Kouign Aman

I can see where this could be a problem. Perhaps she can make up a lovely card that says: A special treat, hand made with love by _Name-of-Client/host___ And stick that card into the serving bowl on one of those plastic stakes florists use to hold the gift card? Then she compliments the client nicely, while covering her own hindend. We had blueberry pancakes yesterday too. I eat mine with sliced bananas and powdered sugar. The spouse uses maple syrup. My friend works for the company that created Byetta. It will be nice to tell her how much you like it.

Jack-In-A-Box Spicy Chicken sandwich, extra mayo. And now that they've replaced their fries (ok it was a few years ago), fries. With extra salt. In the summer, these drop off our schedule and I get withdrawal pangs. By September, I'm jonesing bad. Carl's Jr's Western Bacon Cheeseburger also fills a certain need. As do their limp and floppy fries.

Apparently, the Chinese Gov't has recently rejected several shipments from the US, citing chemical, bacterial and insect contamination. While US investigation into the issues is just getting started, there is some possibility its tit-for-tat politics. One thing that would go far to settle the question is access to the Chinese test results and sampling plans/procedures. Failure to provide that data would strongly suggest the Chinese are more interested in embarrassing the US than in solving the problems claimed. Providing the data would make it much easier to confirm and to prevent future occurences. Chinese refuse shipment of US products as contaminated Apparently the Chinese are also finding problems internally, so the US-issues may also be related to recent increases in testing stringency. Unsafe Chilli (sic) products in China

Chufi also does excellent shots - usually incorporating some kind of interesting other object that adds color and compliments the subject.

I like Marie Calendars, but my favorites are made by a local restaurant that's been doing not much but chicken pot pies for 70 years. My goal is to make pies as good as theirs by the end of the summer, and then figure out how to freeze them for future reference. The first recipe I tried went too heavy on carrots and onions, making it much too sweet. Of course, the end all may be pies that cost more than Maries, for insufficiently better flavor.

I've been told this before but it doesnt match my experience. The Early Girls were in bloom at the same time as the rosemary in the same location. There are a ridiculous number of tomatoes on those two plants. The other three varieties bloomed later, and have almost no fruit set (1-2 each): Mortgage Lifter, Big Beef and Mr Stripey. I've tried pollinating them myself, but unsuccessfully. (It worked for the peppers tho, oh my!). So I'll be moving them to bee-happy locations this weekend. Basil still reluctant, tho I'm getting sprouts from my third try at seeding this year. I may have to go to Trader Joes and buy one of their lovely $3 plants. The lemon grass is in the ground - fingers crossed. Even dying it stays green a while so I wont know if it made the transition until it starts some new leaves (or doesnt). I found a piece of trellis, so I may try planting some yard-long beans. Since I cant do that til July, Im not sure there'll be time enough for them.

Giving oneself time to arrive is important, however given its a new environment, I'd say the hostess's responsibility is greater than the guests. I have given myself 40 min to reach a restaurant 20 min away, in a slightly familiar town. The host however gave me directions with a left turn that should have been a right turn. By the time that all got straightened out, I was still 15 min late. And Mapquest etc have errors, so they can not be relied on entirely in unfamiliar settings. (I've been given a left turn onto a street that only existed on the right side, for example).

Brave lady, tackling a blog with that schedule in front of you. Those're some beautimous berries you had for breakfast.

You arent afraid of using up your Sting caffeinated gum, because you think the odds are good someone on the Japan forum will take pity on you and ship you some when the need arises.

Happy dancing!

Sandy, :laugh: :laugh: Well-skewered, sir!

Put "Blue crabs - " in front of that, and there's a sig line waiting to be taken. Tho I like the one ChrisOC already has

How 'kid appropriate' is Asia Vous? We have a well-behaved 3yr old & a rapid evacuation policy for times that behavior is not up to standard. If we arrived close to opening for dinner, would it be reasonable to include the munchkin or is this a restaurant not suited to small fry? Things that help a restaurant accomodate small people with minimal effect on other diners include reasonably high ambient noise level and a willingness to have them present (as opposed to tolerating them grudgingly).

Casa de Loma, Pt Loma (Rosecrans Blvd). Mexican, been there a while (this was my husband's suggestion. He knows he ate there in '84 and thinks he might also have been there in '76, when visiting a brother in the Navy). Tamale/enchilada combination plate: $6. Chimichanga w rice/beans: $6 Not out of this world delicious, especially due to use of bland cheese, but the refritos were stellar (probably 60% lard, 40% beans. YUM). Definitely a hole-in-the-wall. Decor consistent with '70's start up. Very dark. Parrot lights on one side, chili lights on the other. Only fur-shure new "decor" was the warning about pregnancy and alchohol behind the cash register. Thru the back, or around the back is Ballast Bar: a nice locally referential name for a nice dive.

I take cherries to the movies, instead of popcorn, during the few glorious months its an option. We leave em in a bowl on the table during the evening and watch them disappear, with any leftovers getting refrigerated til the next day. Last week I sliced cherries and cooked them with butter and a tiny bit of sugar, then served them atop a dutchbaby pancake. Oh my yum. Almost makes me want to buy a cherry pitter.

Til they get freezer burn. So it depends on how tightly your container seals mostly. I'd expect about 6 months.

You could freeze them spread thin on a cookie sheet, then place them in a container and store frozen.

How wonderful to have someone like Mr Chu and Mary and her husband in your life. We also go to a Chinese restaurant that my husband's been eating at for >25 years. They also spoil our child, but in the best way - they are mock-strict. She calls the owner "Gramma", and Gramma makes sure the munchkin eats well: "If I you Gramma, you eat all your beef!". Its a gas. There's a different Chinese restaurant which we can walk to. They've been spoiling the munchkin since they made room for us to park the pram with our 2-week-old in it. I'm looking forward to reading the bits and pieces and the research threads that come up as you do this project.

