SuzySushi

For me, it's fish skin and bones. I will not eat regular sardines or canned salmon. I love trout, but will eat it only at home where I can flake the fish with my fingertips to make sure there aren't any bones left. I'm horrified by salmon skin rolls at sushi bars. A fishbone once got stuck in my throat as a child. <<<Shiver>>> Never again.

And of course there's always: "On Top of Spaghetti," with lyrics by folk song balladeer Tom Glazer, sung to the tune of "On Top of Old Smokey." Lyrics It was a hit song in 1963.

There's a fermented beverage made from honey called chouchen, from Bretagne. ← Is it similar to mead? ← Yes. It's the Breton version of mead.

Italy has many pastries that are Easter specialties. La Columba, or the Easter dove, is a sweet yeast bread made in the shape of a dove. Another Easter sweet bread, Ciambellone (search recipe by name at site) is made in a coil shape. Pastiera, a Neapolitan specialty, is a pie filled with wheat berries. I baked one for a party many years ago and am seriously considering making one again this Easter. The same website linked above has a recipe (search Wheat Berry Cheesecake) though that's not the exact recipe I used. A Genovese specialty is the Pasqualina, a savory pie filled with Swiss chard, ricotta cheese, and Parmesan cheese. This article describes other regional specialties.

Here's a recipe for slightly fancy variation of Plum Wine Jelly. If you want to cut it into cubes, just pour the gelatin mixture into a single shallow mold, omit the grapes, and let it set completely the first time around. Can't help you with the rest of your proposed dessert. Plum Wine Jelly Serves 6-8 (small portions) 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin 1/4 cup water 1-1/2 cups plum wine 3 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 6 or 8 large seedless red grapes Sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand 2 minutes until softened. Heat the wine in a nonreactive saucepan. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and gelatin mixture. Cook, stirring, until sugar and gelatin are completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour about half the gelatin mixture into 6 or 8 small containers, such as porcelain teacups. Chill briefly until partly set. Embed a grape in the center of each portion and top with remaining gelatin mixture (reheat mixture to liquefy, if necessary). Chill until firm. Unmold to serve (loosen sides by dipping cup briefly in hot water). For a fancy variation, you can line the cups with a square of food-grade cellophane or colored plastic wrap, spoon in the wine jelly and grape, then twist the wrapper closed and secure with a twist-tie. Chill in the cup until set, then remove from the cup and replace the twist-tie with a ribbon or gold cord to serve.

The Shorebird Beach Broiler in Waikiki offers "broil your own dinners." I'm told it's very popular with tourists. I've never been there. Seems like too much work! (I have been to Korean BBQs and fondue restaurants in Switzerland, though.)

They're called hopia and are supposedly derived from Chinese mooncakes, although the shape, pastry, and fillings are different! They're very popular here in Hawaii and even supermarkets carry them. A recipe for hopia with mung bean filling is here. [Edited cause I can't spell.]

Some very good ideas above. In addition, I would like to offer: Sliced Steak on Crostini with Chimichurri Sauce Jamaican Beef Patties Serpentine Beef - Slice beef into thin strips. Combine 3 parts soy sauce, 3 part brown sugar, 1 part (or more!) curry powder, 1 part minced fresh garlic, 1 part minced fresh ginger. Marinate, refrigerated, 2 to 3 hours. Drain meat strips and thread on skewers, weaving them in and out. Broil or grill 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until cooked through. And I know you said "not Asian," but: Beef Satay Asparagus Maki - roll up 1 or 2 asparagus spears in a thin slice of beef. Sear in a hot oiled skillet. Glaze with 2 parts soy sauce, 1 part sugar, 1 part sake. Cut rolls in thirds diagonally and stand on end to show the filling. Serve hot or at room temp.

Great topic! We haven't done any real traveling since security measures were upped... Our standard list (which is packed in its own travel bag) includes: travel water heater coil, various electric outlet converters (depending on destination), sharp knife (usually doing double-duty as my husband's pocket knife), travel-size corkscrew, travel-size can opener, plastic forks and spoons, bamboo chopsticks. We carry along or buy at our destination several mugs in which to heat water. Other travel-withs include a few aseptic boxes of milk for my daughter, aseptic juice packs which double as ice packs, vacuum pouches of udon, a pouch of dried fruit, our favorite teabags, Equal tablets, and packets of Splenda. A food market is always one of our first stops at our destination, where we stock up on breads, cheese, crackers, fresh fruit, chocolate, coffee, and local specialties. I don't happen to think it's weird, but whenever we're traveling for more than a few days and know we'll have kitchen privileges, I bring along a couple of pounds of short-grain (sushi) rice along with some packets of soy sauce. That's our staff of life!

Looks delicious! Believe it or not, I've never used dried beancurd sheets although I order foods wrapped with them all the time for dim sum. This should give me the impetus to buy them!

