suzilightning

tracey - deanna was sad that calhoun's wasn't better to you. she also recognized your beer pub, Woodruff's, that was a furniture store when she was in college there. not that she or her progeny would be going in there today(they are non-drinking Baptists). be careful on the drive back - it's been raining all week and shouldn't be nice till saturday.

"absolutely nothing!!! ...Say it again" sorry for the diversion but i have to get to my fishmonger early after he's been into Fulton Fish Market in NY to BEG him for the back end of the halibut - filleted (plus the bones of course) - or he has steaked it all out. i can still get salmon either way which is fortunate since i am about tp try my first smoked salmon side as a surprise for johnnybird

depends on your pasta - an how well you drain it. i make bow ties with veg and a vinaigrette the day before because it actually tastes better - IMHO any tubous macaroni salads i like to eat the same day as i make them since i can NEVER seems to get the pasta drained as well as it should be. as for the "what was i thinking" moment - you were being kind and caring and wanting to mother...

well, lafayette, the closest one to me opened today between the pouring rain... not much yet but some old regulars were there; Windy Brow Orchards - blueberry crumb pie for johnnybird and their cherries DanaRay Farms - some nice fresh herbs and fresh swiss chard as well as some of their homemade goat milk soap met a new guy who does organic free-range pig and cow - we will be talking later another farm(can't remember their name and i buy from them all the time - bad susan)- had potted herbs, lettuces, first bright, vibrant summer squash, rhubarb, potatoes, strawberries, garlic and garlic scrapes and beautiful beets(which i didn't buy since johnnybird won't touch them - his quote "they taste like dirt") missing this time but hopefully back soon: the raspberry guys, the cheese guy from lafayette(really good cheddar and dilled colby he makes)and the goat cheese people. maybe even Westfall Winery who make some nice whites with local grapes. hmm.... i see a squash frittata with sauteed chard and garlic for dinner

straight from the proud new grandmother up here: Calhoun's http://www.calhouns.com/cal/index.htm. deanna says this is where her kids really enjoy going - especially the one near utk down on the river or Regas http://dinesite.com/info/rstrnt-349519/??&t=0. this is where she and her husband used to go. have fun and some more food porn, please.

dinner tonight is going to be LEFTOVERS modified into this cookoff. using one of my mom's cookbooks - written by a friend of her's - Seafood Recipes from Local Waters by Jacqueline Pell Tuttle - and riffing off the recipe we are having seafood crepes. i did make the crepes with herbs - some tarragon from my plant and some scallions. shallots were sauteed in some canola oil then the cooked lobster and fresh shrimp were added. some sherry and Worcestershire - a sprinkle of salt and some whtie pepper. some clam liquor and parsley. pop into the crepes then cover with a medium bechemel sauce and more herbs. sides will be some garlic green beans and a green salad. god - i forgot how useful crepes were. i have a stack to freeze for future use - like in september when i can pull a few out so when i stagger into the house after 12 hours staring into the sky to see migrating birds i can wrap some chicken or salmon or tuna into them and heat for little packages of easy goodness.

tracey - WHERE is the picture of the corndog?!! when will you be in knoxville? i can check with a coworker thursday - she, her husband and 3 of their 4 kids graduated from UTK and 2 of the kids still live down there. i'll ask if she has any good(non-chain) suggestions if you like. so which bike are you on?

condolences to the family and to you for the loss of a family memeber and friend don't know what the weather is like up there but it is quite warm here so what about items that don't need to be heated? with the no meat idea what about some sort of a pasta with vegetable - bow ties with peas and squash and a vinagrette, a long pasta with pesto and tomatoes, - don't know if the "not crazy about dairy" would like a hard cheese added but you can always grate some fresh and put it in a small container for adding later. the protein can always be separate - roast chicken as mentioned is great, a roasted filet or some meatballs with gravy. a green salad? 4 bean salad(yellow and green beans, kidney beans, ceci, onion, shallot, fresh parsley and dressing made from oil, vinegar, pepper, sugar, a bit of water)? bread with a spread of some sort? stuffed/deviled eggs? can't help you on the dessert - don't eat it.............uhhhh chocolate mousse pie - will try to get it up on recipegullet and it is dead easy

