Kim Shook

tracey - I would give my next vacation for that 'shore dinner'! Jamie Lee - I thought your pancakes were lovely. Tasty looking, too! And I was also mesmerized by the short ribs on the magazine cover! I'm glad that it worked so well. David - I am so glad that you posted the directions for that gorgeous Apple, Pear and Parsnip Salad. It is just beautiful and sounds perfect to go with pork (which I am craving daily now that fall weather is almost here). A couple of nights ago we had Pan Roasted Pork Chops w/ Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta and broccoli (the sauce on the pork chops is a nice little pan sauce made with a purchased Caramelized red onion and Fig savory topping): Tonight was crabmeat au gratin, (that same) polenta - pan fried, baked chili beans and sauteed summer squash and onions: Hmmm. Plate was a little bland looking, huh? Kim

Tri2Cook - that glaze is awesome! So shiny and.....glazey ! Mark - that lemon cake looks so good! Is the frosting whipped cream or what? And the red velvet is beautiful. Howja do the little hearts? lexy - I, too, love banana bread and can find all reasons to make it. I secretly love it when the bananas in the bowl are overripe and I can throw them in the freezer for banana bread! I always add chocolate chips to mine, but next time I will use chocolate chunks and top with cinnamon sugar! Thanks! Hosinmigs - I'm with you. I am so envious of the skill that so many here at egullet show in photography. I think that I am going to have to bite the bullet and invest in an SLR digital camera, some classes and Photoshop ! Latest effort was three of these: That's caramel apple pie. All that oozy goo is from a streusel topping that you put on before the top crust: Slice: Kim

This is a rather surprisingly fascinating topic! I have always been a bit voyeuristic about other people’s grocery carts and this is similar. Really fun! Here is the list that lives on the fridge. We add things as they come up, even if they are long term needs (i.e. – the crock pot). Some things stay on the list for weeks. Then, on shopping day, I make a list on the computer and print it out. I divide it up according to the store (we usually have a Costco stop, a Kroger stop, a drug store stop and a Fresh Market (the specialty food store where I work) stop – today I needed to add Dollar Tree, Michael’s and Office Depot: Sorry for the fuzzy pictures! Kim

Thanks so much! Now, one more question (or maybe its two): I assume that when I cook it, I do not thaw - correct? How much longer and at what temperature? Thank you again! Kim

Mr. Kim and the kid did some apple picking while they were in Charlottesville this past weekend for football. I have a big box of apples. I am going to make some pies, using this recipe. The question is: do I bake the pie first, then freeze or freeze it before baking? Note that you slightly cook the apple slices before assembling the pie. Ta! Kim

You can tell that Momma's still gone - that is one huge pasty ! (I know how big those plates are!) Kim

Somewhere in NC or SC: My favorite part is the "II" Kim

Shelby - I love your halloween kitchen! Mr. Kim believes that we are the only people in creation who have multiple boxes of Halloween decorations in the attic. I love your tree. Mine is shiny green, but I like yours better! David - the 'tacos' are lovely! I never fry my own shells, but I much prefer the texture of them when you do! Doddie - Oyster Po' Boys ! I want one right now! The crust looks perfect - thin, crisp and crackly! Well done! The other night I made soup out of the meat that I shredded for sandwiches : I needed some comfort that night, so I baked a loaf of plain old white: Plated up with some of my Grandma's pear preserves: Last night we had a football feast. These are almost always unapologetically trashy (think Costco frozen fingerfood and Velveeta/Salsa/Sausage dip ). Chicken tacitos (sp?): Cheese and crackers (aged gouda, Point Reyes blue, horseradish): And potstickers: I have made my own potstickers in the past and very good they were, too. But I got home from work at 5:30 having missed all the early games and I wanted to just sit and watch football. It was a good evening ! Kim [edited so that all of my pictures wouldn't be identical, after all !]

Percyn, that looks so beautiful! That meat is perfectly fall-apart gorgeous! You photos always remind me that one can plate things beautifully at home without looking 'fiddly'. I have recently started to do a lot of serving the protein portion over the starch portion. I love casseroles and to me, it's just like a deconstructed casserole. I recently did this: Scampi over sauteed mascarpone & roasted garlic polenta. With a Frisée Salad: I like serving leftover shreds of pot roast and gravy over french fries, too. I think it all goes back to my favorite after school snack - fries and gravy at Peoples drug store !

