divalasvegas

After you locate (or maybe invent ) this modern wonder, you could "knock out" several more appliances in your kitchen when you buy The George Foreman 8-in-1. As the description says it "bakes, roasts, broils, grills, toasts, and serves as griddle, bun warmer, and rotisserie." Actually creating your pressure cooker/slow cooker/steamer/deep fryer/fondue maker/rice cooker/pasta pot/mini-roaster contraption sounds like a job for Alton Brown to me.

Oh Sweet Jesus, where have these crabs been all my life? Great find annecros! All parts of it seem to render a substantial amount of meat: the body, front claws, and legs as well. Your description of the taste has my mouth watering. I want to second donk79's request that we need to be able to get these here in the DC area. Do you think the reason we haven't seen these marketed widely or even where you are in Florida is their appearance? They look lovely to me, but I know that folks in the U.S. sometimes will avoid anything that looks "strange" to them and I'm wondering if the fact that they are a creamy white and tan colored and don't cook up red might be the reason they're not offered more widely? Thanks for your "discovery."

Some of my favorites, many from childhood, all on white bread unless otherwise indicated : - Sardines (packed in oil of course or the ones packed with oil and chilies) on white bread with onions, mayo, black pepper and hot sauce. If I have any, will add chunks of cream cheese - Egg salad BLT on toasted potato bread - Bologna, Kraft American Cheese, and potato chips with mayo - The hot dog sandwich: boil and slice or just split hot dogs, place on bread with mayo and ketchup, or even Miracle Whip and ketchup, sometimes add mustard too. - Peanut Butter and sugar, preferably on buttered whole wheat or raisin bread toast - Open-faced applesauce sandwiches on buttered cinnamon toast (thanks for reminding me of that one Mabelline) - Spaghetti sandwich on white. I know this has been mentioned a couple of times, but mine was unique. The one I remember from childhood was often made with canned spaghetti with "meat" sauce, Chef Boyardee I think, and the "meat" were these little booger-sized tidbits of meat. I would mix this with bbq sauce and a bit of hot sauce, heat it up and slap some Kraft cheese on it. - And one of the best sandwiches you can't find any more: the fried chicken wing (the whole wings dammit!) sandwich, wings smothered with mambo sauce slapped between two pieces of white bread from Mr. T's Carryout. Hot, greasy, crispy skin, wonderful wing meat, and orangey-red mambo sauce. What a delicious mess. Oh how I miss that sandwich and that sauce. Never had a peanut butter and bacon sandwich, but I'll try it; I think I'll have to add apple jelly to my version though. Can't remember who said it upthread, but he/she had an idea for using all that wonderful chicken skin from those boneless, skinless chicken breasts and create some kind of fried chicken skin sandwich. Yum. One of the worst sandwiches ever was served to us in elementary school: institutional peanut butter and thick slices of institutional cheese. Can we say constipation? Edited 'cause I'm tired and keep making typos.

you are my friend for life for googling before me...I will now happily remain ignorant (and don't PM me!!) ← Um, you're most welcome insomniac; glad to take one for the team! Believe me, there's not enough liquor in the world to dig this description from one's brain. Perhaps hypnosis would not be out of the question.

Why oh why did I have to google "lung butter?" I'm trying to estimate the amount of liquor I'll now be forced to drink to get that description out of my head! Blergggh! Thanks Baggy. Oh, BTW, cilantro officially comes from Hell. There are only a couple of dishes where I can actually eat it and they're all Mexican. Something about the ingredients in pico de gallo for instance cancels out that soapy quality.

My question to all of you then is, what is the acceptable or politically correct level of "ewwwwwwww?" I'm pretty adventurous, especially compared with most of my family, when it comes to trying different cuisines or types of food. However, I am well aware that there are foods I like that have provoked that response. I guess what I'm trying to say is that foods like chicken feet, pigs' feet, liver, chitterlings, even grits have provoked that response from people when I mentioned that I like them. I and others here have even received that very same reaction on this forum when publicly stating that we have the audacity and bad taste to like things like Jello or Miracle Whip. That's here among the culinarily enlightened. So if someone expresses disdain for the aforementioned pigs feets, liver, etc. and I get the ewwwwwww response, I don't get offended because although I like those foods it is entirely understandable to me why someone would be completely grossed out at the thought of eating them. Likewise, I would say that it would be entirely understandable to me that someone would not want to sample, for instance, a beverage fermented by having the main ingredient pre-chewed and spit into a container, even if it's a drink that I enjoy. Any answers? Edited because of lousy proofreading.

