Live It Up

Actually, I was looking at buying an airpot brewer from ebay. There are used ones around $50 right now, but the airpots themselves are like $50 each on top of that. Does anyone know of a source for cheap airpots other than ebay? I might be able to borrow one or two from a cafe that I used to work at. Also, how many airpots would I need for 60 people? Seems like they don't really hold that many cups, but then I'm thinking in terms of 16oz to go cups.

So, I'm catering a wedding for 60 people out of my home kitchen (more details available in the special occasions forum). Anyway, they want coffee. I know that those huge percolator urns are cheap and easy, but how's the coffee they make? I am a bit of a coffee geek and I don't want to serve crappy coffee. So far I have no plans to cater any other large parties, so I don't want to invest a lot of money in equipment. Is there any other way?

You might want to try making some filled and baked dishes which will help you cut down on last minute prep time. I make a really simple manicotti with crepes filled with ricotta, parmesan, and basil. Bind with an egg, fill crepes, and place pieces of mozzarella inside. Arrange filled crepes in a baking dish, top with tomato sauce and more mozzarella, bake and devour. Also, grand marnier is a must have for sweet crepes.

Soo... one might be correct to assume that I am crazy, but I have decided that in addition to working 7 days a week for no money, I should take on catering a wedding for 60 people. Actually, this was all decided months ago, but the wedding is fast approaching so I am really starting to sweat. I have no professional training in cooking (although I am a certified food handler) but this is not the first wedding I've catered: I did my own last year, which I posted about on the wedding food thread. Anyway, for my wedding everything was made ahead and served room temperature. This one is much more ambitious as there will be hot food, as well as many assembled bite sized items. The menu is: smaller items: roasted fingerlings with caviar gougeres duck prosciutto bacon wrapped enoki mushrooms salads in endive leaves (hazelnut shrimp, eggplant jam, chickpeas with tapenade) more substantial finger food items: mini empanadas beef on palmiers with pesto wild mushroom puree in frico cups chickpea fritters big platter/bowl items: beets with herbed goat cheese spiced roasted cauliflower grilled salad scallop ceviche with melon roasted asparagus with shaved parmesan big platters of heirloom tomatoes with nice olive oil I realized today that I should have been soliciting advice from this community all along, but I'm already well into the preparation of the empanadas and gougeres. I was having very one-sided conversations with my husband (a non-cook) about what cheeses to use for the gougeres and whether or not you can double a pate a choux recipe. (For future reference can you?) So, now when I have questions like that, I'm going to ask them here. I'll try to remember to take pictures along the way. 15 days and counting.... --Jessica

My immediate family never kept kosher, but my dad's parents did. Bubbe made mashed potatoes for every meal we had at her house. I never thought about the kosher thing until after she died (she stopped cooking a few years before that because of old age/ bad health). Anyway, I realized that she made hers with chicken broth and schmatlz. Then she topped them with carmelized onions and baked them to brown the top. They were the second best part of the meal (the first being the matza ball soup). I rarely make mashed potatoes myself, but I might have to give Bubbe's version a try sometime soon.

Has anybody had brunch here? My friend who lives around the corner from them really likes their dinners and has been trying to get me to go to brunch with her all summer. Normally I'd just chance it, but my dining out budget is so meager these days that I hate to waste one of my few oportunities on bad food.

This is my husband's favorite mug. The bear's head is lid that keeps coffee hot. I bought it for him in Buenos Aires, and then I decided I liked it so much that I had to carry it in my store. These are my three favorite, which I alternate according to mood. The one with the jungle animals is my current favorite, though. Also, I never drink coffee out of paper.

I haven't tried them, but Silicone Zone makes reusable muffin liners that are made out of silicone clicky I was thinking about carrying them in my store, but I am curious if they work well.

Ooh, I just remembered another one : the artichoke steamer. http://ww5.williams-sonoma.com/cat/pip.cfm...100117&flash=on A friend of mine who doesn't cook gave them to me, and for some reason I decided to hang on to them. Well, I can't actually fit more than one of them at a time in any of my pots. Oh well.

Any time I have an all white meal (ie: cheese omlette, grits, biscuit) I feel queasy for hours. Also, though it doesn't really bother me otherwise, kimchee on an empty stomach causes lots of gas. Too bad, 'cause it's one of my favorite snacks.

I doubt that they are "the best", but I used to order the raspberry blintzes at Veselka all the time. They are actually just regular cheese blintzes with a little cup of defrosted frozen raspberries on the side, but they taste basically the same as my mom's. Actually, now whenever my mom makes blintzes I have to have them with raspberries. Anyway, you might want to try them, because I don't remember them being crispy at all, although I haven't had them for a while. Just be sure to ask for sour cream if you want it, because it doesn't come with.

I grew up on 110th and broadway, but most of the restaurants I used to like are no longer there. The Mill on 113th and bway was my introduction to Korean food, so maybe it wasn't really all that great, but I loved it. Also, I've been known to schlep all the way up there to go to Popover Cafe on amsterdam and 86th. The decor is cheesy as hell, but they have great sandwiches and of course popovers. Also, I remember that my family used to like V+T pizza on amsterdam and 110th, but maybe that's just cause it was close to home. Hmmm...maybe this wasn't so helpful for you, but it brought back some memories for me.

