suzilightning

now THAT is what i call a perfectly cooked set of onion rings. your friend's burger looks lovely,too

drizzle with some hershey's sauce and you have me there. ritz crackers smeared with miracle whip topped with some blue cheese. my favorite snack as a 4 year old....or now..

when my friend redid her kitchen she took the old cabinets and moved them down to her basement and used them for food storage and some of the ones with drawers for her husband's tools. unfortunately with the flooding irene provided to her basement they are now gone.

interesting, chris. i tried the Yopalit and thoguht it was dreck. i haven't made my own youghurt since the 70's though maybe i should go back to it...

i roasted a chicken - because i wanted to. will use the white meat to make chicken waldorf salad with some dried cranberries, apples and shallots. i stripped the carcass and used the bones - along with some onion, bay and garlic - to make a broth. added in the jus from the roasting, the dark meat and then did a cleanout of the fridge. leftover saffron rice, carrots, peas, roasted asparagus and some green beans. served to john when he got home from the woods with a whole grain roll. and it's what for breakfast for me today.

well it wasn't a business event - it was supposed to be my birthday celebration. the next day i did send the owner an email detailing what was good - how she had upgraded the property, the cocktails, the complimentary water, my husband's food - but then the problems. got a note back several days later saying sorry, hope you give us another try. i have since spoken with several folks i know and all have commented about the lack of quality of the food and the bad, bad service. and the food is supposed to be buy some well known chef.

well i asked my husband to take me here last night for my birthday. i wish i had followed my own rule and gone by myself for lunch - it would have saved me a lot of unhappy feelings and a fight with my very buzzed husband. first the good - the place looks fabulous. we were greeted and seated promptly. our cocktail order was taken. he had a margarita with a better tequila, i had an elderflower cocktail that was very, very nice. john ordered the codfish cake and the hand cut fettuccine with fire roasted tomatoes, olive, fresh herbs, etc. he said they were both very, very good. they provided the table with a bottle each of still and sparkling water. now the not so good - i ordered 2 small plates of things i love to eat - beef and potato empanadas and onion rings. when they came out i ate one of the empanadas. the filling was really good. one of the best i have eaten and i have eaten these all over morris county. the crust not so much - by the time i finished the first one the crust was getting soggy. i tried to eat an onion ring. they were pipping hot - just as they should be but as i picked it up my hands felt greasy. i tried another and the same thing. as they sat there you could see the grease soaking the paper that lined the basket. this was very frustating since i was seeing that other diners were getting things like french fries that didn't look greasy. i didn't say anything to our server since she never came by to ask how things were. she didn't show up until my husband had finished all of his meal and then she just asked if we wanted anything wrapped - and i was sitting there with basically an untouched basket of onion rings and two of three empanadas. when we said no she removed the food and, 10 minutes later, we asked a passing bus person to have her bring us the check. i was also under orders from my husband to say nothing because he wanted to take the tomatoes he couldn't finish home and he didn't want the kitchen staff to spit in them. and i shouldn't take it out on the server. and i should be glad there was even food on my plate. and maybe i'm too flipping picky about my food. and maybe the fat americans love their onion rings with grease dripping down to their elbows. did i mention that he had a glass of wine with his dinner? over all i think from seeing what other diners had i think i made bad food choices. would i give it another try? maybe but ALONE!! should i just have picked up a ribeye? yes

picked several up on sale with a coupon. as katie said they are very thick with a great depth of flavor. so far my favorite is the key lime though the vanilla with fresh peaches was very, very good. the ones under the stonyfield label are organic.

sure it wasn't turkish taffy? for us it was mallow bars or skybars. actually these folks have a good selection Vermont Country Store

