Live It Up
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Posts posted by Live It Up
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I'm no purist, obviously, but I do think that cheese violates the nature of the sauce by attenuating that iodine perfume we're all going for. And, though I suspect the typical American joints add tons of butter (which is not bad, IMO) I haven't often tasted cheese in NYC clam sauce.
It's been years and years since I've had white clam sauce in a restaurant, and I actually don't even think of the spaghetti and clams that I make at home as the same thing. I don't remember ever having cheese in it, but I agree that butter may be the missing ingredient in your version. Years ago a friend gave me a recipe for white clam sauce that was 2 cans of clams, a bottle of clam juice, garlic and a stick of butter. I don't remember if there was any sauteeing involved, or if you just put all the ingredients together in a sauce pan. Anyway, I did make it once, and it really tasted like a restaurant version of the dish. These days I do what everyone else here seems to agree on: start with olive oil, garlic, fresh clams, etc. No clam juice, but I do like wine and LOTS of chili flakes. But then, I do think of them as really different dishes.
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Re: beverages--I used to work at a place that made "fresh" lemonade with that real lemon bottled stuff. I personally thought it sucked, but the customers all loved it. For one gallon we used 2 cups of sugar dissolved in 2 cups of hot water. Add 2 cups of lemon juice and a sprig of mint and then fill the rest of the gallon jug with cold water. As I said, I didn't like it, but most people did. As for iced tea, see if you can get gallon tea bags at costco, otherwise 12 teabags for a gallon is about right, I think.
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Great Northern Dumpling on Essex between Hester and Canal...perhaps even better than Dumpling House when you hit it at the right time.
Phone number unknown, but I'll check it out next time I walk by!
I've actually never been a fan of fried dumpling on allen...I must have never gotten there at the right time because the dumplings I've had have always had tough, chewy skins. However, I recently discovered north* dumpling and I love it. They have these amazing pancakes that are a kind of flaky pastry filled with noodles, egg and chives. They're great. The only problem is that I walk past this place every time I'm coming home from the gym--it's one temptation I don't need.
*edited to correct name
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Lots of really good suggestions so far, especially the broadway/ st. mark's stuff. Other Music is probably a must for your son if he likes indie rock at all, and Bleecker Bob's does appear to still be in business, though I always kinda hated that place. As for the LES, keep in mind that you'll be here on Saturday so Kossar's Bialys and the pickle guys on Essex street will be closed. I don't know if Guss' pickles is open on saturday, but if they are kosher they won't be. If you're looking for late night, you could do your sushi or whatever nicer meal for lunch, and then do Katz's for a late dinner (they're open til 3am on the weekend). If you're over on Ludlow anyway, your son might want to check out cakeshop for the record store in the back. Sounds like you guys are going to pack a ton of stuff into one day.
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The biggest problem I have with entertaining is guests arriving too early. I don't have much time, ever. I try to get as much done as possible in advance, but I'm often scrambling at the end, and I usually still haven't showered half an hour before people are supposed to arrive. Therefore, when my friends ring the buzzer an hour or 45 minutes early, I usually start screaming at my husband to make them go away. The worst part is that most of them know that I hate early arrivals. As for gifts...no one gives me awkwardly large gifts. Heck, I'm lucky if someone brings wine.
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I like roasted cauliflower at room temp, but that could be a weird "me" thing. Building on Kerry's idea, some roasted veggies (I'm thinking carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onions) with balsamic would be nice at room temp.
I agree about roasted veggies at room temp--cauliflower, brussel sprouts, asparagus, mushrooms are all good. I do the asparagus for parties with shaved parmigiano on top.
Also, maybe it's a little too exotic for this gathering, but I made a cactus paddle casserole for a party last year as a side dish/vegetarian entree that won rave reviews. It was from The Food and Life of Oaxaca, but I could PM the recipe, if you want.
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Thanks for the dip recipes. It's embarrassing, but my favorite version of the dip is served at california pizza kitchen. After I posted before I googled it and found their recipe online, so I think that I'm going to make that one.
I just received and email from my picky sister which said that she doesn't like shrimp unless it's in pasta (?!) so she's probably not going to eat much. I just hope she doesn't sulk.