I also have that attachment and have never used it. Actually, I don't know why I wanted it, since I prefer sausage patties to links. I also have the grain grinder attachment which I have never used, but I use the meat grinder all the time. I think the only other kitchen item I own but have never used is a baguette baking form that my mom gave me when I was a teenager. I still have it and it's somehow managed to move with me several times. Hmmm...maybe that will be my goal for this month. Other than those few items, I usually find that I have the problem of not having the right item. For example, I only have one liquid measuring cup, and it's the one that came with my immersion blender. I use that cup way more than the blender.

I second the recommendation to visit coffeegeek.com. There's so much information there, though that it can be overwhelming. However, in the espresso machines and grinders forum there are many threads devoted to choosing the right machine. I just recently purchased my first home espresso machine (though I worked as a barista for many years), but my budget was only $300. I say, if your budget is $2000 don't get the silvia/rocky combo, especially if you want to make multiple milk drinks. There's a huge difference in ease of use between single boiler machines like the silvia and heat exchanger (HX) or dual boiler machines. I managed to snag myself a brugnetti top for very cheap because it has a lot of cosmetic damage, and I'm really happy with its performance.

So I wound up making the eggplant jam with tomatoes to take to a party on the 4th. The dish turned out great, but I found the recipe very confusing. It says to start a day in advance, but then a day never elapses. I read the recipe over and over--I felt sure I was missing something. I soaked the eggplant for 30-45 mins as the recipe stated, and then proceeded to fry the eggplant slices and finish the dish. Also, the recipe does not give any approximate times for how long the final simmering takes. I think I made the whole thing in 1.5 hours including soaking time. It tasted great, but I have no idea what the dish is supposed to taste like. Perhaps I mutilated it. Anyone know? BTW, thanks for the tip on the club steak FoodMan.

I actually amazed that my mom's overcooking sickness does not seem to have been passed on to me. Perhaps it's because I've been so horrified by the excesses she has gone to in the past few years. On Thanksgiving last year my mother prepared a 23 lb turkey a TRIPLE recipe of wild mushroom stuffing, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, 11 sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, asparagus, marinated cipollini, salad, and at least 4 desserts, including a vat of chocolate mouse, pumpkin pie, and other stuff I can't remember. All of this was for seven people, two of whom are vegetarians. To be fair, she never knows how many people are coming to Thanksgiving dinner, since she has an open invitation to all of her coworkers and my and my sisters' friends. But still, it was obscene! I could barely look at the leftovers and wound up throwing away most of what I took home. In general, I'm much, much better at gauging necessary amounts of food than she is. The only thing I really can't seem to get a handle on is gumbo..I always wind up with way, way too much.

I'm generally pretty set in my ways when it comes to the foods that I buy. There's pretty much one brand of bread, one brand of canned tomatoes, one brand of pasta...but when there's something new that I need, yeah, I check the labels. I'm really sensitive to certain preservatives, so I don't buy any juices or prepared foods with potasium sorbate it them. That one turns up in a lot of stuff at farmer's markets, not just mass produced foods. The main things I check are fiber, trans fats, and the ingredient list for things like preservatives and MSG.

Raw eggs, milk and chicken smell different from one another, however they all share kind of a... hm... a cold weather kind of metallic, tight, organic, dog-saliva-like odor. That odor is compounded with a funky smell like a damp barnyard. Just the merest waft of it can feel overwhelmingly revolting, as in, I'll need to turn around and grip the edge of a table or something because it just stuns me. ← When I read the orginal post I wasn't sure that I knew the sensation, but upon further thought, I do understand this revulsion. I have never like the smell of milk, and I can't stand the smell of cooked eggs, although I can eat them in certain forms (scrambled or fried sans yolk). I cannot even be in the room with hardboiled eggs as it's instant gag relex for me. I've always been disgusted by the smell of raw chicken, but last week I was getting ready to cook some chicken breast and the smell made me so sick I had to go into the other room to sit down. It wasn't spoiled and after I recovered I cooked it anyway and it was delicious. But the dog-saliva smell really brought it home for me. I have exactly the reaction described above to the smell of actual dog saliva. And after that image, I realized that egg shells actually have that odor. Of course, now I'm going to become obsessive about this odor on dishes. Thanks

I've become a huge fan of Paula Wolfert's books over the past year, and I just received this one for my birthday. I'm really excited to make something from it, though many of the meat dishes aren't really great for summer time. I think I'm going to make one of the eggplant dips for the 4th, and I was wondering if anyone had a preference. I was leaning toward the one with the walnuts simply to avoid frying, but if the one with the tomatoes is vastly superior I will make it. The one thing that has me puzzled so far is the recipe for the club steak. It looks fabulous, but I have no idea what a club steak is. Can anyone enlighten me? I wish I had the book in front of me now so I could refer to page numbers, but perhaps people who are familiar with the book will know what I'm talking about.

