Rebecca263

Shabbat Shalom everyone! My daughter is going to Florida Sunday, and won't return until Wednesday right before the Seder, so I allowed her to choose dinner entirely. We're having: Salsa and kidney bean dip with carrots Fresh 'torn' pasta with a tomato and mushroom sauce and Parmesan Reggiano Sauteed zucchini with grilled onion Fresh pineapple drizzled with chocolate Mini sugar cookies and Oolong tea Popcorn, reading together and cuddles for after! We have an extra message in our prayers this week... I have a job interview on Tuesday... in the food industry, a job that I have NO experience in, but have always though would be a good fit for my personality... outside sales/delivery... I'll let you all know if it works out... I was recruited!

I always pack fruits, leben and Evian Spray. I get so dried out when I fly that I only drink water. No salt for me. Oh, and of course, the chocolate snack is de riguer. But, then, I ALWAYS have a chocolate snack on me.

Casamento's! Lovely! When I joined eGullet last year, one of the first threads I found mentioned a trip to New Orleans, and I booked flights for my kiddle and I that day. The first thing that we did, after checking our bags at the hotel, was to walk to Casamento's(at 11:45 AM), stand in line and make friends, and then eat! Kiddle and I ordered about half of the menu, she's tiny but can pack it away. The highlight for us of that meal, aside from the wonderful PEOPLE, was the soft shell crab. The couple that we stood in line with later mailed us a vintage movie camera for kiddle's work, and the gaggle of men seated across from us were very friendly, and gave us plenty of tips for the rest of our visit. They also paid for our soft shell order, which we didn't find out until we were ready to leave, and they had already left. New Orleans doesn't just have nice people, it engenders niceness IN people, it's the air, the atmosphere, the food. It was a fun beginning to a perfect trip to a perfectly wonderful city, and we'll be back, soon. Thanks for recording your visit for us all, Rachel and JasonPS: Has anyone visited Muriel's? How are they? My daughter is very much a fan of their kitchen.

Quick Eats Pizza Dough Serves 4 as Appetizeror 2 as Main Dish. OK, maybe you can't wait for an hour to eat, or it's too late to order pizza in your little town, or you can't stand the price of delivery pizza- it's only bread, cheese and sauce! You've got the most amazing tomatoes sitting on the counter, Nana's homemade chicken sausage would make SUCH an excellent pizza topping, OR, you just can't stand the taste of pizza from a box-whatever your reasoning, it's time to eat and you WANT homemade pizza, NOW. In my house it's a group of teenagers hovering near me, expecting to be dazzled, but hungry NOW. That's when this pizza makes an appearance. Now, I'm a home cook, and I grew up on verbal recipe traditions, so bear with me, darlings, and we'll go on the very quick journey to a decent pizza in about a half hour! 1 T or 1 packet of fast rising yeast 413 g white whole wheat flour (see notes) 1 c hot water (110-120 F) 2/3 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp raw sugar olive oil semolina flour toppings? your choice! First, turn the oven to 500 F. Gather all of your dough ingredients. We make the dough now! So fun, why kick the loved ones, tackle some dough instead, and everyone gets fed after you work out your frustrations on this ball of joy. OK-You put the yeast, the water and the sugar into a large bowl, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, you add in the salt and flour, first the salt with about 1/4 of the flour, then the rest of the first 2 1/2 cups (413 grams) of flour, bit by bit, until it's all mixed in and messy. Now, you knead! And knead! For at least 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. You've got that extra 1/2 cup (82 grams) of flour sitting near, to add to the dough, if you feel it needs more flour. This always varies, depending on the weather. I don't know why, don't ask, it just does. That's a question for the real bakers, we're just making pizza. Oh, you're a fancy pants with a food processor? Lucky duck, go ahead, dump everything in there, and mix it until it forms a ball of dough, about a minute or so. In our home, it's kneading or nothing. Let the ball of dough rest for about 15 minutes, unless you're in more of a hurry, then, just roll it out immediately. But, I like to let the dough rest after I've pummeled it so thoroughly, before I send it to the oven. Get your toppings of choice together. I sometimes slice a ball of mozzarella into rounds, then slice tomatoes and an onion or two into a bowl,sprinkle in some oregano, and top it all with some fresh basil, torn, and a couple of chopped cloves of garlic, tossing the mixture with olive oil, allowing it to marinate while I'm making the dough. You can top this dough as YOU prefer, or with whatever you've got in the kitchen that looks interesting. We've used leftover salmon and dill, with fresh corn and sliced steamed red potatoes, and bits of goat cheese crumbled atop it all, that was pretty darn good! Time to make the pizza: roll out the dough flat; choose your shape, we make ours rectangular, because we don't own a round pan. Sprinkle some semolina on the pan, then place the dough onto it. Add your toppings, then stick the entire thing into the oven. Let it bake for about 15 minutes. If you want it really crispy, let it bake another few minutes after that, but watch it, this isn't a cassoulet. Some variations you may want to attempt: Sprinkle sesame seeds and salt onto the edges of the dough before baking. Use a Middle Eastern style tomato sauce, with allspice seasoning, and ground lamb, pine nuts and chopped onion for your topping. Top with shredded nova, sliced tomatoes and red onions, bits of cream cheese and fresh dill with a splash of olive oil. NOTE ABOUT FLOUR: I used to use 1/3 whole wheat flour and 2/3 white flour, but the white whole wheat flour from King Arthur has me completely happy! Keywords: Main Dish, Appetizer, Easy, Bread, Italian, Kosher, Vegetarian ( RG1692 )

