DTBarton

I worked on submarines for years as a defense contactor employee and a consultant. I remember helping to load on food before a deployment, standing in a line and passing crates of stuff across the brow and down the hatch. I also remember they used to get some real good fresh stuff for the first few days of a deployment (crates of live lobsters, nice steaks, fresh veggies, etc.) because they knew that after a while it's down to the cans and freezer. Does it still go like that?

But where's the standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding?

Oven Roasted Pork Shoulder Serves 6 as Main Dish. I cooked a half pork shoulder this way and it came out beautifully, tender and flavorful. Half Pork Shoulder (about 5 pounds) 1 TBS salt 1 TBS ground black pepper 1 TBS paprika 2 TBS Penzey Bavarian Seasoning 2 cups unsweetened apple cider 1 cup cider vinegar 1 3 stalks celery 1. Cut excess exterior fat off pork shoulder 2. Rub the shoulder with the salt, pepper, paprika, and Bavarian seasoning (mixture of crushed brown mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and sage) 3. Allow shoulder to sit at room temperature for an hour 4. Preheat oven to 450 F 4. Cut onion in thick slices and celery in large pieces 5. Line roasting pan (with lid) with heavy duty foil and grease lightly 6. Put the shoulder in the pan on top of the onion slices and celery pieces 7. Inject the pork shoulder with cider if you have an injector 8. Put remaining cider and cider vinegar in the roasting pan 9. Roast uncovered at 450 F for 30 minutes 10. Reduce heat to 250 F and cover the roasting pan 11. Roast for about 3 hours covered. Remove when thermometer reads 190 F 12. Let rest for 1/2 hour before serving Keywords: Main Dish, Pork, Easy, Dinner ( RG1509 )

For what you're describing (oysters, crab cakes) I'd consider McGarvey's near the city dock next door to Middletons. Consistent seafood and Aviator ale. Definitely a better bet than Buddy's. Don't know if you're interested in Asian, but Lemongrass is close to Loews on West Street. Newish Thai place with good potential. Here's my review: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=entry1014762

My mother and both my grandmothers were excellent cooks (Mom still is). My father was interested in food and would cook sometimes and bake bread. I enjoyed cooking as a kid, particularly with my grandmothers. My older brother is also a very good cook. My first two real jobs were in restaurants, ages 16 - 18. When I was 20, my parents moved to Europe for 5 years (Netherlands) giving me the opportunity to spend a good bit of time there and further widen my culinary horizons. So, now at 45 I'm pretty obsessed with food and cooking. I do find that my focus now is more on searching out the best ingredients rather than making super complex recipes.

I second the notion of using it on a nice pan seared or grilled steak. Yum.

Sounds good to me (and healthy! ) Let us know if you get open and where you are. I drive through the Richmond area pretty regularly.

Many quick and easy variations on this theme. While the water boils and the pasta cooks, saute garlic, onion, tomato, olive, salami, peppers, i.e. whatever there's a bit of in the fridge. Hit the hot pasta with olive oil, parmesan and black pepper, dump in the saute, done.

Pre midnight I'd recommend a variety of heavy hors d'eouvres that go well with sparkling wine. Oysters, smoked fish, puff pastry with parmesan cheese and spinach. Post midnight, a simple buffet with roast pork, black eyed peas, and greens (kale or collards), the traditional New Year's day menu that is supposed to bring good luck in the New Year (and can all be made ahead of time). Or, slow roast a pork shoulder and time it to get done at 11:00. Let it rest and you're good to go at 12:30.

Definitely many restaurants shine brighter on their apps than on the entrees and for many of the good reasons already mentioned. I try to evaluate honestly and think about whether the apps were really better or am I not as hungry now. This happens a lot to me as I don't habitually have a fancy and/or rich (or large) appetizer before my meals except when eating out or entertaining. Using that criteria, I've re-evaluated some of my entree opinions, and I order just apps at some places.

Having grown up in Delaware and now living in central MD, When I think of Delmarva, I think more of ingredients rather than cuisine. As stated above, good seafood. Crab, oyster (I prefer Chincoteague to Chesapeake Bay), rockfish, bluefish, clams. Great produce in season: Asparagus, tomatoes, cantalope, cucumber, string beans. Regional favorites: Crab cakes and pit beef in Baltimore, Italian subs in Wilmington.

I am going to Reading, PA later this month and would like to get any suggestions for good eats, nothing fancy. I'll be there overnight, looking for a good meal in the afternoon/evening and maybe a breakfast spot for the morning. Thanks much.

For grilling, I like to marinate the tuna for about an hour in this mixture: olive oil garlic black pepper soy sauce lime juice diced ginger (optional) Get the grill hot but have a spot away from the searing heat. Get the chunky bits of garlic and/or ginger off before grilling. Sear both sides over high heat then move away from the fire and finish to desired doneness.

Find or make the best hot and sour soup that you can and get it really spicy. The best of both worlds, like Jewish penicillin with a shot of fire to blaze open the sinuses.

Hominy! Essence of corn. I like cornbread with chili too, but hominy is my favorite. I use dried hominy from a local amish market. Simmer one part dried hominy to 4 parts salted water for about 3 hours until plump and tender. It can be made ahead. its best reheated by sauteeing in buter until lightly browned and sprinkled with ground pepper. Canned hominy is OK and most grocery stores have it, but it can be very salty and/or have a canny taste. If using canned, I recommend that you rinse it well in a colander and do the sauteeing as above. I put the hominy in the bowl under the chili. Top with diced sweet onion and hot sauce. You can gild the lily with grated jack cheese and sour cream.

