Genny

Oh, yes. Cyclo doesn't have a liquor license so it is BYOB and there is no corking fee either. Just have a good time!

Percy, sorry about your Aunty, god speed in her recovery. That dinner looked yummy, especially the halibut. How beautiful! Thanks for describing the enticing porcini "perfume" - ah- almost like I was there! I love the wine tote, where did you find it?

I started using a mandoline years ago, before I had any knife skills It was just a simple one from Pampered Chef but it still works great. I use it for cucumbers and zucchini slicing when I need a bunch sliced thin. My favorite use is for onions though. So sharp and quick, hardly any time for tears! French Onion soup! You do have to be careful but it really is a fantastic time saver for some applications. And mine is pretty easy to clean, I just swish it around in the sinck of hot soapy water as soon as I'm done with it and let it drip dry. It has a special home though so that no one can hurt themselves on the unprotected blade.

Mmmmm, duck. What a beautiful meal. I thought my local high-end market (AJ's) was good until I saw your store. Now I know mine is no where near the top. They don't carry truffles even! And the mushroom selection alone is amazing. This is why I love to go to grocery stores whenever I travel! Your wine cabinet is beautiful! Does it have zone controls or is it all one temperature? What temp(s) do you keep it at? We are planning on a kitchen remodel next year so I'm paying very close attention to appliances For dinner tonight, if I were choosing from the menu and had just had that fabulous duck meal last night I would have: Starter: Crisp Veal Sweetbreads w/ Apple salad Main:Porcini dusted Halibut Cheese course Dessert: Roasted black figs with honey ice cream. (I know you just had them but I'm supposing you didn't get enough of them!) Have fun tonight! Thanks again for sharing your week with us! (And Peanut too!)

Ditto on all of Kathleen's except I can't say the cutest cat EVER since my own feline baby would be offended. I'll say Peanut is the cutest kitty on the whole blog!

hzrt8w- Nice job, so beautifully simple! Thanks for the demo. Do you ever blanch in stock?

The Pork Shop is a bit difficult to get to but well worth the drive! These people know pork and the quality of ingredients is very good. We tasted a couple of the cured meat samples at the counter and they were all good, but didn't buy any of them. What we did get was Sun Devil Sticks (these are like the Slim Jim shape) which are cured and spicey! Great snack! Also the hot & sweet summer sausage was good and certainly of better quality than the Hickory Farms stand-by. We picked out some nice pork steaks to grill and they were very meaty and yummy. The cured pepper bacon was a little bit sweet and a lot peppered and very nice. Lastly we picked up some Italian sausage, 2 hot and 2 sweet. The sweet had better flavor than the hot for sure. What spoke so loudly with all of these products was the freshness and quality. If you can throw the cooler in the car and head out to Queen Creek, you are in for a real treat!

There's a sister restaurant in Tempe?!? What is the name and address? Oh, man. Those pepper shrimp are to die for!

I made Butter Rum Caramels from Gourmet Magazine and totally shot the diet to hell. Damn!!!!! Of course, the sugar wasn't enough, I ate them with pecans and added a little extra kosher salt on top to round it out. Oh, and M&Ms with Candy Corn. Ewww, not healthy at all. Anybody got any fried food for me?!? I'm attempting a healthy dinner: artichokes with mayo and crab. Wish me luck!

I think the real question here is not "Can they appreciate?" but "What is the difference in appreciation between cooks and non-cooks." In reading this discussion, I am reminded of watching movies with my sister-in-law. She has been an actress for many years and watching movies with her is a learning experience. Rather than just enjoying the "plot" or "story line" I am enlightened with details such as "character arc" and classic "cinematography technique" that leads the subconscious forward. I certainly appreciate a good movie, but on a much different level than someone familiar with the intricate details of the effort and finesse that is needed to do the job well. When enjoying a great meal out with my father, he says "Oh wow, this is incredible. The (whatever) is so tender, flavorful, etc." I look at a dish and enjoy the plating, the colors, the aroma, the cooking method, and try to discern all the details and effort that go into making the dish. We both swoon over the experience of the meal, but in different ways due to what knowledge each of us brings to the table.

