Sunny Simmons Steincamp

Ahhh... mem-rieeeees! I still vote for Interstate over Neely's, but you know how bbq is: people have very, very strong opinions on the subject! For that matter, I have wonderful memories of Three Little Pigs on Highland, down from Memphis State. Boy, I ate a lot of food there while I was in school! Your son worked at CP? Very cool... my ex was the sous chef at Dux. I had some pretty amazing meals there, but that closed down, right? Now I want to come home for a visit... Little Ms Foodie, please let us know where you end up going, and what you think!

K8's right about Huey's... I miss their burgers! For BBQ I prefer Interstate or Corky's. (A lot of folks might bop me for this one, but I recommend you skip the Rendezvous entirely... in my opinion it's highly, HIGHLY overrated.) I worked on Beale for a lot of years, and the restaurants they started putting in there when they "updated" and improved it all always seemed too... chain-y, I guess. They did build a new Irish pub over on the Mall after I moved... my brother took me there when I came to visit and that was good (although I can't remember the name... K8 might!) If your're there on a Sunday, I've yet to have a brunch that can top the Peabody's... though admittedly I haven't been there in (gulp) nearly ten years... Enjoy your stays in my hometown!

I guess I understand where Leviathan was coming from; it'd be like trying to create an "American" cookbook. But since I am pretty much a flat-out newbie when it comes to authentic Asian dishes, I'd probably benefit from at least some sort of general, over-arching treatise of the <i>styles</i>, <i>methods</i>, and <i>ingredients</i>, if nothing else. Those sound perfect to get me started. I'm on it. Hmm, so maybe those go on the "see if I just *happen* to run into them at Borders" list. Thanks so much!

That is a perfect idea... only I live in a cow town where the library is about the size of your average convenience store, and there are probably all of four cookbooks (if you count Storey books,) none of which is likely to be about Asian cooking. All that being said, maybe I can peruse some next time I have a few hours spare time (ha) in Richmond. As far as particular types... my family is very partial to Vietnamese. My brother and I have yet to meet a Szechuan dish we didn't love. I am *really* excited to try the Indonesian curried egg dish. And I was pleased & proud as punch when I pulled off takoyaki on my first try... although I have to admit, I had nothing to gauge how authentic it wound up tasting! For the record, I am a huge fan of most Middle Eastern fare, and while it never fits neatly in my head as "Asian," even though technically it is, I'll gladly accept any recommendations along those lines, too. The good news is, since I'm not a shopper (don't care about clothes, won't wear diamonds, am ambivalent about jewelry in general, etc.,) my husband is pretty good about indulging my love of books (including cookbooks... which he knows usually net him some fun.) So I won't really fret if I wind up with lots of recommendations! Although you're really right.. I *should* march into my local library and see if I can rouse some interest in expanding their culinary section... Thanks!

So, I was mentally drooling over <a href="http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showuser=19804">chrisamirault</a>'s description of savory egg dishes with curry over at the <a href="http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=99435&hl=">egg thread</a> while simultaneously bemoaning my lack of real proficiency for making any type of Asian cuisine beyond egg rolls, won ton soup, rangoon, etc., and it occurred to me (with only a smidgen of prompting) that I should ask here to see if you all have some suggestions for some good, solid books that would get me on the right track in this, one of my favorite of all types of cooking. I see lots of titles in the bookstores, but I have no idea what to look for, or which are worth the expenditure... I have no frame of reference! I'd especially be interested in pan-Asian books; my family, friends and I enjoy the nuances in every region's special fare... although I'm not averse to indulging one of my few spending vices and purchasing individual books if they are especially valuable. Thanks in advance!

I've always done something very similar... I put a heavy paper towel (Viva is my first choice) over the top of a mix of flour (rye + AP, usually) and water, secure it with a rubber band, and sit it on my kitchen windowsill. Even before I tackled "real yeast bread" I was making sourdough... and it tastes different every place I've lived (Memphis , Florida, and now Virginia.) I've never heard of adding juniper berries or anything like that, though... is this to add flavor, or just to augment the growth of yeast?

