slo_ted

Their Jo-Jos are really dangerous!

I keep a large jar of msg next to the stove and use a pinch or two in most all savory foods. I think it enhances soups and stews especially. It pushes the umami buttons much as parmesan cheese does, but without adding any flavor of it's own. Never tried it in anything sweet.

Astonishing. A fat and sodium bomb harms race in fast food land.

Our PBS station showed Cookin' Cheap briefly more than 20 years ago, and I loved it. I still remember some of the cookin' and the pleasant banter which was definitely home grown, but I could not remember the names of the players. Thanks for the memory, JM

Short sleeve T-shirt for me. Fortunately, it doesn't get that cold on the central California coast.

Add me to the smaller is better preference

My remembrance is just that. Southern ambience. I never dined there, but I attended numerous parties and wedding receptions, including my own, at the place and it was a very nice place for a gathering.

Albertson's is the only store here on the California central coast that I know of printing a catagorized receipt. It does make it interesting to gaze at it a minute before pitching it in the trash.

The Sept 7 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the CDC contains a report of four large multi-state outbreaks of Salmonella gastroenteritis in 2005-2006 associated with raw tomatoes eaten in restaurants. In fact, they say, there have been 12 outbreaks like these since 1990. By their estimate, approximately 80,000 people were affected. All types of tomatoes are envolved, and they come from multiple states. There has been at least one outbreak per year since 2002, so they conclude that the tomato-growing environment is an ongoing source of contamination. Experiments show that tomatoes can take the bacteria internally if contaminated water is applied to the plants or if the tomato is immersed in water warmer than the tomato. Slicing or dicing the tomato can transfer bacteria from the surface to the meat which is a good culture medium for the bug unless it is refrigerated. I haven't looked, but I'm sure the article is available on their web site. I won't stop eating tomatoes over this, but it is worrisome that the plant kingdom is increasingly becoming the chief vector for this bug.

Watched the show last night. It was an awesome performance on both sides. Carmellini was great. His dishes may have been winners--I wish I had taste-0-vision--but what a disadvantage he was in following Mario. The judges were obviously worn out from the ecstasy.

Are you sure? Walnut was the first wood we burned in our fireplace when we moved to California in 1980. Unfortunately walnut orchards are being cleared for development at an alarming rate in the central valley of California, and the trees are piled up and burned. I've used walnut oil in cooking for years and my understanding is that it is one of the healthiest oils available. I would like to know where you got the information relating to walnut toxicity.

Circa 1980 my parents gave me my first microwave oven and right away Velveeta+ Ro-tel became the standard dip in my house. I can't remember ever "using" the stuff in any other way.

Was it good? Can you post the recipe without copyright infringement?

I want one. I want one. I want one. Do I have to wait until November?

The ones I use are made by Messermeister and are called "Edge Guard." They work just fine. They are made of some type of plastic but grip the blade firmly. To apply them you insert the heel of the knife into one end of the guard and then close the guard over the rest of the blade as though closing a folding knife. They do not slide on the blade. Edge Guards, a good thing.

If effective, this would be a great boon, as allergic reactions to peanuts are the most common cause of fatal anaphylactic reactions to food.

I, too, am with you, man. We've never met, but I've been an admirer of your progress since your time at TFL. It is one of my quests to dine at Alinea. I want you to be there in top form when I do. Love and best wishes, Ted

Kent, thanks for your chronicle. I'll be following with interest. I love Austin, my home town. I, too, majored in history at UT--class of "68. Hook 'em Horns!

Sheena, I'm loving this alot. And yes, your pix are fine. It's good fun tagging along with you and I look forward to the next installment.

It's hard to beat a BLT, but the BELCH sounds great. Gotta try that combo.

Thanks, Chef, that does help. I'll look around for one of these bags. Sounds like fun.

Still, what the hell is a superbag, and how do you use it??

I also take a standard, generic, multivitamin as a back-up. I also take fish oil or flax oil capsules on the advice of my doc who claims it lowers cholesterol about 10%.

My brother and I had an excellent seafood dinner at a restaurant that I think was called Latitudes. It was on the ocean at Lover's Point. I recommend their calamari.

About 18 months ago our party had a fine meal at a restaurant called Fandango which, I think, is on the main drag in PG.