annachan

Like others have said before, not all disabilities are apparent. Service dog can be a seeing eye dog, but it can also be for someone with emotional issues. Are there people who abuse it? Of course. But you just can't tell who has a need for a service dog just by looking at him or her.

For everyday cooking, I'm not a planner. I go to the farmers market on Saturday and pick up what looks good for the week. I have an idea of what I want to get, but don't stress if what I want is not available. When I have people over though, I go into crazy planning mode. I usually spend a few evenings browsing recipes and planning the menu. I will go to multiple stores to track down ingredients.

My friend used to use a recipe for toffee that the fat (butter/margarine) never quite fully incorporated. She saves that fat and use it on toast. With a hint of toffee flavor, it was quite good.

Second the fruit crisp idea. Tiramisu is another easy one. Can make it directly in a hotel pan and no baking required (at least the version I make).

We're going to a friend's for dinner tonight. I said I'll make lechon kawali (deep fried pork belly). It'll be my first attempt so wish me luck! Anyway, I'm making it this afternoon. I don't want to make a mess in other people's kitchen so I'll be frying at home before bringing it over. Question is, will I have to heat it up before serving once I get to my friend's house (probably 20 minutes away). If I do, how?

That would be great! You can actually flag a review if a reviewer did review the wrong restaurant. As for the others, if you know that a reviewer may be doing any of those things, I would simply discount the review. I may not be able to change other people's actions, but I can decide for myself if a review has any merit.

I used to be on Yelp, a LOT! And I've gotten to know some yelpers (some in person) over the years. There are actually some trustworthy people on there, you just need to know who they are. However, Yelp (the company), like many other websites, are out to make money. Apparently some yelpers as well. And there are bloggers out there who do the same thing. They demand free meals from restaurants and threaten to write unfavorable reviews when that doesn't happen. When money isn't a factor, personal taste comes into play. Even with people I trust, we don't always like the same restaurants. Instead of believing that one website/blog/reviewer is good or bad, I take all of them with a gain of salt.

I've been looking into getting some egg coddlers later. Wonder how these compares....

Can you share how you made the broth? It's really hard to make suggestions not knowing what you've tried.

I used this recipe: http://norecipes.com/blog/2010/03/13/beef-cheek-confit-with-caramelized-turnips-recipe/ I marinated the cheeks for 3 days, confit and then caramelized the outside in a pan right before serving. Those cheeks were melt in your mouth delicious.

Don't think they are really old. The other bunches were all tender and sweet. Anyone know how to spot the spicy ones?

It didn't feel lie chili spicy. When I was chewing it, I felt a burning sensation at the back of my mouth and throat. I imagine it's like drinking concentrated ginger juice. The bunches of flowering garlic chives was very neat and there weren't any other vegetation mixed in, as far as could be seen by naked eyes. I thoroughly washed them before use. It's quite a mystery as I've never encounter this before and I've been eating them since I was a kid!

I have been picking up flowering garlic chives at the local market the pass few weeks. The first bunch was great! They were nice and sweet. So I picked up more the next week and those were great. The following week, I picked up two bunches. The first bunch was great, like the previous. I cooked the second bunch a few days later and they were so spicy that I threw most of them away. I love spicy food but these were literally burning my throat. It was like acid! The bunches all looked the same and they were all stored the same, for about the same number of days. I do like them a lot, when not crazy spicy. However, I've not been buying them because I just can't tell which are sweet and which are not. Are there ways to tell when you're buying them? Also, any idea of why my last bunch of chives were so spicy?

bwv554 - as a Chinese who was born in Hong Kong, moved to the US at 11, and after 25 years, moved to Australia, I can't say I agree with you. Yes, I know some Chinese people who feels that their culture is superior (and people from many cultures also feel that way about their own cultures). I, for one, don't. And I know other Chinese people who feel the same way. Not interested in learning about other cultures? Again, maybe the Chinese people I know are just...not typical. I love learning about food from different cultures. I love both ravioli and pot sticker and don't feel that one is better than another. And I love cheese fondue just as much as I love Chinese hotpot, though I do crave them at different times. Oh, the Asian Tiger mom thing. Seriously, I've worked in schools for many years (as a teacher, a youth worker and a counselor) and frankly, for every one Asian "tiger" mom I encountered, there are a handful of Asian non-tiger moms. Anyway, back to the OP's question. I think the restaurant owner said what he said because he wants people to think what he does is difficult, and that people should appreciate his style of cooking. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to this. It's really about that person's feeling or perception.

Thanks for the lovely blog. Gave me lots to look forward to when I make it to Sydney. Something from Zuni to end your blog - that was one of my last meals with friends in SF before moving here.

Ok, I'm sure I saw a Dragon Beard Candy stand from your photos of the Aroma Festival. Did you check it out? Was it handmade there? Any good?? I am so missing Mexican food! I need to look into getting those chilis and spices so I can make them at home.... BTW, we happened to spot a Korean grocer over in Civic today. The sign said it carries Japanese grocery as well. I actually found bonito flake! And kombu! I have ramen on my mind....

There was some SERIOUSLY marbled wagyu on the top shelf. Heart palpitations just looking at it. Me want. I had my eyes on that, too! We almost got some really nicely marble wagyu at Costco (about 50 some dollars per kg) the other day....but didn't because of other high priced purchases....sigh....

You manage to make me want gelato, despite having had -8 degrees the past 2 mornings.... Sonoma is so far the only place that makes bread like the ones we can get in San Francisco. I just wonder, how much do you pay for them there? I'm paying $7.50 - $8 a loaf here....

Do you get your sourdough from Sonoma Baking Company? There is a local cafe that carries their bread here and we get a loaf every week. I miss padron peppers! Haven't seen them around here....Having total veggie envy as picking was skim at the farmers market this morning. Not sure why but several veggie vendors weren't there. LOVE that butcher shop. I would be quite poor if I live by there....

Just got home from our local farmers market, which I do love. Can't wait to see what yours look like! 2 days of food with you? Very tempting....

I so, so, so, so, so miss sushi!!!! I also miss good Cantonese BBQ. I need to either brave the traffic in Sydney or learn how to make some of the stuff at home....

I was tempted to get a box of them when we're @ Costco....

I believe my grandma cooked the oatmeal first, and then add the meat. Since the oatmeal holds the heat so well, it cooks the meat quickly, keeping the meat tender. If flavor is more important, then the meat goes into the water the same time as the oatmeal. Oh, when I don't have meat ready, I have just added a spoonful of bovril to the oatmeal and it's not a bad substitution.

I love savoury oatmeal as well! That used to be the only way I would eat my oatmeal. My grandma used to make it with sliced or ground beef that she marinated in a combination of soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and oil. With a little soy sauce, it was great for cold mornings. It's still comfort food for me. I eat sweet oatmeal now. One time at work, I decided to pour coffee instead of water into some instant oatmeal. It actually goes quite well with the maple flavor oatmeal....

With the veg, I like to roast them and toss them with couscous. Roasted veg ratatouille, provided it isn't too saucy, the leftover would make a great hand pie filling. I usually have frozen puff pastry on hand so leftover often becomes pie. If you have some chicken meat left over, I would even add some of that to the filling.