purplewiz
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Posts posted by purplewiz
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I think it is Hellman's in the east and Best Foods in the west. I have only seen Hellman's "flavored" mayo at Big Lots and their stuff comes from God knows where.....
Yes, you're absolutely right...that's what I get for answering way late at night, I mess up cardinal directions :-).
You have only three types of mustards? Geez, I must be weird because I have half a dozen types that are homemade - I have no idea how many I have that are store bought but there is a tray full in the pantry and a bunch in the fridge.Of course I have to admit I am a bit of a nut about mustard in all its many forms.
Afraid so - I like mustard, but not as much as say, horseradish. I have a little of a lot of things - I like getting a bottle of something interesting here and there.
Marcia.
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Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
Best Foods Mayo (Hellman's west of some line)
Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Salsa
I have many, many more condiments in the fridge and in the pantry, including about 3 types of mustard, but these are the things I turn to over and over again when I need to "help" some food or another.
Marcia.
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Floor: we replaced our kitchen floor about 3 years ago with a tile-look Pergo-alike by Formica. I couldn't be happier with it - it still looks new, cleans like a dream, and is soft underfoot. I go barefoot most of the time at home, so I need a floor that has some give or my feet won't take it.
I'll be following this thread to see what people like for countertops, because very high up on the list of things to do next is replace the gawdawful mauve laminate countertops the house came with. The only reason they haven't been replaced yet is that every time we finally are ready to do them, another emergency comes along that eats up the countertop fund :-(.
Marcia.
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I accidentally bought a bag of frozen chopped broccoli instead of florets, so I figured it would make a good soup. So tonight's vegetable was broccoli cheese soup :-).
I sweated 1/2 chopped onion in some olive oil...ok, had the heat up a little high, so it also fried a little. I figured it didn't matter, and I was right. Added about a tsp of chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, a couple big shakes of smoked paprika (just enough to add a little extra oomph, not enough to really taste of paprika, I like smoked paprika for this), sauteed that a little, then added 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock and the bag of chopped broccoli. I think it was 24 oz...about 4 cups.
Simmered all of that for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli was defrosted and cooked, then pureed the mess in the blender. Then made a roux of 1 1/2 tbsp butter and flour, cooked it a bit until it wasn't floury, and added a cup of milk. Cooked that until thick.
Stirred in the broccoli puree, brought to a simmer, and added about 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar. Turned off the heat and stirred until it was melted in. Added a mess of black pepper and a little salt.
It turned out great, and next time I might use only 1 tbsp flour/butter for the roux, because the broccoli puree thickened it all so nicely. Of course all measurements are approximate - it's soup, after all.
Marcia.
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Even though I've been silent, I've really enjoyed reading this blog and seeing all the wonderful pictures.
I also want to say thanks for all the great ideas for using zaatar - I never would have thought to try it over eggs. I also have The Cooks Companion (a hostess gift from friends from Australia), and now I'll have to go delve into it again.
Thanks!
Marcia.
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Flourless chocolate cake. I remember when this was on just about every dessert menu, and now it seems to be gone. It's too bad, because I really like it still.
Marcia.
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Clam dip. My mother made this for their Pinochle nights (anyone else remember (vaguely) how to play Pinochle?) and I loved it even over onion dip.
Marcia.
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Spam Kabobs.
Marcia.
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I guess I am going to have to break down and get the Bourdain book. I haven't done that yet because I have no interest in cooking pig snouts.
(Just joking.) But, since everyone is doing that mushroom soup, and I love mushroom soup, I may have to relent.Before I mention this, I do want to give (yet another) strong recommendation for the book, even if you're not going to be cooking pig snoots - it's a darn good read and there's lots to learn from it. Besides, it made me laugh, and that alone is worth it to me.
But if all you want is the mushroom soup recipe, it's been published on the epicurious site (which I assume means it's with the blessings of the publisher):
http://www.epicurious.com/features/cookboo.../recipes/231145
And it is a very very good mushroom soup indeed.
Marcia.
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I'm another who let my subscription lapse and haven't picked up another issue since.
There were two events that led to this:
1. I realized most of the time, when they tested recipes or ingredients, the most expensive ones came out on top. Well, duh. But if I'm going to spend $10 on seafood, it's not going to be on canned tuna, I'm going to go to the fresh fish counter and get the catch of the day.
2. In the same vein, when they decided that Beef Stroganoff was best made with filet mignon in a "silky" sauce. I had so many issues with this I don't know where to begin.
Basically, I realized that we were not on the same page culinarily, and it was best if we parted ways.
Marcia.
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Yes, roast green beans are wonderful. They do get a little chewy, but honestly, I like them that way.
Marcia.
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The line between "from scratch" and "convenience food" is blurry at best, and it doesn't help that it keeps moving.
