annachan

Just tried the second recipe tonight. It didn't turn out too well. I think one of the problem is getting the temp right. Also, it turned out a little on the sweet side. Guess I will play with the recipes some more.

One more thing, the mother to be is also diabetic!

I make mini frittatas by baking them in mini muffin tins. They worked well as finger food. Thanks for the suggestions.

Usually, finger food for a party is an easy one for me. However, there are some strict guidelines this time and I like to see what others can come up with. Requirements: 1) Must be finger food. No need to use utensils to consume. 2) Dairy free - we got people who are lactose intolerent. 3) Be kosher - since dairy is out, we're sticking with the meat theme, with no pork, shellfish. 4) Items must be fairly easy and inexpensive. It'll be for 30-40 people. 5) Prefer items that we can prep ahead. Event will be Sunday brunch and I'll have the day before to prep. Dessert is taken care of already since I'll be bringing the chocolate fountain over. So I'm looking for some savory items. I have several things in mind, like frittata, turkey meatballs, mushroom in puff pastry and chicken nuggets. Also thinking about some sort of salad stuffed something. So, ideas?

Where can I get some Smart Chicken? I'm here in San Francisco....

Just an idea.....what about one of those funnel cake dispensers?

This is one from a friend, who is "challenged" in the field of cooking: I bought a homemade tiramisu to work and she wanted the recipe. As it is a very easy recipe, I thought she could handle it. She told me the next week that she tried the recipe and it just didn't come out right. I was surprised since the recipe is no cook, just call for combining some common ingredients that you can pick up in any supermarket. The problem: she didn't have marsala wine at home so she used red wine. The sad part is, it's been about 10 years and I don't think she fully understand why she couldn't substitute the marsala wine with the red wine.

I only make food that I like. The reason is that I can't judge if a dish is good or not if I don't like it in the first place. Having said that, I do take my guests into consideration when planning a menu. Any special diets, dishes/ingredients that I know the guests like and special requests.

Thanks, Mudbug! Will give those a try and report back!

Eggettes (gai daan jai) have recently sprung onto the market in San Francisco. After trying several places, I've finally found one that made something close to the ones in Hong Kong. I actually have an old fashion eggettes maker at home but was not successful the time I tried it a while ago. Having had some good eggettes last night has sparked my interest in trying it out again. So, anyone have a recipe out there for eggettes? How about a source for the new digital eggettes maker?

The last time I was in Singapore, I had what must have been "old school Singapore type" curry puffs. They were more empanada-like and were fried. The dough was slightly sweet, though. I thought it was much more like Filipino empanadas than South American-style empanadas I've had. If the purpose of the double-skin method is to create a layer, the recipe I've linked to may accomplish the same thing with the pinwheeling of the dough. With this recipe, I would only follow steps 1-6, then slice the dough a thicker than they suggest, roll it into a larger circle, fill and fry. I would try both dough methods and see which he liked better--there's no harm in having a lot of curry puffs . Edited to add a very blurry picture of some Singaporean curry puffs--the one with the red dot was sardine, and the other was chicken curry, I think. ← The dough in picture looks very much like the dough the Chinese use for a sweet empanada-like items that is stuffed with cocnut, peanut and sugar. I'm not sure how the dough is made, I just know it has lard in it. Anyway, we made curry puffs once using spring roll wrappers. They came out nice and crispy. We took the wrapper and cut each into 3 long strips. We put fillings in one end and just started folding triangles until we use up the strip.

Shrimp! You can season the shrimp whichever way you like. Then skewer them between wedges of lemon or lime. Portabello mushrooms are also great on the grill, as are green onions.

Poached asparagus, top with a few slices of ham or proscuitto and a poached egg. Top with a dressing of seasoned rice vinegar, mayo, salt, pepper and Persian lime olive oil. I'm ready for lunch!

I like Delancey Street. It's a very reasonably priced place with big portions and lots of choices. It's kids friendly. Some items are better than others, so my recommendation is to stick with the roasted/bbq items. There's street parking (metered - $2 an hour) and valet parking ($4). It's also by the water so you can take a walk across street before or after the meal. There are several chain places that the kids may enjoy as well: Bucca di Beppo (Italian), Mel's Diner, Lori's Diner and Bubba Gump's.

sheetz, Now that you mention it, I have no intentions to cook for a living or even on a regular basis for anyone else. So it's highly unlikely I'd find myself volunteering in a restaurant kitchen. ← I guess I misread your commitment/desire to learn. No problem. Cookbooks are great, so are books on karate, medical reference books, etc. But I've never heard of anyone becoming a black or any colour of belt without stepping inside a dojo or a doctor starting to practice without doing an internship in a hospital. ← This reminded me of something the local newspaper (San Francisco Chronicle) did a while back. They had a "rent a grandmom" program a while back, and it may still be existance. What the program did was to match up people who want to learn more about food from their culture to a "grandmom" who is well versed in cooking for some lessons. My grandmom was definitely my inspiration for cooking. I learn so many invaluable lessons from cooking with her. If you can't/don't want to/have time for volunteering at a restaurant, maybe seek out some "grandmoms" in your area who are willing to give some lessons. I'm sure you can learn much more than just cooking from them.

Wild mushroom and italian sausage with fontina....yummmm....carmelized onion and roasted garlic are great additions....

