Jaymes

It was the peanut butter and hot peppers that intrigued me.... Reminiscent of a sauce for satay... And other Asian recipes that use peanuts. However, Ethiopians do as well... so. And ketchup and soy sauce....kinda Thai. But, was just curious. Thanks for responding! And the ribs do sound wonderful.

That sounds really good. Is that the idea of the cook? Or the wife? It also sounds Asian-influenced. By any chance, are either the cook or the wife of Asian extraction?

"Fancied up for dinner"? Are you SURE you're in Austin?? If you're getting "fancied up for dinner," you'll be easy to spot! That said, where 'bouts are you? The arboretum area has a lot of good restaurants. Someone on the "best dinner ever" thread mentioned Chez Z, and I think they may have a location there. Someone on the "Austin Food Trail" thread said something about May's in Cedar Park for Chinese. That's way north on 183. Foodie52 works at Central Market, which is not north of 183 of course, but as far as getting together goes, Central Market offers great cooking classes, so perhaps we could all take one of those. Welcome to Austin, Fitz. And Howdy! W're darn glad you're here!

Wanted to add one last thing.... If this is a real hard-partying crowd that is likely to be still hanging around at two or three in the morning, after drinking and talking and laughing all night, be sure you've got stuff in the fridge to whip up an impromtu breakfast. I always had a couple dozen eggs and some frozen chopped green peppers, onions, and a bag of frozen french fries I could chop up and add to the eggs while scrambling them. And a couple packages of refrigerator biscuits as well. None of that may impress you as gourmet fare but, let me tell you, at three in the morning, when you and your guests are bleary-eyed, drunk and hungry, it's quick, easy, and looks pretty darn good. And makes your tummy feel much better the "morning after."

I've found that if it's AFTER dinner (unless you want to make it earlier and FOR dinner) and if the purpose is NOT food (unless you'd like to change the focus and make it FOR food) you're better off keeping it simple. If you're assuming (as it appears from your question) that they've already had dinner, I'd suggest you offer them a few typical "post-dinner" items, but be sure they're as good as possible; ie, really wonderful coffee, terrific and unusual cookies, great cheeses. Maybe some vanilla or coffee ice cream and an assortment of liqueurs or cordials to either sample, or pour over. You want your guests to be comfortable and at ease and I have personally found that if you "overdo it," beyond what that particular occasion seems to naturally call for, you sometimes overwhelm and intimidate them. There are several negatives to that, one of which may be a hesitation on their part to ever offer to do the hostessing themselves.

But what do you put in yours? And what do you serve it with? Seems to me most "authentic" recipes call for a great deal more lemon and parsley than "Western" recipes. At least the ones I've seen. So, what ingredients ALWAYS go into your Taboule Salad?

Oliva - (pretty name) That sounds just fabulous. I, for one, will attempt it soon. Thanks for taking the time to post it!

That was marvelous. I'm proud to sorta know you.

Oh GREAT! Now, I'm gonna have to offer a selection of gourmet dog foods as well!

I'd serve a good decaf coffee with a rich aroma that filled up the house, an assortment of homemade cookies some of which, I'd hope, would be new and unusual to the crowd, a cheese and fruit plate. I'd open a couple bottles of wine....one white, one red. In addition, I'd have some nonalcoholic beverages waiting in the fridge....waters, soft drinks.

Gaddi's. The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. In the golden days when the station for the train to China was just across the street. When everyone who was anyone crossed the grand lobby of the Peninsula, at least once in their lives and, it was said, if you sat there long enough, you would see them. The grand lobby of the Peninsula, where ceiling fans rotated lazily high above and Sydney Greenstreet surely lived just around the corner. And Cat Street vendors sold antiques and mysterious potions and, down in Wanchai, Susie Wong was on the prowl for sailors from ships named the Oriental Maru, or the Tokyo Maru, or the something Maru. And if you missed the last ferry back to the other side, you had to take a walla-walla boat. And at Gaddi's, the indomitable and legendary Rolf was the Maitre d'. He bowed slightly in his courtly Continental manner, "May I suggest the Holland Beans tonight? They're in season." And we had them and they were. We started with the Prawns au Sherry flamed tableside by Rolf himself. Then the Pink Champagne Sorbet. Then Steak Diane (wafer-thin, but medium rare all the same), Holland Beans (they were in season) and Potatoes Anna. And finally, an enormous white basket of truffles to finish. There was an intimate dance floor surrounded by tables of chicly-dressed diners. And a small, tuxedoed orchestra played soft romantic standards, "Begin the Begine," "Stardust," "Deep Purple." It was then, and remains today, the single most elegant place I have ever been. We lingered over our coffee, and then our wine, and we danced. Where has the time got to?

