The Blissful Glutton

I figured this was as good a place as any to ask if anyone knows where I can get figatelli in the US. I dont mind paying the shipping. I just had some in Rome and it was outrageous. I believe it is a pork liver based salami from Corsica. Does anyone have any info? Thanks in advance.

Waiting on the cherries is probably a good idea. When I lived in SF, I would take drives on the coast and buy some from the roadside vendor to munch on when looking at the scenery. Just spectacular.They set a high standard for cherries in my life. Washington has some pretty darn good ones too. Franchi has quite the selection of everything. if only I had a store like that here in Atlanta. As for tacos, I was in Mexico City after Rome and ate some pretty good tacos if you are interested... Click here

Just got back from a couple of days in Mexico City to see the family. Took as many photos as possible-I could not take my camera everywhere because the crime rate has gone way up and mugging/kidnapping is a serious threat. We had many family obligations, but got a lot of tacos into a small time frame. I miss the food already... You can see the photos BY CLICKING THIS LINK Enjoy!

oh yeah, i know now. It's on Cola di Rienzo, i only venture out that way to visit castroni for cheddar cheese and sour cream! ← Ha ha. Sounds very Italian Are you thinking of the one located in the old looking hall with the large archway? About the cherries, we had some for dessert one night at Dal Bolognese and they could have used another few weeks...quite tasteless. I just have this memory of cherries in Italy from a childhood trip to Milan and needed to indulge.

I wish I remembered the name of the market, but it was a very impromptu stop. It was near that Franchi store if that helps...

Thanks! I am leaving tomorrow for Mexico City so my time is limited. Hope to get some more in today, but I think it might be a museum day. I can't miss my beloved Pompidou! I am going to try and take some photos in Mexico even though I am just there for 2 days before returning to the States. Stay tuned...

Thanks! I was just in Rome too if you are interested... Those photos HERE

Just arrived yesterday and we've already gone food crazy. I am still having trouble posting images here through imagegullet. Have quite a few and will continue to update the album when possible. Planning on labeling them when my connection is not so spotty. You can view my photos HERE Hope you enjoy them!

I am not sure about the seasonality (I know the states, but don't know if there are any slight differences in Europe), but they sure do make pretty photos! In Paris now. You can see those photos HERE. Planning on labeling them when my connection is not so spotty.

In Rome for just a few days before heading to Paris and Mexico City. Just wanted to share my photos with you guys. So much good food and so little time as you can imagine. You can view the photos HERE I'll try to post my impressions, but I am running on empty. Enjoy!

Any way to get the picture without having to have a Flickr account? I love croque, and I really want to see your picture. I hope the recipe is on Epicurious, because I'm off to look there now! Aren't croque madames made with chicken? I thought croque monsieur were with ham, and madame were with chicken. ← Can you see the picture here? CROQUE PICTURE A madame means that it is topped with a fried egg. Both the monsieur and madame are made with ham and cheese.

Mifi's avocado salad, FoodMan's shrimp, Chufi's birthday dinner, Marlene's pork chops...so much gorgeous food that looks big on flavor and heart. Good job, guys.

I made croque madames for breakfast/brunch. I used a Gourmet recipe from a few months back and it was a hit. Got some delicious gruyere and truffle ham (sliced very thin) for the croques at one of my fave stores here in Atlanta. Loved the subtle truffle flavor in the ham. Picture here: Picture of croque madame Still having issues with imagegullet

I have had many social and work obligations in the past week--no time to cook. Finally got around to making something tonight. It was so nice to stay at home and make a meal for myself. One of life's little pleasures that you take for granted. I was flipping through the April issue of Saveur this morning when I spotted a recipe for Tagliatelle with Chive Oil and Cremini Mushrooms. The recipe, which is a winner, can be found here I was lucky enough to score some chives at my local stand today. I made it pretty much to the letter except I added parm to the chive mixture which made it a bit creamier. I topped with some diced chives and chive blossoms, which I gently separated to lessen the intense chive flavor. Hit it again with some parm after the photo and dug in. So happy Spring is here. I keep getting error messages from imagegullet, so here is the link to my photo: Tagliatelle with Chive Oil and Cremini Mushrooms photo

Wow. That looks amazing. Nice plating and nice combination of flavors. Did you make that recipe up?

You can drop them off in the morning and pick them up later in the day. Don't remember the price, but so worth it for the quality job.

Such a busy week. I barely cooked anything. Those of you making tinga (which looked amazing by the way) got me thinking about the pork shoulder I had in the freezer. Got it while visiting a grass-based dairy/cheesemaker I was researching. I made some sopes with cochinita pibil tonight. This is normally made with suckling pig and cooked in the ground, but the recipe has been adapted over the years for city living. I marinated a pork shoulder overnight using D. Kennedy's recipe which can be found here: http://www.pepperfool.com/recipes/mexican/...ita_pibil3.html Slow-cooked in banana leaves for about 5 hours until it fell off the bone. I put the shredded meat onto some fried sopes. I put out some fresh avocado, crema mexicana, fresh tomatillo salsa, pickled red onions, queso fresco, and micro-cilantro--I just let my guests make their own creations based on their tastes. I would always look forward to eating these as a kid. It was such a treat when my Mom (who hated to cook) would make these. Probably my favorite Mexican dish aside from my grandmother's mole. After busting open the banana leaves (was in a hurry to get eating): Plated:

With gas, when you turn it off, it is off! With Charcoal, unless you douse em with water, the coals are gonna stay lit until they burn out! Which may be a concern in apartment complexes. I use a propane grill, Vermont Castings, and love it. It gets up to temp. quickly and does a number of other things that I wanted. I also have a Smokin' Tex electric smoker, which may suit your smokin' needs, too! It's not a 'real smoker's' smoker (so I've been told!), but I don't have to stoke a fire all day or tend to it in any way. Again, in an apartment you might have the safety issue of the fire box and the amount of smoke generated. You can find the Smokin' Tex at www.smokintex.com or Bass Pro Shops sells them online also! Bob R in OKC ← Marlene in the Dinner thread said she loves her Vermont castings. Just did a gorgeous looking spit roast on it. I like the idea of having said attachment...may need to check this one out. I will also look at the smoker. Thanks Bob!

You guys are a HUGE help. Thanks! Don't flame me (tee hee), but I am thinking I may need to go with a gas grill. Having coals concerns me. I know the flavor is incomparable. But, I think it may be a better option... I wish I could go BGE so I could do pizza and bread as well as smoked items, but think I may have to wait on the BGE until I have an actual yard. Any suggestions? I heard the Weber Genesis is good. So many choices. Who knew choosing a grill would be this hard?

Thanks for all the replies. I am still a bit concerned with the safety issue of the wooden balcony. Most of the people at my complex have gas grills for that reason. Is there any real difference in the gas versus charcoal in terms of safety?

Considering the purchase of a Big Green Egg. Want a smoker and grill. I do have some concerns though. Was hoping you guys could help me out. Is it safe to use on a wood balcony? Is there enough room to grill burgers and such? Am I better off getting a smoker and a grill? TIA

We have a Vermont Castings Gas grill. The grill has an infra red rotisserie burner at the back of the grill which is really great for spit roasting. ← Are you happy with it? I am debating on a grill vs. a Big Green Egg. 2 different animals, but the BGE would be great for bread and pizzas.

I ahve always had great results with the Bladesmith.

I saw that too! Oy vey...

Marlene: The roast looks divine. How did you cook the roast? Looking for a grill and would love to have one with such a capability. Which one are you using? Alinka: Those look perfect.