Aileen
-
Posts
148 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by Aileen
-
-
I was a victim of the low-fat craze for a long time. I grew up eating unusual dishes (and many organic, since my Mom was into organic gardening and also raised one cow per year for totally hormone-free beef ), so that's not new for me, but from the late 80's to the mid-90's I was in the "fat is bad" camp. When I started seeing studies about the positive effects of olive oil and the nasty effects of "fake fats" like margarine I gladly incorporated butter and oil back into my diet. It's much easier to cook a wide variety of tasty dishes when you're not paranoid about fat content. Everything in moderation, as my Mom used to say - and my cholesterol levels are just fine!
-
I can't think of any herbs or spices I don't like, although as a child I hated caraway.
I'm in the camp of cilantro lovers. I ADORE the stuff! The first time I tasted it was 1988 in a Mexican restaurant's salsa. I didn't know what the flavor was but couldn't get enough of it. When I figured out (a couple of years and many tastings later) what the "secret ingredient" was I was overjoyed and have been using it extensively ever since. I have a brother-in-law who detests it, though. I made a big Indian meal the other night and had to serve the cilantro on the side. He actually examined each dish thoroughly just in case some accidentally made it in, he can detect a tiny spec of the stuff. He also says it tastes like soap.
-
I was thinking about this today and I was wondering if she had a thyroid problem. I used to work with a girl who had a thyroid problem, and all she ever had for lunch was a banana, yet she was overweight.
Also, perhaps her body is starving for calories, and is hanging onto her measly 800-900 calories a day.
Yes, it is sad. She's been this way since she was a teen, and her thyroid has been checked repeatedly. Basically I think your second thought is the correct one: her body hangs onto every calorie it can get because it's so used to being starved. I can't imagine having to live like that!
-
I'm with those who have said that they aren't offended by the use of condiments. I grew up with a dad who put Tobasco on almost anything savory, and many members of my family love salt. I often cook with or for my sister who likes dishes more heavily salted than I do, and I'm not insulted at all when she adds salt to my dishes. I want people to enjoy what I cook for them, and if they need to add salt or some other condiment, it's fine by me.
-
When I first heard about this book I laughed, because it's presented as the "French women's secret". I eat this way, because I love food! I would rather go hungry than eat something I find unappealing, and I eat whatever I like - including lots of carbs and cheese, enjoy it, and stop when I'm full. I maintain a healthy weight easily. I have never been overweight, though, and I'm sure that there are people who can't maintain their weight this way. Look at Oprah, her metabolism is so slow that she has to live off of very little in order to maintain, and must exercise every day. I also work with a woman who's metabolism is very slow. She is normal weight, but works out every day for at least an hour (running, swimming, biking), eats nothing for lunch (I have never seen her eat in over three years working with her), and eats mostly vegetables for dinner (she's a vegetarian). Her total caloric intake is around 800-900 calories a day, she's 5'6" and is NOT underweight. If I ate that little per day, I would continuously lose weight (I am the same height). Everyone wants a simple solution for obesity, but I don't think there is truly a one-size-fits-all solution.
-
When I read that the gratuity was included, I took them at their word and didn't feel that I had to tip on top of it.
However, this is the French Laundry.
The level of service you are about to endure, is so incredible, I think you'll still want to give them more money. As expensive as it is, it feels like you are getting a deal... seriously. As I was leaving I felt like giving them something... like my first new-born or a molar... just because the service was so absolutely impeccable.
A lot has been said about Thomas Keller’s food, and rightly so the man is a genius, but what I found most striking as a diner at the French Laundry was the service. I really lack the vocabulary to describe the way Laura Cunningham’s staff moves around that restaurant. But I am pretty sure you'll be impressed.
While I don’t think you should feel obligated to tip on top of the 19% already added to your tip, I wouldn’t be surprised if you do it anyway.
Thank you! I mainly don't want to insult anyone there, since I've been dying to go for a few years now and I'm sure I'll be impressed. I was thinking I most likely would add another 10% or so, but I didn't want to offend if the 19% service charge didn't end up going to the waitstaff.