Omygod. Yankees don't have Pimento Cheese? You CANNOT be serious.

That is beautiful writing. Thanks, Toby, for introducing me to it.

I swear StellaBella I'm sobbing. Hard to admit that food can be that imortant to me I'll only do it if you can think of something I can send you from Texas that will pay you back for your kindness. (You'd darn well better think of something, because I REALLY want those fig preserves!!)

Aren't you just a sweetie? Golly - thanks! The opium business, eh? Those wild crazy Brits!

I really believe the whole "kid" thing is pretty simple. Just use common sense. Have good things around them when they're growing up - good food, good conversations, good attitudes, good people, good music, good books. And enjoy those things yourself. Whoever it was that said earlier in the thread that their parent was a stock broker but THEY didn't grow up to be a stock broker quite likely had, at a younger age, a greater understanding of stocks and the brokerage profession in general than someone whose parents were totally uninterested. Compromise when it's time to compromise and don't when it isn't. And relax. Have fun with your kids and fun with food. Kids learn by osmosis. Even in spite of you.

I think I've made my point.

Well then, that explains why of course you wouldn't be really interested. But I'm trying to think..... What else is just "meat and spices." Can you think of anything, Steve? Steve?

Going to McDonald's is about more than food. If you're an American, it's also (like it or not), about our culture, part of a commonality of experience that ties us together. For example, when your child is in his mid-twenties, sitting around a chic New York loft, quaffing fine wine and an impudently nouveau selection of the latest cheeses, and the host says something like, "When I was a kid I'd cry if we had to go to Mickey D's, because I was scared of Ronald McDonald." you wouldn't want your kid to say, "Who?" And after the soccer game, everyone's going to Pizza Hut. You tell YOUR kids that "instead, we're going to stop by D&D because they have a new pâté I've been wanting to try." I have three grown kids, foodies all, one with a degree in Hotel & Res management, another talking of opening his own Mex rest (Los Guapos ), and a third who cooks gourmet meals for the homesick students in the private boarding school where she teaches. The kids had to have at least one bite of whatever was on their plates at home (and that was whatever was on OUR plates at home - no "special orders") and if they didn't like what was set before them, fine, but they weren't getting anything else that night. But with that exception, my main mantra when they were growing up was to just calm down and don't make such a big goddammed deal out of everything. Food is supposed to be pleasant, enjoyable, even fun. It's not supposed to be just one more opportunity for Mom & Dad to lecture about what is "good" and what is "bad" and what is "proper for sophisticated palates." Besides, when I'm hung over there's nothing quite like the grease and starch of a Big Mac to soak up all that acidic junk in my tummy. (Do I sense a new thread topic coming on?)

My absolute favorite is homemade fig preserves. By my Aunt Melcina. Who lived in Baton Rouge. First, Aunt Melcina's fig tree died. Then Aunt Melcina died. She told no one exactly how she made her fig preserves. And I got no fig tree anyway. So I haven't had good fig preserves for years. (Not that you can tell by looking. )

I'm always happy to see you jumping in, Miz Sandra. Thanks. It is a quandry for me. But I love that idea! Do you serve that to drink with the meal, throughout the meal?

Well then, that explains why of course you wouldn't be really interested. But I'm trying to think..... What else is just "meat and spices." Can you think of anything, Steve?

Nina - What do YOU serve your guests to drink when you prepare curry?

Yeah - THAT's it. I think someone told me that it was based on the founder of that shipping company those sweet young British lads worked for. Boy were those good times. PS - You know, the more I think about it, it could have been Jardines. Yep, could have been.

I think it was not one word... I believe it was "something and something," although it's been so long ago....who knows. That ain't the only thing I've forgotten. By far. But it is annoying. I think it was the company started by the character in that novel about the founding of Hong Kong. The one that talked about the "hairy Western whores." What was the name of that book... Chow Fan? No, that's the rice. Anyway the book was about a Brit who went out to Hong Kong in the early days and started a shipping company and fell in love with a beautiful Chinese and supposedly it was based on fact. Any of this sound familiar?