M. Lucia

Ok, I just don't understand the reheating argument. Presumably, you made the item in a pot or pan. You store the food item in the pot/pan you made it in. You pop that item back into the oven/stove to reheat. No extra pans. If I wanted to do it in the microwave, I might have to put it in another dish= more dirty dishes. If I am going to microwave it in the dish I am serving it in, then I have the same amount of used dishes. And it tastes so much better to do it the old way! Really! Do people think veggies done in the microwave taste the same as those steamed over a pot of water? As a vegetable lover, I find the traditional method makes the flavors so much clearer. So I guess I am on a crusade to minimize microwave usage.

some banana chips and pecans and then a stir fry: broccoli, red pepper, creminis, carrots, water chestnuts, snow peas with soy-based sauce

Shukran / merci! I was at first surprised at the shade of your bulgur because I also use fine grain bulgur. Though the fried kibbe balls are my preferred shape, when I make this dish I pour a bit of melted butter over the top. I once made a really good vegetarian version that was Pumpkin Layer with Spinach filling.

I have friends who use the microwave more than they use the stove, which is scary. Of course, I am a student. My vegetable steamer is the one pot that always sits on my stove, and it tastes so much better than nuked veges! I usually store soup and other dishes in the pot/pan I made them in, so it's not dirtying any more dishes to reheat them on the stove or in the oven. I also wrap things in tin foil so that I can just pop them into the oven to reheat. My favorite way to do bacon is actually in the oven (or toaster oven). And my mom makes the best quesadillas ever, so the idea of microwaved cheese is rather insipid (sorry). The defrosting makes sense, I don't eat much meat so I've never had do it myself.

What is Burns night? Does it relate to the poet?

I grew up in a house that didn't have (and still doesn't have) a microwave, in an age when everyone else did. We just never saw the need for one and I always noticed the different taste/texture microwave cooking imparted. My microwave snobbery has continued, despite teasing from friends, and I can immeadiately tell if something has been heated in a microwave. I hate nuked potatoes. However, when I moved into my apt. about a year ago it had a microwave (and dishwasher). It has sat on top of the fridge relatively unused until recently. I only use it very rarely, like to make grits on rushed mornings. I melted chocolate in it once. I use the microwave at the studio to heat up soup occaisonally for lunch. All in all though I find it rather insiduous. So what do you use the microwave for? How often do you use it?

Despite my New York residence, I must admit I have never had a salt bagel. I don't think my local place (Bagel Bob's on University Pl.) has them; I usually get pumpernickel. I do love the pretzel croissants (salty/sweet) at City Bakery though.

How funny you bring up honey, because: I recieved this Raw Honey from my mom for Christmas. It is never heated so it is thick (like peanut butter) as opposed to pourable and the top has "casings" on it, little bits of honey comb. This stuff is so good! It's hide in the back of the cabinet good. One of my favorite things is tangy greek yogurt with some honey and wheat germ stirred in. Add some fresh fruit if you like. It is a great breakfast, but it's so good I could have it for dessert.

Elie, could you share your recipe for the caramel cake? It sounds like something I'd like. Sweet Potatoes stuffed with raisins, pecans, and butter Spinach/ Mandarin Orange salad more choc. pudding cake

I am still learning, so I am constantly making new recipes. Like Ling, it would depend on the crowd and the occaision. young crowd: Chocolate Ganache Tarts with Fleur du Sel older crowd/ less sweet: Beaumes de Venise Cake with whipped cream winter party: Guinness Ginger Cake or Sticky Toffee Pudding in individual ramekins summer party: fruit pie or cobbler with homemade ice cream fancy: Blackberry Lemon Layer Cake

I LOVE this cheese, and haven't had it here in the states. Except that I love the salty version. Cheese shops in New York should expand beyond European and American cheeses. ANyway, today's good thing is chocolate pudding cake! I think I ate a bit too much of it though. I love anything gewey and anything baked in a cast iron skillet.

I know you can do all those things with chiffon cakes, I guess I was wondering what specific cakes you prefer to use chiffon for? ie, I always use an orange chiffon when I make a such-and-such layer cake, or I use chiffon in my mocha torte with x... In what cases is chiffon your go-to cake? (maybe this question is too specific)

Strange things happen when you are eating alone: I have some tomato/roasted garlic soup, what should I have with it? There is this box of cornflakes with bananas and I have no clue where it came from (really, I don't buy this type of stuff). So people have cereal with liquids, and I love crumbing crackers in soup. So why not stir a bunch of cereal into my soup? Umm, crunchy sweet cereal, tang of garlic, hearty tomatoes. Not only was this good, it was I'd-do-it-again-really-good. For dessert I was more civilized, and inspired by Chufi, made chocolate pudding cake. It's a recipe from Cooking Light baked in a cast iron skillet. Very sweet but good!

