BeeZee

Step-daughter made the following in about 5 minutes, I've already started thinking of enhancements... 1 bag each chocolate morsels and peanut butter morsels...put in bowl and microwave until melted. Pour half into a small square pan (preferable disposable aluminum to hide the evidence). Scatter mini marshmallows and broken up pretzel sticks over. Top with remaining melted chocolate mixture. Cool until firm, cut into squares. I think she said she saw this on Sandra Lee's show, I won't hold it against her since she's a kid. But imagine playing with the mix-ins, the sweet/salty/chewy balance...

I started reading Gourmet in my 20's...living in my one BR apt., having potatoes for dinner 'cause I was unemployed and broke...relishing each exotic page and dreaming of a time when I might visit these locales...trying to imagine what the recipes would taste like. I used to savor each issue when it arrived, rarely sitting down to read the whole thing, but spending time over a week or two to slowly savor each article.

Check to see if the "designer" from the kitchen store is a member of NKBA (the letters would be on their biz card)...National Kitchen and Bath Association (if memory is correct). If you aren't using the services of a trained professional architect/interior designer, at least you'll know this person has some professional training/accreditation. As someone who has a B.S. degree in Interior Design I can confirm that there is more to the process than you might think. And if the store is going to credit the $500 towards your purchase, they are likely just trying to weed out the people who "window shop". If you pay someone to design and install your cabinets, they are responsible for doing it correctly. If you mis-measure something and it doesn't fit, you're out of luck.

aah, soup....I'm always saving small bits of things in the freezer because although they aren't enough for a "meal" they can contribute to soup sometime in the future. If you want to stretch the food dollar, it's fun to be creative and make a "kitchen sink" soup. Never the same twice, but always tasty! Little portions of meat are also good to save for chili or enchiladas, or chopped finely to use in lasagne.

If you cook a lot of Asian meals, you should be able to cut down on the use of meat. We (Americans) are used to having a big portion of meat for our meal, when I cook stir fry, for example, I reduce the amount of the meat (chicken, seafood) down to 3-4oz. per person and/or incorporate tofu for protein. Meat is the highest % of cost in home-cooked meals (and the fresh herbs are a killer). Agree also that buying bulk packs and portioning/freezing is another huge cost savings if you have the freezer space.

My husband loves Lean Cuisine Santa Fe rice and beans (puts extra salsa on top) and eats for lunch...so always have 2-3 in the freezer. I often have a package of frozen pierogi for the super-carb craving that only potato in pasta will cure! On the healthy side, frozen shelled edamame...throw into stir fry.

In the ready to eat category, a couple of yogurt companies have flavors which are too sweet for breakfast, but I like for a snack or dessert. Stonyfield Farms "Caramel Underground"; Yoplait has their line called Sabor Latino which had tropical-type fruit flavors but recently added Dulce de Leche and Horchata (almond-cinnamon). Yummy. They are under 200 calories per container.

Decidedly unphotogenic...leftover pineapple noodle kugel from dinner last night. Reheated in the microwave just long enough to hear the butter sizzlin'....oof, that's rich.

FYI, if anyone is a golfer, this is around the corner from one of the nicest courses I've played recently, The Architects Golf Course! Unfortunately, didn't have an opportunity to stop in for a bite after my round...

No photos...after reading the posts about pizza, then about grilling pizza, I gave it a shot (nervously) last weekend. Bought pre-made dough at the supermarket (hey, for $1.49 it's a cheap way to experiment). Divided dough ball into 2 pieces, stretched out to oblong shapes, oiled top and bottom. Cooked on gas grill, a little nerve wracking to transfer the floppy dough onto the grill (some thin edges kinda folded over a little), but it actually turned out pretty good! DH requested I make it again soon after he scarfed it down (3 cheese, pesto, roasted peppers). So thanks to everyone for giving the pointers!

Sort of reminds me of the Global knives...for your "project" at school, I'd assume? I think they work for that...

Often have a problem with rich, cheesy sauce (ie, Alfredo-like), but sometimes can't resist gnocci w/gorgonzola sauce...

As those who live in NJ know, we are lucky to have an abundance of diners on every major highway. I've had 2 really pleasant lunches recently with customers, just casual/spur of the moment things. Last week had lunch with a customer (7 Brothers Diner on Rt.46) who bought ME lunch and we spent a very pleasant hour or so sharing industry gossip and horror stories. Seems that there's a correlation between the cost of the lunch and the pleasure of the experience...high end lunch often winds up feeling too much like work.

ahhhhh, my biggest phobia...I'm cringing and feeling nauseated as I read these...I always sweat when cutting with a knife from the anxiety. Unfortunately, I also love cutting with a knife (julienne, anyone?).