Rachel - A-men! (Pronounced with a long Baptist 'a', of course ) Kim

Hi, Shelby! I'll be glad to share the recipe. Here you go! This time when I made them, I frosted them with lemon buttercream. We like lemony stuff here! Hope you like them! Kim

Bleu Cheese Slaw! recipe, as requested! It really is good. You make the mayo for it with sherry vinegar - nice touch! I am so glad to be back! Thanks for the welcome. Kim

Coconut 'Nana Pudding: Delicious tasting, unfortunate looking. Kim

Finally, after two months of dickering with Dell , our computer is up and running. I'll get caught up with a bunch of pictures and bore you all to death: Mr. Kim's birthday dinner: Cheeses (Uniekaas Parrano, King's Choice Bleu, Piave Vecchio Veneto), crackers and fig preserves: Rib Eyes from the Belmont Butchery in Richmond: With mushroom sauce: Apparently delicious (I have tried and tried and am just not a fungus type), but I have no memory at all what I did with this. Dried mushrooms, wine, then.....??? Shrimp w/ remoulade and cocktail sauce: Caprese: Spinach & Apple Salad w/ Bacon: Pink Lemonade Cupcakes: Another dinner: Ribs: Baby Bleu Salad w/ Spicy Pecans and Cara Red Navels: I also served a delicious Coconut 'Nana pudding that was so good, I posted it in the desserts thread and so ugly that its going in the regrettable meals thread ! I also made a meal for Mr. Kim's Fantasy Football draft. Included were: Potato Salad from Cuisine at Home magazine. It's made with grated cucumbers and yogurt and was really light and fresh tasting. The original recipe included green beans, which I didn't add: and my always popular Bleu Cheese Slaw: BBQ Chicken, spinach fettucine, Southern green beans, biscuits and my grandma's pear preserves: Pan fried Haloumi cheese on pita: This stuff was fantastic. I was inspired to try it by one of the recent bloggers (sorry - anyone remember who? I have been speed reading them to get caught up lately) and we are hooked! Chicken Fricassee w/ Figs & Port Sauce, Polenta w/ Mascarpone & Roasted Garlic: Roasted Green Beans w/ Shallots & Hazelnuts: Even I liked these and I do not usually like my beans to crunch (reference above 'Southern Green Beans' )! Store boughten desserts : Shredded beef sandwiches w/ shaved Parm. & red onion and fig compote, tots and Winter corn (frozen sweet corn heated up with no water and a small can of creamed corn): Well, that's all right now. I truly hope that I haven't bored everyone to death or broken any site rules about how many pictures you can post at one time! I promise the next post will be more restrained! Kim

Ling, Tin Roof bars are just brownies, hot from the oven, spread with marshmallow creme, sprinkled with salted peanuts and then topped with chocolate - pop back in the oven for a minute and then the melted chocolate is spread on top clickety! Kim

Everyone's desserts look so gorgeous and professional and droolingly delicious! Ling always, always amazes! Now that we seem to be up and running after 2 months of computer problems, I'll post a few things I've done recently. Here are some of my homely efforts: Chocolate/Chocolate Birthday cake for my FIL: Sliced: It is my standard chocolate chiffon cake that I love above all others, but the frosting was new. It was a creamy frosting that I found at recipezaar.com and it was some of the best I have ever had! Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Coconut 'Nana Pudding: This looks horrible (hey, I have a contribution to the regrettable dishes thread !!), but tasted fantastic. It was inspired by a dessert that we had Les Halles in DC last year and I finally made it. A trio of brownies that I made for Mr. Kim's Geekfest '07 (otherwise known as Fantasy Football Draft ) - Plain: Cream Cheese: Peanut Butter: Pink Lemonade Cupcakes for Mr. Kim's birthday (that's what the big lug requested): You can't see because of my blurry photo, but on top are candied lemon peel and crumbled freeze dried raspberries. The raspberries are something that Michel Ricard suggests using in "Happy in the Kitchen". OMG - what a POW of flavor they add! If you look at these and then at the pictures of my cakes, you will see why I adore making cupcakes. My cupcakes are always pretty. My cakes usually look like I made them during some natural disaster ! MIL's birthday cake (Chocolate w/ 7 minute frosting): And lastly, Tin Roof Brownies for Mr. Kim's tailgate in Charlottesville: (can you tell I love brownies?) Ok, I'm sure everyone's tired of my massive down load. I'll go bug the folks over at the dinner thread now (I've got a lot more of those pictures ). Kim