You are all fantastic! I am going to make a version of Mustachudos, I'm going o add a little orange water to the mixture, and coat the bottoms in bittersweet chocolate and drizzle the chocolate on the top, along with small slivers of candied orange peel, which I'll also cover in the dark, bittersweet chocolate. Perfect with wine and ibrik coffee for dessert! I'll have to do a few with glaceed cherries atop, as well, or there is SOMEONE in the family who won't think it's really Passover. The Coconut Rocher sound delicious, but we have a huge no coconut contingent in the family, as I was reminded LAST year. I, on the other hand, eat anything. I must be the family goat. THANK YOU!

My sister is a bit of a control freak when it comes to holidays. I'm 'allowed' to make a dessert. Yippee. I'm thinking of toying with a cookie of some sort, dragged through some dark chocolate and then topped with raspberries or candied orange peel. Any ideas? I really don't care for potato flours. I'm thinking of something moist and rich, not a biscotti.

Hi! Off of the top of my head I can only think of one GREAT restaurant in that area, and it isn't cheap. It's La Veranda, on East Atlantic Ave. It's a really beautiful restaurant and if you don't look at your watch it's a wonderful experience. The wine list is pretty good, too. They don't take reservations, and you have to wait, sometimes for an hour. They'll serve you wine while you wait, and I've even ordered tid bits during the wait, and they have a beautiful veranda. VERY romantic, really. Italian food, with an emphasis on the traditional. I have had some very romantic meals there, and it's had the same owners for 30 years, with no advertising they stay packed. The tables are very nicely appointed, too. Old fashioned, with lace tableclothes, nice flatware, beautiful dishes. You have to pace yourself, portions are large, but they allow half orders on pasta. I think that they make the best light Fettuccine Alfredo I've ever eaten. I never feel sick and greasy after eating at this restaurant. I try not to order this next dish, because it is such a substantial food, but their Osso Bucco is excellent, as well. Meat that falls apart at a glance. Their sauces are really made from scratch, and divine. It's old fashioned, with fantastic service and delicious slow cooked food. I used to eat there fairly often as a spoiled teenager, but since then I only make it to La Veranda maybe once a year, and in 30 years I've never had a bad experience, so you don't have to be a regular to get attentive service. Here, I looked up their address and telephone from my book, for you. La Veranda 2121 E. Atlantic Blvd. Pompano Beach, FL 954-943-7390

What I've been wondering since reading all the hullaballoo is this: How would it be if a 'critic' wrote about a restaurant visit and mentioned the people who had been at the nearest table in a snippy way, by name and avocation? The first time I ever got a newspaper mention was terrifying to me, and my father wasn't too happy, either. I realized pretty quickly that if I was with someone public, I would become public, by association. If you're not out there for or with fame though, or you're simply a guest, aren't you off limits? What I mean is, if you're not a public figure, don't you have reasonable expectation of privacy, OR, does simply posting on eGullet remove your rights to public privacy? I'm really curious. And, I'm definitely NOT mentioning ANY of my boys by name.

Good grief, I want this soda! I like coffee sodas, even the diet decaf ones are pretty good! I mix a bit of my ibrik coffee into a Coca Cola once in awhile, too. I like coffee in root beer. So, I'm weird. That's not news. Where are they marketing this stuff? edited by me to add: The advertising and packaging is unfortunate. Let me be clearer. I mean, it SUCKS.

I don't see how one gathering of only ceertain foods will starve ANYONE, so why ever make foods that the guest of honor can't eat? Let it be a time when there was nothing out of her reach. It's certainly not difficult to avoid a few foods, or even many if that was the case. I've made all kinds of meals with different peoples' preferences and requirements in mind, no one has ever died of starvation at any gathering I've hosted. I always think that when someone makes things that the guest of honor can't or won't eat, it signals a kind of unaccommodating feeling that colors every other part of the host's personality. I have even had vegan wedding cake, and it was pretty good! Luscious, in fact, and some of the guests had no idea. Just about any diet preferences can be accepted for one gathering. If you don't like it yourself, as the host, you can eat later!

