daniellewiley

Hey Percy, The California Grill is actually ideally situated for the Magic Kingdom fireworks, which start at 10pm. We had a 7:30 reservation, and our waiter timed the meal so that we would be brought our dessert just as the fireworks began. (He was WONDERFUL - do call ahead and ask for Ron) This was a long, slow dinner, but we enjoyed ourselves. You could certainly do 8 or even 8:30 and still enjoy the fireworks. We actually left our dessert on the table and went out to the promenade to watch them. Regarding dishes, you, for one, would certainly appreciate the duck pizza. It was excellent. We also loved the sushi plates. Short ribs are highly recommended as an entree (I loved them). For dessert, we shared the cheese plate and were very pleased. Did you look up the menu on that AllEars site? Let me know if you need help finding it, and feel free to PM for more dining tips - we just went in November.

All About Braising has a great recipe for chicken legs using prunes and olives. I've made it twice now, to rave reviews. A note, though: if you want it to look pretty, use the white wine recipe, not the red wine variation. Though tasty, purple chicken is not exactly attractive.

Randi, what about the bagels at Zingerman's? I find those adequate substitutes in between my trips home to NY.

This happens to me all the time. I work in the food business with my parents - and my mother often questions what I'm doing. I may have even shouted across the kitchen "I've had a cookbook published! Let me cook!" It's a mother-daughter thing. ← Heck, my mom still asks me if I need to pee before we leave the house. And I've had that mastered for YEARS on my own.

but i'm kinda scared: clicked onto the sterling site and: Danielle, I'm one sick puppy! i thought the hot dog looked kinda appealing. i think it was the abundance of pickle relish and the squiggle of mustard (i'm a slut for mustard) but I mean i know that its probably vile. still, here i am in the english countryside thinking: that hot dog looks fine, mighty f i n e !!!!!! x m ← Yeah, the hot dog looks passable, but I was disturbed by the large photo of a gas pump juxtaposed next to it (and also by the strange white Michael Jackson hand holding the bottle of milk).

Yes, it is my favorite comfort food - I especially like eating it in bed!! I grew up with Friendship in NY. I think we also had Breakstone (is that the one you liked?), but my mother always bought Friendship, and I assumed that it was the best. When I moved to the midwest, I was introduced to Sterling brand. It is only sold in the Toledo area, and it is only sold in Sterling stores, which are like a 7-11. This stuff is outrageous. I tried to find you more information on their website, but alas, all I found was this disturbing page: click!

Yep, Randi is right - that's a BIG favorite here, especially with Sterling cottage cheese, which is locally made, and absolutely the most delicous cottage cheese I have ever had. (better than the Friendship cheese I grew up with). I like your ideas Marlena - thank you! I know that cheddar isn't as melty as American, but I do think she'd actually like that better. She is not a fan of mild cheeses for the most part, and always says, "we like stinky cheese, right mom?" I think the problem with the variety I made was with the bechamel. It was so rich!! And yum on the mango - sounds delicious.

See, this is why we need an eGullet personals thread. As a newly single woman, I look through the online dating sites, and find myself wondering if these guys are into food. Great article BondGirl!!

I'm loving this blog! I'm very excited for your Mac and Cheese book. My four-year-old is a HUGE fan of macaroni and cheese, but sadly, she prefers the instant variety. She will only eat the organic Annie's, which I think is rather good, but I do wish that she'd open up to the homemade versions. I made her a version from Recipe Gullet (was it Fifi's??) and while I found it delicious, she was horrified. Any suggestions for a starter homemade version? Maybe one that isn't so rich? I think she was turned off by the sheer decadence of the one I made her. She is really a very adventurous eater, but sometimes it takes a little nudging. (For example, she always declares that she hates tomatoes, but then adds, "but not in chili. I like them in chili.")

I love turkey liver. It's always my treat. I sear it in a pan with butter, paprika, garlic, and lots of salt.

I'm really enjoying your blog! It was interesting to read the above. My daughter just asked me what bees do in the winter. I had no clue! Do they just slow down? Is it business as usual?

I think $1000 or less is what we'll end up at. I'll know more soon - we're compiling our tally of interested parties.

A bunch of us at the office (maybe 15 of us) will be chipping in for an espresso machine. Any tips on what we should look at? The ringleader of this movement is recommending a Saeco. Also, we aren't sure if we'll be able to connect to the plumbing line. It is a possibility though. Any thoughts on that?

OK, I have no comment on the Borsht issue (well, actually, I do - I'd eat it!). Anyway, I need to go to a Potluck tomorrow night for my Bunco group. I'm kind of known for making the most interesting meals when I host, and for our special Christmas potluck, I'm sure they're expecting me to do something exciting. Here's the dilemma. I can't make anything tonight, b/c I have my office Christmas party. Tomorrow, I have our sitter coming to the house at 4:30, right when I get home from work, so I will have about two hours to make the dish in its entirety. I can't cook the whole time, though, b/c I'll also have to nurse the baby, put makeup on, etc. etc. In terms of ingredients, I can run to the store tomorrow at lunch, so ingredients aren't a major issue. I think we are all supposed to bring hors d'oeuvres.

I made this with salami and it was excellent. The eggs baked up perfectly, and the cheese was oozy and delicious.

For those of you who don't use sponges, what do you use to wash your pots and pans? I don't know what I'd do without my Dobie!!! I do use the 3M microfiber cloths for my countertop - they are awesome, and they get thrown into the washing machine. This gets supplemented with Fantastic spray and paper towels.

FoodMan's Calzone were a "must-make" for me the moment I saw his photos in the Dinner thread. We've now had them twice, with slight variations on the fillings. I love these Calzone! Wendy's Banana Cake is another favorite, and something I had to make soon after I read about it. And one that I don't have a link for, but made just a day or two after I read about it was a breakfast that Daniel posted about in the Breakfast thread. It was mortadella, soppresata, spinach, eggs and mozzarella baked. Delicious! (I made it with just salami, but it was excellent nonetheless.)

I love tempeh as well. And, once I started steaming it prior to cooking, I had much greater luck! Our favorite is Moroccan Tempeh. I cut it into bite-sized pieces and steam for seven minutes. Then, mix up a marinade of lemon juice, water, olive oil, paprika, cumin, cayenne, garlic, and cilantro. Throw the tempeh into a shallow baking dish, cover with the marinade and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. The longer you cook it, the nicer crust the tempeh gets. We also do barbecue Tempeh. I steam it and then bake the same way as above, but with a tasty homemade barbecue sauce.

I have to make four loaves of banana bread for my daughter's teachers tonight, so we stuck with easy. We had my childhood favorite - cottage cheese and noodles with tons of freshly ground black pepper. I enjoyed mine with a glass of Cabernet and Dylan had chocolate milk.

I used this the other night and realized it was a great item for this thread. The Microplane Nutmeg Grater I got it as a freebie at the IACP conference two years ago, but I would definitely pay for it - I use it all the time!

We had Emeril's Pot Roast Bolognese, made with leftover Yankee Pot Roast Redux from Molly Steven's All About Braising book. It was awesome!!

Lovely, Grub, just lovely. I love how all the components of the dinner are sort of huddling against the side of the plate, leaving that big white space in the middle, like they are scared of each other.. ← Yet the parsley seems to be contemplating making a move for it.

It was actually a Rival turkey roaster. Thank goodness!! Can you imagine cleaning that slop off the floor of your oven???!!!

You gotta love it when a thread on eGullet actually makes the creation of this beauty a welcomed event: Hint: I made this on November 24th.

Oh, I am so glad you are back Klary - I missed your posts! (but take it easy, and focus on your health!! we will wait!) Feel good,