Looks like we have a lot of the same favorites Molto! The shrimp crepe, spicy green beans, lemon grass chicken are soooo good! I think I had the pepper shrimp last time I was there, that is with gravy and garlic bread, right? Oh, wow so yummy! You are right on with the Pho also. The ribs are great too, not too much 5 spice, just enough. If anyone has not been, this is such a great find! I've been going for a couple years now and the quality is consistent and Justina is a hoot! You can't forget to mention the Vietnamese Coffee! Hot or iced, it is a must have with dinner or after.

ahurwich- you ROCK! Thanks for this! Did you happen to get store hours? Looks like I've got an addition to my weekend activities. Have you actually eaten any of their products? What did you get and what did you like? Genny

They did take this surprisingly well, actually. No one complained about the shift. This is my third year in a row (and third year in total) for hosting the holiday. I know I'm a bit nuts but the rest of the year there is just 2 of us to cook for. This year I think we've grown to almost 20 people! I've been talking to my husband about alternative menu choices. His feedback is much like what is discussed on this thread: you can introduce fresh cranberry sauce, but we need to have canned sauce too. Its safer that way He was the one that complained last year that my turkey had too much flavor because I rubbed sage, thyme, salt and pepper butter compound under the skin. Apparently, turkey should be bland, just for Thanksgiving! Additionally, the core family has the traditional needs, but I've also worked to include family traditions/favorites from those that have married into the family. For example, my brother-in-law can't have the holiday without his father's brandy gravy. Everyone finds this gravy superior anyway, so it has become the gravy accepted by all. (He makes it). And since I don't really mind having others in the kitchen with me -as long as they are working and not poaching- if someone has something special that they want, they are free to come in and make it. I absolutely love Sam's Thanksgiving menu from last year as well. I don't think I could handle that, especially for 20! I'd forgotten about the Turkey 2 Ways, I'll have to take another look at that and see if it will work for my purposes this year. Honestly though, Alton Brown's way of brining and then baking- no basting- way is delicious and no-fuss. I will likely do that again this year simply because it is easy and passes muster. Bill, for your kabobs, I like the idea of par cooking sweet potatoes and then skewering them with marshmallows or doing red bliss potatoes and carrots with the turkey. You could kabob the whole meal! I too look forward to reading your completed article!

What a great story! My family is very strictly traditional so this wouldn't fly in terms of twisting the entire meal, unfortunately. Last year I did take the sweet potatoes out of the main meal and made a Sweet Potatoe Pie. I frankensteined a few recipes together and threw in a couple of my own ideas to it. The crust was made from ginger snap cookies and it was topped with maple syrup pecans. The family did like this, so I got away with one there! I'll be checking in on this thread for sure since we are hosting Thanksgiving again this year. I love new ideas!

Ok, you have to know my husband just came in and looked over my shoulder at this... he said, "More porn, eh?" YES! Even better is that it is porn of so many places that are familiar to me. I'm home-sick! Gilroy is in my backyard! The Mexican food in central CA is what I grew up on. I would have gone for the tacos de lengua! Yummm. Actually there is a family owned chain in San Jose/Gilroy called Super Taqueria with the best burritos de lengua EVER. With slices of avocado and just enough melty jack cheese. Oh... now I've done it! I need to go visit my Mom in San Jose! Did you just love the fish tacos in San Diego? I was introduced to them when I would go down to UCSD with friends. I think that was the first fish I ever ate and liked! I'm trying to think of the name of the place that "made them famous" in San Diego. Its escaping me right now. And Mexico! Whoa, dude! You DRANK THE WATER???? I'd go for a Coke man. I've been to various parts of Mexico on numerous occasions and I still don't trust the water, I've known people who got "Montezuma's Revenge"! As long as you got out OK I just Mexico and could live there! I think I gain weight every stinking time I go though. The food is incomperable to what we call Mexican food here (for the most part). I'm looking forward to the rest of the trip! How great to have found a cool girlfriend who enjoys doing this with you! Oh, and a note: In-N-Out: Always good. Jack-N-the crack: Almost never great! Ha, ha!

