annachan

Most of the time....once in a while, I make something that doesn't quite workout as well as I like. I still eat it, but may not like it much.

Please tell me this is a joke..? That sounds like an emetic, not a sweet. No, I don't have a TV, long (not interesting) story. I wish it was a joke....you can find the recipe on foodnetwork.com....

Sandra Lee on truffles: Take can chocolate frosting, add powder sugar & vanilla, roll them out and dust with cocoa powder.

I had a bad sweet tooth last night but didn't want to spend much time in the kitchen. So, I melted a bar of chocolate, tossed in some almonds and made some almond clusters. They hit the spot.

I recently made the Escoffier recipe of Oxtail soup: recipe Minus the "gelatinous bones" (my local butcher already thinks I'm strange!) and the result was the most amazing clear broth with the sweet carrots and oxtail meat sitting down there at the bottom of the bowl. It wasn't quite the Oxtail I remember from childhood - more of a British affair, with some of the meat blended into the stock (negating the need for all the clarification) to make a thicker soup. Still, glad I tried it. Tonight I'm trying London Particular An attempt to match weather with food in more than one way! What are gelatinous bones?

I still have no idea what I'll be making. I don't want turkey (or other poultry) and I don't want ham! I'm thinking some sort of pork (maybe belly) or seafood. Suggestions?

I actually don't make tomato soups at home. I found a box product that I like and I've been using that. It's Trader Joe's tomato soup w/ roasted red pepper. Another winter warmer: oxtail!

A few sweet ides: Toffee Salted caramel (plain or dipped in chocolate) Chocolate barks

Butternut squash soup Meatballs and vegetable soup Curry Panini w/ tomato soup Tuna casserole Mac n cheese Mushroom lasagna French dip (made in slow cooker) w/ sweet potato fries Spicy stir fry dishes Hot pot

Shrimp chips! I loved them as a kid. Not so much these days as I find that most of the stuff I can find in the US lacks shrimp flavor. Lobster chips are great as well.

I am a big fan of Weiss (France). The dark chocolates are awesome but my all time favorite is one of the milk chocolates. I never thought milk chocolate can be so good. It has a hint of caramel finish to this chocolate. The only issue is that Weiss isn't easy to find, especially in small quantities. I sometimes am tempted to order the 22lb bucket....

The mini peanut butter cups at Trader Joe's is a guilty pleasure for me.... For fancier peanut butter cups, it's the peanut butter pucks from Recchiuti for me!

If I was replying to this thread when it first started, I would have said that I'm where I want to be, in San Francisco. My trip to Australia several years ago changed all that. Australia is where I want to be and we will most likely be moving there next year. This move is not food motivated, though I don't think I will be disappointed in that department. If I was to move for the sake of food, Spain and Hong Kong are 2 top choices.

Since you contacted Gary Danko and French Laundry with no luck, here are some alternatives for dinner: Quince - lovely high end Italian Coi - one of my favorites in the city Frances - excellent food for great prices, casual Prospect - plan your meal accordingly as you won't want to miss dessert. Get an order of the caramel corn to go! For Saturday morning, check out a farmer's market and eat there! The Ferry Building one is more upscale. Can eat at one of the stall or inside the building at Il Cane Rosso. If you're looking for a more rustic market, the Alemany one is for you. Cheaper produce and less fancy food. El Huarache Loco is not to be missed for real Mexican food. One of my favorite hole-in-the-wall place for breakfast is Art's Cafe by Golden Gate Park. Hash brown sandwich is a specialty. Tony's Pizza Napoletana has great award winning pizzas and fried calzone. He recently opened a take out place next door to the restaurant. I haven't been but heard the pizza by the slice there is great. There are also sandwiches and Gino's Italian ice. There is a park right across if you want a little picnic.

BTW, Sur La Table also has a hard anodized set. 10-piece for $249.

