phatj

Two questions: are parsley and oregano perennials? I had planted some last spring, and they served me well right up to winter, but I expected to have to re-plant them this spring. However, I have parsley and oregano doing just fine so far. Maybe they went to seed and it's new plants that are growing? Second, what can I do to protect my rosemary? My parents in western Oregon had a rosemary plant (it was more of a shrub, really) that was huge, and survived the mild winters there without noticeable trouble. Here in SE PA, my rosemary plant died off even in the relatively mild winter we had this year.

How do you mince with a Chinese cleaver? I have this Cutco knife, which was given to me as an unsolicited gift: Cutco calls it a vegetable knife, but it looks pretty similar to some other knives which are marketed as Chinese cleavers. I rarely , as the relatively straight blade makes mincing difficult, at least using the normal chef's knife rocking motion. Also, the handle is too small and light, making the thing feel unwieldy and poorly balanced. But the blade is razor-sharp and relatively thin compared to my Henckels chef's knife, so I have no doubt it would work well using the forward motion slicing technique mentioned above (although it's not very heavy, feeling only slightly heavier than my chef's knife). By the way, I don't remember seeing Cutco knives mentioned in any of the various threads on knives I've read here; anybody like their stuff? EDIT: I've been doing some Googling, and it appears that Cutco knives are, aside from Cutco salepeople and their relatives, pretty much universally regarded as crap. I also have a Cutco paring knife, which was also a gift, and I have to say I like it quite a bit. The handle, while of the same basic form as the vegetable knife, feels better on this smaller knife. And the paring knife, like it's larger brother, takes a very sharp edge, owing perhaps in part to the well-defined back bevel on the blade, which is missing entirely on my Henckels knives.

Is baby corn readily available in supermarkets? I don't remember seeing it, ever. But then, I don't much care for it, so I might have seen it and just not registered it.

"Goullabaisse" Serves 8 as Main Dishor 12 as Soup. I wanted to try a bouillabaisse, but I dislike fennel, and didn't want to blow the money on all the seafood for a dish I wouldn't like, so I decided to try different seasonings. I ended up deciding on the goulash seasonings: paprika and caraway seed. Seafood stock 1 small onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 large clove garlic, crushed 1 sprig fresh parsley 1 lb assorted white fish skeletons and scraps shells from shrimp 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper "Goullabaisse" 2 medium onions, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 carrot, minced 1 celery stalk, minced 2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed 2 T EVOO 1 lb tomatoes, peeled (optional), seeded and chopped 2 T paprika (non-smoked) 1 tsp caraway seeds 1 lb boiling potatoes, cubed 2 lb assorted white fish, cut into bite-sized chunks 1 lb raw shrimp, peels reserved for stock 1 lb clams and/or mussels For the seafood stock: Put the chopped veggies & parsley into a small stockpot with about two quarts or so of water. If you have fish skeletons, add them in as well (I never have them on hand, so I usually chop up a bit of the fish I'm going to put into the soup). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Reserve the peels from the shrimp for the soup and add them to the pot. Simmer about 15 minutes. For the soup: 1. In a 8-qt stockpot, heat EVOO over high heat until shimmering. 2. Add onion, carrot and celery and season with a little salt and black pepper. Saute over high heat until onions are translucent. 3. Add tomatoes (I never bother peeling tomatoes, but you'll wind up with the peels separated and curled into little tubes in your soup if you don't) and stir for a minute over high heat. 4. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and let sweat for a few minutes. 5. Add paprika and caraway seed, stirring until well combined. Simmer for a few minutes. 6. Add potatoes. 7. Using a wire-mesh strainer, strain seafood stock directly into the soup pot. 8. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer about 15 minutes. 9. Dump in seafood and turn heat to high. Stir gently until shrimp are fully pink and shellfish are opened (the soup probably won't return to a boil; that's OK). Serve with french bread to sop up yummy juices. Keywords: Soup, Main Dish, Seafood, Easy, Fish, Shrimp, Dinner ( RG1676 )

My cousin, who lived in SoCal and had a habanero plant (tree?) at the time, once told me a story about making habanero bread. Apparently, the recipe called for pureeing the peppers before combining them with the dough. Well, he (or his wife, I forget) missed the part about pureeing them with water. This resulted in creating a capsaicin aerosol in the blender, which was released when the lid was removed. Both of them had to evacuate the house, suffering symptoms much like that of people hit with pepper spray. Also, he brought some of the peppers with him when he visited once. I took the tiniest nibble off the very tip of one (small enough that I certainly got no pith or seeds), and my mouth was on fire for at least a half-hour.

