annachan

At the local Swiss restaurant, 7 or 8 sauces are served with the beef fondue. By far, my favorite sauce is their version of a curry sauce. It has the consistency like that of mayo and a nice, mild curry flavor. Other ideas that may work: garlic aioli, pesto sauce, chutney, balsamic reduction, mushroom sauce, peanut sauce, thai sweet chili sauce and some sort of hot sauce.

I'm not sure if she'll be up to it, but one of my favorite (and easiest) is Chinese sausage, cured fatty pork and cured duck (I would skip this for now as duck is supposed to be toxic) bo ji fan. Another favorite is spareribs. Sorry I can't offer any recipe as I usually get takeout. Speedy recovery, Mudbug's mom!

I've done a few crepe parties and your list looks good. There's just so much you can do with this. Here are some more ideas for you: scramble egg caramelized onion marinated/roasted vegetables (beel pepper, artichoke, etc.) chicken/egg/tuna/salmon salad smoked salmon with fixings (thinly sliced red onion, cream cheese, hard boiled egg, capers, etc.) ice cream/gelato/sorbet spring mix/pasta salad/couscous salad on the side Any option to think about is doing themes, like having a section of Mexican fillngs (what you would put in burrito/taco), a section of Mediterranean fillings (kebabs, hummus, tabouli) and a section of Asian fillings (roast duck, curry chicken, etc.). I'm actually considering that idea for my friend's daughter's birthday party.

Here's what I've found about IKEA products. Yes, the prices are low, but they are not built to last. If you'll looking for something that you plan to replace in a year or two, go for it. If you're thinking you want to invest in something that will last for 10+ years, skip IKEA. Some products will last longer than others. The ceramic items like dishes, mugs and gratin dishes will hold up like the ones you get from other stores. I'm really not fond of the pots and pans. What I suggest about IKEA is to go to the store instead of ordering from the catalog or online. You'll be able to see the quality in person and decide if it's worh your money.

Rice porridge. Usually made with different types of meat stock such as chicken and pork. As the baby gets older, you can also add small pieces of meat and/or vegetables in the porridge. Rice is the next step up.

One suggestion would be to hop on BART at the Powell station, about 2 blocks from Moscone Center, and get off at 16th and Mission station (it's just 2 stops, should take no more than 5 minutes). The area isn't great, but there are plenty of cheap eats within a block or so. I suggest heading west on 16th Street. You'll come across a variety of cheap eats. Pancho Villa (www.panchovillasf.com) is half a block from the station and serves up good Mexican food at reasonable prices. There is also Truly Mediterranean (www.trulymed.com), also on 16th, another block west, serves good shawerma and such at low prices. Across the street from Truly Mediterranean is Ti Couz, where you can get sweet and savory crepes. There are lots more options around there. Personally, I wouldn't take BART there after dark, but it's alright during the day.

To add to the list above, Spun Sugar in Berekely has candy/cake decorating ttype classes. I believe that Chinese cooking classes are offered somewhere in SF Chinatown.

If you're used to Vancouver's food scene, you'll probably be disappointed with Adelaide.

This definitely brings back memories. My dad still loves this dish, but usually just use tortillas, since they're much easier to deal with.

Nacho cheese Malt vinegar and salt Curry sauce Chocolate shake Tabasco and ketchup Any sauce with lots of garlic in it

Since you're at the Moscone Center, don't forget to grab some cream puffs from Beard Papa. http://www.beardpapasf.com/

I guess I could be in the minority, but I can't stand Rose Pistola. We went there quite a few years ago and it was so bad that we went somewhere else for dessert! Service was less than friendly and even less competent. The food was way worse than the service. Anyway, I do really enjoy L'Osteria del Forno. Another favorite of mine is Panta Rei. Great pasta and calzone at very reasnable prices.

I got mine at Costco at a discount. Not sure if it's still available there, but it wouldn't hurt to check. ← Costco hasn't opened here yet, sadly and it will be awhile before it does. So I will continue to save or maybe ask for it for Christmas. Not sure how anyone in my family will feel about putting out that kind of money for a cookbook, but hey it doesn't hurt to try right? ← They're less than $30 new on eBay. Cheers, ← Amazon has it for $31.50 new, about $25 used.

When I want some fried catfish with greens and piping hot corn muffins, I go to Hard Knox Cafe on 3rd Street by 22nd Street. The owner is Asian but from Texas. You can get many Southern favorites there like fried chicken (another favorite of mine there), smothered pork chops, turkey wing and oxtails. I've yet to be disappointed with the food.

I got mine at Costco at a discount. Not sure if it's still available there, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

What a great find! I'm a sucker for those old cookbooks. $3.50 is a hard bargain to beat!

I've never had mantou with duck until I came to the US - from Hong Kong. I agree, I like both!

Join the club! Hubby has been wanting to do that for a while. I resisted because I can't stand the summer humidity and don't think I can get away with just being there in the winter months based on my schedule. The best time is really to get there before Christmas and stay through after Chinese New Year. Think of all the festivities and FOOD!

I love the web, but I also love my 200+ cookbooks - some more than others. I especially love old cookbooks or cookbooks containing old recipes. It's interesting to see how recipes evolve over time. It'll be a sad day when we have to pick between cookbooks and the web.

There are usually two sauces: curry or soy. Which one did you have? Also, they are sometimes served fried and you can dip that into soy and/or hot sauce. Just had dinner but this is making me hunger. Maybe it's time for another trip back to Hong Kong.

It's just been amazing how you can be in touch with people who you probably never meet in your life and exchange thoughts on food and cooking. Though it's fun to read about restaurants, it's even more exciting to get great recipes and tips. To me, it's even better than a cookbook, since you can't bounce ideas off of it.

I would normally suggest some sort of bread, like Cheese Rolls from the Cheeseboard Collective Cookbook. However, it doesn't sound like you got the time. For sweets, maybe a perfect batch of toffee, try out some usual flavors to use in truffles, or just making sugar decorations. For a vegetarian dish, maybe try making imitation meat by using gluten.

Put down 200 for me.

Sounds yummy....I really enjoyed the reverse, peanut butter swirled into good chocolate ice cream....some banana and caramel mixed in is even better.

Just got back from Brisbane and found some good eats there. I really enjoyed the mussels at Belgium Beer Cafe. My husband enjoyed the steak and a beer that was brewed as far back as 1449. I discovered Banana Beer there. It really tasted like banana! For a Tuesday night, the place was packed! The great find of our Australian trip was Urbane. It was an amazing experience. The chef was said to have worked with Thomas Keller at French Laundry and Per Se. The price (~$230 for a total of 5 courses each plus one extra dessert, 2 glasses of wine and 2 tea) was well worth it for the quality of food, almost a bargain, almost.