Emily_R

One of my favorites is Melissa Clark's Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp, served with couscous. Whole thing whips together super fast, and is both delicious and healthy. Here's the link... http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2009/01/melissa-clarks-roasted-broccoli-with-shrimp.html I agree with previous posters that a fruit crisp is perfect for a weeknight dessert...

Hey folks -- made the Carne de Res con Col tonight, and it was delicious! You're all right -- even though I'm not sure why, it didn't taste like stuffed cabbage at all. I served it as a soft taco filling for corn tortillas, with a little queso fresco on top. Delicious. I used two jalapenos with seeds, and I probably should have minced them smaller as I got a few bites that were whoppers on the heat. Anyway, a great, quick, healthy-feeling meal! Thanks everyone!

Thanks everyone! I'm sufficiently convinced this won't scream stuffed cabbage, and it goes on the menu for next week! Will report back then...

Hey folks -- Ok, so I'm definitely intrigued by this Carne de Res con Col -- but after finding the recipe, can someone tell me -- does this basically end up tasting like stuffed cabbage? The cabbage, beef, and tomatoes all scream stuffed cabbage to me -- a dish that I'm not entirely fond of. Maybe if I tried it with red cabbage that would cut down on the stuffed-cabbage-ness? Thanks in advance, Emily

Its interesting -- I had the opposite reaction to the Vietnamese coffee ice cream -- I found it sickeningly sweet, with not enough coffee flavor, despite the fact that I double brewed the french roast for it.

djyee -- that casserole looks so good it nearly makes me want to cry! Can you share the recipe? Em

So the chicken was quite fresh when I put it in the marinade, and after 3 days the texture was fine... Maybe a little tough, but not spongy at all like I had feared it might be... Thanks for the advice everyone!

Thanks all, its a relief to know that food safety doesn't seem to be a huge issue -- I froze half of the chicken yesterday, and will make the other half tonight and report back. The marinade includes pureed onions, Korean gojujang, ginger, garlic, soy, mirin, and sugar. Recipe calls for it to be marinated for 24 hours... I'll see how it turns out and will report back... Emily

I put some chicken in a Korean marinade late Thursday night... I'm wondering -- how long would you guys feel comfortable leaving it marinating in the fridge for... Do you think I can leave it for three days (until tomorrow night?) Or is that pushing my food safety luck? Emily

I love this thread too. Made a recipe about a week ago that was fantastic. Haddock in Charmoula sauce... http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Haddock-in-Charmoula-Sauce-104887 I didn't follow the full deal with putting the fish on the bed of pre-cooked peppers and potatoes, instead just baked the fish in the sauce and... The sauce was to die for. I cut back on the olive oil a bit, but the blend of parsley, cilantro, lemon, garlic, cumin and paprika was divine. The cumin and paprika really added a depth that I haven't gotten in other similar pureed herb sauces. I licked the pan that I baked the fish and sauce in, and stirred the extra into rice which was great too.

I have not. The recipe did not call out to me at all. That's not to say it might not be great but it just didn't seem to fit into any of the meals I make even for parties. Me neither, Emily. Like Anna, the concept just didn't really speak to me, and I don't usually host those kid of events where they'd be appropriate. I just went back and re-read the recipe, and it does sound interesting, but again, I don't usually do the sort of bash where they'd be in context. For a Super Bowl party though, maybe. For dinner, when I think meatballs, I also think sauce and pasta (or rice, if I'm making Mexican chipotle meatballs, but that's another topic). I'd be interested in your review of them if you decide to forge ahead. Well, for what its worth, the manly meatballs from the 150 Best Recipes were wretched. Tried them on Superbowl sunday, and they were so bad I couldn't serve them, tried to salvage the meat and couldn't, and ultimately gave the meat to the cats. Just a salty, not-meaty-tasting-at-all, mess.

Just chiming in to say that after some thought, it has to be Marcella's Essentials of Italian Cooking for me...

I have come to enjoy the subtleties of siracha.. --(*I have come to squirting pea-sized dollops of the succulent sauce on my fingertip every time I open the fridge*)-- ...I've become a fan of the sweetness i get at the end of my tongue,a fan of the invigorating tingle caught with every whiff i take Clove -- I'm afraid these go beyond just the sweetness that is in the sriracha -- if I remember correctly, the first item on the ingredient list is peas, and the second item is sugar.

