NimaCooks

I love feta & watermelon. I haven't tried it with the onion and mint, but I definitely will this weekend. I prefer a salty, crumbly feta to the creamy ones. My Everyday Salad: Spinach, bite sized tomatoes (usually halved), persian cucumbers, red onion or shallots (sliced thin), fresh mint, bleu cheese (or feta or avacado), pine nuts or sliced almonds, and grilled chicken if I have some in the fridge. The dressing is a basic dijon vinegarette.

A quick and flavorful side would be greek yogurt mixed with a few jeruselem cucumbers diced small mixed with a little diced garlic and fresh mint leaves. Its a persian staple called "must-o-kheyar" (yogurt & cucumber). You can mix in some golden raisins for a touch of sweetness if you like About the chocolate fountain... I wouldn't consider it "traditional middle eastern". Like you said, chocolate isn't really a component of the cuisine. However, fresh fruit is commonly served with dessert & I suppose if you're itching to get out the fountain, you could have it with fresh fruit like cut melons, strawberries, and maybe some bananas. In addition to that, I would have some bakhlava handy with LOTS of tea. I would suggest to skip the bagged tea and go for some loose leaf tea(earl grey is fine). Throwing in a couple green cardamom pods with the tea while its steeping gives it a wonderful fragrence and flavor.

Thanks for the knowledge, Johnny. I'm about to pick up the TFL cookbook and I'll keep these notes in mind.

I would rather have a banana with a few brown spots than one that is under ripe. That slightly bitter taste and dry mouth feeling of eating an under ripe banana just ruins it for me.

In the northern suburbs of chicago there is this tiny Italian joint where the tables are all crammed in a small room and the called "Francesco's Hole in the Wall" & the place next door is aptly named "Next Door".

Well wouldn't you say that men and women have differing palates?

...better hot dogs than steaks. I don't know why my family doesn't consider a steak to be cooked until it is charred on the outside and rubbery on the inside!!!

Yea, I'm not really sure I understand how associating facial hair with dessert is supposed to get my sweet tooth going...

1. They do mean fries. 2. The way this works is by circulating hot air within the the cooking chamber. It doesn't really deep fry.

while it may not make me a fraud, it's one of my most shameful kitched experiences to date. Last month I made a recipe from 30 minute meals..... and LIKED it!!!

I have a set of glass pinch bowls and ramekins that I normally use. If its something bigger, I will usually just grab a stainless steel mixing bowl or even a tupperware container.

I picked up Chocolate & Zucchini a couple weeks ago and have really enjoyed how it embraces simple fresh dishes. I'm anxious to try the pistachio pesto. My newest pickup is Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet by Padma Lakshmi (the host of Top Chef). I haven't had a chance to cook out of it yet, but I'm hoping that it might break me out of a rut and introduce me to some new flavors. It seems like a nice take on contemporary international cuisine. I don't think it would really be an everyday thing, but I'm hoping it can be a valuable resource on date night. Has anyone cooked out of this yet?

What a great idea! I hate having to keep a ton of tupperware for outgoing leftovers.

Look online for Marlin Resturant Supply. Olynpic just south of 55 on Cicero is good. There are several places on the north sid but I can't recall names. ← WHT, thanks for your help. I was able to find the places you suggests. Here's what I found (in case anyone else is looking): Trimark Marlinn 6100 West 73rd Street Bedford Park, IL 60638 trimarkusa.com Olympic Store Fixtures, Inc. 4758 S. Cicero Chicago, IL 60638 773-585-3755 http://www.olympicstorefixtures.com/

I grew up in Northbrook and Little Louie's is still an institution. I'm pretty sure every kid who's played little league across the street or played in park next to it has enjoyed little louie's on more than one occasion. Steve, I'm so glad you got to experience Little Louie's and the neon green relish. The Wiener Circle is has a lot of "personality". The service there makes an Ed Debevic's seem like 4 star treatment, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You're absolutely right about the vienna beef consistency. Really the primary source of variance that you find is the quality of the bun. The next time you find yourself in Chicago and are seeking some savory goodness, I recommend stopping at Superdawg on N. Milwaukee. It's a drive-in thats been around for 60 years now and serves one of the best all beef dogs in the city. They serve their dogs with all the traditional Chicago style trimmings, a pickled green tomato, and some killer fresh cut fries. Plus, IMO any place that has a giant hot dog in tarzan costume on its roof is worth checking out. I have yet to try the much talked about "Hot Doug's", but I imagine I will give it a taste sometime in the near future. Superdawg 6363 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL (773) 763-0660

I've been seeking out a good restaurant supply store in the Chicago area for some time now with very little success. Can anyone recommend one?

bacon AND salt!!! Cardiologists everywhere will be thrilled...

Also, what about bread types? I'm partial to WW english muffins or wheat toast.

After hitting a couple books sales last month and picking up some gems, I brought my total to 73. Those can be added.

Same here. During Finals week, anyone who was up would smell the cookies/lasagne/chili/pineapple upsidedown cake from down the hall at 3 am and just come down and set up shop on the kitchen table. It didn't exactly spell magna cum laude for me, but it was still a lot of fun and totally worth it. I do most of my cooking on sundays too. I'll usually whip up enough for 4 meals, prepack it and finish it over the next couple days. Then during the week I'll just grill or broil a few chicken breasts, slice them up and toss them into a sandwich, salad, pasta or whatever I'm making that day. Super easy. I swear, the boneless skinless chicken breast is the single cook's best friend.

Soup/Chili season and football are why I start looking forward to colder weather in mid-august. (well that and the blistering chicago humidity) But I am so inspired by the suggestions in this post, I think I may need to take a weekend off from chili and make that Caldo Verde soup for the games this weekend. I wonder if chorizo would work.... The pictures look wonderful. It looks very similar to the "zuppa toscana" from the olive garden. Does it taste anything like it jgm, I've been eyeing that les halles mushroom soup for a little while now and I think that would be next. I love the idea of cooking the mushrooms with the soup in the teaball. I'm definitely going to try that. Thanks.

What do you find to be the best method for searing meats on the stove? I used to heat oil in a saute pan or skillet and then put the meat in, with poor results, but today I oiled the meat and placed it into a preheated cast-iron skillet. The crust was fantastic and very flavorful. Is there any real fundamental difference between oiling the meat or the pan? Is one way better than the other?

I don't know about pig testes, but my uncle really likes grilled bull testes with a simple olive oil/lemon juice marinade.

caterer/sleuth? that's fantastic! I'm not a huge mystery/whodunit reader, but I am wildly entertained by all the different day jobs of fictional detectives. It seemed as though just about every profession under the sun had been covered, but caterer is a new one on me.

Mark, I'm totally with you. I always type up my recipes as my method of going over them before I start. It keeps me focused so I don't miss a step or ingredient, which can happen when I just read it. Additionally, it gives me a place to keep records of my experiences so I can learn from my mistakes. The next time I come back to prepare the dish, it helps to go over previous results so that the next iteration will be better.