sml311

This is just what I got from a google of "sanding sugar sale." http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=...ding+sugar+sale Seems that many people sell it online. SML edit: This combo got slightly different links. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=...e+sanding+sugar

I use parsnips frequently in soups and stews and have never cored them. (Up to about a 1.5 inch diameter at the top.) The only soup, btw, I've found they don't work in is a classic cream potato soup. They just add a really nasty flavor. SML

Varmint, Hope your MIL is steadily improving. I would not be in for the weekend of the 26th, as my parents will be visiting. Some weekend in the future sounds fun. I would prefer if it weren't Easter weekend though. Any other weekend in April would be great. SML

I just have this really strong, strange feeling that it's Emeril's...don't know why. Just do. Gut feeling. SML

So I hadn't been there in about a year (living in NJ for awhile and all) and returned this Friday. This restaurant has really come into it's own. If you haven't gone, now would be a good time. It isn't the high order cooking you'd find at Magnolia Grill, Nana's, Four Square, Elaine's, etc. but it is THE neighborhood restaurant it bills itself to be. The kind you'd usually find in larger cities that serves up enough classics and enough twists to keep a solid local clientel. The food itself is even better prepared than my first two visits and the dishes have continued to improve on complexity and harmony of flavor and ingredient. We ordered from the small plate menu--bigger than apps but not quite an entree. We split the special which, to the best of my recall, was a sauteed barlett pear and chevre salad--I'm a little fuzzy on the exact dressing but whatever it was, it was excellent. The pears especially wear incredible...they managed to retain a pleasant degree of firmness after cooking. They had shaved radishes as a garnish which were just perfect. For my entree (which was still a "small" plate--but really not that small) I had jerked duck breast. I was really curious to see what they'd do with this because most of the time I've found that non-Jamacian restaurants tend to severely underspice their jerked items. Not true here, the breast and the accompanying plantains were not only again well cooked but the heat was perfect. There was also a pineapple salsa which brough a different companion flavor in. Probably the only questionable addition was the halved grape tomatoes--didn't really do anything for the dish. My companion had the fried oyster salad small plate. I cringed at little when he ordered that. You see, I don't believe in fried oysters. It usually breaks up the wonderful "flavor party" the oyster has going by itself. Not true here. The briney flavor of the oyster was maintained and the breading was crunchy and not at all greasy. Guess I was (happily) wrong in this instance. For dessert we had the strawberry and rhubarb cobbler. Fan-effin-tastic. The flavor of both fruits was balanced, it was sweet without overpowering the natural tartness of the rhubarb. Just wonderful. Go, Go, Go. It's great. It's getting more full. There's never been a better time. Oh yes, not sure about exact cost as I was on a date and it would've been rude to ask, but the small plates generally run between 6.50-9. Desserts in the 5-6 range. Probably the night with drinks and tips was less than 60. Not bad at all. SML

As a kindergartener I was given raw turnip for the first time. I think I was the only one who liked it...but still, I vote for raw. Mashed is good also, and I think roasted might turn out nicely, even though I have not tried it myself. SML

I think Teddy Roosevelt would've had fun in the Adventures in Eating board and the regional boards. ("Looking for recs in the Amazon...") The video (errr, news reel) of him holding the whole pork leg in the water to be devoured by pirhannas still cracks me up. BTW--A close friend works for Clinton in Harlem...maybe he can find out if the big guy lurks....hehe. As far as other politicians...I vote for Henry Clay. That guy knew his bourbon. SML edit: I'd like to note I haven't read the article...refuse to register for the Times online. It's something akin to Grandpa Simpson yelling at the cloud in the sky.

And on the King Cocktail website there is a section devoted to non-alcoholic drinks. Maybe that would give you some ideas. http://www.kingcocktail.com/Non-alc.htm SML

"I'm getting sauced with PowerSauce!" How could I have forgotten that! SML

"It tastes like grandma" I so want to see that episode...I've only seen it once. This is my favorite Simpsons link and where the quote from the Canyonero song came from. It only has about 24 songs, but those are complete. Maybe someone has a better song link? My personal favs are the Canyonero song, the Stonecutters song and the See My Vest song. ("See my loafers/former gophers/It was that or skin my chauffeurs" hehe!) http://tim.rawle.org/simpsons/songs.php SML