I've never seen yogurt in the Vietnamese restaurants here, so can't help you out with that. What they use on banh mi here is mayonnaise and a squirt of soy sauce.

Here is one mail order source (with picture) for the French rosewater by A. Monteux. Kalustyans also carries it.

Rosewater brands vary in taste and strength. Some taste ethereal. Some taste medicinal. Although a lot of people I know swear by Lebanese rosewater, I don't have a reliable source for that in Hawaii. So I use the "Roseflower Water" that comes in little cobalt blue plastic bottles, produced by A. Monteux in France. A little dab'll do ya!

Would nira (Chinese garlic chives) work as a substitute? They should be readily available in Japanese markets.

Oh, we didn't do anything to the cabinets. We got a new fridge (the largest we could within the width limitation, which confines us to a top mount) and may be replacing the range (unless the home warranty insurance co. can dig up new a computer board to replace the old controls that are broken). Other than that, our renovations were paint and ceramic tiles.

I've been in small apartments, and my current townhouse (which we're just renovating) has a small, unexpandable kitchen as well. I'm with jgm: Go for the larger fridge! You can always augment cooking appliances or bake in shifts. But storage space for food before and after it's been cooked is critical.

Want the numbers? An estimated 11 million Americans have food allergies, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Article

Wasn't that something about silk purses I heard?

Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream. I have never not finished a pint in one sitt... er........ standing.

Feh! Sour cream and banana was typical Saturday lunch fare when I was growing up. Now a bowl of sour cream with a handful of cubes of hot potatoes....

Kasutera (aka Castella cake) is a Japanese spongecake usually flavored with honey or maltose. It's typically baked as a rectangular loaf and has a light texture but dense crumb. You can read more about it and see pictures on this eGullet thread here (start reading February 8, 2006): Japanese Foods -- Wagashi The concept of kasutera was probably brought to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th century (although the name is thought to have been derived from Castile, Spain). The most famous commercial producer in Japan, Bunmeido, was founded in 1900.

My husband, whose mom was German, grew up eating it with Spaetzle and Rotkohl (braised red cabbage). Here's my take on the recipe: Rotkohl in Red Wine Serves 3-4 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add cabbage and sauté until coated. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes or longer, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces and cabbage is tender.

Rotkohl in Red Wine Rotkohl in Red Wine My take on the classic German side dish of braised red cabbage. Serves 3-4 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add cabbage and sauté until coated. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes or longer, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces and cabbage is tender. Keywords: Side, Easy, Vegetables, Lunch, Dinner, German ( RG1672 )

I've never tried steamed corned beef. I rinse it off, place it in a pot with water to cover, bring to a boil, dump the water & scum, place in a clean pot with beer (2 12-ounce bottles brown ale), and simmer.

Okay, here goes with the first batch of items on the list. All prices are from a local supermarket. First price column is in US$ calculated for 2 pounds (unless otherwise indicated); second column is in Euros. beef (chuck) - boneless $4.98/2 lbs = 2.04 EUR bacon - Bar S brand $6.77 = 5.48 chicken, whole salmon - fresh $13.98 = 11.48 shrimp - small (51/60 shrimp per pound) $12.98 = 10.66 shrimp - larger (26/30 shrimp per pound) $15.98 = 13.12 cabbage - ON SALE @ $0.19 a pound for St. Patrick's day! $0.38 = 0.32 carrots - $1.98 = 1.62 chiles corn - out of season garlic mushrooms - $6.76 = 5.56 olives onions - $1.98 = 1.62 potatoes squash - zucchini/courgettes $3.58 = 2.94 apples - New Zealand Gala $3.38 = 2.78 EUR bananas - $1.98 = 1.62 coconuts lemons limes mangoes - out of season oranges - $2.38 = 1.96 tomatoes - $3.98 = 3.24 beans (dried) flour pasta/noodles (dried) rice - $0.58 = 0.48 (calculated from 20 lb bag @ $5.79) sugar cooking oil olive oil sesame oil soy sauce vinegar butter - store brand $6.00 = 4.93 EUR cream eggs - 3 dozen @ $6.50 = 5.34 yogurt - Nancy's organic $3.89 = 3.19 yogurt - Yoplait individual portions 10 @ $6.00 = 4.93 milk - store brand 1/2 gallon @ $1.99 - $1.00 = 0.82 cinnamon paprika pepper saffron vanilla beer - Budweiser 24 12-oz cans @ $14.98 ($0.62 per can) = 12.30 (0.51 per can) EUR bread - Kids Choice sliced white bread loaf $2.65 = 2.17 coffee - Hawaiian Isles ground (10 oz bag @ $3.99) $12.77 = 10.49 juice - Florida's Natural fresh 64 oz @ $3.99 - $2.00 = 1.64 tea