Gastro888

I've seen pandan (screwpine) ice cream as well. Pandan anything is good!!!!

Oooh, potato soup. Carbs, carbs, carbs. Yah, baby!

Oh my. My virgin eyes! Spam. I love Spam. Spam fried rice!!!

Awesome, thanks! This is the first recipe that I've seen that calls for clarifying the butter and for Ouzo. Most recipes thus far have called for brandy. I wonder if the brandy/ouzo addition affects the taste.(Personally, I'm not crazy about ouzo b/c I don't like the anise taste. The ones on Poros island may have ouzo but they didn't taste like it.) Can anyone explain the difference in results using regular melted butter vs clarified butter? From what I understand, all the milk solids are removed from the clarified butter so I guess this would make for a difference in texture in the final product? We have a cooky swap at work in a few weeks. I would really like to try my hand at these. I will test them out on my team one of these weekends...hopefully I won't poison them too badly! Thanks!

Currant jelly with mustard? Hmmm. I wonder how that would taste as a glaze on a ham. (On a side note about currants, currant scones w/ clotted cream and jelly...they rock!) There is one ethnic dish someone's bringing but a select one or two people are requesting that pork be taken out of it. *rolls eyes* Not for religious reasons but just 'cause people don't like pork. For the love of bacon fat, I work with non-pork eating people. Oy lah!

Heck no, i'm a newbite, too! You won't be alone, KVentura. It's all good.

Cool, thanks! OK, anyone with a family recipe? Tips, tricks, hints?

Rock on! Great photos! Ah, the picture of Hong Kong makes me wanna go back now!!! Keep it coming!

I had some kourambiedes in Poros, Greece and they were fantastic. Crumbly, rich, nutty and just downright tasty. I've been looking for a good, authentic recipe for these power sugar dusted morsels of heaven. Unfortunately, the Greek cookbook I bought in Santorini doesn't provide the best measurements for me (..."use 3 teacups of flour"...). Does anyone have a recipe for kourambiedes they'd like to share? Many thanks in advance!

Cool, thanks! I've also noticed that my Bath and Bodyworks handcream has petrolatum as well...hmmm. Gah, this make me want to go through my bathroom and check labels!

Devon Double cream is da bomb. I love using it on scones. Honestly, I've never tried it on anything else except on my scones with strawberry jelly. You could use it on a baked potato in lieu of butter (or with butter if you're feeling frisky...) On the TJ tip, I dislike how they get rid of products so fast! They had this mushroom penne from Italy that was great but they got rid of it b/c it "wasn't moving as fast as they liked it". *groan*

You can use castor oil on the skin? Interesting. My friend's family used castor oil to keep things, um, regular. Here's a suggestion: if you have access to a steam room, why not try one of the tips in the post in the steam room? The hot steam would really help get that moisture back into your hands! (Great for tension in the body as well!)

Quick question, anyone bringing a camera?

Oooohhhh. *drools* That sounds heavenly. Although, nothing beats freshly roasted chicken skin.

Oh, THAT'S what chili sauce is? Neato! The chili sauce I use is from Maggi, and it's this sweet and spicy gooey chili sauce that's great on your blah leftovers. I think it's imported from Thailand or Malaysia. As for the ethnic foods, yeah, it shouldn't be a mandatory thing that people bring in ethnic food. If the spirit of the department/company calls for sharing, cool beans, that idea is great. However, when you work in a close-minded place, you're just inviting a headache. (Lord, child, don't get me started about my workplace, a'rite?) *sigh* My dear friend gave me the "do unto others as you would have done unto you" speech last night when I was telling her about this post. So now I feel guilty for making non-foodie quality food for them. Funny, I was considering artichoke dip prior to this post, however, I was worried about the quality of the dip if I made it the night before and baked it.

Wow, interesting bit about the mineral oil and petrolatum ! This could explain why my jar of Eucerin cream isn't doing jack squat for my (often over-washed) hands. What about glycerin based products? Would they be in the same category? Do they help or hurt your hands?

Good point about the expensive things, true dat. I've tried the Vaseline and sock thing and I found better results with the gel-lined gloves. 'Sides, you can pretend that you're pampering yourself at some posh spa. Ok...that was a biiiit of a stretch!

I suggested Cherry Blossom ice cream to Ben and Jerry's with mochi bits. Maybe a lil' too exotic for them?

Merci! Those mayo biscuits sound right up their alley. judiu, thanks so much. Yeah, these folks would lap that up and then all afternoon there would be grousings of how "Oh my god, i ate so much, how will I ever fit into my bebe jeans?" That hot dog and jelly w/ chile sauce is really ringing my bell. I wonder if I could cube up some SPAM instead of the hot dogs...or I could be really bad and make a cresent roll with Spam, mayo and whole fruit cranberry sauce...muwahahaha! NOTE: Really, I'm a nice person!

Thanks for the link, but you could please repost it? The link's a lil' funky - keeps crashing my browser! Thank you!!!

wow i never heard of this version. i usually do lil smokies with currant jelly and spicy mustard sauce. ← Interesting. So do you just cut up the hot dogs and cook them in jelly? Sounds tasty. That salty sweet combo thing going on there. Never heard of it before now! Hmm...please provide details! (I work with Ally McBeal types...I'd get my jollies bringing this in!!!)

Burns. Ouch. I'd go to a Chinese herbalist (if you live near one) and ask for something. I'm sure there's a nice salve available. However, growing up in my dad's Chinese carryout, you just tough that s**t out. Ah, sweet and sour sauce burns. Just don't pick at the scab... Origins does have unlined gloves where you can slap on the Make a Difference hand cream and put your hands in the gloves. bliss spa is the one with the gel-lined glove and hand cream combo. Bath & Bodyworks might have something similar for a bit cheaper. If you have an event you need to go to and want instant relief, try a paraffin dip at a nail salon/spa. Elizabeth Arden's manicures are known to do wonders.

Cool, thanks for the puff pastry and brie hint! Sounds good. Yeah, tryska, these would be the people who would appreciate Sandra Lee. Caught her show last night as I was working out and she made this cresent rolls ring thing. I wonder if I could fudge the brie and puff pastry receipe with the cresent rolls. Yes, these people would not appreciate puff pastry. I'm pretty sure of it. (OK, I must fess up...I have a full, unopened jar of Trader Joe's Mayo that I'd like to use for this potluck. Suggestions? Oh yes, I love my company, oh yes, yes I do!)

I've noticed that shopping in ethnic markets (Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese in particular) tend to yield high quality produce and cheap (filling) pantry items such as rice noodles.

Origins Make a Difference Hand Cream is great to use at night. Also, bliss spa (www.blisspsa.com) make great gel-lined gloves that you use with this very rich hand cream. You'd use this is you really want to heal your hands. You put the cream on and wear the gloves for about 30 minutes or more and your hands are restored. FYI, this glove cream combo is pricey (about 40 bucks, I think) but it's worth it. A little goes a long way! Both creams have a lemony scent. For the daytime, Herbacin from Germany (available at Whole Foods Market and Ulta Cosmetic stores) is great - glycerin based and not greasy at all! Vaseline works well, too.