Hopleaf

Is naff used as an adjective? and how about daft? I'm just wondering about the range of uses these words might offer. How do they compare to F*ck, which is probably one of the most versatile words ever created?

What's the difference between 'naff' and 'daft'? And while we're at it, what do they mean?

I have this chilling sensation that a race of super aliens is reading a similar report on us humans from earth.

whatever, whereever, have a nice day.

Is this done out of respect for the recently departed? (humorless today) No...to make it easier to complete the cutting action. Really!? Come on, it was a joke. Has everyone gone and lost their senses!!!? Or can we not infer tone without emoticons? There, is that better?

Is this done out of respect for the recently departed?

I finally got my first issue of Food Arts!! It's a great mag. Totally forgot about this thread, thanks to helena.

ok, so the yeasts are different. but there's also a difference in processes as well as ingredients, no?

I'm always asked what the difference between ales and lagers are even though I don't consider myself a beer expert (more like a beer-drinking expert). I always thought that lagers were fermented once and then stored in a cold place, while ales were fermented once, then bottle conditioned and always stored in a warm place. Do I have this wrong?

what a good thread. but what about those of us without gardens, you know the potted varieties? My basil plant has been happily living on the kitchen window sill since spring. It's one of the best basil plants I've ever had (basil has always been passive aggressive to me, miss one day of watering and they droop). I've harvested tons of basil off this sturdy little guy. And it's neighbor is this thyme plant that has also been just as sturdy. My question is, the basil plant is taking on a slightly yellowish palor, ever since the weather dropped to about 30˚F outside. We only have that window open during the day (fresh air for the cats) when it's about 50˚-ish out. Do I need to move the plant so it survives the winter?

Are you sure you're not thinking of Pabst Blue Ribbon?

We welcome reader responses. There's usually a mailing address on the copyright of most cookbooks. If you write to the publisher, the feedback/complaint will get to an editor who should respond with some sort of explaination. If we're at fault we usually send our response with a complementary cookbook. But that's just my company. Other publishers might not handle it with such aplomb.

Worst for me has got to be Natural Light (aka Natty Light, Nasty Night--Nastier Morning). Think it's a Miller product. It was cheap. Fits right into a collegiate beer drinking budget. Think we used to get 6-packs for $1.87, guess that shoulda been a tip off.

Just got a Mr. Beer brewing kit for free. Anyone ever use these? are they any good?

Thanks britcook. I was using Yahoo, which is supposedly powered by Google but I only got some info on Lucas Bols, founder of the distillery. I couldn't find anything current. So, how does Genever differ from Gin? I see that Genever is readily available and some describe it as a smoother taste. What do you say? The thing I've never liked about gin is the biting quality and overpowering juniper aroma. Was hoping that Bols might be smoother.

Has anyone heard of a gin by Bols? I just finished a book (The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte, made into a movie by Roman Polanski starring Johnny Depp...The Ninth Gate) that mentions it throughout and I'm wondering if it was just a fabrication or actually a gin popular in Europe. An Internet search revealed nothing.

It is proving difficult, Adam. Could be worse, could have a job cleaning pit toilets! I'm breaking the book up into North and South and then within will be highlighting several regions in each part. As for Islands, I'm including Sardinia with the North and Sicily with the South. It's odd, in my research I've found that, despite being an island, seafood plays a very limited role in Sardinia's cuisine. If anything freshwater fish seem to be more prevalent than any fruits de mer. Conversely, Sicily is rich in seafood offerings.

It was 1861 actually that the regions unified. What's very telling here is the close relationship Italy's political structure had on the development, or lack thereof, of their culinary sophistication. While Nationlism is running rampant throughout Europe and countries like France and England (pressed by war to form their respective cohesive identities) have already established themselves as entities. From what I understand until the unification happened in 1861, the only identities Italians could latch onto were those of their respective regional states. Given this relative lack of National perspective, it's no wonder Italian cuisine hadn't (and hasn't) reached an apotheosis. Since then, one has to honestly question what role immigration to the U.S. and the subsequent watering down of Italian cuisine has had in preventing an Italian culinary identity from developing to the level of modern gastronomy. If anything, even in the best American restaurants, the trend has always been to focus solely on the subtle regional differences. At any rate, I'm working on an Italian cookbook right now and I'm finding this thread immeasurable helpful. In the cookbook, I'm forced to choose from recipes that don't have much regional identity, but I'm researching as many as I can so as to give the closest representation of their origins.

Did big bear at least say 'thank you' or perhaps 'welcome' when he took it? And hey, it's been so long, I just gotta ask: how's the peepin' tommy?

Haven't been to Trio, but I did have a friend from culinary school that did his internship there. He learned a lot. I much prefer the off-the-beaten path, budget-conscious restaurant. So, Trio is beyond my means, as is Trotters. The only exposure I've had to Charlie Trotter is through his PBS show The Kitchen Sessions. From this I took him to be a bit pompous and really messy in the kitchen. I saw him trim chicken and on the same cutting board without washing it cut ingredients for a fresh salad. The other thing that irks me about Trotter is his penchant for finding 'exotic' ingredients to which he even acknowledges the difficulty of finding. Cooking good food is hard enough for most people that if you toss in the culinary acrobatics of finding exotic ingredients, they'll likely throw the towel in before slicing an onion or cracking an egg. His cookbooks are really pretty cool though.

awful? really? It's a lot better than most out there. I'm with you on their other beers. Too bad that the Black Butte isn't available in the Midwest. I'll see if they have a Web site, maybe I can order a spack.

So sad that you just threw it out, but we all have to make compromises, especially where wives are concerned. Is it really that expensive to get started? I've been thinking about this starter kit just to get a brew under my belt (there's already several over my belt, but I didn't brew any of those and my dunlap doesn't count). Ever try a starter kit? Someone else said earlier in this thread that it would take about $100, but that seems kinda low to me. BTW, love your new atavar, but kinda miss the old one (the super hero).

Spencer, I have an espresso cookbook at home that has a wonderful creme brulee recipe. I'll bring it in to work tomorrow and give you the exact title. I've also heard of people adding strong coffee to chili, but don't have a recipe to go with that. Just thought I'd throw it out there for you, maybe you could find something similar. Hope you already have a Tira Misu recipe in your collection. Cheers, Hopleaf

Just tried Anchor Steam Porter for the first time, and WOW! That's got to be the best Porter I've had yet. Slightly caramelly, good finish, not too much carbonation. Really quite good. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it...oh hell, if you've tried it, I recommend you try it again.

check it or chuck it? If you chucked it, I'm sad. I might've took it off your hands, cheap!!