Tells you a lot about folks, doesn't it? Amen to that! I feed a large number of people every Saturday night, and because we live so far out in the boondocks, a good percentage of those stay overnight and have brunch the next day. So they don't get bored, but we don't go broke, I have to come up with a never-ending supply of variations on these themes... omelettes are good for smaller crowds, as is eggs benedit; frittatas and breakfast casseroles, breakfast pizzas, and huge pans of creamy scrambled eggs are good for days when we're really "full." (And personally, I think making *good* scrambled eggs is an art form!) Pancakes, muffins, biscuits (often with sausage gravy, southern style!) are also things I can make in my sleep -- and quite often nearly do! Ahh... another one I didn't think of. I started making homemade ranch because I have several friends who can't have MSG, and that got me making other dressings, too... they're far better than store-bought! Soups, stews, and chowders are life savers when it comes to feeding a crowd... and even when I'm not, I like to experiment with more "special" versions for my own family. I've never thought about making stock in a pressure cooker, though... does it mostly just cut down on the time? Do you find the flavors are still as rich that way? I might just have to try that... I tried that last night! I made black beans, using some ham stock I made with the remains of a spiral-cut Smithfield. I *loved* the texture! They didn't get mushy, but were delightfully tender. I doubt I'll be going back to my old method of making those... I love this place.

Hee. Oddly enough, I just made risotto w/shiitake mushrooms & asparagus to go with seared tuna the other night. I imagine the spinach risotto would go right nicely with lamb, though... in fact it sounds good enough to eat (and it's just after 5:30am here!)

I make sure I never run out of the ingredients to make these "staples" of my kitchen: Marinara sauce (which can be easily adapted to a meat sauce, of course) Bread (sandwich, french, italian, biscuits, pizza dough, rolls, cornbread, and "fruited" breads like banana, zucchini, pumpkin, etc are the mainstays) Pasta (takes a bit of effort, since we live so far away from a store decent enough to carry semolina flour) Stock (always keep oxtails & other beef soup & stock bones, whole chickens, saved seafood stock-making goodies like bones, shells, etc.) Sauces (which means butter, cream, and herbs in addition to other stuff that would already be on hand for other staples) In addition, I try never to run out of: specialty goodies from the Asian market, onion & garlic as you mentioned, dried chiles & peppers, a good supply of beans, grains, rice, etc., storage-friendly veggies (I garden & have a root cellar, so this is easy for me,) and a few favorite 'extras' we all like... such as pine nuts, dried cranberries & raisins, LOTS of different cheeses & hard sausages, specialty jams & vinegars & relishes & such, and probably a lot more I'm not remembering at the moment. It's a great question, and I'm looking forward to hearing other responses... I always like "snooping" in friends' kitchens to see what they, in turn, consider "staples."

I would so prefer to use homemade stock (as opposed to store-bought) that I've been known to roast a chicken, take off the meat, and then make the stock... even if I don't need the meat right away. Once deboned, you can wrap the chicken tightly and freeze it... or just refrigerate for a couple of days to use later, if necessary. It might take a little forethought, but it works... I do it all the time.

I've actually found that 500° is too high for my pizzas... I bake them at just a hair under 450° and get much better results. My family generally prefers a thin crust, so I wasn't having trouble with the middle being doughy, but the crust edges would often get over-brown before the cheese (of which I use an awful lot, of course!) melted enough to suit me. (For the record, my thin crust dough recipe doesn't rise; I just let it rest for about 15 minutes before rolling it out.) When I make the thicker crust, we like chewy over cakey, but I still bake at 450°. I think kitchenmage is right, too... a thickish crust overloaded with sauce & toppings is in danger of not cooking evenly. I'd try her suggestion and cut back on those, to see if the problem is just with your dough recipe. Do you heat your stone prior to baking, too? Or just the oven? I usually don't heat for the first one, but subsequent pizzas usually come out a little better, since the stone is already hot from baking the first. Might try that, as well.

