Special K

Bresse chicken.

. . . never forgetting that this means you will, presumably, be traveling by car, on Michelin tires!!

Thank you for posting this. I've been looking for Amis' out of print "On Drink" for a while, and I'm very happy to see the Amazon blurb for "Everyday Drinking; the Distilled Kingsley Amis" here (it's a compilation of "On Drink," "Everyday Drinking" and "How's Your Glass"). Sweet! As to the question of whether the waiter should pour the wine without asking if the patron wants a refill, I say no, of course not. If the waiter is there to either move the customers on out or at least to get them to order another bottle to justify their keeping the table, waiting for a lull in the conversation and then asking the host, if it's obvious who is host, or each individual diner, if necessary, would accomplish the same thing.

Oh, my goodness, Vinotas! That is one gorgeous kitchen! I love that glass backsplash - and everything else, too. Such a beautiful space. It's so nice that you're so happy. I know just what you mean about standing and staring - I'd be doing that too! K

I've always wanted to write about book about the wine industry . . . maybe a mystery. So far I've only got the title: "The Serious Smile." ETA Oops, meant as a reply to Viva.

I put together a French dressing (lemon juice, olive oil, garlic paste, Frank's Hot Sauce, horseradish, cayenne, paprika, and S & P) and marinate a nice thick salmon filet in that while I put together a salad. I preheat a cast iron pan in a smokin' hot oven, lay the salmon skin side down and roast until it's just done. I usually add some crumbled blue cheese to the dressing for the salad. Big favorite around here.

We used to have a beloved babysitter who always brought along a bag of Circus Peanuts. Hated them, but loved her. Jawbreakers!

We really can't decide - replace the old dishwasher which might last a year or two more, or replace the oven which I. can't. stand. much. longer. It has only three burners, and they're cast iron, which I've never gotten used to (it's been ten years!). We would love to get both at the same time, but I don't think we'll be able to swing that unless there's a super-duper sale. Actually, I'm really just dreaming. We spent it (before it arrived, of course) on two Abyssinian kittens -- so I guess I can say, kitchen-wise, I'll be using whatever's left to buy cat food! (And before anybody tells me we should just have gone to the animal shelter, I know, I know, you're right. But DH had his heart set on Abys, and he seldom asks for anything, so I jump to get him what I know he REALLY wants.)

Oh, yes, I hate that! Creepy.

Add another vote for Cheese-Its! I rarely buy them, but last week a box "fell" into my cart . . . Fortunately, it turns out my two kittens are also Cheese-Its fans, so technically I did not eat the whole box myself.

Oh, God. Memorable, yes. Paul Bocuse, Lyon. The meal was very elaborate (and free! Business junket; a bunch of biotechhies and their lucky spouses from the US being literally wined and dined by the French govt.). As the, er, most mature woman in the party, I was seated next to our host. Bocuse himself came to the table and chatted with us. Everything should have been perfect. Everything was perfect. Except. I had the worst migraine of my life, and not only could I not eat, I was truly afraid I might really embarrass myself (and possibly cause an international incident) by throwing up. I didn't, but it was close. I knew the migraine was coming on, and the boat ride to the restaurant didn't help . . . but there was no way I was going to stay at the hotel and miss that experience! Longest evening of my life. And not in a good way. I'd give an awful lot for a do-over! I want to cry every time I think about it. That said, the rest of the trip was absolutely fantastic, beginning with the first class flights, on to the winery tour and dinner, and the morning I spent roaming the food market. (And in the end, RPR did buy out the company my husband was representing). I did enjoy all of your stories. Maybe one day I will have another chance. . .

I bought a couple of sturdy bags at the drugstore with a zipper pocket on one side and an open pocket on the other - handy for coupons, sunglasses, paperback book, etc., and I just fit one down inside the other. I shop daily (getting in a nice walk with a purpose) so I rarely need more than these two bags. I find the 99 cent bags the stores sell to be too flimsy (the seams rip right out) and too large. The store clerks do indeed appreciate it if I bag my groceries myself, and that's fine with me.

I had the slipping and sliding problem, too, until I went out and bought some silicone "dots" at the hardware store. Problem solved! I have three of these boards and I love them.

Knife!

See also www.wineintro.com/champagne/widows.html.

