I_call_the_duck

Duck, of course. Quail, squab, pheasant. For more "normal" fowl, I'd choose geese, some sort of chicken, turkey. I think here you're mixing up organically grown and free-range, which are two different things. Organically grown means that the birds were not injected with hormones. Free-range generally means that these birds were happily running around the day before they met the axe. Though I read somewhere that the definition can be pretty vauge--"running around" can be for as little as a few minutes before they're caged again. But you'd definitely want organic. You can definitely taste the difference.

These all look great. Yesterday, I butchered a pumpkin and made a big vat of pumkin soup with lots of ginger. Had a nice bite to it, and I'm sure it'll be better today since the flavors were able to blend overnight. To garnish, I roasted the seeds with a bit of olive oil, curry powder, and salt. The end result looked pretty, but haven't had the courage to post any pictures up here yet.

Is that how they handled the obscenities?! Yeesh. I could barely get through the first episode it was so not funny.

Green bagels freak me out. I know it's just food coloring, but it's scary. Says the woman who eats Cheetos but can't bring herself to eat a cheesesteak with whiz.

There's also Metropolitan Bakery on 19th and Manning, just south of Rittenhouse.

It looks like it's gone, folks. According to this article, Fox isn't renewing after the first 13 episodes.

The Melting Pot stands out from the other chains in that it's different. The thing about chains is that they basically serve the same generic food. You can get a burger at a Chilis, TIFridays, and Applebees, or spaghetti and meatballs at Beppe de Bucco, Olive Garden, or Maggianos, but fondue is something that you'll find in few if any restaurants be it upscale or not. I haven't experienced fondue, but it sounds like fun. The Melting Pot may be a chain, but its a refreshing change from all the others that have inundated our society. If the food is as good as Katie and philadining say, then it may be worth a visit. Expensive? Maybe. But then again, would you pay $7 for a garden salad when you can buy a head of lettuce for a buck and some change?

I'm probably wrong about this, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that the sugar crystals need to "cling" to the sides of the pan in order to crystalize properly, which of course you can't do with a non-stick pan. Need to dig out my Harold McGee. This may have to be my next sig line. ← Getting off the subject for a minute, when we were in Hawaii, we were on a tour, and at one point our tour guide said something to the extent of, "here is Jim Nabors' farm. If you see a package of macademia nuts from Naborly Farms, you can buy Jim Nabors' nuts." I burst out laughing, while the other people on the bus just looked at me funny. Yes, I have an eight year-old sense of humor. (For those of you who don't know who JN is, he was most famous for playing Gomer Pyle on the Andy Griffith show.)

I’d say no. I agree with Chris—not only are Americans conditioned to like breast meat, but I also think the AMA or whatever diet-du jour dictates that breast meat is healthier for you. OK, this may be true, but it isn’t as tasty. The thing about breast meat that people like is that IT HAS NO FLAVOR. If I were to do a side-by-side comparison of the same dish using breast meat and thigh meat, the latter would win hands down. My brother used to go out with this woman who was a really picky eater (my goodness, there is a huge laundry list here of things she wouldn’t eat). The only type of chicken she would eat was boneless chicken breasts because IT HAS NO FLAVOR. So now I’m curious…If Mario Batali likes it, and most of you here like it…do your picky friends like breast meat, while your foodie friends like dark meat?

My theory is much more simple, and does have to do with Megan's idea about trends in cooking. I think that boneless chicken thighs didn't make an appearance until I'd say, about 10-15 years ago, whereas boneless breasts have been around much longer. And I'm also a big dark meat fan. I make chicken marsala using boneless thighs. Yes more time is spent trimming the thighs, but I can get a decent shape albiet smaller pieces when I flatten them. And those little pieces which are left from trimming are usually saved for stir fries.

We recycle. But we're thinking of saving the pretty ones and displaying them on a shelf in a window above our front door.