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When I first met my husband, he was working 2 jobs, one of which was the 3am-11am shift at a 24 hour record store down the street from the coffee shop where I worked. I would go to the bar next door to the coffee shop after work and then stop in at the record store on my way home. I was friends with everyone who worked there, so I would bring them treats every once in a while such as brownies, apple pie, empanadas...I don't remember what else. Anyway, we wound up hooking up, and about a month later I invited him over for lasagna. He came over between his 2 jobs at about midnight, so I had already eaten. Ever seen Garfield eat lasanga? After that I couldn't get rid of him. I used to make a lasagna about once a year, so we said we measured our relationship in lasagnas. As in "we've been together for 4 lasagnas". Unfortunately, I haven't had time to make one in over a year, so no fifth lasagna for now.
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no, we never ate macaroni salad. Actually, that's the real problem I'm having planning this dinner is that I'm trying to make things that my mom grew up with and loves, and a lot of those things are totally different from the things I ate growing up. Seems odd that the food culture of my childhood should be that different from the food culture of my mom's, especially since she did most of the cooking when I was growing up. My dad was a native new yorker, so I'm guessing she changed her cooking style to suit his tastes. So yeah, cucumbers, fried okra, remoulade sauce (anything with mayo really)---these are all things I don't like and would never make for myself. I'm really trying to push myself to make this menu something that she will like but that the rest of us will be able to eat.
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I don't buy many packaged foods, so I don't usually pay attention to recommended servings, but there is one brand of bread that I always buy (the Baker). Their serving size does not correspond to slices--it's 2oz. Yesterday I weighed my 2 slices of their bread and it came out to 2 3/4 oz..what a pain.
Now, when it comes to recipes, my husband and I usually eat a recipe that is supposed to serve 4 between the 2 of us...but I know we're a little piggy. And when I do buy packaged ravioli..forget about it. I just hope that by making most of our food I'm avoiding some of the hidden fat and calories, but I'm probably deluding myself.
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Thanks annecros and hummingbirdkiss--I'm pretty sure that I've seen my mom make fried okra by just tossing it with cornmeal, so I think I'll go with that method now that I know I'm not crazy. However, I do like the idea that k8memphis suggested of making other fried vegetables, some of which would need a 3 stage process. Hmmm...I don't want to get too carried away here.
The cucumber salad is a really good idea and my mom has a recipe that I know she really likes. At this point I'm thinking I might skip a heavy starch dish and just do a bunch of salads, some of which can be made ahead. Maybe a green salad, the cucumber salad with tomatoes if I can find good ones, and a three bean salad.
Cornbread did cross my mind, but then I remembered savory monkey bread. We used to make it with tons of butter and chopped garlic using store bought bread dough. I haven't had it for years and it would probably spark lots of family discussion. Now, should I attempt to make the dough from scratch? I know it's not hard, but I don't want to take on more than I can handle.
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you are such a sweet child!!! Good for you doing this...my son's keep telling me that "we want to have you to dinner as soon as we clean the house" it has been two years!!!! They come over instead and offer to help me cook ..but to sit and enjoy a feast they prepared would be the best gift ever!!!
That's very nice of you, but I have to be honest..this dinner is not taking place in my home. Actually, my mom can't come over to my house because she is allergic to cats and I have 2. We are doing this at one of her friend's houses, but I am doing all or most of the cooking. I am hoping the hostess will make the fried okra, but I like the idea of doing other fried veggies for those of us who don't like okra. Does okra need a three stage breading, or do you just throw it into the cornmeal (it should be cornmeal, right?)? My mom is from Texas, but I grew up in NY and somehow never really learned much about Southern food.
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My mom is turning 60 in a few weeks, and I want to surprise her with some of her favorite foods for dinner. So far I have a few ideas, and the dinner seems to be taking a creole/southern direction, a style of cooking I'm not really too comfortable with. So far the guest list is seven people, including my very picky sister and her boyfriend whose taste I'm not that familiar with. My mom likes foods that the rest of us (ie my sisters and husband) don't like, so I need to come up with stuff that will please everyone while including the things that are just for mom.
