jgarner53
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Posts posted by jgarner53
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this could be a great way to get kids interested in eating fruits and veggies instead of sugary/starchy junkfood.
I fail to see why kids wouldn't eat fruit (veggies, maybe) and in general, I strongly object to the idea that all kids' food has to be marketed just to them, be "Xtreme" in some way or another (blue ketchup?
) for it to be palatable. Since when did kids not want ketchup?I think if you start kids off with good, whole foods to begin with, instead of nasty, processed, starchy junk, they'll WANT good, whole foods.
[OLD-TYPE PERSON RANT] When I was a kid, fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt was considered exciting. And that was without a lot of artificial colors, flavors, though it probably did have a decent amount of sugar. But it didn't have to have sprinkles, or come in neon colors, or be associated with a breakfast cereal character, or in a tube to make me want it! [/OLD-TYPE PERSON RANT]
That said, I think fizzy grapes sound really, really fun.
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That's a good looking porter. How long have you been homebrewing? My husband brews - has been doing it for about four years now. You must bottle all your beer if you're still enjoying a year old porter. How did you get started homebrewing?
My husband does a barleywine every year for Christmas. He just brewed this year's. I think we might still have a bottle or two of the 2002 vintage around, and definitely some of the 2003. Highly recommended.
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Beer (and by that I mean quality beer) was something I definitely had to acquire a taste for. I couldn't even stomach it until my senior year in college when the "dry" beer thing happened (meaning beer with no discernable flavor or aftertaste). Until then I'd subsisted, alcohol-wise, on vodka lemonade or vodka tonics. But gradually I moved up from the dry stuff to more flavorful stuff, and now just about the ONLY beer I don't care for is rauchtbeer, or smoked beer because I think it tastes like you're sucking on a pipe-smoker's clothing
, a flavor I don't particularly welcome in my beer! I've also learned to like olives, curry, coconut, sushi, fish in general, other alcohol (wine, tequila, not gin yet though) and probably a lot of other foods I can't think of just now.
I, too, would like to develop a taste for gin, but can't seem to get past the pine tree essence of it.
What I've never acquired a taste for and don't particularly care to: hard-boiled eggs, runny egg yolks, capers, brussels sprouts, broccoli, offal, insects.
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Great blog so far. For me in San Francisco, Livermore is, while technically "close," a real world away. I mean, like, you guys have warm summer weather!
I'll have to check out that Ravenswood Zin (and the German sparkling water).
The couple you had over sound like Jack Sprat and his wife. She really didn't eat the chicken? Even without sauce?
The apricot sorbet looks marvelous. My ice cream efforts have really not been worth it. Maybe I need to switch to sorbets.
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With regard to bagging, I just remembered this incident from a couple of years ago. I was at the supermarket, there were horrendous lines, and I'd had to wait at least 15 minutes. There were maybe 3 baggers for all of the checkout lanes that were open, so I stepped up to start bagging my own groceries in an effort to help speed up at least my transaction by a minute or two.
When I was finished, and the woman behind me had stepped up to have her order processed, she gave me a dirty look, and said that I shouldn't bag my own groceries because next thing you know they'll start charging for it!
I just smiled and explained that I was trying to speed up the line for those who were waiting.
It wasn't like I was trying to get her to bag her own groceries!
I still hate the supermarket.
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I like the self-checkout, as long as the people ahead of me aren't abjectly clueless about how to use them.
This morning, though, I was waiting at the self-checkout (with my 6 or so items), and a clerk came up and offered to ring me up at the express line (which was closed until then.
Three cheers to Andy for showing up the lout for what he was!
Most of the time, I am only in the supermarket for things I can't get elsewhere, so I can frequently go through the express lane. And I am very careful to count my items. Though I tend to think that the express line is given to the slowest checkers (at least at my super). How is it that ringing up a 20-oz. Pepsi and a Big Grab of HotStuffXtreme Cheetos can take 10 minutes?
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Pie dough (butter and flour)
I thought eating pie dough was normal?
Another reformed playdough eater here, too. Also raw ground beef (used to pinch off pieces before mom used it), uncooked pasta, fish sticks with ketchup.
I once ate most of a can of lemon frosting.
My mom used to make me "mint milk" - milk sweetened with a little bit of sugar, flavored with a few drops of peppermint extract, and a few drops of green food color to make it green.
I used to get a portion of the pancake batter to color & pour out into shapes on my own. I made just about every color in the rainbow, but I think green was my favorite.
In high school I dipped my fries into chocolate shakes.
