BeeZee

JAZ, I had the exact same thought. If I go into the next step of baking a batch, I'm definitely going to use a sheet pan to make it, I think that will work great.

I keep thinking that a "standard" cheesecake cube would kind of mush apart. The stuff in the DQ seems much denser in texture. Maybe I'm overthinking...the good news is that even if it isn't perfect, I'm sure it will be a tasty experiment!

Hubby's birthday is coming up and he loves cheesecake ice cream. I have one of th Cuisinart ICE units with the freezable canister. Most recipes basically have you mix cream cheese into the base. Any thoughts on how to get cheesecake-like chunks into the mix? Crust bits are easy. Anyone who has eaten Dairy Queen "cheesequake" blizzard knows what I mean.

It's heresy, but I made some sauce with cranberries the other day. I had a small qty left over from making cranberry bread and cooked them down with just a little sugar. Pressed the "sauce" thru a fine mesh strainer and got a smooth ketchup-like texture. Mixed in a bit of honey, salt/pepper/soy/5 spice/vinegar and it was pretty tasty. The only disappointment was it still retained a bit of bitterness. Probably because I didn't want to add too much sweetener.

FYI, Mizu opened a second location in Parsippany...on Parsippany Road, in a strip mall with Quick Chek.

Sure is, there's that intersection called "5 points", if you're coming from the Quakerbridge Mall on Quakerbridge Road, you'd make a right onto Nottingham. I think Bill's Olde Tavern is on the corner.

Sounds like a primo idea for Sandra Lee..."look, you can buy these sushi rolls at your local market and transform them into a wonderful semi-homemade..."

Trader Joe’s will be opening a new store this summer in the Square at West Windsor shopping center off Route 1 in West Windsor, in the Meadow Road complex that also includes a Lowe’s and a Pier 1. So as I joked to a friend, we now have the "trinity" of Wegman's; Whole Foods; Trader Joe's within a half mile.

Taramosalata (Greek fish roe dip/spread). Definitely salty, fluffy in texture when whipped up!

I made this recipe for lychee sorbet (uses cream of coconut in the base) and it was really tasty and refreshing http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/vie...and-Lime-109551

Wow, I think the manager missed the mark, big time. She saw 2 bites (a taste?) taken from the entrees which you then stopped eating. So essentially at least 3/4 of your entree was sent back to the kitchen. I certainly don't think that sounds like you were angling for a free meal and she should have had enough business sense to give you more than a $8 (?) dessert against $45 of inedible entrees. Even a gift certificate for that amount for a future visit would have been smarter.

I like using the extra firm tofu (cubed) in a stew...you can do any kind of flavor, since it kind of blends in, so you're not confining to asian flavors. I think the pre-fried tofu is a great idea for that, also! Silken tofu can also be blended in to a soup (or fruit-based smoothie) to make it creamy.

Today made a nice batch of potato-leek soup with chives. Very simple, but I can tell it will be great with some parmesan toasts on the side. Also contemplating taking half of it and turning it into a modified chowder with some bay scallops and corn.

That's a great tip, I remember that from when I was single and living in Philadelphia...go to the Italian Market on Saturday and suddenly everything is two-fer...

Steven, I enjoyed your tale 'o the grape very much.

The chicken with chilis that I ordered was plenty spicy yet still flavorful. It had sauteed jalapenos along with the chicken, little skinny red peppers, and some other kind of chiles crushed into the saute mixture. The hostess who was really nice actually came back to the table a couple of times to check up on me because I guess she thought I wouldn't enjoy it. Nice after-tingle.

nope guilty

They have duck tongues, if that is your interest...table next to us seemed to enjoy them. I've never had the pleasure.

One of my favorite things to do for "soup time" is to figure out a way to use the leftovers from a dinner to create a new soup. On one night I made thai red curry with shrimp. It was very spicy, and we had a fair amount of the sauce leftover (red curry/coconut milk, some celery and carrot slices, scallions, shrimp-y infusion). Since it was fundamentally too tasty to put down the drain, I used it to create thai curry soup. I sauteed chopped up red onion until soft, added diced butternut squash. In went chicken broth and the leftover curry sauce. Brought to a simmer, added yukon gold potatoes (half grated, half diced) - since the idea was to cut down the heat with the potatoes. Simmered about 20 minutes, added basil leaves. It's still pretty spicy, but really tasty.

Agree...some nice panini-type things with grilled veg/mozz/pesto and maybe a mediterranean style with hommous/veg. Not a fan of fake meat, good veggie sandwiches can be very satisfying.

Lasagne...it's a good 2 hour process for me. Hot cocoa. I just finished a batch of applesauce with pears, cooked with a cinnamon stick, and the house smells heavenly. I have to remember that next time we are snowed in.

I need to make a large qty of Israeli couscous salad...is there any way to convert weight (oz) to dry measure (cups)? I saw a bulk bin at Whole Foods and tried to gauge if the scoop was equal to about a cup but really couldn't tell. I've been tempted to carry my own measuring cup in so I don't over-scoop out of the bulk bin as I usually do...

Enjoyed lunch at Basilico very much...I had mushroom bisque, pear/goat cheese ravioli with pecorino/thyme sauce. The ravioli were perfectly cooked and very light. They have a nice lunch menu, runs the gamut of salad-panini-pasta, plus a huge dessert menu (if I only had room). BTW, walked past Cafe Monet and they were hosting a private party for lunch.

Thanks, Curlz + Susan... Will definitely keep Martini Bistro in mind for another time when I can partake! Cafe Monet appears to be open for lunch from what I see on other web sites, but they don't have any detailed info on their own web site. We need to see menus before choosing since we are kind of a picky bunch. Decided to go to Basilico, everyone was able to agree on that.

Meeting some co-workers for lunch tomorrow, central point with best options is probably Millburn/S.Orange. Looking at restaurant MC or Basilico as viable options, any other thoughts? It's also good if it's the kind of place that won't push us out the door since we have some business to discuss and probably will need the table for 90 minutes.