irodguy

Since I am planning to go south anyhow. How bout visiting Avery island? Is it worth a little detour? On the hot sauce front does Cajun Power have any kind of store front, aren't they in Abbeville?

I purchase decent wine. I cook with a great deal of Arkansas or Texas wines, that's right I said Arkansas There are many very good vineyards mid state. I purchase a case at a time, getting their discounts so an average bottle of Cabernet will be about $7 or so. Last night for instance I used one of the $7 bottles of wine to make dinner, and we drank a $16 bottle of wine. Now since we did not finish the $16 bottle of wine, it will get used to make dinner sometime within the next few days. I don't have a problem using it once it's open, but I would not have decanted a $16 bottle of wine specifically for cooking purposes.

I have seen pilferage close up both from customers and obviously on the back end. I had a close up and personal experience as a customer. I was out with some friends of mine and his father. The restaurant boxed up the left overs and my friend mentioned to his father that they had just moved into the new house and none of the condiments were unboxed. Basically the kitchen was still in boxes. They had not stocked their fridge yet, which is one of the reasons we all went out to dinner. So the father asked the waiter for extra butter which he snuck into the box along with the ramekin. Then he took the Salt, Pepper & Several pieces of serving ware. I was so astonished that I did not even say anything. I asked my friend later if his father was always like that (future not don't invite his father to dinner @ my house )

Of course I think about those ducks. I think they would make a delicious dinner. Duck schnitzel? How do you think that would taste? ← Duck schnitzel now there's and idea! While the entire panko thing is ok, personally I made a half sheet size foccia bread. I dry half and make it into bread crumbs. Not really a schnitzel as such but close enough. All though I am sure my father who is from Vienna would slap me around or something

1) Turkey Soup 2) Turkey Salad 3) Turkey Enchiladas 4) BBQ pulled Turkey Think I might add the Turkey Lasagna idea

The other thing is that most of the Chinese restaurants use short or mid grain rice, not the standard "American" long grain. There is of course the normal fast food fried rice with peas etc. The best fried rice I have had is from mom and pop Chinese restaurants where it's made with whatever left over they have. My favorite place rarely has peas since they are not common in most of their dishes. They use cabbage, carrots, assort bbq meat etc. Basically whatever bit and pieces they have left over.

Actually taking the FIAT 22 MPG instead of 9 MPG . Probably meeting up with some FIAT folks in San Antonio on the way back. So are there any other "interesting" places I should consider stopping @?

Personally I stock unsalted butter. It's just more versatile. I can use it for baking, sauces etc. I normally use a mix of butter and EVOO on bread and then add some decent large crystal salt.

So you went to Terra Madre?

Yep mine is also similar with a few variations. I used Cabot 50% and use smoked paprika.

Food wise Cajun to Creole. Route would probably cut across the lake towards Alexandria and then some other back roads down would be fine. Then once on 10 cut back towards Houston then back home through San Antonio.

You might want to try a high heat sear on a piece of Salmon (skin on, it's the best part!) Start with the flesh side down put in the fish and shake the pan around. This will keep it from sticking. Don't be to quick to check it. Then turn if over sear it skin down. The skin crisp up kind of like a pork rind Sprinkle a little chili oil on it when serving.

Now if you ever encountered a bad oyster that's just horrible. Now if you have ever opened a bad egg that's just nasty

Ok I will agree with Chicken Sashimi maybe depends on how it was fixed. If really raw I would have to agree. But have to disagree on the others. Fresh Octopus Sushi really good not chewy, but most sushi bars just order the precooked rubber stuff. Squid; Depends on how it's done. Nothing better than spicy, salted Chinese style squid. Also nothing wrong with rear duck but beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Sorry but rule 1 is * If it's slower than me it's food Rule 2 * If it's faster than me but not bullet proof it's food That being said I have not found a good source of roo meat here in Texas other than mail order. The problem is ExoticMeats.com wants $60 in shipping. It will have to wait for a BBQ this Spring.

Yep all this Costco talk makes me want to join. I have been a Sams member for years. I did have an intro Costco membership a few years ago when they first opened here. What I found was if you are purchasing the same sugar, flour etc. that Sams is almost always less expensive. If you are purchasing meats, fish etc. Costco rocks. The interesting thing here in Plano, Texas is that the Sams that is almost next door to Costco has much better produce and meats than the other Sams that are across town.

