Jaymes

Arriving on a cruise ship for one day, just one day, in Cannes. Are there any restaurants within a fairly easy cab ride from the cruise ship pier where a gal & her papa might be able to get a tasty bowl of bouillabaisse?

I'd say that for sure many, if not most, of us here fit into that category. For myself, I only WISH I could be equally as involved in something else. Like, say, exercise for example. In fact, last month while standing in front of the magazine rack at my local bookstore drooling over the latest issues of the food magazines, I made a determined effort. I took home a copy of "Self" instead - all about heath and exercise and buying the trendiest workout ensembles. And I actually did thumb through it a time or two. But finally gave up and tossed it and went back to the bookstore and gave into temptation, coming home with the current issues of every food magazine the store had. Sigh.

I have to tell you that these pictures make me weep. Just so happens I'm on a cruise ship, tied up at the Auckland Ocean Terminal, in midst of sailing 'round the world. And while I know that's a pretty terrific thing, this morning I got such a hankerin' for southern biscuits, I cannot tell you. I asked the fellows at the breakfast buffet if they had biscuits. One helpful lad replied, "Yes, madam, of course," and scurried away. He returned to my table moments later with several packets of saltines.

I don't think I'm better than people who like to refer to themselves as foodies. I just hate the word. I don't like words that end in "ie" for no reason, and "foodie" sounds awful to me. It makes me cringe, just as "veggie" does. So I don't use it. ← Well, that makes sense. I'm not really much for cutsie names myself, but the current piling on of "foodie" and the previous disdain for folks that refer to themselves as "gourmet" as being pretentious, elitist, snobby, etc., strikes me as more than just a preference for one term over another. It seems to me to have considerable condescension attached. And BTW, I didn't mean to pick on "food enthusiast," which I actually quite like.

You've never heard someone say, "My friends call me a 'gourmet,' but I hate that word."? Or other remarks to that effect? I've heard that at least a thousand times, including often on eG, including even in this thread. And I like saying I'm a foodie. I particularly like saying, "Well, see you tomorrow. Right now, I'm off to meet some of my foodie friends for lunch, and then we're going to Central Market for shopping and a cooking class." I have long wondered what it is about the human condition that makes us tend to lump people into groups and then decide our group is somehow superior to the other group. As in, "THEY are trendy, cutsie, superficial, celebrity-groupie, lemming-like 'foodies,' but I am not. I am a 'food enthusiast.'" Or some other group-identifying label that is superior. I'm serious about wondering why we feel the need to do that. Like most human behavior, it must serve some sort of evolutionary purpose. But I'm darned if I know what it is. I do think that the need to do that seems to ease as one grows older.

Me. As far as I'm concerned, "foodie" just means someone interested in food, which I proudly am. I assign no moral value to the term, good or bad. And furthermore, I find this flap to be silly. But frankly, it makes absolutely no difference whichever term the "trendsetters" settle upon as being a supposedly-acceptable alternative to the now-odious "foodie." Within in a few years, these same self-appointed trendsetters will decry it, just as they have "foodie," and "gourmet" before it.

I'm with you. Double-dipping is just yucky and inconsiderate. A brief story... Had a friend, Jean, that always made fun of me, like you say. I was being "ridiculous" when I didn't like eating after others. So one day we were at a banquet, seated at a long table. The theme was "Mexican," so there were bowls of guacamole and salsa on the tables. I noticed that a lady sitting directly across from us was a particularly grevious double-dipper. Jean never noticed such things. But she did notice me discreetly push the befouled bowls of salsa and guacamole over in her direction, while I snagged one from several inches farther down the table. She said nothing, and at the time, I didn't even realize she had noticed. After the meal, she asked why. I said, "Because that lady directly across from you double-dipped every damn thing she stuck into her mouth." "So you pushed them over toward me? Well, THANKS a LOT!" "Of course I did. Somebody had to share with her. You always tell me how ridiculous I am to worry about it. I simply didn't want you to feel ridiculous, too." That was the last time I got that lecture. Heheh.

I've done this for years. In fact, it was my standard "slumber party" menu while raising my three kids. I'd make small (plate-sized) pizza crusts in advance, one for each invitee. And then set out bowls with all the condiments, and let each kid make their own. I baked them on large sheet pans. It was a lot of fun and it kept everybody busy and there was no problem with finicky eaters. Nothing like making your own to see to it that you eat it.

They're called pulmonias and they're a great, if not particularly cheap, way to get around without the hassle of parking or worrying.If I've got a lot of shopping to do (like last year when I bought heavy pewter pieces for everybody on my Christmas list), I'll hire one for the afternoon. The driver will help you with your bundles and store them in the cab while you forage for more. I agree, the pulmonias are not particularly cheap, but neither is renting cars in Mexico. At least not in my experience.

