SobaAddict70

Wow! Your photos are absolutely stunning! Yes, they certainly are. And that potato and beet salad looks so mouthwatering. But Soba, I'm wondering why you seem only to have made it once, "several years ago." Was it good, but not good enough to repeat? Was it too much trouble or something? It's so spectacular-looking that, if it was as good as it looks, I'd think it immediately would have been put into some sort of regular rotation. Even if just for dinner guests. That it wasn't has really made me curious. Was there a specific reason? Or did you just move on to other things. linda -- thanks! Jaymes -- it was just an idea that popped into my head. It'll probably go into a regular rotation once I move to San Francisco to be with my boyfriend -- that is, if he likes beets. We're doing the long-distance dating thing. I almost never make the same thing twice, unless I'm feeling lazy. As an aside, he's coming to NYC end of July to visit me, so I will finally be able to cook for someone even if it's only as short as one week. (And there was much rejoicing!!!)

By the way, there are several errors in this thread since its inception. Members may find it helpful to read the complaint, which sets forth the plaintiff's allegations and history during her employment at Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House. As you can see, I've been doing a little digging.

I agree. I think it's a case of how our idols don't always pan out the way we think they do, that they are in fact human, just like us, replete with foibles and flaws in so many ways -- that when the ones we put on a pedestal come crashing down, that it becomes more magnified. Because we expected better from them.

That's fine, but the material I quoted from wasn't in the deposition but another document entirely. From my perspective, Paula's not being punished so much for her use of the N-word but from a mindset that defines someone not of a similar heritage as an "Other". Using the N-word is just one aspect of this type of behavior. I'm sure you can think of other examples.

That remark from her depo concerning a "southern style plantation wedding" was from 2007. Many people seem to think that her 'apology' was from some off-hand comment from 20+ years ago, when in fact, it's more likely that it's been an ongoing thing.

There's a big difference between the co-owner of a business using inappropriate language in the workplace especially when communicating with her subordinates and colleagues, and having the same kind of language in a Quentin Tarantino movie. Also, this isn't because of some remark she made 40 years ago, but due to alleged racial discrimination, sexual harassment and violent behavior stemming from a pattern of incidents that allegedly occurred between 2005 and 2010. Now, it may be that plaintiff's allegations are unproven; however this excerpt from one of the court documents makes for some very interesting reading. For reference, Mr. Hiers is Earl Hiers, PD's brother and a 49% owner of one of the companies in the lawsuit that they both own that's being sued. Source: http://goo.gl/IknkV

Jaymes -- no, I haven't since. furzzy -- the beets are roasted, then tossed with some white wine vinegar, sea salt and black pepper and left to marinate for about 30 minutes. Since they're sweet, I wanted to provide a little contrast before assembling the salad.

This is a version I did several years ago: Caramelized onion and fromage blanc omelette with "deconstructed" German potato salad http://kitchenseasons.com/2008/03/13/dinner-improv/ The red stuff is Chioggia beets.

Ann and Keith, thanks. Wednesday night: Peas with baked ricotta, chives and lemon Spinaci alla genovese The red things are dried cranberries that were plumped in boiling water. Usually golden raisins or regular raisins are typical, but you can sub in any dried fruit and it will be okay. Spinach, anchovies, garlic, raisins and pine nuts. Lidia specifies nutmeg in her version but I like it without. -- http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/955 Italian sausage with green seedless grapes, spinaci alla genovese Recipe here: http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/897 It's not so strange. Basically, just cook sausages in a little oil with garlic and peperoncini, then add some grapes. The grapes break down and eventually form a thick glaze when combined with the meat juices that enriches both the sausage and the fruit.

thanks Baselerd. nice plate you got there. Clockwise from top right: Chinese white-cut chicken, scallion-ginger sauce; stir-fried turnip tops with garlic; rice, cooked with chicken liver and shallots

Chanterelle mushroom omelette, micro greens and marigold salad, buttermilk biscuit BTW, that omelette had two eggs in it. The "brown" you see is the chanterelle filling, not any browning on the omelette itself.

