looked at the date on the package, and the package was well within date. So I offered one to a co-worker, just to test. She popped it in her mouth and the look of bliss was on her face. "Man, I love these things!" That's when I realized my palate had changed. I had been eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and sweets that contained butter instead of whatever the prepackaged food manufacturers use. Back to the beets mentioned in previous posts. My theory is that we all taste things differently, and that's why some people don't like beets. Or whatever. Several years ago, when working for a forensic pathologist, I was asked to smell a vial of cyanide. The pathologist was developing a list of which employees could smell it and which could not, so that if it was suspected to be an issue with a decedent, she would be able to use certain employees to help determine whether it was present. I could smell a mild chemical odor, but that's all. One employee thought it had a pleasant, bitter-almond smell. Another had a nearly violent reaction and headed down the hall, hand over mouth, into the restroom. So I think that just as some of us smell chemicals others don't smell, some of us surely taste chemicals others don't taste. And that's why some people don't like beets and why I can't stand any Snapple beverage: it has a horrible aftertaste for me. I think this is one of the key issues in getting people away from fast foods and chain restaurants, and into eating real food. The problem is, most of those folks don't understand they can make a conscious effort to change their palates. When I've told the donut story to people, they are certain that I had a "bad batch" and that there must have been something wrong with the product. Comments?

I've just finished reading this book, and it's an eye-opener. The premise is that the salt/sugar/fat combo is addictive and our food is being engineered to take advantage of that addiction. He's mainly talking about fast food and chain restaurant food. The last section has some very interesting advice about how to break one's addiction. It's somewhat a synthesis of things we already know, but seen through the eyes of breaking our addiction to food, and gaining control over your consumption of it. I recommend it for those with weight problems, and I'd like to hear from those who have also read it, and like me, are working to implement his recommendations. I recommend it, too, for those who care about food but don't have a weight problem. In addition to addressing the issue at a personal level, Kessler provides an explanation for why a significant portion of the whole doggone country is overweight, and what he believes should be done about it. It's very interesting, also, paired with "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink. Jenny

I well understand this is a minority opinion. I also understand I may be attacked online and in dark alleys for disparaging the holy trinity. Go for it. I don't care. What's tipped me over the edge is Mark Bittman's latest recipe in the NYT for a corn-and-tomato salad. He's put in what in my opinion is becoming a trite, way too predictable combination: cilantro, chilies, and lime. Oh, how ****ing original. I'm not saying this isn't a delightful, delicious combination. I'm saying "enough already, can we move on?" This trio (along with black beans in some cases; did you know beans come in lots of other colors? Most restaurants and cooking magazines don't.) has taken over American cuisine, and I am absolutely sick of it. There are all kinds of other flavors to add to just about anything, but everywhere I turn, the only thing I see is cilantro and chilies and lime. This is a fairly large planet, and I'm absolutely certain there are other directions to take just about any dish that's been riffed with this trio; I'm fairly certain I have probably never tasted or heard of several of them, but would very likely find them just wonderful. But we're stuck on this combination, and it's to our culinary detriment. The situation reminds me of my friend who won't quit her jerk-of-a-boyfriend because she believes there's no one else out there. She doesn't believe me when I tell her she won't find anyone else until she leaves this loser behind. We must stop this nonsense, and when we do, true love awaits! My opinion of people who put ketchup on everything is easing. In fact, I think they're on to something, and I may join them. Misery loves company. Do I have any company? Jenny

First of all, the reason I was thinking of running the asparagus through the food mill, and perhaps even straining it then, is that it wouldn't include the broth and water that is added later in the recipe. Less volume=less mess. However, I did think of an alternative. A few years ago, I picked up some very large teaballs, about 4 inches in diameter, for the purpose of making mushroom soup. The original recipe calls for pureeing the entire soup, but my husband and I like to have some mushroom slices in the soup and I didn't want to have to pick them out before pureeing. The recipe also has chopped onions, so simply straining them out wouldn't have worked. My fix was to pack a tea ball with additional raw mushroom slices when adding the broth to the mushroom/onion mixture that had been briefly sauteed, so that I'd only have to lift out the teaballs, and then I could puree the rest of the soup. Soba's asparagus stock answer started me thinking, and I realized that if I put the woody ends into one of the teaballs, I'd get whatever benefit there would be from having them in there, but I'd simply need to press them against the side of the tea ball with a spoon to express any retained liquid, and I could just discard or compost them at that point. If I didn't have the teaballs, then what I'd do is use a separate saucepan, and make asparagus stock with the water the recipe called for, while simmering the non-woody part of the asparagus with the broth, leek and shallots, then add in the strained asparagus stock either before or after pureeing. Whenever I serve asparagus from now on, I'm going to reserve the trimmings and make stock with them to add to either this soup recipe or a risotto. For years, I've read about making vegetable stock from leftover vegetable trimmings, but I'm just now figuring out how to use the stock. I have read that vegetable stock doesn't freeze well. Is that true? Would I be better off freezing the trimmings and making stock later, or making the stock from fresh trimmings and freezing it?