I like to think of round steaks as the squid of the beef world: cook for a couple of minutes , or a couple of hours, and nothing in between. The only way I've done them is chicken fried steak after pounding the Hell out of them and served with cream gravy and grits. I've never done grillades but that sounds great as well. The other way I make them is to slice the round steak, season it with creole seasoning and black pepper, then pound it and dredge with flour, fry in oil over high heat a minute or two on each side. Then in a dutch oven stir together sliced onions and sweet/bell peppers (I like a mixture of colors), chopped garlic, hot pepper flakes, thyme, beef stock, one can Rotelle tomatoes, one Rotelle can's worth of water, and some roux the color of peanut butter. Nestle the browned steaks in the mixture, cover and bake low and slow for 2 - 3 hours and check a couple of times in the process to make sure there's enough liquid. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice. I think I tried to eat them eons ago after cooking them like a "real" steak and the amount of chewing needed to get through the experience turned me off to that method for good. I've never tried an Asian-style marinade and stir fry, but that sounds great too. Edited for additional comments.

Incredible discussion that can really only be found on eG! Kudos to you MargyB, you've taken a lickin' and kept on tickin'. I haven't posted here for months, partly for reasons that you considered not posting. When one is, or perceives oneself to be, treated shabbily, it is totally understandable to not want to return feeling like you've got a bullseye on your back. In my case I felt that not only I but other members I had come to care about had been treated poorly and since the source of the treatment originated from far higher on the food chain than I, I chose to at first ignore eG altogether, and then to just lurk. But MargyB you've inspired me to return to the fray, at least a little bit. Thanks. Edited for grammar.

Heh, heh Rebecca263 a "threesome" may be the only the thing that redeems this special.

Has anyone seen the ads on Food Network lately--yes, you have to publicly admit to watching the Food Network only on occasion of course--for a "special" called "The Chef and the Architect?" The one hour special features chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, fomerly of FTV's "Too Hot Tamales." Apparently they've decided to join the already overcrowded reality tv fray. Here's a snippet of FTV's description of the show: I used to watch their shows and specials all the time, which is no small sacrifice given the fact I'm no fan of cilantro and, being a show mostly devoted to Mexican cooking they understandably put it in about 98% of all the dishes they did on the show; I actually get skeeved just seeing people add cilantro to a dish ON TELEVISION. I must admit though, for my palate anyway, Mexican cooking is the only cuisine where cilantro works/makes sense to me. I can eat pico de gallo or salsa verde and enjoy those dishes. But back to the Tamales. They were always a lot of fun, in an Odd Couple sort of way and they had a special on Huahaca which was wonderful. But a show about Mary Sue and her husband, Josh Schweitzer, who happens to be Susan's ex, designing Mary Sue's dream kitchen and all the so-called drama that ensues? Okay, I'm starting to feel uncomfortable in that "way too much information" kinda way. So what do you think? Will you watch? (First showing is Saturday, September 9th at 9:00 pm, EST.) Is this any way for two accomplished, trained chefs, restaurant owners (Border Grill and Ciudad), and cookbook authors to behave I ask ya? Will Susan and Josh get down one more time, for old time's sake? Will the FTV producers of this show burn in Hell? Mary Sue and Susan's Website

Allegedly this little kit makes creating these drinks a breeze: Shot Float Kit Here are some sample drinks. Kinda pretty I think. Some seem like they might even taste good. Nice glasses too. Layered Drink Photos/Recipes Here's the above site's complete list of drinks. Check out "The Traffic Light." Cocktail Recipe Link One trick I learned is that you can change the specific gravity of a liqueur by adding vodka thus expanding your layering and taste repetoire and enabling one to craft a layered drink with compatible (hopefully enjoyable) tastes. Many of the drink recipes I've seen on other web sites about layered cocktails seem to be all about the visual affect and the taste, which at least by my reading of the suggested liquors/liqueurs, sound pretty gagtastic

Here's a link to Washingtonian Online's 70 Delicious Meals for Under $15.00. After a quick scan, there are 24 restaurants located in DC. The top of the list is alphabetical, next the restaurants are organized by neighborhood, and finally there are a few recommendations from local chefs for places they like to eat. With the exception of the chef's recommendations, phone numbers are provided so you can call and see if they meet your other requirements for parking, etc. 70 Cheap Eats

Interesting Pontormo for I must have at least sugar in my coffee. The thought of drinking it black only or with a dairy product and no sugar only is unthinkable to me. But to get back on topic, I know a family of Palestinian descent who many years ago introduced me to Arabic-style coffee. IIRC, they said that first thing in the morning coffee is taken very sweet and that throughout the day (and boy could they drink coffee) it got progressively less sweet, often taken with no sugar at all in the evening. Needless to say, I couldn't quite obey that rule.

