Katie Meadow

You? I would not be shocked. But then, the various ways in which people spend money--or won't spend it--rarely amazes any more.

I'm not sure why I find it so funny that the ingredients include natural smoke flavoring, and then, just to reassure us, not-so-natural smoke flavoring. Not that I understand how natural smoke flavoring gets into the can. Maybe they just set fire to a pile of sodium and turn a fan in the direction of the canning room.

Another fan of Cochon. That was my favorite meal in NOLA. It was a late dinner, Wish I could remember what kind of fish I had, but it was the best fish ever. Redfish? One fish, two fish, redfish, bluefish. Grilled, simple. Everything else was really good too, but it's a blur three years later. Hope you got a chance to go to the Backstreet Cultural Museum in Treme. Really amazing. Also memorable, but maybe because it was so murderously hot, was Erin Rose bar in the French Quarter. They have an alcoholic coffee milkshake, sort of like an alcoholic version of Vietnamese iced coffee. But of course you have to like coffee milkshakes to begin with. Also very interesting to me were crossover sandwiches that were part po' boy and part banh mi.

I find the inclusion of both peanut butter and sesame to be a little strange. For making Chinese dishes I find these following two products far more satisfying than plain peanut butter and middle eastern tahini: One is Jade brand sichuan peanut sauce. It is a bit spicy, is halfway between a smooth and a chunky style and is extremely versatile. When it comes to sesame flavor in Chinese food I find that Chinese brands of sesame paste are better than tahini. The Jade brand sauces are available from most large markets that have a variety of ethnic condiments. Sesame paste is available at most Asian markets. The NYT recipe for take out noodles benefits greatly from the use of these two substitutions. Personally I like to make either a peanut sauce sauce noodles or a sesame sauce noodles instead of combining both. But I do agree with Smitten Kitchen that thinning out the sauce is a good way to go. Use a little less gloppy peanut product or sesame product and up the soy, vinegar, chicken broth or whatever.

Anna, I wish I could lend you my vacuum cleaner. Otherwise known as my nephew, my husband and several other men in my husband's family. Twelve lousy macaroons? Say no more. Barring that solution, skip the pudding but not the pig.

I have a few high end pots and pans that I adore, but for a designated stock pot that's big and tall, I can't see the advantage of high end over relatively thin stainless steel, which would be lighter and cheaper. I make chicken stock and freeze it in quart batches at least every other month. When it's full almost to the brim it's pretty heavy. No idea what the size is, but it holds several pounds of carcass, bones, backs, etc and I can often get five or six quarts of rich stock from one long simmer.

I do just about all the cooking for my husband and me. So, when I am alone and the blinds are drawn I don't want to cook anything at all. I scrounge, eat leftovers if they are available, or just defrost some chicken broth and make some white rice to dump in it. Eggs may be possible too. And then there's always toast. But we don't buy canned soups or boxed mixes of any kind, so those are not options. I have been known to have a glass of rye and a bowl of my favorite potato chips or popcorn and call it a meal. But yes, I remember those elementary school days when my daughter wouldn't eat my home made macaroni and cheese, but would eat Kraft. That was very sad, and I assume she had it at friends' houses and that set her standard. And there were desperate times when I ate that stuff along with her. But those days are long gone. Who knows; the future could be very weird indeed.

Many Indian vegetable dishes are already vegan or can be easily made so. That's my go-to if I have vegans to feed: cauliflower curry, green bean curry, mixed veggies, the addition of chard or other greens to a dish, etc. Curry leaves if you can get 'em. Using some tomatoes as a part of the broth is great--fresh in season or canned Italian tomatoes in winter. With a tomato based broth a little coconut milk is nice too. Serve with chutneys (easy to make vegan, and some vegan ones are easy to buy as well), cut apples or fresh pineapple other fruit. And have raita on the side for non-vegans.