well i asked my husband to take me out to a local restaurant that says they have a name chef last night for my birthday. i wish i had followed my own rule and gone by myself for lunch - it would have saved me a lot of unhappy feelings and a fight with my very buzzed husband. first the good - the place looks fabulous. we were greeted and seated promptly. our cocktail order was taken. he had a margarita with a better tequila, i had an elderflower cocktail that was very, very nice. john ordered the codfish cake and the hand cut fettuccine with fire roasted tomatoes, olive, fresh herbs, etc. he said they were both very, very good. they provided the table with a bottle each of still and sparkling water. now the not so good - i ordered 2 small plates of things i love to eat - beef and potato empanadas and onion rings. when they came out i ate one of the empanadas. the filling was really good. one of the best i have eaten and i have eaten these all over morris county. the crust not so much - by the time i finished the first one the crust was getting soggy. i tried to eat an onion ring. they were pipping hot - just as they should be but as i picked it up my hands felt greasy. i tried another and the same thing. as they sat there you could see the grease soaking the paper that lined the basket. this was very frustating since i was seeing that other diners were getting things like french fries that didn't look greasy. i didn't say anything to our server since she never came by to ask how things were. she didn't show up until my husband had finished all of his meal and then she just asked if we wanted anything wrapped - and i was sitting there with basically an untouched basket of onion rings and two of three empanadas. when we said no she removed the food and, 10 minutes later, we asked a passing bus person to have her bring us the check. i was also under orders from my husband to say nothing because he wanted to take the tomatoes he couldn't finish home and he didn't want the kitchen staff to spit in them. and i shouldn't take it out on the server. and i should be glad there was even food on my plate. and maybe i'm too flipping picky about my food. and maybe the fat americans love their onion rings with grease dripping down to their elbows. did i mention that he had a glass of wine with his dinner? would i have been out of line to say something? it seems that the server wasn't all that together. i emailed the owner and just got a response from the catering manager saying basically thank you for the input and she hopes i give the place another try. no offer of comp or even a free drink ... i feel that i have to give my husband an 20.00 to make up for it. any thoughts?

i dont' know but he is still listed on the menu as the chef. maybe he did an overhaul then split?

johnnybird took me out for my birthday dinner on tuesday. about the only edible(drinkable?) thing was the elderflower cocktail 2 parts sparkling wine 2 parts sparkling water 1.5 parts st. germaine pour over ice and serve

Generally, you're out of luck as far as insurance claims go on items like this. They will fall under an Act of God clause. I'd freeze it all again and call it lucky that none of the internals were above freezing. you may want to check with your electric utiliy, though. my grandfather ran a small electric company and the company reimbursed users if they had to throw out food because of an outage. they did have to provide documentation, however. as for me - if it is still frozen ok to refreeze; if partially thawed convert it by cooking it then use, donate to a shelter or other place that could use it to feed others that have suffered or freeze.

well i asked my husband to take me here last night for my birthday. i wish i had followed my own rule and gone by myself for lunch - it would have saved me a lot of unhappy feelings and a fight with my very buzzed husband. first the good - the place looks fabulous. we were greeted and seated promptly. our cocktail order was taken. he had a margarita with a better tequila, i had an elderflower cocktail that was very, very nice. john ordered the codfish cake and the hand cut fettuccine with fire roasted tomatoes, olive, fresh herbs, etc. he said they were both very, very good. they provided the table with a bottle each of still and sparkling water. now the not so good - i ordered 2 small plates of things i love to eat - beef and potato empanadas and onion rings. when they came out i ate one of the empanadas. the filling was really good. one of the best i have eaten and i have eaten these all over morris county. the crust not so much - by the time i finished the first one the crust was getting soggy. i tried to eat an onion ring. they were pipping hot - just as they should be but as i picked it up my hands felt greasy. i tried another and the same thing. as they sat there you could see the grease soaking the paper that lined the basket. this was very frustating since i was seeing that other diners were getting things like french fries that didn't look greasy. i didn't say anything to our server since she never came by to ask how things were. she didn't show up until my husband had finished all of his meal and then she just asked if we wanted anything wrapped - and i was sitting there with basically an untouched basket of onion rings and two of three empanadas. when we said no she removed the food and, 10 minutes later, we asked a passing bus person to have her bring us the check. i was also under orders from my husband to say nothing because he wanted to take the tomatoes he couldn't finish home and he didn't want the kitchen staff to spit in them. and i shouldn't take it out on the server. and i should be glad there was even food on my plate. and maybe i'm too flipping picky about my food. and maybe the fat americans love their onion rings with grease dripping down to their elbows. did i mention that he had a glass of wine with his dinner? over all i think from seeing what other diners had i think i made bad food choices. would i give it another try? maybe but ALONE!!

can you do a report on the new Fairway? and is it ever too late for elevenses?

oh, stash- can't wait to see the veg. unfortunately our farmers markets here in the northwest part of the garden state have fallen apart. finding local produce here is sketchy as best - perhaps they have all gone into the city? we are also bracing for some horrible rain here - think that will effect what you are able to find? with the uncertain weather this year the corn came in very late and the tomatoes are beginning to have problems as rain builds up. the peaches are doing ok but we may lose whatever is on the trees this weekend. love the lobstah- towards the end of my years with my family being to ask for birthday dinners it was my favorite - along with sliced tomato with blue cheese and catalina dressing and fresh corn. so what is for elevenses? ps- did you see the info about the Hobbit movie? didn't recognize the guy playing bilbo but sir ian and elijah woods appear to be reprising their roles.