Small counter, so the only appliance there is my Cuisinart. Rest taken up by dish rack, paper towel holder, bread box, spice rack, cooking utensils, misc. stuff. We have wire shelves that hold the rest of the appliances and other cooking stuff. Used daily/weekly: microwave, toaster oven, rice cooker (2) Used sometimes: stand mixer, immersion blender, George Foreman grill (got when I opened a bank account), coffee grinder, juicer, ice cream maker In the basement, yet to be unpacked: waffle iron, crock pot, blender, mandoline (that thing scares me). In the cupboard but use frequently: scale. Can't wait to remodel my kitchen, which will unfortunately, not be for awhile. Edited because I forgot some stuff.

...and then cutting a soda can in half! Something about Ron Popeil's spiel is very hypnotic. Don't do it, Daniel. Restaurant supply stores, Chinatown (or both) would get you better knives.

Yesterday, I got a nasty little scrape from my new box grater. The funny thing is that I got it as I was trying to take out the little cardboard piece that was in the center. Could only happen to me.

Depends what we’re having. If I’m cooking Chinese food, we’ll generally eat family style. All other meals will get plated in the kitchen and then brought to the table. I also try to make the plate look nice, but don’t spend much time on it. Dinner is usually eaten in the dining room on place mats, which are used to keep drips off our table. Paper napkins and basic table settings. On the rare occasion when we do eat in the LR, it's usually pizza while watching football. That eg dinner forum is making me feel inadequate.

Actually I shouldn't make fun. The Chin family is big on strawberry shortcake.

Drool. I don't know if I'm ever going to match any of you guys. My dishes are good, but not as pretty as everyone else's here. Percy, the chicken looks great, but is my eight year-old sense of humor just getting to me, or am I the only one that finds that seasoning in "Emeril's essense" to be a little, er--unappetizing?

Ah Leung, This is just cruel. I'm so full from dinner (chicken wings in black bean sauce, no pictures), yet true to myself, these pictures are making me hungry. I especially like the ginger-garlic condiment that comes with the chicken. We have to keep it away from my mom and my brother or they'd eat it all for themselves.

I have a few boring cuts and burns, mainly because I'm either careless or my mind wanders as I'm cutting (note to self: pay attention). The most memorable scar came one Thanksgiving. I burned my forearm while taking a dish out of the oven. Now I’m usually good if I’m in the kitchen by myself, but there were people in the kitchen, and being the the youngest of four I demand attention, so I jumped and yelled in pain. My BIL, who was hovering, just stands there staring for a moment or two, says, “it looks like you’re in pain,” then backs away. Now the ironic part of this story is that he’s the head of the ER at a hospital in the Northeast. (In all fairness, this was a very minor injury compared to what he's seen. And he wasn't working. But please, have a little sympathy!) Edited because I didn't proofread properly.

Chicken soup if I have enough strength to open the can. And bologna on white bread. It's the only time I ever have the craving for that.

Yum. Anyone remember Peanuts Popcorn? Rainforest Crunch? Apple Pie? Holy Cannoli? All these fun flavors relegated to the Graveyard. They made a Sweet Potato Pie that was only in select stores. Never saw it prepackaged.

I for one can. In NYC we can even compare the three Chinatowns there (Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Flushing).

English trifle for dessert with a chinese meal. That's pretty scary!! But seriously, it looked delicious.

Wow, that is a beautiful thing. My kitchen won't be able to handle one of those things. I'm going to have to remodel before I can even use one of those things. Dear Santa, I'd like a wok burner for Christmas. While you're at it, I'll need to remodel my kitchen so if you can find it in your heart of hearts, I'll be very happy. I've been a good girl this year. Thanks.

Oh my, I've created a monster!! How about a pictorial about cutting a chicken? I think we should have a MOE (Member Organized Event) to meet in Vancouver for an annual 6-days/7-nights gathering. Just to eat! ← Love that idea. I always plan my vacations around food.