I've never quite understood this, myself... I know that I have had FAR more troubles with clogged sink drains in houses without a disposer than in houses with them. I think they're pretty rare in Europe, too... would be interesting to know what the rationalization really is!

I've found (purely through experimenting) that carrot tops make my stock bitter -- I just have to cut off the grassy-looking part and they're fine. Any veggies with seeds seem to do the same for me: pepper seeds, tomato seeds, etc. I've also found that if I want to add fresh herbs, it's best to do so at the very end of the stock-cooking time. Not only do they seem to take on a bitter edge after long cooking, but the best way to cook fresh herbs, in my opinion, is not to cook them at all... their fresh taste is best when added at the very end! I've also heard it said that celery leaves will make a stock bitter, but I use them all the time and never have noticed a problem... Good luck!

Ooh! Excitement! Congrats and good luck. No words of wisdom from me, as I'm in the same place you were until this gig came up... do 'em a lot for friends & family, but have never done one "for hire." Hope all goes well... I'll be interested in hearing everyone's responses here!

While I don't have anything against Oprah, per se, her show (or any talk show, honestly) is not on my normal radar... or I should say, wouldn't be unless there was someone I found personally interesting as a guest. Anthony Bourdain (sorry; I can't bring myself to be so familiar as to call him "Tony,") would be eminently worth watching, and not just because I might get to see him elaborate on the comments he made as a guest blogger <a href="http://blog.ruhlman.com/2007/02/guest_blogging_.html">here</a> last week. (If you haven't seen it, you really should. No, really. Just... go there.) Somehow, after reading the throwdown referenced above, I don't think we'll be seeing him on RR's show anytime soon... but if he did, I think I would even brave *that* to see him. It'd be a hoot... although my vote for his next media opportunity would be a show featuring AB & AB (that is, Anthony Boudain & Alton Brown.) Two guys with personality AND cooking skills. That'd be must-see TV to me. And great PR for both of them, as I'd Tivo that sucker and make everyone I know watch it...

LOVE that hotel. My husband and I stay there when we visit friends in DC, and have eaten at several decent places within walking distance. There's an Irish pub that was fun.. Murphy's, I think? There is also a Lebanese restaurant close by... I can't recall the name but it shouldn't be hard to find... that my sister recommended and we really enjoyed. A few blocks further, if you're walking toward the zoo, there's another neat little place that's rather like a sports bar that has really good sandwiches... wish I could remember the name, but it's across and about a block or so from the zoo entrance (between the hotel & zoo.) Locals may have a clearer picture for you... and might even know where the sushi place is located that delivers to the Omni... best "room service" we ever had! Have fun!

Hee. If it were me, rather than try to increase everything by 1/3, I'd throw it out and start again. But... it shouldn't be too terribly hard to figure if you aren't as lazy as I am when it comes to such things! I'm not a cook who follows a recipe, either, which also kept me from baking for the longest time... especially bread. Until I had actually, successfully made some that came out right, I couldn't gauge the way the dough should feel, and the vague "6-8 cups flour" type listings were very frustrating! After a while, you get the "feel" for it and the only reason I pull out my daily bread recipe (which I wound up developing myself, based on one in my KitchenAid mixer book!) is to make sure I don't spaz out and forget to add something... I can be a little distracted in the kitchen (hence the care with measuring flour!)