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A lot of them are favorites from childhood made by my mom or using my mom's recipe: meatloaf, pot roast, split pea soup, minestrone, tapioca pudding.
But I also have things I've discovered as an adult that I find very comforting: risotto, homemade macaroni & cheese, a steaming hot bowl of pho, miso soup, lasagna.
Generally speaking, I find soup rather comforting. I love the warmth and the huge variety available. Maybe it's that most soups are in some way salty.
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Yesterday I made the Raspberry-Fig Crostata, but since I couldn't find figs, I substituted peaches instead. Boy, that dough was tough to work with when it got warm! I considered putting the strips back in the fridge for a few minutes while I was putting them on top, but decided against it. It came out a little more in favor of the raspberry flavor, not quite enough peach flavor, but overall very good, and it was well-received at the party I took it to.
Anyone else have major butter leakage while it baked? I had a big puddle of melted butter/oil on the parchment when I took the crostata out of the oven.
Next up, the mixed starter bread (hoping to bake on Tuesday)
Edited to ask about the butter puddle.
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one bottle of ranch-flavored dressing, pre-grated cheese, and a package of brownie mix.
All in the same recipe? Mmmmmm... how tasty and convenient - salad, entree and dessert all in one easy dish made from pre-assembled modules? That's what I call convenient!
Well, no, not all the same recipe, but usually the ranch dressing gets busy with the grated cheese.
What really galls me about these ads (they change every few months) is that the announcer very boldly states that you have a "quick, homemade meal!" Well, technically, if you make it at home, it's homemade, but still...
We had my brother-and-sister-in-law staying with us at Christmas. When they arrived, she and I went to the market for things they needed (baby drank over 2 gallons of milk during the week!
), and when she picked up a pouch of pre-grated cheddar, I told her that we had a big block of it in the fridge. Her response was, "This is just easier." It was also easier to get pre-sliced cheese for my BIL's sandwiches, even though, again, we had a block of the same cheese in the fridge. Whatever. It's your money.I just still can't get over the no-bake bake off. When did we as a nation stop baking? It can't all be because we don't have time, can it? Is it that plus the huge marketing push of companies like Pillsbury with their pre-made, packaged goods?
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Perhaps the solution is to develop cooking and serving robots, Jetsons-style, so no human beings come in contact with your food before you dig in? I see a veritable Wallace and Grommit style machine in place of a restaurant kitchen, huffing and chugging away with loud iron clanking sounds.
Then we'll complain about the machine noise from the kitchen!
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I love looking at what other people are buying when they put stuff on the conveyor belt. What else are you going to do for that 20 minutes you wait in line while they figure out how to write a check, or count out their pennies?
Yesterday at Trader Joe's I saw a woman buying bananas, strawberries, and chocolate - fondue anyone? I bet she had a hot date.
I'm always amazed at the people who buy a ton of whatever's on special: 6 chickens when they're $.49/pound, 10 cans of garbanzo beans, whatever. My local super was actually OUT of 5-lb. bags of C&H sugar yesterday because they were on special. (Which steamed me, of course, because that was what I was there for!) I can only imagine the shopping cart of the person who bought 20 5-lb. bags of sugar!
I've never had the nerve to comment on someone's purchases, though.
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When I do an overnight rise (though I've never done it with brioche), I just cover the dough well with plastic wrap and let it go, punching it down in the morning. The cold will slow the yeast growth, but not kill it off. You might want to cut back some on the yeast in the recipe, too.
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I think I was more shocked to read that flour hasn't been an official ingredient since 1996. Which is not to say you can't USE flour, but why would you need to if you're using pizza crust or biscuit dough from a can?
These days if you really want to impress a dinner party, just bake a pie. You'll be treated like a time traveler who has brought a lost art form to the 21st century.Ain't that the truth? When did knowing how to bake a pie become such a novelty? It ain't rocket science.
Even my homemade chocolate chip cookies are greeted like manna from heaven (well, they are good, but they're JUST chocolate chip cookies).One of the only commercials I'll watch (most of my TV watching is done through Tivo) involves a host of Kraft items and instructions for an "easy quick" dinner, involving, usually, at least one bottle of ranch-flavored dressing, pre-grated cheese, and a package of brownie mix.
As if throwing these things together honestly make a meal. -
Death: It was the salmon mousse.
Monty Python, Meaning of Life
Gets quoted a lot around my house.
also
Waiter: It's wah-fair thin
Same movie.
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Iaido...that's a variant of sword-fighting (kendo)?