I really have no right to be contributing here as there are no restaurants that meet Fat Guy's orginal criteria for me. However, this is only because I don't have the time or money to eat out anymore. When I did though, my list would have been: La Palapa-usually for lunch or brunch 'cause I love their huevos rancheros. However, their portions are so large it's actually a detriment, and you can easily blow your budget on tequila and margaritas. Holy Basil-the crispy duck (pet kaprow) is one of my top 10 favorite dishes ever. Clinton Street Baking Company- back when my husband and I actually had days off, we used to go for lunch on weekdays. Now we sometimes get takeout for lunch, when I'm having a craving for their buttermilk biscuit sandwich. I almost feel like it's too expensive, yet I keep paying for it (sometimes twice a month). Li Hua-Good, satisfying, cheap Korean food withing walking distance. However, I can never get there before they close anymore. Grand Harmony-officially my favorite dim sum place, although quality can really vary depending on the day of the week. For less of a hassel we go to Dim Sum Go Go. Shima-There are so many sushi places in this price range, but Shima is the one I keep returning to. I'm totally addicted to their New York, New York sushi. Lombardi's

Ooh, I just love threads like this! I agree with Mizducky that the most horrifying part of inedible meals is watching the cook eat it and pronounce it good. My "worst cook in the family" is a hard one because objectively it's my mother's mother, but she knows it and rarely subjects anyone else to her cooking. Just an example, her two favorite dishes are preshredded cabbage with low fat ranch dressing and eggplant, which she puts in the oven and bakes until it's soft, then eats it as is. However, the real terrors in my family are my father's mother's relatives. My dad's mother herself (Bubbe) had what somebody upthread referred to as the bubbe cooking gene. After she and her sister died, my cousins took over the cooking for passover. Of course, you must have matzo ball soup. As my mom puts it their soup tastes "like the chicken walked through it". In addition they serve store-bought gefilte fish (yuck), dry cornish game hens with bottled cherry sauce (edible), carrot souffle (tastes like orange flavored cookie dough with fake vanilla flavoring), and rice pilaf from a box. Yes it's bad, but not overly painful. That is until a few years ago, when we arrived late for dinner. My sister and I were served our chicken water and everyone else was almost finished with dinner. The soup was decidedly spoiled, but when we protested we were told that everyone else had loved it and we were crazy. After dinner leftovers of the soup were packed into chinese food containers to be taken home by everyone else. Well, I guess it really was spoiled because all the lids popped off later that night. That would be bad enough, but the next year, the soup was spoiled again. This time as the soup was brought out a foul smell filled the room. My mom and sister and I were looking at each other with fear. The soup was served and no one said anything. My mom tried to take a taste, but before the spoon reached her lips she screamed "don't eat the soup!" Everyone was shocked, of course. "Oh, is that smell the soup?" "I just thought it smelled extra chicken-y". Suffice it to say that these people neither know how to cook or even what food should smell and taste like.

If I had seen this earlier, I would have recommended Mogador. One thing I love about them is that they actually serve breakfast all week long and they're open on every major holiday. True, the menu is not exactly the same, but most of the more breakfasty brunch dishes are on the weekday menu. I've always worked on weekends, so it's really nice to be able to have the brunch experience on my days off.

I recently made some blueberry shrub, which I guess was originally a sort of quick way of preserving fruit. You cook your fruit with sugar, vinegar and water and then strain it. It makes a kind of thick, sweet-tart syrup that you can use in vinaigrettes or mix with soda water and spirits for a refreshing cocktail. I think originally the brandy or whatever alcohol was being used would be added directly in, but I don't know that much about the history. Anyway, I used a recipe for cranberry shrub, substituting blueberries. I had really tart berries, so the sugar/vinegar/berry ratio was pretty good and I added some cardamom. If anybody is interested I can post the proportions later.

Well, after all the anticipation, I was a little disappointed by Pegu Club. For our first round I had the Jimmie Roosevelt which I had read so much about here. Perhaps it was because I had already had more than my fair share of a bottle of wine, but I could barely handle it. The only flavor I could detect was that of the Cognac. My husband had the Jamaican Firefly, which I liked better than mine, but I think that after about half of it, he began to get tired of the very strong ginger flavor. For our second round we asked for suggestions from the bartender who produced two delicious drinks. For me it was a rum cobbler with fresh raspberries, and my husband got a Crescent City Cooler which had gin, pineapple juice, cointreau and other stuff I can't remember. By this point I was quite drunk, so another round was out of the question. I did have a good time, the bartender was great, and our second round was perfect, but I don't think I'll be back any time soon. Unfortunately Pegu Club will have to remain a special occasion place for me.

I've been dying to go to the Pegu Club since I first heard about it, but I'm on a pretty tight budget these days. However, I'm finally going splurge and go for my birthday tomorrow night. I love a well made cocktail, but I rarely drink them outside of my home for the aforementioned budget reasons. I can't do whiskey at all due to too many times overdoing it in my teens. So, what's not to be missed? I think the Jimmie Roosevelt sounds like a must, but what else? I'll probably have 3 drinks or so.