NancyH

I love my silicone spatulas, with stainless steel handles, for all sorts of savory cooking. Silicone takes great heat and steel handles take a lot of abuse; and the flexible head gets everywhere in the pan, unlike wooden spoons.

Sounds like Kishke. The ladies are right- you don't want to know what's in the traditional version (various meat innards ground and processed and stuffed into beef, lamb or sheep casing), then fried. Makes sense that a vegetarian version would have sweet potato. Suggest that your friend Google "kishke". Good luck!

Cheese! Get some yummy cheese, maybe some non-messy toppings. Also - hummus (you could serve it in mini pitas) or you could do variations on different nut butters, jams and fruits.

What I am wondering is: what would have been the outcome had Jamie left the ruined celery off of her dish? I am reminded of Howie - who avoided elimination by reminding the judges (including Bourdain) of the principal that you don't serve crummy food, even if it means not fulfilling the challenge precisely.

Love then in dumpling fillings. Can't use the canned ones anymore - if I can't get fresh, I use jicama as a substitute per Ming Tsai.

Yes - Ronnie looked pretty good, especially compared to a shot of me, hunched over the table trying to not throw up, in my shoulder sling and ER wrap contraption, nursing my torn labrum and trying to manage 20 units of legally administered morphine on an empty stomach - Tony - I am also a New Yorker and, if I didn't love you, you would be a dead man (kidding)! Truthfully, Burt's pizza - which sat out on the hotel desk all night and was consumed for breakfast - was amazing. And mine was plain cheese - that purist thing I occasionally write about. I hadn't at all been impressed by the Malnati's deep dish we'd consumed the prior October - but Burt's was special stuff. Hopefully, he'll let me in if I return. And I anticipate a deposition some time this year (City of Chicago, NOT Burt's).

Thank you both for sharing your photos and stories. The photo of the potato gratin made me want to jump up from the computer and start making one!

Percyn - that looks simply yummy.

According to both food safety classes I've taken - it takes at least 2 or 3 days for most foodborne illnesses to manifest. So - more likely a wierd co-incidence that both ladies were exposed to a pathogen before they enjoyed their dinners with you.

If you have duck pieces/parts (make sure your uncle saves the head and feet!) - make stock, and from that stock, make soup - as we did here!

We did something a little bit different this year. Instead of using the cheese grating wheel for the entire process, we used that wheel for the potato, and the "regular" grating wheel for the onions. We still got our wonderful creamy texture, but the onion had a better presence.

Halusky, or as it has always been known in my family, Noodles & Cheese. The caramelized onions were a new touch for me - and most delicious! Caramelize onions in fat (I used Ghee) and season with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Then add cooked noodles and heat through. Top with cottage cheese of your choice (Friendship Dairies Pot Cheese is my favorite, but any Friendship cottage cheese will work in my house) and more fresh pepper. Combine thoroughly and fress! .

Leftover Latkes (potato pancakes), reheated in the toaster oven to crispness, topped with sour cream and served with local (no-wax) apple and Snowville Creamery milk - non-homogenized, non-ultra pasteurized, fresh, local dairy goodness!

Ducky-Fried Rice, using heavily sauced rice left over from this dish (Sichuan-Style Braised Duck Legs, which was very saucy), leftover plain white rice, locally produced bacon, egg, nappa cabbage, and scallion:

After using up our duck breasts in the China Moon Duck Soup, we moved on to the legs. We confited two of them, which left two for eating right away. We settled on this amazing recipe from The Chinese Gourmet by William Mark: Chuen Mai Ngarp (Braised Duck Leg Sichuan-Style). I should mention that this is a beautiful cookbook (which I believe is now out of print, but available on the internet), filled with intricate and sometimes impractical recipes. One frustrating thing that happened this time is that the photo of the finished dish reflects different preparation than the recipe describes. But it is still a great Chinese cookbook. In this case, the duck meat was clearly still on the bone in the photo of the finished dish. Nevertheless, Bob followed the printed directions in the recipe and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. The meat was then marinated in light and dark soy sauce, sugar, Xiao Shing wine, and cornstarch. Dinner prep began with more of that fabulous duck stock: While the rice cooker hummed, we drained the marinade from the duck and seared the meat in a pan. The meat was then set aside so ginger, garlic, and shallot could be sauteed. Then, hot bean paste, sugar, and ground Sichuan Peppercorn were added. When all was hot, the duck was returned to the pan, and covered with some of Bob's amazing duck stock. A bit of cider vinegar also went in, and the dish simmered for a half hour. After adding the final touches - a bit more Xiao Shing Wine, and chopped cilantro - we enjoyed a meal that actually surpassed the Duck Soup we'd enjoyed a couple of night previously in flavor and complexity.

