slo_ted

Love, Love, Love sardines. Yes, King Oscar rules. Great on a sandwich moistened with the oil from the can or some mayonaise. I also like the nasty, cheap Mexican ones packes is hot tomato sauce. For a while you could get some brand (can't remember) packed in oil and HOT chilis which was one of the hottest commercial products I can remember and they were great. Maybe they were too hot to be commercially successful because I haven't seen them for a few years. On a more sophisticated note, this weekend I had a great app at a Mediterranean restaurant on Divisidero ST. in San Francisco which was meatballs made from ground sardines in a nice spicey red sauce with olives and tomatoes. I wanna go back and do it again. Love sardines.

Been to Sodolak's twice and will definitely return next time I'm in the area. The bacon is a real treat, especially when dipped in the cream gravy. Snook is an unlikely destination, but is very close to Bryan/College Station (Texas A&M) and Caldwell, TX. This area is a Czech stronghold if you're in an ethnic mood.

All of the stores in my area--central California coast--call poblanos "pasillas". I looked for poblanos for years before I figured that one out. As far as I can tell this mislabelling only occurs in the golden state.

How many times have I said to myself, "this is the last cook book I'm going to buy". Still, I know I can quit anytime I want.

Can't get enough greens these days. When my brother and I went fishing in Caldwell, Texas 2 years ago, I remember getting huge bunches of turnip and mustard greens at the local grocery for 39 cents a bunch. They're more like $1.39 for a bunch that will feed 2 here on the CenCalCoast, AND you can't find the turnip variety anywhere. Chard, mustard, kale and sometimes rapini are the fare. I usually boil/steam them in a small amt of h2o and bacon fat. Sometimes I add some diced onion and/or dices turnip to the pot. In this house we like 'em thoroughly cooked--no al dente stuff.

We love egg noodles in this outfit. Great with braised meat, but also good with grilled salmon on top. Actually, it's hard to think of anything they don't work with. I'll nominate another candidate, sardines. I love a sardine sandwich with some mayo and a glass of milk.

My childhood happened in Austin, Texas. That's a long way from salmon habitat, but in our home, too, saLmon croquettes were a staple. They were delicious. I think it helped that my mother could open a can and have the meat of the menu covered. My brother, who unlike me, was a picky eater loved the dish too. We fished alot and had bass, blue gills, and crappie frequently, but there was always the challenge of the bones. With the salmon we didn't have to be so careful. Thanks for the reminder! It's been decades and I've got to make some croquettes tonight!

As I understand, Norovirus is not necessarily food-borne, but it certainly can be. It is also very tough. The cruise lines have experienced outbreaks on successive voyages despite thorough disinfecting. The folks who operate and work at this OG have their work cut out for them and they have my sympathy. Needless say the victims also have my sympathy. It is incredible to me what powerful amplifiers of infectious disease restaurants and cafeterias can be.

I love beef stew and usually use "stew meat", the anatomic source of which is rarely specified. I've used chuck and cubed top sirloin which is fast becoming my favorite all-purpose cut of beef. Which cuts work best for you?

rconnelly, thanks for the follow-up. I'm so sorry to hear of the Solareum's demise, but if we get back to the Old Pueblo this spring, I will definitely check out Galo's.

Has anyone tried frying chicken this way. Seems like it should work.

There was a Tucson seafood restaurant back in the 1970's called the Nantucket Lobster Trap which I really liked. I don't know what happened to it, but it was quite popular in its heyday. They flew in the seafood and there was a board in the foyer showing the arrival times at the Tucson airport of the various offerings. It was located on the south side of Tanque Verde near the intersection with Grant. There was another restaurant west of there called The Solareum which had a nice look and feel although the food was not spectacular. Do you know if it still exists? I really loved Tucson in those days.

Definitely warm and sniff. It just might still be excellent. You can always toss if it smells rancid.

Oyster. YUM!

Ozone is a powerful oxidizer and has been used to purify municipal water supplies in many cities, e.g. Paris. Seems like this thing should help, in principal. with surface contamination which is where most contamination should be. I don't understand how E. coli could infect the vascular system of the spinace. Seems like it would have to be taken up by the rootlets first and I'm not sure they would do that. Perhaps if there were wounds is the stem of the plant they could enter. I suspect they were on the surface which if rough enough world be difficult to completely clean by rinsing. Is there a botonist in the house?

Probably in most instances it is a rhetorical question, but I try to answer honestly in case they really want the feedback. And without hostility, of course. There's more than enough of that in our world.

You will be happy with the Weber Smokey Mountain water smoker. It is pretty much set and forget. You can get good results with your Weber covered kettle grill but it takes a lot more effort. Snowangel can provide advice in the kettle dept., but it sounds like you/ve read her posts. Glad you had some success and hope you get your bullet. TD

I've had many meals there and enjoyed every one. Having said that, I would not make a special trip to eat there. It is in the middle of nowhere and the food is not that spectacular. If you are driving by on I-5 and are hungry it is great.

Sardines out of the can with saltines.

← Yes, AB pointed out that bathrooms are easy to clean but kitchens are not. Extrapolate that!

Wow. Nice coverage. I feel like I was there. Maybe next year. What a fantastic event. Do you have any video?

Central coast of California it is usually Santa Maria style BBQ-- Tri-tip cooked over a wood fire, beans, and salad. Here it is ubiquitous and can be really good.

California, central coast. $50 at local cooking school. $40 at one of the local wineries. Both last 3-4hours.

Love brown rice. Texmati and California long-grain browns are my favorites.

After discovering one too many biology experiments in my fridge, I keep a Sharpie close by for plastic bags and a wax pencil for jars.