RSincere

Martha Stewart makes a kick-ass bulletin board out of wine corks. I'm having a lot of fun with the mental image of someone beating up a dead octopus.

The flavor was very good. I sliced my husband's serving against the grain like as for flank steak, but by the time I got to my portion I was hungry and frustrated with my miserable dull knife and just chunked the meat up any way I could. That was really stupid as I had a hell of a time chewing it. I asked Jason how his was and he said it wasn't tough at all. Either way, it tasted very good! I never know if my sauces turn out like they're supposed to taste, though. Doesn't matter if it's good, I guess!

Hmmmmm. As my fishmonger is the freezer section at Sam's Club, and I'm fairly certain that Sam Walton doesn't give a crap if I live or die, I guess I'll have to broil those steaks 4 min. one side and 3 min. the other.

I love Alton's kitchen. That bastard has everything. And Rachael Ray's stovetop is cool, and especially her broiler. It definitely cooks more evenly than mine does. But what I'd really like to do is raid Sandra Lee's kitchen. She doesn't use anything in it anyway--I could give her stuff a good home. She has a Kitchen Aid mixer in every color, but she only ever uses her Sunbeam hand mixer. I would definitely take one of those Kitchen Aid mixers. She has a lot of fancy pots she doesn't use, either. On one episode she used one pot to cover the other pot when simmering instead of using a lid. I'll leave her the can opener, microwave, and blender, and she'll be okay. I'll even trade her my hodgepodge thrift store reject pans so she's not left bare.

Wow. I have so many. Broiling meat. I second-guess myself, get paranoid about the food bursting into flame, change the position of the pan too many times, flip the food too many times, and usually undercook it. I made a flank steak that was so raw inside I couldn't chew it. The worst part is I stubbornly ate 1/3 of my piece before admitting defeat and chucking it in the microwave. Same thing with tilapia. And on and on. Meat doneness in general. I'm so afraid to overcook that I undercook way too often and many of my meals get finished in the microwave. Pie crust. Greasy, heavy, ugly. I don't have a delicate touch. Any kind of food I make is going to look "rustic," to put it nicely. This goes from decorating cookies and cakes, to cutting up meat...I give new meaning to the word "butcher." Oh! And tasting for seasoning. I can tell when something needs salt, but that's it. I can say, "this needs something" but I have to kind of guess as to what to add.

The sticker officially says "boneless veal shoulder chop." It's one piece of meat, you're right, up to about one inch thick. I'm going to use the recipe from Bruce, but next trip I will look for a bigger cut and try Paul's; his recipe looks exciting and is higher on the difficulty scale than what I'm used to, so it will be a good learning experience. Thanks for the ideas!

I was perusing what my son so charmingly calls the "Dumpster meat" at Walmart--you know, the stuff that's marked way down because it's about to expire. I'm unemployed and cheap to boot, so that's all the apology I'll make for that. Anyway, I've never had veal before, but found some "boneless veal shoulder chops," each one a pound, for about $2 apiece. So I bought one to try. Now, I don't know how to cook it. I was checking the sites and found this recipe: Veal Chops with Rosemary What do you think, could I do this with my one big veal chop, and then slice it to serve? Next, I don't have fresh rosemary, but I have fresh sage, tarragon, and basil. Would one of these herbs be good with veal? And if so, would the proportions be the same? Rosemary is pretty strong. I know, I overthink this stuff. I'm thinking of serving this with rice...I have basmati, jasmine, arborio, converted. Suggestions? (I do have shallots and onions and mushrooms and seasonings.) Thanks again.

Oh, great. I was all excited because I treated myself to some IQF tuna "steaks" from Sam's Club. I only buy IQF seafood because I'm convinced there's no such thing as fresh seafood where I live. Anyway, this will be my first time eating tuna steaks. They are about 4 oz each and not exactly thick, from memory I'd say 3/4". Does it have to be sushi grade to serve rare? I was going to do it like I read in How to Cook Everything; broil 4 min. on one side and 3 on the other. Is there a better way I should know about?

