eJulia

Hate to say it, but I can't stand lamb! So many rave about it, I try it all the time - roasted, grilled, braised, cold, hot, kebabs, marinated - nothing! I really do want to "get" why it's on so many "favorites" lists!

Aww... Marlene.. this is just too cruel! That is cheesy porn if I've ever seen it! I've got to go the the store for a wheel of brie and a fresh baguette now....

I hate to be another "outlaw", but as someone who followed a vegan diet for some time, my order of spicy eggplant or tofu-fried veggie plate was the only thing I could enjoy... Keep your damn hands off! If the table decided to order all sharing dishes, agreed to in advance, then cool. If not, then eat what you ordered or ask politely for a taste! julia

My Dad thought that breakfast for dinner was somehow "evil"... we never did it when he was home for dinner... BUT... When he had a dinner appointment or evening reception, it was BREAKFAST for DINNER!!! Yea-ha! Mom would cook up the most awesome "breakfast" - pancakes or waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, juice.... oh, the deliciousness! It probably tasted all the better because it was SO not allowed when Dad was home! In a pinch, we'd do "IHOP" instead... that, too, was a bit "edgie" and somewhat illegal... I love BFD any time, now that Dad is gone and I'm on my own, I do it all the time... but I still remember Dad, and smile everytime.

This absolutely cracked me up!!! Can you imagine needing a "face' to smuggle - OMG - butter across the border!! What is wrong with this world when bringing locally grown and priced vegies is illegal???

My mom used to make an awesome salad of sliced avo, supremed grapefruit sections layered on a bed of raw spinach with a sweet-sour dressing (somewhat reminscent of a "back in the day" homemade french dressing).. it was great! Edited: Stupid spelling errors...

Hey, Grub, that "carlic" can be tricky stuff to cook with... maybe leave it out next time... Julia (I know, what an a$$hole!)

I was looking for pics of something else when I found this: I don't even know what it was SUPPOSED to be!!! Then I posted this on another thread about a pan I'd used... What the hell is that orange thing trying to sneak up on my pan????

Isn't Saturday the 6th? I've been working on a Cinco de Mayo menu for Friday! I know, I know, I'm a smarta$$!

I'm quoting myself because I think this comment makes me look like I'm trying out for "Sandra Lee Jr."! I'm just a foodie who hates to toss food! I agree with Chrisamirault... now what to do with this 3/4 full jar of marinara?

I've been lurking this thread with great interest (and some amusement! ) I usually make my go-to late night/no energy pasta meal with a puttanesca sauce made entirely with pantry/frig/freezer staples, and it comes out pretty good. If I'm not too anal about simmering it down to a really thick sauce, I can put it together in about the time it takes for the pasta water to boil and the pasta to cook. I use: A good can of already diced tomatoes, frozen onion if I don't have any fresh, fresh garlic (which I usually have on hand), jarred capers, anchovies either from a can or an opened jar stashed in my fridge, dried herbs, olives from the deli of my store, or jarred in the fridge (I usually keep a small can of the boring ripe olives in the pantry for use in a pinch) and of course good olive oil. I usually have a hunk of parm reg in the fridge, but in a pinch, I raid my stash of rinds stored in the freezer for soups. (I can always find a few more grinds off the rinds!) At any rate, when I moved to Oregon, and gained access to Trader Joe's for the first time in my life, I bought my first jar of tomato sauce in a long, long time based on the recommendation of several posters in the TJ Thread. I got Trader Giotto's Vodka Marinara. No preservatives, artificial color, etc. Interestingly, the second ingredient is listed as cream cheese! It sat and sat until I started to read this thread. Well last night, I decided it was time for a tasting. I used penne rigatoni and used the sauce straight up, with only the addition of some red pepper flakes. Not bad.... it was easy, minimal clean up, fuel - not really food. (You know what I mean...) I would have liked it better with some sauted onions and garlic, some tomato chunks for texture, some capers for bite, some olives for interest - in short, a puttanesca sauce!!!! I'll be looking forward to the results of this taste test, and in the meantime will experiment with the rest of the jar in some more interesting uses - weekday lasagna, addition of meatballs, added to beef braises, etc. Good luck, all!

In Germany, all pizza was eaten with a knife and fork, all (if not most) pizzas were "individual". It wasn't until I got to Italy that you bought by the slice (from street vendors) and folded it over with your hands to eat... I was in Amsterdam a number of times, but I don't remember eating pizza there. Come to think of it, there's alot I don't remember! (I was young and stupid, but loved the wild side of Amsterdam in those days!!!)

