BeeZee

I think about intensifying the flavors of the ingredient...for example, oven dried tomatoes can be a flavor burst, different than a fresh tomato. Roasted garlic tastes different than sauteed, etc.

Kraft mac+cheese (the original, blue box). It's a blast from my childhood and I will eat the whole thing in one sitting. No doctoring or upgraded add-ins, just milk and butter.

Soba, loving your vegetable-centric dishes. Not a fan of eggs, but I can look past them . You really put the veg "front and center" rather than using them as an accessory.

my contribution is that it is someone in NYC. That is probably Katz's corned beef sandwich (note the plastic tray), some swanky cocktail lounge, and a dish from Chinatown or Queens. Mitch?

If this were the menu description: Pan seared sea scallops, shrimp, mussels, in a white wine lemon butter sauce, with spinach and cherry tomatoes served over linguine. And what you got was overcooked pasta literally swimming in a thickened gravy-like lemon sauce (to the point that in the shallow bowl, it wasn't even visible) rather than a nice, light clear sauce...and no spinach or cherry tomatoes in the dish...worth a mention? I'll usually give them a pass on seasoning, unless it's so salty I can't eat it. But this just missed the mark on so many levels, it really made me think about saying something. It's not a "greasy spoon", it's a small family-owned BYOB with entrees $18-$28.

I won't hesistate to tell our waitperson if my dish is cold (please take it back to the kitchen)...but last night I had something that was poorly executed (and frankly not really matching the menu description) and I thought about telling the waitress as "feedback for the chef". I decided to just leave it half uneaten and depart, figuring that it wasn't going to mean anything if I told her to tell him. The question at hand...does the chef want to know if he's really missing the mark? If our waitress had been the one to clear my plate (half uneaten) I really thought I was going to tell her why...but a busperson who only asked if I wanted the leftovers wrapped to go had come to clear.

I like the Ginger Chews also...closest thing I could think of with similar texture is a stale Tootsie Roll. It's not the same, but a similar taffy kind of texture that threatens to pull fillings out of your teeth.

Nope. Already tried that one and it still has that tinge of...something other than baked goods

Atauolfo mangoes 10 for $5 at Whole Foods sale this friday...mango gorging ahead

I saw Alphonsos in the supermarket last week, cost was $1 each. They didn't look great, so I passed. Usually they will come down to 2/$1.00 for one week of the season.

No photos, but frankly it wasn't a photogenic meal. I dined solo at a vegetarian Indian buffet for lunch. Had a fairly limited offering, but everything was interesting and had differing spice levels, I tried a spoonful of everything. Sweet and sour broccoli (sort of odd, the coating/sauce seemed like tomato paste base), some kind of daal, paneer makhni, some kind of cabbage dish (chopped up very fine and mixed with carrots), vada (crispy and not too doughy), aloo gobi, basmati rice. Dessert was pineapple halwa (the one item not of a browish/beige color!).

Yehuda brand, from Israel. For the types found in our local supermarkets, it is my favorite plain because it tends to be more well-done. So at least you have the flavor of burnt cardboard rather than just plain cardboard . Snacking on leftover charoset, it is nice on whole wheat matzoh.

Sis gave me her used Krups Espresso machine, wasn't up to snuff for her Sicilian hubby. So it's sort of a "junk heap" acquisition, I wasn't going to buy one, but for free...

I'm a purist, I like plain matzoh, preferably with a smear of whipped cream cheese. I can't say I've noticed much difference between the commercial brands (I know some people probably have brand loyalty, I get whatever brand the supermarket is giving me for free with my $50 purchase ). Whole wheat which is made with apple juice instead of water tends to not taste as "dry". I bought spelt matzoh last year and it wasn't markedly "better" in any way. My late uncle used to go into Brooklyn and get schmura (sp?) matzoh which is hand made and usually more of a round/irregular shape, and tends to be close to burnt. Interesting in smaller quantities. At the end of the day...it's pretty much edible cardboard no matter what.

I always wondered about how different cultures developed tastes for certain textures that others find "challenging"...for example, some of the jelly-like ones found in Asian cuisines (both savory and sweet). Fatty cuts of meat, gelatinous textures.

Lasagne with chopped kale, sauteed mushrooms, and a little chopped chicken. Made with Barilla no boil noodles, hence the extra liquid. I find that it absorbs more as it sits and leftovers are perfect...I tend to make the sauce pretty soupy to start. And I used a disposable pan, which doesn't help with it's lack of thermal properties vs a nice stoneware one.

I like grain salads, so I will cook them in diluted chicken stock and mix with whatever veggies need to be used. I had cut the broccoli into tiny florets and stem pieces, threw it in the pan with the barley for the last 2 minutes of cooking. It was good as a hot side as well as a room temp salad with the added vinegar.

Barley with broccoli, sundried tomatoes, crumbled feta. Made a larger batch, mixed with olive oil, added a tsp of red wine vinegar to each portion in the morning. I had cooked the barley in diluted chicken broth. Eaten at the desk, as you can see.

Huiray, the portuguese roll was like the 4th one across in the photos on your 2nd link, from Viera's bakery (that was in fact probably the source, since they are in NJ). It is a hearty roll with dense, yet moist crumb and a nice thick crust. Sturdy enough to hold up to any sandwich filling.

no pic, scarfed in the kitchen in the back of the office...whole wheat portuguese roll (split open, tore out part of the "guts"), mushed avocado into each half, topped with albacore tuna (from pouch, single serve) and a sliced roma tomato. Everything purchased from local supermarket at lunchtime for $3.49. Patting self on back for healthy and thrifty lunch!

I would think you could incorporate legume-based dishes...yes, they have carbohydrates but they are high in fiber and have a lower gylcemic index than "simple" carbs like white rice or pasta. I love lentils, for example...you can cook a batch, portion out and make cold salad (room temp) with viniagrette and some veggies, garnish with some feta if you like, or turn them into hearty soup.

They think that putting the phrase "serving suggestion" absolves them of any responsibility for the product in the box looking like the representation in the photo. I call that "sponge chicken" with it having 11% solution added... The only mainstream "healthy" frozen meals that I find the chicken texture acceptable in (it's in small chunks or strips) are the ones from Kashi. Plus a decent amount of veg.

fennel and orange salad, simple and refreshing after a weekend of heavy eating!

I have used soy milk without a problem, especially when it is a "minor player". Funny how you'll crave something more when it's off limits!

In central NJ, near Princeton. Power went out 9pm last night. Friend who lives about 10 miles away has power, so we are hanging out for a bit. Lots of downed branches, uprooted trees, power lines down or compromised by trees leaning on them. Scary driving around. My parents live 45 min south and lost power, my sister is an hour north and didn't. Wegmans supermarket near Princeton had power, so we got a hot lunch. Likely to be tuna sandwiches for dinner, and the yogurt before it goes bad in the un-powered fridge.