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I would make banana napoleons or towers. There are many variations; here is one that could be made ahead: banana napoleon with rum cream. I have successfully made these ahead using the following layers: --4" phyllo dough squares (layer 4-5 sheets of phyllo dough w/butter and brown sugar between the layers, cut into squares, bake until golden brown & store in tupperware until serving time) --Sliced bananas sauteed with butter, sugar and rum --Flavored whipped cream or ice cream repeat the layers, as desired garnish with caramel sauce and chopped nuts (or bacon candy!) Actually, you could probably crumble the bacon candy and put that in between the layers of phyllo, too.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the braised green beans from "All about Braising" by Molly Stevens. I think that Chufi posted a picture of these in the dinner thread. Even though they are called "end of summer green beans", it is such a wonderful recipe that I use it all the time. Especially good with runner beans, I bet! I also like to prepare new beans by quickly stir-frying (just until they turn bright green) in a bit of sesame oil, with a pinch of salt and sugar. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Delicious hot or cold.

I cannot swear that these are the best, since I have not listened to very many podcasts. I especially enjoy the segment "Hidden Kitchens" on NPR, and it is available here. I also like the podcasts available from the series Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie. NPR has a "Food Podcast" that is pretty good (listen here). NPR also had some podcasts featuring Gordon Ramsey, but I did not enjoy those very much.

My favorite ways to use amaranth are 1) as an addition to the filling in a stuffed vegetable (such as a stuffed pumpkin); 2) in a sweet or savory pudding (like rice pudding, only with amaranth) and 3) in a cold salad, like tabouli salad (substitute amaranth for all or part of the bulgur). I know that it is ground up and the flour is used in a lot of breads, because it is very nutritious. I would guess than any recipe that would work for quinoa would work for amaranth.

Forgive me if this is sounds stupid, but I still do not understand how this product is used. I have a big jar in my cupboard, unopened, because I wasn't able to find any recipes or ratios for using xanthan. I know it is in a lot of products, as you mentioned, but I don't know how much of it is used, for example, in a bottle of vinaigrette dressing. Let's say that I want to mix it with fruit juice to make a sauce. What would be the ratio? And what is the technique? Although you state it is cold soluble, does the application of heat have any effect upon it?

Thank you, Busboy, you have just expressed my thoughts exactly! I am on a campaign to reject the crap that is standard fare for these events and other events at school. Sitting on my desk is a nice thank you note from a student that I don't even know, which states: "Thank you so much for the lunches you provided for the orchestra during our freshman orientation week. It is such a treat to have home prepared meals rather than pizza from Dominoes [sic]. We really appreicate all of the hard work and time you put into making delicious food for us." And the irony is that I added up the cost of the foods that I served them during orientation and compared it to the cost of buying Domino's and it was actually less expensive (not including anything for my time, which I happily donated). Actually, I'm trying to find a hotel that has kitchenettes (anyone familiar with Residence Inn Arlington Pentagon City?) If that occurs, then I will make lunches for the kids (breakfast is free at this hotel) and use the cost savings to allow them to have better dinner options. It's really hard to find decent options when the budget is $5 for breakfast and lunch and $10 for dinner.

Thank you everyone for these great recommendations. You have no idea how I dread these trips, knowing that we will be eating cheap pizza and fast food. NOT THIS TIME!!! Thank you and thank you again. Amazingly, I checked out the Phillips Seafood website and they have a nice student seafood buffet special M-F for $20.99, inclusive. If we can do cheap eats the rest of the time, hopefully I can persuade the people in charge to include this one night. The metro website says that the closest station is L'Enfant Plaza station, do any of you know if this is reasonable walking distance to Phillips?

