viva

I can't stand fennel or licorice flavor of any kind. The slightest whiff makes me shudder. My mother has the same strong reaction to nutmeg and rosemary. I love rosemary, but agree that quantities must be limited!

This is my Texas Hill Country grandma's crab & seafood gumbo recipe with...tomatoes. And bacon. Now, I've never made this one. And grandma is notorious for skipping steps, glossing over items, being vague, and in general being a grandmother. But this is what she wrote down for me and I am willing to give it a try. When grandma makes it, the stuff is like heaven. Comments on the recipe welcome before I get myself in a whole mess of trouble. 4 lbs shrimp 2 lbs crab 6 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into small pieces 1 large onion, diced 1 large can tomatoes 2 medium cans tomato sauce 2 heaping tbsp flour Rotel (2 tomatoes, ½ can juice) Chili powder 1 medium can water 1 crab boil in a bag Salt & pepper Tabasco Gumbo file Brown bacon. Add onion & sauté. Add flour to make a roux. Brown. Add all remaining ingredients except seafood. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook slowly for 45 minutes. Should be thick, as seafood will thin. Add shrimp & cook 10-15 minutes. Add crab meat & stir gently. Heat for 3-5 minutes. On a separate note, last week made myself some gumbo z'herbes. Greens, more greens, and andouille. Made the roux, add onions, add andouille, add the greens, then stock & spices. Quite a refrigerator cleaner if you find yourself with a mountain of greens to use up... I used chard, dandelion greens, radish tops, spinach, and carrot tops. ETA I was quite the chicken shit on this one and only managed a blond roux. Must do better! Must have cojones!

One of the teams did make a french toast dish that was make-ahead. And served it without syrup (because "there was enough" in the dish already). Whereupon Flay went into the kitchen to ask for it, then snagged another bite of the other team's cinnamon rolls as he left with the syrup. I'm not a big fan of Flay, but that was pretty funny.

When you said "inca" I thought you were referring to dried coca-leaf tea, which certainly did the trick in Peru. Everytime I try to get off caffeine, it's such misery (headaches + insane amounts of yawning) that I wonder WHY I'm doing it. I have so many more vices that need to be addressed before I give up Diet Coke.

Don't you guys get headaches? I only drink Diet Coke as my caffeine of choice, which has way less caffeine than coffee, probably 4-5 cans per day, which I think barely equates to one cup of coffee. Every time I try to give it up, I get these massive headaches that take DAYS to get over. Migraine-level headaches. Pure agony. The only reason I try to give it up, however, is vanity. I don't want my teeth to turn brown. Oh, that, and for health.

To quote Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford on Saturday Night Live: "It was my understanding that there would be no math."

YES!!! I had forgotton about that part. Brilliant. That guy is a nerd on so many levels, no wonder I love his books. ← Any guy that can write that much, and so well, about eating Cap'n Crunch is worth reading, in my book.

I have an open floor plan great room in the back half of my house, comprised of a kitchen, a middle area that I use for a dining table & bar, plus TV/family area. All dining entertaining takes place back here, either milling around abstractly or seated at the dining table. The front half of my house was technically designed to be a formal dining room and formal living room. I've made them into a library and a reading room. I would never be able to herd people in there away from the kitchen anyway. I will also add a dining table to my back patio, for some alfresco dining possibilities.

Cap'n Crunch is divine. I prefer it with milk. And what is UP with the ravaged roof-of-the-mouth after you're done with a bowl?!?!? ← Has anyone read Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson? There's a marvelous 4 page exposition regarding the science of eating Cap'n Crunch (milk temperature, speed of eating to avoid the crunch turning to mush while avoiding roof-of-mouth damage, etc). It has nothing whatsoever to do with the plot of the story, but I love it anyway.

Dammit. I was just thinking "hmm, I could use some Apple Jacks, I haven't had any in quite a while." And they go the way of the Fruit Loops. Green????? And then to find that Fruit Loops continue their descent into hell by adding marshmallows. They're probably blue too. GRRR. ETA that I have absolutely no problem with neon-orange food either. Cheetos, Kraft Mac n' Cheese, Sunkist Orange soda, it's all good. Something about staining your fingers and giving yourself an orange moustache.