all- i'm now about 3/4 through the book. i find the branding discussion very ineresting since this has come up in other media- tv(just remembered there was some discussion of this on "On the Money"), books ("Nasty Bits" has something on branding i believe) and magazines come to mind. BUT if you don't have the money or want to own a book PLEASE borrow the title from your local library or ask them to InterLibary Loan(ILL) the item for you. many libraries will buy the item if there is local interest ( emeril - providence- j & w) or try to borrow it for you - though there may be a temporal delay(6 months for where i work). yes, you do have to keep an eye on when the item is due back but many times you can renew for more time or pay a small fine. back to finish the book(i hope) since i read from the back to the front i am looking forward to some interesting things - especially the bibimbapp chaper (ok - i check the chapter titles and the index- if there is one- out first)

no... i haven't gotten anywhere AHD (i don't do cities well) but the lead article in this week's NJBIZ paper was titled "Rising from the Ashes" and talked about how smart the guys were in having a recovery strategy in place as well as the dogs.

johnnybird left this morning for the catskills(giant ledge/panther). into the small cooler went 4 beers(2 cans of tetley, 1 can of guiness and 1 corona extra - with lime), a small baggie of egg salad, a small baggie of mayo, and a frozen bag of hamburger stew for dinner tonight. hiking he has whole wheat pita spread with peanut butter, an energy bar, and flasks of water. back up foods are ramen pride noodles and onion pitas, another energy bar and more water. small sterno stove, too. his hiking partner, moody, is taking a can of beans and homemade 2 year old peach schnapps. hopefully i won't be a widow tomorrow morning.

well, gordon ramsey is being promo-ed to be on Live with Regis and Kelly for their "Grilling a go-go" segment tomorrow ...

We go through New Braunfels occasionally, usually either on our way to Lockhart for BBQ or to San Marcos to shop at the outlet malls. I may have been missing out on the German experience in New Braunfels. Only good food I have had there is from an old bakery in their kinda historic downtown-ish area. Any particular places in New Braunfels that you would recommend? I'm sure good German food would be worth traveling for. you probably are thinking about Friesenhaus Resturant and Bakery. they do make hearty old world style breads. i really liked the leberkase and john went for the pork schnitzel. we were staying near the New Braunfels Smokehouse and between the bread from Friesenhaus and the smoked meats from here we tended to have a very moveable feast while we were out birding. i kept being drawn back to the smoked jalapeno wurst and john really liked the venison and pork sausages as well as the weisswurst.

somewhere i have a recipe for a chocolate zucchini bread and one of my former employees used to make what she called martian cookies - chocolate chip and M&M zucchini cookies... must see if i can find those recipes

no, you are a future engineer! the OCD does kick in. tupac - just hike a bit north to new braunfels for german food including bbq and smoked meats.. i don't remember sausages when we lived in Hooks but oh, my goodness - open pit beef, catfish, chicken fried steak with gravy, frogs legs. if you like i remember a book where i work that talked about the history of bbq in texas. i have to go in tomorrow for in-service training and i can research it. oh- and i WILL fight you for the burnt ends. since you are a PROUD son of the GREAT STATE of TEXAS have you tried any of the bbq joints in the city and, if so, what are your thoughts on them?