Looks great, Marlene! I've made that dish before, using the same pictorial - it was really lovely!! Thanks for reminding me. Last night I bought some mozzarella and lean pork mince, took an onion and 2 cauliflowers from the fridge, and made this simple gratin for dinner: Not the prettiest dish in the world, but easy, homey and tasty. ← I beg to differ - that meal is beautiful and those perfectly crusted cauliflowerets are gorgeous! Kim

I was interested in (I think) Brian's comment about how cool it was to be around people who never get tired of talking about food. I can imagine that. I am not a chef or even involved in the food biz - I'm just the little piggie that loved roast beef, but I talk about food a lot. People (even the ones who love me and enjoy the results of my obsession) get really tired of it. Which is why, of course, I spend so much time here . Kim

You're in luck, i've added this recipe to the Recipe Gullet click! ← Ta, very much! I will make this as soon as Fall decides to come to Virginia! Kim

I actually liked it. I didn't expect to - I usually despise so called reality shows. I liked watching real chefs, with a lot of credibility, instead of a bunch of FOH wannabees, 'gifted' home cooks, evil little cutthroats. So far the chefs, while being totally committed to winning and having very healthy egos, seem to have respect for each other. I like that aspect. Kim

Hi, everyone! I am sort of on line again! Our computer is still in rehab , but we hooked up the daughter’s old machine so we could at least surf and read our email again. It is full of her stuff and an old and slow one, so I can’t post any photos yet. I am still taking pictures of my meals, so I’ll do a big old download when we are up and running again. I have spent the last week getting caught up here on the dinner thread and on the blogs and there are so many beautiful meals that I can’t comment on them all, but I do have a couple of requests/comments/questions: Prawncracker – could I have the recipe for the goat cheese and red onion tarts that Tug made? They look fantastic! Wendy – your mac n cheese looks exactly like I want mine to. Except it never does. Recipe, maybe?? Please! Mifi – that bison sandwich had me drooling! Monavano – I am definitely making that white gazpacho – it looks wonderful! By the way – I have bookmarked your site – I live in Richmond, but lived my whole life until college in Alexandria – went to TC Wms. I miss Alexandria and come back whenever I can! Tonight will be slow cooked beef sandwiches with Red Onion & fig compote and shaved Parmesan, tots & winter corn (my own 'invention' - a bag of frozen sweet corn and a small can of creamed corn ). Dessert will be chocolate chip banana bread.

I have a whole shelf-full of those supermarket check out line Pillsbury mini cookbooks. The ones that are next to the gum and mints? "A photo of every recipe!" "101 Things to do with Crescent Rolls!" I just can seem to resist them. Sometimes.....I even cook stuff out of them....and sometimes,........,......., we like it . I am sooooooooo embarrassed. Kim

Gabriel, I have been 'offline' for awhile now and am now marginally 'online' and finally have caught up on the food blogs and am up to date! I am so glad to see you blogging! Montreal is one place that Mr. Kim and I are considering going to, perhaps next year or the one after that. The care and time you take to make your meals is really inspiring! I am fascinated with your food and your city! Kim

I wish I could jump in because I think I have list in every freakin' room of my house! I am on daughter's borrowed computer right now and there is no room on it for photo stuff, but I'll be watching this thread and will contribute as soon as our computer is back from rehab. So far, my favorite list is Maggie's. Cat food, gin and cigs ! Kim

Thank you, broadway! Nice to know I don't have to buy something else! I know so little about wines, spirits, etc. I am going to have to spend some more time around this board! Kim