Pierogi

14&1/2-inches, which is woefully inadequate. My KA, which is a tilt-head model, not a bowl lift, just barely, barely eeks under the edge, and obviously, I can't tilt the head up under the cabinets. More annoyingly, I can't tip a 12-inch saute pan, which I use just about every day, up to pour food out onto a serving dish, or another pan. It also just seems to me like I'm working in a box. But that could be due to the fact I'm 6-feet, 3-inches tall, so my face and eyes (not to mention hands...) are way higher than the average person using the counter.... And like others, there is plenty of deadspace above the cabinets that could have allowed them to be hung higher.

Today I opened a plastic "dish" type container of edamame/wasabi dip from Fresh & Easy. Yes, I realize that was my first problem. But I had dashed into the store for something else because it was convenient, and this looked interesting, and I had chips so on we went. It was square container, and had a plastic snap-on lid that had a paper strip over it as the first level of tamper resistance. Then, over the "bowl", and the surface of the quite liquid dip, was a heat-sealed-on-the-edges sheet of plastic film. That could NOT be peeled off in one, or even several, large pieces. It came off it leeeeeeetle, tiny strips.....each of which flopped down onto the surface of the quite-liquid dip, thus dribbling the quite-liquid dip all over the counter as I attempted to remove the shredded plastic film from the top of the quite-liquid dip. No. It wasn't that good. Not worth the effort to open it, and the counter top cleaning required after that attempt. Mental note made and hopefully retained.

In Southern California, and places I've visited in this country, in 40-plus years of eating out, I can honestly say I have NEVER, EVER been given a lovely parting gift beyond a matchbook or perhaps a souvenir, commemorative menu. Or a cocktail pick or swizzle stick with the restaurant's name on it. Certainly never anything edible. Why on Earth would they give away things that you pay them to consume, and that bring the customer in the door?

Some sort of aphidy/gnaty creature infested one of my tomatoes and looks like it is sucking it dry. Must go get some BT tomorrow to try to limit the damage. That plant had set probably 2 dozen tomatoes already, and if I lose them, I will be PISSED. Due to what ever is sucking it dry I doubt it will set any new fruit, but I'm hopin' and prayin' the stuff that's on there will ripen. The other one, which was slow to start, is now thriving, and I hope to keep the aphidy/gnaty things away from it.

I think with most fruit salads, especially if they contain citrus or pineapple, a vinaigrette would be too acidic. I'd go for, and do prefer, the creamy, slightly sweetish ones to offer a counter note. My favorite is sour cream or Greek yogurt mixed with some brown sugar, or turbinado sugar. Some mint is nice, especially if you have melons in the fruit mix. A little, little touch of lime juice is good too. Ditto on the old fashioned boiled dressings and on creamy poppy seed dressings. They play very well with fruit.

I have to go Plus One on the Pringles. They're so wrong, and so bad, and yet....so, so good and I am so, so unable to stop eating them once I've opened a tube. P&G also used to make a pulped, pressed and formed tortilla chip about 7 or 8 years ago that came in a similar tube, albeit, triangle-shaped. I think they were called "Torengos"??? They tasted NOTHING at all like real tortilla chips, much like Pringles are related to real potato chips, but damn, they were good. Very salty, but good.

The various stuffed figs sounded amazing, but then there's nothing that can be done to a fig that makes it less than amazing IMHO. Nice to see that "the pros" have similar problems as I do with turning out wet doughs from a banneton type rig !!

Oh man, Prawn......those sausages look amazing. Simply amazing.

In an Indian raita with julienned cucumber, finely minced jalapeno, mint, S&P, and seeded, thinly sliced tomato. A little toasted cumin seed, ground, and about half as much sour cream as you use yogurt. Excellent as a salady-sort of side. Same for tzatziki, with cuke, dill and garlic. A little lemon juice. As a meze, or a side with Greek food, or as a sauce for gyros, souvlaki or koftas. With a little brown or turbinado sugar stirred in as a sauce for fruit, especially berries of any ilk (I particularly love it with blueberries). As part of the marinade for faux tandoori chicken or shrimp (faux since none of us have tandoors, at least none of us that I'm aware of.....). But even without a tandoor, in a screamin' hot oven, finished under the broiler, or on a charcoal grill, a damn fine meal. I never buy regular yogurt any longer. Only the Greek style. Especially for the raita/tzatziki type applications, regular yogurt is far, far too thin and watery.

SCORE !! Copper River goodness has hit at least one MegaMart chain (well two, technically, even though they're the same parent company, they've got different names and "images") in LaLaLand. The weekly ad flyer this week for the Safeway-owned Von's and Pavilions chains had Copper River for $7.99 a pound, with their loyalty card. Went on Wednesday (the first day the ad prices were effective) to the Pavilions right down the road, and they hadn't gotten any yet. Bummer. Thursday, went to run another errand, and popped into a Von's a bit further away to get THIS lovely thing... ....at THIS absolultely LOVELY price.... (sheeeeeze...dontcha just love the look of those numbers??)... ...which yielded this spectacular piece of fish... ...which was then portioned, and three of the pieces were double-wrapped in plastic wrap, then vacuum sealed and stuck into the freezer for future enjoyment.... ...and the last of which made this splendid meal last night. With roasted orange cauliflower and roasted baby Yukon gold potatoes. The amazing fish was brushed with olive oil, S&P, seared on the flesh side, flipped, seared on the skin side and finished in the 450° oven alongside the potatoes and cauliflower. A little lime juice drizzle over the Copper River and the cauliflower. I was happy. Very, very happy. The dogs were not. They got no fish. I love my Grrrlz, but not enough to feed them $20.00 a pound fish, even if I didn't pay $20.00 a pound for it.