heidi -- actually I was inspired by an item on Gramercy Tavern's current dinner tasting menu, although their execution is different than mine. they have carrots and fingerling potatoes as accompaniments, and the salad contains no potatoes. patrick -- thanks. one lobster at Citarella for $9.99/lb. (1 1/2 lbs.) made enough for 2 dishes. lots of good stuff above. tonight: remember those peas I peeled from last year? -- http://kitchenseasons.com/2012/06/15/thursday-snapshot-5/ well, I decided to do that tonight again, because I am a masochist. =P "Field and forest salad" (Red Russian kale, Lollo Rosso heirloom lettuce, English peas, micro greens, edible marigold flowers, white wine vinaigrette) The marigolds add a hint of citrus without any acridness. The flavor is more like a very light lemony/orange-y taste. Pasta con salsa di pomodoro (Pasta with uncooked tomato sauce) I don't have a recipe intentionally. A rough guideline is something like this: 2 tomatoes, cored and diced; 1 shallot, peeled, trimmed and minced; 1 scallion, trimmed and minced; 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley; 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano; 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; sea salt and black pepper to taste. Combine all ingredients together and let sit for 30 minutes minimum so the flavors can blend. Cook pasta in lightly salted water until al dente; drain. Add pasta to the sauce, mix well, then serve at once. You can adjust the proportions to your preference. A couple of tablespoons fresh ricotta cheese mixed in is wonderful.

Warm lobster and heirloom potato salad, with microgreens Lobster salad -- lobster, Yukon Gold potatoes, Valdisa heirloom potatoes, Adirondack Blue heirloom potatoes, scallions, shallots, homemade lemon mayonnaise (lemon juice, egg yolks, canola oil, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, Dijon mustard, sea salt) The potatoes were boiled whole in lightly salted water, then peeled, coarsely diced and combined with the rest of the ingredients. Spaghetti con arogosta e pomodoro (spaghetti with lobster and tomato) No real recipe here, just something I threw together. Contains olive oil, unsalted butter, lobster scraps, cherry tomatoes, sea salt, peperoncini and Italian parsley.

350 F for about an hour. My oven tends to become quite hot. At 400 F, it sets off the smoke alarm in my apartment. Consequently, I have to adjust most of the time. Recipe is here: http://kitchenseasons.com/2012/01/24/roasted-vegetables-with-lemon-and-herbs-2/ Note that I don't provide quantities for the olive oil. That's intentional.

What I said was tablespoons of oil ... sometimes three or more. And even 1 Tbs might be a lot depending on the amount of carrots, don't you think? yes, you did, but what I was reacting to was the first part of your statement (i.e., 'copius' (sic) amounts of oil). but this is all quibbling, really. without more information -- such as the style of cooking that you prefer to do, I can't advise you too much. the best thing I can say is to use your own judgment. of course, how much oil you end up using in the end depends on how much veg you're cooking. note the pic above. I tend to go for "lightly coated" so that when the veg is done, it doesn't end up 'swimming' in oil. I don't remember how much oil I used here; probably something like 5-6 tablespoons for a pan full of root vegetables. this pic gives you a better view of the pan from the top down so you can see just how much there is: the pic is cropped -- there's about 20% around the circumference not shown. something like this: is a desired outcome. since this part of the discussion centers on the amount of oil used, I'm really directing your view to the amount of oil on the bottom of the Pyrex dish.

1 tablespoon of oil is not a lot of oil. It really isn't. 1/2 cup of oil on the other hand...

thanks furzzy and Kim. LOTS of good looking pix of food. LOL. tonight: Green leaf lettuce, braised with French butter, shallots and morels Razmah over rice Razmah or rajma is the Kashmiri version of red beans and rice. It's Monday, after all.

http://kitchenseasons.com/2012/04/24/sardines-with-bread-crumbs/ should give you an idea.

When we make cauliflower soup, we often just throw the leaves in ... Cool. My point is to try to think of ways to do more with what's considered trash, so that you end up minimizing the amount of money that gets sucked down the drain. This lesson is applicable to just about anyone, from people like me who aren't limited by income to other folks, like the OP. Even with $50/5 days, if you maximize your vegetables, you can create building blocks out of whole cloth that you can use to make the next meal.

Pair them with marinated sardines and, if you have some, either Cara Cara oranges or Meyer lemons. Trust me on this one.

Also: polenta is great, if it hasn't been mentioned yet. Exceedingly simple: cornmeal, water, salt, pepper, butter, cheese. You can have all sorts of things with it, from a long-cooked beef stew, or with slow-roasted vegetables. Pour the polenta into a square or rectangular dish, let it firm up overnight. Then in the morning, cut it into squares and fry with butter or oil. Serve with a tomato sauce, or with a poached egg, or a little grated cheese on top. It goes a long way. One other thing I'd like to add: are you sure you're using ALL of your vegetables? and by "ALL", I literally mean every part of the vegetable, right down to the parts you would normally throw away. So much of what is trash is actually food in another form. For example: Cauliflower leaves (the outer leaves) can be transformed into a salad or simmered in lightly salted water, then cooked with garlic, olive oil and peperoncini along with other greens for a vegetable side dish. Beet peels can be transformed into vinegar, which you can use as part of a vinaigrette. Leek greens are delicious braised, or as part of a gratin. Chard stems can go into vegetable stock or you can braise them, turn them into pickles, or transform them into a dip (similar to babaganoush). Potato peels can be remade as potato chips. Celery leaves can go into celery salt, in vegetable stock, or as part of a battuto. Freeze corn cobs or asparagus trimmings to make corn stock or asparagus stock respectively. Or use the "milk" obtained from corn cobs in ice cream. Oven-dry citrus zest and use them in sauces, as a garnish or in granola. Transform green pepper cores into a relish; goes well with sandwiches or with egg dishes.

