Shannon_Elise

Dinner (per dad's request): Asparagus, Prociutto (sp?), Gruyere, Fontina, and Roasted Garlic Pizza and for dessert: Homemade Rhubarb-Strawberry Cobbler with homemade white chocolate/cocoa nib ice cream. Shannon

I have a really dumb question: When bringing your own bottle of wine into a restaurant, what is the procedure? As in what do you carry it in? Do you tell them before hand that you are bringing it in? Does the waiter pour it? (the last is probably the dumbest question of all) I am a complete newbie at the whole wine thing. I turned 21 last year, but have been reading Wine Spectator for three years and collecting bottles of wine (bought by others) for the past two years. I would now like to enjoy them at some of the fine restaurants we have here, but I am so clueless. Here is another really stupid question. If I buy a bottle of wine in an establishment and don't finish it, do they cork it up and I take it home? I know it wont be that good for drinking in a couple days, but I can always cook with it or make vinegar... I think I am in desperate need of a thread "Absurdly Simple Wine Questions (and spirits in general)" Shannon

About six months ago at the store I work at (Penzeys in Columbus, Ohio), we had a large amont of elderly people come in saying that they were recommened to add cinnamon to their daily diet. At first I kind of laughed it off, but the number of people coming in specifically for this has increased so much lately that I was beginning to wonder if it had any merit to it. Thanks for posting this article, it helps a lot. I'm going to print it off and give it to my manager. To bad that doesn't make the cinnamon bread I made this morning healthfood ;). Shannon

Here in Ohio good, fresh salsas are few and far between. I do have to agree with jeniac42 that Jose Madrid salsas are pretty damn good. The raspberry is my favorite, in fact, sometimes I just eat it straight out of the jar...sans chips. Shannon

Right now in my KitchenAid I have Kashmiri Saffron Marshmallows whipping up. I am thinking of covering them in dark chocolate after I cut them. Thanks for the recipe Neil. I made marshmallows a while back from the book "Retro Desserts" by Wayne Harley Brachman, and I totally agree that the looks on peoples faces when you tell them the marshmallows are homemade is priceless. Shannon

The wispy blond hair was still visible through the police car window as the detective drove away. The murmurs in the crowd were slowly graduating to a dull roar with the guesses as to “how’d she do it?” The place, a mansion in the hills of California. The victim, the woman’s husband, a wealthy developer with a gourmet tongue. The accused, his beautiful chef-wife. The method? As of yet, no one knew. The group gathered at the foot of the house was the beleaguered staff. The maid was the one who found the man dead. The butler saw the wife running up to her bedroom with a large bloody sheet covering an object (the weapon he proposed). Drivers, the nanny, and the rest of the staff were picking the brains of the witnesses, trying to gauge not why the murder took place, but how? The husband was a deplorable sort who sent his wife to the kitchen every time he wanted to a snack. Ten years ago, with one fell swoop, he landed himself a wife and a cook. He refused to let her up on one duty even if the other was tiring the hell out of her. “Get me a snack! Wear the La Perla lingerie! Make me a stew in your stilettos!” His demands were more than one could take. Many in the staff wondered why it took so long for the marriage to come to this abrupt end. Detectives were still inside searching the house; meanwhile, the staff was getting annoyed with the wait. Each member starting shouting how they think the deed was completed and where she hid the weapon. “It was the bone marrow in the belfry!” “No, it was the sausages in the study!” “I know, it had to be the lamb shank in the library.” The butler interrupted this last suggestion, “I do hope your wrong about that last one, let’s hope she came up with something a little more interesting than a rip off of ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’”. Everyone nodded in agreement and then were silenced by a policeman walking out, the weapon in hand. “You were all wrong,” he said with a flourish as he raised the object, “It was the Le Creuset in the closet.” Shannon Elise May 15, 2004

Although I work at the local Penzeys Spices retail store here in Columbus, Ohio, I have found some wonderful things through The Spice House. The grains of paradise I got from there (yes, had to have them after reading "Cooking for Mr.Latte) are phenomenal and the staff is so helpful and friendly for mail order. The Spice House was originally the mom and dad Penzey's store, they sold it to their oldest daughter and her husband (the Erd's) and then the younger Bill went off to make his own company (drama! J/K). Shannon