Yeah, nuts, ain't it? But seriously, while it's very possible to get really cheap restaurant food in New York, things generally are more expensive here than in most of the rest of the country. They have to pay higher rents, so we have to pay higher prices for food and so forth. And I'm OK with that as long as I know what I'm paying. The worst "hidden extra" I ever experienced was being charged an exhorbitant price for 33 cl of mineral water at a Hungarian restaurant on Vigado Ter. I hadn't checked the price for water but it never cost much anywhere else, and their food menu prices seemed reasonable. They showed me the price from the menu when I objected, and they didn't speak English and I didn't speak enough Hungarian to argue effectively, plus I did see the entry on the menu, so I paid up. And no, it wasn't some deluxe water, it was their only water and no better than any other mineral water I got during my stay, which I think was 2 weeks long (in 1994). The thing about tourist-ripoff places is that when they serve good food like this one did, I would have returned if they had treated me honestly. The same thing is true of the Romanian restaurant near the Eiffel Tower which served me a good meal and then tried to charge me for wine I had never drunk nor ordered and were unapologetic about the "error." Fortunately, my French is a hell of a lot better than my Hungarian. ← Yep I have a friend who visits Prague on a regular basis. He speaks Czech so he gets the "cheap" menu. He was telling me that the same exact thing was $3 on the Czech menu and $7 on the English version.

How hot was your oil? What kind of oil did you use and how much. For pan frying you need the oil about half way up the pan. If you had less then you were basically sautéing not frying. Also how long did you let the fish set after battering? If you let the battered fish set in the fridge for an hour you will end up with a better end product. If your pan is hot enough the fish should release once it forms a crust if you are sautéing and if you are pan frying the fish generally should float.

I've lived in the Pacific Northwest my entire life and have never paid for a drink refill (and I am an iced tea fiend). My pet peeve about iced tea is that so many places here make a fruity (usually peach) flavored tea and then serve that without telling you that you are not getting the regular, plain iced tea you thought you were ordering. It's just gross. ← Interesting, I have been hit quite a few time for refill charges on trips to Northern California and about 50% in LA. On the other hand I have never been charged for Refills anywhere in the South. The only real question is if you want sweet or unsweet tea.

Thinking about an excursion from Dallas to South Louisiana and then probably back up into Arkansas. So I am looking for suggestions. I know of a few from travels years ago. Tunks just outside Alexandria (is it still there?) Prejeans in Lafayette. Other suggestions? Or suggestions on other places to hit. Not planning on doing New Orleans on this trip, that's for sometime next year.

Of course if you want killer Chili that stands a good chance of melting your pot then go for Daves Ultimate Insanity Sauce.

If you spiced it already but it does not have a bite then add Salt. Salt will help develop the heat in most cases. The vinegar idea is also quite valid. If this does not help and you want quick heat. Add about 4 drops of Dave's Insanity Sauce Just a few drops if you don't want to melt your pan

Free drink refills are a distinctly southern thing. On the west coast it's hit an miss for instance. May places charge for drink refills. On the east coast it seems that I was always charged for soft drink refills but tea was hit or miss. There is no question that it's extra work for the server. There is also no question that this is frequently a basis for the tip. I ate lunch Friday at a restaurant that a friend of mine owns. There was a new server there so I played dumb, did not go hang out in the kitchen or anything. The server was quite slow with the Tea It was amazing how things changed when my friends sister came to my table and sat and bs'ed for a while. I ended up giving a good tip (bordering on great), and quietly told them they might want have a little talk with the new server.

irodguy, if you want to make them yourself I salute you. Martha certainly would . . . For me, I feel the same way about making my own tortillas as I do about making my own Cheetos - I'm not going to do it better or cheaper than Frito Lay. Plus, given the fact that I am doing the final baking, they feel homemade to me . . . If you give them a try, I'll try the straight homeade stuff :) I found them in the upright refrigerator case at Costco BTW - by the cheese and butter. ← I will get a friend of mine who is a costco member to grab me some. I don't remember seeing these @ Sams.

Ok maybe I am just being silly But why are you not making your own? Basically Flour + baking soda + Salt + Shortening or Lard + a little butter and a tad of water It takes all of 5 minutes in your kitchenaid.