Yes, that condomy thingie is the clam's siphon. And the clam's siphon does what regular siphons do, it's takes in and expells water. And since they live in the ocean, the water that's siphoned in and out will contain grit/sand. Um, no - the "tail," AKA "neck," is the siphon. The condomy thingie is just a condomy thingie, i.e. a protective skin worn over the siphon - 'cept that unlike a good condom it has a couple of holes in the end so the siphon can... well, siphon. BTW, while I wouldn't care to eat the condomy thingie (which basically tastes like... nothing), I do eat the siphons. Worth it for a bit of grit - and I'm the only one in my crowd who likes 'em, heh heh, so I make a killing. I find it's actually a bit sweeter than the rest of the clam. Also, ours aren't usually all that gritty to begin with - or if they are it extends throughout the clamatomy (clam's anatomy?), so it doesn't much matter. When I was a kid the local folk wisdom was that you could get rid of the grit by keeping the clams (still alive, alive-o, of course) in a bucket of sea-water for a few hours after pouring a lot of corn meal in with them. The theory went that over a couple of hours they would suck in the corn meal, spitting out the sand to make room for it. Turns out that's hogwash. At least the corn meal part is. Leave them in a bucket of sea-water for a couple of hours and they'll spit out most of the sand anyway. See, clams don't LIKE having their little nostrils all full of sand, so when you put them in an environment where that isn't necessary they are perfectly happy to sneeze it the hell out. They do take in quite a bit of the water, though - as anyone can tell you who has pulled a plump clam out of the bucket and given it a good squeeze. Best candidates for this are those that have luxuriously exte-e-e-e-e-ended their siphons while purging the sand - a little unwieldy to aim, but otherwise almost as good as a water pistol! EDIT to add that BTW, steamers don't live in the ocean - they live in the bay. The ocean clam is a different animal - harder shell, more symmetrical shape, less tender flesh, less sweet flavor. I am given to understand that in many commercial establishments that claim to serve "fried clams," what you're actually getting is ocean-clam rims. Easier to work with than steamers - less fragile. And under all that batter, goes the reasoning, who's gonna notice? Great info!! Thanks!! SML

I almost got those at the drug store tonight. Instead I'm having parmesean risotto, lucky charms and club soda. SML

Ummmm...have you tasted them? I mean I have a four ingredient wonderful from scratch cake...it isn't any harder than a mix and tastes a million times better. And how hard is it to wash and cut up fruit (or even unfreeze)....and that tastes a lot better too! SML

I've always been able to buy Everclear at my local ABC store. But maybe some cities don't allow its sale....but I've never heard that though. Wine coolers make me feel the same way. They're basically alcoholic Kool-Aid. SML

Everytime I've had it, it's been massively overcooked and bland...hmmmm...Maybe different places of a chain are different? SML

I hate to bash college kids, but aren't some of them sanctimonious in general? I work on a college campus so believe me, I'm talking from experience. What angers me more is the constant bashing of vegetarians on this board. Even people who I think should know better, think that PETA represents all vegetarians, and that every vegetarian has the time and inclination to lecture you on your daily habits. Also, vegetarians are apparently in a conspiracy to put subliminal messages in ads, blah blah. I have actually been on the receving end of vegetarian bashing by one of the writers on this board. And I'm not even a vegetarian! Being a vegetarian here is almost as bad as being Rick Bayless. On top of this, even five years ago, it wasn't all that easy to be veggie. Your only options were salads and semi warm tofu dishes at the local health food market (at least in my area). I remember crying at one point. I don't know what happened, but today, being a vegetarian is actually easy. There are lots of options, and not all of them are day old salads. You don't want vegetarians to push their views on you? Exactly how many vegetarians are coming up to you about eating meat? What about the friggin Atkins folks? Low carb is everywhere! Atkins crazed friends bore me to tears with their daily diet chatter, though I applaud them for tyring to control their weight and diabetes. I am so sick of Atkins. The most ad coverage vegetarians got was that Superbowl at for Gardenburger. --edit When I say not all vegetarians are PETA people, that wasn't a bash on PETA, just to let you know that the two are not necessarily the same thing. I have had acquaintances approach me and try to convince me that I am a horrible heartless person for not being a vegetarian. (People who know me better know I've made a conscious decision to eat meat and know what happens before it gets to my table.) I haven't had lecturing from the healthy life group, but I tend to eat pretty healthfully anyway, so there wouldn't be much of a reason. Generally the conversation with the former goes like this: Them: "You know by eating that meat you're contributing to animals being held in inhumane conditions." Me: "Yes, I know." Them: "But you know these animals have a soul and feel pain. Do you want to contribute their suffering?" Me: "I feel completely comfortable with my choice to eat meat." It goes on like this until I finallly explain my upbringing and how I know EXACTLY what happens and I am COMPLETELY fine with eating meat. It wears on you after awhile. Plus, no one is as righteous as the recently converted and I'm in my mid-20s and there are a lot of recently converteds. I do agree with you that it's a good thing that more meatless options are available and that there is vegetarian bashing here. The bashing is unfair and the meatless options are a good thing. I love saag paneer and bagain bartha and tempeh burritos and meatless chili and gnocchi wth a tomato cream sauce...meatless can be good. But I also wouldn't want to live a life without meat. Hell, it tastes good and I think that's why a lot of the people here are a bit taken aback with the choice of people to voluntarily deny themselves a food type. This is a website for food lovers after all. On the Adkins thing, even though it is off topic for this thread, that pisses me off too. Again, no one is a righteous as the recently converted. Plus I'm angry that I have to pay more now for my whole wheat tortillas since they added the "low carb" phrase to the front. On the other hand, it has done a lot for making whole wheat foods more reliably available. Just as the rise in vegetarianism has made more meatless options available. In the end, whatever introduces people to new, good foods and expands their palates is a good thing. SML PS Again, what pissed me off in the first place is the silly labeling and people who eat meat calling themselves vegetarians. Not vegetarians themselves.