Count me in! I love any excuse to go to Sam's Club (we don't have a Costco in Columbus). Shannon

Dinner will be leftovers from last nights dinner, but I thought I should post the lunch I made today for my mother: Dilled Zucchini Saffron Chickpeas (thank you pcarpen for the recipe these are fabulous!) Grueyre and Procuitto di Parma Panini all simple and delicious. Lunch had a very Mediterranean feel. Dessert later today will be a Rhubarb Pie I made this morning and some homemade vanilla ice cream. Thank goodness the few farmer's markets we have here in Columbus produce some beautiful fruits and veggies, the rhubarb was gorgeous yesterday and inspired me to make my first Rhubarb Pie. Shannon

This reminds me: Quaker Steak and Lube

My grandmother is not a bad cook, she has a few dishes that she does well. However a recent meal is making me question myself on her ability. She overcooked a "pre-cooked" Honey Baked Ham Store Glazed Turkey Breast. She tried to warm it up in the oven (it is better cold or at room temp.) and sufficiently turned it into jerky. Also she made some gravy by combining a jar of fat free gravy (heinz, besides FAT FREE GRAVY, whats the point?) and a jar of full fat gravy. She made everyone pour it on their turkey (maybe it was to disguise the fact that she turned the turkey into plastic). She also takes credit (or tries to take credit) for making rolls (brown and serve) and making her "wonderful" coleslaw (precut slaw mixed with premade dressing). She considers all this cooking. Granted she works in a school cafeteria and this is all they do. But she also makes a kick ass goulash (she's Austrian) and "pork and saurkraut". It is amazing I came out the way I have about food (i'm a big totally-from-scratch-or-eat-out-at a nice, i.e. not a chain-girl). Shannon

I'm with who ever said "Buca di Beppo" or as we refer to it buca di barfa. Same with Olive Garden, it's just wrong. A cafe near me just opened up with the name "Skambo", they say it derives from french origin and means "a tasteful expirience". To me it sounds like someone combined "scamming bimbo". Shannon

For Mother's Day Lunch/Dinner we had: The Main Dish: Corned Beef-made by mother, onion soup mix on top of corned beef and in the slow cooker for a few hours. Needless to say, I took some chicken boobies and grilled them and opted out of the beef. All savory options prepared by my mother: Chicken Dijonnese- also made by mom, also from a prepared packet (this time Knorr) Cucumber salad- Nothing premade here. Mashed Taters I made: A dessert buffet consisting of all Mom, Grandma, and my sister's favorites Lemon Bars Walnut Brownies Peanut Butter Cookies Blueberry Crumb Cake Shannon

After having a tramatic expirience cleaning morels (and then throwing them out) I made: Asparagus/Procuitto(sp?)/Roasted Garlic/Gruyere/ and white truffle oil pizza on homemade crust. for dessert was: Homemade Spiced Vanilla ice cream, tres leches cake, and Tropical fruit sorbet garnished with whipped cream and macadamia nuts (and some coconut meringues on the side). The brightness of sorbet and the speckles of vanilla seeds in the ice cream looked great with the spongy cake. Shannon

I forgot one, or maybe just blocked it out until now: Veg-All I hate this stuff with a passion. I never tasted a fresh spring pea until I bought and fixed them for myself. This amalgamation of pseudo-vegetables should be banned. Shannon

My first and still favorite foray into short ribs was Thomas Keller's "Pot Au Feu" from the French Laundry Cookbook. It consists of marinated boneless shortribs seared and then braised (in a very strong homemade white veal stock)for about 6 hours I think, then refridgerated, wrapped in caul fat, seared again and warmed in the sauce. Roasted bone marrow tops the whole deal, I just made myself verrrrry hungry. Shannon

I'm with you NulloModo. Although until this thread I hadn't realized that I had never had liver. So, three nights ago, I was at a local Turkish place and ordered...fried chicken livers. Phenomenal. It was so good that the next night, I asked my mother to pick me up a takeout of more fried chicken livers. I have liver on the brain. Now it's time to try beef liver. Shannon

I had takeout of fried chicken livers and Turkish flatbread from a local Turkish restaurant called "Cafe Istanbul", delicious. I also made some Orange Saffron Butter cookies at home for dessert. A wonderful way to round out a great meal. Shannon