I have one of these guys, although mine is unbranded, I think, and was cheaper. I think it cost about $5 at a Tuesday Morning store. No buttons for setting the time, you just spin the dial. My only complaint is that if you want to set a large time, spinning the dial faster doesn't make the setting increase faster.

My only food poisoning experience was pretty clearly food poisoning, and also pretty clearly the restaurant's fault: about 6-8 folks in my extended family ate from the same Canadian Bacon & Pineapple Pizza (consumed within minutes of delivery, mind you), and each of them was sick within about 12 hours. Several others who were around that day did not eat the pizza, and did not get sick. I have a tangential question: I have a persistent problem with a mildewy smell in my kitchen, particularly on sponges and rags, despite pretty thorough cleanings, with stuff like 409 and chlorine bleach. I don't think mildew is a particular food poisoning hazard, but it's unpleasant. Any suggestions?

I think I've read that freezing cheeses can adversely affect the texture, particularly when melted. I'm guessing this would be more noticeable for softer cheeses, and also in larger quantities.

Half-assed remodeling should be on my business card. Half-assed is the only way I ever remodel. I am a half-assed expert on the subject. Tile is extremely forgiving. You can put it over just about anything that will hold it. Were I in your situation I'd definitely tile right over whatever backsplash is there. You may want to prepare the surface by roughing up the laminate with sandpaper and stripping away any hanging or loose pieces. Then spread a thick, smooth layer of tile cement and lay your tiles in there. You'll probably want to use spacers. It's also nice to use a tile with some surface texture so it's not as obvious when your plane isn't perfectly flat. You'll also need a cheap tile cutter if you have a space that doesn't exactly fit a whole number of tiles. ← Thanks!

Ah, a topic near and dear to my heart. My wife and I are nearly finished with a kitchen painting project. This has been a major improvement, but we still have to replace the counters and backsplash. The counters are no problem; we'll just order custom ones from the Depot or Lowe's and install them ourselves. But the backsplash... after this months-long project, I'm more than a little leery of ripping out the existing backsplash and having to re-drywall/repaint or put up tile backer-board and tiles where the old backsplash was. So, my question is, what can I do about the backsplash without removing the existing one? Can I paint over it? It's a Formica-like laminate with a textured surface. A friend told me I could get a compound to spread over the surface that fills the "valleys" in the surface to smooth it out and then it could be painted. Alternatively, could I tile over it? This extends along two entire walls for probably 12 linear feet or so, so cost is definitely a consideration. Anybody have any experience with this sort of half-assed remodeling?

Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. It was the first cookbook I bought for myself, and I still use it frequently. The spine is broken at the "Classic Beef Stew" page (a pretty bland recipe, really, but one I've built from. I also used a very old Betty Crocker cookbook of my mother's (I now have the binder version) quite extensively in my youth, but almost exclusively for baking, particularly chocolate chip cookies.

Cool cucumbers Serves 4 as Side. A nice foil for spicy dishes such as chili. 1 c red wine vinegar 1 c water 1 tsp table salt, or to taste 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper 1/2 tsp dill seed 10 black peppercorns 1 large cucumber, unpeeled, cut into sliced 1/4" 1 T EVOO 1. Combine first eight ingredients in advance to allow flavors to mingle. Refrigerate in covered container. 2. Pour mixture into bowl. Allow solids to settle to bottom. 3. Add cucumber slices. 4. Drizzle olive oil on top. Keywords: Appetizer, Side, Vegan, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables ( RG1613 )

