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Lemon Chiffon ice cream perhaps? I used to love this as a kid; it was a commercial brand made by a local ice cream place/convenience store called High's (long gone). It was very creamy and lightly lemony. The recipe on this person's food blog HERE seems straightforward enough and utilizes both cream and lemons (scoll down about halfway). I don't think adding a little lemon zest would hurt either.

In some instances I agree with this, but I also think that using fresh herbs you have on hand produces a better flavor than using a dried version. Then again, I am a trained and experienced cook, I know what works and what doesn't. Those shows aren't really intended for people like me as the majority audience. So for the novices watching, the chef is certainly doing them a diservice by confusing them. ← I don't toally disagree about fresh vs. dried herbs rasputin, though I think dried herbs definitely have their place (hey, just ask the Greeks when it comes to oregano), but there really will be a completely different end result if you don't have that tbs. of rosemary on hand and substitute a tbs. of tarragon instead or the totally lazy and irresponsible advice I hear many of them use by saying "hey, just use what you like" where for instance if you like nutmeg more than you like cinnamon, why not substitute 1 tsp. of nutmeg for 1 tsp. of cinnamon, right? That's what is so frustrating is that these shows are intended for novices or even decent home cooks who may have no clue as to what works and what doesn't, but many of the chefs constantly take the short cut of saying "it really doesn't matter" not only with herbs but a variety of foods. If a recipe calls for half and half or whole milk but you only have skim OR if you don't have pinot noir but you have some ruby port or dry sherry or whatever you have, hey why not since it really doesn't matter. I am much more impressed by those chefs like Sara Moulton or Jacques Pepin who take just those few extra moments to explain what can be substituted and what cannot and why, and most importantly, how the substitution may change the character of the final dish, because I guess they actually care about people at home learning something useful and sharing their expertise unlike most of the other tv chefs we have today.

I'm with you Kim; I love the Giant brand trashy krinkle cut. I double cook them: med-high heat at first and then crank it up to get them golden brown and crispy, garnish as you do, and then devour!

Well now, this has just got to become somone's signature line!

Me too jgm. I guess I look at it from the point of view of someone (not me! ) who really doesn't know how to cook and is looking for professional instruction and guidance. To leave one quarter or one third of let's say cake batter in the bowl could indeed ruin the final product. Another so-called tip is when many, but thankfully not all, tv chefs who are using say a combination of basil and oregano in a dish will say: "but, hey, if you don't have any basil and oregano, just use whatever you like, it really doesn't matter." Well, yes it does. A dish that calls for rosemary could/probably would be ruined by substituting tarragon or sage. Sometimes it really does matter and sometimes it may not; the really good tv chefs take a few extra seconds to teach the audience. The bad ones just wing it.

Squeezing lemons and other citrus through their fingers. This is one wheel that did not need to be reinvented. I guess at some point some chef(s) somewhere thought it looked really cool and now they all do it. Anyone's grandma's old school lemon reamer like this vintage one here or, even better, one of the new school ones like this one does a way better job at a) getting the maximum juice from the fruit, b) makes less of a mess, and c) eliminates getting seeds into what you're making. One tv chef--can you guess who?--almost always just squeezes lemons right over the bowl, dropping in seeds all the way, smiles at the camera and says, "hey, a few seeds never hurt anybody." Yes, that's true, but I don't want to crunch down on them or fish them out of what I'm eating; not a pleasant taste, at least to me. Just stop it. Please. Edited for clarification, additional information.

When a tv chef tells you how important it is to season food properly, especially when they are preparing a chicken or a roast and then after they've lovingly sprinkled on the proper amount of seasoning: THEY POUR WINE, STOCK AND/OR WATER OVER THE FOOD AND WASH IT ALL OFF!!! Always drives me nuts.

I'm not sure if these began in the 70's or were just carryovers from the 60's but I remember sausage balls a la Bisquick, and yes dammit, I like them, SO THERE! Anyway, the ones I had were most likely made from this recipe and was taken from the original Bisquick recipe on the back of the box. Or you could use Bisquick's current, more "fancified" recipe from their website. I like the original best.