Ohhh boy, here goes: Gnoh Ho. Ho Yeh... lol... was I even close? Well heck... I missed all the fun. Are you referring to the links in post #8 or can you direct me to the battleground? Cantonese food isn't bland, it's refined. Beautiful compositions of quality ingredients combined to complement each other in flavor, coler, texture, and density - all in balance. Nothing overpowering, pleasantly allowing the ingredients to speak for themselves in harmony. Besides... how many people have had truly "authentic" (there's a thread on this word floating around) Cantonese dishes which are not altered for restaurants? Personally, I've always had a tough time eating at Asian restaurants because most of the dinner food has been Westernized and I don't care for it. Is it just me? When I got older and started eating more "American" food, I could not for the life of me figure out how anyone could eat the meat in anything because it was always so tough, dry, bland - ick! I grew up with meat that was, as we like to say, "soft". (I love when they say that on Iron Chef. I empathize completely.) So soft in fact - that when cooked properly - you can get chicken breast to be fully cooked and yet literally melt in your mouth. Little did I know the standards had been set when I was young... There is an interesting description of Chinese cuisines and their differences at this blog from someone who has been teaching Asian cookery for years: http://tigerberries.blogspot.com/2005_01_0...es_archive.html Hit [control] + [F] on your keyboard to "Find" and type in: January 26 Then hit return. It will take you to the complete entry. You know... I searched before posting. Thought for sure this place would have had an existing thread on this topic by now. Was quite surprised none and also to find the small the quantity of threads in this particular niche. I know people are interested in it... Happy to stir the cornstarch and liven things up... I probably have heard of Toysan and don't realize it. Then again... you never know. What's the phonetic pronounciation? Thanks for the definition. I certainly don't want to feel unworthy of my heritage due to my ignorance, but if you're not around people who talk about it, or otherwise exposed to the information, you don't know. We're all here to learn.... right? Europe, eh? Well... not so much. Try: Missouri. ( heh) Does that put things in perspective? Don't get me wrong... some of the most unassuming small towns have a surprising selection of Asian ingredients.. but it's never the same without at least having a decent Chinatown where you can get a good dim sum to fill your tummy and satisfy the taste buds. ← What am I hearing about Cantonese food being bland? I'll be happy to join you two in battle if that comes up again. There's a BIG difference between food that showcase the natural flavor of the ingredients and being bland. Having a Chinatown around is good, but even in San Francisco, it's not the same as Hong Kong. I so long for the food over there....

There are several ways I make yellow squash. I love to sautee them with some bacon, onion and garlic. I also use them in soup and vegetable stews. Here's a recipe I got from a mailing list that sounds interesting. I have yet to try it out though. Roasted Summer Squash Dip 3 lbs (1350 g) zucchini or yellow squash, halved lengthwise 6-8 whole cloves garlic 1 large onion, peeled and quartered 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil 1/2 cup (125 ml) packed basil leaves 1/2 cup (125 ml) packed parsley 1/4 cup (60 ml) packed mint leaves 2 Tbs (30 ml) lemon juice, or to taste Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Place the squash, garlic, and onion on a lightly greased baking sheet and drizzle with a little of the olive oil. Bake in a preheated 375F (190C) oven until the squash is very soft, about 1 hour. Combine the roasted vegetables with the remaining ingredients in an electric blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Serve chilled with pita bread for dipping. Serves 6 to 8.

My bunnies love carrot tops! If you know someone who owns bunnies, offer him/her the carrot tops as treats for those cottontails.

I second that. I remember watching a cooking show on PBS, Lydia's Italian Kitchen I think, and this sauce was made. Lydia mentioned that you can't taste the vodka at the end. Here's my recommendation: If you don't drink Vodka at home, then get a cheap bottle of vodka for cooking. Trader Joe has some very reasonably priced ones. If you do drink Vodka (only non-flavored ones) at home, then buy what you drink and use that in the sauce, if your situation is like mine. I have Absolute at home and use that in cooking when it's call for. It works for me because I don't drink Vodka often and don't use it often in cooking. One open bottle would last me for more than a year at my house. If you drink a lot or use a lot of Vodka at home, then get the good stuff for drinking and the cheap stuff for cooking.

Hong Kong: I really like Spring Deer over in Kowloon. It's known for great Peking duck. What I enjoy most in Hong Kong is the street food. I highly recommend the waffle. Hot waffles filled with condense milk, butter, peanut butter and sugar. When we visit, my husband has to have one everyday. My other favorites include curry fish balls, fried tofu, chestnuts, and eggettes (little sweet egg puffs).

Thanks! I'm having a great time here.

If it's a large abalone, we usually slice it up and make soup. For small ones, we just steam them.

This one cooked a little quicker, only 8 hours. But I thought you maybe able to use the same spice rub. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_30009,00.html

Golden Needle is a common name for a couple of things... either "blanched" (in this case grown without light) garlic chives or the dried unopened glower bud of certain yellow or orange day lilies. "The nutritious dried vegetable kam cham, which means golden needle in Cantonese, is derived from the yellow flower of day lily. It is also known as “forget worries vegetable”. It is a highly recommended Chinese health food. It is high in iron, potassium, phosphorous and calcium. Frequent intake can prevent stone formation in the kidney and bladder." http://malaysiancuisine.net/cgi-bin/editor....pl?article=118 I personally never did care for the dried day lily "golden needles". But they are an interesting chewey, squeaky texture worth experiencing. ← It's the dried lily that she put in the dish. They're actually my least favorite part. I always eat up all the wood ear first.