Gazpacho Serves 12 as Soup. This is a non-authentic Gazpacho, but it's pretty tasty just the same. 2 T olive oil 5 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 fresh jalapeno, minced (or more to taste) 2 T minced fresh cilantro, or 1 tbsp dried cilantro leaves 1 T minced fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried oregano leaves 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper Juice of one lime 1 large cucumber, unpeeled, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped 1 orange bell pepper, chopped 1 large (56 ounce?) can tomato juice (not tomato soup!) 2 T red wine vinegar, or to taste 1 tsp salt, or to taste 1 tray ice cubes or equivalent water (about 1 ½ cups) 1. Combine oil, herbs, spices and lime juice in large bowl or pot. 2. Add chopped vegetables, tomato juice, vinegar and salt. 3. Best if prepared about 1 day in advance. If preparing just before serving, float ice cubes on top of bowl. Otherwise, add water with tomato juice. Keywords: Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables ( RG1612 )

"I need a clever name" Chili Serves 12 as Main Dish. Easy but a bit time-consuming. Oh, and delicious! 8 oz good, super-thick-cut bacon (slab if possible), cut into ~1/4" cubes 2 lb beef chuck, cubed or cut in strips 2 large onions, chopped (about 3 cups) Olive oil or other fat as needed 10 cloves garlic, 5 cut into thick slices, 5 minced 1 (or more, depending on taste) fresh jalapeno, stem and seed removed, minced 1 T salt, or to taste 1 T freshly ground black pepper, or to taste 1 T ancho chili powder, or to taste 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper, or to taste 1 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste 2 T ground cumin, or to taste 1 T dried oregano leaves or 1/2 T ground oregano, or to taste 1 tsp ground thyme, or to taste 1 tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste 3 T white flour 1 pt good dark beer, such as Guinness Stout 1 c good beef stock, plus more as needed 1/4 c molasses 1/4 c balsamic or red wine vinegar 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes 2 14 ounce cans red kidney beans (optional) Large round sourdough loafs, cut into bread bowls (if available), freshly cooked white rice otherwise Scallions, sliced Cheddar, shredded Sour cream 1. Brown bacon in large stockpot over medium heat. Remove with slotted spoon and reserve, leaving bacon fat in pot. 2. Turn heat to high. Brown cut-up beef quickly in bacon fat (in batches if necessary). Remove with slotted spoon and reserve. 3. Turn heat to medium. Add onions and the sliced garlic to the remaining bacon fat. Add a splash of additional oil or other fat if necessary. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir frequently for a few minutes until the onions begin to soften. 4. Turn heat to medium-low and stir in jalapeno. Stir every five minutes or so until the onion and garlic are well caramelized. Add a splash of olive oil and lower the heat if it becomes too dry. Allow at least 30 minutes. 5. Add reserved browned beef to pot. Stir until well mixed with onion mixture. Stir in dry spices and herbs and flour until beef and onions are well coated. Cook, stirring frequently, about five minutes. 6. Add beer and stock. Scrape bottom of pot well. Turn heat to high, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium or medium-low. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, scraping bottom. 7. Add molasses, vinegar, tomatoes, and remaining garlic. Turn heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or more. 8. Add beans, if desired, about 30 minutes before serving. Add reserved bacon and minced garlic about 15 minutes before serving. Add additional stock if chili becomes too dry (consistency should be thick and stew-like). Adjust seasoning and serve. 9. Serve in sourdough bread bowls (if you can find them) or over white rice otherwise. Garnish with sliced scallions, shredded cheddar, and sour cream. Notes: All measurements approximate. I hate beans, but I've separated this into two batches in step 8 and added 1 can of beans to one batch for those friends who like beans in chili. I'm told it was good with the beans. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Beef, Dinner, Hot and Spicy, American ( RG1611 )