Reuben for sure is number 1. Patty melts are a close second, as are tuna melts. BL-A-T's (bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato) are way up there. WAY up there. Plain, open-faced tomato with good (Best Foods or homemade) mayo on good (see, homemade) bread with dead ripe tomatoes are also way up there, but a fleeting summer treat. Salt of course. Fried egg on toasted rye, with a wee bit of ketchup, paper thin onion and salt and pepper. Sour cream and paper thin onion slices with S&P, open face on toasted rye. Worthy midnight or mid-day snacks, all.

As someone who knows a thing or 5 about pierogies....*THAT* is a thing of beauty. I literally just sat down after finishing dinner, and I'd eat a plate of them in a heartbeat. That corn dog looked pretty damn swell, too. But those pierogies are truly swoon-worthy.

Oh, pretzels with sweet stuff are the best. For my Christmas goodies, I always make butterscotch dipped pretzels. It's just butterscotch chips melted with a bit of vegetable oil (in a Luddite double boiler) and then the pretzels are swirled in, coated and cooled. But those are always the most favorite goody on the tray....

According to this article on the LA "Times" website, Food Network has decided to overhaul the "Next Food Network Star" series a bit. Now, granted, since this is the epic that foisted Guy Fieri and Aaron McCargo onto humanity, it could use a good once-over. But somehow, this doesn't seem like much of an improvement to me. "Stilettos in the Kitchen".....? Give a freakin' break. And this chick doesn't seem so much *empowered* or *sexy* or *confident* as she does seem to be a Royal *itch ! That said, anyone wanna lay odds about how much of a favorite she is to win? And is anyone going to be watching this train wreck?

That spinach salad reminds me of the mid-Century "spinach salads" served at "fine dining" restaurants back in the day, only amped way up. I used to love those things, even as a snot-nosed kid (and teen). I really need to make myself one of those classics again. The soup looks lovely as well. That's my idea of a meal, bacon in every course !

I saw (or more accurately, heard) a story on one of the local news shows yesterday about a new restaurant in the LA area that had an iPad on each table, and that was how you placed your order. No server coming to the table, you just scrolled and touched the screen. While it sounded like an interesting concept, the reviews from actual customers were less than stellar. Most tables got their food at radically different times, many customers felt the wait was far too long (it's a burger-type place), and a lot of them said their orders were messed up in same fashion. The consensus seemed to be it was an idea whose time, perhaps, had not come just yet.

The newest addiction is Trader Joe's "Lime & Chile Mixed Nuts". I'd tried their lime & chile cashews, and lime & chile peanuts before, but these are way better. Plus, I think they've changed the seasoning mix, this has visible pieces of dried chiles and lemongrass in it. I almost ate the whole bag in one sitting.

BadRabbit, there are a great many corporate shareholders who rely upon our belief that FDA regulation is useless and ought to be dispensed with. Then they can put white chalk in a carton with some sugar and some lecithin and call it "product". True dat ! As someone who spent a career in Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs in a regulated industry (pharmaceuticals), I can attest to the fact that without regs, even though the "average Joe consumer" can't understand them, we'd be eating/drinking/ingesting a whole load 'o' crap we shouldn't. Or would want to !

That is the method I was taught eons ago and have continued to use with success. I try for the sausage almost completely cooked as the water has evaporated and then just a quick time in the dry pan to brown them. Same here. I started using this method when I didn't have a grill and haven't stopped since getting a grill. It works so well I prefer it to the grill, most of the time. A big, huge ditto to avaserfi, heidih and nickrey. Somewhere back in the dark ages, that was a technique my Mom picked up from somewhere (God only knows where...), and that's how I've always done it for fresh sausages. Smoked, I treat a bit differently, but for fresh, this is the way to go. So savory and so juicy.

YES, Bruce, you should. I *love* seeing your meals.

Oh, yay !! Soba's back !!!!

Salisbury steak is simply one of my favorite meals, and I make it usually several times a year (which is rare for me, I'm always chasing the newest, bestest, latest). I can't remember Mom ever making it, but somehow, somewhere I fell in love with it. But then, what's NOT to love about ground beef, gravy and mashed potatoes? Always, for me, fresh onions, and mushrooms. However, I will cop to sometimes (she says under her breath....) using Kitchen Bouquet to flavor/darken the gravy. Fabulous article Madame M. I knew about Dr. Salisbury and his nutritional theories about beef, but not the rest. "Blue mass".......hmmm? Wonder what the folks in a couple of hundred years or so will say about our potions and palliatives? Not to mention our diet.....

Melissa Clark in the book says "It's the kind of recipe that's ripe for substitutions, too. I've used fennel and caraway in place of cumin, left out the sesame oil, exchanged vinegar for citrus". I read that as using the olive oil and omitting the 2 tsp of sesame oil and being playful with the spicing. Seems to me it should work with cauliflower as well, no? I have a head of cauliflower I need to use, and this sounds so good.

My KitchenAid, a cast iron skillet, a Le Creuset Dutch oven and a Le Creuset stove-top grill pan.

I'm just happy its another NYC blog. I can live vicariously again for another week...