-
All this talk about service charges is making me nervous. I'm going to The French Laundry next month, and their website says they add a 19% "service charge" to the check. Does this constitute a tip or not? 19% on a $175 meal (plus wine) is quite a bit. Am I expected to add another 20% on top of that?
-
It's easier for me to say what I don't like rather than what I do, because I love most sushi (although I could take or leave sashimi, since I'm always craving nori). I'm not fond of squid. I'm not very excited about salmon, either. My sister and I ordered "Ice Fish" once (don't know the Japanese name), and I couldn't even eat it, the tiny little guys were looking up at me!
-
I bring my lunch often, and eat at my desk. We have a cafeteria that serves very mediocre food and is overpriced to boot, so I rarely resort to it. There are also few decent restaurants, fast or otherwise, nearby. Leftovers are always better! Many of the people I work with are Indian and have wives who stay home, so they always have wonderful dishes to heat up for their lunches. I'm the lone woman working in the area and have to cook for myself so I can't keep up with them, but I try!
-
Few things are as sublime as a bit of a baguette with cultured butter.
I couldn't agree more. I can make a meal of this and not feel deprived in any way.
-
I soften or melt butter, boil water, occasionally defrost meat, and heat leftovers (except for pizza, which I reheat in my toaster oven). I can't imagine not having one, the time it saves just melting butter or boiling water is worth the cost!
-
Sushi. The third time trying it was the charm for me, and I've been addicted ever since.
-
I can't help you with the fries (I'm not very fond of fries in general), but I'll second your cheese biscuits at RL! Better than the rest of the meal, usually.
-
What's interesting to me is the argument that local always tastes better. I believe that is true in some cases, but not in others. For example, I grew up on the Western Slope of Colorado, famous for its peaches. I would go with my Mom and sisters to pick the peaches off of the trees and she would can and freeze huge amounts. They were wonderful and I've never eaten a peach from anywhere that even comes close in flavor or texture (unless, of course, it's local). Same with apricots. (I'm sure the reason being that the fruit just DOES NOT travel when it's ripe so it must be picked early, as another posted noted.) Cherries, on the other hand, are a different story. We would also pick cherries most summers, and I took my kids to a u-pick place a couple of summers ago. The cherries were wonderful. I noticed the cherries from Chile at Safeway about a week ago, and because the price was good, I gave them a try. They were delicious, very sweet. Maybe they were just a touch less sweet than the ones we had picked off of the tree, but the difference was so small I wouldn't be able to detect it without eating them side-by-side.
So, I also say pass the cherries.
-
I've had two kids, and experienced an average amount of morning sickness with each (went away after the first trimester). During my first pregnancy I developed a dislike of ice cream - couldn't stand it - and peanut butter. Both continue to some extent today (10 years later). During my second I had a serious aversion to anything even resembling teriyaki. I couldn't even stand the smell of it! I worked near a teriyaki fast-food restaurant, and I had to stay inside around lunchtime.
-
1. Yes
2. Babette's Feast - another vote here. I saw it for the first time in college, own the DVD, love it still. I liked Chocolat enough to buy it, too, but I'm not that much of a chocolate fan.
A bit off-topic, I also tend to enjoy books that describe the food that the characters are eating more than books that don't. I hate it when a novel says something about the characters eating a feast and then never says a word about what the feast consisted of! I find myself "getting into" a novel more when it goes into detail, when I can picture the characters eating their meal.
-
I think I've seen all of the original IC episodes aired on Food Network (and there were a lot!), I found the show extremely entertaining. I was planning to watch this first ICA episode until I found out it was Flay vs Bayless. Something about Flay really rubs me the wrong way and I can't make myself watch him. Also, I'm a fan of Bayless. Knowing that this was the first episode of the new series, I knew Flay would win, there was no real "contest". I should note that although I can't stand to watch Chef Flay, I've never tried any of his recipes. I own a couple of Chef Bayless' cookbooks, and haven't yet found a recipe of his I didn't like. (My personal favorite - and my kids' - is the Black Bean & Chicken Tostadas with Tangy Romaine out of Mexico One Plate At A Time.)
