LizD518

Thank you! Next time I will pull it out well before I need it and wait for it to warm up.

I have a question about using SMBC after it has been refrigerated. JGarner mentions re-paddleing (not a word) the SMBC after it has been sitting out for a bit, but I'm wondering how long I should let it soften before doing so. I made SMBC for the first time this weekend and it looked and tasted good, but was too soft for my purpose and I wasn't yet ready to fill my macarons anyway, so I stuck it in the fridge, where it turned very, very stiff. I took it out yesterday and let it sit for about 45 minutes (~65* kitchen) and then tried to whip it up (by hand, with a whisk) to make it more fluffy again. It ended up with a sort of grainy (but soft grains)texture, with little lumps that look like unmelted butter, even though I'm pretty sure there was no unmelted butter when I put it in the fridge. I can see a couple of points where I might have gone wrong, but I'm hoping you could narrow it down a bit: -Didn't wait long enough for it to soften -Tried to whip it by hand instead of in my mixer -Possible problem with original result?

How much salt do you use for savory ones?

I made macarons for the first time in almost a year. My parents are going to Paris next year for their anniversary and all of my Mom's Christmas gifts are going to be Paris-themed. These came of pretty good, but I have to do a couple more batches before I'm ready to give them as a gift. I put two trays in the over at once and the one on the bottom resulted in cracked tops, while the one on the top did not quite cook enough. But I think the feet look pretty good! This was the first time making butercream for me as well - peppermint and chocolate peppermint. It is a Swiss meringue and I'm not sure I whipped the sugar and egg whites enough at the start, but it tastes really good and I just put it in the fridge to stiffen up a bit - I wanted to take a couple of pictures before I lost the light.

Their website has a section that seems to show where it can be purchased, as well as the address of their brewery. Maybe you can check out one of those spots?

Even though hours will be reduced in the new year and the problem will probably take care of itself, I still encourage you to document all of this and also have a conversation with the employee. If you work for a large company there is probably a system in place that requires a good deal of documentation before being able to actually let someone go. And those systems are in place for a reason since you open yourself up to a wrongful termination claim if you don't document - in writing, with their signature is best. Even if it doesn't result in change, you have it on paper. It also gives you a chance to lay out consequences which makes it much easier and less arbitrary-seeming to follow through on.

Great - I'll look up all these suggestions!

Thanks Kathryn, That is very good to know - We'll make sure we won't wait until we are starving before going to eat.

I wonder if the "New England bologna" was what we called "veal loaf". Was is square instead of round? I didn't like bologna, but I loved veal loaf. We had it on white bread with mustard and I din't know anyone outside of my family who ate it. We are French-Canadian and I the town where my Mom grew up has a large French-Canadian population so I always thought it was a F-C product. And my Mom loves olive loaf, but since the rest of us didn't like it she rarely bought it.

Bumping this up... I'm going into the city from New Jersey on Christmas Day and the plan will probably be to walk around to Rockefeller Center, 5th Ave to see the shop windows and probably Chinatown for dinner, then a movie. While we are definitely looking for a more authentic Chinatown experience, we are generally pretty timid when it comes to asking for things like an "authentic" menu - we just want a place with high quality food where everything isn't dumbed-down American-style Chinese. I'd love to try soup dumplings, but it isn't must-have. I also have an off-topic request...please feel free to PM rather than drag this off topic. We'll probably plan to go to the movies after dinner - can anyone recommend a good movie theater between Chinatown and Penn Station? Obviously, it will depend partly on what is showing, but if any particular theaters have a good or bad reputation, tat would be really helpful to know. Many thanks!

I am definitely no expert as I have only used one Bolognese recipe ever, and not done extensive research as to its authenticity; but, I did just make a big batch last week. I usually do it about once a year, freeze it in 1 cup portions, which I find to be enough for at least three servings, and then pull out throughout the winter. The recipe I use if from Mario Batali and uses meatloaf mix (ground veal, pork & beef), white wine, milk, and tomato paste, as well as the celery/onions/carrots and a bit of garlic. But no herbs and spices - is that normal? It cooks for three hours total and I love the way it smells and the flavors change and deepen as cooks. Yum!

My brothers do green beans in a mustard vinaigrette which is good at any temperature - blanched green beans, simply tossed in a Dijon vinaigrette. You can add some thinly sliced red onion as well, or some shallots. I would toss them together at the last minute though since the vinaigrette will "cook" the green beans and make them brown after sitting for a while. Also, instead of a standard crudites tray you can do a nice grilled or roasted vegetable or antipasto display. Asparagus, green beans, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant - all tossed with olive oil and seasonings, roasted or grilled (separately), then arranged on a nice platter. And hummus - our Mediterranean station at work is the most popular hors d'oeuvres station, with grilled vegetables, hummus, baba ghanoush, marinated olives, chopped Greek salad, lental & mint salad and stuffed cherry peppers. Served with lavash crackers and grilled pita bread.