Without analyzing a single, umm, "fact" in that article I would go out on a limb and say it is a collection of misinformation and dopey assumptions. I suspect no religious or cultural group evolving in the fertile crescent or the middle east ate a gluten free diet once they figured out how to grow and process wheat.. Most every culinary culture that has access to wheat (that I can think of offhand) makes some version of a flatbread or a wrap or a pocket. Not eating pigs / lard never stopped anyone from making a great flatbread that could be crisped or rolled or stuffed or dipped, whether it's a blintz or a burrito. I venture that if you were a Jew who immigrated to Mexico some time after wheat was brought to Mexico in the 1500's, you jumped on the idea of flour tortillas made with something other than lard; it's done all the time. And you made a chocolate babka to give to your new neighbors. Except maybe at Passover. And since this is the lunch thread and we are talking about cross cultural influence I am about to make a late lunch using up a bunch of leftovers : Hawaiian stir-fry on rice, accompanied by grilled flour tortillas (hanging around since Monday) from Trader Joe's, definitely not made with lard. The stir fry will include stragglers of cabbage, chinese chives, some pineapple left over from a smoothie bender, some smokey ham left from making a ham stock and the meat from exactly one spare rib from Sunday.. The sauce will be made from the usual suspects that I always have around: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and rice wine and a bit of that ham stock.. I won't suggest it, but I wouldn't be surprised if my husband takes a look at his stir fry over rice and his tortilla and tries to make a burrito. Hot sauce choices are Crystal Louisiana or Sambal Oelek.

There are many thrills to be had with southern cooking. I grew up in NY and now live in CA but am a devotee of Duke's mayo, stoneground grits, shrimp n grits, jambalaya, greens cooked in ham stock, fried green tomatoes, pan fried apples and red beans and rice. But spare me Paula Deen and spare me pimento cheese. I've eaten it a few times when traveling in the south and can't for the life of me understand the appeal. It could be lowbrow or artisanal and it wouldn't make any difference to me--it's a horrid concept. If I want to spread cheese on a cracker or a baguette, please let it be soft ripened brie or chèvre or Le Tur, or brebis..... There, I'm sorry. Ignore me and have a great day!

I don't watch the Food Network, nor do I jump into "challenges" readily. I'm challenged enough, thank you! But I can see how some challenges could be fun, if you like that sort of thing, and as pointed out, clicking on a thread is a choice. However, there was something very basically wrong with the $5 challenge, and it speaks to the points above about whether a meal for $5 is a useful topic. Yes, plenty of people don't have the luxury of buying whatever strikes their fancy, or are on a tight budget. If we wish to serve that need it can't be a game. Buying all the ingredients for one $5 dinner is in no way a practical solution to eating as well as possible on $15 a day (or something like that.) No one wants to eat badly for $5 a meal. Some people can use help figuring out how to make a week's worth of decent meals for an average of $5 per meal: in other words, how to plan and shop for real value, learning how to cook large amounts at a time, learning to re-purpose leftovers, learning to cook less expensive cuts of meat, etc. Really, like other aspects of cooking, these are skills that go far beyond looking at the price on a package. So, on the topic of what makes a good challenge, it helps to think it through.

Right before I do the cross-hatch thing with a fork I always wonder...what if I didn't? But then I do, because I think...what if I don't?

Hilarious translation of the "omeletzpn" and despite what appears to be the high price, clearly you are not just getting any nonstick omelet pan. You are getting the viagra of cooking utensils. Read all the way to the end.

Seems to me it is difficult to get even a bit of browning without toughening the eggs. I go for blond or golden, and only a little runny inside. I wish I knew where my mother got her taste for jelly or jam omelets; it is hard to imagine my grandmother making such a thing, but who knows. She wasn't much of a cook though she did make mean gribenes! I must have liked those jelly omelets when I was a kid, but later they seemed rather strange. And the kind my mother made were filled with run-of-the-mill supermarket jelly or jam. I suspect I may have eaten Welch's grape jelly omelet at some point. The great French American fusion breakfast! If someone put a gun to my head and made me chose between a jelly omelet and a nutella omelet I would go for the jelly. I know, no one asked.

