Cook456

I know exactly how you are with them...I have a tin on my desk at work.

Any place worth going to for a quick lunch near Times Square?

Wow! What a great meal. Sounds like a perfect way to celebrate a birthday.. Gee, mine is coming up in a few weeks... hmmmmmmmm

That's fabulous news.. Wishing you the best!!!

I'm having one of Ina Garten's fabulous Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Coconut! They are from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

If you...arrgggh...twist....my...arm...um, SURE!! That would certainly help me avoid having to plant and grow my own stuff, wouldn't it?!? Seriously, though, I do have some good sun exposure off of my living room window, so a window box is a definite possibility! Also have a great sill over my kitchen window, but it gets indirect light. ← I have mint, that I planted last year, coming up in my clay rectangular boxes on my deck. I usually keep pots of rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil, too.

Terra Chips ...Olive Oil and Rosemary. OH My....

Yes! Yes! What ever happened to those???? I loved them both!!

Saw this publication I believe in Shoppers Vineyard.

Do you mean American Bistro on Washington Avenue? I never heard of American Grill. ← Yes, you're right..sorry.

What wine would you serve with a Spring Pea Soup? A stock is made of celery and leeks, with a little garlic, and Chicken Stock. Then cream is added and then the fresh peas and fresh thyme. Served cold.

Here's my menu: Spring Pea Soup Salad of Arugula, mint and mache with a fennel seed vinagrette Rack of lamb with Cabernet/ Ruby Port Sauce Roasted Asparagus Potatoe and Fennel Gratin for dessert: Coconut Cupcakes from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook Chocolates

I discovered this belle de brillet, last year. It's fabulous! Sorry, haven't seen the cognac.

Easter dinner is up to me this year, and I have no idea of what to cook. In the past I've done Rack of lamb, and Baked Ham, but want to do something different..perhaps with lamb, but am not a fan of lamb laced with garlic. Any ideas? The dinner is being prepared for siblings who have culinary degrees, so it's hard to come up with something that will present well HELP..

Hawaiian Shave Ice! Talk about markup! You can walk with it too and it's so refreshing on a hot day. Heavily promote "Lemonade Shave Ice" so people won't just think of it as a dessert. Hmm, what can you pair with Shave Ice that smells good to attract people with aroma? ← Pineapple and coconut...

I noticed at the last Montclair Arts & Crafts Festival that there was a serious lack of food. Anyone with any food would have made a fortune. I once had sweet potato fries at a fair that were addictive. or How about those sugared nuts that you see on the streets of New York?

Is it June yet? I can't wait for the Farmer's Market Season to begin.

Oh, that's easy enough. Just make strong coffee and pour it into a glass full of ice cubes. If you use a dripper (in Japan, french presses are much less popular than in the States), just place a glass full of ice cubes below the dripper, and the coffee will be cooled instantly. ← But then you're diluting it.. ??

Back to the French toast topic. Stacey...here you go... Take out a non-stick saute pan. Add a big old pat of butter and put it on a burner. Don't turn it on yet. Take two nice slices of bread (a lovely challah is great). Take a little bowl, like a cereal bowl even, and add three eggs. Beat the heck out of them with a fork. Now add some milk, or better half and half, or the best, a little heavy cream. About three tablespoons. Now, add a splash of vanilla. Turn the heat on your pan; medium heat will suffice. You don't want to burn that butter... Take those slices of bread and dunk 'em good in the egg mixture. Coat them, but don't leave 'em in too long. Now, place the bread in the pan. After about two minutes or so, take a little spatula and peek at the side that's in the pan. If its GBD (golden brown and delicious) go ahead and flip it. Same thing on that side. Now, go ahead and slather it with butter and maple syrup. Take out a fork, then a knife... See, Dear, you can cook! No need for delivery of French toast! ← For total decadence add a splash of OJ or better yet, Grand Marnier. We beat the cream a bit before adding.

Well, I did say that I'm not a good judge of bakeries, 'cause sugar's not my thing. Pete is right--LPS is smaller, but what he didn't mention is that they also have homemade italian ice there, and do a TON of business in that part of the store in the warmer weather! They also carry those classic italian cookies that are covered with sesame seeds, and Mazur's doesn't. I have no clue of the name, but they're more like a biscuit than a cookie, not super sweet, and are most excellent with a cuppa something. ← Definitely...LPS gets mobbed in the summer for their Italian ices. Another good one in my 'hood is Gencarelli's in Bloomfield. They also have those cookies that I think you're talking about (pignoli). There's a pic of them on their site. ← Pignoli cookies are an almond paste cookie with pignoli nuts. These are oval shaped cookies with sesame seeds all over them. As an Italian, I should know the name. I don't, but I will certainly find out. As for the LP italian ice, the vanilla or "yum yum" as we call it is especially good.

This is correct - most Vietnamese restaurants in the uS actually use Cafe du Monde dark roast coffee - the New Orleans product that is a coffee and chicory blend. My favorite local Viet restaurant has switched over to a Vietnames import - more costly but it makes an iced Viet style coffee far superior to any other brand I've tried Trung Nguyen Coffee My favorite iced coffee drink is a home brewed variation of the Starbuck Frappuccino style drink. I make mine to have far less sugar content and lower fat (not to mention that it cost me 50 cents instead of $4.00!) Use a full bodied coffee such as a good French roast. Reduce by 50% the amount of water used to make the coffee. I sometimes also add a couple spoons of Ferrara's Instant Espresso powder while it's hot. Most important is to use small ice cubes and a good strong blender that is capable of finely crushing the ice. I suggest the Braun Powermax Blender It has a stronger motor than anything else in its class and in my experience actually does a better job at crushing than the Waring and other brands in the $100 - $150 range. Do not over blend - mixture will separate more rapidly after serving if you do so. Lately I've been experimenting with adding food grade carageenan as a binding agent to prevent separation - if doing this use a very small amount - about 1/4 teaspoon in a blender full of ice and mix. My attempts at using pectin for this purpose were disasterous. Using ice cubes made of espresso or strong coffee also adds a nice kick. 1 1/2 cups cold extra strong coffee simple syrup to taste 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract Stir to dissolve ingredients while hot Add cooled mixture to 1/2 cup milk with fat level of your choice before storing. Shake well before adding to blender. This recipe is intended for use with 3 cups of ice cubes. ← In Japan, where iced coffee is quite popular, there are clear guidelines to make good iced coffee (which agree with your descriptions): 1. Use dark roast coffee beans. The darker, the bitter, the more bodied, and the less acidic. 2. Use less water to make stronger coffee. 3. Cool the coffee quickly. If cooled slowly, the coffee will get cloudy. ← How do you cool the coffee quickly?

No, it's that they love free food...lol Kidding aside, to tell the truth, I've never cared much for their stuff.

I thought I was the only black coffee drinker left. Glad to hear there are other purists around.

It's 7:30 and no one has replied. Guess they're all out celebrating!! Was going to go visit my cousin in Hoboken, then thought "Hoboken ............ St Patrick's Day ???? What am I kidding?????? " Stayed home and had a frozen enchilada from Whole Foods. Thought it would be better than it was.

I work around 42nd and fifth..Any place near there?