Thanks jackal10 for that demo of pure porky goodness. I never knew you could cook pig's feet without adding water or some other liquid during the cooking process--you are so brave. You're absolutely right, I couldn't imagine trying to bone a pig's foot/leg raw. I assume you poached the foot/trotter with the plastic wrap still on. When you say you poached it in the normal way, just in plain water and for how long? I'm sure it tasted as good as it looks. BTW, even the goodies left on the bones look great.

chefjohnny I love pigs feet too! My recipe is pretty basic Southern style, but tasty. Your recipe is off the hook. However, for some bizarre reason I've been craving pickled pigs feet. Any chance you have a recipe for that? Every recipe I've found calls for cooking them, but I don't think they're actually cooked, just pickled as the ones I've eaten are still kind of, well, pink. Any and all advice is appreciated.

Around hog butchering time, when all sorts of hams, bacon, and sausages were being made, my grandmother also made something call pork pudding. I've referenced it on eG before but no one seems to have a recipe for it. Anyway the pork is ground, seasoned and mixed with rice. I haven't seen this for years but I believe that the rice is broken up (ground maybe) before being added. This is then stuffed in a natural casing and ends up not as a ring but in a horseshoe shape. To prepare, again from my dim memories, slice into approximately three inch portions, saute in oil/bacon fat. When its crusty on that side, turn. What happens is that as it fries it softens, does not stay cylindrical like regular sausages, flattens out a bit (meaning that there's more surface area in contact with the hot grease) and some of the pork pudding oozes out each of the cut ends and those parts get extra GBD. A commercial pork pudding used to be sold at Safeway but I haven't seen that in ages. Origin/Grandma Carrie's home: Lone Star, South Carolina. Edited to add additional comments/clarification.

I recall watching a show with Julia Child--I think it was "Baking With Julia"--and her guest was a professional baker who made her own starter for her bakery. Her way of creating a starter was rather unique. She used flour and grapes. IIRC she placed a bunch of grapes, stems and all, into a jar slightly crushing them with a wooden spoon. Then she added flour. Over several days as the grapes broke down I think she kept added a little more flour each day and stirred it a little. At the end she had her starter and I remember that Julia was quite impressed. Anyone ever hear of this method? Do you think this method would increase the acidity?

I'm with you Kris. IMHO it's not soul food that's solely at fault for the higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and so forth among Black folks. I mean that would imply that there's a ton of home cooked soul food happening on a daily basis and I don't think that's the case at all. It's the same reasons as for the rest of the nation: too much reliance on snack foods, fast foods, convenience foods especially in lower income neighborhoods. In addition, look around many lower income neighborhoods and what do you see: Wendy's, Burger King, KFC, McDonald's. Grocery stores? Well at least in this area they predominantly populate the suburbs and the newly "gentrified" areas. Also, there are definitely deficiencies in access and quality of health care for many Black people in America. And like anyone else we're all more sedentary than our predecessors. My mother and those before her grew up on farms, neither a sedentary nor easy life. Everything about their daily lives was hard, physical labor. Want to do the laundry? Well first you had to gather wood, build a fire, prime the pump, tote buckets and buckets of water from the well, fill up the washtub and put it on the fire, break out your scrub board and get to work. Not exactly the same as popping a few coins in the machines at your local laundromat, is it? I'm not knocking this new movement. But I do take offense at those pointing their fingers at soul food, however one may define it, as the main culprit for the health woes of African-Americans. And I take further offense at their need to "guilt" people into doing or seeing things their way. Completely abandoning the foods of your forefathers (and mothers) means a loss of other things, not just calories. For instance, I only make sweet potato pie a couple of times a year. When I prepare it to the best of my memory the way my mother did I use butter, sugar, whipping cream and a couple of other things I'm sure the neo-soul food police would not approve of. I really don't give a damn. You see when I prepare it this way I can remember standing next to my mother as she was stirring, adding ingredients and asking me to taste the sweet potato batter and asking did I think it needed more of this or more of that before it went into the pie shells. I remember how every time she made it she would say "oh I don't think it's my best." And I remember how it will always be the best sweet potato pie I have ever eaten. Vegetable oil, Splenda, and skim milk or lowfat yogurt just ain't gonna cut it for me either in taste or memories.

Cheese grits, salmon cakes, and bacon, all made on my raclette/grill/griddle. Turned out delicious, if I do say so myself.