Bob and I recently came into pieces/parts from two locally raised, fresh killed ducks. Unfortunately, the farmer had waited too long to process them, and couldn't get the feathers off without also taking the skin. That's why the ducks were eviscerated. It forced us to be creative! We made two amazing Chinese dinners from these parts so far. First, Duck Soup, prepared as suggested by the late, great Barbara Tropp in her fabulous China Moon Cookbook. We started by making stock from the heads and feet: It took many hours to get the feet to give up all of their gelatin, but it was worth the wait! Per the Tropp recipe, the breast meat was seared but still very rare. Bob removed the breast to rest, and added stock to the soup pot. The only other ingredients to go into the soup pot were the breast drippings (after the meat was sliced and added to the soupbowls) and Sichuan Pepper-Salt, a condiment made by whirling Kosher Salt and Sichuan Peppercorn in the spice grinder together. Into the soupbowl went raw peas, carrots, nappa cabbage, basil and scallions. I love my Chinese soupbowls! Having rested, the seared breast meat was thinly sliced, and placed atop the vegetables. Warm noodles go in next. Normally, I would have stopped at an Asian grocery and bought proper soup noodles for Chinese Noodle Soup - but since we had a large quantity of cooked noodle leftovers from catering the week before, we decided to use those. The steaming broth is then ladled over the entire bowl: As the recipe predicted, the addition of boiling stock to the bowl finished cooking the duck pieces as well as the vegetables. The duck breast meat was exquisitely tender, tasting just a little gamey - but caressed in the amazing stock and vegetables, and seasoned liberally with finishing salt and fresh-ground pepper - it was one of the best meals I've ever eaten in my life.

You don't have to be inundated unless you want to be. You can control the spread of the roots by containing it with a 6" round of PVC pipe.

The shorthand Mandarin term for hot and spicy is la (like in "do re mi fa so la ti do"). And people usually understand I want chili paste when I ask for là jiāo or la jiang.

Bob and I also enjoyed this feast with Edsel. I'm not sure why Edsel didn't post his much-better-focused photo of dessert ( ): At least my close-ups of the pieces parts came out better: Edmund Fitzgerald Ice Cream over Chocolate Bar: Molten Chocolate Cake: (This may be out of focus - but it's still CHOCOLATE!) I also have a few different perspectives on some of the dishes. Business End of the Seafood Brat Chef Paul Minillo explained that the brat included a variety of fresh fish and seafood items from his larder, including house-cured salmon, scallops, and shrimp. The flavor was very delicate, and contrasted with the bold, spicy caramelized onion topping. The assertive hops of the Dortmunder brought delicate and spicy together perfectly. We told Pat Conway to get his chef over to Baricelli for a Veggie Strudel-making session with Chef Paul - this dish was a perfect accompaniment to the Wheat Beer! Chef Paul told us which cheese adorned the plate - I do not remember the name, but it was a special one from his Cheese Shop. Inside the Duck Ravioli Head On View of the Entree The perfectly cooked Pork Belly, which was pretty spicy in its own right, and the fiery Kim Chee were complimented by the exquisitely prepared Roasted Garlic Leek Frittata. Executive Chef Chris pointed out that one of the best uses for pork belly is bacon, and what could be better than Bacon & Eggs! And he was right! We're off to Baricelli again - right now - for the annual Slow Food Wine & Cheese Tasting!

I tried Danskos once, but couldn't get used to them. I wear Crocs for my catering projects, but I'm always looking for other ideas. Got a link for Sanitas? I have very flat feet and severely overpronate; I've been wearing orthotics since my teens and they can be a pain to fit into clog-type shoes; I don't wear them with the Crocs, but it doesn't seem to matter.

Thanksgiving Leftovers Breakfast. The day before, we took all of the uneaten turkey skin and crisped it in the oven, to make a sort of "turkey bacon". Left to right: Chopped turkey meat, leftover Sichuan Green Beans, Miller Farm Eggs w/salt and pepper, 5 year old White Cheddar, Turkey "Bacon" Since there was Turkey Bacon in the green beans, I kept the large slices whole and warmed them in the side of the pan. Breakfast is served, with a slice of Bob's homemade whole wheat bread toast topped with Hartzler Farm butter. Yum.

Ok, Hazardnc, you made me do it! Cold sliced turkey breast with Hellman's mayo and homemade cranberry sauce on a Rye Bagel The bagel was the only bread in the house the day I made this.

First, we made a "turkey bacon" by crisping our Thanksgiving turkey skin in the oven: Next, I used the turkey bacon instead of the handful of pork usually used to make Sichuan Green Beans: . It was delicious!

We turned the already crispy skin of our turkey into "Bacon" by crisping it in the oven: I've used it in two dishes so far. First, for dinner (to accompany leftover turkey slices simmered in gravy): Sichuan Green Beans I used the Turkey Bacon instead of the usual handful of ground pork. This breakfast was a melange of leftovers: Mise for Leftovers Breakfast Omelet Left to right: Chopped turkey meat, leftover Sichuan Green Beans, Miller Farm Eggs w/salt and pepper, 5 year old White Cheddar, Turkey "Bacon". Since there was Turkey Bacon in the green beans, I kept the large slices whole and warmed them in the side of the pan. Breakfast is served with a slice of Bob's homemade whole wheat bread with Hartzler Butter. Yum.

I've been using chicken feet in my soups and stocks for almost 15years, since I moved to Cleveland. I was inspired by Barbara Tropp's China Moon cookbook to use them, and I think they definitely make a difference. I think that Americans cook less, and even when they cook, they are tending away from the "old fahioned", so the demand has shrunk. As demand has shrunk, so also has the supply shrunk. I'm lucky to have a relationship with a local poultry farmer who knows I use the feet, so she saves them for me - but when we first started doing business together, she told me she had been throwing them away (she now knows their value; but still gives us some for free!). They are only available frozen at a few butcher shops in C Town, but I have no idea how they are priced. I expect fresh feet can be had in our Asiatown groceries - I'll pay attention to supply and pricing the next time I'm down there!