I might as well throw my recipe in the mix. My wife, our two best friends (and frequent dinner companions) and a number of our friends' friends (for whom the friends once made this chili) have all raved about it. 8 ounces good, super-thick-cut bacon (slab if possible), cut into ~1/4" cubes 2 pounds beef chuck, cubed or cut in strips 2 or 3 large onions, chopped (about 3 cups) Olive oil or other fat as needed 10 cloves garlic, 5 cut into thick slices, 5 minced 1 (or more, depending on taste) fresh jalapeno, stem and seed removed, minced 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder, or to taste 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste 2 tablespoons ground cumin, or to taste 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves or ½ tablespoon ground oregano, or to taste 1 teaspoon ground thyme, or to taste 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste 3 tablespoons white flour 1 pint good dark beer, such as Guinness Stout 1 cup good beef stock, plus more as needed ¼ cup molasses ¼ cup balsamic or red wine vinegar 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 2 (14 ounce) cans red kidney beans (optional) Large round sourdough loafs, cut into bread bowls (if available), freshly cooked white rice otherwise Scallions, sliced Cheddar, shredded Sour cream 1. Brown bacon in large stockpot over medium heat. Remove with slotted spoon and reserve, leaving bacon fat in pot. 2. Turn heat to high. Brown cut-up beef quickly in bacon fat (in batches if necessary). Remove with slotted spoon and reserve. 3. Turn heat to medium. Add onions and the sliced garlic to the remaining bacon fat. Add a splash of additional oil or other fat if necessary. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir frequently for a few minutes until the onions begin to soften. 4. Turn heat to medium-low and stir in jalapeno. Stir every five minutes or so until the onion and garlic are well caramelized. Add a splash of olive oil and lower the heat if it becomes too dry. Allow at least 30 minutes. 5. Add reserved browned beef to pot. Stir until well mixed with onion mixture. Stir in dry spices and herbs and flour until beef and onions are well coated. Cook, stirring frequently, about five minutes. 6. Add beer and stock. Scrape bottom of pot well. Turn heat to high, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium or medium-low. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, scraping bottom. 7. Add molasses, vinegar, tomatoes, and remaining garlic. Turn heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or more. 8. Add beans, if desired, about 30 minutes before serving. Add reserved bacon and minced garlic about 15 minutes before serving. Add additional stock if chili becomes too dry (consistency should be thick and stew-like). Adjust seasoning and serve. 9. Serve in sourdough bread bowls (if you can find them) or over white rice otherwise. Garnish with sliced scallions, shredded cheddar, and sour cream. Notes: All measurements approximate. I hate beans, but I've separated this into two batches in step 8 and added 1 can of beans to one batch for those friends who like beans in chili. I'm told it was good with the beans. When I've made this for the aforementioned friends, I served the following with the chili: Cool Cucumbers 1 cup red wine vinegar 1 cup water 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste 3 cloves garlic, or to taste, roughly chopped ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste ½ teaspoon dill seeds, or to taste 10 peppercorns 1 large cucumber, unpeeled, cut in ¼" slices 1 tablespoon EVOO 1. Combine first eight ingredients in advance to allow flavors to mingle. Refrigerate in covered container. 2. Pour mixture into bowl. Allow solids to settle to bottom. 3. Add cucumber slices. 4. Drizzle olive oil on top. 5. Serve as a side dish with chili. Gazpacho 2 tablespoons olive oil 5 cloves garlic, minced ½ fresh jalapeno, minced 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, or 1 tablespoon dried cilantro leaves 1 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Juice of one lime 1 large cucumber, unpeeled, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 yellow and 1 orange bell pepper, chopped 1 large (56 ounce?) can tomato juice (not tomato soup!) 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or to taste 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1 tray ice cubes or equivalent water (about 1 ½ cups) 1. Combine oil, herbs, spices and lime juice in large bowl or pot. 2. Add chopped vegetables, tomato juice, vinegar and salt. 3. Best if prepared about 1 day in advance. If preparing just before serving, float ice cubes on top of bowl. Otherwise, add water with tomato juice. 4. Serve after chili.

Kellogg's Raisin Bran Crunch is my current favorite. I can't believe I'm virtually the first to mention it! Growing up, I was allowed virtually no sugary cereal, so I grew fond of such things as Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, Corn Chex, Rice Krispies, Cheerios, Grape Nuts (with a little Quaker Granola as a topping), and Wheaties.

