MissAmy

A friend of mine who works at the spa I used to work at called me and gave me the recipe for a new one they are doing, and I ended up using that as I had all the stuff and didn't have any white bread. (I don't really eat white bread at home anyway, so buying a whole loaf of it to use just a little bit seemed wasteful.) So anyway, the one I ended up going with had cucumbers, grapes, cream cheese, yoghurt, slivered almonds, rice wine vinegar, salt, and dill weed. The recipe calls for Tobasco, which would have been REALLY good, but I left it out because the lady I made it for can't have spicy. Even without the Tobasco, the soup was OUTSTANDING, if I do say so myself. I really want to start playing around with gazpachos, or ajoblanco. I'm slowing discovering how good they all are, and can't wait to experiment with some other types.

Recipes that call for sugar in cornbread give me the bends. Sugar DOES NOT BELONG in cornbread. Rant for the day completed. Thank you for your time.

A coffee house called Lestat! Magnifique, mon chere! Ok, so I think San Diego may be the next place I check out. What's not to love: great cheap Vienamese places, cool Asian and Farmer's markets, cool people, and a coffee house called Lestat! As a connoisseur of all things Lestat, I must go soon! ETA: Doh! In my zeal for vampire realted paraphanelia, I missed your last post. Here's what I suggest: a nice braise, with roasted beets as a side. Simple, and tasty.

Thank you so much, everyone. I'll just use the recipe from RecipeGullet, and let ya'll know how it turns you. Thanks again!

I'm coming to the masters of eGullet for help. A friend of my aunt's was just hospitalized for a pretty invasive surgery, and is now at home recovering. We've made her and her family a couple of things to have around, and she has requested a "white gazpacho" without tomato, that she ate once at a restaurant. I'd like to create something similar and would love all of your input. At a spa I worked in, we made one with green grapes and cucumber, but it was pretty spicy and rich and I don't know if she can handle it at this point. Really what I'm looking for is something cold, refreshing, and nutritous. Not too spicy. Any input would be HIGHY appreciated.

I have family in New Mexico, spent every summer there as a child, and I LOVE the food. You aren't really going to find "authentic" New Mexican food in the upscale places. That is going to be "Southwestern Cuisine." There is a huge difference, although they both have their merits. For really New Mexican food in Santa Fe, the restaurant of the La Fonda Hotel, right on the square is about as authentic as you'll get and it's an upscale, very lovely, environment. The best thing is the green chile enchiladas. Stacked. When they ask if you want an egg on top, the answer is "yes."

Oh you made me remember the first time I ate sushi! I was around nine or ten, and my (now ex) stepdad coerced my mother and I into joining him for sushi. It was some random joint in Dallas, I don't remember the name, but I remember that first bite of maguro! What a revelation! It certainly wasn't the best sushi in the world, or the best sushi that I have ever had, but the memory is just such a delight! And as a kid from Lubbock, TX, I felt SOOOO subversive eating it! It is now that I realize sushi is a lot like a highly addictive drug: you remember your first "high" so fondly that you are constantly searching it out again and again, but nothing ever compares to that first time!

Interesting you brought this up. A friend of mine just completed his comprehensive examinations for a PhD program (yay Josh!), and when I brought over some food to sustain him, I noticed box after box of CM pizza in his freezer. He reports that it is quite tasty and crisps up nicely. Although, he was glad to have homemade food that I brought over, so he wouldn't have to live on them for a whole week. I plan on trying one shortly.

Yes, Amy very true and that's why I mentioned earlier that my first thought was I overeacted. But looking back, he deserved getting a finger in his face in my opinion. (Sometimes things not normally justifed are.) Don't forget, at that point I didn't want anything, I was leaving and he just hurled a final, personal insult. I had already turned four cheeks. And while I dislike what I did (waving my finger), I honestly believe my actions were justified. Sometimes, and at some point, everyone has to do unpleasant things. I know you don't know me, but my friends will tell you I'm probably the calmest individual in the world, but everyone has a point where you say enough is enough. This was one of those rare occasions where some sought of physical response was not only appropriate but mandatory. My friend and wife were both schocked - they coudn't believe it was me taking that type of action. ← I totally see where you are coming from, and I don't want you to think that I was judging you. I reread my post and can see how you came to that conclusion, and I apologize. I have also been really pissed off in restaurants before, and I've been the recipient of pissed-offedness as a restaurant worker, and I see both sides. (Although I NEVER would DREAM of trying to coerce a bribe! My GOD!) All in all, like I said before, it was a bad situation all around. That MD should be fired, and the restuarant should take serious flack for allowing that kind of behavior. And, you've inspired me to never, ever give Gallaghers any money on my future trips to New York. Thank you.