I forgot to mention that wild mushrooms (oyster, naturally) are delicious in this dressing, saute them with the onion and celery.

I have to beg to differ on the oysters, I love oyster dressing. I use dried bread cubes (cut from loaves of good white bread with maybe some sourdough mixed in, not all sourdough). Dice a bunch of pancetta and saute. Add onions, celery, butter and herbs (the usual, thyme, sage, pepper, etc.) Add the bread cubes and stir. Add enough turkey stock to almost get to desired moistness. Cut oysters in to smallish pieces. Stir in oyster pieces and add oyster liquor to desired consistency. Taste for salt. Usually the pancetta, stock, and oysters give you enough salt and you don't need to add any extra. Put in greased pyrex and bake.

I enjoy pinot noir with mushroom dishes like a wild mushroom lasagne or risotto (no red sauce on the lasagne, use white sauce). Herbed roasted pork goes well also.

This is the season for the best chili since the chili pepper plants in the garden are finishing up. It's a great way to use up all the ones left on the vine. I love making chili with fresh peppers, you use quite a bit less dried chili powder. Forgive my vague quantities, just taste as you go. None of these quantities is gospel. 10 garlic cloves, diced 1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, diced Fresh chili peppers, seeded and diced (I use a bunch) note - I don't pick the peppers until I'm ready to make the chili, this retains the fruitiness. I have pablano, cayenne, and jalapeno peppers or you can get some at the store. I stick with mild to medium hot ones. Anaheims and banana peppers can be gotten pretty cheap sometimes. Saute the veggies in a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil. Spinkle with salt and pepper at the start. 2 pounds cheap steak (chuck, sirloin, whatever's on sale at the store) remove fat, membrane and cut in to 1/2 inch cubes. 2 pounds cheap pork chops (again whatever's on sale) remove fat, bone, and cut in to 1/2 inch cubes. Add the meat and saute for a few minutes Add: 1 TBS chili powder 1 TBS ground cumin 1 TBS oregano 1 TBS paprika salt and pepper to taste 1 can diced tomatoes (regular size, not large) 1 small can tomato sauce enough water to just cover the meat and veggies cover and simmer slowly until the meat is braised tender, usually a couple hours at least. Stir every 15 minutes or so and ensure the simmer stays gentle. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add more of any of the dry seasonings to taste. Simmer uncovered to desired thickness, if needed. I add a little beef soup base if it's a little thin, but it's usually not. Serve in hot bowls. I like to serve it with diced sweet onion, shredded pepper jack cheese, favorite hot sauces, and sour cream as available garnishes. The final touch - HOMINY! I get dried hominy at our local amish market. Takes about four hours to cook, but it's worth it. Simmer 1 part dried hominy in 4 parts water. Canned is OK, but can taste canny and salty. If using canned, I recommend rinsing the hominy in a colander and sauteeing it in a little butter and black pepper (don't add any salt!). I puts my hominy in the bowl under the chili.

I'm an eastern style man myself. Smoky pork, vinegar and red pepper, a match made in heaven. bring on the slaw.

There's a place on Main Street in Laural that could help you. Just look for the big plastic cow. ← Unfortunately, the Laurel meat market closed earlier this year. A pity, I think, it was a good butcher.

In a previous discussion of the Big Green Egg, several people recommended the Weber Smokey Mountain cooker as a less expensive option at $200 US delivered. http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ I got one and love it, it's the best barbecue cooker I've tried. Also, the web site provides detailed instructions, so the learning curve is immediate. You can't sear at 1000 degrees on it, but I do fine searing steaks on my regular charcoal grill with adjustable height of food over fire. This way, you can have a first class barbecue cooker and money left over for new knives.

I eat fast food from time to time and have noticed the following: It seems just about anyplace can serve up decent stuff if they follow the rules, give a rip, and don't serve old food. Our local MacDonald's is a great case in point. Over 7 years, they've gone from bad to good a couple times. On an upswing now, must have a manager and some employees who give a rip. Our local Popeye's can turn out very good chicken when they nail it, local KFC is solidly bad. KFC can be very good when done right, I know because I used to cook it as a teenager at Gino's. Bread thoroughly, patting the breading into the skin. Make sure the oil's 400 degrees. Brown adquately while stirring to keep the pieces from sticking together before closing the pressure cooker. My rules of thumb: For burger joints, if I go there at an off time when I'm likely to get a burger that's been sitting, I make a special request (no salt is a good one). This makes them cook a fresh burger and fries, does cost you a few minutes. For Popeyes, I try to go when it's busy and they're cooking bird constantly. I also look at the hot versus the mild to see which has the right color, medium brown. Our local place sometimes over or under cooks a batch.

I guess I prefer regular block style cream cheese. I try to remember to take it out of the fridge when I get up so that by bagel time it schmears easier. That said, my local bagel emporium's cream cheese seems to me to be half whipped and is a delicious product, full flavor and a little lighter and easier to spread.

Canulli's in the Italian market on 9th street cooks whole small pigs. It's really good fresh roast pork you could pull and sauce to your liking.