Made my annual batch of crisp topping last week and it is waiting in the freezer. Have also been keeping strawberries and mango chunks in the freezer for my morning smoothies. Wondering if they would make a good experiment or just be a waste of good ingredients...

*bump* I am travelling through this area today and would like to stop for a late lunch. What arethe names of the two restaurants you refer to above? Also, I keep passing "Chutney Mary" a little further south, and since I love the name, would like to know if it is worth the time. Any place else?

I've done this for a while, if I have a few cloves to peel. I usually use just a couple of small bowls - or a cocktail shaker would probably work well, but I've never tried it.

Lobster Festival in Rockland, ME, which is usually in early-mid August.

I haven't seen her show, just a cooking demo she did on GMA on Friday morning. While I love the tone of her blog - very funny, goofy and self-deprecating - I wasn't knocked out by seeing her on GMA. However most morning talkshow cooking segments are usually a little confused because there is a lot going on. I probably wouldn't watch her for cooking tips myself, but I would watch for the slice of life presented because I am absolutely enamored of her and her family and their story. But the food does look yummy and except for a few things like jarred bbq sauce, most of it is from scratch.

Lately I have been trying to eat less carbs, so I've been munching on nuts when I need a crunchy snack. Love the Spicy Chili-Lime mixed nuts from trader Joes, but warning - don't eat them in low-light! What I thought was a sliver of almond with the skin still on it turned out to be a piece of dried chili pepper!

Inspired by the salad at my favorite burrito place: El Diablo, I came up with a pretty good version of a salad with southwestern influence. Romaine lettuce mix with carrots and red cabbage roasted corn & black bean salsa, from Trader Joes Diced tomatoes diced avocado Home made green chile dressing: Mayo, yogurt, serrano pepper, cumin, oregano, ancho, cayenne & garlic Southwest chicken breast: Bone-in breasts braised in chicken stock, with southwest seasonings. Sauce for chicken made by reducing braising liquid and adding a bit of bbq sauce, tomato paste & chipotle.

I say not to torture yourself. Sometimes when people get something like a CSA share they get caught up in the fact that they have pre-paid and it would be a waste not to use a certain item, etc, but sometimes you just have to give yourself a break. So, you don't like eggplant, oh well. On the other hand, if you work in an office where you have an opportunity to bring in a pot-luck dish, you could make a big pan of eggplant parm (I do it lasagna stye, instead of individual cutlets), and feed the office as a treat...

I just finished off a pack of their char siu bao for breakfast. They come frozen, four to a package. Heat up in about 5 minutes or so in a steamer basket. I've never had the real thing, but these were pretty tasty - filled with tablespoon or so of chopped bbq pork, and surrounded by a soft white bread bun that is a little sticky and chewy when it comes out of the steamer. I'm thinking they would be good it I let them come down closer to room temp before eating them, but I was hungry! Has anyone had them? How do they compare to the "real" thing?

Made the Philly-style chocolate ice cream a few days ago. I ended up playing with proportions of the cream and milk. I only had 2 full cups of heavy cream, instead of 2.5, then I had a some half and half left over so the final result was 2 cups heavy cream, 1.25 cups half & half and 1/4 cup 1% milk vs. 2.5 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk. It might have actually come out pretty close in fat content! Whatever, the final result is rich and delicious. I used Penzey's dutch process cocoa and Trader Joe's 72% dark chocolate.

These are all good points. I am a caterer and hold the liquor license for my venue. We don't allow guests to bring in their own supplies, and while we will make requested drinks (like a punch or other batched items), we are working with limited facilities (like large bowls for ice, that don't drain off the excess water) so some of the finer points of cocktail making are nearly impossible to execute, and will cost more to do so. (more labor, etc). For 50-60 people there will probably be only one bartender, maybe a second person with limited skills available to jump on the bar if the line gets really long in the beginning. Keeping the selections simple will keep the quality high. That said, a butlered drink as guests arrive, is a nice way to kick things off, with beer and wine, and maybe more of the selected beverage available at the bar. But I don't recommend anything that takes too long to execute, or has too many different elements.

Well, if Upton is the team listed on top, they would be the visiting team. Isn't the bull from the Durham Bulls, which is in North Carolina?

Baked cheetoes are my favorite. Nice and crunchy and cheesy, but less greasy than the original.