The original post seemed to be addressing only vegetable broth vs. water. I can't think of any soups that involve meat or chicken or fish that don't depend on or benefit from broth made from the same critter. Most of the "vegetable" soups I make, such as tomato or blended greens use chicken broth or stock, so they won't work for my husband's family, many of whom are strict vegetarians. The only exception is a recipe that has been a staple in family dinners which is really more like a stew or main dish, and that is a black bean and corn chile with a load of fixings and a tomato/red chile base. The nostalgia factor is big, and mine has morphed over many years. It's pretty good made with dried beans and fresh corn. A truly good vegetarian soup is one of the most challenging things to make, in my opinion, and a vegetable stock is very helpful if it is flavorful and well balanced. Most all the commercial veg broths seem awful to me, so I find it necessary to make a broth. Thomas Keller has one that is pretty good. I admit that I am lazy, and when faced with cooking for vegetarians I rarely make soup a part of the meal. Another issue, and I don't know if anyone besides me feels this way, but vegetable broth does not freeze particularly well. I make lots of chicken stock to keep on hand in the freezer, but find that vegetable stock is better when fresh. So that adds one more chore in making vegetarian soups.

For a basic winter red sauce I like Mario "vilified" Batali's sauce. Just onion, garlic, a bit of shredded carrot and fresh thyme. Sometimes I add red pepper flakes. For an easy pizza sauce I simply cook it down further and maybe add a pinch or oregano if I am feeling New Yorky. And no, I'm not throwing out my only MB cookbook, Molto Italiano, as someone in another thread has suggested. Also no about his restaurants; they just aren't in my routine when I visit NY. I also like Marcella's tomato and butter sauce. Favorite addition to a simple vegetarian red sauce: fresh artichokes heart quarters sautéed until crispy, thrown on at the last minute. Sautéed garlicky cauliflower works well too. When great fresh tomatoes are available in season I always go for an uncooked sauce. Chop up the tomato, add salt, let sit half an hour. Add olive oil. Or a knob of butter. Then warm in the microwave just until the butter is melted and tomato and juice is warmed. Plain, so plain, and perfect. I've been know to eat it on white rice, and happily.

http://www.everywhereist.com/i-made-the-pizza-cinnamon-rolls-from-mario-batalis-sexual-misconduct-apology-letter/ In case you have not seen this yet, I think it is hilarious. It was referred to as a "hate bake." Just one woman's take on the cinnamon roll apology.

Follow up even though I said I wouldn't. This morning I crisped up my grits cakes in my new Cuisinart nonstick pan. It is so nonstick that they practically leapt out of the pan on their own.

My 10 inch nonstick skillet was a Sur La Table brand, a gift many years ago. I use it only for scrambled eggs and for pan-frying slabs of cooked grits, so it doesn't get heavy use, but it is crummy looking and at the end of its life. I am good with lids. After a quick read of this thread I made my decision. I am in the camp of folks who really don't like non-stick pans, so I went with inexpensive. I ordered a Cuisinart DSA-22-24 from Amazon for $22. It came yesterday, looks just like a nonstick pan should, is on the heavy side (that's good) and I will give it a test run tomorrow morning. If there is anything dysfunctional or weird about it I will follow up. Otherwise assume I have no complaints and expect to outlive several more of these things.

This is hilarious, frankly. I agree with the posters who think wine is not necessary. I also think that they may feel obliged to open it when they have already chosen the wine and cheese pairing they like. Wine is always a great gift when you are invited for a dinner party, but when the host is clearly highlighting wine, it seems a little redundant, especially since you don't know them well. Home made spiced pecans is a nice gift, but may not go with their wine and cheeses and they might also feel obliged to serve them. If there is a local deli or gourmet store near you, consider getting some of your favorite olives, something not too heavily spiced. You won't outshine their offerings and who wouldn't want some olives with wine and cheese? Like Suzi, I think it is perfectly appropriate to call and ask if there is anything they would like you to contribute if you don't want to just bring something of your choice. Do NOT bring wine and cheese!