Ten years ago, when I was a waitress in what was considered the "high end" restaurant in a town of 35,000 in Wisconsin, the owner made sure to tell us that we should seat single diners in good seats and never make them to feel like second-class guests. He demonstrated what we shouldn't do, things like seating them in a corner facing a wall, or seating them in the booth that faces a mirror. Whenever we had a single diner, he would rush over to the person after he/she was seated and offer a fresh copy of the newspaper. He'd often stand there and chat with the person for a long time. I eat out by myself all the time. I do take a book--never go to a place so expensive that I'd feel weird doing so--and I always tip a little extra because I know my table wasn't much of a money-maker for the waitress.

I never understood the "acquired taste" thing either. I always thought, there are so many foods I like, why bother forcing myself to eat something I don't like until I can enjoy it? Now I understand, the answer for me is because the things I LIKE are all the same and are boring! Acquired tastes that I haven't managed yet: coffee, beer, green olives, sweet and sour, sour in general Things I might work on because my choices will be limited if I don't, but ohhh, that scary texture: shrimp, scallops...probably not worth working on raw clams/mussels because I live in Wisconsin and I've yet to be at a fish counter that doesn't smell strongly FISHY. Tastes I have acquired: asparagus, swiss chard, capers, non-fish-stick fish, black olives, black tea, food with more heat than I'm used to, food with vinegar in it, curry, cilantro Foods I wish I could get over my personal distaste for so I could acquire a taste for it and be able to utilize more of my cookbooks: shrimp, crabs, lobster, fish with skin on it, whole fish, jalapeno/chipotle (just too damn hot)

I'll check the manufacturer as well, but just in case, I have a Dutch oven I got at an estate sale that has plastic handles, it says "Sears Roebuck And Co." on the bottom. It can't be toooo terribly old because it has Teflon inside. My new one from Walmart is "Revere." It's a five-quart. Believe me, I would buy better brands if I could. For now, this is what I have to work with. edited to add, I checked for other Revere cookware on the web and while I didn't find my exact cheapy pot, there were several Revere pots mentioned where it said "oven safe to 350," including a 9-piece set on Walmart.com that went for $45. So I'd guess that mine is the same, but I'll probably still use aluminum foil just in case. I think I might do that. I bought a huge cast-iron skillet a few years ago but after carefully seasoning it and using it a few times, I left it out and my husband put it in the dishwasher. I threw it out. I have since seen tips for reviving cast iron when something like that happens, but at the time I thought it was wrecked. That's funny. I'll continue to use it to simmer rice, though. I told my mom about this conversation and she got very defensive. "The ad used to say, from freezer to oven to table!" Of course, she now makes her rice in the microwave...in her Corningware.

I have a question about dishes that you start on the top of the stove and finish in the oven. I bought a Dutch oven because so many recipes call for it. But I got one with plastic handles and a plastic knob on the lid--thick and heavy-duty, but still plastic. I'm assuming I can't put that in the oven...Rachael Ray said on one of her shows that if you put aluminum foil on the plastic handles of your skillet, etc., that you can put it in the oven. Doesn't make sense to me, is this true? Perhaps, could plastic-handled cookware go into the oven up to a certain heat, like 325, for example? How about Teflon-coated stuff? Can that go in the oven? Is there a maximum heat for that? Now how about Corningware on top of the stove? I have always used my Corningware to make rice, or to warm up a sauce or leftovers on the stovetop. But I've never tried to use it for something like browning an onion, for anything that requires high heat. I have 3- and 5-quart Corningware casseroles. What if I tried to, say, brown chicken thighs in it for a casserole, to finish in the oven? Would that work? High on my list of pots/pans I'd like: a 12-inch skillet without a plastic handle, a Dutch oven that can go in the oven that is also bigger than the one I have, a stock pot!

Today's lunch was Curried Coconut Chicken, based on a recipe I found on the Internet. It was the first curry I made that I liked! It was also very rich because of the coconut milk. I bought Uncle Ben's rice thinking it was just plain rice, had no idea what "converted rice" even meant. But I cooked that in vegetable stock to go with the curry. It's the weirdest rice I've ever had. I'm used to my rice being somewhat starchy, sticking together. With this rice, each grain just slid off the other one. It didn't stick together at all. I think I prefer it sticky! I feel like it holds the sauce better. Now I have 12 lbs of the converted to use up.