Perhaps too late for this year, but as a New Year's resolution, and in order to facilitate a more appealing choice for next year, I'd suggest you broaden your circle of friends to include somebody that has a livelier and more sophisticated spot for entertaining.And then help him/her to throw a party. Have your party begin at 11pm, so that everybody's not all partied out as the big hour approaches, and so that other folks can arrive from less-wonderful parties in people's basements in New Jersey. Start with classy appetizers and then the champagne at midnight, followed up by a smashing breakfast buffet. Jaymes, who says it's too late for Bryan to have a NYE party/NYD breakfast this year?? Bryan just needs to find a place to cook that's not at home or suburban New Jersey. Easy, right?? Well, that was why I suggested he get started now. Perhaps by next year, he will have been able to worm his way into the heart of someone with a handsome flat overlooking Central Park.

Perhaps too late for this year, but as a New Year's resolution, and in order to facilitate a more appealing choice for next year, I'd suggest you broaden your circle of friends to include somebody that has a livelier and more sophisticated spot for entertaining. And then help him/her to throw a party. Have your party begin at 11pm, so that everybody's not all partied out as the big hour approaches, and so that other folks can arrive from less-wonderful parties in people's basements in New Jersey. Start with classy appetizers and then the champagne at midnight, followed up by a smashing breakfast buffet.

I come from a "greens" family. We eat a lot of them, and love them. With ham, or pork chops, or black-eyed peas and cornbread. But I'm not sure that's what I'd choose if I were having ten guys over for ribs. One thing I would suggest is Jiffy Corn Pudding. It's easy and it seems I never can make too much. There's almost never any left over and the men love it. And it freezes well, so often I intentionally make twice as much as I think I need just to stick an extra pan in the freezer.

How did they like that turnip casserole? I think it looks terrific, but then I really like turnips...

I'll second this suggestion. Wonderful.

You can't go wrong with baked potatoes and all the fixin's. When I serve ribs, I usually bake some sweet potatoes, too, the same way that you bake regular potatoes. You serve them the same, way, too. Slice them open, shove in a few pats of butter, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, chopped green onions and bacon bits. If you have any maple sugar, set that out, too, and some people will shake a little bit of that on their baked sweet potato. There's a rib and steak place in Austin, Texas, that mixes up a concoction of butter, orange zest, brown sugar and bourbon to put on their baked sweet potatoes, so you could work up something like that, too, if you want. Really good, and you'll get props for having something different.

Obviously, no place is completely safe, but I've never felt unsafe in Mazatlan. I don't know about Oaxaca, but Mazatlan is certainly safer than Mexico City. Not sure if you are accustomed to renting cars in Mexico, but it can be really costly, partly because of the insurance, and sometimes it's difficult to find spots to park in the narrow and crowded streets of the older sections of the towns. I don't usually take buses either, but in most of the towns and cities (although not Mexico City), it's easy and safe to hail a cab, and that's what I do. The last time I was in Mazatlan, it was about this time last year. My dad and I drove down there in an RV and stayed in one of the RV parks that cater to snowbirds. Mazatlan has these adorable white taxis that are kind of like a cross between a golf cart and a VW bug. In fact, they ARE a cross between a golf cart and a VW bug, since they're golf cart tops built onto VW bug chassis. My dad thought seriously about buying one. The guy told us that you could get a new one for about $8K USD, and my dad considered hooking one up to the back of the RV and hauling it home. I'd have no hesitation in renting a car there, but taxis are so easy, I wouldn't see the need to, frankly.

I always have a bag of frozen french fries in the freezer. Not for making french fries, but for dicing and adding to scrambled eggs, along with tomatoes, onions and chiles for breakfast burritos/tacos. So, like most things, sometimes.....

I've been going to Mazatlan for more than 20 years and in all that time, have met only a handful of people going all inclusive. What I was going to say. In fact, I think most of the norteamericanos there really do get out and enjoy the city. There are several language schools and a large expat community. I think you'll be quite surprised.

We don't live in a vacuum. It's easy to think only in terms of the US, but since much of the world's population of "poor people" depends upon cheap corn to eat - think tortillas in Mexico for example - when the price of corn skyrockets, it doesn't affect only us. It's a world commodity. Not to mention that corn doesn't grow and turn into fuel by itself. It requires fossil fuels to do that. And lots of it. Like most supposedly "great ideas," there are often unforeseen consequences down the road. So to speak.

