Brite14

monkfish. i had nightmares after the first time i had to clean them for our thursday night monkfish special. ditto for the time i cut a tumor out of an otherwise beautiful side of opah. funny, cleaning and portioning food was my favorite task at my last job, but i just can't eat the stuff anymore.

DISCLAIMER: I have never tried this recipe. But here is Chicken Scarpariello, as it appears in the Gourmet Cookbook. 2.5 lb chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry salt and pepper 3 T olive oil 1 lg onion, chopped 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, cut into 3/4 inch pieces 2-4 jarred hot cherry peppers in vinegar (to taste), drained and chopped fine 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1/3 cup dry white wine 1/3 cup chicken stock or store-bought broth 1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley Hack each thigh in half or thirds through the bone with a cleaver and season with s&p. Heat 1 T oil in a 12-inch heavt skillet over med. high heat; add half of chicken, skin side down, and cook through, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Heat another T of oil and repeat with remaining chicken. Pour off all but 1 T of fat from the skillet. Add remaining T of oil and add onions, cherry peppers, and bell peppers. Reduce heat to moderate, cover, and cook about 7 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sautee until golden, 2 minutes. Add wine and stock, increase heat, and boil uncovered until most of liquid had evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add chicken with accumulated juices from the plate and parsley, cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. I was thinking about making this sometime soon, which is why it rung a bell when I saw this post. If you try it, please let me know how it is!!

My first dinner post! I had Vietnamese summer rolls, my first real venture into Asian cooking- er- rolling, as they weren't cooked at all. Served with a delicious peanut sauce. Cold and rainy day today, I should have made soup...but I was craving cold and crunchy.

I saw Lidia make fegola on tv a couple of weeks ago. She spread semolina on a sheet pan and sprinkled it with water, then she sieved out the crumbles, sprinkled some more water, sieved more crumbles, etc...then she dried them and cooked them like pasta. Looked interesting and good to me, what about them didn't you like?

Have you ever noticed that on Everyday Italian and Barefoot Contessa the audio is jacked up so that the food sounds- the slurp of a spoon stirring something thick and hot, the crunching of a knive chopping a pile of nuts, the wet sizzle and pop of something hitting hot butter- are totally amplified? It makes the show feel gratuitous and pornographic. And I cannot lie, it turns me on.

My mom, the salty/sweet addict, made these. She took the caramel a little farther than I would have liked- it had that distinct burnt sugar flavor- but other than that it was delicious.

Once in a while, my mom would pack me a peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, and chocolate chip sandwich for lunch. I still make one once in a while when I have those things around...or just eat them off a spoon... It was even more special because this was a woman who was in the habit of busting open the Little Debbie twin-packs and giving me just one swiss cake roll or nutty bar or zebra cake in a zip-lock baggie. Somehow they're just not as fun that way. I'm still not over it.

My summer in Cuba was a lesson in improvisation to make things palatable... remember, there is a food shortage there if you're not a tourist... For breakfast they served us thin, crunchy toast, cold, which I spread with a thick layer of (unmelted) butter, and dipped in strong, sweet cafe cubano. A couple of mornings, we were really lucky to have bananas and honey...so I would butter my cold toast, smoosh banana slices on it, and dip it in honey. These two breakfast were probably the most delicious things I ate while there... What was not delicious was the ubiquitous dippable dessert of rubbery "government cheese" and guava baby-food-like puree.

I too was introduced to this sandwich when I first moved to DE (small world- er, small state- eh, Nullo?). At Capriotti's, my favorite sub shop, they call it a Bobbie. Fresh turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayo. I crave it all year.

My mom is really addicted to the salty/sweet flavor combination. I want to make a batch of chewy caramel candies with a little sprinkle of fleur du sel on top...I have the salt but am looking for a really good recipe for caramels. Anyone?

Care to share your recipe? Sounds deliciously autumnal.

My guilty Thanksgiving pleasure? Candied sweet potatoes- no marshmallows, just sweet potato strips baked in butter, cinnamon and sugar...always sticky and mushy and overly sweet, but I live for it. No matter how much we make, there's never any left. My dad requires a certain congealed salad made from green jello, cottage cheese, nuts, pineapple, canned pimientos and miracle whip. My boyfriend swears he likes his turkey "so dry it sucks the moisture out of your mouth." My sister always rallies for my grandma's microwaved broccoli-cheez whiz casserole. How did a self-proclaimed food snob end up in such a family?

I'm losing my eGullet posting virginity in order to proclaim: I love Godiva pumpkin spice truffles. Pumpkin and chocolate is a highly underrated flavor combination, and I look forward to these every fall. Other than that, as far as Godiva, I can take it or leave it.