Jaymes

Which of course brings up the obvious question as to what age kid you are targeting? Obviously, something meant for grades 1-3, for example, should be far different than something intended for older children.

Not to mention, "Do you know why they call it 'red eye' gravy?"

Leslie - have you traveled much in Mexico? Are you familiar with their foods? Need to know so I'll have some idea how much depth to go into.

Will you be in Cancun proper? Or down on the Tulum Corridor? How long will you be staying?

Can't tonight... got some bowling balls to suck. Maybe next week. I'll post something on the Austin eGullet Get-together thread.

The Alaska-native recipes I put in the "worst foods" poll are all authentic. Easiest example for your children's story would be "Eskimo Ice Cream." They make it with some sort of fat (blubber or seal oil or reindeer or moose fat) and sugar and berries. I can give you an actual recipe if you'd like. Ice cream is something kids identify with, and Eskimo Ice Cream is a name they'd love. The native word is "Agutuk." So, "Did you know that in Alaska they put seal oil and sugar and berries together and call it Ice Cream?" And besides all that, Eskimos are so darn cute in illustrations.

Well! Boys!! Thank you both very much!

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. It is fascinating, as well as beautifully written.

What's wrong with Food TV? As far as I am concerned, the number one reason I rarely watch is also the number one reason they should change the name. "All Emeril, All the Time"

Did Liza offer Lou Grant as her answer? All I saw was the edit note Tommy - you may have one-upped me. Was the Lou Grant quote for perky or spunky? It was, "You've got spunk." "Well...... " "I hate spunk."

GREAT idea! One of those, "Why-didn't-I-think-of-that?" things.

Great food writers: I loved "Tender at the Bone" by Ruth Reichl. Really funny, evocative memories. I laughed myself silly. Oh, and Tommy of course.

For thirty years, whenever I had to make a lot of bacon, either because cooking for a large crowd at breakfast, or because I had a recipe that called for a lot of bacon bits in it, I have made it in a sheet pan in the oven. It is much easier... frees up your stovetop to cook your other items, bacon for crowd arrives hot and all at the same time, little muss little fuss. And it tastes just fine!

I have never lived in New Jersey. Although I once dated a boy from Nutley. Does that count? He was a remarkable lad. Let me just say that I never had trouble remembering the name of his hometown.

According to the chef who did the scrambled eggs for last year's smoked wild salmon tasting at Fortnum and Mason's, that's about the way he made them for thirty people, in a huge pan. It took him twenty minutes over a low flame. He looked as though he spent a lot of time sampling them, and no wonder -- they were ambrosial. This year there was a different chef. The scrambled eggs were dry little curds, no doubt cooked to an officially "safe" temperature. We left the eggs and had twice as much salmon. Okay - so here's the thing to do. When you are whipping up your eggs to scramble, add no additional liquid at that time. Put your butter, evoo, etc., whatever you prefer, in the pan; add your beaten eggs, seasonings and additions you like, and scramble as usual. Get a carton of heavy cream (best) or half n' half (or for diet considerations, evap milk or skimmed evap milk) and set it in front of you, open and at the ready. Now - at the penultimate moment, just as the eggs are nearing the finish line, while they are still wet, stir in a little cream...I'd say about 1/4 cup for, say, four or five eggs. Whisk rapidly, finishing the eggs. The cream added at the next-to-last minute gathers up the remaining uncooked eggs, and you simmer for just a few seconds longer. Your eggs are creamy, moist but not shiny-wet. They are throughly cooked to a "safe temperature" but they are not dry. They are soft and creamy and "ambrosial." Everyone, even the so-called "I can't eat wet, slimy, 'un-cooked' scrambled eggs" crowd will love this. They are simply the best. There is absolutely no comparison.

And some day, Darlin', I'll bet you do

I have never tried blitzing, but somehow don't find it an encouraging idea. I give infused oil often as a hostess gift, or part of gourmet baskets that I make up for friends at Christmastime. So, although when I am making up some for myself, I just put the herb right into the store-bought bottle of oil; for gifts, I select attractive bottles at some sort of container store. Wash a whole sprig of the herb and let it dry well. GENTLY heat oil. Put sprig (or combinations, such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, crushed red pepper flakes) into bottle and pour in warmed (not hot) oil and seal. Allow to sit for two weeks or so in a cool, dark place (but not the fridge) before using. Then, you can remove the herb. If you leave it in, the herb flavor will continue to get stronger... so, just be prepared for that. These infused oils can go rancid quickly. Although it is not usually advised to put olive oil in the fridge, I think it's a good idea with an infused oil after you've allowed it to sit for the initial two weeks.

Which of his books is it that you used and prefer?

Huummmm. Confusing indeed. It's all very Kafka-esque, or Kishke-esque, as the case may be.

I, for one, do not. In fact, I find that it's the other way around. If I'm not careful when cooking with fresh herbs, it is easy to completely overpower the main ingredient, which is supposed to be the star of the show! That's more difficult to do with dried herbs, but fresh ones can be amazingly powerful.

Yeah, I do that too. And, speaking of hostess gifts, when you infuse olive oil with herbs and put it in a pretty bottle with more fresh herbs tied around the neck... it's beautiful! I have a very productive garden and my motto is: giveaway, giveaway, giveaway. Not only is it fun, but it keeps the invitations coming!!

One of my favorite brunch dishes: saute green onions or shallots in little butter. Add eggs prepared however you like for scrambling. After little initial stirring, add can of smoked oysters and finish. This is really good and it seems like of grand and lavish and festive for brunch entertaining. I usually offer three kinds of scrambled eggs at brunches. This one is the most unusual and probably the most popular as well. And, with those oysters in it, it's great with hot sauce, too!

In addition to all of the above, and other cooking uses, here's some more things I do: If they get too big and have to be trimmed and I don't need any in the immediate future, I tie up bundles and hang them upside down to dry. And, I never go to a dinner party without tying up some of my fresh herbs into the bow that I put on the hostess gift... Anything from a bottle of liqueur or wine with a bow and fresh herbs around its neck, to two packages of particularly attractive or funny paper cocktail napkins looks great with fresh herbs tied into the bow.

I miss "old dining" and, in particular, its elegant, knowledgeable, gracious career waiters. There is still quite a bit of that going on in New Orleans, however. Although as previous posters have said, it seems to be fading fast.

SURE!!! First: Get map of Bay of Naples Second: Get bottle of brandy for "flaming volcano" Third: Peruse map while sipping brandy to throughly familiarize yourself with it. Fourth: Throughly familiarize yourself with map, as well. When you've completed these steps, get back with me and I will tell you how to proceed from there. You're kidding, right? I AM kidding about the "exact replica of the Bay of Naples" part.... It's unlikely anyone will notice if it's just off by a degree or two.