Thanks for this thread. I, too, am on a tight budget and live where groceries are expensive. I am sure you know all the things that can be done with beans/lentils/pulses. Rice is good but you can mix things up with other grains like bulgur or barley (and they can be cheap if you buy big bags of them). Bean soups, hummus, brown rice and lentils, braised lentils with carrots... The difference for me is, living on my own, I pretty much never cook meat for myself (though I totally understand the family that can't have a meal without meat). Soups are great, I have them most days for lunch, usually a potage or pureed vege soup. When making stock, make sure to skim, skim, skim. Also, I save everything for stocks (the green parts of leeks, watercress stems, etc) to give them more flavor. I use mushrooms often because they add a meatiness to dishes (as does eggplant). I have a friend who does a lot with eggs, quiches etc, and adding a cracked egg over dishes for more body. Here's something I just made: Spinach-Chickpea Curry onion, sliced garlic, mined curry powder, cumin, coriander chickpeas (canned or cooked from dry) chopped tomatoes spinach Heat some oil in a pan. Saute the onions and garlic until softened, stir in the spices. Add the chickpeas, stirring to combine. Add the chopped tomatoes and any juices. Stir in the spinach, adding more as it wilts. Simmer for ~15 minutes until thickened. Serve over rice. You can also add potatoes to this.

My first time posting in the wine forum, as I am a wine young'un. I have always enjoyed Trimbach's Guwurtztraminer (my mom always served it with turkey or roast chicken), so I tried their riesling. I enjoy a dry riesling, and really enjoyed this one. It was wonderful with mussels (even more so if you cook the mussels with the riesling), but I know a standard pairing is with Chinese food.

Ok, I have to admit I thought Missouri, ham, it can't be country ham. But it is! They even have biscuit cut ham. So, I wonder if a lot of Missourians like country ham, or do they go for the other stuff (I notice their most populars include city ham and a honey glazed ham)?

My home baking doesn't lean toward chiffon cakes, but I do enjoy them. I was wondering what do you all use your chiffon cakes for? Wendy indicated for chocolate rolls as one example. Do you bake them in tube pans? Or do you bake them round with a simple glaze? When you use them for layer cakes what are your syrups/fillings/frostings? Thanks!

Occaisonally I use the fire escape, and at this time of year it is as cold as the freezer. Isn't that an odd thought, like each time I go out to shovel it's like walking into the freezer?

Every summer I was somehow enticed into making ice cream in the old hand-crank wooden bucket. My mother would act like it was the most important job to turn the crank, and we would vie for our turn, at which point, after about fifteen minutes of churning I would realize how laborious the job was and give up. However, after about half an hour of running around the backyard, we would have forgotten our sore little arms and were again struck by the novelty of the whole operation and lured into another session. This way, my mother kept a constant rotating supply of family labor, and there wasn't a fourth of July without soft creamy vanilla ice cream. Now we have a machine.

This is a great thread. yesterday: really good Saudi dates from the Lebanese grocery in Brooklyn today: Scharfen Berger cardamom chocolate bar, oh my

Those lemon puddings look great. Blizzard canceled my plans for the ballet, so I made tomato and roasted garlic soup and whole wheat-spinach fatayer. I made some ghoraiybeh (butter cookies) from Claudia Rhoden the other day and they weren't at all right. I'll be eating some tonight and then tossing the rest.

Despite having spent much time at the Mercato Centrale, I wasn't familiar with apolline. I would agree, they look like sfogliatella or lobster tails. Here's a picture of one. They might be a good substitute, since they are more widely known. Or, maybe use a corneto (Italian croissant) recipe to fill, as has been suggested.

I, too, am in the canned camp. I believe I read somewhere that canned "pumpkin" actually included sweet potatoes because they are cheaper and have stronger flavor. Now if only I could find that article...

Thanks for sharing your photos, hazard. I would agree about the sauce in the dish, but it might appear more sauc-y if the chicken were mixed into the dish. It looks good! I use a spice mix I bought for moghrabiyah from Adonis Spices. Unfortunately, I am not sure what makes up the mix, but it's just perfect. Here's a picture of a lot of moghrabiyyah in Tripoli: Also, I love Gourmet's recipe forIsraeli Couscous with Butternut Squash and Preserved Lemon.

Rachel, I'm glad you made the dish. I suppose I always caution against cooking it too quickly because in my experience I have been left with a burned layer of rice without much actual crust. It certainly sounds like you should turn up the flame. The crust should be well browned after 20-30 minutes. It could also have to do with the type of pan used, etc. I forgot about salt, I guess I just assumed people would salt as they liked. Part of my posting this, in addition to sharing the joy of polow, was that I myself am working on th crust technique, so I look forward to more experimentations and input.