heidih

Andy Ricker's book on Thai food Pok Pok is all over the food internet recently. I "looked inside the book" on Amazon and felt like it was explaining things I knew in a teacher/student way that I don't care for. However, I am a sucker for the stories behind the food and it appears to have that going for it. Has anyone perused it? At this point I think it is a book I want to check out from the library as opposed to own.

This may be part of your problem. The nuances of fruity, sweet, sharp, to just start on the shades and differences, are myriad and fantastic. If you are using chili only for heat you may have not been exposed to the panorama of their tastes. Perhaps a chili tasting is in order?

I agree that soups are a great way to infuse some interesting flavors into the mix. From a logistical standpoint, speaking as a host of many gatherings, I would not ignore the maxim "fluid in/fluid out". Especially since the party is drinks centric.

Since the focus will be drinks, I am with Porthos on appetizers. More specifically one or two bite items that are fine at room temp; more along a tapas theme. These people will have a drink in their hands and need to be able to stand and enjoy a bite or two of various items with ease.

Linda - I enjoyed working with Dave on his last two eGullet foodblogs. For this latest one, he stepped up to the plate when nobody else volunteered, and displayed enthusiasm and joy about sharing his food life. Thank you also for sharing that he was in a state of happiness with respect to the other areas of his life. He leaves a hole here at eGullet, but he left on a high note. I send you and your family all my best thoughts and wishes.

In Spain? My immediate impression was potato fries. Hmm??

And I would be happy with Kerry's naan here http://forums.egullet.org/topic/124319-the-bread-topic/page-7?p=1758576#entry1758576

Canadian Dejah has been having a good go at it in this topic http://forums.egullet.org/topic/145630-cooking-with-the-char-broil-oil-less-big-easy-fryer/

Lovely color on the skin Baron - was it crispy at all? I started with trout many many years ago - boned but left whole by the fishmongers at Grand Central Market in Los Angeles. They took pity on a young woman and took the time to teach me how to do it myself. Over time I began to prefer leaving the bones in for flavor even though I was pretty good at the deboning process. The flesh lifts right off and you don't lose any hidden succulent bits. I think it is time for a trip to the fish market.

That caught my eye, Details?

I get extra ones on sale or being given away at the pumpkin patches to make batched of roasted seeds. Check out the topic here http://forums.egullet.org/topic/54526-pumpkin-seeds-cleaning-roasting-uses/

Oh no

Kohlrabi?

Melissa's Produce sells to many major markets. There is a store locator on their site. They call them sunchokes. http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/sunflower-chokes.aspx Find a store that uses the company and ask the produce manager if he can get them for you - a route you might take.

You won't really know until you try. I generally nuke kabochas briefly so I can halve them easily. I remove seeds and proceed. I would purchase one and cut in half or quarters and try out that small bit in a simple prep. Perhaps just sliced, tossed with a bit of olive oil, S & P and baked. Once you know what you are dealing with the seasoning variations may be more clear. I can't imagine a significantly different flavor than the regular mottled green one. The difference within that type have been sweetness and starchiness - but that was cultivation condition and age dependent, not type dependent.

Yes it certainly looks like a Koren melon http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/Korean-Melons.aspx I tried it once or twice and was not impressed with the flavor; very mild.

Thanks Norm - did you use fresh or dried rosemary? Some wild Gulf shrimp on sale this week so I am in the mode

Norm - can you give us an idea of what the Louisiana killer shrimp recipe is like? I am a shrimp fiend.

To explain the fish reference I like this http://shermanslagoon.com/comics/october-21-2013/ On the mushrooms - the funny twist is that I now see the little brown guys called "baby bellas"

Well if that is the case I would carve upon arrival, wrap generously in foil and reheat in hot oven. Smoked bird does not really have a crispy skin factor right?

What is your time frame when you arrive? Do you think your Dad would relish the sight of a bronzed bird and carving at the table? Will the oven be occupied with anything else? I only did it once and used the Weber with the heat off to the side as I was doing a regular turkey in the single oven. I left the bird whole and it was a hit.

Have they left the popularity building? For the last year or so I have been getting nice firm portobellos at the local 99cent store and can't seem to pass them up. Generally they are 5 oz. packets with 2 to 3 shrooms depending on size. My standard stuffing is minced shrimp or a bit of Italian sausage or both with breadcrumbs, egg white, some fresh herbs and a touch of cheese. Today I had a lone portobella and a bit of leftover smashed potato and garlic & pepper shrimp that had been sauteed with fresh tomato and some oregano twigs. It was a fail on its own, but stuffed into the mushroom with eggwhite and cheese it became a light lunch that I which I had had more of. I put any leftover stuffing into an oiled custard cup and bake along with the mushrooms. I do prebake the mushrooms to soften. I do it gill side up and add the liquid that pools into the stuffing. Any fans out there?

If you have a Korean market near you then exploring using the acorn jelly powder might be interesting. I have had it served cold in this fashion. You could take the seasoning into red pepper territory to complement the 3 Sisters theme. http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dotorimukmuchim

And a bit more background from Nancy about the start of things:

As promised we begin the food traditions of the holidays surrounding the Day of the Dead http://forums.egullet.org/topic/145996-day-of-the-dead-2013/