Jaymes

Maybe they could call you by your nickname - in the friendly diminutive form, of course. Fatty.

Wow. Thirteen pages later and in a kind of a 'taDAH' moment, you just now reach the conclusion that only these "immediately preceding posts...point out that there is a backlash against AW" ? Was that ever in question? Unless I've gotten lost somewhere along the way and misunderstood these thirteen pages, whether or not there is a backlash is a given. Of course there is. But this discussion is about the reasons why and if it's justified and if there is now a burgeoning backlash against the backlash. Right?

It's easy to round up a "volunteer labor force to assemble a larger quantity of tamales." Just invite everyone to a party - a "tamalada." Tell them you're serving beer and margaritas. And they'll get to take home several dozen tamales. That approach has been working for centuries!

So what you're actually saying is that maybe it's not the message, maybe it's not even the messenger. Maybe it's the people who don't want to listen to the message even one bit, because they're so convinced that the path we're currently on is the correct one? ← I find both of these posts interesting. The first because it discusses a backlash against Jamie Oliver, a man. And the second because of the absolutist conclusion. Apparently there's no middle ground between "Alice is absolutely right in every and all instance and a saint upon this earth who is simply trying to lead us to the promised land if only we'd listen and take her direction"; vs the (obviously flawed and requiring some adjustment) "path we're currently on is the correct one."

You know, now that you mention it, I kinda remember somewhere reading that you should spray your freezer walls with Pam.

Maybe, Maggie. Maybe not. Men that are imperious, arrogant, elitist, condescending are generally not beloved, either, so who knows. I can think of men that fit that description and I'd say that they, too, are less than perfect choices as advocates to the general public for one cause or another. And when they try, they just piss everybody off. While on the other hand, men that manage to get their message across in a manner more accepting of others are lauded. The oft-mentioned Mr. Rogers is one. And Carl Sagan is another. In fact, throughout the entirety of this thread, I've been reminded of him and his "billions and billions" approach. He was a brilliant, well-educated man, in a lofty (in more ways than one) scientific field. But he didn't talk over our heads; he didn't talk down to us. He didn't patronize or lecture. When you watched him on his TV show, "Cosmos," or as a guest on a talk show, you were attracted by his inclusiveness, his enthusiasm. He was discussing a subject that could have been dry and scientific, and one that many folks had a hard time relating to their own personal lives. But he demystified it, made it appealing to everyone, encouraged us to know more. I understand that women continue to be judged differently. But I disagree that you can be an arrogant jerk, and that's just fine if you're a guy. In fact, weren't there a few lines to that effect in a very famous poem about how to become a "man"? "If you can walk with kings and not lose the common touch."

Have you tried Kim Shook's coobook? Some GREAT stuff here: http://www.recipecircus.com/cgi-bin/recipe...login=KimberlynI second the motion. The Hot Bacon and Swiss Cheese dip is absolutely fantastic with broccoli and cauliflower florets. I also made baby tomato "roses" on the tiny wooden fork type picks which went like wildfire with that dip. I have one of the tiny 2-cup crockpots and I think I refilled it at least half a dozen times - 30 people. And, I had a lot of other dips and things but this got the most action.That recipe looks wonderful, but no suggestions as to which potential dippers are best. Does this work equally well with chips, crackers, etc., as it does with veggies?I found people mopping the stuff out of the little containers with chunks of bread after they had been removed from the table.I think it will work with just about anything. Give it a try. Made this last night for a small get-together. It really is delicious, but it's also very heavy and rich, so I wouldn't plan on serving it as an opener for a heavy meal. We had some Ritz Crackers handy, as they were called for in the recipe, and served the dip with that, but also, some toasted baguette slices. Our crowd thought that the plainer bread allowed the flavor of the swiss cheese to come through better than the Ritz. I can really see, though, how it would be superb with broccoli or cauliflower florets. I'm definitely taking this dip the next time I go to a gathering where I'm supposed to bring an appetizer. Thanks Kim, and everyone.

I just have to say that if y'all can actually get other food sites, in effect, your "competition," to display the eG logo, it will be an utterly brilliant PR move. Have any of the others - say Chowhound, OA, NIAC, Mouthfulsfood, Dallasfood.org, etc., indicated any interest at all? Marlene, how about cookskorner?

I'm not sure either, Robyn, but as no one else has offered a satisfactory explanation, I'll try to share with you what I think is the objective. And that is further name recognition of eGullet, and an attempt to position it as a sort of industry standard and final arbiter of all things online culinary. The "badge" would be kind of like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

The Junior League-type cookbook is a great idea. Maybe something like River Road Recipes. And then find one of the typical recipes, and send all the stuff to make it.

You can buy canned corn tortillas. No, they're sure not as good as hot from the tortillaria ladies, but after you fry in a little hot oil, and dip into your salsa, they're perfectly workable if there's nothing else available. Or, if the person is really interested in Mexican food, and is a fairly good cook, send a bag of masa and a tortilla press. Corn tortillas are really easy to make. If you decide to go the BBQ route, let me recommend the fine products from these nice folks: Head Country BBQ. I'd go with a couple of sauces and a rub.

