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.

Summer has got me thinking about seafood, and specifically crab and lobster boils. Throw some seafood and veg into a pot over a fire and then tear it into with your hands over a newspaper-covered table. Beer or lemonade alongside. So, what's standard in your house - the crab boil or the lobster boil? Or even another kind of seafood? And what are the 'must-haves' in your pot - do you go in for potatoes and corn on the cob, or do you eschew veg entirely? What's your favorite seasoning?

Thanks for the info everyone. I think I'm going to try rendering on the stovetop in a little water, as that seems to be the prevailing method. I don't think I'm going to confit the wings also - I'll just throw them into the stock. I thought the nonsense about avoiding tail and neck fat was, in fact, nonsense - I can't imagine why it would be something to avoid, unless you had duck that wasn't cleanly killed and butchered, in which case you'd likely want to avoid the whole thing in the first place! I'm getting a frozen duck - should I expect it to come with or without giblets? If it has them, I could add them to the stock right?

I don't do stuff like this... I don't take more than one sample, I don't graze through the grocery store (because it's not mine because I haven't purchased it yet), I don't stockpile condiments at restaurants, I don't overlook price errors (even when they're in my favor)... I'll see your pound of bacon and raise you one, that there are a whole lot of people out there who don't take advantage just because something is "free" or available.

Come on guys - don't tell me I'm the only one working with whole duck these days!

Glad to be of assistance. :-)

A quick Google search turned up two that might be good. Cocoaroma appears to have it's issues online. Chocolatier looks good, but they only do subscriptions/orders within the US, but I wonder if you couldn't find it through a second-party vendor online somewhere?

How's the heat on your oven actually? I used to get flat snickerdoodles all the time in a poorly calibrated electric oven, but now that I've got a gas oven that holds the correct temperature, they turn out just fine.

I'm resurrecting this thread because this weekend's project for me is working with a whole duck. I intend to remove the breasts for cooking seperately, render the fat, and confit the thighs/legs. I've got a couple of questions I hope someone can answer. - I've read that you should avoid the fat around the neck and tail area - is this true, and if so, why? - How much fat will an average duck render? Will it be enough to properly confit the thighs/legs? - For the crockpot method described above (which I really like the idea of) do you add any water to the crockpot (as you do in the stovetop method)? How many hours on high or low should you let it render for? Does this method produce cracklings? - Are there any interesting dishes that I could use the cracklings in? We're not really inclined to eat them as-is.

Exactly.

Is she the blonde that does that "Weeknight Meals" show, or whatever it's called? If I'm thinking of the right one, yeah - she's very plastic-y. Like a Barbie.