OliverN if you like stuffed mushroom caps, try using Alton Brown's method here of baking the mushroom caps first. This method releases a lot of water and concentrates the flavor. In general, I never cared too much for stuffed mushrooms since the mushrooms always had a raw, unfinished flavor compared to the stuffing. But this method really works (used crabmeat stuffing, not his yet, but it was great).

Wow, the Creepy King really is a CREEP.

Thanks dockhl for the tip. That looks like a beautiful piece of cookware and is definitely a better fit for my budget as I've been considering purchasing several pieces of enameled cast iron cookware. I was wondering how it compares to a similarly sized piece of Le Creuset on Amazon here which is definitely NOT a good fit for my budget, at least not anytime in the near future? It's hard to imagine that the Le Creuset piece is $175.00 better than the one from Lodge.

I agree. I didn't always get a chance to see Sara's show, but I liked it when I did. I found it curious when they didn't renew her contract. Now Mario and Emeril are gone and all that remains is vapid programming. Can Alton Brown's exit be far behind... ← She said that they cut her (and I'm more or less quoting) because she wasn't young enough and that she didn't have enough cleavage. Then, right after that, she launched into a history of sexual discrimination at the Food Network dating back to day one. It was really well put, funny, and not surprising. ← I remember Sara's comments from her Q&A here awhile ago. Which means, sadly, by current FN's standards neither Julia Child nor Jacques Pepin would cut the mustard either, so to speak.

I'm pretty sure I heard a recipe today for roasting turkey that guarantees new generations of future haters of Thanksgiving traditional foods for many years to come. An office mate said she learned this method of cooking her turkey while living/working in Venezuela many years ago (my apologies to all Venezualans everywhere for associating your country with what follows): 1) The night before Thanksgiving, put turkey in oven at 200 degrees, covered with aluminum foil 2) Go to bed and cook for 7 - 8 hours overnight 3) Get up early and shut off oven 4) Let the turkey sit until about an hour before you want to serve it then blast it in a very hot oven to brown the skin. She explained that this recipe never fails and that it's always best to cook your turkey twice to fully cook out the "toxic juices" (her phrase, I swear). I don't think she's actually killed any loved ones yet, but a cooked turkey hanging out in an unlit oven for several hours sounds like a recipe for sawdust turkey a la Salmonella to me. I didn't have the nerve to ask whether this was stuffed or unstuffed. Edited to add: Since she cooked her turkeys for such a godawful amount of time I had to ask how large a turkey did she normally cook, assuming something in the 25 lb. range. When she said they were always about 15 lbs., I had to turn away quickly so she wouldn't see the look of horror on my face!

Thank you Jaymes, I feel exactly the same way. Since you said it first, I feel okay about also saying that I have never, ever cooked a dry turkey and I can really feel the pain of those who've had to endure sawdust turkey for Thanksgiving. Thanks for starting such an interesting discussion mojoman. It must be Hell on Earth to have to endure year after year of foods you really hate especially if they are poorly done. But I think what you are saying is that you hate the taste of all of the traditional elements of the Thanksgiving meal, right? I had no idea that there were so many people out there who hated all of the traditional dishes. However, I happen to love all the foods of Thanksgiving for the following reasons: 1) As I've already said, I have never made a dry turkey. Never. Most of the time I roast my turkey doing nothing extra special like dissecting the bird and cooking it in different parts or flipping the bird to breast side down half way through the cooking and then re-flipping it and back again. And for many years now I have never, ever repeatedly basted my turkey since I consider a total waste of time. The best turkey I ever made was done a couple years ago; it was a deep fried turkey that could not have been juicier and the skin crispier. 2) Buttery mashed potatoes. Love these too. What's not to love? Potatoes, butter, salt and your choice of dairy: half and half or whipping cream or creme fraiche, etc. And please no garlic smashed potatoes thank you. 3) Cranberry sauce/relish. Cranberries, sugar, diced apples, orange juice and zest, golden raisins, dark raisins, cinnamon and toasted walnuts. This is my version and one I really love. Again, what's not to like? 4) Sweet potato pie. A staple of the Southern Thanksgiving and a quite delicious one as well. I like pumpkin pie, but mostly no one in my family likes it but me since for their tastes and memories sweet potato pie is THE TRADITION. 5) Stuffing: This is one of the most versitile of traditional side dishes. Basic bread cubes with celery, onions, the cook's version of poultry seasoning, and chicken stock, or oyster stuffing, or cornbread/apple/sage/country sausage, or wild rice/mushroom stuffing, the sky's the limit and, when well made, is quite delicious. Green bean casserole was never served at our house. Mainly it was green beans from scratch cooked Southern-style, some other green vegetable like collards or kale or turnip greens with turnips, and for some reason my mom almost always had sauerkraut which really is a great match for the turkey, stuffing, gravy and potatoes. Another thanks to you Jaymes for the idea of adding port to my cranberry sauce recipe.