Along with the Bahama Mama's (and cream puffs) from Schmidts, for Columbus, Ohio, I nominate: The Slider (best enjoyed at three in the morning after drinking and dancing at a club) Shannon

Naguere- I do love shallots. I can even take raw red onions, if you can believe that. It's sweet onions, the kind most people put on hamburgers that don't like me. I am going to take your suggestion for the sandwich, it sounds delicious, thank you. Shannon

I find I think that same things. The other day I got into my car after a rainstorm and looked at the water on the windsheild and immediately thought of the condensation on the top of a glass lid when making rice. The same night I went home and just had to have some curry with basmati rice. It's quite nice to know that there are others out there, and that I am not going crazy. Or maybe we're all crazy....or the only sane ones and everyone else is in denile. Shannon

As a child I was extremely picky, now I will eat almost anything. For my first 20 years of existence I was convinced that I hated mushrooms, then realized that I had never actually tried a mushroom. The only hold up that I have from early childhood that still applies today is onions. I try desperatly to like raw onions, but I just can't do it. Granted, I cook with them and feed them to other people and if they disappear into a dish, I don't go looking for them. Each week I try something with raw onions to try and like them, I just don't, but have yet to accept that. I lived in Japan when I was little, so I was exposed to a lot of foods my friends in the states wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole (although my family never ventured to a sushi bar, I'm still bitter about that). The foods they grew up with and the ones my mom made when we moved back to the states were the things that grossed me out. How about boneless, skinless chicken breasts wrapped and rolled with ham, put into a slow cooker with canned chipped beef, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream. The smell was nausiating and the color was remenicent of my jaundice baby pictures. She still makes it today, convinced that everyone loves it, but in actuallity, she is the only one that goes for seconds. Oh wait then there is the 10 bean can baked dish she makes, nasty and greasy. A bunch of canned beans undrained and bacon. Colorful I have to say (she includes limas) but there is always 3/4 of a 9 by 13 pan left. I recently discovered the joys of a perfectly rare grilled tuna. I have been told though that none of my family will go to dinner with me if they know I will order it. Everything for them must be cooked into shoe leather. I brined a turkey at Thanksgiving and my dad said it was "too moist". TOO MOIST?? What do you want, super dry stringy turkey? He said yes, that's what he's used to. How did I grow up to eat anything and my dad cook subsist on charred cow? Shannon

Reviewing through this thread always makes me ask myself why I still live in the Farmer's Market wasteland of Columbus, Ohio. That said, we do have ONE good year round market in the North Market. I picked up: Morels! So excited when I saw these, but my wallet was not $44 a pound...being a broke college student I got 1/4 lb. Procuitto di Parma- I now know the advantages of wearing a midriff bearing top and tight low cut jeans. The guy charged me a couple of bucks for what should have been over ten dollars. Now I know why I pay full price for everything in winter. Roasted Elephant Garlic Freshly made porcini stuffed pasta Japanese Jumping Bean Truffles- a Wasabi covered peanut on a dark chocolate truffle ganache center. To die for. Shannon

Went to a local pacific rim-type joint today, Tapatios, and had: Rare Yellowfin Tuna (done perfectly), grilled asparagus, pot brown noodles, and a hoisin chipotle sauce a petit Syrah, very good but I forget the maker or vintage for dessert we went to the North Market Farmers Market for artisan chocolates: The Relic truffle (had cocoa nibs in the bottom, wonderful) and the Japanese Jumping Bean Truffle (wasabi covered peanut and bittersweet chocolate ganache I think) Shannon

I have 8 more cookbooks to add to my collection: From Barnes and Noble.com: The New York Times Passover Cookbook (I'm not Jewish, nor have I ever attended a Seder, but I looked at this at the library and had to have it) From Nordstroms: The Nordstroms Family Cookbook, other people go to this store and come out with sweaters, jewlery, or ties. I go and come out with expensive shoes, a purse, and a cookbook. From Half Price Books: The Time Life Series (I already have the Art of Austrian Cooking): Classic French Cooking The Cooking of Germany The Cooking of Italy The Cooking of Japan Retro Desserts by Wayne Harley Brachman Dessert Circus by Jaques Torres and on a non-cookbook note, I finally got "The Physiology of Taste" by Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. As an amateur food writer, I feel neglectful that it has taken me this long to get my hands on this one. Shannon