Hi there. You might want to check out this thread for some ideas. Like you, I have a VERY LIMITED kitchen, however it's not because of income. Rather, I have a very small space to work with, about 6' x 7' in size. In terms of kitchen equipment -- it's a 6 quart stock pot (with steamer insert), a medium sauce pot, a small sauce pot, a non-stick frying pan, a Dutch oven, a cookie sheet, and 3 Pyrex baking dishes. Forget having a food processor -- there's no room, and the nearest electrical outlet is above and to the right of the stove. No room for a blender, food processor or microwave. My next "to get" toy will probably be either a mortar and pestle or a mandoline. This is an extremely low-tech kitchen. In terms of what is achievable, the only thing you have to worry about is your imagination. In the past year, I have made/cooked/baked: * fresh-baked bread * homemade pasta * buttermilk biscuits * cardamom-pear butter * tomato confit * tortilla española * salade lyonnaise * salade parisienne * all manner of Italian vegetable dishes -- patate e fagiolini (potatoes and green beans), stufato di verdure (vegetable stew), melanzane alla parmigiana (eggplant parmigiana), minestra di scarole (escarole soup, with crispy garlic bread) none of those are expensive, despite their occasionally fancy names. dinner tonight will be rajma (kidney beans cooked in the style of northern Kashmir, over rice). despite what folks will tell you, a pressure cooker is not necessary for things like beans and legumes.

Probably not the egg sandwich many of you were thinking in this thread, but it works too. Fried egg-buttermilk biscuit sandwich, heirloom tomato salad. Heirloom tomato salad 2 heirloom tomatoes, trimmed and diced 1 shallot, trimmed, peeled and finely diced 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil sea salt freshly milled black pepper Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. You can add other things like cucumber, chives, or sub in red onion instead of the shallot. For the first tomatoes of the season, I like to keep things REALLY minimalist/simple. BTW, this is my favorite way to have breakfast in the summer. It doesn't have to be a buttermilk biscuit -- can be toasted slightly stale bread, an English muffin or a bagel, slathered with butter and topped with a fried egg and tomato salad. Sometimes the egg is fried in olive oil, sometimes it's soft-cooked. Okay, now I'm hungry.

recently: Pasta e ceci Masoor dal over rice, with lime pickle tonight: Scrambled egg-buttermilk biscuit sandwich Baby mesclun salad, with smoked shoulder bacon, edible flowers and Japanese turnips The turnips were simmered in lightly salted water, then sautéed with the bacon, unsalted butter and a little Marsala wine. Dressing -- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons Belgian beer, 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Pasta with heirloom tomato and clam sauce Not every Italian dish has to have garlic in it. Clams -- clams steamed with shallots, celery leaves, lemon zest and Belgian beer. Steam for 7-8 minutes or until clams have opened. Discard any clams that don't open; let cool. Shell clams and set aside. Strain the liquid and reserve. Sauce -- make a battuto (chopped celery, carrot and onion, very finely), then cook slowly in unsalted butter and olive oil over low heat until softened, about 15-20 minutes. Don't add salt, and don't let the battuto brown. When the vegetables have become softened, add chopped heirloom tomatoes, oregano and Italian parsley. Taste for salt and pepper. Let that cook down or until the sauce thickens nicely. Add the clams and reserved clam steaming liquid. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. Prep the pasta; cook until al dente, then drain. Add the pasta to the pan and heat through. Taste once more for salt and pepper, stir in minced Italian parsley, then serve immediately. Cheese optional.

Pasta e ceci This is one dish I never tire of. Remember those chickpeas from last week's eG Foodblog? Make a battuto (2 celery stalks + leaves, 1 onion, 1 carrot), then once it has browned and become a soffritto, add the chickpea cooking liquid and 1 cup water. Simmer over medium-low heat or until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in pasta, with a little pasta cooking liquid. Taste for salt and pepper, stir in some minced scallions, then serve at once.