annecros

Nice job on the Steely Dan puzzle. Sacha Baron Cohen voiced Julien the King of the Lemurs in the animated movie "Madagascar" He befriends a lion named Alex, who had only ever eaten precut steaks before coming to Madagascar Kudu are natural prey for lions in South Africa Ali G and Durian Ice Cream

True, but he drank enough to make all that stuff that went down seem like a good idea. Mind you, I'm diabetic and I get tipsy on occasion, but then again, I'm not bringing up my diabetes to excuse why I can't cook a dessert. (My excuse for that is that I'm lazy. ) ← It was brought up as an excuse for why he could not sample wines for his pairings in this episode as well. Two get eliminated tonight. Should prove interesting.

Sorry, my bad. I was trying to divide my attention too thin and just pasted and forgot to get rid of all the solved puzzles. Morning update, and great fun to see all the players: In play: Marie Curie and Electric Eel Steaklets Haruki Murakami and roast lamb Roy Clark and nan Piet Retief and pemmican Taj al Din al Hilali and meat Bishop Tutu and Eskimo Pie Ice Creams Donald Fagen and a root beer float If I made an error, please do not hesitate to point it out to me! I will try to be more attentive today, but you guys are working fast!

I second the "Blackened" anything. Wasn't this the era of the "Black and Blue" Burger? "Wings and Pitchers" specials at all the bars. I ran a bar for a while that had a 10 cent wing night (1.50 for the blue cheese and celery side), and also had a "Long Island Iced Tea" pitcher special another night. Nothing sold draft beer like those 10 cent wings though. I think the 80's really were the decade of the Buffalo Wing. Didn't escargot do a fling around everything from mid-priced and up for a while? Also, wasn't this Buffet Heaven? I remember some rather upscale places dividing dining space between "Buffet Side" and "Menu Side" at the time. Seems like "Deep Dish" pizza had a run there. Oh, and "Tournadoes" everywhere. Wine coolers. Frozen drinks were silly then, as well. Artichokes and Avocado. I was primarily in large Metro areas in the Southeast at the time, so your milage may vary.

Good morning! Glad to see you back Janet. I've had house guests (sister surprised me with a visit from the frozen North) for the last two days, and getting ready for more this weekend. In Play: Barry Humphries and pheasant Winston Churchill and Collards Shane Warne and biscuits (cookies, that is ) Neil Hamburger and lemon meringue pie Edith Wharton and fried rice Gidget and roibois tea Einstein and Vegemite Taj al Din al Hilali and meat

Well, you have me stumped. I can think of a few places in Miami-Dade that fit your description, but with the ethinic exclusion it sort of takes out many of the Broward alternatives. Keep in mind, that many of those "ethnic" sounding places serve all sorts of fare. You can't remember any little bit of the name? There's a place in Coral Gables I think, but that is well south of where you are locating this place. Good luck!

Good morning, and once again Henry dazzles. In Play: Spike Milligan and lamingtons Barry Humphries and pheasant Ghenghis Khan and baked Alaska John D. Rockefeller and roast pig Art Buchwald (RIP) and Spumoni Jade Goody and papadoms

Everything you ever wanted to know about Florida Citrus: http://www.floridajuice.com/industry_market_pro.php This report seems to address your specific question. http://www.floridajuice.com/user_upload/fi...2f2893dc908.pdf "Based on the phased planting assumption, white seedless grapefruit production is projected to increase by an average annual rate of 1.6% over the projection period, while red seedless grapefruit production is projected to increase by an average annual rate of 2.6% (Table 18). Assuming Tristeza results in relatively high tree loss rates for the next several years, white and red seedless grapefruit production is estimated to decline somewhat for a few years and then recover. Grapefruit production projections for the Indian River versus Interior regions are provided in Table 19." I am aware of no cold weather related issues with Florida citrus, and in fact this is the first year in about 5 where (so far) weather conditions have been really good for Florida agriculture. No hurricanes last summer, mild winter, warmest January on record. I've already seen Plant City area strawberries out there. The Honeybelles are what you should be looking for this time of year. As far as the blind taste test guy is concerned, sure, if you pull the fruit green, gas it up in a cold storage warehouse a week before you send it to the supermarket, it probably all tastes the same.

There is a large buffet at the Hardrock Casino on the Seminole Indian Reservation in Hollywood. Then there is the Ten Palms at Gulfstream Park. Hallandale Beach, south of Ft. Lauderdale and just at the Broward/Miami-Dade County line. http://www.gulfstreampark.com/DINING/OVERV...ng+Overview.htm Vegas style, certainly.

