KateW

Well I have already lost my fiance's vote because it is bleu cheese. I think everyone else I know loves garlic (and bleu cheese).

I wouldn't eat it because I don't like canned fruit cocktail

Found cheesecloth at stop and shop; I should have known it was going to be crappy. The holes are so big the whole mess goes through it. So I put a double layer inside my pasta strainer and put that over a bowl. Hope it works. I bought sour cream, too. I may add some. Also thinking about garlic. I tried the cheese, also from stop and shop. A little harder than I would want, but not bad. I'm not sure what consistency I want, but I want it to be a dip, so I probably won't strain all the water out of the yogurt.

Am I the only one who has to put the cursor over every underlined word, just in case it's a link? Mmm, Grand Marnier.

Nice chef. Did the bleeding stop? White pepper isn't cheap. And you say it didn't hurt? Not at all, which I thought was funny, because pepper seems to irritate anything that *isn't* an open wound. Hurts your eyes, makes you sneeze, hurts your mouth, but doesn't do anything to a cut. Interesting. It didn't really stop the bleeding, but it kept it from going everywhere. Just kind of soaked it up, like water to dry sand. McCormick donates herbs and spices to JWU, so I guess he could spare some white pepper

Nice idea.

Well I went the easy route and picked up some plain yogurt and bleu cheese. I may blender it, or just fold together. Actually, I'll probably blender it, or it will just taste like yogurt with bleu cheese chunks in it... Honestly, I spent at least an hour at the grocery store. I also had a small crisis over chips. First I had some Terra potato chips which I have never tried; I've only had the original Terra chip assortment. Then I found some Stacy's pita chips which I like very much and they are very sturdy so I stuck with those. I plan on straining the yogurt before mixing it with the bleu cheese. Of course I have to try the cheese to make sure it's okay. Thanks everyone for your help, I really liked the ideas and making hummus did cross my mind. I may look back on this thread for my own knowledge very soon because I would like to try making my own dips and spreads for my own enjoyment Please feel free to keep adding your thoughts..its not too late for me to make the bleu cheese thing for myself and something else for Thanksgiving.

Yes I have a blender but I was concerned that it might not mix things as finely or thoroughly as a food processor. Anyway, I'm about to head to the grocery store. I still have no concrete plans but if I don't come up with something I can always go tomorrow. Edit: PS I've heard a lot about the Greek yogurt here; can it be found at everyday grocery stores? Guess I'm about to find out

These ideas sound good. Alana, when I read that recipe I imagined it all mixed together. Then I read the layer thing, and it sounded interesting. I think it's hard to find a dip or spread that isn't "white trash", unless you're going for the fancy pates, or mousses. I have a bag of sun dried tomatoes I can't seem to use up. Maybe I can incorporate that into something.

Burns always used to bother me more than they do now. I would yelp and cry when they happened and be incapacitated and pouty for at least the rest of the day. Now, I say, "Ow! (expletive)" and move on. Cuts are a little more traumatic for me. I'll never forget cutting myself in garde manger and the chef told me to stick my finger in a cup of white pepper, and I thought he was kidding until he came towards me with the cup...I thought it would hurt, but it didn't. What bugs me is when I get a burn that didn't seem that bad but still leaves a red mark. I have a few that have been around for a few months, are they scars or just hanging on for a long time? I can't see the one I got when I was 16 anymore, but I saw that one for a good long time. Anyway, I usually just stick burns under cold water immediately and hold it against something cold off and on to relieve the stinging. That's about it.

I always realize how inadequate my cooking skills, equipment and cookbooks are whenever I have to make something to bring to an event. I'm trying to find a dip or spread for crackers or chips that I can bring to a small Thanksgiving dinner. I don't have a food processor, and it must be served cold. I've searched online but I am leery of recipes without comments. I'm spoiled by you all! My cookbooks are sadly devoid of dip and spread recipes. I searched egullet recipes but didn't really like what I found there. Ingredients are not an issue as long as they can be found at Stop n Shop. And please, nothing with cilantro. What are your favorite dips? I will be making this today or tomorrow for Thursday...