Ah, this is lovely. Thank you! I'll have some fun compiling and checking out websites this weekend, based on all your suggestions, and figuring out a map. It looks like we are good for breakfasts, thanks to you guys. Friday for Clinton St Baking Co, and play it from there on the weekends. I'm excited to see the Union Square Greenmarket. I hope it fits with the addicts' plans. Tastes - so far, I havent found an entire class of food I dont like. My husband has expressed a lack of fondness for Korean, but could probably be brought round with the right menu choices. Most bugs are out, and offal isnt high on the list. We live 17 miles from Mexico, so we'll not be looking for Mexican food in NYC. We'd like to keep the average <~ $100/day for food each, so if there's a splurge lunch or dinner, we'll work it out over the other meals. Food carts are good friends, as are hole-in-the-wall places, and sandwiches. If it helps us get good food, I can talk the Tenor out of drinking wine, which will help the budget some. If this budget is absurdly low, lemme know now please, so I can mortgage the munchkin. Thanks.

Skim milk is pointless in coffee. 2% is tolerable, whole milk is good, cream is for special occasions & Bailey's is for Sunday mornings. I like my coffee chuggable, which means enough milk goes in to bring it down to that temperature - which many above would despise as lukewarm. My mom prefers her coffee nearly room temperature. Neither parent has greatly changed their coffee/milk proportions in 30 years. The amount of sugar (and to a lesser degree, of milk) varies with coffee variety. African coffees in my experience taste better with less of each than our standard morning south american blend. Kona loves cream which is funny because Kona tastes creamy no matter what goes into it.

You're purchasing foods online to ship to folks you've never met, who cant get them shipped directly by the vendors. And you are grateful to folks who offered to send supermarket items to you from 'across the pond', when you waxed nostalgic in a post.

We're headed to New York for 3 1/2 days, arriving on a red eye on a Thursday morning, to attend a concert in Carnegie Hall that evening, and leaving early Sunday afternoon. The trip is arranged around the piano addictions of the members of an internet bulletin board, and thus will not, sadly, be particularly food-friendly. I am not the piano addict in our family. However, I will have at least one chance to influence our choice of dining location. We wont be able to hit the haute cuisine highlights of the city, but if we've got a choice between mediocre and noteworthy, I'm all about noteworthy. Particularly as I'll be celebrating our mobility, free from the constraints of our munchkin for these few days. We're staying near Carnegie Hall. Thursday we'll need either a late breakfast, early lunch, or brunch. We'll probably head toward Ground Zero and possibly Chinatown on Thursday, before taking naps. Dinner before the concert is to be at Bello, with the piano-addicts. Friday breakfast and lunch are semi-free; I think we're checking out "Piano Row" on Friday (I have no idea where that is). Friday dinner is set. The group tried to arrange a Steinway factory tour, but no success as of yet. Saturday and Sunday are currently open for 3 and 1 meal respectively. I doubt they will stay that way, but we can try. I might gain some bargaining power since one of the 'highlights' of the tour for the Tenor will be observing someone's grand piano get tuned. (Be still my beating heart.) Is Papaya King still worth a visit? I've heard Elk Candy/Chocolates (what was it?) closed - they were a 'must go' for marzipan - is it true? If we can get to one gelateria a day, which ones, and in what order of priority? If we have time for one meal at a fine dining establishment, of the newly casual or the more traditional men-in-jackets variety, which should we aim for? I'd love to visit a farmers market, tho I doubt my ability to drag my Pacific Standard Time-fanny out of bed that early in the am. Thanks for any suggestions, comments, links or names or hints for searching other threads. ETA: Like this one I found while searching the NY forum:Favorites

We just had a Bertie Bott's Beans tasting of a sample of flavors. All flavors include a sugary component. Vomit - got that first sharp taste and didnt wait for more. It hit the spit bucket. Sardine - I dont like sardines. This is a good rendition, if a bit sweet. Out it went. blech. If it had been anchovy... All the rest were thoroughly masticated and enjoyed/explored. Booger - I dont know what this tasted like, but not like my 4+decade old childhood memory of the original. A weak salty note at the end. Dirt/Earthworm - we werent sure which. Very strong note of the bitter edge from herbs. Not unpleasant but not good either. Pickle - just like sweet pickles. Very well done Black Pepper - Nice heat, lingers. Could compete with Atomic Fire Balls if made in a jawbreaker format. Grass - just like the lawn mower smells. Softer flavor than wheatgrass juice. Grape Jelly - dead on. A nice antidote to the sardine Cinnamon - yup. Lemon something - nice and lemony - juice not just peel flavor. Blueberry - nice 'blue' candy flavor. No way I would eat these without checking the flavor guide first!

According to my college roomie, no. I made bagels, she pronounced them good, but not really bagels. When I asked why they werent really bagels (thinking I'd made a processing/flavor/texture error), she said no matter what I did, they'd never really be bagels because I wasnt Jewish.

The worst meal at someone's home that I remember, happened when I was a kid. Its something I would eat and even possibly enjoy now. My friend's mom served pb&j: apricot jam, whole wheat bread, and smooth unsweetened peanut butter. I found it completely inedible. To that point, pb&j had consisted always of white bread, crunchy Skippy-style peanutbutter, and some kind of red/purple jam or jelly (I prefered grape jelly but my parents had a tendency to use raspberry or boysenberry jam).