Yep, that's our strategy, grill tons of chicken breasts and veggies and keep in fridge with salad fixin's. Also have hoummous and taboule on hand for vegetarian dinner.

Fish has different tastes and textures, some (like salmon) have more natural oil=stronger flavor, some (like tilapia) are more lean=milder flavor. People who "don't like fish" often do like meaty fish like fresh tuna. Tuna is lean and tastes great if you sear it in a skillet or broil it. If you have a nice fresh piece, it's best to cook just so it's still "rare" in the middle (red/pink). Take a 4-6 oz. tuna steak, rinse in cold water and pat dry. Rub with a little canola oil; lightly salt and pepper. Heat a skillet (pref. non-stick) over med/hi heat, add a drop of oil. When you cook the tuna, you'll see how it turns color up the sides. When the color changes halfway up, turn the tuna over and continue to cook the other side until you see the color change up the sides. The rule of thumb is 10 minutes total per 1" thickness, but you might need less time depending on how hot the pan gets, how thick the steak is, if the tuna is cold (I often cook them while still partially frozen), etc. Better to undercook than to overcook, 'cause it gets dried out. Great on the grill, too. Since it is a lean fish, it benefits from something "wet" to garnish, I sprinkle with some citrus juice or serve with homemade salsa. Or you could brush it with a teriyaki glaze before serving.

Haha, I always wonder about that, similar booty in my basket, usually it's cheese crackers and chocolate!

I'm with Miz Ducky, part of it is cultural...those of us in "the Tribe" are conditioned to equate large amts. of food with love. When I got married, I discovered that my husband's family, unlike my family, didn't know what portion control meant. So I quickly learned to make 2x normal amts. when his family was visiting. Now that 2 members have gotten gastric bypasses, it's down to 1.5x portions . But DH is always disappointed when there's no leftovers, whereas I consider it a supreme accomplishment to make just-the-right-amount!

Praise be, confirmation that I'm not nuts (well, sort of)... Now that we are grilling a lot, I'm faced with the platter that the raw chicken was placed on for transport to the grill. If by chance DH washes it, when he's not looking I take a quick sniff (to confirm that yes, it still has a taint of raw chicken smell) and I re-wash in water as hot as I can stand. Can't define the smell other than "raw meat" and unpleasant to me. Have no problem with milk. Eggs, I avoid since I can't stand to eat them, so the only time I have them is for baking cookies. And same thing with the glass bowl they get broken into, it must be washed first in scalding hot water (no contact with sponge, to avoid contamination), then soak with hot soapy water, then rinse, then wash again with soap. I do know I have a fairly sensitive palate, I have helped to do product testing for my husband's company when they need to test one ingredient vs. another to see if it affects taste.

I've been to Penang in the Princeton area (Nassau Park shopping center, just off Rt.1)...in fact was there Sunday. Love the eggplant dish which is quartered japanese eggplant barely coated with a thin crispy shell, fried, then topped with chopped chilis and dried shrimp. Yum, we like to order it like you'd get a side of fries. The pearl noodles are cool, really thick and chewy (like worms). When you order, they bring it out as it's done, so if you want separation between dishes, better to order in phases!

I know someone who did some work for Mario Batali at his home, and they said he was really cool and a nice guy.

heh heh, how many Amazings does $100 buy? Gotta tell you, I haven't eaten a dog in probably 20 years and yours look damn good! I used to have a client in Verona, if they were still there I'd be stopping in for fries, at the very least.

Decorating is definitely something that should be incorporated, if they have minimal skills it's always fun to do cupcakes as one thing. Hard to mess them up and you can make different flavors of cake/frosting. I love the idea of the playing with tempered chocolate like J. Torres does on TV, he makes all kinds of cool things using common household objects to create different shapes/textures. You could make a simple cake and frosting and have all kinds of cool decorations!

Yeah, that's a great one I keep reading about! Thanks for the reminder.

I'm in the fortunate position of having about $1,000 to spend on restaurant gift certificates for clients. I usually get $100 denominations, figuring that usually covers dinner for two (they can pay for the wine) and that allows me to gift more people I need help to pick places north of New Brunswick, since I really don't know the restaurants up there very well. I've been to, and gifted for, The Frog and The Peach, so that's one down. I usually like one or two "steakhouse" type places (I did Ruth's Chris last year), but other than that, I'm open to suggestions. I need to be able to order them over the phone or internet and have them mailed to me. Tell me your favorites - Somerset, Union, Bergen, Essex county!