i just got in from battening down the outside. i grew up on the east end of long island in the 1950s and 1960s and we got hit by at least two or three hurricanes each year. some of the things i have come away with are: fill your car with gas - if the area loses electricity they will not be able to pump it if you have camping stoves, gas or charcoal grills make sure you have enough fuel. after gloria in 1985 my mom lost power for 5 days. she had her- grill and we brought out the perishables along with a chain saw to take down the trees. if you don't have city water make sure you fill your bathtub and just about any other pot you have. besides having water to cook and wash with the bathtub water was used to force flush the toilet. very, very important. we kept a good sized ice chest and pulled out some food when we lost power, transferring it to the ice chest. we then wrapped the freezer and fridge in blankets. we had to put claims into the power company a few times. i have windup and shake flashlights, a windup lantern and a windup radio. they are very important especially in keeping informed and so i can read!! it has been many years since a hurricane has hit us on the east coast and many have never lived through it. many think it won't be that bad but i'll be ready.

i have a recipe for salmon cakes made from iqf salmon that some folks seem to like...if they like salmon.

this has been a blessing to us with my mother-in-law. her idea of dinner would be a full pint of ice cream. with her going in for knee replacement we could use the minis as a treat and have her eat healthier foods like fish or chicken or homemade soups.

hard to believe it has been so long since this thread was started and written on. i have started my two weeks before reflections - i make birthday resolutions not new years ones so i reflect on the prior year and what i did well, not so well and what i want to add or change the next year. so many things have gone on in our lives over the years...dealing with a hepatitis c diagnosis, increasing alcoholism and job loss, recovery and moving on, getting ready for retirement and relocation, changing the way i eat and losing 65 pounds and keeping it off. food and the folks who share a love of it are still so important to me, especially as my beloved johnnybird struggles with more health issues. helping my mother-in-law deal with a better diet after surgery has also increased my awareness of good nutrition. helping a neighbor who has become like my younger sister deal with the problems of eating during cancer treatment has also helped my awareness. thinking about what i want to eat in celebration is so very different now. just starting to ponder it and i want to share it with friends now. i don't think i want to go out...though a thai or indian restaurant might be fun. a bunch of small plates might be the way to go... no more alcohol, though so maybe a treat from a friend's place like a key lime cupcake or even better a cheese plate for me.

love the one where you can see the fleur-de-lis. like the idea of splitting and filling. the peaches are coming in now in nw nj with a vengence. pulled out johnnybird's grandmother's recipe for peach kucken and made it. some for us, some for our neighbor and some for my mother-in-law who is rehabbing her knee. am making a peach clafoutis for a meeting on tuesday, julia's birthday...along with a ratatouille to eat room temperature

i use tomatillos in making a white chili after roasting tomatillos - about 1.5 lbs - with some poblanos. skin the poblanos, 1/2 or 1/4 the tomatillos and add to 2 lbs of center cut pork roast or loin cut into 1" pieces and browned off in some lard. add a sweet onion, bay leaf, oregano,tomatillos, poblanos, cumin and chicken stock. takes about an hour and a half but makes a good chili.

i guess from working in restaurant kitchens i picked up the habit that anything going into a small fridge/reachin/lowboy was quickly chilled by putting the pot into an ice bath. the food in the original pot could then be safely put into your work stations chill chest without raising the temperature to an unsafe level. if going into a walkin it wasn't a problem but i had to keep my reachin at a certain temperature in case of a surprise health inspection.

ohhhhh - i love currants and gooseberries. DISCLAIMER: i baked when i was younger but am not much of a baker in my advancing years. that being said my neighbor and i were comparing food memories from when we were younger the other day. she mentioned cinnamon raisin rolls down the shore. well, one of the magazines she had given me to recycle had a cinnamon roll recipe in it so i thought - why not? i plumped some golden raisins in some hot water and mixed some of Johnnybird's Famous Outrageous Toast Dope with some light brown sugar. made the dough then went to the gym. when i got back rolled the dough out, slathered it with butter, spread the toast dope/sugar mixture and scattered the drained and dried raisins on. cut and let rise for about 45 minutes. bake and drizzle with confectioners sugar mixed with vanilla and milk. i ate three of those suckers...by myself...i'm so ashamed but they were so good. the dough was a perfect foil for the sweet filling and it wasn't too soft even at the center. i will make these again...and i gave a plate with half of them to my neighbor.

yesterday: cheddar burger on an onion brioche bun with vidalia onion relish. today: iced coffee so far but now i think it is time for a blt on potato bread. gotta go.........