Have you tried Kim Shook's coobook? Some GREAT stuff here: http://www.recipecircus.com/cgi-bin/recipe...login=Kimberlyn HTH ← I second the motion. The Hot Bacon and Swiss Cheese dip is absolutely fantastic with broccoli and cauliflower florets. I also made baby tomato "roses" on the tiny wooden fork type picks which went like wildfire with that dip. I have one of the tiny 2-cup crockpots and I think I refilled it at least half a dozen times - 30 people. And, I had a lot of other dips and things but this got the most action. ← That recipe looks wonderful, but no suggestions as to which potential dippers are best. Does this work equally well with chips, crackers, etc., as it does with veggies?

Another Iced Oatmeal lover. A favorite snack with sliced apples and wedges of Cheddar cheese.

There's a brand of jarred beets that my mother really loved. She'd often stand there with a fork, spearing the beets and eating them right out of the jar. She'd hide the jar in the far back of the fridge, so the rest of us wouldn't get them. It was her special treat. And after the beets were gone, and only the juice remained, she'd put a nice dollop of sour cream into the jar, close the lid tightly and shake shake shake. And then stand there and drink it all down. I miss her.

I agree. In the wintertime, I make all sorts of soups and stews with canned tomatoes and a veritable panoply of veggies. Never a problem. Your carrots and parsnips must have been really old, or some other similar problem. ETA: Not to mention that if cooking carrots and parsnips in canned tomatoes toughens them beyond repair, I can't think Jamie Oliver would have advised you to do it.

Wow, that's impressive. You should find out who it was and send him a little 'thank you' basket. With some pasta!

Interesting that you put emphasis on letting the beans come to room temperature before grinding. The owner of a local coffee bean shop told me that one of his little tricks that he advises folks with those inexpensive home grinders to do is to grind the beans frozen. He said that the action of the whirling blade grinding the beans produces a lot of heat. And that in essence, you're heating the beans before you brew them, and that definitely hurts the flavor before you actually do the brewing. So, according to him, unless you have one of those expensive grinders that doesn't have a whirling blade producing considerable friction heat, you should grind them frozen. Everybody's got an opinion, right? And so often, they are in direct opposition. Impossible, sometimes I think, to really know what to do.

Hey...not to worry. In Texas, we call that "comfort food."

But I wonder if they soaked up a lot more oil. That's been the reason for older ones, I think. And the 'tooth' would have to be different. Not better or worse, but different. ← I don't know if they soaked up more oil. Probably. And you're right that the 'tooth' was different. Much more tender. They were really good. The main thing, though, was that they were very easy to work with. Upthread somebody mentioned that they had a hard time rolling or folding fresh tortillas without them breaking. That didn't happen at all.

i totally agree, but any woman who works will tell you that the standards women are held to are different. even a woman boss shouldn''t be seen as "bossy"... a nurturing rather than condescending is the goal. men can be snakry asses and still be well liked, it;s just not a prvilege women enjoy in their work lives. ← I think the issue here, with the talk about AW, isn't really so much about how she is as a boss. The double standard of which you speak is certainly alive and well, although it seems to be lessening. I can think of well-known women in very lofty business positions that are not beloved for their personalities, but that are lauded and respected for their competence and successes. AW might be a shrew to her staff, just like people say Martha Stewart can be. But is that really the issue here? This entire thread is more about how AW relates to the "little people" that she's trying to influence. And I repeat that when you're trying to convince somebody, through basically your sheer power of persuasion, that another path is preferable, being bossy and condescending is counterproductive. Whether you're male or female. As, again I repeat, any salesperson, male or female, or motivational speaker, or clergy, or teacher, etc., can tell you.

just as i suspected this is mostly about the tone, and not the message. it's really important not to seem bossy or condesending. if you are a woman. ← I'm not sure being bossy and condescending serves anyone particularly well. It certainly has caused an unpleasant moment or two for Carlo Petrini. I think no matter who you are, if you really want to win friends and influence people, let alone spur entire movements, being bossy and condescending is counterproductive. As any successful salesperson can tell you.

You can also make up some sort of sauce, add the leftovers, and fold the whole thing up in crepes.

And I decided to make up a batch of rolled frontera border-style enchiladas just to test the 'freshness' thing. Went to my local tortillaria and got a couple dozen tortillas right off of the assembly line. They were still warm when I got home, so I can't imagine how I'd get any fresher. Did make up some chicken enchiladas in red sauce following a recipe I got years ago from a norteña friend, born and raised on a ranch in northern Mexico. I had no trouble at all handling the fresh tortillas. Although I usually just fold, for purposes of this experiment, I did roll them, and they rolled beautifully. The final dish was absolutely wonderful. So I am officially debunking the 'you've got to use old tortillas' thing. Fresh tortillas roll fine.

This is really interesting stuff. Thanks for keeping us up with what's going on. Obviously much of it is trial and error. Does this race come through every year? I'm sure you're taking extensive notes. I sure would be.

I just made Nick Malgieri's version (recipe HERE ) last weekend for an event featuring a tex-mex band. All the mexican guys in the band were asking me how a gringa learned to make such a good tres leches so I guess it was a hit! I thought it was really delicious too, but I did not strictly follow the recipe. I made the cake in an 8" x 12" x 2" metal cake pan instead of the glass, lined the bottom with parchment for easy release, but did not grease the pan. Before I poured the milks over it to soak, I removed the cake from the pan and peeled off the parchment, then put the cake back in the pan. I also doubled the whipped cream for the topping. Oh, I also left out the lime zest in the milks and topping. And I made Kahlua raspberries to go with it. Was that all too much information? ← Kahlua raspberries? What are Kahlua raspberries? Do you just marinate the raspberries in Kahlua? Sounds wonderful.