purplewiz

I did watch the earlier showing, although I'm not sure I'm the best person to evaluate how the dishes came out, since the theme ingredient was asparagus, which is among my top ten most disliked foods. Morimoto was in top form - his oversized maki in dashi broth was a work of art. If I was was served that, I would probably think about trying asparagus again. Symon also did a take on sushi, using grape leaves instead of nori, and I think that was the dish he used the flamed ouzo on. Morimoto also served an asparagus ice cream (which elicited much excitement from Alton Brown, which seemed to amuse Morimoto) with a chocolate covered asparagus spear floating in rum. The judges seemed to like it. I hope you were able to catch this episode, either tonight or in one of the reruns. I thought it was pretty entertaining, even if I didn't want any of the dishes, and for once I agreed with the judges :-). Marcia.

Since our first frost is uncharacteristically late (Zone 5 is usually around 9/15, but we haven't had any yet!), I'm still harvesting tomatoes and zucchini and pattypan squash like nobody's business. I can see that the plants are starting to poop out, but as long as they keep producing, I'll keep harvesting. The deer, who left the garden mostly alone during most of the summer, are gearing up for their annual rut - which means they're acting dumber than usual. The stupid things are eating my cucumber vine leaves - they might as well eat the newspapers out for recycling. They also ate some of the zucchini plant leaves - not the zucchini, mind you, just the leaves. The carrots, which were wonderful last year, were not so wonderful this year. Some kind of slime rot got to about half of them - half were picture perfect, half were rotting away. I took all the carrots about two weeks ago to save the good ones. Those who likes carrots say the good ones are very good indeed. (I hate carrots. I grow them for my husband. Love knows no bounds.) The cantaloupe experiment was a mixed bag. Yes, I got two cantaloupes - each roughly the size of a tennis ball: I had to harvest them earlier than I wanted to because the vines had died - I think the deer stepped on them as they were eating the nasturtiums. And the marigolds. So I brought the little things in, and they kept ripening. I was always told that melons don't ripen once they're off the vine, but these sure did - got yellower and softer and started smelling good. The taste was kind of bland, and the flesh was skimpy - they were mostly seeds and rind. But what the heck, I was pleased to get something from them. I made cilantro mint pesto with the last of the cilantro (there's never any end to the mint, no matter how hard I try to pull it all up), the deer got the last of the salad greens, the green onions are holding their own, and even though they're not edible, the dahlias are putting on an incredible show. From here on out, it's harvest until it freezes, then start the long, laborious process of pulling up and bagging dead plants, and putting things to bed until spring. Every year I do this I learn more about what grows and what doesn't, and overall, I'm pretty pleased with the results of this year's gardening. Marcia.

I'm somewhere between #1 and #3. When I'm cooking, I need people to stay out of the way because a lot of my kitchen movements are reflexive now, and when people get in the way I get all discombobulated. Fortunately, our kitchen is kind of divided in two, so there's a place for guests to sit and have a drink out of the way if they want to chat while I'm finishing up. I never ask guests to help with clean up, but if they want to help carry dishes in from the dining room, I don't mind. I just tell them where to pile them and leave them so we can all go talk in the family room over coffee and spirits. The only clean up I do while guests are around is stuff that can't wait, like food that needs to be popped back in the refrigerator. Dishwashing and trash removal can wait - why waste guest time on stuff like that? Marcia.

It depends on the recipe and why I'm looking for it. There are some times when I'm searching out recipes that I really don't even want a whole recipe, I just want a proportion (like for gelatin to liquid in the recent panna cotta experiments). In that case, blunt is better. But if I'm trying something new to me, I'd much prefer some elaboration, especially as to WHY things are done the way they are, and what role each of the ingredients play. This is important because I am a recipe tweaker, and the more nerd knobs you give me to play with, the happier I am. It's also because I'm allergic to bell peppers, and if I know what they're doing in the recipe, I can almost always substitute something else to fill that space. I generally like reading the second kind more if I'm just doing some recreational recipe browsing, because I find them more inspiring. Marcia.

I have the opposite problem: he eats ALL the leftovers. The only way around this is to tell him in plain English "DO NOT EAT THOSE LEFTOVERS." And even then it can be somewhat iffy. After reading this thread, I feel very lucky: the biggest problem is the eternal argument over used dishes. I believe they should go in the sink or in the dishwasher, he seems to believe that if he leaves them sitting by the computer long enough that they will eventually get up and walk themselves to the kitchen. Marcia.

Looks wonderful - I'll keep an eye out for when they start shipping again! Marcia.