I can tell a distinct difference, even between pink and red varieties. White Marsh is seedy and acidic. It even has a different smell. Not that the acid is a bad thing, but I can guarantee I could pick it out of a lineup blindfolded. Of course, I eat them off the tree.

Oh, it was just me. I'm still a bit sad for him and his family. I forgot that his wife was American, and that would have been an easy connection. We had a local man down here who survived a situation almost identical to Irwin's less than a month later. It spooked me, because I cannot tell you how many times I have snorkled above and around and about rays down here. They are much more common on the beach than people would believe, and I always thought of them as lovely and gentle.

According to the judges and the other cheftestants, his food is actually very good. They are the ones who have tasted it. I don't care if he is Snidely Whiplash, everyone has a right to feel safe in their own bed. Somehow, I think if Betty had been present, she would have been all over Marcel with the clippers. Michael might have actually interceded and spoke up on Marcel's behalf. I wonder how Mia is feeling about her decision now? Probably glad she isn't there, but Elia seems like a whiny little waste of an opportunity for her, and so not worthy of the sacrifice.

Good morning, and Henry, we are not worthy - and insomniac, I too started the Steve Irwin puzzle and got uncomfortable. I guess it is too soon. In Play: Haile Selassie (Ras Tafari) and gravlax Barry Humphries and pheasant Kevin Pieterson and rabbit John D. Rockefeller and roast pig Art Buchwald (RIP) and Spumoni Jacques Derrida and Whatchamacallit

Poor Chef Ripert. I cannot imagine his reaction to this display of juvenile behaviour. The look on his face when they walked in that room with shaved heads was one of shock and horror. Now that the head shaving appears to be an ass covering strategy, I am even more disgusted with the four. The fideos and clams looked really good, though. I am not big on clams either. Cliff's sirloin didn't seem to belong in that meal. Marcel's QF dish looked really good, and I think he came out pretty OK considering his salmon was a fall back plan, and half the pan got dumped in the kitchen. Considering Cliff's later behaviour, and in the interview he said he had felt like punching Marcel about five times, I wonder how accidental that pan dumping was in reality. Stranger things have happened in a kitchen. Edit to add: If they had a talk with the cheftestants the first time Marcel was threatened with bodily harm, wasn't it Frank?, then maybe it would have calmed down the Marcel feeding frenzy enough to avoid this sort of thing. But that wouldn't make good reality TV, I suppose. And isn't Sam a diabetic? What's he doing drunk?

Sorry I've been so slack this week, but things are calming down on the work front here. Lots of interesting resolutions, and lots of cool stuff in play. In Play: Janet Jackson and potato chips Haile Selassie (Ras Tafari) and gravlax Barry Humphries and pheasant Steve Irwin and tacos Donald Trump and Fig Newtons Art Buchwald (RIP) and Spumoni Last two added by me to keep six in play. Great answer there for Caroline and Hog Maws, Domestic Goddess. Keep them coming!

Not me, Babe. You're not my type. ← Sorry, was going to say something about Tinky Winky's sexuality, thought better of it, and didn't get rid of the whole sentence!

By all means Rachel, jump in. I am sure you would make a great player. Tinky Winky's red pocketbook came to mind when I was playing around with it, as well. Edit to clean things up!

I'm predicting a Marcel win at this point as well. I didn't think he had it in him at the beginning of the series, but everyone else is coming unglued at this point. He's the only one demonstrating any dignity out of the whole crew. I am so dissappointed in Cliff, and that was entirely unacceptable. Far from a career builder, I think several of these contestants have ruined future job prospects.

Morning update: Still in play: Oscar Wilde and boiled peanuts Haile Selassie (Ras Tafari) and gravlax Barry Humphries and pheasant Steve Irwin and tacos eminem and winkles Princess Caroline of Monaco and Hog Maws

Virginia Woolf and Ba Bao La Jiang The movie "The Hours" was based on Woolf's novel "Mrs. Dalloway" and Nicole Kidman won an Oscar for her potrayal of Woolf in the film Nicole Kidman is presently working on a film entitled "The Lady from Shanghai" scheduled for release in 2008 Ba Bao La Jiang, or 8 treasure stir fried vegetables with meat, is an example of Ben Bang Cuisine and is a common offering in restaurants in Shanghai Whew! Oscar Wilde and boiled peanuts

Hehe, Steven Spielberg directed "Jaws" in the 1970s, starring, of course, a great white shark. Princess Caroline of Monaco and Hog Maws

Oh, I love them! I used to be able to get them at a Farmer's market in Thomasville, GA but they just aren't around here. Prepared like turnips with the roots cut in, they are wonderful. A little brown sugar or maple syrup and butter to finish. Yum, and even better warmed over the next day.

