Suzanne F

The reservation has been made for 16 -- but I warned them we might end up being more. So long as I have a reasonably accurate count by Friday, all will be well. Happy New Year to all!

What in the world is this? Kinda like boneless "prime rib." Sometimes cut into "shell steaks."

Ellen Baumwoll ellen@bijouxdoux.com Amy Berg (may only do cookies) 718-871-1314 (w) Susan Chiusano susanchiusano@yahoo.com Cheryl Kleinman 718-237-2271 (w) Anne McManus (exec pastry chef somewhere) Colette Peters cakecolet@aol.com Marie Sheil Regusis 718-898-1649 (h) Jeanne Voltz jvoltz@nyc.rr.com These are all member of the NY Women's Culinary Alliance.

Get a copy of the January 5, 2004 issue of The New Yorker and turn to page 34. (I'd post a link to the Cartoon Bank but it's not up yet.)

Fishcakes or balls. Mash it up, mix in more spices, mashed potatoes, and egg. Let it chill and firm up. Form into your favorite shape (round hockey pucks, ovals, rectangular, conic -- whatever). Coat with flour, then beaten egg, then crumbs (panko is great, but cracker crumbs work fine). Chill again to firm. Shallow fry. Mmmmmmmmm.

BINGO!!!!! Fifi has gotten it exactly right. Plus: think of all the folks who will be so upset that they will go out RIGHT NOW and buy up all the M&Ms they can. Falling right into the hands of the marketeers.

Correct. At the home of yours truly and HWOE, in lower Manhattan. Once the upcoming BC and my 1/5 editing deadline have passed, I'll go over the list.

While there are indeed many regional differences, white rice;steamed kale;orange (or some citrus fruit) and fried manioc flour are staple. The choice of meats and types of meat are pretty much regionally varied. And don't forget the black beans!!!

Did my big month-end supermarket thing today at Pathmark. The boneless shells were all labeled as being from Australia. Other beef roasts (rump, round, whole tenderloin, etc.) were not so marked. But they were relatively inexpensive. So, for that matter were the shells -- but once I decided to put one in my cart, one of the meat cutters was removing them. Why? I asked. So we can mark them down, said she. So I went back a while later and yes, they were marked down to and astonishing $3.99US a pound. Of course, I HAD to get one then. Yeah, I know, I'll be lucky if it's even Utility at that price, but hey... it's beef! That it comes from Oz doesn't make it any better or worse to me; at that price I'd buy it if it were Washington-cow's twin. Anyway, all that said: if I want beef, I will eat beef. Case closed. And, oh yes, Burger Club this Saturday!

Yup. Recently the outside buzzer rang -- Chabad trying to get in to offer us a menorah for Chanukah (not quite as aggressive as the Mitzvah Tank, but still . . . ) The neat thing about our security system is that we can see who's at the street door, and must buzz them in for the elevator to open in the lobby (unless you've got a key to call it). So this guy is standing there proselytizing long after I've said, "No, thank you" and hung up. He's talking on and on, oblivious to the fact that I'm only watching, not listening. Right now, though, I'm expecting my grocery delivery (mmm, stuff to make posole, and italian cold cuts, and broccoli, and and and ). But when the guy buzzes, I'll probably jump. Door buzzers, doorbells, and telephones are unnerving.

elyse +1 SuzanneF + HWOE alacarte Blondie johnjohn laurelmilan Picaman MHesse forkAndPen sherribabee SobaAddict70 Lurker JosephB Mr. Cutlets and, we hope, Dave the Cook and some or all of his crew. as of 12/30, 1:45pm That's 16 who at one time or another said K. Plus an unknown number of DtC maybes.

Nothing to do with telephone use and food (not even calling for a delivery), but: We have 2 lines, one "residential" and the other "business." I registered the business line on the DNC list. The residential line, which we use to make outgoing calls, is always hooked up to the fax. So when the telemarketers call it, that's what answers. As fifi says, BWHAHAHAHAHA. Of course, that doesn't help stop all the penis-enlargement spam I get

Well, I got a pm from yet another BCer begging to be added , so I'll go ahead with it.

When I was a kid, we used to walk barefoot through the snow to talk to people. Even in the summertime.

I have the same problem with my husband. I'm always after him to put the book/magazine down while we're eating. That's much more rude than watching TV! Ah -- we have developed a system of asking each other if it is all right to read at the table (usually the newspaper, and usually at breakfast). Of course this only matters when we are eating together; alone, all bets are off (but so, still, is the TV ). Since our family is and always has been only 2, balex's ranking doesn't really apply to us.

deleted for double-posted impatience.

Gorgeous. Panné à l'anglaise, with seasoned flour, real egg, and panko. Shallow-fried in corn/canola blend. They were less free-form than jackal10's -- more hockey-puck shape.

I've been working my way through my slow-cooker confit and wondered: How many times can I reuse the fat for other batches of confit? Of course, I don't add back the fat I use to cook other items (such as potatoes) -- just the fat I scrape off the pieces of duck as I pull them out and use them.

Hey, Belmont3, long time no see! Your brandade made a great base for my fishcakes (see above). As foretold, last night was: Crisped duck confit (whole leg/thigh) Cubes of potato cooked very crisp in duck fat Steamed beet greens plus the leftover roasted beets + pickled onions Salad (by HWOE) with a dressing of artichoke marinade + white wine vinegar + "artichoke cream" Salmon River Pinot Noir

You can even practice with Crisco, or tuna salad -- won't help you on the temperature issue, but at least you'll get the motion down.

Not yet. I'm waiting a little longer to see the reactions. But when I do, I'll probably make it via OpenTable, which is easy to modify (and I can include a message about our "special needs" )

Fifi mentioned the practice of not answering the phone during dinner. Do you answer? Do you have "rules?" I am ashamed to admit that sometimes we do. But only after we hear who it is over the answering machine and decide it's someone we really, really need to talk to (usually in another time zone, for business). And we have an understanding that dinner then goes on the warming tray to wait until the call is completed.

I'm really busy this week working on deadline, but can someone call Blue Smoke and ask them about their beef supply? I'd bet they grind the meat themselves. So the only question really is where/who do they get their beef from, and is the source one that does not feed the cattle illegal feed containing animal parts. (I have feeling that BS would use safe meat, but if anyone is really concerned, ask them.)

You know there are any number of us here who would be happy to take some off your hands. But back to the oyster stew question: imo, some very few dishes are not to be fucked with, and this is one of them. Well, maybe the merest whisper of curry . . . BUT NOT MUCH MORE!

That's a couple of pretty precocious kids! While I can't agree with you that there ARE "right" and "wrong" ways based on ancient institutions (remember, slavery goes back a long, long time, too), I agree that there are better and worse practices. And I heartily agree that TV is anathema to the positive experience of a meal together. But I'm curious: why not even music?