If Maymaw Man agrees with Verjuice that CheeseCAKE is indeed an honorary CAKE, then count me in for Cake. Any kind of cheesecake - from the best well-made NY style to the many glorious flavor variants. I even like the no-bake kind (head hung in shame...) Any frozen concoction or custard (i.e. creme brulee) would be a close second. You must let us know where to find the results once your research is complete! Julia

Grub: I think nicoise salads are just hard to photgraph.... this attempt looked okay in real life, and I "proudly" posted in on the "Composed Salad" thread, but in hindsight, probably should have posted it here... Why is it that we all know what bear barf looks like? Julia

Hands down on the traditional cuc and onion chilled salad - I use a combo of white wine and rice wine vinegars. That salad just screams summer grilling for me. Just a few days ago, I made a batch, chilled it well, and just ate that alone for dinner!

Liamsaunt: I don't think I know one person who has a mandoline that hasn't sacrificed some part of a finger - they just scare me to death! Fortunately my sacrifice of a finger tip (complete with a good portion of finger nail) was not witnessed by a seven-year-old! Seriously, though, I don't mean to make light of you pain - ouch!

Rebecca, you nailed it. I spent my first 44 years of life answering the question about allergies with a grateful "not a one!" It wasn't until I started practicing veganism and only after eating nutritional yeast several times (used by a number of vegans to get Vitamin B and enjoy a cheese-like additive), that I had a life threatening anaphylactic shock reaction. My lips swelled to several times their normal size, and my throat closed in... Only a trip to the ER and a shot of epinephrine saved my life. Who would have "thunk"? Most people will never eat nutritional yeast in their lifetime, and had I not been toying with a vegan lifestyle, I probably never have known or developed this food allergy. (I was irritated the first two or three times after eating NY, but didn't suffer the true life threatening reaction until I'd eaten it several times.) If someone claims an allergy, or simply doesn't care for a particular food or foods, all they have to do is say so... they won't be served that at my house, or be taken to a restaurant that doesn't offer options to fit with their desires. Anything less is just uncivilized and boorish. I wouldn't try to sneak a Jew shellfish or a Muslim pork. Why would you?

S-tran, your story made me laugh so hard I had to change my underwear! I reminds me of a stupid thing I did once, a bit off topic, but totally related to your story. I was running late for work, had to quickly iron my dress, and once I put it on, I realized I'd missed a patch on the left side by the collar. So of course, I did what any idiot would do... I used the hot iron to spot touch the left side of my dress (while wearing it, natch.)... and you got it.. The minute I'd burned my neck I shouted cr*p! How dumb can one adult get! It was one of those moments where you instantly know what a jackass you are. If only that realization had come seconds earlier. I had to put up with taunts and jokes for days, and still sport a suspicious scar on my neck to this day! Julia

The possum or the chicken parm? Only on eGullet!

Oh, Susan - I can feel it from here in Portland. <ouch!> I must remark, though, that only on eGullet would we actually cheer the fact that you did not bleed on the turkey!

I hope that one day I can be a guest at a traditional seder... I am so interested and curious. The history and symbolism is just so intense. Thanks for your efforts this week - blogging is never a simple effort! I hope your holidays were joyous and meaningful. Happy wishes and best thoughts... Julia

This thread has me so grossed out - I'm unfortunately one of those people who can't STAND an unexpected bit in my food - even those hard bits in ground meat have been known to stop my meal immediately - and a bug in salad? yikes. But worms in fish? double yikes. Is there a particular fish that is especially not usually infected with parasites? Is there a difference between farm and wild fish? Please tell me my fav, salmon are not suseptable! (Or maybe just lie... ) This might have me off fish/seafood for awhile...

Oops, sorta misunderstood Zilla369's post... Dress shirt and tie under chef's whites? Quite a surprise to us non-pro folks.. thanks for the info. If chefs don't wear chef's whites out of the kitchen, what do they wear after a shift, before they go home? Are restaurants responsible for laundering chef wear (ala scrubs in hospitals?) What do most chefs wear under the whites? Again, I'll never be a pro chef or CIA student, I'm just curious!

Sugarella... I've seen the assistants help him tie his apron, but not help him either remove the suitcoat or put on the chefs whites... And I thought I've seen the "E" logo under the suitcoat leading me to believe it was from his whites... Guess what I've learned is this an "emeril-ism", not a standard practice, regardless of how he actually pulls it off! Gotta love Food TV! I'd still like to hear his reply when you get it, Jmahl!

Thanks for inquiring on behalf of this thread... I'll still be curious if you get an answer. Don't know why I find this interesting.... I'm just curious everytime I see it.. Given the lack of responses, I feel like most of you are thinking "who cares?" I understand this reaction... I have no reason to understand why Emeril dresses as he does - or whether other chefs do the same - I'm just CURIOUS!