-
I agree with so many of these! One that really sticks with me is the overly sweet dishes in Chinese restaurants. There's a chain (based in California, I believe) that has made its way to Colorado, and many of my friends and co-workers think it's fabulous. I've tried many times to find something on the menu that's not horribly oversweetened. I finally found one dish that wasn't, the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. Although not too sweet, I took one bite and got a HUGE mouthful of eggshell (don't know how I missed seeing it!) Haven't been back since, I absolutely refuse.
One of my pet peeves is unusual and I'm sure many (especially Coloradoans) would disagree with me, but I just find it so wrong: Rice in a burrito. Horrible. Of course, I live where Chipotle restaurants began, and ever since they became popular, too many places have been filling their burritos with rice. Ick.
Oh, and one more I haven't seen mentioned is pizza with the vegetable and meat toppings buried underneath a huge amount of cheese. I can live with buried veggies, but pepperoni or other greasy meats just ooze their fat into the sauce and it stays there. Disgusting. Pepperoni especially should be placed on top, where it can get crispy in the oven.
-
I'll try the Campbell's soup version, sounds like it will work for my girls. Thanks!
-
These recipes all sound wonderful, but which ones would my daughters, ages 5 and 9, eat? I've tried the Cook's Illustrated version, and they took one bite and refused to eat any more (their 3 and 6 year old cousins did the same). These kids are used to the blue box, and love it. Which recipe can I try that I may be able to get them to eat?
-
My Mom used to let us eat bread dipped in drippings as well, she called it "gravy bread". Yum!
We very rarely got store-bought sweets, my Mom was big on what she believed to be nutritious based upon her classes in nursing school. (An exception was Girl Scout Thin Mints, which she would buy CASES of and keep in the freezer to last all year.) She thought nothing of putting sugar all over something she deemed nutritious just to get us to eat it, though. One item that sticks out was lettuce leaves, sprinkled with sugar, and rolled up. She called them "lettuce cigars". She also put sugar on every fruit (whether it was sweet on its own or not) and on white rice when we had it for dinner.
One of my favorites, though, was when we would have strawberry shortcake for dinner. We usually did this about once a year, in the Summer when strawberries were in season.
-
I brine, but never for very long. Usually two hours with a 14 pound turkey (and a standard, not-too-salty brine). I've never found it too salty, lacking "turkey flavor", or had trouble with the drippings being too salty. I also never baste, I find that rubbing with butter before roasting gives enough flavor and the skin gets nice and crisp (I LOVE crispy skin!). I do the same start-with-breast-down method that howard88 mentioned. The skin on the back and legs gets crispy, too, with this method (must use a rack, of course, to keep the bird out of the drippings).
-
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions! I ended up getting my fish from Whole Foods in Boulder - they were extremely helpful and friendly, and the fish was wonderful. A friend picked up roe from Pacific Mercantile - she said the variety was amazing, and the quality of the roe was excellent as well. My sushi party was a great success!
-
The new market opened on the corner of 2nd and Main, across from the turkey plant. It used to be a Mexican foods store. She doesn't have her fresh items stocked yet, but she seemed very eager to order items that her customers request. I'm always happy to see new speciality foods stores open in Longmont!
Butchery
in Cooking
Posted
I worked as a meat wrapper for a large grocery chain when I was in college, and our process for expired meat was a bit different. Probably because we concentrated on volume of sales over anything else, and probably also because our ground meat came in pre-ground, we just packaged it up. We couldn't hide old meat in the ground version. The cutters would cut the steaks and I would wrap them with a three-day shelf-life. (The scraps would go into packages of stew meat.) When the expiration date came I would remove the package from the case, unwrap it, smell it, and if it smelled ok I would re-wrap with a discount sticker and a one-day shelf-life. (Same with packages of chicken.) If it smelled bad I would toss it in the trash. The smell of the garbage from that job is still with me - nothing worse than rotten meat! (Rotten watermelon, potatoes, and tomatoes come close, though. I also worked produce for a long time.)