ruthcooks

I can't believe there actually exists someone who eats pond scum! My alter-ego, Miss Marigold, talks about it in one of our conversations on my website Miss Marigold and the Pork Foam

Worst: Flo's Kitchen and Discount Shoes, somewhere in Florida yesteryear Sweatt's Barbeque, in Nashville (supposed to be wonderful, but I could never get past the name) Best: I've never been there, so don't disillusion me, but The Rainbow Room has always conjured up romantic dining with dancing and candlelight. (Ballroom dancing was my passion in life for a seven-year period not too long ago.)

I send back anything that has blood showing or that I can't stand cause it's purely foul or cold or whatever. I've learned that keeping it and being disappointed ruins the meal for not only me, but everyone else. My daughter's family took me out to Max and Erma's for my birthday in March. I had not been there before (think Applebees + meatloaf or Chili's + meatloaf, etc.) and the waiter forgot to put in my order. Told me I would not have to pay and put order in. Arrived after everyone else was almost done, and was incorrect. Oh, well, ate it anyway, just wanted to get out of there. Tomorrow they are going out for Mother's Day to Outback. It's my daughter's favorite restaurant so it's her day, not mine. Crowds, plus eating a big meal at noon when I'm never hungry, plus not liking the restaurant, plus getting up about 3 hours before I usually do. Such a treat. She bought me a gardenia plant, which I love, but it has bugs on it. Do I see a pattern here? *** Here's a story about a cute waiter on a cruise ship: Fernando said to our table, practically every day, "Now, if you don't like your food, I'll take it back." He harped on it all the time and actually seemed disappointed when everyone was satisfied. On about day four, I ordered a dish of some fish, possibly Snapper Vera Cruz. Fish and tomatoes, ick. I motioned Fernando over. "I. Don't. Like. This," I said. "THAT'S what I like to hear!" said Fernando. Made his day.

My favorite way with Brie is to heat slightly, then top with browned butter and almond slivers or slices which have been browned in the butter. Great with miniature toasted bagels.

Hey, Gifted Gourmet, I had my first drunk at the U. of Illinois also, in the fall of 1956. Went on a double date with the girl across the hall, went to a bar and ended up drinking NINE 7&7s. I kept saying I'd had seven 9&9s and thinking it was hilarious. The guy I was with was not too friendly, so I told him off in un-ladylike terms. When I got back to the dorm, I took off all my clothes and ran around the dorm. Luckily, it was not coed. Talk about losing your inhibitions. I eventually vomited in the sink, and my friend finally got me to bed. She's still my friend. I repeated this behavior exactly one more time, a few weeks later. Then I got it. Getting drunk is no fun at all, and in my case rather dangerous. I don't have much tolerance for people who drink a lot, and none for drunks. While I rarely drink today, I do like to use wine and liqueurs in cooking and own a good assortment.

OK, you can find my recipe at Cheese Grits Souffle I made a pan tonight so I could measure the milk for you. Had grits and a salad for dinner while the rest of the family was polishing off Cinco de Mayo leftovers. Sorry, Brooks, I thought your post was an older one.

Cheese Grits Souffle Serves 8 as Side. This particular recipe does not call for folding in the beaten egg whites. If you’d like to, just add the beaten yolks to the milk and fold in the whites last. I’ve used stoneground grits and can't see an appreciable difference in this dish so use white supermarket grits. The butter, yolks and cheese make them yellow anyway, and delicious. If you are using large eggs, add 2 T. more milk. I’ve known grits-haters to go back for seconds. 1 c grits, not instant 4 c boiling water 1-1/2 tsp salt 1/2 c salted butter, cut into tablespoons (if sweet butter used, add more salt) 2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese* 2 beaten extra large eggs 1/2 c milk Sprinkle and stir grits into water in a large saucepan. Add salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly, then lower heat to lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The higher than usual proportion of grits to water will make them very thick, which is desirable. (Follow package directions if a longer time is listed.) Stir in butter and cheese until melted. Beat the eggs in a measuring cup and add milk to the 1 cup level. I measured the milk for you in case you want to beat the egg whites separately. Stir milk and eggs or egg yolks into grits, folding in beaten whites last if you choose to do so. Pour into a sprayed or buttered 9 x 11 inch, 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until puffed and brown on top. You may make ahead and refrigerate (only if you do not beat egg whites), and the cold casserole will take 1 hour 15 minutes to cook. *This recipe originally used a roll of “garlic cheese” which I could find in Tennessee, but not in Pennsylvania. You may add a clove or two of finely minced garlic with the butter and cheese. Keywords: Side, American ( RG1015 )

