TongoRad

I can sort of see where you are coming from- beans are not really thought of as a standard part of a meal, and there are probably not too many popular preparations here in the US. On the other hand I think that we as a nation go through a heck of a lot of burritos, black bean soup, baked beans, chili, three bean salad- that sort of thing. Almost like we eat them, alright, but they're not a part of our culinary consciousness, just sort of in the background. Per the original post- I think what woke me from my slumber and got me really into legumes was when my high school social studies class visited a local Indian restaurant in the 70's. The chick peas (called channa masala in most of the places around here) blew my mind and became something that I would truly crave. It eventually opened two doors for me- as I grew older and lived on my own I started to cook from Indian cookbooks just so I could have that dish as well as dal makhani whenever I felt like it.

I am not familiar with kritharaki but I'll speculate that maybe the difference is based on size, and requisite cooking times. If they are both types of pasta then I'm sure you can go ahead with the substitution so long as you make any required changes to the time of each boil. It doesn't look like you can go too wrong with this preparation.

Power tools are a girl's best friend . ← It is comforting to see that the borderline-crude double entendre is not solely in the domain of men.

I just read the other thread- yowza. I'm so there. I need to stock up on dried chiles anyway and I really should break myself of the habit of going down to Englewood for that stuff. Chorizo, too. I love the cecina and lengua at La Batalla, but am really intrigued by the other thread about Mi Pueblo. Thanks in advance, Rachel and Fink.

For whatever reason I have been on a Brown Ale quest lately- you know the routine, you get jonesing for something that is not available and each time you try a different substitute it is less than satisfying and gives you a bigger hole to fill than before. For me that hole was the old Oregon Brown Ale- nothing spectacular but a solid little number that was more chocolaty/roasty than caramel-like with a noticable kiss of hops. Oregon was Jim Koch's (of Sam Adams fame) other line of beers that specialized in quality cheap beer (intro price was $5/6 pack) that ruffled quite a few feathers with its choice of name (that's another story, perhaps). Anyway, seeing the new Samuel Adams Brown Ale probably instigated this whole thing. Turns out the beers are not similar at all, and the SA doesn't really do it for me- too much caramel. I never really noticed it before, but there really aren't that many Brown Ales available in my neck of the woods. I went through about a half dozen tries when out of the blue my local shop introduces some Avery selections. I just got a sixer of their Ellie's Brown Ale and- Bingo!- that's the stuff. Stylistically it is in the same ballpark as what I wanted plus, not so surprisingly I guess, it's better than I hoped it would be. Better I tells ya, with a pretty darn impressive nose for a brown. Aspects of it remind me of freshly milled chocolate malt. A Brown Ale I could get psyched about- who'da thunk it?

What wonderful photos! I'm really enjoying the blog. As to the Caesar Salad dressing- a good way to get the garlic flavor without that intense garlicky sting that seems to throw things out of whack is to infuse the olive oil with chopped garlic for about an hour before you are going to use it, and then strain the garlic out to use in something else. (That last part is never a problem in my house )

Congratulations on your success as well as the special brew, Rich! I hope it is a great event.

A while back, when I was more active in my old club, we used to order from Belmont Station in bulk and split the order. With the freight added in it made much more sense to order 6-10 cases at a time. It is expensive, but sometimes you just gotta have the Alaskan Smoked Porter, Pike XXXXX Stout, etc. Liquid Solutions seems much more user-friendly, and like something I may get back into. Thanks for the tip.

Melissa Goodman beat you to it: Donut Burger post I can't imagine the beer that would work with this. I'm still stuck on 'no thank you' for the burger

Another one from Howard Beach: The standard slice at New Park is definitely "all that", and probably the best slice in south Queens. They have a really hot oven and it gives their pies a certain light crispness in the crust with decent char and caramelization of the cheese. The sauce is fresh and tangy. They are at their best fresh out of the oven. I've been there dozens of times and have never had a reheated slice. They do a lot of business and the wait for a 'freshie' is never long, if at all. Pies are constantly coming out and being served. On a good day you will even be asked if you want it light or dark. Dark. The correct response is dark I wish more pizza places were like this. FWIW- I have had better luck getting a table at the back counter off of the parking lot, not the front area off of the sidewalk.