Here are my ideas so far:
Spinach artichoke dip with chips--family favorite, but I need a good recipe
clams on the half shell w/ cocktail sauce--me and mom like this, but probably not for my sisters
shrimp remoulade--mom's fave
soft shell crabs (sauteed) or crawfish (boiled)--no go for picky sis
salad ???
fried okra?--mom loves this, but no one else does
starch?
other veg?
I figure picky sister can eat boiled shrimp without the remoulade sauce and whatever starches and other veg we have--she doesn't eat that much so I'm not that concerned. As you can see what I really need help with are the side dishes. What would be appropriate with this menu? Thanks!
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I'll second the recommendation up thread for Jing Fong for dim sum. The place is enormous, so that alone should impress and entertain the kids. They have carts, the servers there seem to speak english pretty well and the variety of dumplings they offer is fairly extensive.
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I never would have bought this cookbook for myself, but I received it as a gift and I use it all the time. Mostly I use it as a reference or for baking. I'm sure that I have made savory recipes from it, but I can't actually remember any of them right now. My favorite thing about the book, though, is that he builds variations into most of his recipes. I make a combination of 2 variations on his basic muffin recipe to come up with sour cream coffee cake muffins and they are amazing. I wish I had the book here because I am completely blanking on anything else that I've cooked from it, but I know I have 'cause my copy is all stained and worn.
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Wow, this is some thread...actually made me a little queasy. But then, I don't like squishy white bread, mayo, american cheese, or most of the other things mentioned. I think I was most impressed by the sushi on russian bread and all the carb on carb combos (spaghetti, chow mein, mashed potatoes, etc).
I'm a fan of opening up grilled cheese sandwiches and putting french fries in there. Extra good with bacon, too. However, it kinda makes me sick from all the grease, so I haven't had it in years. Another one I had the other day that I never would have come up with on my own was a chile relleno torta--2 chile rellenos, black beans, avocado, lettuc, tomato, more cheese on top, all on a roll. It was really, really good, but so wrong.
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Count me in as another liver hater - all sources, all preparations. Also, anything else liver-ish - blood or liver sausage. It's weird because it's not a matter of instant disgust - I'm not revolted by the idea or the smell, but each time I try it, I can only do a bite or two before deciding AGAIN "oh yeah, I really DO hate liver".
I really want to like chopped liver w/ schmaltz - in theory it sounds like it would be good, but I just can't do it. And I also want to like liverwurst. It just SOUNDS good. I've tried it numerous times - I can maybe get through a slice thinking "Oh yeah, this is tasty" and then I have to spit out the second slice and feel myself turn green.
It's some combo of the taste and smell that does it.
Maybe it's all tied to being forced to eat it as a kid. I was a good eater as a rule. There's only one time I remember having to sit at the table long after the meal was over, slowly and reluctantly finishing my dinner. The main course?
You guessed it. Liver.
There are plenty of other foods that I don't care for, but no others that I know of that I just. can't. eat.
I do the exact same thing...actually, I just did a few days ago, which is probably the only reason I remembered to put liver on my list. I had some chinese duck liver sausage and I tried it, even though I've tried it many times before and, yeah, I still hate it. I really hate how long the taste lingers in the mouth. The funny thing is, apparently when I was a kid I loved liver, especially calves' liver. So, it's definitely not childhood trauma.
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I can't eat an egg white. Not hard-boiled, not fried. I can eat a scrambled egg where it's all incorporated and looks yellow - but if I can SEE a spot of egg, I have to pick it out. I can't eat egg salad - although I'd love to - and I can't eat deviled eggs in public (in private I eat the yolk part and give the white to the dog or my husband). I can eat meringue. Why why why???
I'm exactly the opposite on the egg issue. I only eat scrambled eggs or fried egg whites, no preparations where the yolks are present and not incorporated into the whites. I can't eat boiled eggs at all, though.
There are plenty of foods that I don't really like, but not that many that induce disgust in me. Some that do are: liver (and yes, I've had it prepared properly)--metallic taste, boiled eggs/egg yolks--smell, mayonnaise--smell, many canned vegetables--mushy, many commercially produced baked goods--artificial flavorings, hot dogs--??
