emilyr

That's like me and okra. Reminds me of snot. ← And me with zucchini and other summer squash. I try every summer when they become the side dish de riguer and just can't take it.

Last night, in addition to being St. Patty's Day, was my and my best friend's husband's birthday. We couldn't find a good Irish dinner the whole group of people we were going out with could agree on (16 people total), and I wanted to do something different than we usually do for dinner (Flat Branch, Addisons, or Grill One5). I suggested Bangkok Gardens or Chinese Wok Express, but we had some pretty picky eaters with us. We compromised with HuHot, the new Mongolian Grill over on Buttonwood. It's a chain, and I wasn't really enthused with spending my birthday there, but it ended up not being as bad as I had assumed it would be. It's a buffet style build-your-own stir-fry place. You go down the buffet line, pick noodles, meat and veggies, then pick from one of their many sauces. It takes 5-6 of their little ladles of sauce to get enough liquid for the fry, and so you can play with different flavor combos; they had some good ones like a nice yellow curry, ginger and garlic broth, and the standards like a mongolian bbq and a sweet and sour. Then your bowl of fixins is turned out onto a big round grill and 5 cooks go around wtih spatuals stirring the dishes; kind of a show - though it would be better if they did tricks ala Benihana. It's definitely not somewhere you want to go if you have food allergies. I didn't choose black beans, but several ended up on my plate cause the girl next to me did! My peanut sauce got into my bf's sweet and sour dish. The side dishes are pretty generic chain restaurant kind of stuff (chef salad, Asian salad, egg drop soup, cheesecake "rangoons"), but it was fun on the second go round to the buffet when I had a bit more hang of how to layer. I don't know if I'll go back soon. It was crazy packed, and we had to get there at 5 to make sure we could get a table for our group. They don't do reservations, even for a group like ours, and I saw people waiting at the bar to get their table.the entire 2 hours we were there. I do have to say it was a good option for my group of picky eaters, and I could see myself getting addicted to their "homemade" ginger soda. My favorite part of the night was the ginormous Guiness dark choclate cake I made for dessert and Wii bowling and tennis. And of course, many many glasses of Guinness.

A few more when that I don't think have been mentioned: Pieces of April is a pretty mediocre Katie Holmes movie where she plays the black sheep of a family who are traveling from Pennsylvania and hit all kinds of stumbling blocks on the first Thanksgiving she's cooking. She finds out her oven doesn't work and she has to take these dishes to all the different apartments in her building. One guy takes her turkey hostage, and she ends up inviting the Chinese family upstairs to dinner after spending an hour trying to explain what the holiday means. I was so nervous to make a souffle when I was younger because of the original movie version of Sabrina. The mean French chef really intimidated me. Plus, the sitting on champagne flutes scene is always funny. I like the scene in Little Miss Sunshine in the diner when the grandpa stands up to the dad about the pancakes ala mode. I think it's very telling. I saw this page on IMdB for a new indie movie called Tortilla Heaven that looks pretty cute. It has the woman who played Marilyn in Northern Exposure, and my favorite episode of that show whas when the doctor tried to cook a big New York dinner for the town residents and refused to clarify the butter.

I've enjoyed the new Pringle's selects chips recently. I went on a splurge, and I wouldn't buy these if I didn't have a little extra money right now. But they're better than regular pringles, not as good as freshmade kettle chips. My fave at the moment is the spicy schezuan pepper. It's not really spicy at all, but you get that good pepper flavor without much heat (and that's saying a lot, b/c I'm a huge spice wuss ).

To keep them from being too rubbery when I make chicken fingers, I soak them in some cold salty water for about an hour or two. Kind of a brine, but not exactly. They just plump up a bit and don't get rubbery when re-heated. I generally coat with a honey mustard and then roll in Italian-seasoned bread crumbs then bake just til done, about 15 minutes (?i think?). They can be frozen after they're done and cooled. This is really easy to make for babysitting charges. Also, if I can't find individually frozen chicken tenders, i just cut breasts into strips (and pound them a bit if needed for shape). Really good with a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce for me or a dill-sour cream-mayo mix for the kids.

My favorite pizza to order in Milwaukee is Pizza Shuttle. They have all the "weird" toppings (as my roommate said) topping I like like eggplant, garlic, curry and so on. Plus, they do frozen custard as well and will deliver both, but I'm not sure how far out. They might not go all the way to Waukesha. They're on the East Side, near UW-M. The street it's on, Farwell, makes kind of a V about a block south, and the other street, Brady, is a pretty cool, trendy area with lots of cool coffee shops (go to Rochambo), restaurants (the Pasta Tree [not actually on Brady, this is on the other side of the V, N. Farwell] was our go-to "fancy" dinner), and an awesome Italian bakery whose name escapes me at the moment. Of course, all of these memories are about 3 years old, and from college, so I can't guarantee that everything is still there or tastes quite as good as I remember it!

