jende

Add me to the list of people who hasn't even thought about Tater Tots for 25 years, but couldn't stop obsessing about them since reading this thread. I couldn't bring myself to buy Ore-Ida, even for the sake of sentiment, but I found a "healthy" brand that only listed a few ingredients besides potatoes, and no trans fat. I'm going to bake them up nice and crispy with a beer-marinated sirloin and a nice arugula and avocado salad. My husband is psyched.

I should clarify, I think it was the Littlenecks that were gritty not the canned clams.

Thanks, that's what I thought. I had never used canned clams before, but I couldn't imagine that they'd be gritty!

As a Detroiter, this is great news for me!! I think you'll have big success in that location. There's tons of foot traffic not only on game days but any time there are events at Ford Field and the Fox. Congratulations and best of luck.

I made clam chowder using both canned clams and some steamed Littlenecks. The end result was very tasty, but kind of gritty and I'm trying to find the likely grit culprit. I rinsed the Littlenecks then steamed them separately in water and wine. I pulled them out into a clean bowl, let them cool a little, then dumped them with some juices that collected in the bowl into the soup pot. I did not use any of the steaming liquid because I did notice some grit in the bottom of the pot and didn't have any cheesecloth to strain it with. The canned clams I just dumped into the pot. My sense is that the Littlenecks held the grit. Anyone care to chime in? And if it was the Littlenecks, how can I avoid it in the future? Just rinse them once they are cooked?

The frigid weather this past weekend kept me close to home, so we went to Enoteca Roma (wonderful cheeses and salumi). I still would like to try Terragusto some time soon.

I agree. This was a very interesting post and a bit surprising. I can never imagine Steingarten for example serving Pillsbury pigs in a blanket. I'd expect a lot more from Richman. There is a fine line between rustic and kind of lazy (the roast beef looks boiled). Although the tempura does sound good. ← I get what you're saying, but note that Fat Guy found both dishes delicious, even if they are trashy. I kind of liked that Richman proudly served what he felt he made best -- he's a professional food critic, not a professional chef!

Thanks for a delightful post! I've always been a fan of Alan Richman and his cranky ways, and it's cool to see him in his element. Pigs in a blanket are genius.

I would try calling/emailing and explain your situation. You never know, they might give you a reservation earlier than they normally do. ← That's a good idea. If you call the full month ahead, though, I think you should be able to get a rez especially if you're flexible on the time.

I look forward to your report back. ← I'm still on the fence about going here or A Mano, but I'll report back either way.

I would LOVE this recipe too. Did you eat it straight up, or use it for sandwiches and such? ← We ate it straight up, mostly. I did toast it and put strawberry jam on it which was good. My dad did cinnamon and sugar, which he said was good. I tastes best warm, so I'd heat it in the oven or toast it very lightly, maybe with some butter. This was the recipe I had written down, I ended up needing a lot more flour, maybe about 4 cups in total. I was really winging it. 2 cups of flour 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 oats 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons melted butter About 3 1/2 or 4 bananas, mashed 3/4 cup warm milk 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 cup chopped walnuts Mix together flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, salt, and bananas. Melt butter, pour into the mixture. Warm milk to dissolve ADY. Pour dissolved yeast-milk mixture to flour mixture and let sit for a few minutes. Then I used a dough hook to mix together a bit before putting on floured counter and kneading. The dough should achieve a satiny and smoothish texture. When your almost done kneading, knead in walnuts. Put in lightly oiled or greased bowl, cover, and let rise for about 2-2 1/2 hours. (In all honesty, it didn't rise much, but I seem to have bad luck with that. It puffed up real nicely during baking.) Divide the dough as desired and shape. Cover and lets rise for about 1- 1 1/2 hours. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes and sheet pan. Rotate and bake for about 20 more minutes. Side notes: Probably didn't need the oats. I had oats, so I felt like putting them in...haha. I used brown sugar, but granulated would probably be good too. I actually used buttermilk, but I think whole milk would be better. Those are the things I would change. Also, I just looked up banana yeast bread, found some recipes similar to mine. LOL. If you decide you want to try it, please let me know how it turns out! ← I made the bread this morning. I needed close to 6 cups of flour (so I ended up with a BIG loaf!) and I used a mix of white flour and whole wheat (about 2:1). I also cut back on the brown sugar to about a half-cup and the cinnamon to just a pinch. I had a little trouble with the inside still being a bit doughy after the outside was baked, but that's probably because it was such a large loaf. Next time I will either cut the recipe in half or make two loaves. Also, I'll add a little more salt which is necessary for the amount of flour I used. Overall I really liked the bread. It was delicious spread with cream cheese for breakfast.

This thread has put Terragusto on my list for my trip to Chicago in a few weeks, but I've been leery because I've heard some bad things about the service and atmosphere (some say it's very loud). Any feedback on those issues?

I have an extra deep single sink and I love it. When I built my house about a year ago, I too had trouble finding a single sink but I'm glad I persevered. I can't imagine trying to wash my large sheet pans and pots in a double sink.

I would LOVE this recipe too. Did you eat it straight up, or use it for sandwiches and such? ← We ate it straight up, mostly. I did toast it and put strawberry jam on it which was good. My dad did cinnamon and sugar, which he said was good. I tastes best warm, so I'd heat it in the oven or toast it very lightly, maybe with some butter. This was the recipe I had written down, I ended up needing a lot more flour, maybe about 4 cups in total. I was really winging it. 2 cups of flour 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 oats 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons melted butter About 3 1/2 or 4 bananas, mashed 3/4 cup warm milk 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 cup chopped walnuts Mix together flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, salt, and bananas. Melt butter, pour into the mixture. Warm milk to dissolve ADY. Pour dissolved yeast-milk mixture to flour mixture and let sit for a few minutes. Then I used a dough hook to mix together a bit before putting on floured counter and kneading. The dough should achieve a satiny and smoothish texture. When your almost done kneading, knead in walnuts. Put in lightly oiled or greased bowl, cover, and let rise for about 2-2 1/2 hours. (In all honesty, it didn't rise much, but I seem to have bad luck with that. It puffed up real nicely during baking.) Divide the dough as desired and shape. Cover and lets rise for about 1- 1 1/2 hours. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes and sheet pan. Rotate and bake for about 20 more minutes. Side notes: Probably didn't need the oats. I had oats, so I felt like putting them in...haha. I used brown sugar, but granulated would probably be good too. I actually used buttermilk, but I think whole milk would be better. Those are the things I would change. Also, I just looked up banana yeast bread, found some recipes similar to mine. LOL. If you decide you want to try it, please let me know how it turns out! ← Thanks, I will let you know how mine turns out. I'm thinking about using some whole wheat flour and cutting back on the sugar to make it more savory.

I would LOVE this recipe too. Did you eat it straight up, or use it for sandwiches and such?