I'm not a pro, but I do make a shortbread crust for some cheesecakes, and the ratio of flour to butter is fairly similar... I use 1 stick of butter to 1 1/2 cups flour. I assemble the ingredients like I was making biscuits... First I sift the flour with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. salt, then I grate frozen butter in and pinch it with my fingers until evenly distributed & mealy, working as fast as I possibly can. To this I add the liquid (one egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. heavy cream and 1/2 tsp. almond extract beaten together) using a spatula until only just combined, press it into the bottom of my springform pan, then freeze it for about 20 minutes before baking, to reduce the puffy effect. This is going to sound silly, but any chance you accidentally put in an extra cup of flour? I've done it... maybe not with this recipe, but with others, and with enough regularity that I always measure out my flour separately and count OUT LOUD when I do so! *grin* I plead SieveBrain syndrome caused by raising five children, all of whom were teenagers at once time... Good luck... I'm sure someone else here will have a more helpful response!

That's wild! I'd love to have seen a picture of the pieces!

The little blurb in the Territorial catalog says that the "Improved Meyer Lemon" trees that they sell can reach 8' in height at maturity, but that you can limit that by container planting and pruning. It also says that the plants can withstand temps as low as 18°F for "very short periods," so I'm thinking that I might want to container-plant mine, so as to be able to bring it in on the few days a year that our temps fall into that category. I had to look up Buddha's hands... but how spiffy! I might just have to have one of those, myself, if only for ornamental purposes. None of my normal seed companies seems to carry rootings... did you find it locally or do you know of an online source? Good luck with your garden!

Good timing for me; I just started my pepper seeds this week. I am growing two new varieties this year: Northstar and Alma Paprika. I ordered my seeds from Territorial for these, and they have good descriptions online. Returning from last year I also have Jupiter Sweet bells, Purple Beauty, and King of the North peppers. I can't remember where these seeds originated, as I've had them so long (I save seed.) I do have inordinately fertile soil, but these peppers have all grown flawlessly here in south-central Virginia, as have the fifteen hot pepper varieties I've grown! (We really like peppers.) If you're ordering seed, the company I've had the best overall experience with (including price) is Heirloom Acres. As the name suggests, they carry a lot of heirloom variety seeds, which I really love... although I like planting new varieties each year, as well. Are you growing anything else? I'm *this* close to ordering a Meyer lemon tree!

Whoa... when did Corky's expand to Nashville! I remember when they first opened in Memphis. Wish they'd expand to Virginia; you can't get decent Memphis style bbq here, even at a place that called itself "Memphis Barbecue!"

<p>As usual, my photography leaves a LOT to be desired (mostly lighting), but here's what I wound up doing with the first batch of venison. I called these "Schwarma-Inspired Venison Wraps." </p> <p><img src="http://www.homewitch.net/pix/venisonwrap1.jpg" /></p> <p>I really liked the way this came together, although I wish I had had yogurt on hand to use in the sauce instead of sour cream... it needed to be lighter. The fried potatoes & sweet potatoes were nice, although I did miss having pickled vegetables in there, too. Oh well, next time I'll plan ahead a little better... and what really made these, I think, was the meat itself and the bread, which is easy to make and is more like a chewy tortilla than pita.</p> <p>Recipe, more pics, etc. are over on my <a href="http://www.homewitch.net/2007/01/10/schwarma-inspired-venison-wraps/">food blog</a>.</p> <p>Next, I think, I really need some stroganoff...</p>

I have never once found a Hollandaise recipe that I didn't consider "too lemony," so I use far, far less lemon juice than called for... 6 yolks + 1 tbsp. of water + 3 sticks of butter (chilled & cut into pieces and whisked in over simmering water) only gets 1 tsp. of lemon juice in my kitchen. And I do add the juice at the very end, with the salt & a bit of cayenne pepper. Maybe this dearth of lemon juice makes my recipe not-very-authentic, but I figure if I want lemon sauce, I'll make lemon sauce... but it's not the same as Hollandaise in my book! For the record, my favorite variation on eggs benedict is to add jumbo lump crabmeat on top of the canadian bacon. I can fairly hear my arteries clogging, but egads, it's good...

BWAH! That's GREAT! I wish I had the kind of mind that did well with these things.. but I sure am enjoying reading yours!