Cheese Grits Souffle Serves 8 as Side. This particular recipe does not call for folding in the beaten egg whites. If you’d like to, just add the beaten yolks to the milk and fold in the whites last. I’ve used stoneground grits and can't see an appreciable difference in this dish so use white supermarket grits. The butter, yolks and cheese make them yellow anyway, and delicious. If you are using large eggs, add 2 T. more milk. I’ve known grits-haters to go back for seconds. 1 c grits, not instant 4 c boiling water 1-1/2 tsp salt 1/2 c salted butter, cut into tablespoons (if sweet butter used, add more salt) 2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese* 2 beaten extra large eggs 1/2 c milk Sprinkle and stir grits into water in a large saucepan. Add salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly, then lower heat to lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The higher than usual proportion of grits to water will make them very thick, which is desirable. (Follow package directions if a longer time is listed.) Stir in butter and cheese until melted. Beat the eggs in a measuring cup and add milk to the 1 cup level. I measured the milk for you in case you want to beat the egg whites separately. Stir milk and eggs or egg yolks into grits, folding in beaten whites last if you choose to do so. Pour into a sprayed or buttered 9 x 11 inch, 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until puffed and brown on top. You may make ahead and refrigerate (only if you do not beat egg whites), and the cold casserole will take 1 hour 15 minutes to cook. *This recipe originally used a roll of “garlic cheese” which I could find in Tennessee, but not in Pennsylvania. You may add a clove or two of finely minced garlic with the butter and cheese. Keywords: Side, American ( RG1015 )

I'm not fond of cheese grits as cooked on the stovetop, much prefer the baked souffle type. Brooks said he would post his, but I can't find it on RecipeGullet. If it's on there, let me know or else I'll post my recipe. (Edited to say: Reads like a threat, doesn't it?)

It would seem logical that desserts aren't printed on the menus because many restaurants change desserts often, if not daily. Consider that "Pie of the Day" doesn't sound as appetizing as "Mile High Lemon Chiffon Pie" or "Spring Rhubarb Tart with Orange Scented Whipped Cream." And in defense of pie--my mother used to bake pies for a small restaurant, and let me assure you that her homemade "Pie of the Day" was the best thing on the menu. They sold out every day. As to viewing the desserts ahead, the most overwhelming response I ever had to a catered dinner was when I made five different kinds of pie and presented them on a pass-thru where guests could see them as they entered the dining room for buffet service. They had great fun (or was it torture?) deciding which one they would sample later, and got very excited when I told them we would cut the pies in small pieces so they could sample as many as they liked. I later duplicated this idea with five cakes for a party for the head of the local Sysco.

In my neck of the woods it was neither called a "hot dish" nor a "casserole" but a "covered dish." I never did figure out the origin of that term, given that it could be applied to a pie, a salad, or something hot like fried chicken or baked beans. I used to think the name referred to keeping the flies off, since many pot lucks were held outdoors. When my father died, three years ago, the ladies of the Methodist church prepared a dinner for the funeral goers. (Its one of their fund raising activities.) The food consisted of an equal number of casseroles, jello salads and desserts which were definitely not up to the standards of yesterday. Had Dad, a foodie in his time, been able to eat with us, he would have described the food in his favorite term for unacceptable--"pretty poor." And the foods brought to the home, after this and another recent funeral I attended there, have degenerated also. Mostly cold cuts and supermarket pies, instead of homemade goodies. Some Midwesterners remember how foods off the tree and from the garden used to taste: my mother, 86 this month, still reserves her order of Southern Illinois peaches each summer and drives each fall to get her bushel of Jonathan apples at a local orchard. She, too, is discouraged by the produce in the local markets. Thanks for the kind words, Brooks. My first exposure to garlic was at age 19, when my future mother-in-law put garlic powder on steak. Yuk. It took me years more to learn about the real thing.