I used to always be 120 lbs, a size 8, even after my son was born. I cooked standard Wisconsin food, casseroles, canned soups for sauces, frozen chicken tenders. No one ever looked in my cart that I ever noticed. Fast-forward several months, after I go on a medication that is notorious for causing weight gain. I blow up 40 lbs in 4 months and gain a total of 60 lbs in a year before my doc finally takes me off of it. I am only 5 feet tall, so it's drastic. Now it seems like everyone wants to look in my cart. It's very pointed, for instance, looking at me, looking at the butter in my cart, then looking at me again, then looking away. I am very self-conscious and make sure my produce is prominently displayed.!

Our big meal is traditionally at lunchtime, because my husband works 2nd shift. So... He loved the lasagne! He said it was "really, really good," which is high praise indeed from Mr. "Watch me eat this meatball sub in less than 30 seconds." In fact, he ate 1/3 of the pan. And how he stays under 130 lbs is beyond me. I did like the lasagne, although I thought it was very rich. I had put two pieces on my plate, and I could only eat the first one. I think I put on a bit too much shredded Parmesan cheese, it seems that that was a bit too much of a good thing. I learned that I can't use Parmesan the same way I would use shredded mozzarella. But I'm being picky--it was good! The dots of fresh mozzarella on the top did melt and brown, but I wasn't able to discern any flavor that they added. However, they made the finished lasagne look really cute. And it's cool to have my food look cute...especially after years of vegetarian casseroles where everything I made was brown. And his parents never did call us. In other pantry cooking news, I figured out what the mystery slab of meat is--it's a pork shoulder steak. I don't know what I thought I'd do with it, but it was on sale. Also, has anyone heard of "American cut" pork chops? I bought two--they are at least 1-1/2 inches thick and almost perfectly round, no bone. I Googled that phrase but didn't come up with anything helpful. Our butcher is kind of weird.

Sara Moulton soaked them in cold water in one of her shows, because she was going to use them raw in a salad, and she said that removed the bite.

Boy, do I feel STUPID. They never called. I don't think they're coming. They told my husband on Tuesday that they were coming today, but that they'd call later for directions. They have no idea where we live and never told us exactly what time they were coming, so since they didn't call, they must have changed their minds. Now I feel bad for panicking and posting about it, you all gave me such great advice! The good news is, we get to actually enjoy the lasagne without having to take Tums along with it. But I'm kind of upset that I overstretched the grocery budget on this. On the other hand, I learned a lot about feeding guests and am more prepared if I have company again, so that's good. I'm 30, so it's time to grow out of ordering from Pizza Hut anytime people come over. My friends and relatives understand, because I'm often too sick to cook, but it would be cool to surprise everyone sometime! For the yummy lasagne, I will stuff the unused portions of the pan with buttered foil as suggested. Yes, it is a jelly roll pan, but as I mentioned, oddly this is not a very "tall" lasagne at all. It's about half the height that I'm used to, and it's not because it's spread out in the larger pan, because it isn't. I think maybe it's because the pasta is so thin, compared to the dry stuff, and also there wasn't much bechamel, compared to a thick ricotta/mozzarella layer. I used more ragu than the recipe called for, probably about 4 cups rather than 3. I'm still torn about the fresh mozzarella. It just tastes like milk, you're right, it isn't salted. But I already have a bechamel sauce layer, and cream in the ragu. Maybe it will be overkill. I'm reading the Amazon reviews for that Marion Cunningham book. It looks good, and there are used versions for $8, which makes me happy! Thank you for suggesting it! Thanks to all for the advice, we'll have a pretty festive meal today, regardless! --- Wanted to add something I noticed about the lasagne recipe itself. I was really surprised when making the ragu that the only seasoning called for was salt and pepper! No oregano, basil, "Italian Seasoning"...it tastes fabulous though. And I did sneak fresh basil in the bechamel, because I could!