I don't like being touched by strangers. It's one of the things that drives me nuts about cities - as you're walking down the sidewalk, you're always being bumped and jostled and *touched*. My skin crawls by the end of the day. While on the whole I'd prefer that servers didn't touch me, as others mentioned, there are cultural exceptions. In North Carolina a friend took us to a barbecue place that was obviously run by the family, the pound cakes proudly on display were made by somebody's gramma, and when you're there, you're family. If you don't want that kind of experience, which includes casual touching, you don't eat there. But as a ploy to get a bigger tip? It's more likely to make me uncomfortable, which tightens my wallet considerably. Marcia.

Two of the three plants are starting to produce quite nicely - the third had some frost damage back in April despite the wall o' waters, so it's not doing as well. The cherry tomato plant is loaded, and they're fantastic - they are so flavorful, they taste like TOMATO. The deer hit the tomato plants twice, so I put up a light barrier over the metal cages, held up by clothespins. It works wonderfully - it lets in 90% of the sunlight, helps hold in heat at night, and best of all, the deer can't see the tomatoes, so being dumb, they don't know they're there. The zucchini and pattypan squashes are also starting to produce in quantity - I am blessed by neighbors who actually WANT gifts of fresh zucchini, so they got all of yesterday's harvest, since tomorrow or Monday I'm going to be harvesting that amount again. I also gave them a lot of the basil - I haven't used up all the pesto in the freezer yet, so I'm not making any this year - along with carrots, tomatoes, and a big herb bouquet - the sage and thyme are becoming shrubs. I still haven't been to any of the Farmer's Markets, and to be honest, I probably won't - they're all so darned EARLY in the morning. I'm just not a morning person :-). Thanks for asking! Marcia.

I choose my blue cheese by smelling them. If I can't smell them through the plastic wrap, they're probably not strong/flavorful/stinky enough for me. I tend to get a lot of my cheeses at the local Whole Foods, too. They were tasting an Epoisses yesterday that was just wonderful (and which I didn't buy only because we happen to have a lot of cheese around right now) - smelled like old gym socks, tasted like heaven. They also had what I call "painful cheddar": cheddar so aged there are crystals of lactic acid in it. I don't find this too often, and it's a real treat. Marcia.

Chocolate. Dark (in attitude), somewhat bitter, slightly sweet, and yet somehow managing to be addictive. Hey, it *sounded* good! Marcia.

Seasoned salt. When I don't know what else to throw on something, I reach for the large jar of Lawry's Seasoned Salt. I used it on the hamburgers tonight. They were great. Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle and Ozark Seasoning. I've used them on everything from fish to beef to grilled vegetables. Curry powder. I've found several brands I like a lot - so much so that I doubt I shall ever make my own. (Same with Thai curry pastes.) Frozen peas, edamame, cauliflower, and broccoli. Because sometimes the frozen stuff is better than the fresh we get. Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Salsa. Yes, I make my own salsa from time to time, but we really love this stuff. Best Foods (or Hellman's - the stores carry both) mayo. They'll probably take my foodie card for this, but I like it better than homemade. I refuse to feel guilty about enjoying these foods and seasonings. I enjoy the flavors and I simply don't have the time or interest to cook from dead scratch every night. I like to think that I know when it's worth it to me to do so, and when it's better to let large corporations do some of the work. Marcia.

Drake's Cakes. Devil Dogs, Ring Dings, Yodels, Coffee Cakes. I grew up on them in the lunches my mother made. Imagine my surprise when I moved to California and they were nowhere to be found. I used to bring boxes back in my suitcase when I went back to visit my folks. Then we moved to CO, and there were two grocery stores that carried them. Finally, I had a place to get my Devil Dog fix! Of course, then one store stopped carrying them and the other went out of business. I wonder if my Chocodile supplier is still in business. Marcia.

She looks a lot like our Oreo, who tips the scales at 17.1 lbs. And it very likely is a lot of fur - long fur can make a cat look a lot fatter than he or she is! (And Mooshmouse, if Noah won't eat that tomato, send it here. I wish I could convince my tomatoes to grow like that!) Marcia.

Just wanted to mention that this is at sea level. I believe the general rule that the jellying point is 8 degrees Fahrenheit over the boiling point of water....which is about 206F where I live. Marcia.

Neither do I .. and I am assuming that you aren't talking about *yams here, Marcia ... I avoid pickle relish for that very reason .. it doesn't taste right to me anyway if it has any sweetness to it .. a personal preference ... ← Yes, you're right....not yams, but potato salads that taste candied, like many grocery store ones do. (I don't like candied yams, either, but that's another discussion. ) I'm with you on the pickle relish - not in my potato salad ! Marcia.