I'm traveling with a group of approximately 75 high school orchestra students to D.C. We are planning on flying into Reagan National and staying at a metro-accessible hotel in the Arlington area. From there, we hope to see the sights of our capital and have some fun for a few days. I would be most grateful for any recommendations for dining options, suitable for such a group, and accessible from the metro, as we will rely upon the metro for our primary transportation around town. Since they are students, we will have a limited budget for food (lunches and dinners, hotel will provide breakfast). I am not familiar with the D.C. area, so any other advice or comments regarding this trip will be welcome (including hotel recommendations, if you have any!). I'm hoping that we don't have to live on cheap pizza for four days. . . .

I need to stop reading this thread in between meals . . .all these beautiful dishes make me hungry! Last night we started with summer rolls with shrimp and peanut sauce. DH bought culantro instead of cilantro, but they were tasty just the same. Dinner was grilled tuna steaks, hijiki with carrots, roasted cauliflower and buckwheat noodles with sesame and chives. Dessert was Ina Garten's coconut cake and mango sorbet. buckwheat noodles with sesame and chives

Victornet, could you please provide some details on the recipe for thickened whipped silken tofu and its uses? I have a large jar of xanthum that I'm looking to use and tofu is a kitichen staple for me, so this sounds like a great combination. Thank you.

Lord have mercy - David, that is just stupenous. I am not generally prone to sweets, but your fruit concoctions have me over the moon (says I, who is just finishing off the last of the amazing cherry clafouti, which shall henceforth be known in these parts as David Ross Clafouti).

Confession time: I, too, am the owner of a Showtime Rotisserie (it was a gift). It does work very well, I agree, but don't you have a devil of a time cleaning it? A good friend swears that there is no better prime rib than that cooked on a Showtime. (Glad to see you are using regular kitchen twine to truss your bird and not those weird elastic strings that were generously included by Ron Popeil!) The halibut looks very good. Well, for that matter, all of your food looks great. Question for you: Do you find that the lobster base is excessively salty? I have hesitated trying this product for fear that it will be overly salty. Would you buy it again? Have you tried any of the other bases made by that same manufacturer? I'm looking forward to your trip to Vegas.

I would try layering the sandwiches with waxed paper and slightly damp paper towels (insert the damp towel between 2 pieces of waxed paper, so that the damp towel is not actually touching the sandwiches). Also put a damp paper towel covered with wax paper on the very bottom. I have never tried this with sandwiches, but I use it with stacks of summer rolls all the time and it keeps the rice paper from drying out (at least for several hours). I don't see why it wouldn't also do the same for sandwiches. The key is that you are trying to introduce some additional moisture inside the container holding the sandwiches, but not so much as to make them soggy. I find that the wax paper allows some transfer of moisture from the paper towels, but not too much. Let us know if you find a solution. A dried out sandwich is very unappealing, for sure.

David, it is entirely your fault. You see, I now wish that I hadn't learned how to make this fabulous Cherry Clafouti. I awoke at midnight with one thing on my mind. Clafouti. So against my better judgment and to the dismay of my waistline, I had a midnight snack of Claflouti. Intending to just have a bite or two from the edge of the container, where it would not be missed, I accidently discovered that the custard in the middle was less set, still soft and jiggly. I had tossed the cherries with the cherry brandy as you suggested, and between the brandy-flavored cherries and that soft custard, well, let's just say that I had more than the two bites that I intended. I may be the only person on earth who will be glad when cherry season is over. I have been led into temptation!

David, you have a great blog going on. I don't have experience with huckleberries but in NE where I grew up, we had plentiful blackberries, blueberries and sometimes raspberries. I wistfully recall picking them and eating them out of the bucket on the way home. Thanks for reminding me of that time of my life with your huckleberry tales. Anyway, my hat's off to you. I went to BB&B today, bought a cherry pitter and made clafouti (no crust). I posted a picture of it in the dessert thread. It was very tasty, indeed. Thanks so much for the inspiration.

