Kim Shook

Thanks all for chiming in re: the Air Fryer. It sounds like what we thought was right and that it is a good thing for her to use on her own, but not worth me getting one. @Duvel – that leg of lamb looks SO good. I have been dreaming of going to Zahav in Philadelphia to try their lamb shoulder with pomegranate molassas and your lamb looks like the roast they start with. @kayb– I’m so glad that you got to go to Bulrush! Thanks so much for taking the time to get pictures and sharing with us! @rotuts – I, too, remember those dressings. I still like Russian a LOT. Once in a great while I’ll want French. But Catalina was too sweet for me even when I was a kid! My uncle retired from McCormick spices years ago but is still loyal to the products. One thing that he loves is using their Beef Stroganoff seasoning packet. It is his “specialty”😁. A couple of months ago he couldn’t find it anywhere up in Northern VA. I found some down here in Richmond VA and sent him a bunch. I hadn't had any in forever so, I kept a couple for myself. It is one of those mixes where you cook the meat and add water and the seasoning mix and simmer. Sour cream is added just before serving. The flavor is fine for something so easy and quick. But I made an interesting discovery. I don’t know if anyone remembers some steaks I made at the beginning of the month that were SO tough. I figured it was because I accidentally overcooked them. Which I DID, but that is only part of the reason they were so bad. I used the same “steaks” from the same place (Tom Leonard’s) for the Beef Stroganoff and they were even tougher and NOT at all over cooked. We ended up in the store the next day and spoke to the butcher who confessed that these pieces of meat, though clearly marked “filets” and certainly cut and packaged to resemble filet mignon, are actually just “boneless chuck”. So, we had sawed and chewed our way through this stroganoff Friday night: 😠 Thank goodness there was a nice salad or we’d have choked to death: Mr. Kim had to start fasting on Sunday for some testing on Monday, so for dinner he picked pizza from a local place on Saturday: Since he was fasting on Sunday, I just had breakfast for dinner: ET bagel from the freezer with smoked salmon cream cheese.

Yep. For the beans. I don't know about other folks, but my English stepdad and sisters always used malt vinegar on beans.

I know that there are foods in other countries/regions that I would not be willing to eat. I understand that. But, if you know that about yourself, you don't sign up for a travel program that specializes in local cuisine. If you want the Disney version, go to Disney.

No Del Tacos anywhere near here. I wish there was. I seem to remember going to one when we lived in Reseda in 1970.

That's so odd. In the US there were LOTS of shortages in the baking aisle in the early months of the Pandemic, but I haven't noticed anything really missing now.

@BonVivant – those rhubarb/chocolate rolled up thingies are so gorgeous that I’m sure they must also be delicious! Sir Patrick Stewart recently spoke of his affection for beans on toast. I share his taste in toast toppings: Today: Leftover marinara and mozz tossed with some hot angel hair pasta.

@robirdstx – that breakfast of yours is absolutely perfect. The white is what a white should be. The yolk has the target viscosity that I’m after every time I try poaching. And even your toast is perfectly and evenly toast. I would happily sit down to that every morning. I admit, I’d add a smidge of pork😊. On Saturday Mr. Kim and Jessica brought breakfast home from a local biscuit place. Honey chicken biscuit and cheddar tots: Sausage biscuit: Country ham and strawberry preserves biscuit: Crème brûlée doughnut:

Hi, @jamgirl! Welcome to eG! How about giving a little more info about yourself? In general - where are you? What kinds of food do you enjoy? Etc. I'm looking forward to your contributions!

Oh, yes! Carry on! If you stop, you'll still need to PM them all to me. 😄

I was actually thrilled to read about Arby's starting to carry crinkle cuts. I don't care for either the curly fries or the potato cakes, so I usually ended up with a baked potato. Which, though probably better for me, was not really what I wanted. But our local Arby's seems not to have gotten the menu. When we asked for them on a recent visit the result was a more-than-usual slack-jawed stare. You'd have thought I asked for foie gras. 🙄

So, I lost it here for a little while. Honest to God, @patti – did you spend half your time at work looking for the hidden camera? 🤣

Stunned at all of these! They are gorgeous AND they sound delicious. I am in awe of your piping skills (especially the St. Honore).

I've watched that video! It is absolutely hypnotic! Thanks for posting the link, @cteavin! Very professional. Bravo.

Hamburger steaks are what @patti showed. And I'd like to place my order now. I thought they were common in US cafes, diners, etc. I know that I used to see them at all the little cafes I went to in NC with my granddaddy and every cafeteria I ever went to in VA. Maybe they are particularly southern US? Salisbury steaks have fillers - more like a slice of meatloaf as far as taste goes.

Hamburger steaks are not common elsewhere in the US? Or were the queries from people "from away"?