If it's "white" potato salad, with mayo based dressing, yes eggs. If it's not, like sliced new red potatoes with fresh herbs and a vinaigrette, no eggs. I'm always delighted when I find a restaurant whose potato salad has eggs in it. Eggs have a high correlation with the dressing not being overly sweet (I don't like sweet potato salads). Marcia.

There is an assumption in the US that people don't do something about a problem because they aren't informed. Once they are informed, they fact that they now know will compel them to change whatever is necessary to solve it. This assumption is wrong. In other words: telling someone they're fat is not likely to make them run out and change their entire lifestyle immediately. It's more likely to get them mad at you for giving them just one irritation in their already overcommited lives. People don't change because others tell them to. They change because 1. they're ready to and 2. they have found something that they like better on some level to change to. What that level is depends on the person and situation. People don't go from a choice which is meeting their needs in some way to a choice that doesn't meet their needs - or if they do, it doesn't last long, as they discover needs that aren't getting met. And it's not always easy to identify what those needs are. All these articles assume there's a silver bullet out there - if we could only do X or stop eating Y, it would all go away. There isn't. There are a host of reasons people are getting wider on average, and many of these reasons have large organizations heavily vested in seeing that they DON'T change. There's only one thing I know for sure: you don't make someone feel positive about changing by making them feel worse about themselves. Anger/loathing/hatred towards larger folks (I hate the word "overweight" because it implies a single standard, and like most things related to one's individual body, it's an individual number) is not likely to help the situation. Marcia.

Thanks so much! I'm definitely going to try it next time I run across good eggplants! Marcia.

Good heavens, that's something I'd've never thought of, and it looks wonderful! (I love eggplant.) Can you give the rough proportions of about how much bechamel per eggplant? It's definitely something I want to try! I'm really enjoying the blog! Thanks - Marcia.

Two inspirations: First, The Frugal Gourmet. I used to watch TV cooking shows as if they were demonstrations of what you might be able to do with enough training and money. His show was different. His dice wasn't even. He added more garlic if he wanted it. He didn't precisely measure everything - close enough was good enough. Finally, someone was making cooking look as if it was something I could do myself. Second, my friend Chris from college (he knows who he is). Chris and I lived in the same house (different apartments, long story) our senior year, and because it's difficult to cook just for one person, we would split meals on the weekend - he'd cook one night, I'd cook another. He always made such tasty things. When I asked him how they came out so well, he told me his secret: garlic, soy sauce, and oregano. I know, it sounds funny, but there was a wealth of cooking knowledge in that statement. How a few simple flavors can be combined. How it's better to have a few flavors in pantry that you know how to use than lots you never will. That good food doesn't have to be bland. He encouraged me to try, and maybe that's the best inspiration of all. And yeah, he knows all this stuff :-). Marcia.

That electric hot dog cooker. I just can't imagine how it would be easier/faster than doing them in the microwave (or for nights when I want to spend an extra 3 minutes cooking, our outdoor gas grill), and worse, how would you clean it? In fact, that leads to an entire subcategory of the ludicrous and useless: kitchen cooking gadgets that cannot be cleaned easily, like waffle irons whose plates are not removable. Yes, I have one of those, and it can't be submerged, it can't really be sudsed, and I don't think I ever get it really clean. It's on the list for replacement. (I have a new kitchen motto: if it doesn't go in the dishwasher, it doesn't go in my kitchen.) Marcia.

Peanut Butter Chicken Curry Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is my variation on the "Tender Turkey And Peanut Butter Curry" recipe from Ainsley Harriott's cookbook Gourmet Express 2. His basic recipe is very good, but I've tweaked this to my taste by substituting chicken for the turkey, changing the amounts of most of the ingredients, and adding more vegetables. 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into roughly 1/2" cubes oil for browning 1 small or 1/2 large onion, diced 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (or other hot chile pepper) 1 T grated ginger 1 T minced or crushed garlic (2-3 cloves) 1-1/2 T Madras Curry Powder 1/3 c peanut butter 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (+ cream if it's in there) 1 c chicken stock/broth 1 can diced tomatoes with juice 1/2 lb cauliflower florets, frozen or fresh 1/2 c frozen peas salt and pepper (and possibly sugar) to taste Preheat oven to 350F. In a large oven-safe pot (I use my Le Creuset), brown the chicken in oil. Add the onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add the jalapeno, ginger, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the curry powder and cook until really fragrant. Add the peanut butter and let it melt, a really short time. Add the coconut milk, tomatoes, and cauliflower, and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly so everything's mixed. Put a lid on the pot and put it in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, add the peas, and bake another 5 minutes. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice (or not, if you don't want it). Makes 4 large servings and freezes VERY well. Sometimes the ingredients are a bit on the bitter side, and since I use unsweetened peanut butter, I need to add a little sugar (or Splenda works well, too) to balance it out. (But Skippy and the like work just fine - crunchy or smooth.) Measurements are rough guesses at best, since at this point the only thing I measure is the curry powder. There are many substitutions which can be made with delicious results. I once made this for vegetarians by using butternut squash for the chicken and vegetable broth for the chicken stock. Keywords: Easy, Main Dish, Chicken, Dinner ( RG1383 )