Yes, iaido is a sword art, but is usually practiced alone. The basic premise is that you're sitting having tea, or walking along the street, when an invisible assailant attacks you. How do you draw your sword and prepare for attack? Very esoteric, and apparently run by very traditional Japanese, such that you can test for ranks in Canada (but nowhere in the US), but your rank won't be recognized until you reach something like 5th or 6th dan. But you can test in Japan, which is why my husband was in Tokyo in May.
Fascinating blog, Helen. The ume look kind of like plums or apricots. Are they related to either? Or is the name "plum wine" a westernized misnomer, made in an attempt to entice westerners to imbibe?
After Mongo, Boris, and now you, the next blogger has quite a big pair of zori to fill. "I had grilled cheese for lunch" isn't going to cut it!
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Oh, what a beautiful crostata! I have to admit, I haven't made it yet, but I think I will this weekend. We're going to a 'cue on Saturday.
I am definitely still interested in participating. I made the Persian Nan on Monday - VERY easy and fun! I used about 1/3 whole wheat flour just to give it a little more tooth.
Edited to fix wonky tag
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Wow, this is all so fascinating and such a different world! I'm really enjoying your blog so far, Helen.
My husband just went to Japan at the beginning of May for his shodan test in iaido, which he's been studying for about a year and a half/two years. I couldn't go due to the expense, but he brought back many pictures and stories. When I started reading your blog yesterday, I forwarded the link to him, thinking he might find it interesting. He wrote back:
Your Japanese egullet blogger is in Matsudo, which is where we went on Sundays to practice! You can recommend her to Woody Oak, the café/restaurant (Outlook added that accent mark all by itself...) run by one of the students I became friends with. I'll have to look in my notebook to see where it is.Small world, I guess!
When he returned, I asked him if he were tired of Japanese food. He said, not really, except that hewas kind of tired of pickles!
Seeing what a large variety of types there are, in Japanese cuisine, it's no wonder it's such a big part of the diet.
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Is it me or was he not terribly excited at having a camera shoved in his face while eating?
Who would be? Take away the celebrity factor, and I think it could be the expression on ANYONE'S face as they tried to enjoy their dinner (most specifically when spoon/fork is on the way to the mouth).
And yet, there's got to be some kind of perverse pleasure out of this. Why else would waiters always seem to show up to ask you how everything is just as you've put a bite into your mouth?
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I think it is safe to say that a large part of this increase in life expectancy is due to better sanitation, food handling, and cooking procedures.
I'm sure that sanitation, vaccines, anasthesia, subdued Huns, Gauls, Ostrogoths and Visigoths, antibiotics, prenatal care, lead-free pipes, and the fact that garum is out of fashion all contribute to modern longevity.
Not to mention better nutrition in general. If all you eat every day is essentially oatmeal, or rice, or some kind of porridge, you are going to have a nutritional deficit. I'd say that a lack of adequate medical care also fed into the short lifespan.
I'd say that indoor plumbing has to be a HUGE contributor to increased lifespan. I heard once that medieval farmers used human waste as compost
, and therefore EVERYTHING had to be boiled (even lettuce! 
) When you don't have sh** running down your streets, everything's gonna be just a bit more sanitary.I will admit that I am more fastidious in my food prep when I know others (guests, friends) will be eating it. But face it, I only have x number of spoons for tasting and don't run my dishwasher every day. I do, however, use a separate cutting board for meat.
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Aren't you the lucky dog? And did he enjoy the fine California Mexican food?
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Pudding: chocolate, tapioca, vanilla, butterscotch, whatever. Even simple cook & serve Jello works for me. Served still somewhat warm.
Gooey cheese like brie or something really evil like port wine processed cheese spread or a really great grilled cheese sandwich or quesadilla (plain, no salsa, just cheese & tortilla)
When I get depressed, my appetite is NEVER a problem. Or, rather it IS because I usually want to eat lots of things that my more rational, restrained self would either eat in moderation or not at all.
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What was your family food culture when you were growing up?
My family was pretty white-bread upper middle class American. Dad is half Danish (his mom's family's been here since the 18th century), and mom is a 3rd generation Californian. We ate a lot of what many other families ate in the 70's: lots of ground beef in various guises, pork chops, fried chicken, the rare meat fondue. I was a pretty picky eater as a kid, and mom stuck mostly to those basics. She subscribed to Sunset and Bon Appetit for a long time and would make fancier stuff like chicken florentine for an adult dinner party. We almost always had a hot breakfast (except days we drove carpool and Sunday morning, then it was cold cereal), but there was always fruit and juice, and usually toast with breakfast. Dinner always included a salad and another veg, plus a starch (rice, noodles, potatoes, rolls, etc.) and dessert, even if it was just store-bought cookies (Flaky Flix were a big favorite). Mom did make good pies, though.
