joiei

Caviar persentation cheese presentation anti pasto platter smoked turkey rootbeer baked ham grilled tenderloin silver dollar rolls and fresh baked biscuits, dijon mustard and horseradish shrimp salad creamy cauliflower salad forbidden rice salad tricolor bowtie pasta salad molded pate plate crab mousse ring buffalo chickne wings crispy corntortilla chickne nuggets gratin potatos grilled vegies black eyed peas with Chaceries jalapeno sausage assorted passed hors douvers chocolate torte chocolate mousse torte lemon bundt cake chocolate bundt cake tiramisu assorted chocolates, truffles, dipped oranges, dipped apricots, blueberries 1997 Robert Mondavi Carneros Reserve Merlot 2001 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 1990 La Grande Dame Veuve Cliquot Champagne This is what I served for the little New Years Eve party that I did for the family I cook for. It was fun and a hell of a lot of work. It was a standup buffet for 50. And they ate almost 2#'s of caviar, almost 3 whole tenderloins, a whole smoked turkey, half the ham, it was amazing. The chocolate mousse tort was made by a friend, Steven Howard, a chocolatier here in Tulsa and was amazingly beautiful. I think I will finally be back to normal today.

I saw the movie last night and enjoyed it. It will not change the world, but when he cut into that sandwich, it definitely made me immediately hungry.

I assisted Shirley at a cooking demonstration. She is something else. And I love her. I use Cookwise for reference more than anything, especially when trying to dissect what went wrong on something. I now will look forward to the new book.

I, too, am constantly appalled about the casual way in which holiday staff in restaurants is treated after they come to work on a big holiday, when others are lounging at home enjoying the big day ... now, given that the tips at IHOP are never going to qualify as "sumptuous", even a few dollars extra on a holiday says something about the value we place upon those who serve us ... ← After cooking and serving a dinner for 18 to the family I work for, I went out and had a salad at a local place. I left a $10 tip on a $12 meal and it was worth every penny.

thanks, that one worked. Looks good and sound good. It is on my positively will do this year list. thanks again

to avoid the heat, you need to go earlier in the year. like late march to late april or early may. Actually right now is the best time to go. December is slow because there are very few conventions. So you can get into restaurants, the hotels are cheaper. New Orleans is not cheap. With all the conventions, it stays pretty full and pretty pricey compared to other places of its size. But just pass on by and have a good time.

That link will not open for me.

That's an understatement! My mother stopped by yesterday after work and left after learning the line was 3 hours long just to be seated. She was so excited to learn they were opening up near Quail Springs mall. It really is a sad state of affairs around there. ← My advice for her is to call in advance for a seating time. Either that or call the order in as a to go. The one here in Tulsa has been open long enough that the waits have been removed and you can actually get a reservation.

We have had this on the market all over town since late summer it seems like. And very prominently displayed. I have not tried it. I love DP, just have trouble working in a vanilla and a cherry to compete with a flavor I already like. Maybe one day.

well, i worked my ass off, my legs and back hurt, and everyone loved everything, even though Icooked too much. But I made mucho $$$$ for my effort. I will cry about working Christmas day all the way to the bank. I think my next trip to Belize is already paid for. Yeehaaa.

I am doing something similar to the marmalade glazed ham. The marmalade is one that I made earlier this month from little sour oranges grown in our conservatory. Let us know which you decide on am I will let you know how mine came out.

I like the cold buster and the passion fruit one. Now I want one and the closest one is all the way across town.

not necessairly real Italian pizza, just super thin crust. When I make them, I stretch the dough so thin on the pizza screens they almost become translucent. Then they bake up extra crispy. Soggy pizza just does not work here.

Let's see, since oh about 1970, I have worked almost every Christmas, New Years Eve and etc. It is just a regular day, except your busy as all get out, I almost used the 'f' word, but my better sense prevailed. I will be doing a pizza party for Christmas Eve, then hitting midnight mass. Then up early the next day to produce a full buffet pretty much by myself. Then New Year's Eve, I have an open buffet stand up cocktail party for 50 by myself. Just another day. I don't know that I would know what to do with the day off. I used to get upset that I had to work, but then I realized that hey, it pays the light bill, and now, no biggie.