B. I gotta say B. I like burgers. I like donuts. But some things should just not be combined.

That's not really cheating- I see people buying Bhel Mix all the time, though I haven't seen one that comes with a sauce packet. It just saves the step of buying a separate sev and all those other crispies. Can't wait to see the final assemblage.

Well...it's not for me My first reaction was that the problem isn't so much that they're square, it's that they're Thomas'. Then I reconsidered- it's also that they're square...

Great blog this week, Kathy, thanks. Best of luck to you and your family with the move.

Round, schmound! Those are what real homemade cookies are supposed to look like- they look great!

My standard cuppa joe, based on the intersection of the characteristics quality, price and availability is from A&P- their Eight O'Clock Bokar Blend makes a pretty nifty cup. I get the whole beans and have them grind it in the store. I'm not sure if the same blend comes in decaf, though.

Sounds like it was based in part on a feature film, The Freshman, starring Matthew Broderick (sp?) and Marlon Brando. Very funny. ← Awesome flick. Seeing Bert Parks sing "Maggie's Farm" is one of the most brutally funny things I have ever seen. Anyway- I hear that an esquilax tastes like rabbit

In the Rosengarten/Wesson book Red Wine With Fish they have a section that deals with throwing this sort of event. In short, specific food items are listed as well as three pairings for each- one good match, one neutral match, and one bad match. I've done this with friends and it was both fun and enlightening. There are some downsides, though. #1) even with four couples the stems got out of control, you need a minimum of 4 stems per person (3 wine and 1 water) and even at that there is a lot of rinsing. #2) you will be opening a lot of wine- 3 per food item. #3) a lot of the $$$ that you spend will be on something specifically set up to be unpleasant. If you can mentally get past these issues then this may be an approach you shuld consider. I can IM you the pairings if you like.

Thanks Kougin Aman. andiesenji- interesting that you mentioned the braciole with the ribeye. Normally we use top round and braise it (in the sauce) for hours until tender, but I have had some really good grilled ones at street fairs (served hot off the coals on a hero roll with peppers and onions). I have always suspected that they use ribeye in that instance and have been itching to give it a shot at home. Does it require a long braise or is it good to go once cooked through? Either way, that may be another variation for Kathy.

FWIW- Jason, what Susan just described is indeed available at the local supermarkets in small packs (about 2" x 3").

For one night you could make up a tomato based marinade for the steak- chopped tomatoes, garlic and/or onion, olive oil, lemon zest, fresh rosemary, thyme and/or basil, a bit of red wine...marinade for a few hours- grill the steak and heat the marinade in a separate pot. When done slice the steak and arrange with the tomato mixture on to. As a side you could do a pasta/garbanzo salad, with roasted red peppers if you got 'em. Another night you could go Indian and do Tandoori style chicken, dal tadka (sometimes I add a touch of shredded coconut to mine), basmati and a vegetable (i.e. green beans sauteed with mustard seeds and chiles). That tamarind sauce could be put to good use in bhel puri if you have the puri and sev lying around.

Not to get too OT, but my boys have similar issues as well. We've been letting them add foods to their repertoire at their own pace so as to not make dinnertime a source of conflict. The older one (8) has really come out of his shell lately, and even had some tuna sashimi last night. He loves broccoli too, even requests it a couple of times a week. The younger one's speech therapist has been working on getting him to try new things during sessions but as of yet the only thing he has picked up is a new phrase: "I do not like (fill in the blank)"

Niiiice! I love the radishes, actually. Great idea, one I'll have to try. I can just taste that through the computer screen. Same thing with the In-n-Out experience. I've always heard about this place; it's really good to see the real deal. Ya gotta love a place that offers their items 'animal style'.

Great photos, Kathy. It would seem that you and I like the very same things so I am happy to tell you that you will LOVE Portland. I have friends who moved there in '91 and have visited many times- what a wonderful city! I wish your family the best as you resettle. Per the spice drawer: am I correct that the only open item is Row 2, #4? My guess would be ground coriander just because you have to have that on hand at all times. Looks like it, too

I guess I'll jump on the 'dog pile' but with the following disclaimer: this is meant to hopefully amuse Eric and Matt but I guess it could be classified as black humor so I will offer up pre-apologies if it is found offensive. "Amazing Hot Dog- Deep fried, never flame broiled" I hope you come back better than ever, and I will be there this time.