I'm so grateful for this blog Swisskaese. Thank you for sharing your country and its people and beautiful places with us. But I especially thank you for inviting us (me?) into your home. Actually yours is officially the first Shabbat dinner I've ever been invited to. Everything you prepared looked so delicious, especially the main course. Thanks for reminding us of the liveliness and beauty of your country. We really needed it. Shalom. Edited to add: Of course next time I'm invited I INSIST upon eating.

Oops! The only difference between Hellmann's and Best Foods is geography. Best Foods is what Hellmann's is called west of the Rockies. Now Duke's, on the other hand, is different. Lots of folks in the Southeast will use nothing else. ← Thanks for the clarification Sandy. To be fair, she did write Best Foods/Hellmann's. But I still think that this woman is a total boob!

Your party sounds tasty, ambitious and delightful kitchenmage. I'm only responding as an "end user" devourer of sweets. My baking skills pale in the shadows of those who've responded to you. I was wondering since lemon curd has been mentioned several times would you consider tartlets filled with different fruit curds and then topped with the corresponding fruit, i.e. raspberry curd tartlets topped with a raspberry? Are you determined to make your own curd from scratch or would you be open to purchasing a high quality pre-made one? I've seen recipes for such curds Strawberry Curd Recipe as well as sites that sell pre-made fruit curds Elizabethan Preserves Company. The recipes that I've seen seem to be along the same lines as lemon curd except substituting strawberries, raspberries, etc. And the company link I provided is in England but I'm sure there must be gourmet/specialty stores where you live that would sell similar products. If you purchased them you could provide an array of curd filled tarts in different flavors. Just a thought. Good luck. I look forward to hearing how it turned out. BTW, when will our invitations be arriving in the mail?

Thanks for the links andiesenji. Oh how that first link has my MW saturated blood boiling! (Where's that emoticon with steam coming out of its ears?) That has to be one of the most ridiculous, condescending, piece of subjective nonsense I've read in a long time. First on her list of dopey advice she informs everyone as to which commercially mayo is "the best." Again, this is something that is dictated by personal tastes. For mayo, I usually use Hellmann's but have also used Kraft's. I find Hellmann's more substantial, thicker, eggier; I find Kraft's smoother, a little lighter in texture, and bit more lemony/citrusy. Many on this thread don't like either and prefer Best Foods. Then she goes on to inform us that it may be too much of a financial burden to have two big ol' jars of stuff (MW and mayo) in the fridge after which she tantalizes us with this promise/threat: And then provides us with her genious solution: WTF? Uh, no Trudy, I think I'll pass on that brilliant suggestion and try to fit that $3.00 plus change into my monthly food budget for the real thing. Sheesh. She then finishes off with: Again, WTF? I make potato salad using that combination often; it's damn good and I've never, ever heard of the phrase "slow down the vinegar" in my life. In this case, when it comes to friends, I guess birds of a feather really do flock together. It's so ludicrous that in order to justify her tastes she needs to put down those of others, even instructing people that MW is only for "common" foods. As someone wisely said upthread, "it's just a condiment people." Oy. andiesenji you sweet little devil you!

Try the kind with NO pickle at all, just potato, onion, celery, mayo (yes, dammit, Hellman's!) sour cream and a bit of Kosher salt. Mom's best! ← That sounds like a great recipe judiu. And guess what?........... I have all of those ingredients on hand! Thanks. Yes, as I have said several times in this thread, I have both MW and Mayo (Hellmann's of course) in my refrigerator all times. One of the problems is that when the people you cook for (aka my family) are used to eating a dish a certain way that's often how you end up making it--OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN! I mean it's been agony just to get them to eat steaks and burgers medium well instead of well done! (Personally I prefer my steaks medium rare and my burgers medium.) Kouign I've always wanted to make German potato salad, so if you have a tried and true recipe, I'd appreciate it.

First of all johnsmith45678 I think I'm still too traumatized by my hideous homemade Miracle Whip failure of a few months ago to try again. But you have reminded me that I still haven't made the boiled dressing discussed upthread; I'll have to get on it. However I'm so glad that someone took up your challenge. Kerry your interpretation of the recipe looks great! I see that you used an immersion blender. Do you think that this resulted in a better end product than using a regular blender? Also, I agree about the sugar; when I saw the original recipe, the first thing I thought was 'that's not enough sugar.' And MarketStEl/Sandy I agree 100%, it's definitely a flavor profile thang. Sweet pickle relish has always been a must for Black folk when making "traditional" potato salad, although I know that there are probably hundreds of recipes for potato salad that don't use it.