Also, when I was a kid I couldn't eat a banana or oatmeal without gagging, but now I like both (to a degree). I've gotten way, way less picky over the years, and now I can eat almost anything, though there are things I won't even try. Mostly offal--don't like that bloody flavor.
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I ate at Kefi last night with my mother, sister and husband. We were concerned that we weren't going to make it in time because we were coming from the E Village and they close at 10 (left the EV at 9). However, when we got there they were still bustling. We started with the octopus and the mussels to share. Both were really delicious, and next time I go I'm not sharing the octopus. I was disappointed to see that the swordfish preparation that was listed on menupages was different and much less interesting. I really wanted to try the pasta with the rabbit, but they were out, so I had the swordfish. It was tasty and perfectly cooked, but not very exciting. Mom had the shrimp (which I believe was just shrimp, no scallops) with orzo, sister had the branzino, and hubby had the lamb shank. Everything was delicious, but I felt that the two fish dishes were a little dull. They have wines by the glass listed on the back of the menu, and they did not offer a list of wines by the bottle, but I saw another table with a bottle of wine. I'm sure you just have to ask, and I will next time. We ended with the walnut cake and the chocolate mouse with halva. The mouse was not light and airy, it was very dense and barely sweet...perfect for me. The cake was good, but I really don't like cake. Hubby loved it though. With a glass of wine and a beer, the meal was $110 before tip. I wish Kefi was in my neighborhood.
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I just posted this suggestion on another thread, but I think it bears repeating here. When I catered my wedding party I took Maggie's approach and made my list of food I really wanted to indulge in. I wound up with a menu of cured meats, cheeses, roasted veggies, fruit, and a couple of cold salads. The thing that made the whole thing special, though, was the raw bar. We bought oysters (way too many) and already peeled shrimp and hired an oyster shucker. Aside from buying and storing all the ingredients, I barely had to cook anything and I really got to enjoy my party.
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If your daughter is looking for something a little more elegant then consider an antipasto buffet. I did this for my wedding party and it was relatively stress free. Have a few types of room temperature salads (rice salad, white bean and tuna, etc), big platters of roasted vegetables, cheeses, cured meats, fruit, etc. As long as you have a lot of variety, you don't need a lot of any one item, and you can bulk up with the less expensive bean and vegetable salad. Also very affordable if you're buying in bulk is a raw bar. I bought a ridiculous number of oysters and shrimp (already peeled) and hired an oyster shucker. All you have to do is boil the shrimp and make some cocktail sauce.
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I pretty much gave up soaking a few years ago, I think because I read something about mexicans not soaking their beans, but I have run into problems with a couple of kinds of beans. Garbanzos for one never really get the right texture if they're not soaked. The other one I've had major problems with is cannellini. Maybe I just got bad beans, but I had it happen with two separate batches that I bought that week (also my market rarely carries them, so I doubt they were sitting on the shelf for long). I did a soaked batch of canellini last week from the same store and they cooked in an hour. The only other thing I would say is that I think beans do need to be washed. I never used to wash beans, but I used to soak and throw out the soaking water. However, I have recently gotten some beans (mostly black beans) that were so dirty they actually required rubbing together under water to get them clean. Also, I've found my first rocks in bags of beans recently. Really not something I'd want to bite down on. So..wash those beans.
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I only recently realized that I have a strong preference for the flats (I'm also not that into chicken meat, but the skin
), but I never knew that anybody else liked the flats. Everyone I know prefers the drums, but I find them rubbery. That said, the wing is still my favorite cut of chicken. -
tonight was fried chicken, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, citrus green beans and a salad of fennel, apple and blue cheese
I had fried chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner last night as well, with some kale on the side. Mine didn't look anywhere near as good as yours, though. Do you use buttermilk? I was VERY disappointed in my fried chicken and I think I need to try again soon.
Would you hire a private chef?
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
No way. Beside the obvious reason that I would miss cooking, I'm just far too picky and fickle about what I want to eat. Sometimes I'll have dinner all planned out, only to get to the store and realize that I'm no longer in the mood for whatever I had planned and I have to change everything. Yes, this means I pretty much have to shop every day or else I waste food. One of the many things I love about cooking is having things done my way.