petite tête de chou

I love the sound of every single one of these. I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

Speaking on behalf of my (overly? ) masculine husband... A big plate of spaghetti with a meaty red sauce, garlic bread and half a bottle of red wine. A mess of brats with sauerkraut and beer served in his special stein. Thick beef stew with homemade biscuits and butter. A large weekend breakfast of three scrambled eggs, four-five slices of thick bacon, two slices of bread with butter, spicy potatoes fried with onions/red bell-pepper and a tall glass of orange juice. He loves grilled food, too. Especially hamburgers, prawns and chicken breasts.

Perhaps braise a hunk o' meat in a pot on the stovetop? Toss in some bagged baby carrots, baby potatoes, frozen peas, etc? I would think that the meat and vegetables would be so tender that you could eat them without a knife. Edited to add, you might also consider buying left-handed kitchen scissors. That arm is going to take a while to heal and the scissors will ease a bit of your frustration in the kitchen. You can "chop" quite a few things with them. And pop a plastic bag over your cast with a large rubber band- it'll help keep it clean and dry while you cook.

Eh. I'd give it a curiosity bite but that's it. Even if it knocked my socks off I wouldn't ever select it as a meal or "snack." There's better food out there to spend my calorie allowance on.

I really like a lot of Tabasco on my popcorn. The spicy, soggy bits are so good! Or butter with salt and pepper. Are the wee, half-popped kernels called "grannies?" My Dad and I would always fight a bit over those.

A few favorites are... A big pot o' boiling pasta. Coffee brewing on a weekend morning, NOT a work day. A sun-warmed blackberry patch. Pure heaven. Fresh mint and rosemary from my garden. Lovely stuff! THE least liked... Rotten seafood. Hands down, the worst odor ever. Ever. Fish sauce is forgivable, though. Can't make delicious Thai food without it.

Flour would've been used to make hard tack, biscuits, pancakes etc.

Oh lordy, Chufi. That looks magnificent. Truly. How did you prepare the sprouts before adding them to the souffle? Sauteed? Blanched? Roasted?

Some really, really good stuff can be found in the Pizza--Cook-Off VIII, eGullet Recipe Cook-Off Series. Yum!

So someone has a near fatal allergic reaction to an ingredient included in her dish. Said customer swears that she told the waiter about her allergy. Waiter said she did not. Waiter did not write down order. What happens then?

Salty black liquorice.

Very odd. Not as a result of this thread, but I recently decided to return to my yin/yang sense of balancing my diet- both food-wise and spiritual-wise. I believe that there is nothing "quack" about this rather enlightened sense of health/spiritual maintainence through food. I'm fortunate that I prefer vegetables (haven't yet met one that I didn't appreciate), whole grains, a few meats (I prefer crab, salmon, mussels, scallops, shrimp etc.), no fast food or deep fried stuff. A real kill-joy, I am. Although I am a nearly a complete novice in present company I wanted someone to know that this Westerner, at least, embraces the "Chinese Philosophy of Food," as far as I'm aware of it. Simplicity is, really, where I'm at in most things. An example of my attempts- I made a large batch of tabouli- soaked bulgar, parsley, tomato, green onion, mint, lemon juice and a smidge of olive oil. I'll be eating this through out the week with a variety of side dishes. Such as steamed sweet potatoes with sesame seed oil, cauliflower, tofu (I prefer it uncooked but I almost get the shakes after eating it because I get so cold, even after adding minced ginger, green onions and a spicy oil), a broccoli, carrots etc. I tend to wake up with a cup of coffee with milk and white sugar which, while I mentally find it soothing, does little for me physically. I greet the day with an acidic and curdled milk tummy. Out of sorts. During the evening I tend to drink green tea, mint teas, a variety of herbal teas (tisanes?). And while I know that drinking lots of water through out the day is good (I drink about a half gallon) it makes me cold- even if its warm or room temperature. Yikes. I think, in my round-about way, I'm asking for suggestions or opinons on how to balance my diet within the Chinese philosophies concerning food. Thus far, my pantry has lentils, bulgar, adzuki and pinto beans (must get to the store for more beans), green split peas, whole wheat pastas, a variety of rice and barley. I have a few different type of vinegar which I think are needed for making pickles (important, how exactly? something with the bodies ph?), a scant few Chinese sauce-type things (oyster, black bean/garlic, hoisin, etc). Oddly enough, after three days of this diet I feel more calm, my skin condition (slight eczema) is, actually, gone and the um..the bathroom facilities are more pleasant. These are a couple websites that I've perused, any thoughts? Website one Website two

Even though we now have six! freakin' boxes of girl scout cookies (a questionable courtesy of my husband but verbally appreciated ) I made a huge blueberry cheesecake with graham cracker crust. I do.not.like.the.cookies. And a lady must have something sweet in the house. Aside from herself and the lone female cat.

I don't ever recall bringing my own munchies to a theatre. The popcorn was fine until I wanted to maintain a "girlish" figure but I still bought junior mints or sweet tarts. Now, the drive-in was a whole 'nother story. First, partake of your organic, green cigarettes and then break out the orange fantas, root beers, super-buttery, chili/garlic powder/tabasco-laced popcorn, pepperoni and beef jerky. Ice-cream bon-bons and hot-dogs steamed in foil were bought during the much needed, yet paranoic, bathroom trip.

I second the recommendation for Bob's Red Mill. I've always received fresh product from them (online purchases).

This and a castle with tapestry bedecked walls to put 'er in. Or this and a modest house in the Welsh countryside with a full kitchen garden.

Thanks. I really like the fish suggestion. Since I have easy access to smoked salmon perhaps a "rustic" smoked salmon souffle is in my near future...with a pile of roasted sprouts on the side.

Jack, I was hoping that you would use brussel sprouts, I love them. Was their flavor quite noticeable in the souffle? Are meats ever used in souffles? Perhaps as the "surprise?"

I'll second the roasting method. The sweet potatoes already have enough liquid in them without adding more by boiling or steaming. That said, I've boiled them and dried them a bit in a hot pan before adding the butter and cream and they tasted just fine.

Deep fried artichoke bottoms or artichoke hearts. I prefer the bottoms but they're both awfully good.

A winter vegetable souffle would be interesting.

It seems to be Girl Scout cookie time at my husband's office. -sigh- His selections were Thin Mints, All Abouts (shortbread backed with chocolate) and Trefoils (plain shortbread). Quite frankly I don't care for Girl Scout cookies. Insipid flavors. And now that I'm into making desserts I can confidently say "I can make better."

I tend to go really, really simple. The less time spent in the kitchen the better and the least number of ingredients is preferred. Seared calf's liver with salt and pepper, broiled oysters with lots of lemon slices, cans of sardines with habanero Tabasco, whole cucumbers with a salt shaker in hand, rice noodles with crushed peanuts and sriracha, lots of fruit, lots of booze. Hmm, wonder when his next trip is?

bread, mustard, meat, couple grinds of pepper, cheese, smear of mayonnaise/mustard, onion, tomato, salt, lettuce, mayonnaise, bread.

Our bed is for sleepin' and lovin.' Not breakfastin.'