Was meal time important?
We always ate dinner together - though the time probably fluctuated some. My brother and sister are considerably older, so for a long time it was just mom, dad, and me, probably until high school, when they got divorced.
Was cooking important?
I think that a lot of the time it was only as important as feeding us. But when there was company, or a holiday, then cooking was definitely important. For holidays, especially, things had to be done "just right" like they'd always been done. Of course, we did have roast beef and a yorkshire pudding a few years at Christmas, instead of turkey.
What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table?
I don't know about penalties, per se, but we were expected to behave ourselves and practice our table manners at all times. (At camp, if they caught you with your elbows on the table, you had to take a lap around the mess hall.) It took me a long time to learn the American way of eating with a knife and fork (knife in right hand, fork in left, cut, put knife down, transfer fork, pick up food, eat), and I remember being chided about that. The TV was ALWAYS off, and we always set the table with placemats and ate there.
Who cooked in the family?
Mom. Dad could barely boil water, though he did grill on occasion.
Were restaurant meals common, or for special occassions?
We probably ate out once a month, or so, at casual family-friendly restaurants (i.e., they had a kids' menu): Coco's, Marie Callender's (that was a step up from Coco's), Bob's Big Boy, etc. We'd also occasionally get pizza take out (no delivery in those days) For special occasions, like graduation, there was usually a nice dinner at a dress-up place that usually meant prime rib. I remember my grandparents eating at a Mexican restaurant in Santa Ana called La Hacienda on Saturday nights. I'd order plain ground beef tacos (no seasoning).
Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over?
There was only a kid's table at holiday meals when we couldn't all fit at the main table. Usually that meant being in another room, as well, due to the layout of both my mom's and my grandmother's houses. So we were supervised by an adult (poor person, they, who had to sit with the kids). When my parents had a party, I'd eat earlier (usually a frozen pot pie or macaroni & cheese) because not only would I not like the food, they were probably going to eat much too late for me.
When did you get that first sip of wine?
Not until college. My mom doesn't drink for religious reasons. Dad would have a V.O. & soda when he got home from work if he didn't go jogging, but we didn't have wine around, such as I can remember. I did steal rum from the liquor cabinet in high school, though, to mix with coke.
Was there a pre-meal prayer?
I think that lasted until maybe junior high or so, but yes, always. "For health and food, for love and friends, for everything God's goodness sends, we thank thee Heavenly Father, AMEN." Usually said as fast as I could so I could eat.
Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)?
Nothng that set in stone, though there were a lot of staples that were repeated (see ground beef, above): tacos, enchiladas, meatloaf, meatballs, hamburgers all made regular appearances.
How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life?
There are definitely some things that I continue: fruit and juice with breakfast, always a salad with dinner. And dessert. But I do more fresh cooking and eat much less ground beef than I did as a kid. I also have developed a much wider range of tastes, so I'll cook Thai, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian (more than just spaghetti). Mr. Garner and I are rarely home for dinner at the same time, so it's usually eaten on the sofa in front of the TV.
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I noticed that one person mentioned bananas as an addition to a shake, but is no one going to mention a simple banana milkshake?
My first year in college, the campus "pub" (ironically named, since it didn't serve alcohol, being a religious school and all) was famous for their shakes. They made them in the paper cup, with a metal collar that fitted over the top. They were so thick that when the collar was removed and the shake served, it frequently stood above the top of the cup.
One of those every night around 10 - no wonder I gained weight!
Did/does anyone else dip french fries into a chocolate shake, or am I a blasphemer to be drummed out of this topic?
Food Network Kitchens
in Food Media & Arts
Posted
I love the Alton Brown kitchen. I dream of acres of soapstone and more drawers than I know what to do with (I currently have three), double ovens, and a top-mount fridge.
I also dig Rachel Ray's because of the retro-ized yellow fridge and vintage Chambers range. It seems like an awkward layout, though.
You could also set me up in Julia Child's kitchen (OK, not Food Network, but how could we leave her out?) in her house in Mass. Maybe I could move into the Smithsonian. All those lovely copper pots, a whole bunch of rolling pins, and her eclectic collection of stuff.
And, as much as I am ambivalent about Martha, her kitchen with the jadeite collection, glass fronted white cabinets, and soapstone counters is really just about my dream kitchen.