LoriZig

Also- if there is a better place to post this, please let me know!

Kent, that looks like so much fun! I love clever little events like this and am still kicking myself that I never made it to the restaurant serving "butterbeer" at the Harvard Square Harry Potter festivities. How was that donut...?

I cannot stop giggling over "Cho-Sen!" Thank you all for trying to sort out this noodleclature (ha?) thing! Another question that may have already been discussed here... why do you think Jewish people have such an affinity for Chinese food? I've seen it referred to in books and certainly experienced it- I have carried on my parents' natural bond with my local Chinese food restaurant owners! My friends are always amazed and I always, jokingly, say that it's a "Jew thing!"

Porkfat, I get this question a lot from non-Jewish friends, i.e.: "how come you're eating that proscuitto? Aren't you Jewish? You do know that's HAM don't you?". There are many practicing Jews who do not keep Kosher, hence the group here sharing fond memories of pork and shellfish living in harmony. Another odd noodle-thing: I grew up in Northern CA and was raised on "chow mein" noodles. When I moved out to the East Coast, I found out that "chow mein" were the crispy little fried noodles and that what I had grown up eating were lo mein noodles. Did anyone else have this experience. Also- I haven't thought about Sammy Wo's in ages- good memories!

I hope this is the appropriate place to post this! While trolling through the supermarket tonight, I was passing by the uninspired cheese section when I saw something new. The label said: Istara Chistou and that it was a sheep & cow's milk cheese. It smelled wonderfully pungent and I brought it home for a wonderful dessert. The taste was rich, creamy and almost wine-like. Delicious. But what did we eat? Is the cheese itself called "Chistou" or is it "Istara?" I don't ever want to lose touch with this cheese, but am not sure what to ask for at a frommagerie! Help? Thank you!

I did, but A.) I grew up near San Francisco and we were constantly going to Chinatown and B.) my uncle had become a Chinese food chef in his free time because he and my dad loved Chinese food so much. To this day, it is my favorite dish of all time! Side note: for many years there was a hilariously-named restaurant in Brookline (the Jewish neighborhood in Boston) called "Shalom Hunan." All kosher Chinese food-- it was like a mecca for Chinese food-loving Jews! (how's that sentence for combining cultures!?!)

Again, I'd like to thank you all so much! I went over yesterday with lasagne, a roast chicken, homemade bread, salad, green beans, an assortment of fresh fruit and a batch of homemade peanut butter cookies. My friend acted like he'd won the lottery, and I felt so good knowing that he'd have some home-cooking for awhile. I inadvertently came up with a tip for my own thread! Instead of making one big pan of lasagne that he may or may not be able to finish, we baked up 3 square, "cake pan" lasagnes so that he could freeze two and leave one in the fridge. I laughed because, after looking at/smelling the lasagnes, my friend said the heck with putting 2 in the freezer- he wanted to keep 2 in the fridge! I'm going to make a second go of it in about 2 weeks, this time with gazpacho and some pulled pork and fresh rolls. Thank you all for your help, and I look forward to seeing more tips and suggestions and referring back to this thread a lot!

I'm really looking forward to the crossover shows with AB next week!

You guys are really terrific. Thank you so much for all the great suggestions! And I'll go look at the other link for even more ideas- I really appreciate you finding it for me! I have the weekend to cook, so I'm thinking that I'll make a baked pasta/lasagne, some brownies, a loaf of bread (flavored butters- what a grand idea! I'll do a honey butter and a savory one!), and make a baked chicken on Monday night. This will be going on for awhile, so it's great to have an aresnal of ideas. Thank you all-- you have such big hearts!

I need some ideas for what to bring friends who are going through a rough patch- in mourning, dealing with illness, etc. No dietary restrictions, but I'm looking for suggestions for some good, wholesome food that a large cross-section of the population would like (i.e. nothing too spicy/rich/exotic) and that's easy for them to assemble/freeze/reheat. I am visiting friend whose partner is getting ready to go into hospice next week and I'd like to bring over a few dinners and snacks that he can have on hand. Thanks!

I think you should be the producer, quite frankly!!

