I_call_the_duck

Oh, Bryan, delectable as always. I’m going to miss your sous vide entries. You’ve been an inspiration. Good luck at Duke.

I don't think dried scallops are cheap anywhere. Everytime Mom uses them, she says something like, "these are the cheap kind, and they were $xx a pound!" Our relatives in HK and SF used to send us some for Christmas, and she'd say, "these are the good ones, they're $xxx a pound!" That's probably the only reason why I don't have any in my house. Maybe the next time I visit Mom, she won't miss a few from her stash...

Looks great, Ah Leung. I'd almost forgotten about this dish.

← Thanks for the link, Rachel. Back to the kitchen to try Julia's method.

What the HELL is up with Combos?! I literally gag every time I try to eat them... but just the first one. I get over it and chow down. The texture of that filling is just vile... but the faux pizza flavor is a thing of beauty. ← Pretzel, faux cheese, a ton of sodium, not to mention preservatives...what's not to like? Yeah, I'm a big fan of the processed cheese stuff too. But I still can't bring myself to eat a cheesesteak wit the wiz. Go figure.

My mom used to make a steamed, eggy cake that my brother and I loved to dunk into milk...until the day we got in into our heads that the bits that fell in the glass would make a great milk shake. So we proceeded to soak an entire piece of cake in our glasses. Bad, bad idea. What resulted was, as you would expect, a gross, soggy mess that we didn't want to consume. But alas, our sister came into the kitchen and made us drink this concoction. Somehow, many years later, she managed to conveniently forget the incident, but my brother and I still shudder at the thought of that cake. Having said that, I've recovered somewhat, and enjoy dunking cookies in my milk, coffee, or vin santo. But just a little. Still shudder at the sight of the sludge at the bottom though.

Red peppers. Bacon. See you learn something new every day...I'd never think to make extra for myself. ha!

Yes.

I’ve been reading this thread with much amusement. Growing up, we only ate fresh veggies at home. I knew canned green beans existed, since that’s what they served at lunch. The only canned vegetable we had in the cupboard was canned corn, which made its appearance only when my brother and I whined about it when shopping with Mom. I find GBC to be mildly fascinating in a train-wreck type of way, mainly because the use of the pre-packaged fried onions on top. Anyway, I had a dentist appointment today, and among the usual variety of outdated magazines was a November 2005 issue of New York Magazine, which featured a recipe for—you guessed it—Green Bean Casserole, made by Thomas Keller. Mr. Keller of course, uses cèpes in a béchamel sauce, haricots verts, and fried shallots to garnish. Not your Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom glop by a long shot. This recipe I may try. Thomas Keller's Green Bean Casserole

Does is make a difference? Every year for Christmas, he gives all his friends a box of assorted homemade chocolates. This year, he sent truffles (three types--coated with nuts, coconut, and white chocolate), chocolate-covered raisins--I'm not a big raisin fan, but I loved them, little things filled with liqueur, and some toffee-stuff. My husband is forbidden to eat them unless I'm present, otherwise, he'll finish them off. Mmm...creme brulee.

This weekend featured a mocha nut loaf and homemade coffee-chip ice cream. We also have these chocolates that a friend made, peppermint bark (leftover from Christmas), brownies, and miscellaneous store-bought cookies. Hey Ling, want to come over and help us finish it?

One fry short of a Happy Meal.

Whats Ham ha(Cantonese)? Can you explain further? I might know it under a different name (speaks Hokkien=ok and Mandarin=a little better) ← Sorry. Ham ha is fermented ground shrimp paste. It's kind of a purple-pink-gray color, and very salty. ETA: And yes, ham ha is the Cantonese pronunciation.

How 'bout a shrimp aoili? If you bought unpeeled shrimp and have shells around, brown them in some oil, and use the oil to make aoili. Or would that be overkill?

Knife for me too--either my chef's knife or my cleaver.

Jason and Rachel, they looked great!! Only having lived in Philly for three years, I'd say they look pretty close to what I've had. My vote is for #1, but without the wiz. Even though I like some food colored an unnatural orange color, I can’t bring myself to order the wiz. Provolone for me. As for the ketchup, I don't think it's that bad a thing (ducking any possible debris thrown my way). The guys at the lunch carts near the office tend to put ketchup on their cheesesteaks, and put some on mine by accident one day. Instead of complaining, I just took it back to the office. The ketchup added a nice flavor to the cheesesteak, almost like a gravy. I don't think I'd ever go to Jim's or Pats and ask for it, but for a lunch cart, ketchup ain’t bad.

Yes! Especially for ice cream where there is a lot of spoon-licking. ← Trouble with plastic for ice cream is if the ice cream is too hard, my spoon breaks, because I'm too impatient to wait for it melt a little. I've wound up with a lot of broken spoons. Good thing they come cheap or usually free. What I like with ice cream are those little wooden soons. Yeah, it tastes woody, but it reminds me of the days when the Good Humor man came around the neighborhood.

For starters, anything with ham ha. My brain is really starting to develop some serious memory lapses, because mom told me why we couldn't just a week ago. I'm sure someone here will be able to revela the vision, but if not...stay tuned, and I'll ask mom tonight.

Ex-lax brought to you by the National Gymnastics Association.

I couldn't get past your husband taking the initiative and doing the wash himself!

Maybe it's the fact that it's been sitting out unrefridgerated for hours at a time? Sandy, the deli stuff at the Super Fresh is so disappointing after we make our rounds at the Whole Foods. We once noticed a sign at WF by their salsa/guacamole/hummus station that looked something like: sam-ple A portion, piece, or segment that is representative of a whole. (Please be considerate and take only one.)

I'm like that without the percodin!

You guys and all this talk about poaching compelled me to try it for the first time. I first tried Percy's method, but not having Pam, I sprayed a ladle with olive oil (using my Misto sprayer). I wasn't sure what to do next, but I carefully lowered the ladle into the pot, tipping the ladle a bit to let the water in slowly, but the whites started to cook immediately, forming threads. Also, I wasn't sure if you poach it in the ladle or remove it, but I did the latter, and some of the whites got stuck to the ladle. I managed to salvage most of it. I think the temperature of the water for the first egg was too hot, so I lowered the temperature, and tried the centrifuge method with the second egg. I used my mini milk frother that I normally use for my weekend cappuchino to create an eddy in the water, and dropped the egg in when the water started slowing down. Both eggs turned out fine, but I preferred the centrifuge method. These were served on top of a mashed potato croquette made out of leftover mashed potatoes from a previous night's dinner mixed with browned, chopped lap cherng.

I too am wondering about your breakfast choice, Fresser. That said, I took a few packages of mustard from the Whole Foods in NY last weekend. It was just sitting there... Actually, I needed some for the knishes that I planned on bringing back. Can't seem to find a good knish in Philly, but that is for another thread. Having those little packs is better than begging your co-workers if you can borrow their mustard (who knows where it's been), or having a whole bottle of it and having other people steal it. Please don't turn me in.

Jason, it looks like something my husband would love. I can just hear him now "we can use it on the patio and it will stay cold for hours!" As if it will last that long! Now Moosh, those glasses aren't all that bad. In my previous post, I mentioned a toaster that I got as a wedding gift. Well, it looked like this! In all the years we've known each other, has she ever known me to like pink?