Bumping up..... Never having made stuffed vine leaves / domades / dolmadakia, I've read a variety of recipes on line and many have very different methods for treating the leaves and cooking the rice filling. I pretty much know what ingredients I wish to use, and I want them to be vegetarian, but I am looking for suggestions or recommendations on technique. 1) Leaf prep. This time of year we are talking about jarred leaves, and that's what I've got. Some recipes call for rinsing, some call for soaking, and some call for blanching. What do you do to prep jarred grape leaves? Is it about decreasing the brine or about making them more tender? 2) Rice prep. Many recipes call for a surprising amount of oil to cook the onions and rice before adding water or broth. Most stuffed vine leaves that I have eaten do have a pronounced olive oil taste, but why on earth would you use one cup of oil to 1 cup of rice? I will not be using onions. My rice is long grain basmati. The ratio of rice to water or broth seems to vary wildly, as does cooking time. Most recipes suggest half-cooking the rice, since the rolls get steamed for at least 30 minutes after filling, but many use ratios such as 1 rice/ 2 water, which to me means the rice will be fully cooked when the liquid is absorbed, so that doesn't seem right. How cooked should the rice be? I don't want soft gummy rice in the end result. 3) Herbs and spices. Some recipes suggest adding fresh herbs like dill and mint when cooking the rice. Others prefer to mix them in after the rice is cooked, assuming the flavors will have plenty of time to develop while steaming. What do you do? 4) Use of lemon juice. Some recipes add lemon juice to the rice cooking liquid, others don't. Some add the juice to the water used to steam the dolmades. What? Some add oil to the steaming process. Again, what works for you? Thanks! This does not seem like something terribly complicated, but the differences in techniques used are amazing to me. Are the differences geographic or just personal style? Is there a Turkish style and a Greek style?

Best of luck! Six days should give you some nap time when arranging the bottles becomes too stressful. I don't see why white plastic tops should be harder to come by than others, but they are. That's why I am forced to have a second shelf with black tops; it really offends my sense of order, but not enough to shell out any dollars. It's nice to see that you will have pollen and cod liver oil at arms reach.

That Valrhona 71 Le Noir is my go-to snacking bar and definitely my favorite plain bar. Trader Joe's price is unbeatable, especially given the quality of the chocolate. Generally I am not a big snacker when on my laptop, as I am often lounging on a favored couch, and I don't want the responsibility of getting food stains on it.

Here's my solution, but it is the result of saving many spice jars over many years. My spices are on rows of shallow shelves above the countertop. The drawback of open shelving is that the bottles need to be cleaned often. The other unfortunate thing is the location adjacent to the range/hood, which means they are subject to more warmth than other areas of the kitchen, but I am careful to buy small quantities and replace old spices as necessary.The shelves are about two bottles deep and they are organized pretty much by use, although that is variable. All bottles are labeled and re-used, as I pretty much buy my spices in bulk in small envelopes and transfer them to bottles right away. Over the years I have bought enough spices of different brands to result in a good collection of little bottles with various colored tops. So the shelves are color coded. I know where everything is supposed to be, but this really helps my husband with his infrequent forays. Five shelves, from the top down: 1) oversize items and misc less frequently used things (need an assist to reach). 2) Black Tops: aromatics often used in Indian foods: curry, turmeric, coriander, mustard seeds, etc. 3) Blue Tops: loosely associated w/baking: extracts, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, whole nutmegs, etc. 4) Red Tops: anything to do with paprika or pepper or chile, etc. 5) Black Tops again: mostly green things such as oregano, bay leaves, sage, rosemary, etc. plus a couple of exotic salts. On the counter are a few things I use all the time, like some salts, pepper grinder, large jar of small red chile pods. As you can deduce, in fifty years of buying spices the greatest number of products have come with black tops. I do have some white top bottles and mostly those hold salts. The bottles are of various sizes, brands and eras, and the labeling is far from uniform, so I am not embarrassed by being too "matchy matchy." That would be awful.

I've made two simple dishes from the book so far. One is the orange and radish salad; hard to go wrong there, although I can easily see making this as a side for a Southwestern or Mexican meal, given the main flavors are cumin and cilantro. The mint gives it a twist, and I added just a little splash of olive oil. Today I made the tomato rice. Delicious! And seriously easy. We had it with some mango pickle, not home made. I used canned tomato but I can see using fresh ones in summer. The suggestion to make the tomato sauce component ahead of time makes this a slam-dunk. Again, it would be hard not to like this, since I can be happy throwing salt on a juicy chopped heirloom tomato, adding olive oil or butter, and then just dumping it on hot basmati rice. I know it has been touched on up thread, but to me it is really amazing how many recipes have neither onion or garlic. The use of asafetida is a revelation for me, especially since I'm not eating onions these days. Perfect. The other thing about this book is the almost routine use of oil instead of butter, as I always associate ghee (and lots of it) with most Indian food. Again, excellent for me since I try to limit my butter intake as well. I've marked so many recipes in the book that I can't possibly try them all before it is due back at the library, so if several more dishes are big hits I may have to go ahead and buy myself a copy.