He did not chill it. I just looked up the recipe online and it is called a "dipping sauce", meant to be served alongside the meal in individual ramekins. Interesting. The link is here, if anyone is interested. I was just thinking, after reading your comments about ginger, that it might make more sense to add fresh ginger, and replace the lost volume with more orange juice or even water, since the ginger ale doesnt really add much to the sauce that some fresh ginger couldn't do better, does it?

Well I bet there is another thread on this but I did a search here and came up with 4,000 results. Yikes. Please point me in the right direction if there is such a thread. Anyway, I was watching Alton Brown on TV last week or so and he made a cranberry sauce almost exactly the way my mom, and therefore I, do; he takes whole cranberries and simmers them in a bunch of good stuff, and he adds ginger ale, which I was not familiar with. But I digress. Then he took the whole beautiful thing and pureed it. I was surprised by this. It seemed to turn out pretty soupy in the end. Does anyone besides me enjoy cranberry sauce with whole cranberries? What do you like to put in it?

Sarah McLachlan: Ice Cream Good n "Plenty"'s "Angel"food cake "Fallen" souffles Conversation hearts that say "I Love You" I have her cookbook, co-written by her personal chef, but that would make this too easy...

I tried raspberry peach yesterday and thought it was pretty good.

We just make Coquille St. Jacques a couple days ago in Classical French class. I don't know if the recipe is better or worse than most because I'd never had it before but if you want it I'll give it to you.

I suppose I should say I am not a coffee or espresso connisseur (where's the spell checker?) so I really don't know if my latte tastes better or worse than most places and I don't really care either. If it's good and refreshing, fine. As for the spiced cider, I get it when it's cold out because I don't care for hot coffee/espresso drinks. I totally forgot about the mint hot chocolate--that stuff is good too. One thing that bugs me though is that it seems to be a place to take your kids. Whenever I used to go, it would be impossible to drink it there because it's overrun by children taking up chairs or simply causing too many hazardous situations. It really doesn't seem to be the right environment to please children, and I understand maybe you're toting them around and suddenly you're in the mood for a coffee, but please, consider the people who want to sit down and have a relaxing cup of coffee. Or maybe those people should just make their coffee at home, save time, money, and nerves.

Ok, just to clear up a question someone had a LONG time ago, the S is not pronounced in foie gras and Mardi Gras, right?

When I was carpooling with a friend to high school, I'd get picked up at the Starbucks down the street. I like iced lattes, the spiced cider in the wintertime, mochas in the winter also, with lots of whipped cream. Now there isn't one nearby but when I make the trip out there, I get iced lattes most of the time and sometimes a spiced cider.

So, what is the correct way? It is fwah grah, right? I pronouced out loud all those ways in the first post and some of them came out the same. Sometimes I screw up pronounciations I usually know just because I feel put on the spot when the server comes around But maybe they don't know how to pronounce it either, right?

Well shoot, if we're consulting our cats...mine say to go stare at the stove until it comes out, then bat it around for a while until someone or something more competant comes around and kills it for you.

Most people eat Kraft mac and cheese and hot dogs when they're poor. I'm actually envious of you. I can't offer any suggestions, but good luck and I hope things get better for you.

Yes! a favorite past time of mine as a kid--with the parents around, of course

Now that you mention it, I'd love to take a food snob to Ruby Tuesday or (insert other restaurant chain here).

Every time I go grocery shopping I think about posting here and I'm finally doing it. I got so tired of asking for paper and getting paper within plastic that now I just let them do their thing with plastic only and I rearrange stuff when I get to the car. Why must they pack by category? I appreciate them trying to organize my stuff for me but it's all going to the same place in the end...my kitchen...so I don't need all the bread (light) in one bag and all the produce (heavy) in another, and so on...and a separate bag for one tube of toothpaste, what's up with that? The meat together and the frozen stuff together is ok, but those end up pretty heavy too. I have to lug these things across my parking lot and up 3 flights of stairs, sometimes taking 4 trips or so. I suppose if I'm so picky I should just jump in and do it myself instead of waiting for the bagger, who in turn waits for ALL my groceries to be rung through before he/she starts bagging. I organize my groceries by type when they go to be rung through, for the cashier's convenience but I don't expect them to be bagged that way. I guess I'm being to hard on them. It must be hard to not mix ready to eat and raw food, put heavy food on the bottom, breakable things on top, separate chemicals, and STILL end up with managable bags.