Now I'm reading this thread again, and realized I've once again forgotten to order Lisa's book. Is ordering books three days in a row something like chain smoking? I'm refraining for a few days, but "Lobscouse" is definitely at the top of my next order. And perhaps I should order a few of those Patrick O'Brian novels also. Ya think? Anyway, I just wanted to say that there's another Life cookbook that was a great inspiration in the 70s: "Great Dinners from Life" pub. 1969. I patterned my Salade Nicoise and Cannelloni with Two Sauces after their recipes. In fact, the recipes for these dishes in my cookbook slightly, um, OK, mostly resemble them.

!!! SEVEN MORE !!! Forgive me, father, it's been only two days since my last confession...I just ordered 7 more cookbooks in addition to the ones mentioned above. I warned you I could not read this thread without ordering more books, which is why it had been so long between my last two"reports." My latest orders: "Delia's How to Cook: Book Two" ( I don't have Book One) "Jacques Pepin Celebrates" and "The Apprentice" "Elements of Taste" "How to Cook Meat" MFK's translation of "Physiology of Taste" and a book about the origin of food slang, or at least I think that's what its about Not bad for $70 plus shipping...several were used, but I don't buy them used unless they are either new or like new. As for Gale Gand (still unread, but I just looked through it), I find the food she prepares on the Food Network interest me. More like home cooking with a twist than fussy, painted sauce restaurant dishes. For example, she takes a favorite lemon bar and makes it into "Double-Stuffed Lime-ooo Bars" with an extra cream cheese layer and lime pudding/curd on top. Or paints a chocolate layer on the crust for a Coconut Cream Pie. Have not tried any recipes yet. These are from the "butter sugar flour eggs" book. I think I'm about ready for a Sticky Toffee Pudding taste test using recipes from Gale, Delia and a couple of others. Nigella?

Pan, I loved your story about the merchants and the king--reminded me of my favorite noir fairy tale "Great Claus and Little Claus" from HC Andersen. Too long to tell here, but one of the best lines is "Who'll buy my dead grandmother for a bushel of gold?" You definitely have to read it to know how funny this is. Harold, huh? Lisa, you have a lot of 'splaining to do, or are you going to let us non-music types swing in the breeze? I've made Pojarski with chicken, served with a paprika sauce. So many wonderful Russian recipes like Kurnik, Kulebyaka (Coulibiac), Cabbage Pirogue, Salad Olivier (chicken and potato salad). Maybe some day the food of Russia and Slavic countries will come back into fashion: I'll take sour cream and dill over raw fish and chilies any day.

From the garden: Beefsteak tomatoes New potatoes "stolen" from under the blooming plants, so tender the skins rub off Tiny new radishes, eaten with French bread and butter And: Georgia peaches

People with unreasonable requirements are usually very unhappy and/or angry persons to begin with. I could always spot the men who came into my restaurant in a bad mood, determined not to like anything, by the way they sat in their chairs. They would have the chair backed away from the table, usually at an angle and blocking the aisle, as though unwilling to engage themselves at table. The most usual reason seemed to be: they disliked their sons-in-law! Usually, the SIL was trying to "sell" them on what a good restaurant this was, and they were determined to disagree with him. Once, a poor SIL pointed out a large piece of material which I had stretched on a frame and hung as artwork. The FIL said, in a nasty tone, "Other than its being a repeating lithograph, what about it?" I'm happy to say the food never failed to win over the contrarians. By the second or third course, they were congenial and the SIL, if not a hero for bringing them to the restaurant, was at least no longer in the doghouse. I can almost understand about the guy who hates blue. I discovered after my second restaurant's dining room was painted in blue that the color depresses me mightily. Blue clothes don't bother me, I just don't want it in my house to look at. My daughter, who has blue everything in her house, gave me a blue paperweight for my collection. That blue thing bugs me no end--I want it outta here.