The lasagne is all put together. The ragu turned out very tasty. It's pink because of the cup of cream you add at the end, it's nothing like any pasta sauce I've ever made or seen on lasagne. I'm used to very very tomatoey sauce, and this isn't at all--but it's really good. And the bechamel turned out fantastic. I went out to my patio and picked a handful of basil leaves, tore them up and added them to the bechamel. A few things didn't turn out like I expected. I was unhappy with the fresh pasta I bought. Some of it was stuck to the package and tore. Also, my 9 x 13 pan was wayyyy too rusty, so I actually threw it out. Thought I had another one, somewhere, but couldn't find it! Had to use what I think is a jelly roll pan, looks to be 10 x 15 or something. Which means that the noodles didn't cover the bottom all the way, so I kind of made the lasagne in one corner of the pan and left the side and end empty. Also, I was supposed to make 4 layers but there was only enough pasta for 3, but that's not the end of the world. I cut the mozzarella balls into little discs and put them on the top, then decided to taste one. I should have done so beforehand, I didn't like the fresh mozzarella! It tasted really bland to me...so I'm debating picking it off before I bake the lasagne. Speaking of bland, I forgot to add pepper as I layered like I was supposed to, so I just ground some pepper on top. All in all, it's not as tall as I'm used to but after tasting the sauces I know it's going to be very good. Now, get this! I am in a holding pattern as far as doing any more preparation...because his parents haven't called yet for directions and to let us know what time they plan to get here. They live 3 hours away. They talked to my husband on Tuesday and said they'd call "later in the week" to get directions, etc. but as the time is going by, I'm wondering if they changed their minds and didn't tell us? If they don't come, it sure won't stop me from enjoying that food I spent all day making! I can't wait. But I'm still kind of in the air, are they or aren't they? Do I need to vacuum or not? OH! I would love cookbook suggestions! I love cookbooks, I read them like novels. But I'm not very successful at picking them. I did a search on eGullet for cookbook recommendations so I'm waiting for my library to come up with Chez Panisse Desserts, Louisiana Kitchen (Paul Prudhomme), Off the Shelf. I have a list of books to request from interlibrary loan but I like to only order 3 or so at a time so those sweet librarians don't get mad. I did read Chez Panisse Vegetables, and also on my list of books to look up are Cookwise, Minimalist, I'm Just Here For the Food, and I'm looking at the Marion Cunningham Fannie Farmer cookbook. If I like them, they go on my list of books to buy someday.

I wonder if it's the same casserole my mom used to make. Try this: http://christmas.allrecipes.com/az/OldFash...dScallpdCrn.asp

Quick question... Recipe says to add 3/4 cup of white wine (or tomato juice) to the sauce. I have some time before I have to do this. I have an open bottle of dry sherry. Is this okay to use or should I open a new bottle of white wine? Thanks! By the way, you should see the awesome little cubes I did with the onion, carrot, and celery. It took me 20 minutes to do 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, and 1 small onion. Which is why I'm doing this today! God bless the 10-year-old Walmart knife set... --------- ONe more question. Recipe calls for lean ground beef. The best I could do was 100% ground chuck. The recipe started with 2 Tbsp olive oil plus 1/4 cup (I cheated and added a bit more) bacon, then you add the meat and brown. Doesn't say to drain; should I drain anyway, before I add the tomatoes, so it isn't too greasy? Or at least spoon out some of the fat? I did call my mom and ask her these questions. She said that cooking with wine was gross and she did come down on the side of draining the beef. --------------------- Too late! I did use the sherry, because I already had it measured and I love the smell of cooking alcohol. After the ground beef was cooked, I checked the pan for grease and there was quite a bit, so I just ladled out what I could get but didn't sweat the rest. Also, I splurged and bought Muir Glen canned tomatoes for this. They are wonderful! What a big difference from the 49 cent discount store stuff I usually use--I think I'm a convert. It smells awesome in here!