OMG Paul that sounds fantastic! Thank you. I have most of the ingredients but I think another trip to the store is in order for this one--still need stock, tomato paste, and shallots. I'll ask the wine guy at the store to find a decent, affordable port for me as well. I will probably use 1/2 beef and 1/2 chicken stock. Sorry for the confusing previous post. For some reason, I've also had French onion soup on the brain today!

That sounds delicious Paul. I don't have that cookbook. Would you be able to post the recipe here? Also, as I've said earlier, I know next to nothing about wine but I've read that some port you purchase and don't drink for years but some of it is ready to drink because it's fortified. I've also heard that it's expensive. Do you have any recommendations for not too expensive, ready to use/drink port? It's amazing all of the different recipes and alcohol recommendations I've seen for French onion soup: red wine, white wine, port, sherry, cognac. I guess it can be quite a boozy proposition and there's nothing wrong with that! I even saw one many years ago that had each person make a hole in the cheese and crouton topping and break an egg into their soup.

Thank you so much Marlene! I don't usually goof like that and didn't want to ruin such beautiful meat. I wish I had some veal stock hanging around or a decent beef stock. I suppose I could make another trip to the store for pre-made beef stock but because of sheer laziness, I just don't feel like it. Thanks also for the tip on how much wine to use. These are very meaty ribs with just the right amount of fat to make them succulent. Will definitely report back with the results. Next, I think I'll attempt your French onion soup with those brilliant chunky croutons if I can dig it up from one of the old threads. I'll have to make beef stock for that. Can't remember if you used a crock pot but I was given one, a real basic one with no bells and whistles, but I'd like to try carmelizing the onions in it for the soup.

Looking for some expertise here. I just got some beautiful short ribs but I didn't notice at the time that one package was with bones and the other one was boneless. Are these okay to cook together, or will the boneless ones be overcooked? I plan to cook these with onions, garlic, thyme, wine--a cabernet sauvignon the wine guy picked out for me called Red Diamond (I know next to nothing about wine)--but I don't have any beef stock. Will it be okay to add some water since the meat can kind of generate it's own stock? Thanks.

Okay Sandy that cannot possibly be true! McD cheesesteaks in Philly? Who knew the clown would have the cajones to try that one? Move over Britney, McD's needs to check that clown into rehab and quick.

In addition to the reasons I gave above--relaxing atmosphere and not an extension of the office--there are a couple of others as well. I understand that there are people who feel the need to be tethered to their work/offices no matter where they are and while I don't really get that either, I understand that those people exist. It's just that when I go to a bar, trying to relax, buying a cocktail for probably 3 to 4 times what it would cost me if I made it at home using the same ingredients, I simply prefer not to be around people like that if I don't have to. No laptops, no cell phones, no Blackberries not even text messaging if possible. I don't even want to share my table or bar space with people who can only drone on and on about "what they do." No need to compare yourself to those hacks Chris since we love you just the way you are. Besides you smell so much better than those guys since, well, er, they're dead.