Sounds like you are already eating greens. Do you want to try southern style greens? Many of the greens commonly consumed in the south may be prepared just as you, and I very often, prepare spinach. Are you wanting to do the low and slow greens with a wedge of cornbread? If so, then there are many collard afficianados that can assist you. This time of year, in your geography, that is probably all you can get your hands on fresh and at a decent level of quality. In a few months the variety will open up like crazy. I'll be happy to help in any way I can. ← Based on your previous post on the subject I would personally like to know more about how you prepare greens of various types. I have cooked collards etc., and although they are usually tasty, I rarely achieve the depths of flavor found at good meat and threes (slow and low, I assume) or at southern fine dining establishments (more al dente). I could use some education on the subject........... ← (Taking a deep breath as I know I am about to get long winded) For mature collards, the dark green and leathery ones, I sweat a small yellow onion and about half a bell pepper in butter or bacon fat in the bottom of a pressure cooker. This is more to "sweeten" the greens than to flavor them. About a quart of water, a large smoked ham hock (smoked neckbones or a smoked trotter will work as well, or a leftover ham bone) and a Knorr ham bullion cube. I pull the largest of the center ribs out of the leaves, because they are super tough and no amount of cooking will soften them, but leave the smaller ribs in for texture and flavor. Roll the leaves up and cut into strips, dump in the pressur e cooker and then process under pressure for about 30 minutes. Simmer for another hour and a half to two hours, then taste the pot liker (cooking juices) for seasoning. I rarely have to add salt, in fact I can't remember the last time I had to. I then finish with about 2 tablespoons of butter. Without a pressure cooker, count on four hours of simmering. These are good with a hoecake made simply of white self rising cornmeal, salt and water mixed into a barely pourable slurry then fried in bacon grease or vegetable oil as you would a pancake. If the greens are still bitter, many people add a dollop of cane syrup. Personally I like them a little bitter, but have used maple syrup to sweeten greens, and the maple syrup is more subtle than cane syrup. You will get better flavor from the whole leaf collards rather than the precut collards, but you have to wash them thoroughly or you will end up with sandy grit in your greens. Turnips, mustard, and kale are too delicate for the pressure cooker. Look for turnips still on the root if you can find them, the greens will be fresher. It is getting harder to come by them lately, so buy them seperately. A bundle of turnips or a bag of precut will need about 3 to 4 good sized turnip roots. Once again, a pork stock with smoked meat and either salt or a ham bullion cube depending upon how smoky you want the greens. I don't usually add the onion and pepper as I do with collards, because they don't seem to need it. Bring it up to a boil, then add your greens a little at a time, they will wilt down appreciably, reduce to a simmer. Kale makes a great substitute for mustard if you can't find mustard. I prefer to tear these greens instead of chopping them as I do the collards, as they hold together better. Kale is tougher than turnip, which is usually tougher than mustard. I give kale about a 30 minute head start in the simmering, and give turnip greens about 20 minutes simmering ahead of adding mustard. After about an hour and a half, peel and slice the turnip root and add to the pot of greens. Taste the pot liker and adjust salt or sweet. Another 30 minutes or until the roots are tender and falling apart. Turnip greens are vastly improved with the roots. A dash of pepper infused vinegar and a slab of baked yellow cornbread from the black skillet in an oven are all you need. I've used every combination of greens in this sort of prep except collards and cabbage. Collards just don't play well with others. The triple threat of kale, turnips and mustard are my husband's favorite. If you can get your hands on some dandelion, by all means toss a handful in, but dandelion doesn't stand as well on its own. Kale, mustard and turnips all do. Look for whole leaf greens here as well. The precut stuff just doesn't taste as fresh, to me, and is actually harder to clean. Some people slice a mild banana pepper on top of their serving. Now, you know everything I do about greens, and should have no problem competing with a meat and three. Very simple, and very good for you. It's little known, but collards actually increase in nutrional value when cooked. Let me hear how they turn out.

Good morning/evening, Another day in paradise!

I didn't pair Neruda and the sundae! And no time to look it up. I am definitely falling behind here, but watch your backs guys! In Play: Virginia Woolf and Ba Bao La Jiang (Ms. Woolf's tastes are tamed, a bit) Haile Selassie (Ras Tafari) and gravlax Hieronymous Bosch and Olive Oil Bon bons Barry Humphries and pheasant Muhammed Ali and courgettes Sigmund Freud and strawberries