Rona, those cupcakes look absolutely delectable . . . if I can eat those on WW, maybe there is hope for me, yet! I was inspired by David Ross' blog, and I happened to have all the ingredients, plus someone just gave me a bunch of fruit-flavored brandies that they were going to throw away, so I took that as a sign that I was supposed to make Cherry Clafouti. I did not make the pastry base, though, I just buttered and sugared the dish before adding the cherries.

I don't know what kind of thingy you are talking about, but again, if your computer is rather new, it may very well already have a built-in wireless connection. If you have internet service at home and a wireless router, then you should be able to pick up your internet on your computer without buying anything else. (Call your internet provider and ask them to walk you through the set up process). If you don't have the wireless router at home, you might want to get one, because it's very convenient to have your laptop connected to the internet. With the wireless connection, your computer should detect free wi-fi in airports, Starbucks, hotels, etc. If your computer by chance does not have built-in wireless connectivity, then you will have to buy a modem card (maybe that's what you are talking about?) Sorry for this off-topic message and I'm no computer expert, but gosh, I'm sure that I'm not the only egulleteer that wants to see you eating in Korea next month!

This one's for FG, if he's reading: How about some wraps? I think anything that could be eaten quickly, preferably with one hand in case you need the other one to hold you steady, would be good. I'm thinking Summer Rolls (the rice paper will not dry out if you stack them in a long, rectangular tupperware container and place a few damp paper towels and waxed paper in between the layers). Or Thai curry hummus (recipe below) with pita chips. 1 lbs garbanzo beans soaked and boiled -- about 2.5 lbs cooked beans 2 tbls. chopped garlic ¾ cups tahini 1 tbls Curry paste – Thai curry paste – ¼ cup lemon juice ¾ cup water ½ cup honey 1 tbls. salt 1 tsp white pepper 1 tbls. Madras curry powder 1 tsp garlic powder ½ Tsp cumin ¼ tsp nutmeg I like the Ina Garten idea of packing stuff in chinese take-out containers. How about some Indonesian Rice Salad (from Moosewood). 2 cups short grain brown rice 1/3 cup peanut oil 3 T toasted sesame oil ½ cup orange juice 1 medium clove garlic, crushed ½ t crushed red hot pepper 2 T tamari 1 t salt 2 T honey 2 T cider vinegar 1 cup chopped pineapple 2-3 minced scallions 1 stalk celery, finely minced ½ cup raisins ½ cup chopped roasted peanuts ½ cup toasted cashew pieces 2 T sesame seeds 1 cup mixed red and green bell pepper, diced Optional: 1 cup thinly sliced water chestnuts a handful of fresh, raw snow peas ½ lb. fresh mung bean sprouts One thing that we like to do on the boat is take a whole, ripe pineapple and cut it up into chunks. Put it in a large ziplock bag with a sufficient quantity of good, spiced rum (or Gosling's Black Seal Rum if you can find it). Stick it in the cooler with plenty of ice and when you are out on the high seas, pass the bag around. It's absolutely great on a hot, sunny day. Very cold and refreshing. I'm sure that the lovely Hyacinth Bucket would be outraged at such crude behavior.

We would all love to see that, Sheena. I'm no expert on the Mac Book or anything computer-related, but if your Mac Book has a card reader built in (and if it's new, I'd be surprised if it didn't), then you don't need software or a USB cable. Just eject the memory card from your camera and pop it into your computer and you should be able to retrieve the photos very easily. If you don't have a card reader built-in, then I would go to the camera manufacturer's website and see if you can download the software there. Most of the larger manufacturers (Sony, Kodak, etc) have all of the software available online. Please get this situation fixed because I want to see your travelogue!

Everyone's meals look so wonderful (and inspiring). This is one of my favorite threads. Chufi, those potato croutons look especially good. Did you bake them or fry them? Last night I made a salad with the last two tomatoes from my garden. It is so hot here in Florida that my tomato plants are too pooped to bloom anymore. Then, it was on to another recipe from the Art of Braising - Yankee Pot Roast. I know it sounds strange to be making this dish in the heat of summer, but DH will eat pretty much anything, anytime. I don't eat beef, so for myself, I cooked up a pot of Rancho Gordo's beans with some chipotles and jalapenos thrown in. I could live on his beans.