Put me down for 44 more cookbooks... Everytime I read this thread, I order more. The above represent the sublime from Julia Child and Elizabeth David down to the ridiculous--a book called "The Diabetes Snack Munch Nibble Nosh Book, 150 quick treats to add zip to your diet". I was hoping someone had figured out a way for diabetics like me to legally eat a Dobosh Torte (quick version, you understand) as a snack. Instead, the author offered mundane recipes for tuna salad and various substandard classics, such as Shrimp Remoulade with reduced fat/fat free dairy products. Not one good idea in the batch. I'm drawn to those bargain books on the net, which you can't check out first at the local bookstore. More often or not, they're flops, but once in a while you get a gem like "Eating for a Living, Food, Sex and Dining Out" by Cynthia Wine, Canadian food writer. This one entertained me with wit and humor, my kind of book. Most of this new batch is still unread, but having unread Calvin Trillins, Madhur Jaffreys and Gale Gands on your shelf is like money in the bank.

My mother always made the "Olive Jello" with almonds rather than walnuts. The combination gives that salty-sweet taste that many people like. My dad bought crushed pineapple by the case, but most other fruits were home-canned back then. My favorite use for canned fruit is a peach or peach-apricot pie with streusel topping. I also make use of Mandarin oranges in salads, like Brussels sprouts, oranges and walnuts in a sweet-sour glaze, served warm. Or this quick dessert: fold drained Mandarin oranges and grated bitter or bittersweet chocolate into highly sweetened whipped cream. (The original of that last one called for, God Forbid, Cool Whip.)

I think I missed something. What/where is Gilgo and "the main one in Gilgo" and why do your paring knife and better refrigerator reside there? If this has been explained, sign me Senior Moments or Attentive Deficit...

More tips on hard-cooked eggs, if you follow the above ideas and still have trouble: Use older rather than newer (supermarket eggs = older, no matter if you just brought them home from the store) Add 1/4 cup table salt to the cooking water Prick rounded end--as opposed to pointy end--of egg before cooking. Use a push pin or such. The egg shells here in PA are the strongest, toughest ever. This is the only way I can have a prayer of success. Another suggestion: eggs cooked in one of those electric steam cookers peel more easily.

My favorite find came from a flea market...a big box of old Gourmet Magazines from the 40s and 50s for $5.00. My set is almost complete to the present, stored in library magazine holders in a tall book shelf custom made to hold them. Or they would be, if I had my stuff out of storage. Sigh.

I nominate my plain ole stove. When I moved in with my daughter almost three years ago, I thought it would be for less than a year (another story). The "apartment" kitchen had only a sink and a few feet of cabinets. We moved in a refrigerator and I made do with a toaster oven and hot plate. After about a year, the hot plate gave out and I decided I couldn't live another day without a real stove. I found a display model at Home Depot, for $275. When it was delivered, the fork lift people had evidently banged in the side a little, so I complained and got another $50 off. So for $225 I got a Hotpoint electric four-burner range with a large self-cleaning oven and a top that lifts up for easy cleaning. (I don't care that it's not gas, I've cooked on both kinds over the years.) I can't think of anything I've cooked on this stove that would have been improved by cooking it on a stove costing thousands of dollars.

Hello, Lisa, May I take this opportunity to tell you how many snickers, chortles, "oh, no"s and downright entertaining moments I've had reading your posts since you joined e-Gullet? Don't apologize for the length of your posts, they're wonderful. From the more esoteric of your historical ponderings to your irreverent humor (my highest compliment), I enjoy it all. Looking forward to your blog.

I add my thanks to all the others. I have truly enjoyed your romantic prose and photographs, a venerable homage to food and dining well.

Arjay...you forgot Teddy.