Shel_B

I like that idea. Been in a broccoli mood lately as well.

Won't anchovy paste in tubes do the trick for you?

Paprika ... I have two or three kinds on hand, but rarely use them. Can't say that I never use the stuff.

I didn't mean to suggest that I wanted to avoid carbs, rather, I found the recipes heavy with them. I'd like to reduce my carbo load, not eliminate it. Casseroles interest me because I've recently been going to family gatherings and pot lucks where, it seems, such dishes are welcome and enjoyed by many of the guests. Plus, as my schedule has gotten busier, it's nice to have something in the fridge that can be quickly warmed and reheated.

Thanks for the pointers. There are a few good ideas there, although so many of the recipes are very heavy on carbs and pretty light on vegetables. However, I am mostly interested in ideas, not specific recipes.

Bill Christopher, in an article written a few years ago, confessed to using Chinese garlic in those products using prepared garlic. He said that he could buy Chinese garlic cheaper than he could grow it himself. Here's the link.

What's with Thousand Island on a Reuben? I always thought Russian dressing was traditional.

I've never made a casserole and now it seems that they may be a good choice for a number of reasons. I'd like to get some ideas for vegetable or veg and meat dishes. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I don't care for Starbucks coffee, and imagine the blonde roast would be most insipid. We have so many great coffee places in the San Francisco Bay Area, with so many wonderful and interesting options, Starbucks is a last choice.

I am making my sweetie a Moro orange panna cotta served in a heart shaped ramekin, and we will have a bottle of her favorite champagne.

Didn't know there was a cookbook. Was it mentioned in the documentary? I dozed off for a bit. What's the name of the book? Thanks!

It looks like this is the new place. The original joint is nothing like what is seen in the NYT pic.

Last night, quite by accident, I came across This movie - I Like Killing Flies on Netflix. I highly recommend it. It's a documentary about a real hole-in-the-wall greasy spoon in NYC and the quirky owner.

I've recently been bringing food to a few events. One is an annual "soup party" where the host specifically requests home made items and wheren the attendees often extend themselves to make something different. However, most other events the atendees want simple, basic fare that they are familiar with. I learned that the hard way. I made smoked salmon deviled eggs - pretty simple but a little different. My GF, whose family the eggs were for, strongly suggested I stick with the simple, traditional mayo-relish-paprika eggs. I knew that everyone would like the salmon eggs. Just a few were eaten, even though some of the guests were "foodies." Afterwards, my GF's daughter told me that next time I should make the plain deviled eggs. My GF usually makes them and they are devoured in a flash. At the next even I was to bring a potato dish. I thought of tartiflette, some interesting versions of scalloped or gratineed potatoes, but settled on the Morman dish, funeral, or Christmas, potatoes. I used cheap ingredients (Safeway frozen hash browns, Campbells Cream-of-Something soup, generic corn flakes for the topping, cheap, bland, shredded cheese). The dish was a BIG hit, and was finished in minutes, even before all the other dishes were served. Lesson learned: when it comes to potlucks, simple, lowest-common denominator food seems to work best. My GF has been making potluck dishes for years - decades! and always brings a toned-down or blander version of a dish she'd make at home. For some reason, that's what works.

I have heard that male and female eggplants taste different and have different chracteristics which migh be considered for different cooking methods. Is this correct? What are the different characteristcs? Yesterday a friend showed me a very simple method of preparing eggplant and it's perfect for some of our uses. The eggplant is sliced fairly thin lengthwise, cheese and thin-sliced tomato is put on it, sprinkled with herbs, and then baked. We can use this on sandwiches. Is there any type of eggplant that may be better for this technique? Thanks!

Hmmm ... interesting idea. Chervil is not an herb that comes to mind very often.

I was thinking of adding the herb during cooking, so whatever I use would not be raw.

We like this recipe from Molly Wisenberg quite a bit. I use a mild curry, and less of it, in defference to Toots' preference. I also prefer a nice, home made chicken stock, not too rich.

Thanks for the suggestion!

I forgot to mention the stock. I've always used a good, home made chicken stock in this soup, and then finished with the apple juice to adjust flavor and texture. I tried to do the ingredient list from memory ....

Next weekend is our annual soup party, a pot luck for some Sierra Club members at which a number of soups are brought to share. This is a time to bring perfected recipes, and something that's not been brought before. This year I've decided to make a curried butternut-apple soup. Because of the varied tastes of the guests, the curry will be mild. Other ingredients will be butternut squash, sweet apples, leeks and onions, S&P, and some fresh apple juice (used for additional flavor and to adjust thickness). I'd like to add an herb or two, but I'm not always very good at previewing flavors in my mind. I was thinking of adding sage, and rosemary has come up as a nice possibility as well. I've got plenty of rosemary. So, what do you think of these choices, and what about some other possibilities? Thanks!

Has anyone tried Trader Joe's Bacon Ends? Comments? I usually make bacon in the oven, but over the next couple of weeks that won't be possible, and I'd like to try using the microwave. Any tips for making these bacon ends in that way?

I didn't do this, but an old roommate of mine did: he was cooking bacon in a fry pan and used a plastic fork to stir and move the bacon around in the hot grease ....

Excellent idea. Why didn't I think of that. Lots of old t-shirts here. Thanks!

Some time ago, Judy Rodgers of San Francisco's Zuni Cafe, mentioned that she uses clean, white, cloth napkins for straining stock. The idea made sense to me, and I now use old, white hadkerchiefs and lint-free napkins and towels for straining and filtering. I also use fragrance free, organic dtergent when doing the laundry, and I feel comfortable with this setup. No more cheese cloth and wasting money buying what is arguably a second rate product. Some people are concerned about chemicals, etc., in t the towels. How pure is cheese cloth?