i was thinking of Luzzi's as well but not sure how far you are willing to travel. here are a few possibilities though staying away from my favorite thai: Spain Rincon in Wharton on Richard Mine Road. they don't have a website but you might try something like ardore: http://www.ardore.com to find a link The Quiet Man in Dover http:http://www.quietmanpub.com/ Cerilli's in Randolph (Old Brookside). if they are still in business - check ardore Black River Barn in Randolph (Rt. 10 W) http://www.blackriverbarn.com/ Rosie's Trattoria in Randolph(Sussex Turnpike). this used to be Patricia's - ardore again La Dolce Vita in Wharton next to the Shoprite - BYO If you want to go a bit further maybe Bell's Mansion in Stanhope (Rt. 183) or Zoe's by the Lake in Spsrta which sounds more like what your mom and you would like http://www.zoesbythelake.com/

i've been making coleslaw with a cooked dressing for years. it comes from The Old-Fashioned Cookbook by Jan McBride Carlton it uses equal parts sugar, water and cider vinegar(1/2 cup), 1 Tbsp cornstarch, t tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp salt, 1 beaten egg and 1 Tbsp butter. i have added 1/2 tsp celery seed to it. you combine sugar, cornstarch, mustard and salt in a saucepan. stir in everything except the butter and celery seed an cook until thickened. stir in the butter and celery seed and chill.

in each car's glove box there are chopsticks, plastic cutlery and a corkscrew and church key. on trips i pack sandwiches, cookies, chips of some sort and water and a sports drink - inevitably 1/2 an hour after we start out i hear "what do we have to eat?" from johnnybird during the hawkwatch i have in my trunk a small box with: South Beach Diet cranberry almond bars, fruit snacks like fruit leather,cookies for when john stops by, granola and the very important chocolate - in our case fudgy bourbon brownies. i bring for my breakfast and lunch vanilla soy youghurt, fresh fruit, the makings of tomato sandwiches or chicken waldorf salad and water - or in coleer months - a thermos of coffee. the rest of the year there is dried fruit, the cranberry almond bars and fruit snacks along with bottles of water.

in that case try it on ritz crackers - almost orgasmic and i agree with you on the swiss and tomato - though i am a texture chick and like my bread toasted

i have learned to bring my own small jar of miracle whip up when forced to visit the inlaws. i have got to try to make it myself since i find even the regular seems to be a bit less vinegary than it used to be. ohhhhhhh, sandy. i have got to try that catalina dressing - my favorite since childhood when drizzled over slices of tomatoes that have been sprinkled with mouth watering blue cheese. i can make a meal of that!!! or a piece of toast with mw and tomato slices.... oh, god when will the good ones come in!!!!?????

i, too, have been abused for my love of miracle whip. i grew up with it. johnnybird grew up with mayo. i make mayo from scratch but do not get between me and my miracle whip(light these days). it is the best in a chicken waldorf salad, my mom's stuffed- no mustard- eggs, a turkey sandwich on portugese sweet bread with cranberry sauce, potato salad with onion, chopped eggs, peas, relish and miracle whip, very chunky blue cheese salad dressing. tuna salad with celery salt, minced shallots and miracle whip on toast or mixed into macaroni salad with red and green peppers, a piece of toast with miracle whip, a fresh jersey tomato slice and a piece of swiss cheese...... viva la whip

A good bread shouldn't have to be served warm ← Unconundrum, I agree completely with you. And I do like to use a good fava bean spread occasionally. ← but it shouldn't be served ICE COLD as i have, unfortunately had it in many north jersey restaurants - ok - i will take it room temperature but i don't want it cold!!

guys, the original question was about SIMMERING not BOILING in plastic wrap. unfortunately my data entry addled brain can't remember the article i read recently(NYTimes mag, Saveur, Cooking Light, or on of the other cooking mags at work) about creating poached chicken rouladen in plastic wrap that the chef demonstrated and his dishwasher did at home the next day. it basically is a version of a ballotin(sp). what mags does the wife read?

No problem. It can't be all that expensive can it? Hmmm, maybe I need to look for or start a rack of lamb topic. It's been ages since I've made it. ← i'm doing lamb burgers tomorrow if you can make it...... end of july johnnybird is gone, i'm painting our bedroom and i can grill some lamb.....

johnnybird and me???? perhaps, chef, we should take this into pm heaven and do some finagling to do a get together? or if not pm me and we could do something........