[Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 4)]

I figured out a way to get French Laundry Cookbook! Hee! I am studying to be a paralegal and a friend in three of my classes has had surgery and cannot take notes. So through the University I have a contract to take notes, and get reimbursed with Barnes and Noble gift certificates! $25 for each class so I am basically making $75 a week for doing what I am supposed to be doing. HA! What the University doesn't know is they are aiding and abeiting my cookbook habbit.

[Lebanese Style Whole Grilled Fish]

You can just do the fish in a little lemon and olive oil. When it is done though you should drizzle Tahini on it. You make it sort of like humous but a runny consistancy. It is wonderful.

[Yogurt-making @ home]

It is wonderful ( and fattening but who cares?) for breakfast. I absolutely love it on pita bread. In fact toast the pita bread and then spread labne on. With some zhatar and olives it beats two eggs over, any day.

I have a great aunt who wants to teach my mom and I how to make it. She is 95 years old so we need to get with her to learn soon as she is the last of my grandmother's family alive.

BTW, my mom's family is originally from northern Lebanon. We make schputick ( I think that is how it is spelled) and dough caps. It is a regional dish that is yogurt sauce, and meat filled dough caps served over rice. A specialty we would only get at Christmas and Orthodox Easter when my grandmother was alive. It is wonderful.

[Yogurt-making @ home]

Has anyone tried Kefir cheese. In Middle Eastern markets it is also called Labne. The reason I mention it here is because it is essentially yogurt with all the liquid taken out. It is wonderful, with a thick consistency and the tart taste of yogurt. Its a cultural thing for most, something I have grown up with. If you make yogurt you may want to try it. All you do is take the yogurt and strain the liquid through a cheesecloth. Then you take what is left and spread it on some really good pita bread. Great breakfast with some olives!!

[Okra]

Kristin, I didn't know that okra was from the hibiscus family.  That is very cool.

It is a beautiful plant. Loves the hot, humid weather we get here in Ohio, much like in the south. It is absolutely the best when fresh right off the plant.

[Okra]

Definately yes. I am half Middle Eastern and okra is part of our food culture and I have grown it, which is alot of fun. It is a beautiful plant that is part of the hibiscus family. ( the flower is a giveaway.)

Anyways, we eat it stewed in tomato sauce flavored with corriander over rice. Sometimes we throw lamb in and sometimes we don't. I can post the recipe if anyone wants it. It is fantastic, especially with homegrown okra. ( the okra has to be small, the large are too tough.)

[How has the internet changed cooking and eating?]

I will look into ebay and amazon thanks! I keep loose recipes on a disc or jump drive. All in one place easy to find so if something happens to the computer, I can access them. A great website for recipes is the Splendid Table. I get their newsletter and keep the recipes in a separte file in my email account so I can access it from anywhere.

I agree with you Lucy, handwritten recipes are precious. My mom has some my grandmother had written out and now that she is not here they mean alot. I have a cookbook from her church of ethnic Lebanese food and that too has a note in it to me. Every so often I pull that cookbook out and look at it and think of her. Little things like that mean alot.

[How has the internet changed cooking and eating?]

I  am  saving  to buy the French Laundry Cookbook, because that is the absolute one cookbook I really need to have. In the meantime I just go sit in Barnes and Noble and thumb through it and try not to drool. I agree though, buying good cookbooks is like buying art. The French Laundry Cookbook is a good example of that.

←

I got mine at Costco at a discount. Not sure if it's still available there, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

←

Costco hasn't opened here yet, sadly and it will be awhile before it does. So I will continue to save or maybe ask for it for Christmas. Not sure how anyone in my family will feel about putting out that kind of money for a cookbook, but hey it doesn't hurt to try right?

[Stuffed Grape Leaves]

we roll them, a few hundred at at time and freeze them. Make sure tho if you are buying grapeleaves in a jar, you rinse them well of the brine. It can be salty and sometimes will give the leaves a bitter taste. We always pick them fresh and roll them.

[How has the internet changed cooking and eating?]

As someone who is new to egullet, as a poster I thought I would throw my thoughts into this. The internet has made buying cooking related things, and I mean good cooking related items, good knives, cookbooks, purveyors etc. much more accessible to those of us who are not in the culinary world, or who are maybe contemplating it. There are things like Off the Broiler to intiate the unintiated and make the public much more aware of what is out there in terms of artisinal things, cooking technique and recipes.

I am saving to buy the French Laundry Cookbook, because that is the absolute one cookbook I really need to have. In the meantime I just go sit in Barnes and Noble and thumb through it and try not to drool. I agree though, buying good cookbooks is like buying art. The French Laundry Cookbook is a good example of that.

[Your Fantasy Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Dazs Flavor]

Over the last two weeks I have tried Vermonty Python, ( fantastic) Neopolitan Dynamite ( Cherry Garcia and chocolate, what more could one want?) The Godfather and Irish Mudslide. There was one other that I can't remember but it was a fun adventure in ice cream. Not a bad one in the bunch!

[Have you ever registered for china, silver...]

When I got married I registered for good china, silver, crystal etc. I bought the knife set I wanted ( Chicago Cutlery) with wedding money cause I knew nobody would get them for me. I had a nice set of pots and pans but I was still learning to cook so I had a nice set of tfal which is fine for learning on. I still have that set, and will keep pieces of it because they are non stick and nice. However, I am now single again. So when I finish school I am going to seriously invest in the good stuff. My mom uses Le Creuset and I adore them! So I think I will use a mix of All Clad and Le Creuset. I will need to get some new knives, not sure what yet. As for my everyday china, its pfaltzgraf and I love it along with my fine china and silver. Not sure I want to keep the silver because of who bought it for us ( the mother in law) but for now why not. I love my fine crystal too. I recall having alot of fun registering. The only thing I think that has changed is that my taste in what I like has become much more sophisticated.

I should add that before I was married my mom and dad got me my everyday china so that I would have the pieces I wanted. My mom had gotten her everyday and never got the extra pieces when it became discontinued. I remember getting it for birthdays and Christmas which was nice because, while it is still a popular pattern, I don't have to worry if it does become discontinued. I think it is a nice thing for a woman to start her married life, or hell her single life with the basics.

[PMS: Tell it Like It Is. Your cravings, Babe (Part 2)]

I have no cramps due to taking bcp's, yet I still crave extremely salty snacks. 

I don't know what it is, but it seems like most women want the sweet/salty & carbs combination

←

I am the same way. Forget the chocolate, I want SALT!! I can eat a small bag of Ballrich's(they are from this area of the country, not sure they are available elsewhere but damn they are good!) potato chips in one sitting. Glad to know I am not the only one.