Just found these today and tried them... I really wish they weren't sweet -- to me the sweetness diminishes them -- I would prefer just spicy and salty.

Anna, Pierogi, and Marmish... Have any of you tried the "Manly Meatballs" from 150 best recipes? I was thinking of them for a superbowl party, but they seem so basic I just can't imagine they're as good as the recipe claims... At the same time, cooking fatty meatballs on little slices of bread until they merge is tempting me...

I've had some fantastic meals at Pylos in the East Village...

I think this is a great topic Steven! I'll chime in to add my own. Even though I no longer live in NYC, I visit my mom in the East Village often. On Avenue A between 10th and 11th is my favorite E. Village utility restaurant -- an italian place named Orologio. I actually really love this place. It is completely reliable -- they are just very consistent, so you know exactly what you're getting. The sauteed spinach is the perfect level of garlicky. Their pizza bianca with prosciutto and arugula is always nicely blistered and satisfying. Salads are generally excellent, always fresh. The specials -- especially the branzino that is often on the specials menu -- are delicious. Prices are totally reasonable, service is friendly... Oh, and the tiramisu is AMAZING. And yet... Its not flashy, the menu isn't particularly innovative... At times I thought of writing about it over on Chow, but feared that someone accustomed to higher-end dining would try it and find it too pedestrian. Its just a good, reasonably priced local Italian restaurant that is perfect when my mom and I are wiped and can't bring ourselves to walk more than two blocks.

I love brussel sprouts with all kinds of pork and with turkey or roast chicken. I like broccoli with beef best, though also with chicken and shrimp -- for some reason I don't love it with pork. Dark greens like kale or broccoli rabe are a natural pairing with pork and sausage... Though I have come to love sauteed spinach or swiss chard with roast chicken.

So for years I was kind of indifferent to sauteed swiss chard. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't seem to manage to (despite loving sauteed spinach and kale). Then about a month ago I had a breakthrough. I did my usual sauteed swiss chard with lots of garlic, in olive oil. When it was just about done wilting, I added a splash of soy sauce and a splash of white balsamic vinegar. WOW! Instantaneous transformation from something meh into something delicious!

I loooove hostess cupcakes. I'm not convinced there's much of a difference between San Marzano canned tomatoes and regular canned tomatoes at a third of the price. I love fresh mozzarella, but do not want it on my cheese pizza. Only Polly-O style mozzarella on my cheese pizza please.

I don't know -- I watched the Panama episode and my husband and I thought it was just so-so... I guess I like his more food-centric episodes, and didn't think Panama was really one of them... The lengthy sequence in Noriega's house was tedious, and ultimately, if I don't leave the episode groaning in desperation to eat what he's eating, the episode is missing something to me.

Hey folks -- Just wanted to report back that I made the slow-roasted pork shoulder from the 150 Best Recipes, and it was to die for. And so simple -- Just ground chipotles and salt! That said, I did cut the amount of salt in half (recipe called for 2 Tbs kosher salt to 1 Tbs chipotle, and the 1 Tbs kosher salt I used was PLENTY)... Made my own flour tortillas for the first time, and served the pork in tacos with some homemade tomatillo salsa and a squirt of lime. Among the best tacos I've ever put in my mouth. Can't wait to try more recipes... Thanks everyone! Em

I am so glad to see this topic, as this has always mystified me as well. I conceed that the lemon in the cavity made the pan juices taste better, but as far as I could tell it made no difference in the bird itself... Even with the poking of the lemons with a skewer (as I believe the Marcella instructions specify), I don't really see how much steam could be created -- or at least much more than the chicken juices themselves would generate inside the bird.

Anna and Pierogie -- thank you both for your replies! The duck, the pork shoulder, the pork and tomatillo stew, and the sausages with grapes were all recipes that had caught my eye, so its great to hear they have been tried and true. Will report back!

Just wanted to chime in to post about something I've been doing for the past two years, that has really enriched my cooking... Figured I'd post it here just in case it might inspire others on the forum. For 2008, 2009, (and now 2010), I made a resolution to try one new-to-me recipe every week. Didn't have to be a big fancy recipe -- even a new recipe for hot chocolate mix would work... And not to say I was perfect, and there weren't times I went 10 days or even 2 weeks... But as a result of this commitment, I tried 86 new recipes in 2009! Its just been fantastic -- has brought so many new favorite recipes to my repertoire, and helped me at least keep pace with the huge stack of new recipes I'm constantly printing off the web...