Well, I was still making my French toast when I gave him his. I was yelling questions out of the kitchen--"How is it?" "Good." "Really? Are you sure?" "Yeah." "Did I cook it long enough?" "I think so." "Can you taste the oranges?" "Yeah." That was the end of the conversation, and also about how long it took him to eat his food! I'm starting on the lasagne now, I'm going to do the ragu first and let it sit while I concentrate on the bechamel. Question about the fresh mozzarella on top: should I put it on today (won't be baked until tomorrow)? I think the dish cooks for 20-30 minutes. Or is it something I should put on for the last 5-10 minutes? If I put it on now, to be baked tomorrow, is that going to affect the mozz which apparently needs to be kept in water? Also, I worry because I'm going to have these warm sauces I'm going to combine with fresh pasta, and then let sit and congeal in my fridge. Isn't it going to partially cook because of the warm sauce? Mark Bittman says you can put it together and let it sit overnight, but I wonder if it will affect the quality of the final dish.

Good ideas. I do not have one of those green cans of cheese, to me that stuff smells like vomit. I do have real shredded Parmesan, though. Just to report what I've been cooking for pantry challenge... Yesterday I made French toast, for the liquid I juiced a bunch of those oranges I had. Then I found a small bag of ground almonds so after I dipped the French bread into the egg/orange stuff then I dipped it into the almonds. It was really good--tasted just like an orange dreamsicle! And baked some of that applewood smoked thick slab Cudahy bacon to go alongside. Wow! Last night I took someone's advice upthread and made fried rice from the leftover jasmine rice from the fish. I used the recipe from "How to Cook Without a Book" (had just gotten it from the library) and added cooked chicken and more peas. It was very good. Today, well...can someone come and take this stupid Dinner Doctor cookbook away from me? I keep stubbornly trying recipes, thinking "This can't be THAT bad." I took that pork butt and put it in the Crock Pot with my last package of taco seasoning (I know, from now on I'll use my own spices, which I've had all along), a chopped onion, a can of mild green chiles, 3 cloves of garlic, and a cup of water. That's exactly how the entire recipe went, it didn't mention salt/pepper and I didn't think of it. The pork was somewhat dry, even though it was swimming in liquid, and didn't have much taste either. It was supposed to be "carnitas" and I put it on tortillas with some lettuce. Very UNflavorful. I really don't like pork roasts in the Crock Pot, why do I keep making them? And why do I keep using that stupid cookbook? Oh, besides the makings of lasagne I did get a lovely cantaloupe and some Michigan blueberries, and a can of mixed nuts. I'm still deciding on the pie. There's this stupid circus parade in town tomorrow (160,000 people expected to be here, and only 13,000 people LIVE here) so I don't know if I even want to try to go to that restaurant to get a pie. Thanks for suggestions--and I'm going to have more questions as the day approaches...

I just went shopping. I guess I answered my fresh mozz vs. bechamel question. The store was busy and I grabbed the container of fresh mozz in water. I got home and saw that it is in little balls the size of cherry tomatoes! Unless I want to put little cheese bombs in the lasagne, that's not going to work. I'm not driving an hour back to get the right stuff... now what the heck do I do with the little cheese balls?

Thank you all for your replies. I am kind of trying to take it all in and write things down so I don't get confused trying to picture how to pull it all together. I'm going to make a list of things to do, when to do them. I'm sure I'll have questions on Saturday as I think more about it... Well, for sure I have one right now. I know you all probably think I'm a cretin, but--when laying out salami or sliced meats, should I be putting crackers with them or something? How do you eat it, just slap the meat on a plate and eat it with a fork or what? Good point about the olives, and about the spinach. Rachel, you made a good point about that, reminding me not to get too fancy. I asked my husband what he ate growing up and he said they had chicken every day. And meatloaf on special occasions. I like the tent idea, but we don't have a tent. We do, however, have some space in the basement next to the cat boxes. So do I have everyone's blessing, I can skip the bechamel and use sliced or grated fresh mozzarella for that layer? Or should I still try the bechamel anyway?

Funny you should mention that. I had read that in several cookbooks, but just learned yesterday for the first time that you shouldn't use a pan that's too big either, like putting just 1/2 chicken breast in a 12-inch pan. I didn't know that. Something about the rest of the pan getting too hot or smoking or something.