So, I have my eyes on the Sur La Table hard anodized skillet set (9" & 11") that's selling for $49.99. But, I still need a few more pieces. I need one or two small saucepans (2 and/or 3 qt) and a stockpot. I like one of the saucepans to be non-stick/hard anodized for cooking rice as I may not be getting a rice cooker right away after I move. So, I have been looking at cookware sets again as I'm not able to find great prices on good quality pieces. The hard anodized set at Costco (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11485000&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|90608|56625&N=4047399&Mo=17&No=5&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=55004&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1〈=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=) has an attractive price ($159 for 15-piece). Even though there are more pieces than I need, it has the essential pieces that I want. If I just stick to getting what I want and buy them separately, I have a feeling I will end up spending more. Budget is tight right now as we're moving to another country. I'm looking to spend under $200 for 2 skillets, one or 2 saucepans and a stockpot. I also can't keep replacing cookware so I need something that can last at least several years. So, what are your thoughts on the hard anodized cookware from Costco? Do I have other good options in my price range?

I just found out about Thermomix and a little excited about seeing it in action once we move to Australia. I know there are lots this machine can do, but I still wonder how practical it is in everyday cooking. And I really wonder if it can truly replace all the other machines. I just don't know enough about the machine to know. So here are some questions I have regarding replacing the following machines. Stand mixer - ok, the Thermomix can knead dough. But can it whisk (making marshmallow) or blend (as in adding chocolate chips to cookies) without using the cutting blade. Food processor - I know it can dice, but what about shredding or slicing vegetables? Slow cooker - the main concern here is the size. How large a piece of meat can it handle for things pot roast, pull pork, etc.? I like to make oxtail stock in my slow cooker as well but how many pieces of them can Thermomix hold? Rice cooker - does it really cook rice? I'm not talking about risotto, just plain rice. The Kenwood Cooking Chef though looks quite promising. May take care of the stuff I just mentioned above. What about sou vide? I want to make sou vide eggs!

Bud - thanks for the link. The prices on the irregular All-Clad are still quite high though, even with additional 20%. I'm not saying they are not worth the price, just more than what I can afford to spend right now. I don't think I will be able to get All-Clad now unless the prices are deeply discounted.

I'm sure that someone else makes SLT cookware. The question is, which one? I did take a look at the skillets at the store and they look to be quite sturdy, very comparable to All Clad skillets. I am leaning toward getting these unless I see some All Clad and the like at similar prices....

Thanks mgaretz. I've been looking at All-clad prices and haven't found anything close to the SLT prices. I am looking looking for the best right now, just something that's pretty good quality at very good prices.

I've been looking to get some reasonable priced skillets. Happened to see these @ Sur La Table. Price seems to be really good ($49.99) for 9" and 11" skillets. I'm looking at getting something nonstick for eggs and such. Also want something that can go into the oven. I will probably be looking for a few other pieces (stockpot, saucepans) as well and like to know if the quality is worth the price. Thanks!

Thanks andiesenji! Just created my account at the forum. This Thermomix thing is interesting. Didn't even know that it existed. I love finding out about new kitchen toys!

We're looking into getting a container so we should have room for kitchen stuff. I have several pieces of really great cookware that I'll bring, but need to replace some of the pieces as they're at the end of their lives and not worth bringing over. I will need to get a one nonstick skillet, a stockpot, a wok and 1 or 2 smaller saucepans. I also need a good set of knives. As for electronics, I really don't want to give up my pro line Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I know if I leave it behind, it's just not something I'll have the money to replace (for have the heart to spend that money) for a while. If I go with a transformer, then the chocolate tempering machine, crepe maker, etc. can come along as well. A few electronics that I plan to get in Australia is a rice cooker, a slow cooker and tea kettle. I imagine that I use those enough that I should not rely on a transformer. I looked at the prices on those and they are higher than in the US, but not by a whole lot.

Looking at the prices, the transformer may be the way to go. Thanks!

Thanks nickrey. It looks like I won't be getting my stand mixer for a while at those prices! It's about 3 times higher than in the US. I so wish that my kitchen electrics would work over there....