Well, yes, but.................................... 1) Was it really that dramatic? I mean phrases like "manifestly inconvenient" and "no workable option other than to leave" seems to be lending the situation described far more drama than necessary. Although I can testify that chrisamirault is by far one of the kindest, sweetest, most adorable gentlemen on the planet and that the owner could have delivered his message in a less confusing and frustating way, I'm still going to have to side with the owner. I know you hate this one Fat Guy but it is HIS place and he can set rules that you or others here may deem silly, arbitrary, capricious or just plain stupid. To paraphrase Bobby Brown "It's his perogative." 2) I like the fact that, at least for now, he seems to want to have a place that separates the work environment from a casual, relaxed environment. I also like the fact, again at least for now, that he just doesn't want the headache of addressing the situation individually and thinks it's just easier to just say no to all laptop usage. 3) He, like me, may also be pretty fed up with the entitlement mentality so prevalent in our society today (not saying that Chris harbors this mentality, btw). What I mean is the mentality that wherever one shows up, one is entitled to be accommodated. It's an "I need it, I NEED IT NOW and I expect whoever to accommodate me" attitude. In this particular case, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal, but as someone said earlier, but the owner's is probably afraid that word may get out that this bar is "laptop heaven" and that's clearly not what he wants.

Hey, wait a minute Ce'nedra, where the Hell is the natto ice cream!? Are the really "intriguing" flavors (especially the pit viper and charcoal flavors) big sellers in Japan, catering to local tastes, or maybe more of a marketing ploy? For instance, here in the US we have a company called Jones that insists upon selling its Thanksgiving package of sodas which have included flavors like turkey and gravy, mashed potato, broccoli casserole, and *ick* smoked salmon paté. I would never purchase or drink any of those flavors, but people do buy them I suspect far more for their shock/entertainment value than the actual taste. Also, as I recall, wasn't there a previous thread about this topic on eG?

When I and a couple of others in my office were low-carbing it an office mate made this cheesecake: Cheesecake Recipe from Atkins Website I thought it was quite delicious. It was summer at the time so she just topped with with fresh blueberries and strawberries, but at this time of the year how about topping the cheesecake with a puree of unsweetned berries perked up with some Splenda and a bit of fresh lemon juice? Also, I would suggest adding a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice to the recipe above in addition to the zest. The crust is primarily made of nuts (no graham cracker crumbs) and was delicious also. The sugar substitute recommended by this website is Splenda for these reasons. (Scroll down the page until you get to the Sweetners section.) Enjoy.

Wow, thanks for all the great advice andiesenji. So I guess when it comes to stuffing, a goose is very forgiving, given the method of cooking? I've actually roast goose before, but only stuffed the bird to add flavor with as I recall roughly chopped apples, oranges, onions, celery, salt and pepper. Can't remember if I used any herbs. I won't be cooking for that many people so my thinking was, as usual, the turkey will be the main event large enough for plenty of servings and leftovers and the goose would be something extra and little different for the table.

Boy, did it ever! Though the stats say the Iggles still stink worse than the 'Skins, they managed to best your beloved tribe in a true stink-bomb of a game yesterday. (Exciting, yes, but they still stank up the field with all those penalties and turnovers.) Nonetheless, it sure smelled good to us up here in Philly. So: what did you settle for in the way of eats since Magus wasn't able to FedEx you a burger? ← Sigh no special munchies here Sandy; humiliating losses tend to dampen the appetites of diehard Redskins fans and just think we have those *&^%#!@ Ploughboys to look forward to next week. Again, OH THE HUMANITY! A special-delivery bacon cheeseburger from Magus would've gone a long way to easing my pain though. And yes, I'd like the bacon on my burger to be thick cut, but really regular would be just fine with me; it's the meat and cheese that have to be right.