eunny jang

Bake uncovered. Make sure your sauce is not too watery - and undercook your noodles by a wide margin, since they'll absorb a lot of liquid during that loong baking time. If you're doing an American-style lasagne, use whole milk cheese rather than watery skim - and try adding an egg to your ricotta. And definitely let it stand.

I think it's more like Tantalus' fate. I've always heard it pronounced "yu-ro" - but usually I just ask for a (g)yro...I'm enough of a clod already that I'm not worried about it.

The problem is, people who say this use it most often as a (they think) more authoritative "this is good" - "Gee Mary, your tuna casseroles are always cooked to perfection". "This steak is cooked to a perfect medium rare." I'll buy that for a dollar - but sorry, it's just plain lazy and stupid to say that a jello salad or lamb vindaloo is "cooked to perfection" unless you really mean that "this has been cooked for exactly the right length of time at just the right temperature". I guess my problem is that it's only appropriate when you're actually talking about the temperature the food has been brought to, and people use it as a catch-all description of something that tastes good. Yours, The Semantics Nag

Tyler Florence vaguely reminds me of Ewan McGregor. Therefore, though his smirks make me want to sock him across the kisser, he can do no wrong by me. I HATE HATE HATE when anybody says anything is "cooked to perfection." Is there any lazier descriptor?

Sounds like a good idea for a seperate thread....what type of places are good for a first date? Although I think going out to eat pho is akin to going out to eat spaghetti, or an oversized sub on a first date! (it could be verry messy ) ← nice girls don't (pho)ck on the first date.

I suppose I ought to put some real substance in that post - For some reason, the Koreans love them some buffets (I think it's the idea that they're getting away with something - you'd be either amused or horrified to see the things my grandmother does to "cheat"...hiding nigiri sushi rice under lettuce leaves after peeling the fish off, etc), so in that respect, it's actually pretty authentic For what it's worth, I don't think Il Mee is very good, though the selection is certainly vast and you won't walk away hungry. Seemingly everything there is heavily sweetened - one could go into insulin shock just looking at the bulgogi - my major dealbreaker for Korean restaurants.

Aieee! The name is hardly an enticement

Odd little snipe about Colorado Kitchen, too.

I think I remember reading somewhere about a woman who does custom replicas of people's mansions and historic buildings in gingerbread during the Christmas season....I will see if I can dig it up. Edit: 's s

I am never ever ever again taking my eye off ANYTHING I need in the kitchen while my boyfriend is roaming around. Last night, we smoked a turkey - knowing there'd be no drippings for gravy, I specifically roasted some more parts with onions, turning the pan, paying close attention to it, and getting gorgeous gibbles and juice in the pan. I had giblet stock simmering alongside all freaking afternoon, and mentioned all this to him as I was doing it. I pull the roasting pan out to remove the solids, ten minutes till estimated serving time - the turkey's resting, the dressing's browning, the brussels sprouts are done - turn my back for one moment to skim the stock - and when I turn back around, my pan full of gorgeous caramelized bits and pieces and juices is in the sink, coated with Dawn. I made a decent gravy with just the stock though. But MAN!

I've always wondered about this. Isn't tripe cheaper than dirt? Why are they always so stingy with it?

Sizzle some very finely minced garlic with an anchovy fillet in some olive oil till broken up, or add a long squirt of anchovy paste. Guaranteed to mysteriously deepen the flavor without any hint of fishiness.

There have been times when I have negatively described an unsuccessful too-busy restaurant dish as a "clusterfuck on a plate".

Stuffed - trim cipollinis to sit flat, remove the inner rings to leave a 3/4" wall, and fill with any starch-based stuffing you like. Bake, brushing with butter. Man, oh man.

Simmer, simmer, simmer. I agree that the oven is your best bet. With the smaller, more compact tail-tip pieces, the silverskin sheathing the meat can be really tough - trim scrupulously.

I love a fennel-onion-parsnip gratin. And I love fennel in marinated salads.

Wow! Sorry for the off-topic aside, but how's the pork and fish there? We bought a brisket there once, and found it excellent, but haven't returned...

Buttered white toast. DUXELLES. There is no other answer.

Ahh...we did a similar thing - a turkey smoked with sage and bacon, roasted brussels sprouts, gravy to make your grandmother weep, and Jeff's famous mashed-potato stuffing. Speaking of which, does anyone know the provenance of this dish? I'd never heard of it, but Jeff grew up with it. No pics - we woke up so late we didn't eat anything all day, and were starving by the time the turkey was done. Gobbled (heh) everything up.

Hah. I love the episode of Seinfeld when Kramer walks into Jerry's apartment after a restless night spent tossing and turning in the glare of the neon red rotisserie chicken sign erected outside his window, makes a bowl of cereal, and pours tomato juice on it because it looked like milk to him.

Cold takeout pizza that had been sitting on the counter all night. What made it worse was the fact that Jeff went and took a huge bite out of each slice and then proceeded to pick the cheese and toppings off each piece at some point during last night's, uh, festivities. Needless to say, there are no pictures.

Oh...oh, my.

I continue to be totally awed by this blog. Those apple doughnuts look amazing - how do you pipe them into the oil to achieve the "ring" shape? But..but....do ALL Pacific-Northwesterners eat their pancakes and waffles dripping with BLOOD, as it indicates on the package?

Yum, me too! A crisp fall day, football, beer, "california dip" and Ruffles...life doesn't get any better, unless you maybe add proper Frank's Hot Sauce buffalo wings to the mix somewhere.

Uh, why? I understand that it's not "authentic", but thank you for pointing it out. It might taste pretty good though - salty and meaty, sweet with onion, acidic from tomatoes, and peppery pasta.