laurelm

Same here.

I missed the Iron Chef eppy, what did Rory do exactly?

I enjoy that this season has less drama, it is more like the 1st season, rather than the dreadful second. I always thought Ilan was a tool, I do not think that was re-edited.

LOL, me too. And I did not mind Hung in the beginning, and now he irritates me to no end.

I was kind of surprised at last night's elimination, I thought the girl who made guacamole should have gone home, My guess is Liaa's dish must have been really bad and had fundamental things wrong with it (I.e. soggy polenta) Hung needed the reality check- his defensive nature towards his cooking is annoying. He obviously is a great chef, but he should take some things as a lesson and learning experience.

Garlic Parmesan cheese shallots dried garlic from my fav asian market pine nuts grape tomatoes soy sauce mirin lemons capers goat cheese spinach trader joe's dijon mustard canned diced tomatoes chicken stock

I dont mind an empty restaurant, I travel alot and move alot, so sometimes I dont have many options or knowledge of an area. In my experience, an empty restaurant does not mean it is bad. One of my favorite restaurants suffered from being very slow during the week, but was always busy on weekends and holidays- they did a few things that picked up business, email newsletters, wine tastings, and wine Wednesdays- 1/2 off bottles of wine. I am not a big going out to dinner on weekdays fan- but I went to wine weds, quite a bit By the way, beautiful website, menu, and info. Love the story of getting your dream place, my husband and I want that down the road as well. Good luck to you and congratulations!

I love him, I hope he wins!

Wow great first post, saucée Can you describe these more: cheddar stuffed pattypan squash Sounds and looks delicious!

I love salads and do pantry/clean out fridge ones often, but my standard is: Spinach, capers, parmesan cheese, grape tomatoes, pine nuts, a vinagrette i make with lemon, oil, mustard. If i have any other veggies on hand (or chick peas yumm), I add to it, but these are the basic salad ingredients I pretty much always have.

When I go to a restaurant, I expect to do what I want- including splitting meals If I so choose to do so. I am the patron, I love to eat, but I do not eat huge restaurant portions. I also often love to get just a few appetizers instead of an entree sometimes- oh no! And yes I do also go to Tapas places, but hey if you do not want people to just eat appetizers, dont make all the apps look good. (I have actually found this to cost more than entrees sometimes, so in those cases am I making a BETTER decision for the restaurant, by instead ordering appetizers and not an entree?) Should I get my calculator out when I order a meal and choose the most optimal money making situation for the restaurant? I did not realize I had to think about the restaurant's overhead when making my decisions about what I want to eat. This has nothing to do with being cheap, it has to do with A) I dont eat huge portions and B) I like to try a few things (choosing apps over entree) C) choosing what I feel like eating at that moment (perhaps I should just go to dinner starving) and for others -D) for those who cannot afford a huge meal but would like to try a restaurant The large portion size of most dishes in the US is a fact (compared to what anyone should eat according to any healthy diet) btw... Edited to add- I have no problem with split dinner fees

I shy away from pasta, so I use these noodles all the time. I agree with pretty much everything said here, rinse, parboil them, cut them in half and they work best in Asian dishes. The noodles are pretty tasteless and I have worked hard to incorporate more flavor in them. Last night I boiled hot Italian sausage, rinsed the noodles with normal water then rinsed them with the sausage cooked water I reserved, added them to the pan, with all the ingredients, basil, pine nuts, tomato, parmesan and the sausage. The noodles definitely got more flavor than usual and it was delicious. But it really was the first non-asian dish that I found that worked. The sausages probably made a difference as well though- fresh from the butcher. I have not heard any digestive problems, but the first time I tried them I was ill. My husband was fine which is why I tried them again and I have not had a problem since.

I enjoy pictures with my cookbooks, but one of my current goals is working on my plating, so it helps to see how others plate, so I can get inspiration. Also, if I am at a loss of what I am in the mood to cook, the pictures help inspire some dishes. On the other hand, when I know exactly what I am cooking and just need some tips, my new york times cook book and escoffier have no pics and they are well used...