Sticky rice is always a hit. And you don't necessarily have to use mango. Go for a fruit that's sweet, almost rich, preferably custardy and you're good to go. Durian (maybe not), even custard apple might work out. ← I'm not quite sure that little American kids would like durian. Although, you're right about the fruit not needing to be magoes. I bet peaches or apricots would be really good with sticky rice as well as custard apple.

Every time a customer has waved a finger in my face (it happened a lot when I was hosting), I wanted to break it off. Not that the guy was in the right all, but finger waving, screaming, and being generally hostile do nothing to get you what you want. Please note, I am not defending the MD's behavior. However, I do agree that the bouncer was in the right (but why does a restaurant need a bouncer??) and that the situation could have been handled better. In your defense I really hope the MD gets fired. That was uncalled for. It was a bad situation all around.

Could you use a sugar substitue like Whey Low or Splenda in place of real sugar? That way, you could do the crumble or cobbler. I second the recommendation of the gluten-free flour as well. Also, the mango with sticky rice is a good idea, and I've never come across a kid who didn't like it.

My grandmother's buscuits. I've never been able to replicate them, and sometimes when I look at the bowl she used to mix the dough in, I can still smell them. Close second: my great grandmother's bread. She used to bake this homemade bran bread that was the most amazing thing in the universe. We would all sit around at her house and just scarf up loaf after loaf as she brought it out of the oven. And again, my mother and I have tried time and time again to recreate the recipe, but it's never the same. I think she used some secret ingredient that she never told us about. It really wouldn't suprise me. I would give anything for just one more bite of either one of those things.

Mazeltov! Sounds like you hit the jackpot..... ← Thanks! I rarely find amazing deals, but when I do, they're doozies!

I wonder if these would be as disappointing as the Grapple?

When I lived in Nanjing, China our friends would refer to this dish as "Bombing Tokyo." Highly un-PC, yet highly amusing.

I wondered into a Goodwill about a week ago, not really looking for anything in particular, just killing time. In the cooking section I found TWO Calphalon (original first line with the straight handles) sauce pans for $2. Do you realize that that was, like, the best thing that has ever happened to me?

Oysters Rockefeller, Clams Casino, anything with some sort of cheesy/creamy sauce, Chicken Cordon Bleu, broccoli smothered in cheese sauce, shrimp cocktail, shrimp scampi.

Someone once told me that there is a special 80 (yes, 80 ) course tasting menu at El Bulli. According to my (highly dubious) source, it takes several hours, and is drawn out over the course of an entire evening. Something like from 5pm-2am according to this person. Is this true?

Whole wheat pitas are a great thing. They also make really good chips, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper (and better!) than purchasing pita chips in a package. Just cut a pile of them in half, separate the two sides, cut into triangles, bake on a cookie sheet at 400 for about 4 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy. My father is on this really hard-core heart disease diet and I make them for him all the time to eat with his hummus and he loves them!

Aha! Your post snuck in while I was posting. I see we're thinking along similar lines with the yellowtail. I think I have a couple of oranges handy ... and I was actually debating as to whether to leave my chunk of fish whole, or slice it into steaks ... let me step into my laborotory--bwahahahahah! P.S. Sorry about your 99 Ranch deprivation ... ← Great minds think alike. For keeping it whole or not... it really shouldn't matter all that much, unless one side is much thicker than the other. In that case, I'd cut it into steaks so that the cooking would be even. Let us know how it goes!

I'm partial to the cherry-lime aide at Sonic. They use that delicious crushed ice and.... YUM! I treated myself to one just the other day and it was delish as always. My mom likes the diet flavor but it just doesn't hold the same punch to me.

Re: the Yellow Tail. I'd do a soy/ginger/garlic/sesame oil/orange juice marinade then grill to medium rare. By the way, I'm SO jealous of 99 Ranch. Seething, actually.

I don't like cookies and cream at all, no matter what the brand, so I couldn't help you there. (I loathe the way the gooey middle stuff fuses with the regular icecream into a weird sugary blob.) However, I would highly recommend that you go out, and buy the plain old Homemade Vanila flavor. If you must dress it up, fresh strawberries or chocolate sauce are excellent. The only way to work your way into Blue Bell obsession land is to start with the best, and simplest flavor.

Yay! MizDucky is blogging! Can't wait to see more, and that salad made me hungry again even though I just ate lunch!