Terrasanct, I don't know of anywhere online, but the Food Network is re-broadcasting it all over the place. Here's what I took off of TVGUIDE.com FOOD Thu, Jul 26 9:00 PM Finale FOOD Fri, Jul 27 12:00 AM Finale FOOD Sat, Jul 28 2:00 PM Finale

What with all the Paul/Jag awareness, I had to read this a few times before I got your point.As much as I think some of these (did I say "some?") reality shows might be heavily influenced by producers and networks, Rory got the shock of her life when Emeril announced Amy's name. I'm also sorry she couldn't have just plastered on the Miss America Runner Up smile. I also noticed that Emeril congratulated Amy when he first came on stage. Unfortunately, he didn't have it together enough to also offer congratulations to Rory (as a finalist) to cover his little faux pas - and it wasn't on the teleprompter. (Yikes, he looked like he was on heavy steroids.) ← Ha! Yeah, I guess that would be a little unclear, considering some of the context around it! Oops! And THANK YOU-- I thought that he congratulated Amy and not Rory when he came out, but I was reading Harry Potter at the same time and my husband assured me that he said something to both. I knew it! I also agree with you 100% that Rory really did get the shock of her life. She really thought she had it in the bag. I actually feel a little bad for poor Emeril. That whole debacle of rolling him out was kind of sad.

That is such a cool idea! Count me in as one who would definitely like to see pictures! (Spice closets too, if you please!) And if anyone ever gives you a hard time, be comforted by the fact that I have a friend who collects silica gel packs. No, I'm not kidding. (Silica gel packs are the ubiquitous dehumidifier packs you find in your shoe boxes, new purses, etc.)

He deserves it. It was wonderful. ← 100% agreed. I still think about that episode and what they experienced and witnessed others experiencing. JMolinari, the link didn't work for me-- sorry!

YES! When Paul jokingly said that he and Jag were in love, I half believed him! And why didn't Jag apologize when he was given the chance to? He mumbled a lot and said something about this not being the last we see of him, but I'm sorry- I think he should've apologized again. I thought the audience's uncomfortable, cool response when he came out was well-deserved. Laurel- Rory was obnoxious on the Iron Chef episode. She was too jokey and didn't know her stuff. And when she didn't know something, she didn't bother to try to find out. Amy, when she didn't know something, went to the packages to learn what she could and report back to the audience. The worst part was when Roray was "teasing" AB and basically told him that if he'd shut up (not in those words exactly), she could tell him the stuff he wanted to know. Not well-received to say the least. She came off very cutesy/bratty. Side note: Paul acted much the same way and when AB asked him what kind of tomatoes the cook was using, he didn't have a clue about San Marzano tomatoes. He replied that they were plum tomatoes and AB tried to push him a little further by asking him where they were from. Paul answered "Plummy?" which was akin to nails on a chalkboard, if you ask me.

Ugh, I hope not. I actually think she's pretty in an unconventional way. I know she turned a lot of people off (myself included) during the Iron Chef episode, and had assumed that had a big effect.

Rory talked about the last "reality" show she was on- where they took a bunch of "city slickers" and dumped them in Texas to work with cowboys/cowfolk. She ended up staying because she fell in love with a cowboy. I was really uncomfortable that they they didn't show Rory at all after Amy was announced the winner, except to show her with her face in her hands and back to the audience.

They re-ran Battle Asparagus last night, but I only caught the end. For anyone who actually saw the show- how in the world did Morimoto make that maki-type dish look like a stained glass window or kaleidescope?! It was so beautiful!

I listened, mesmerized, to his interview on Fresh Air (NPR) last week. I had heard about the coffee beans before, but the maggot cheese? Never. It was like how people can't help but gawk at an accident- I wanted to turn the station, but I just couldn't "look" away from the horror! (I'm still not over the creepy-crawlies though, I'll admit) Utterly fascinating. I want this book so badly!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, JohnnyD! You are my hero!

I was really surprised that Lia went. They don't really seem to keep their decisions solely based on that day's competition and Lia has outshined Casey and I believe, won last week. On the other hand, Lia does not look like Jennifer Aniston like Casey does... Cheesemaker-Sara's chile rellenos were such a huge hit with everyone. Why in the world didn't she make the top group? Especially when it was just the 2 guys in the top group and 4 in the bottom. Plus, um, she MADE CHEESE!!! Mmmmm Hung is downright obnoxious. I'm not a chef by any stretch of the imagination, but even I recognize atrocious kitchen ettiquette when I see it. Next week's episode looks like a zoo! (can't wait!)

Does anyone have any hidden (or well-known for that matter!) favorite restaurants for Plymouth, MA? Thanks!

Agreed! We shall not speak of it again! (And I'm so thankful I'm not the only one!!)

Mark, I just watched your video- terrific! You really do seem like a natural. You even made me "lol" a couple of times! I would watch your show, for sure! Re: Jag's exit interview- I, too, think it was scripted, but I think it was more of a strongarm by FN. As in, "you come back on and confess and we won't sue your lyin' butt for breach of contract." Rory annoys me- especially when she was so flip and unfunny with Alton. Amy was pretty consistent and I was actually shocked that she wasn't originally picked to be in the top 2.