Yes, it's only 30 people so almost anything is doable without a major headache. Cucumber cups and celery boats and small tomatoes scooped and filled are excellent, easy to handle, too. and toast triangles, or some little puffs, as well. Beans, beans, beans! You can do ANYTHING with a base of pureed beans. Chick peas can go Middle Eastern, Italian or Indian, Black beans can go Mexican or Cuban, kidney beans can become a chili dip.... really the possibilities are limitless. I always make some kind of bean pate or some such for groups. Then there is this easy thing. You make a very thick, almost paste, 'porridge', with lentils and either brown rice or barley. You spice it any way you like, but make sure to include finely chopped parsley, and perhaps some finely chopped onion. You roll the cooked 'porridge' into bouncy ball sized bits, then roll those in spiced flour (last week I used garbanzo bean flour and a Greek theme in the seasoning, with cumin). Then, you fry them, until they're crisp, in a lightly oiled pan. They keep forever and you just serve them with anything! I'm just a home cook, but I do a lot of entertaining and I make appetizers every single night. My daughter and her friends adore them. Last week I served with some hummous that I'd thinnned out with lemon juice and yogurt. I make a variation on this often, and my kiddle calls them eatballs.

I feel better knowing that you ate well and had a nice time. I always wonder about the outcome of these threads, too.

I can think of many many food items that are NOT those aforementioned no-no's. How about this: what DOES the bride eat? Let's go from there. Find out her favorite food ethnicities or her top five foods, and fashion them into bite sized tidbits. I honestly think that you should accomodate her tastes, she is, ostensibly, the guest of honor, after all.

I can completely understand not wanting to appear snobby, but processed food is processed food, and MANY of us don't indulge in it very often, if at all. I had some pretzels last month, and bits of sugar ice cream cone topping my maple syrup flan last night, but, really, that's about it, other than my monthly hot dog about 2 weeks ago. Getting ill from this stuff is no joke, if your body isn't used to it, it's a nightmare, and your skin feels yucky, too. As though chemicals are escaping through your pores. Of course, if you're on a liquid diet for a month, and then you eat a bowl of oatmeal with an entire stick of butter enhancing it, you may experience similar results.

Wow, za'atar, I can live on it! We're also getting ready for Passover. We had: Hummous Tahina Rice stuffed yebra Lentil, brown Basmati rice and barley stew Tomato salad Small oven 'fried' polenta cakes Spinach salad Challah (from dough I had in the freezer!) and for dessert: home made maple syrup flan with apple slices and crushed cugar cone topping I had to get rid of those cones somehow! Yes, another dairy meal, Kiddle says she is weary of chicken and lamb, and for Passover we will be visiting my sister, in the house of meat! I hope that everyone has a wonderful Passover.

Hmm, maybe THAT's why my kiddle is only 5'2". Her father is 6'2" and I'm 5'4", the doctors all assured me that she'd be tall, but no, she's decidedly NOT. Should I have fed her soda, chips and chain restaurants?Is it too late? I can hear her now "No, I won't eat my bag of chips! I'll sit here all night until you give me the home made ones again!" All I can add is, UGH, extra salt and hormones in your food.

Poor boy! Bravo for your efforts. I felt the same illness after I tried Pizza Hut a few years ago. I also threw up the next day , but I still didn't feel better for a couple of days more. It's got to be the salty processed cheese. I think that if you don't eat a lot of processed cheese your body just can't handle it, when you do.

Dear Gerhard, thank you, and please thank your lovely staff, as well. I would have liked to see more of your lovely home and lodgings. Be well.

Tell, us, how was the food? And drink?

I don't know if this will help you, but here is the South African address of the website I use to buy boating gifts for people. They seem to have a lot of cleaning and protective supplies. BoatingWorld! edited by me, because but is SO like nut, and I AM becoming a nut!

Andiesenji, as usual, I drool over your collections.

This can not be true. My father will, um, what's the Yiddish term...plotz? I'm emailing him right away, to warn him.

5 refrigerators? You lucky duck.

Hmm. A few Syrian terms come to mind. There's 'idjeh' head... for omelette head, you know, scrambled eggs for brains; and then there's B'zazuh, well, I'm illiterate in Arabic, but it means nuts, i.e. crazy. Of course, when you're enamored of someone you might call them your little kibbeh, or your kibbeh hamda, kibbeh being a little torpedo shaped bit of meat and spices and nuts wrapped in a seasoned bulghur crust, so delicious, and well, there you are! And, kibbeh hamda being little delicious meatballs. Oh, I'm sure that's enough for all of you.... How about this, though- the mean kids called a very, erm, slender girl lahm'adjin when we were teens. Basically, that's a flat pizza. Um, she was flat, but it was still a mean term to use. Those boys were b'zazuh (which, believe me, I'm butchering the word!).

Aww, the kiddle and the pups! Now all we need is the refrigerator shot!