I will admit to a little pigging out on deviled eggs at potlucks. Reason: I LOVE them, and my doctor has limited me to two eggs per week, so I don't make them at home. But if we're having a potluck, there must be a special occasion, right?, so I get to have as many as I want, right?, since it's a special occasion and all. I sometimes do fall back on them, and take them instead of other dishes that require a lot more work, because I have discovered the secret of producing decent-looking whites that aren't all pitted and pockmarked from the peeling process, and I love how certain other people look at me in awe when they see those pretty eggs. (The secret, by the way, is to use the higher-priced organic eggs. It also helps to refrigerate them overnight after cooking, before peeling. I don't know why the organic eggs make a difference (although I have several theories), but it's the only way I can reliably produce nice-looking whites, and believe me, I've tried everything.)

One of the comments I heard this year was that the KC gathering had a somewhat more sparse daytime schedule than some of the previous years. I think some did appreciate having an opportunity to go back to the motel and rest, or to explore on their own. But others may want to have lots of activities planned, and I just didn't hear that point of view. I think it would perfectly acceptable, and it would take some of the pressure off, to have 'holes' in the schedule and furnish participants with a list of food-related places to go (including addresses) and let them explore on their own, take a nap, or do whatever they wanted to do. Even though we all have the same basic interest in food and cooking, some may want to explore local ethnic eateries, while others go to bakeries, chocolatiers, or whatever the area has to offer. Having been to only one of these events, I can't offer any recommendations other than that. But I could understand that a host might feel an obligation to keep everyone entertained, all day and all evening. Deliberately providing some unstructured time is an absolutely legitimate approach, and might simplify things at least to an extent.

A good meal has so many elements, I would think that nearly any hobby could teach you something that would be useful to a chef. Especially the visual arts - even "everyday" food looks so much better when carefully plated, and anything you can do to develop an eye for composition would have to be helpful. Even something like history would teach you a certain kind of context. Gardening, obviously, would provide many kinds of advantages. And then there is always an advantage in finding something else to do that gets your mind off work. A well-rounded person, I would think, would almost certainly have all kinds of advantages over someone whose life was narrowly focused in only one area. But people like that are sometimes able to make advances in their fields that those of use who are more jacks-of-all-trades may not be able to do. If you're looking for a hobby to augment your cooking skills, I suggest you sit down, by yourself and perhaps with a glass of good wine, and think about your shortcomings and deficiencies. If you need to learn focus, then build ships inside bottles. If you need to learn artistic skills, then try photography or painting. Etcetera.

Asparagus stock??? OK, sounds good. The only way I could think of to use it would be in risotto. How do you use it? I'm quite intrigued!!! Yum! You're the kind of cook I'd like to be when I grow up, although I'm probably older than you. I would love to be able to cook without recipes. . .and I'm getting there, but for now, I'm more comfortable following the instructions. It helps me learn about seasoning and proportions. My other goal is to be able to use up everything; for example last night when making the soup, I had the green part of the leek left over. I would think it would be good for something, but I've always tossed it out. Jenny

Often I will see instructions in a recipe and wonder if I really have to do things the way it says. Example: Asparagus soup recipe. Pretty straightforward. Saute leek and shallot in butter, add asparagus (in 1 1/2" pieces), chicken stock, and water. Simmer until asparagus is tender. Puree in blender. Press through sieve to remove woody stuff. I wonder if I couldn't simplify this a little and get results that are just as good. If I were to nuke the asparagus, put it through a food mill, and then add the pulp to the other ingredients, would I be compromising anything? Reason: putting a large amount of soup through a sieve was messy. Then I scraped the pulp out of the sieve and put it in the trash; I ran water through the sieve to remove all but the most stubborn of the remaining pulp, then painstakingly removed the last of the pulp and put it in the trash. I was trying not to put that fibrous stuff into the garbage disposal; I have learned that lesson the hard way. Unknown: how fine the pulp would be when it comes out of the food mill, and whether that would allow me to skip either the blender or the sieve. I'm open to suggestions, if anybody has other ideas. If you think this will not work, will be more trouble than it's worth, or for any reason would be a bad idea, I'd like to hear what you think. I know that in baking, procedure can make a huge difference. I'm not so sure about this recipe. If anybody else has any questions about changing procedures for another recipe, post it here, and this can be the thread for that. Jenny

I have settled on one of the dishes pictured in "Julie and Julia", the roast chicken with mushroom and port cream sauce. My husband and I both think it looked really good, and I am looking forward to starting a fire in the kitchen, on purpose. Jenny