From one of my favorite cookbooks, "The Phony Gourmet" (emphasis theirs):
Over the years, the definition of convenience foods has changed. In our great-grandmothers' time, flour, butter, sugar, and cheese (that could all be purchased in the general store) were considered CONVENIENCE FOODS, and probably the die-hard pioneers thumbed the new-agers who didn't grow their own wheat, mill their own flour, or milk their own cows.By the time our grandmothers took over the kitchens, flour, milk, and butter were no longer considered CONVIENIENCE FOODS, but had become STAPLES. Store-bought bread was a convenience foods. Today we don't think of bread as a convenience foods, it's a STAPLE.
I consider chili that I make from ground beef, canned beans, canned tomatoes, fresh onion, prepackaged chili powder, and assorted other herbs and spices to be homemade. I know others feel differently, and that's ok.
I consider a chicken finger salad that I make with Bell and Evans frozen chicken fingers (they're tasty) over a bag of prewashed salad greens topped with preshredded cheese out of a bag to be somewhat less so, but it's awfully good. Having made chicken fingers from scratch, I can safely say that they're not any better than the frozen kind, and they're a blortload more work. So to answer the question why I'd want to eat such things? They're good.
Like many of the folks here, I like all kinds of food. I love foie gras when I can get it. I like my own cooking. I like eating dinner at friends' houses, even when it's spaghetti and sauce straight out of a jar. I like Chick-fil-A sandwiches, and I like Sno Balls. On my top ten list of things I haven't yet eaten but want to try before I die are Balmain Bugs (or Moreton Bay Bugs) and Deep Fried Twinkies.
As a friend of mine who's a former chef always says, it's all good.
Marcia.
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Add me to the Hellman's/Best Foods camp. (We're on the border between the territories, our grocery stores carry both. I buy whichever I have a coupon for.)
I've made mayo myself, when I ran out of the Hellman's, and while I loved the texture, the flavor just wasn't there for me. If I were doing a flavored mayo, I'd gladly make it again - it was a snap in the food processor. But for everyday use, bring on the Best Foods.
I like to mix mayo with some mustard, and use it as a coating for chicken or fish. Or use this mixture as a base coat on chicken legs, which are then rolled in a bread crumb/parmesan/herb/salt/pepper mixture and baked. It makes a fabulous coating, works well on other chicken cuts and fish too.
Then there's my favorite use, good ol' tuna salad.
Marcia.
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Tonight's dinner was sausage kale soup - but made with Whole Foods' habanero pork sausage. The habanero pork runs from passingly spicy to ouch in heat depending on who made it that day. Tonight's was definitely towards the ouch end of the spectrum, to the point where I kept coughing as I was browning it off.
It made the soup, though. I didn't even add any seasonings other than salt and pepper - just let the browned sausage and onions and tomatoes carry the flavor, and it was fantastic.
Marcia.
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I, too, went through the "salt is EEEEEVIL" phase in my cooking, but came back to salt because I finally discovered that, when used properly, it doesn't make food taste salty, it makes it taste MORE.
But the biggest change came a little over a year ago when we changed our diet to a reduced carb one. I basically had to learn to cook all over again, since most of my standards were pasta with a sauce, rice with a sauce, potatoes with a sauce.....
This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I discovered I'd become a lazy and uninventive cook, and being forced to venture outside my comfort zone has made me try all kinds of new foods and new techniques and new flavors. Rather than a program of denial, it's been an adventure in the rediscovery of food.
I am also less afraid of strong flavors - not overpowering, but flavors that make your tongue stand up and take notice.
And I finally learned how to make a good reduction sauce.
Marcia.
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This question is about cooking with wine. People always say to only cook with wine that you would drink, but that's a moot point for me as I normally don't drink alcoholic beverages. I just cook with them. For every day cooking will it really make any difference if I just use the cheap stuff out of a box?
I'm no expert, but my take has been that I use wine that isn't awful, but it doesn't have to be better than swillable/chuggable/cheap picnic plonk.
I cook with those wines that come in the 4 pack of individual bottles - with screw caps, so any leftovers are easy to store in the fridge. I can't see opening a whole bottle of wine for a recipe that calls for 1/2 cup (which tonight's chicken piccata did). One of those little bottles holds about a cup, if I recall correctly, enough for one or two recipes. Of course I'll cook with some of the good wine if we're going to drink the rest of the bottle with dinner, but I think the little bottles work very well.
I should think the boxed wines would also work quite well.
Marcia.
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There are certain dishes that I just seem to be unable to cook in small amounts, like chicken soup. I've finally bowed to the inevitable and make double what we're actually going to eat, with plans to freeze the rest. This has worked out remarkably well, since there are some nights that I Just Don't Feel Like Cooking, and being able to simply reheat a block of frozen something and tear open a bag of salad and call it dinner is fast food at its best.
Single servings are even less of a problem - they become lunch, or a late night snack for my husband. He's an inveterate snacker, and I'd rather he snacked on the good stuff.
When I was growing up, all the single serving leftovers stayed in the fridge until Saturday, when we all scrounged for lunch. I remember those lunches very fondly - who got the beef stew? Who got the mac and cheese? First to the fridge got first choice.