Yep, that's it. People would (and did) definitely walk off with the individual grinders. Restauranteurs have had to turn the application of pepper into a "service." I forget who it was, but I remember some comedian a few years ago calling the pepper-grinder guy "the peppier," pronounced "zee peppeeyay," of course.

I watched Tyler Florence cook his Ultimate Fried Chicken Saturday morning and had to try it, with a few twists of my own (which I hope makes this OK to post). I brined the chicken for about half an hour, and then dipped it in buttermilk laced with hot sauce, then coated it with seasoned flour (paprika, chili powder, cayenne powder - I left out his onion and garlic flours), then *back* into the buttermilk, and then back into the seasoned flour. Then it sat while the oil (he uses peanut, I used corn) temp came up to 375 degrees (the temp will go down to 350 once the chicken goes in) about 3 1/2 inches deep in a stock pot (yep, it's deep-fried.) The oil was flavored with aromatics (I used a cut-up onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, and a handful of rosemary). Out came the aromatics (TF garnishes the chicken platter with them, but I thought they'd given their all so I gave them a decent burial in the garbage) and the chicken went in in batches. Then it drained on a paper bag while the subsequent batches cooked up. All I had was boneless, skinless thighs, which didn't take very long (about 8 - 9 minutes a batch) and were so good and easy to eat that I think I'm going to stick to using them. Just about the only similarity to my usual method of frying chicken (which I thought was authentic, given that I am Deep-South born and raised) is the paper bag!! I used to soak the chicken overnight in the buttermilk, coat in egg and seasoned flour (one dip in each), and fry it in a cast iron skillet, turning a few times. This was way less work with *much* better results (sorry, Mom)! It was wonderful hot, and - the "ultimate" test for me - perfect this morning (yep, we had it for breakfast). Crisp crust, not at all greasy, tender, flavorful meat . . . mmmmmmm! I'm converted. Also, I guess I need that cookbook. (I had a lot of fun earlier, reading the "Tyler's Ultimate TV show" thread from '03. I think the show I watched was new - he's in that lovely green basement kitchen - no wimminfolk around at all ) Next time I'll take pictures - If I'm fast enough! K

Mamster, I've bought several for gifts at the new Fred Meyer in Ballard, and I think they're also at either Safeway or QFC. ← Special K~ You must be a fan. Tell us of your experience, please. ← I am a fan. I love this toy! I've given it to friends and family and even recommended it to perfect strangers in the store. I use it for freezing things (which works out fine except for the unfortunate incident with the flattened scones . . . ), refrigerating things (cheese, veggies - mushrooms don't get slimy! - etc.), and for bread on the counter (I learned to wrap the bread in a paper sack or paper towel first, cuz the rough bits of crust can puncture the bags). They've taken the place of my beloved green bags. DH still gets to suck the air out of the brownie baggies, though. The batteries last a long time, but when it starts not working so well it is time to replace them (I first try a new bag - yes, I do wash and reuse the old bags - and if it still doesn't work, new batteries go in). Love 'em!

Mamster, I've bought several for gifts at the new Fred Meyer in Ballard, and I think they're also at either Safeway or QFC.

I just found it. It's from an Alton Brown "Good Eats" episode, "Tender is the Loin II" It's just regular kosher salt, not rock salt: "Oh, and here's a little trick. I really hate having to scrub out these little grooves, so a little bit of kosher salt down in there will catch any goo that shows up down there. And it makes the pan a lot easier to clean up. And don't worry about it burning. It's a rock!" He uses a neat Staub square grill pan with low sides and a snap-on wire handle in that episode.

I stopped by Lunchbox Laboratory today and I have to say it is everything I'd hoped it would be. Nice people, great service, and, oh, yeah, the best chili burger I've ever eaten!

I'm sure I read somewhere recently that you can just sprinkle rock salt in the grooves BEFORE heating and using, and the cleanup will be easy (and the meat won't be salty.) Can't find it now (I thought it was Cooks Illustrated), and haven't tried it yet, but it makes sense to me that it should work. My Lodge grill pan was extra-cheap - Value Village special! The only way I'll ever get Le Creuset is if someone donates Grandma's trove to V.V. Stranger things have happened!

Hey, all you Ballardites (Ballardians?) in Seattle -- Top Banana Fruits & Veg is up and running again!

Good to know, Rich (and btw, great nom de Gullet!). I use a small Romertopf for my bread - now I get to try it in the big one!