I knew a lot of vegetarians in college who subsisted on chips, soda, and pizza. And then they wondered why they were getting sick all the time. I think this is a trap that some militant vegetarians do fall into, since they are veggies for philosophical reasons and not health reasons. I too have known a lot of these people and that's mainly who I was talking about with the "it's a college phase thing." My whole thing is the silly, needless labeling. If you're a vegetarian or a vegan, sure say so if someone's making you dinner or you're deciding on a restaurant. If you eat meat occassionally, why do you feel the need to espouse this to people? I guess that's a lot of the problem I have with this. I hate that it's become this big fucking deal where I have 19 year old who haven't eaten meat in the last week lecturing me on lifestyle choices. That being said, I do always appreciate a well articulated position, such as Mudpuppie's. And just as s/he (sorry I don't know your gender!!) has put a lot of thought into this decision, I've thought about hte fact that I'm comfortable eating meat. I know the farming and killing practices, I grew up in a beef cattle farming area, and I sleep just fine eating pretty much anything. But I completely realize that this isn't everyone's position. Just eat what you enjoy and feel comfortable eating and don't push your views off on anyone in a belligerent, aggressive way. That's all I ask. Also, John, I really enjoyed the article from which your excerpt came. It is true that just because a food is organic, etc. doesn't mean that the human labor used to cultivate it was conducted under the most ethical and humane circumstances. Interesting thing to think about. SML

But will you share the details here? SML

Thanks for posting that article, Pan. Now, if I may step up on my soapbox and be opinionated and cussy for a minute... This shit really pisses the hell out of me. I have a lot of respect for people who don't eat meat (or other foods) for religious reason and even though I disagree with them, I have a lot of respect for people who don't eat meat (and dairy and eggs and honey) for animal rights reasons. (But I better not catch you driving a car with a leather interior!) If you still eat meat, seafood, white meat, whatever, YOU'RE NOT A VEGETARIAN!! Don't even bring in that term. Say you're making healthier choices or whatever, but you're not a vegetarian or a fishatarian or a flexatarian or whatever bullshit word du jour some person came up with. It's like this pseduo-vegetarianism is a phase that every person (especially freakin' college students--don't even get me started there) must pass through. JUST STOP IT! Eat what you want and quit labeling it. There are definitely a few meals a week during which I don't eat meat, but it's simply because there are a lot of good dishes without it. I'm not a fucking vegetarian. Ugh...I'm not sure what pisses me off more, these people or the people who do eat meat but are all sqeamish about killing it or how it's killed. Those people really piss me off too. Just hand me the damn axe and I'll have that chicken's head off in 5 seconds. Sorry, stepping down now. SML

HOW?!?! In plate coverage? Cost-effectiveness? General customer dissatisfaction? Nastiness? I want to know!!! SML BTW-Great find Suzanne!

You know, the whole pineapple, olives, cottage cheese combo makes me think about a strange combo I craved once. I love the foods separately but I've never wanted them together. It was the night before I had major surgery and I requested: Pasta with meat sauce Yam casserole: yams, brown and white sugar, pineapple, cinnamon and pecans Green beans I especially liked it when the yam ran into the meat sauce. Just thinking about eating those together again is nasty. SML

Same here! SML Nice to know I'm not that weird!

Right on...nothing's worse than sitting down to a meal where ZERO thought has gone into the sides. There's a "nice" restaurant in my hometown that serves really amazing well-cooked meats: elk steaks, alligator sausage, etc....what do they put with every single friggin' entree...that's right our "friend" limp, frozen, overcooked vegetable medley and twice baked potatoes. I think what's worse is that most people there really do think this is fine dining. UGH!! SML

MMMMMMMM...unexplained bacon..... SML

Does it use rechargeable or "throw away"? From my experience, I'd recommend rechargeable, as batteries cost a lot in the long run. SML