Peanut Butter Chicken Curry Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is my variation on the "Tender Turkey And Peanut Butter Curry" recipe from Ainsley Harriott's cookbook Gourmet Express 2. His basic recipe is very good, but I've tweaked this to my taste by substituting chicken for the turkey, changing the amounts of most of the ingredients, and adding more vegetables. 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into roughly 1/2" cubes oil for browning 1 small or 1/2 large onion, diced 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (or other hot chile pepper) 1 T grated ginger 1 T minced or crushed garlic (2-3 cloves) 1-1/2 T Madras Curry Powder 1/3 c peanut butter 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (+ cream if it's in there) 1 c chicken stock/broth 1 can diced tomatoes with juice 1/2 lb cauliflower florets, frozen or fresh 1/2 c frozen peas salt and pepper (and possibly sugar) to taste Preheat oven to 350F. In a large oven-safe pot (I use my Le Creuset), brown the chicken in oil. Add the onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add the jalapeno, ginger, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the curry powder and cook until really fragrant. Add the peanut butter and let it melt, a really short time. Add the coconut milk, tomatoes, and cauliflower, and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly so everything's mixed. Put a lid on the pot and put it in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, add the peas, and bake another 5 minutes. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice (or not, if you don't want it). Makes 4 large servings and freezes VERY well. Sometimes the ingredients are a bit on the bitter side, and since I use unsweetened peanut butter, I need to add a little sugar (or Splenda works well, too) to balance it out. (But Skippy and the like work just fine - crunchy or smooth.) Measurements are rough guesses at best, since at this point the only thing I measure is the curry powder. There are many substitutions which can be made with delicious results. I once made this for vegetarians by using butternut squash for the chicken and vegetable broth for the chicken stock. Keywords: Easy, Main Dish, Chicken, Dinner ( RG1383 )

Spaghettio sandwich. White bread, butter, Spaghettios hot or cold, didn't matter. Mmmm. Marcia.

This sound really good. Mind sharing the recipe??? ← Sure, no problem. This is a riff on the Tender Turkey and Peanut Butter Curry from Ainsley Harriott's Gourmet Express 2, which has turned out to be one of the best cookbooks I was ever given. (I hope I did the eGullet Amazon link right.) I have no idea if it's authentic, I only know it's good. Peanut Butter Chicken Curry 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into roughly 1/2" cubes oil for browning 1 small or 1/2 large onion, diced 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (or other hot chile pepper) 1 tbsp grated ginger 1 tbsp minced or crushed garlic (2-3 cloves) 1 1/2 tbsp Madras Curry Powder 1/3 cup peanut butter 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (+ cream if it's in there) 1 cup chicken stock/broth 1 can diced tomatoes with juice 1/2 lb cauliflower florets, frozen or fresh 1/2 - 1 cup frozen peas salt and pepper (and possibly sugar) to taste Preheat oven to 350F. In a large oven-safe pot (I use my Le Creuset), brown the chicken in oil. Add the onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add the jalapeno, ginger, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the curry powder and cook until really fragrant. Add the peanut butter and let it melt, a really short time. Add the coconut milk, tomatoes, and cauliflower, and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly so everything's mixed. Put a lid on the pot and put it in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, add the peas, and bake another 5 minutes. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice (or not, if you don't want it). Makes 4 large servings and freezes VERY well. Sometimes the ingredients are a bit on the bitter side, and since I use unsweetened peanut butter, I need to add a little sugar (or Splenda works well, too) to balance it out. (But Skippy and the like work just fine - crunchy or smooth.) Measurements are rough guesses at best, since at this point the only thing I measure is the curry powder. There are many substitutions which can be made with delicious results. I once made this for vegetarians by using butternut squash for the chicken and vegetable broth for the chicken stock. Marcia.