I also finally gave up trying to make two meals in a row out of the rotisserie chicken, or turkey night after night until it's gone - I freeze the meat and it keeps quite well. This gets transformed into soup or stew or salad sometime down the line when we're over being sick and tired of it :-).
Marcia.
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I'm another one in the cannot STAND anything that has that anise/licorice flavor. The smell is one of the few things that can instantly make my stomach turn and ruin my appetite. I can take a few fennel seeds in sausage, but I do mean only a few - too many and there goes the stomach.
I also can't stand tarragon. When I was growing up, tarragon chicken was THE elegant dish served everywhere, and I couldn't wait to grow up and be able to try it. Imagine my disappointment when it tasted nothing like what I imagined it to be like.
Fat Guy's rosemary story is very similar to why I cannot stand the smell of roses. When I was in college, my roommate wore "Tea Rose" scent, which was bad enough, but one day she dropped the bottle. The scent was overpowering, nauseating, and sadly, long lasting. Even now the smell of roses turns my stomach.
Marcia.
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Thin Mints. Always been my favorite, no matter who makes them.
Even though the cookies aren't really in the eating plan anymore, I will ALWAYS buy at least one box from any girl scout who comes to the door. Since I was forced to sell these stupid things back when I had to be a girl scout (it's a long story), I know what it feels like to be on the outside of that door. So I help them out, and there's always somewhere I can bring a box along as my contribution.
Marcia.
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I love chard - sadly, so do the deer. They ate it before even the lettuce, which they adore.
Fortunately, the market carries it.
I like to separate the leaves from the stems, dice the stems, and simmer the stems only for about 10 minutes, then add the leaves. I simmer until the leaves are tender, then let the water simmer away, until it's as dry as possible, but no drier. Add a tbsp or so of heavy cream, and 2 tbsp of grated parmesan, and you have stove top Chard Alfredo. It's a great side dish.
Marcia.
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Albacore. Not seared, as many places around here serve it - just plain, raw albacore.
It's what made me decide that maybe eating dead, cold, raw fish wasn't so bad after all.
Marcia.
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Eating involves all the senses... what it looks like, the music that is playing or the football game on TV, the flowers, the candles, the aromas, the company, the texture of the food, not to mention the taste. I know I'm getting carried away, but as much as I love it all, I love to eat.
I usually hate to say "I love to eat", because in our society that is interpreted to mean "I want to be filling my face constantly with anything and everything I can get my hands on" - and nothing could be further from the truth.
You have described the delights of eating very well - it's the entertaining of the senses, the layers of flavors and scents and textures, the interplay between ingredients or dining companions (or both, depends on the circumstances). It's the excitement of the new, the comfort of the old, the serendipity of discovery, the physical pleasure of taste and satiety.
I've rarely, if ever, experienced this with indiscriminate dining. It doesn't seem to be related to cost of ingredients, or fat or calorie or carbohydrate content (or lack thereof) of the food, either. It's probably a gestalt of the situation, my body's wants, my tongue's desire for taste, what is currently available and good, what I have the skills and ability to acquire or cook - and when it all comes together, it's simply wonderful.
It's too bad pleasure has such a bad reputation.
Marcia.
but you guys know all this already.
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Beer in general, and Guinness in specific. The first time I tasted beer I thought "ok, who's serving toilet cleaner?" - it was unspeakably nasty. I guess my tastes changed, or I started drinking better beer.
But even then, it took awhile for me to warm up to Guinness. It was just too much...until the beers lecture in my wine tasting course (two free elective credits towards graduation). Something just clicked, and the deep flavor was exactly what my taste buds wanted. Especially with a thick turkey sandwich on a kaiser roll during a snowstorm (one of the 10 best meals I've ever eaten).
Marcia.
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It also comes with a salad, and I order a salty yogurt drink as well:
Hey, they have the same bowls I do
!(And the salad looks pretty good too!)
Marcia.
edited to straighten out my BBcode.
Savin' the best for last?
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
I hate to say this, but: It Depends.
I'm a planner, so when I was growing up, the best bits were ALWAYS saved for last. Even now, my preferred way to work on any project is get the stuff I hate to do done FIRST, and then have time to linger over the stuff I like doing, without the threat of all that icky stuff.
Now, I eat the best stuff as soon as possible, because if I save it to the end, I'm often too full to enjoy it. There is nothing worse than realizing you filled up on stuff you hate, even if it is good for you.
Cake is still an exception. I don't have it often, but when I do, I eat all the cake first, and save the frosting for last. As far as I'm concerned, cake is nothing more than a vehicle for serving frosting.
When I was growing up, when it came to snack food and the like, there wasn't anything to save for last. You either ate it when you saw it, or you didn't get any. It took years and years after I left my parents' house to realize I did this, and then to change the habit.
And as for sushi, I always end my sushi meal with tamago. It's just a habit I picked up from an ex-SO.
Marcia.