kitchensqueen

Oh yeah - he's totally creepy! Hearing him say "Ooooo, it's soooo GOOD!" literally makes my skin crawl. And to think, tons of people out there "cook" from his "recipes". What a strange world we all live in.

Yeah, it's surprisingly all purpose. Mixed with that grilled flavor and aroma... yum. I can't wait until strawberries are in season here so I can have balsamic strawberries for dessert!

We did some grilling for the holiday for dinner today - Balsamic marinated steak kabobs (from Piedmontese beef) Balsamic marinated crimini mushrooms Lemon and chili flake marinated shrimp Green onions Red and green bell peppers with sea salt Served with Israeli couscous and plenty of sun tea for me, and beer for my husband.

The thrift store this weekend was a total bust - an old favorite has really turned into a serious trash dump. They literally had junk just strewn on the floors, and were selling broken things... so diappointing when a good hunting ground deteriorates. But, my favorite used bookstore was having a killer sale - a grocery sack of books for $20. I managed to cram in 42 before my husband pulled me out of the store, so I got them all for a little under fifty cents each. Most of them are books for my son (35 vintage Golden Books!) but I did find some cookbooks/food books for myself too - Christmastime Treats: Recipes & Crafts for the Whole Family by Sara Perry Easter Treats: Recipes & Crafts for the Whole Family by Jill O’Connor Mommy Made: Home Cooking for a Healthy Baby & Toddler by Martha & David Kimmel Learning From Soup to Nuts: Food Activities & Recipes by Vickie Rochelle Barkman (circa 1978 so awesome kitsch factor) Pretend Soup And Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up by Mollie Katzen

Today we had pancakes with maple syrup, out on the back deck in this fine weather. And I baked up some jalanpeno and bacon corn muffins with sun dried tomatoes for tomorrow's breakfast - portable stuff is a must-have for the work days.

There seems to be some confusion in this thread between crappy/sup-par products and trully deceptive labeling... I'm still waiting to hear which product calls blue-dyed apple pieces blueberries...

I actually like this one a bit - his recipes are really good. But yeah, he's totally OCD. And I hate the way he says the word "cilantro" - he'll say the entire sentence like a normal human being, and then use this bizarre fake-Spanish accent to say that one word. It drives me up the wall...

We were too hungry to even think about taking pictures, but we had pulled pork, jalapeno cornbread, breakfast potatoes and scrambled eggs this morning. Breakfast of champions.

Fear not, it stills airs on PBS, in Chicago at least. Your dieting plan could work.

All of these sound good! I've never done a crawfish boil, so I'm thinking of trying one this summer. What are everyone's thoughts on plain water versus beer or wine as the boiling liquid? I've heard that crawfish boiled in ale with a little dill is awesome.

Well, I've got my duck. It's currently defrosting in the fridge. I got the last one at the store - three days ago they had a dozen - guess a lot of people are having duck this weekend in my neighborhood! I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

Really? I've never heard of such a thing... what product is that?

AMEN! Yes! Who are these "vodka martini" people, anyway?

Mustard! That's downright exotic where I come from. Childhood grilled cheese was two slices of white bread, buttered on the outide with a slice Kraft Amercian cheese (well, usually store brand in our house). And we only had it with canned tomato soup.

Oh yeah, Bobby Flay is just awful! He just seems so snotty and pretentious.