Wow Daniel, you sure know how to do a road trip! This looks like such fun...and did you really eat 4-5 meals a day? Maybe it just seems like it I'm looking forward to the rest of this! I've spent most of my life living and traveling up and down the west coast so the photos are so nostalig for me. Thanks!

I've used the oils as well but as a suppliment to boost the flavor. I used the raspberry liquor and the flavor wasn't very strong so I supplimented with the raspberry oil and that made a big difference. Juicy!

Cheese glorious cheese! I must preface that I am not an expert, I just enjoy yummy cheese! Blue: Maytag blue is a hallmark cheese. Sharp and creamy and a little salty. Wonderful with pears. Also Roquefort, the most classic blue cheese, is wonderful. Strong flavored, full bodied but not quite as pungeant as the Maytag in my estimation. Brie: Brie is a lovely creamy, mild flavored cheese. Somtimes it can be a little nutty or a little "dusty" in flavor. Melts very well. My favorite is the triple cream, it is almost like butter! I like this with grapes (classic) but also have put it in a sandwich/panini with roasted red pepper, turkey and avocado. The creamyness of the avocado matches very well with the brie IMHO. Cheddar: This is my main snacking cheese. Some are very sharp and crumble more than others. I like them sharp but not extra sharp. Good on sandwiches and is often paired with apples. Spanish Manchego cheese is wonderful. Semi-hard I think but melts very well. Is creamy and very nutty flavored. Goat Cheese is something I really like. For a soft goat cheese, try the Humbolt Fog. It has an ash line down the middle and is tart. For a semi-hard goat cheese, Drunken Goat is very good. I could go on and on! You just need to keep tasting and trying! That is the fun of it!

Although this is a little out of my way I'd like to try it sometime. Ahurwich, do the photos represent a tasting menu for one or did you put together a 4/5 course meal for two? The article says the price is about $60/ea for a la cart, what are prices for tastings versus a la cart menu? Additionally, do you know how far in advance they book? I'm thinking either October or January for a visit. Thanks! Genny

Marlene, Its not halibut, but I've been deep frying (stovetop) cod for about a year now. I keep playing with the basic recipe to perfect it but here it is: 1 cup AP flour 1 bottle beer (I like Michelobe Amberboch) S/P/Tabasco to taste (be generous!) I find it is important to pat dry the fish first and then put a light coating of flour on it. Then dip it into the batter right before frying. A real trick is to make sure your fish pieces are sized appropriately. My DH does the cutting on these, about 1/2 inch thick by 2 - 3 inches wide. The fry temp I start with is about 375F to accomodate for the temperature drop. My next round of fish will likely substitute about 1/4 cup of corn starch for the flour to see if it is less greasy. Feel free to PM me with any questions. Happy Cooking! Genny

Oh Kristin...(rubs back, dries tears) I'm so sorry you had such a fiasco! How utterly frustrating!! I am hoping to make Sam's Ricotta Gnocci sometime this week, it just sounds too good to not! I don't have a pasta maker, and although I'm sure pasta can be made without it, I'm not even going to try it this time around! Let us know if you decide to get back on that horse and try to ride again. The second effort in NO WAY could be as bad as the first!

Ohhhh, I'm sooooo jealous! I never though I'd say this, but this makes me wish I'd stayed in NC! Wish I was close enough to come and enjoy. Alas, the vicarious experience is wonderful, I love putting the faces to the names/monikers and seeing what great cooks you all are! Can someone post the link to the shrimp and biscuits? Wow, that looked amazing! Sounds like a meal to me

Lately my vote goes to Mark Bittman on PBS "How to Cook Everything" and I think she's on the Style channel, some Brit lady is "Queen of the Kitchen" and amusing. Always Alton Brown and Ina Garten from TFN.

How about finely ground nuts? That souds pretty good to me. Walnut and marshmallow?

Hi Ada, did you make your purchase? Did you end up with the Capresso or something different? Please report how you like your maker so far!