My engagement to my wife went as follows: She came home from work to find the apartment cleaned and with candles burning, and a huge bouquet of flowers on the "dining room" table. I meet her in my best suit, and tell her there's a surprise waiting for her in her closet; she goes and puts on this gorgeous royal blue cocktail dress with matching shoes. These I purchased to match the sapphire and diamond pendant necklace and earrings I had previously purchased for her. In the meantime, I was putting the finishing touches on dinner: filets mignons with a sauce of shallots in red wine, and scallops in rotini with a pesto sauce. This was a big hit. (I was too nervous to truly enjoy it, unfortunately.) Then, after dinner, I said, "Oh, wait, I forgot something," and ran off to the bedroom, returning with a jewelry box containing a diamond-and-sapphire ring, with which I dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me. She, of course, accepted. After that, we headed to downtown Philadelphia to see a string quartet perform Brahms and Mozart at the brand-new Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. All in all, a very successful evening.

I've been mostly lurking eGullet for the last few months, but I felt that I had to respond to this. I've read many threads here, but this has been one of the most amusing. I'm a very white 30-year-old boy (raised atheist, but my family has a Methodist background) from a very white part of the country (mid-west Oregon), and I hadn't ever seen or heard of, let alone tasted, green bean casserole until, while in college, I went home with a girlfriend to her Jewish family for Thanksgiving. (I think I might have just set a record for commas in a sentence.) That also was my first exposure to french-fried onions. It was OK, but nothing inspiring. However, this thread has inspired me to attempt a serious go at bad-ass, from-scratch green bean casserole. Who's with me? I don't want to necessarily appease the GBC purists (I read in this thread that others have tried and failed), but to make something that would appeal to those who haven't had it and don't want to because it sounds appalling. I'm thinking of the following: FRESH green beans From-scratch cream of mushroom soup (quick saute of cremini & shiitakes with some onions, with a little balsamic & perhaps soy sauce, then add cream and/or milk?) Fresh deep fried onions for topping (problem here is that these don't keep well; they're best consumed within minutes of frying) Thoughts?

Rather that create a new thread, I thought I'd post this here: I just pulled a whole chicken out of my freezer to roast later this week. I noticed that it has a "Sell By" date of October 2004. I remember buying this chicken about a month ago. It definitely has NOT been in my freezer for a year or more. I think I bought it frozen, but I can't remember for sure. So, should I just chuck it? It's just a run-of-the-mill Tyson roaster I got for .78 cents a pound, so I'm not worried about the money, but I'd rather save a trip to the grocery store if it's probably OK.

Taco Bell is a guilty pleasure of mine, several times a year. I generally only do fast food when on the road, but then Taco Bell is what I look for. Does anyone else remember (and crave) the Chicken Club Burrito? Chicken "breast" meat, bacon (!), sour cream, guacamole, and I forget what else. It was basically a gut-buster wrap before wraps became big.

Does the glass surface of these units tend to be easily scratched, and if so, does that affect performance?

London Broil with Feta-Herb Cream Sauce As Top Round London Broil is neither very tender nor very beefy in flavor, I thought it would do well grilled medium-rare and paired with a flavorful sauce. Turned out I was right. Sprinkle both sides of the beef with coarse black pepper and kosher salt. Press in with fingers. Let stand for an hour. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir continuously until the butter/flour mixture (roux) begins to brown and smell nutty, about 1 minute. Pour in about 1/4 cup of the cream and stir until smooth; gradually add remaining cream the same way. Stir in yogurt, then crumbled cheese, and stir frequently until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in herbs, garlic and pepper, cover, and remove from heat. On a very hot grill, grill the meat about 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain. Serve with sauce over noodles, or as a sandwich on your favorite bread or roll. ( RG2165 )

Grilled Corn & Avocado Salsa I went hunting for corn salsa recipes here and on Epicurious and created this amalgam recipe. It's not based on any one recipe enough to credit. This also makes an awesome southwest chicken salad. Just toss in a couple cups of shredded cooked chicken. 1. Whisk together lime zest & juice, chipotle, garlic, cilantro and salt. 2. Genty toss corn, avocado, onion and tomato with dressing and serve. ( RG2136 )