I need recommendations for places for lunch and dinner in mid-january. My boss is going to be down and will be staying at the Mansion. What is new, exciting, great food, and it does not have to be all high dollar. She loves super thin crust pizzas, some middle eastern foods, small portions, tasting menus, good wine lists, and good times. Where can I make her some reservations? edited to add - If it sounds good enough, i might sneak down before her to check it out. They have dined at most of the 'ususal suspect' upper end restaurants in the Dallas area. I don't think they would drive over to Ft Worth, but it could be worth a try. I know Lanny's Alta Cucina would fit the bill over there. So what is new on the Dallas side of the metroplex?

I do!, I do! I have not been in the city since the 80's and still crave those things once in a while. And even though they make Blue Bell right over in Broken Arrow, it is not the same. Now I will have dreams about them. I can almost taste one already. Oh my, what is a Floridian living in Oklahoma to do but suffer.

omg, Elie, these things are wonderful. I just remembered them and am blown away. They have had time for the heat to be dissapated somewhat, but the flavor is trememdous. Now I did do mine with jalapenos, so there is some kick, and the garlic has just mellowed right out. The nuts are still crunchy even though the peppers are not. Next year, i will use hatch peppers. I have enough to put out for holiday parties. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

Andrew, thanks for the info on Seattle's Best. I remember Stewart's from when I lived in the Great Pacific Northwet in the early 80's. And that was when Starbucks only had 3 little terrific shops. Things change. And now Seattle is Caffine central. Who would of thought.

Susan, thanks for the report on Jackson's. The chef, Irv Miller, has been a friend of mine since 1985 when he was the head chef at Colors in Destin.

the extra rich christmas bread pudding just got added to my christmas day menu.

I guess this means we can now think of starbucks as the Wal-mart of coffee instead of the McDonald's of coffee. And to all you making a living at starbucks, my hat is off to you for all those frappeycinos you have to make. as for Seattle's best, is it even sold in Seattle? or is that just a ruse? pretty much I never considered Seattle to be the epicenter of coffee. I started drinking espresso when I lived in San Francisco at Cafe Flore and Cafe Sport and Cafe Trieste. To me, SEA was pretty mucha johnny come lately as far as coffee is concerned. Lot's of people here line up for their daily dose of sugar with caffine. I go on by to my local independent just so I can sit by the fireplace while I drink my cuppa from a real ceramic mug. nothing better.

Just know that I will be jealous. Finding a decent hot dog here is hard to do. Something that is not one of those little pathetic coney things.

I find there are a lot of fish that we used to consider too much trouble when I was a kid (50's) that are eaten now. I like the flavor of triggerfish. It reminds me a bit of pompano. And it is a lot of fish with very little edible,(kind of like a john dory) but worth the trouble for me. On the upper Gulf coast, they eat a lot of Amberjack, which I detest. But that is just my taste. And I do not care for mullet either. There used to be a restaurant on the Courtney "Campbell causeway that specialized in smoked mullet and smoked shrimp. That was good. They would bring it to your table directly from the smoker. As for exploring the different areas of Florida for seafood, have you been to Cedar Key? And Tarpon Springs? And Palm Beach is not that far down the turnpike. I find the level of restaurants in a given area will plateau at a place that the locals will accept and go no further until a newer more inventive chef challenges the notions of what food should be about. Very few areas have the level of expectation that only a few major metro areas in the USA seem to have. And that has become a major tourist draw for those of us in the mid-lands. And everywhere I have lived, the expectations have risen due to tourism influences plus the locals traveling and dining out. I think of some areas of Florida that 20 years ago, it was hard to find seafood that was not frozen and fried. And now, even the locals are demanding grilled, sauted, steamed. Tonyy13, maybe it is your challenge to help move the local dining up a notch because of the people you influence in your classes. Go for it. Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead. (Admiral Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay)

Robyn, I am with you on the yellowtail and the pompano. I also like triggerfish. And growing up on the northern gulf coast of Florida, I miss the seafood of my youth. The northern fish are good and all that, and I lived in Oregon and had great salmon, but redfish, nothing better.

I inquired and was told that Oklahoma was considered southwest, so this is where I posted it. It was a hard decision. Here in Tulsa, Oklahoma more heartland but down in Broken Bow, they think of it as southeast. yes, BA is Broken Arrow. As for an outing, I would be up for it. Right now, I drive to Dallas to meet with eG'ers. Not that that has been a bad thing, I now know some pretty cool folks down on the other side of the Red River. PM me when your going to be in and we can make some arrangements to meet up. I am always ready to try someplace new. And I have no problems going out of town for food.