The microwave cookbook, a very small paperback from the 80s. Bought a box of cookbooks at an estate sale and they threw a couple more in the box for free. free may be too much, haha.

I think getting out Aaron this early would still be beneficial to the men, as of now they are a team and he is too much of a weak link. Yes, he is no competition to the other male chefs (at least from what we have seen so far), but I am betting they will not win too many challenges with Aaron on their side. I was disappointed to see Eddie leave so soon, I think he could have been better. Unlike the girl last week who could not cook an egg and refused to let the short order cook do it.

I thought the episode was kinda boring as well. I still cannot believe Ilan won Top Chef Season 2, last night's show just magnified why he should not have won and is a huge dent in the integrity of the show if you ask me. And him diddly dallying around the store room while Season one plans their menu - absolutely immature. Loved seeing Stephen and laughed at everything he said, he is just great, also his food looked and sounded delicious- wish I could have tasted. Only loss for Season one was Dave's dish- I have a feeling if he did it his way, he would have won- I always enjoyed his daring flavor combos. I liked Sam during Season 2, but his dish sounded disappointing.

Looks delicious, if you can share- what is the eggplant wrapped in? Spinach?

I completely agree, Top Chef the dishes are inspiring usually. Last season was too much drama though, not enough cooking. Hells Kitchen I watch for the pure fun and see it as more restuarant ownership challenges versus true cooking ability.

I am rooting for Season one as well. I in no way think Ilan should have won Season 2, all he did was copy dishes. I dont mind the rest of the group of Season two, but them winning only highlights that guy's win. He really gets to me. Plus Season 2, had TOO much drama. Excited to watch it tonight.

What an interesting thread! What was your family food culture when you were growing up? My dad loves to cook, and he mostly cooked with a heavy French influence. My mom did more of the basics- meatloaf, ribs etc. One side of the family is Jewish, so that was a large part of our culture for food as well. Was meal time important? yes, we had a set time every day and no tv, it was family time. When we got busier with high school, theater, sports etc, we tried to eat as many meals as possible together. Was cooking important? Yes, very much so. What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table? My dad was the disciplinarian, and it meant sitting by him for your meals (which no one wanted) because you got in trouble anytime your manners were off. I guess it has helped me to this day, but I still hated it as a kid. Who cooked in the family? Both parents. Were restaurant meals common, or for special occassions? Special occasions, we did not have much money, and my dad could typically cook a better meal and by far cheaper than restaurants. Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over? No, only at my grandparents for Thanksgiving, and it was necessary since the family was so large. When did you get that first sip of wine? pretty young, my parents did not want drinking to be "taboo", so I believe I had some wine with water a couple times. Was there a pre-meal prayer? Nope, but I pray before I eat now. Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)? No, except when my Dad played racquetball, we got hot dogs for dinner- my fav when I was 5, haha. How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life? I call and email my parents for their recipes all the time. But I had no interest whatsoever in cooking until I was married, so I have only been cooking for 2 years or so. No kids yet, but they will definitely be taught good table manners.

I had a dream (or rather nightmare) that my husband decided he did not love me, was leaving me and hated my cooking. My cooking I said? Even the lamb? (lamb made my way is his absolute fav) And he growled back, especially the lamb!! I was floored. How could someone fake loving a meal so much? We both found it funny that I was more upset over his dislike of my cooking rather than the fact he was leaving me, haha!

This is just a complete cultural difference, but in Japan when eating soup/noodles etc, they slurp it up with lots of noise. It sends chills down my spine. But my sister who lives there (she is american), now does it, she said it actually cools the soup before it goes in your mouth, but I just cannot stand the noise!

dried hibiscus flowers- yumm

I completely agree, I LOVE these. I also love Poore Brothers chips, although they may be available only in Arizona? Great chips, Jalapeno is my fav. http://www.inventuregroup.net/Poore-Brothers.asp

Cafe Roka (good service and good food) and Bisbee Breakfast Club.