General question re: Air Fryers. We got Jessica one for Christmas – a Gourmia 5 quart model. She brought it over and we used it one time to make fried shrimp. Our biggest take away was that the basket was small and that food would have to be cooked in batches. Cooking enough shrimp for the three of us ended up involving lots of waiting. Were we doing something wrong? Are you supposed to pile the food up in the basket? I’ve never heard anyone else complain about this aspect of an Air Fryer. My only contribution to the grilled Romaine discussion is this: This was a tiny little heart of Romaine (probably 3-4-inches long) that was perched on my main course at Café Constant in Paris 10 years ago. It was lightly grilled, with no color at all – just a remarkable flavor that the grill imparted. And 10 years later, I still remember the flavor and texture. @heidih – I literally like raw pieces of russets or boilers. I’ve always liked them. My mom would cut her potatoes for French fries the night before she was planning to serve them. I would come home after school and, despite knowing it meant I’d not have any fries at dinner, nibble and nibble until my share was gone. I was a weird kid - my mom kept a "goody basket" full of small candy bars on top to the fridge and I stole raw potatoes 🤪. I still nibble a few when I’m peeling and cutting up potatoes for something. The folks in Australia have me searching locally for good sausages. I’ve put Toad in the Hole on next week’s menu plan, @CantCookStillTry and @Captain! @liuzhou – your potatoes remind me of what I got when I tried making “Melting potatoes”. I never got the crisp outside I was promised, but cooking in the broth/sauce gave me an incredible flavor. Well, I have been making some pretty questionable meals lately. Lunch yesterday was Velveeta nachos and frozen Jamaican patties! Night before last was fish sticks: These are called The Ultimate Fish Sticks and they’re sold at Costco. They really are so much better than the usual frozen ones. Mr. Kim said that if he’d had these as a kid (grew up a RC), he wouldn’t have thought he hated fish for as long as he did. Also broccoli, fries, and tots. Served with sliced Campari tomatoes and Jiffy corn muffins (per another topic): The muffins rose oddly in the CSO but were fine when pulled apart. And last night was hot dogs: Along with fixed up Bush’s baked beans, pickly stuff, and “chippy dip” (family slang). And some yellow squash for Mr. Kim: It looks a little odd because I used a purple onion.

I agree with you. I used to like an easy stove top mac n cheese made with just Velveeta. Now, I add a little hot sauce and shredded Cheddar to it. I still use the Velveeta because I like the creaminess.

I belong to a British Expat Food Group on FB. Not because I'm British or an expat, but I love Britain and lots of British foods. Yesterday a bunch of them were trashing American Cheese - Velveeta in particular. So I had no choice but to have this for lunch: 🤣🤣🤣With these supposedly mild Jamaican patties: A tad too spicy, but nicer than my usual brand.

I'd say go for it. If it is deemed inappropriate, they'll let you know.

I'm thinking we need a super-sized "Pissed Off" emoji for this topic. This is where you need someone with the power to say, "OUT! Out, out, out! Here's your refund and a ticket home. OUT!!!". Wow. And re: the first story - please know that spouses/family members/friends are often cringing at their antics. Substitute “Italian” for “Jewish” and add some patronizing “sweetness” and you have my maternal family.

@Duvel – thank you for the recipe. I’ve put breakfast for dinner on the menu plan for next week and those will be perfect! @rotuts – never thought to put hummus on anything but pita-type bread. But that looks great. This morning’s breakfast build – toasted sub roll and ham: With a couple of eggs: After the squish: Sandwich turned into a fork and knife affair.

I haven't tasted Sonic's. All I can say is that someone who has eaten and loves mine didn't care for Sonic's version at all. Not much help, I'm afraid. I can say that I agree with @jmacnaughtan that it is more of an onion/bacon chutney than the name "Jam" implies.

This just reminded me to get up and feed the murder in my front yard.

I love that your dad had everyone's bacon roll preference down pat and that folks are honest about your mother's cooking! I had a great grandmother that everyone talks about like she was an angel on earth - you could hardly believe that she was real. You think that they are romanticizing her until cooking is mentioned. Then they all shake their heads and say, emphatically, "Oh no, she was a horrible cook!". 😄

@patti – I’m going to post both of the recipes for you – this is the spicier one and this is the less spicy one. Note that while the first recipe calls for canned corn, I use frozen. I cannot abide canned corn. We had a couple of lobster tails left from a Xmas gift in the freezer. I bought 4 more tails from Tom Leonard so that I could make 3 lobster rolls. The pictures tell the story of the comparative sizes. These are the ones from Tom Leonard: Three of them fit on a skewer cattycorner on the CSO pan (I steamed them all at 210F). These are the Xmas gift ones: They each had to have their own skewer. They all tasted good and were equally tender, though. Gently warmed in butter, lemon juice, paprika, and some of Mr. Kim’s Italian parsley: I served the lobster on small, soft sub rolls rather than hot dog buns: Served with salad and (what else?) corn: It is still a little early here for corn and so it’s hit or miss. Jessica’s and Mr. Kim’s pieces were fine, mine was a little tough. Jessica is dying to know the answer to this question and I didn't want to start a whole new topic for something that is of such narrow interest. She is very into ASMR and wants to know if these "Lava Cakes" are any good. So, does anyone in China ( @liuzhou?) or who has been to China had any experience with these? Are they as good as the girls eating them in the ASMR videos make them look? Are they really just four bites or are the girls in these videos like the Tardis (bigger inside than outside)? Thanks!