This is probably not the best chili you'll ever taste. It's not even the best chili I've ever made. But it's the chili I made year after year to feed my family of five. The chili that I could run by the store and pick up the stuff and then go home and sling together. The chili that now all three of my children are making in their homes. Not fancy, and not the recipe to enter into the big chili cookoff, but if you're looking for a good, easy, basic, all-purpose family weeknight chili, give this one a try. Chili 2 pounds ground meat. You can use regular ol' ground round, a mixture of meats, or ask your butcher for "chili grind" beef 6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced 2 small green bell peppers, chopped (about 1 cup) 4 small white or yellow onions, chopped (about 2 cups) 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried oregano 2 bay leaves 2 15-oz cans tomato sauce 2 15-oz cans stewed or diced tomatoes, not drained 1 T chili powder, or to taste (if you don't want to use commercial chili powder, then blend your own mixture using chile powder, cumin, etc.; sometimes I add just a pinch of curry powder) 1/2 of a tablet of Abuelita or other Mexican-style chocolate 1 15-oz can original Ranch Style Beans, not drained (optional) salt, pepper, hot sauce, etc., to taste In a Dutch oven or large stew pot put the meat, garlic, bell peppers, onions, basil, oregano, and bay leaves. Saute until onions are clear and meat is browning. Add all other ingredients except beans and final seasonings. Simmer about 30 minutes or so until flavors are melded. Add your can of Ranch Style Beans (Most recipes that include beans add about about twice as many as I do. My family always liked chili with a few beans, but not so much that they dominate the flavor profile. If you're a real "beans in chili person," add two cans of RSB instead of one) and heat through. Add final seasonings to taste.

Sorry to hear you didn't like the smoked oysters with scrambled eggs. It's true that tinned, smoked oysters don't have that wonderful delicious soft plump texture of fresh ones, and smoked oysters definitely do have a "strong smoke flavor," but that dish is one of my favorite quicky brunch dishes and late-night suppers. Of course, it's no secret that not everybody is going to like every thing the same. I'm glad you gave it a go! That's all anyone can ask, right?

I believe I owe it to the lions and tigers to eat meat. I think that I, like they, were put upon this planet to be a carnivore. I've got hunter's eyes in the front of my head, and dog teeth in my mouth. My digestive track is able to handle meat and the protein is good for me. So I think I owe it to the other carnivores to take my appropriate place in the food chain. If I eschew meat, and the lions and tigers do not, that would make me more noble than the lions and tigers, and I simply cannot do that to them.

Where are you? If you're anywhere near the US southwest, she needs some chicken-tortilla soup. I've got a quicky version that's good for tucking away in the cupboard and mixing up when you need it. Take one family-style can of Campbell's Chicken with Rice soup and put it in a saucepan. Dump in a small jar (or to taste) of salsa - either your own or some good store-bought brand like Herdez Casera. Add one small can of white chicken chunks. Heat through. Ladle into individual serving bowl. Top with a generous handful of tostadas and a small mountain of grated "Mexican blend" cheeses and eat immediately. Chicken Tortilla Soup, a perfect marriage of traditional chicken soup and spicy salsa is the number one go-to dish when you get the sniffles down here, pardner.

Ah, but you didn't follow the recipe. Use white wine next time. I have made sauce for fish with veal stock, and believe it or not, it works. But not with red wine.I agree. I am not sure why you would want to serve this sauce that you made, not Ruhlman, with fish! I bet it tasted good with beef though. Almost anyone who has cooked before knows that red and white wine produce very different results when cooked down. I'd really be interested in knowing what you think of the sauce if you make it again with white wine, following Ruhlman's instruction. This story couldn't help but remind me of a something that happened to me decades ago. I was a young mother with three children, two in diapers. My next-door neighbor was in the same situation. She never cooked anything. I often slung stuff together, cooking with one child on my hip and another tugging at my leg. So one afternoon around four o'clock, she called in a panic. Her in-laws had just announced they were coming for dinner and her husband was insisting that instead of ordering the usual pizza, she cook something, anything. Couldn't I think of something, she begged, that would be tasty and that even she could do with only one quick trip to the store? So I gave her a recipe for Easy Minute Steaks Parmesan. You buy some of those minute steaks that have been tenderized. In a bowl, you combine 1 cup cracker crumbs aned 1 cup grated Parmesan. In another bowl you beat 1 egg with a little S&P added. You dip your minute steaks first in the beaten egg, and then in the cracker/parmesan mixture and then you fry them in olive oil in a hot skillet. Then you arrange your steaks in that long, glass baking dish we all have, dump a can of pizza sauce over it, dust with a little crushed red pepper to taste, sprinkle any leftover cheese/crackers around the edge, and a nice handful of mozarella/parmesan/romano/whatever you like in the center and bake it. Serve with a nice mound of hot cooked pasta tossed with butter alongside. About a week went by. We happened to be at a neighborhood coffee and I overheard her talking to another of the wives: "Well," she said, "Jaymes isn't such a good cook. I made one of her recipes and it was TERRIBLE. And I made it for my IN-LAWS, too!' I immediately hustled over to quiz her. "It was TERRIBLE?" "Yes. I didn't want to tell you, but it really was. A mushy mess. And it didn't have much flavor, either." "No flavor? What did you do?" "Well, I did make just two substitutions...." "What?" "I didn't have any pizza sauce so I subbed a can of cream of mushroom soup. And parmesan cheese was so expensive that I left that out entirely."