Oh, I feel old. Yup, Fruity Pebbles were once the trusty red, orange & yellow. And yes, Apple Jacks have stayed true to formula. Bless 'em.

This reminds me of when they added blue and green to Fruit Loops. The last thing you need when you are hungover and reaching for your trusty bowl of Fruit Loops sugar high is bright blue and green circles staring up at you and turning your milk a weird color. Fruit Loops milk is supposed to be pink fer chrissake. It is for this reason that I haven't eaten Fruit Loops in at least 10 years. I've noticed the same disturbing trend with Fruity Pebbles.

Two more ideas that I've used for chard recently: Gumbo Z'Herbes - boiled swiss chard, spinach, dandelion greens, radish & carrot tops down, pureed & added to a roux along with andouille, garlic, onions, cayenne. Very refreshing change from traditional gumbo, and a great way to use up the truckloads of greens in the fridge. Pasta with ricotta & greens - sauteed rainbow chard in bacon fat, pureed with ricotta cheese, tossed with pasta & topped with tomatoes & crumbled bacon.

Guess what! You are not the lone voice. This is a duet. I am 100% in agreement with you. Give me amazing char-broiled beef and american cheese. And if the bun sucks, I will eat it without the bun. Chances are, even a good bun might get passed over. I often take the top off and eat the burger (medium rare please) on just the meat-juice soaked bun bottom. No toppings or condiments! Altho, like Sandy (MarketStEl) I will accept them on the side. And eat them as a side dish (pickles, tomato, lettuce, even bacon, etc.) ← At last! A kindred spirit. I do the same thing with the top part of the bun too, in order to get the meat-to-bread ratio a little closer to what I like. More meat than bread is definitely required! I will, on very rare occasions, eat a patty melt, which also needs no condiment but on which I will accept the sauteed onions (not too many). Sometimes you need that buttery salty toasted rye bread.

Ah, I'm glad I forgot about it and watched The Apprentice instead! The Asian chef was the only one that seemed tolerable.

Well, there you go. Somehow, I wasn't sure if suet was just the fat around the kidneys, or all beef fat. Kinda like lard, I guess. Anyway, I bet the fat would make a rockin' savory pie crust. You could freeze the dough, thus solving the storage problem.

Can beef fat sub in for suet? If so, RLB's got a recipe for suet pie crust, which I'm thinking would be excellent surrounding a beef tenderloin pot pie. I love pot pies.

Excellent! I was worried the nuts & chocolate were structurally necessary. I think I know what I'll be cooking tonight.

Good question. Anyone know if this is possible? I like toffee bits in my cookies and brownies, but I don't want the nuts or chocolate.

I love that you used 151 rum. Most folks might use a rum a little lower in the rum food chain (dark rum, spiced rum). But 151 - straight to the top. Heh.

I'll be the lone voice for a no-condiment burger. Meat (beef, 2 patties, thin enough to become slightly crispy at the edges). Cheese (american, gooey, 2 slices). Bun (lightly toasted). A good burger needs nothing else. Let the beef shine through in all its glory. ETA: In & Out and Culver's Butterburgers are the finest examples I have found available in a chain

Made tamarind-glazed spicy pork chops in a green mole cream sauce. My first attempt at cooking anything with tamarind paste, and it's delicious. Roasted sweet potatoes on the side. All from Emeril's NNO cookbook.

I got a bunch of radicchio in my produce box this week - thanks to this thread, I had a lovely grilled radicchio, green bean, and artichoke heart salad in a white truffle vinaigrette with a little reggiano on top. Lovely.

The grocery stores around me keep the potato starch not in the baking section but in the Kosher section. Manischewitz brand. Try that!

The local groceries near me don't even carry lard, so that's probably a good thing, otherwise I might have been tempted to try the commercial and been disappointed. Plus, rendering your own lard gives you cracklings, which cannot be beat.