I ate at Addison's with some friends for lunch on Saturday, and was a bit disappointed. We got the nachos bianco as an app and the chicken was cold and the cheese was barely melted, resulting in a slightly disappointing but still ok dish. We missed that hot, melty, cheesy feel you get from nachos, but we like the fried pasta/wonton chips. Then I got my sandwich - the tuna, artichoke and olive open-faced - and side - asiago broccoli, usually a favorite - and I was similarly disappointed. The tuna, which I'd ordered medium rare, was still cold in the middle and barely had any color on the outside. I have a feeling some frozen tuna got tossed onto the grill for just a minute to get the outside done but didn't warm through. Plus, the sauce had no flavor, and the toast was really soggy from the topping (especially the artichokes) being too wet. My broccoli was cooked perfectly, but the cheese sauce had no flavor whatsover. I added a ton of salt and pepper to my plate. My friend got the French Dip sandwich with the sweet potato fries. The fries were great as usual, and her sandwich was good, but the jus was still cold. We ordered the carrot cake (which has a pecan caramel or praline filling) and it was great! Like I said, we were disappointed with our lunch, but we're not going to give up on Addison's just yet. I saw in the paper Sunday that they're looking for an executive chef. I think our issues were mostly from poor timing. I may have to give them a couple of months before I try them again.

i second this. a compound butter with herbs and garlic would be good. perched on top of some crusty potatoes or a nice rare steak? hmmm....I may have to play too.

I use coconut oil (which is solid at room temp) or peanut oil because I like the flavors they add to stirfy and seafood especially.

Anyway, regarding cleanliness, I always check the health department profile of restaurants I eat at, usually before hand. Most times their aren't major problems, but every now and then... Here is the website where you can find the last health inspection of every restaurant in Columbia: http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/webapps/cfform...inspections.cfm ← Yeah, that site has become one of my most checked. My best friend's husband is also a health inspector, so I have an inside track. There have been a few occassions when my friend and I have picked a restaurant, and hubby goes, "ooooh, I don't think so," but he can't tell us specifics. I'm not a germ-freak, but I've heard way too many non-restaurant-specific horror stories, so I'm starting to get wary (but not obsessive - I have gone to places I love, ratings be damned!).

We had our pre-Super Bowl Party on the radio show I work for, and I made Italian Beef in a Blanket (with a peppery, vinegary jus for dipping). Mini Honey-Coated Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, and Cayenne/Cinnamon Brownies. I'm just a phone-screener and occassional voice on this sports-talk show, but the boys like my cooking. We talked about the ways that you can turn any food into Super Bowl fare by making it 1) mini, 2) in a blanket, 3) spicy, 4) a dip, or 5) a pizza (and of course it must be beer-compatible!). I was very flattered by all the drooling. I even had my own theme music! Anyway, Thanks for the ideas. Everone here appreciates it. I'll try and post pics soon. I've never done it before, but we'll give it a go this weekend.

Formosa is also good for Chinese. It's on Broadway, upstairs from Jimmy John's or there abouts. Next door to KOPN. Not spectacular, but consistent and clean (which I seem to find is not always the case at Chinese places around here). Is China Wok Express the one on Broadway down near Providence? IF so, my aunt swears by their Vietnamese and Korean menus.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this. Let me preface it by saying, I'm not exactly sure and it could be totally imagined on my part. I've heard that one is more French based and one more Italian. I'm not positive which is which, but I'd say Milwaukee is more Italian; it seems to have a consistency closer to gelato. Maybe it has to do with how the custard base is made, the percent of eggs or cream or whatever. Again, it could be totally imagined. I went to college in Milwaukee and that was the first place I had frozen custard, so Kopp's is kinda my gold standard. My aunt lives in the STL area and has since dragged me to Ted Drewe's when I tried to convince her that Milwaukee's was better. Don't get me wrong - both are totally great and I definitely prefer them over plain ice cream - but I don't think I'm going to get over my love of the Milwaukee-style. That being said, I think Jason's here is pretty good, and I like the variety you can get at Shakey's. I have high hopes for Culvers. I know. I know, it's a chain, but it's a Wisconsin-based chain that I really love (best drunk food ever!). I've already had a couple butter burgers, but it's been too damn cold for any custard yet. But I'm looking forward to a day when we get over 50, so I can get a small scoop.

My uncle really likes McKenzies, especially their steaks. I haven't been there yet, but will soon, I think. I like Jason's and generally go there rather than other places in town just b/c it's near where I work and how i usually drive in and out of town, bu I don't have a go-to custard place in CoMo. I'm more used to Milwaukee-style vs. St. Louis-style custard. What do you guys like? (I ask, sick of all this damn snow and ready for spring! )

Upper Crust is still great. Caef Gelato closed down last summer, but W.G. Grinders downtown carries a few of their flavors sometimes.