I concur with Emily. I have been using the Evert-Fresh bags for several months now, and I have noticed a considerable improvement in the shelf-life of my veggies. They don't sell them in stores where I live, so I searched online and found them for sale at the lowest price here. I would recommend the medium and large bags. I find that the small bags are not as useful. These bags can be rinsed and re-used.

We are in Florida. Some of our family is Cuban, and my dear friend is Filipino. Baby pigs at the holidays are extremely popular with them! Since it is summer, you might consider a black bean and rice salad, like this one from Epicurious. However, it should be easy to put any kind of ethnic slant on your pig, just by adjusting the seasonings and sides. BTW, they did eat all of the pig, that picture was just taken for fun by a guest.

Suckling pigs around here are 20-30 lbs. We did one at Christmas that was 25 lbs. Cook it uncovered at 225 degrees until it reaches 185 to 190 degrees, around 5 or 6 hours, as I recall. If the ears or other parts start to burn, cover with foil. We don't inject but do brine overnight. Put the pig inside a clean garbage bag and put the bag inside a large plastic storage container, add the brine and put the container in the refrigerator overnight. Brine includes salt, sugar, garlic, oregano and citrus (juice or cut up fruit). I don't like brining meats in coolers because I live in a hot climate and I'm worried that the temperature may not remain consistent. If you are only going to brine for a few hours, I would probably not be concerned. But I don't see how a 25 lb. pig is going to be sufficiently brined in just a few hours (then again, I am no food scientist). We don't generally do any rub but there is a recipe for a citrus-garlic paste from Cook's Illustrated that is very good, recipe here: Garlic-Citrus Paste 12 medium cloves garlic , peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup) 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon table salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 6 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil We let the cooked pig rest for an hour before carving. Top the meat with Mojo Sauce. Serve with black beans, rice, and fried plantains.

I used to make a lot of pickles when I was young and lived in New England. One of my favorites was "watermelon rind" pickles. As I recall, they tasted of cloves and were sweet-and-sour. We also used to make crocks of sauerkraut (that qualifies as a pickle, doesn't it?) Just recently, my interest in making pickles returned at the same time that my daughter developed an obsession with Japanes food, and so I picked up a copy of Easy Japanese Pickling in Five Minutes to One Day: 101 Full-Color Recipes for Authentic Tsukemono from Amazon. I'm embarrassed to say that I have not tried any of the recipes yet. I will take the book out tonight and see what I can find in my fridge. Hiroyuki can hopefully answer any questions (or tell me what I'm doing wrong!) BTW, does chutney qualify as a pickle? I did put up 24 pints of green tomato chutney a few months ago when my garden was overrun with green tomatoes.

I don't know if they have such things in your area, but around here they have "scratch and dent" appliance stores. The appliances come with full warranties, but they usually will not have a box. If the paperwork is missing, you can download it from the manufacturer's website. I have saved a lot of money over the years buying appliances at these places. I found a Kitchenaid "architect series" 30" double convection oven for less than $1000 when the retail at that time was over $3000. It had a dent in the back - which was not visible once it was installed. I have found similar savings on fridges, dishwashers, etc. I've never had a bit of trouble with any of these appliances, but I did make sure that the seller was reputable and that all warranties would be honored. Last time I was there, they had some beautiful built-in refrigerators that you could pick up for a song . . . and once you put the cabinet panels on them (to match the rest of your kitchen) you would not see any of the dents/scratches! I hope that you keep us included on your kitchen remodeling . . . it's fun to live vicariously and maybe some of us that have made remodeling mistakes (speaking for myself, here!) can share our experiences and hopefully save you some headaches.