For almost any mouth wound or burn, I swish cool salty water around my mouth the next day or a few hours later (definitely not right after - that just stings!). It seems to help heal them a bit more quickly. And for chili burns, milk or bread - anything that will pull the oils off the surface of the toungue.

This article was in today's Missourian. I'm wondering if anyone's been yet. It's on my "Columbia-To-Eat-2007 List" which looks like so far: Taqueria El Rodeo Bangkok Gardens (I can't believe I've never been!) Cherry Street Wine Cellar Natasha's Euro Market

I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I'm sure there'd be some Italian, especially Sicilian, recipes available.

I'm curious; where do you all grocery shop?

Yesterday was my dad's b'day, so I made a big dinner for family and friends (and then it sleets/rains/freezes/snows, so it turns out we made lots of leftovers!). 2 briskets - one with a sweet, brown sugar and orange peel dry rub and one with a spicy, herby rub - creamed peas, slow braised green beans and bacon, my aunt made a TON of mashed potatoes to which we added cheese and sour cream and garlic, and I baked a Guiness chocolate cake with a ganache icing. I ate so much, I was still WAY too full when I went to bed 4 hours after dinner and then couldn't sleep! (but it was worth it - soooo good!)

They're not super hot, but I love wasabi peas.

I use my deepest pasta pot and don't make very big batches so that I can stir the whole time. All the kettle corn makers at fairs around here stir the corn in big cast iron pots with long-handled, wooden instruments that look like skinny pizza peels. The stirring will keep the sugar from burning if you let it <i>just</i> melt into the oil before you add the corn.

My brother is a produce manager at our grocery store and I work in the flower shop there, which is right next to the produce section, and we were bombarded with requests for fresh cranberries in the last couple of months. Apparently this was a bad year for the fruit, or so says our supplier. Our store only got them fresh in the couple of shipments before Thanksgiving, and we didn't get any after. I usually buy several bags and freeze them but didn't have the time to do it this year, so I missed out. It didn't help that the food sections in papers around here all had articles on how great cranberries are AFTER Thanksgiving causing a mad rush. I do have a request in to our frozen food section to get some in soon, and most groceries are more than happy to do order for you.

This is just sad. I think that man may have been a genius! When I was little, my mom would make a stir-fry, usually beef with broccoli, and then cook a few of the bricks of noodles in the juices of the meat and veggies. It's a good quick meal and I still make it when I need something fast, you can do it with anything in the fridge or pantry. And now since I eat dinner mostly at work, I like the spicy ramen bowls. I can't remember the brands, but they come with freeze dried veggies, but most importantly a spicy sesame oil. It's really good. In college, my friends would make ramen versions of other dishes. One was a restaurant-style fried rice ramen. Add some frozen peas and carrots just before the noodles, cook, strain, scramble an egg in the still hot pan and stir with bottled terriyaki or stir fry sauce. Or ramen alfredo, cook noodles without the spice pack, drain and add butter, cream and parmesan cheese with pepper and nutmeg. My roomie would make "Spaghetti" with ramen and ketchup, but that was too much, even for me. Now I like mixing a little peanut butter with the hot noodles, adding scallions and cabbage, then mixing in some chili oil or sesame oil and red chilies. Then you kind of have to let it sit in the hot pan till everything is slightly softened and all gooey! Yum!

Completely disregarding the legal issues and what SHOULD be done, I was most hit by the attitude of the diner who was refused. Maybe it does have to do with class and area. I grew up middle class and in the midwest, but I still was offered or ordered wine or beer with meals before I was 21, a few times in the presence of my parents and with other friends, and never in restaurants of the same caliber, but fairly high for my small-town area. Sometimes I was allowed it, and sometimes I was carded and refused. I don't think any time I was refused I was ever "schocked or disturbed." If anything at all, I was the opposite - greatful and happy that I was allowed to drink the wine, beer, etc. But I don't know if I can blame him...maybe. He's been used to it, but for me it was more of 40-60 shot of getting allowed; when you don't get what you're used to getting, it can suck. Is this New York issue? I'd say no. I'm sure I could find cases of people talking the same in Chicago, LA, San Francisco, etc. I just find it a little sad (??but I don't know if that's the right word either???) that anyone of any class, location, age, race would feel "Shocked and disturbed" in this situation. Assuming the waiter/manager/bartender was just trying to cover his ass, how could you be upset unless they were really rude about it? (And even then, only really be pissed at the rudeness.) I think, if anything, the situation should be just considered a wash - you got a good dinner, but the waiter bobbled the timing of when to ask for ID. (If that's the main problem with the story. If he'd asked for the ID first and then taken the mom's order but refused Bryan, would this even be an issue?) I hope this is coherent enough. And, yes, before you ask, I read the whole thread!