DanM

There is a place near by that charges $15 for Guacamole. Its just insulting to charge that much. There is a restaurant that I like that charges $9 for deep fried spinach tossed with salt and sesame seeds. Dan

I have used old cabinets in a laundry room and cheapo cabinets from a building materials shop for a garage. I have also been tempted to line a hallway with cabinets as a pantry and locker type setup. Dan

My wife and I will be heading into NYC in a couple of weeks and are looking at going to HanGawi, a Korean vegan restaurant. Does anyone know about this place? Any suggestions from the menu? They also have a cafe called Franchia which also looks good. Thanks!

How about a chocolate pudding cake with some whipped cream and sprinkes?

For my daughter's first birthday, I made a basic chocolate sponge cake with chocolate frosting. The cake crumbled, but it was not a complete mess with her covered in it. Her grandmas are about to have birthdays so I want to try this again and let Abby wish her grandmas a happy birthday with a skype call and a small cake. I want a disaster of a mess for the grandmas to enjoy. Any thoughts on what type of cake to make that will suit these needs? What about frosting or buttercream? thanks! Dan

I am really starting to appreciate a good cup of coffee. I didn't like it in the past because I was introduced to coffee through crap like Taster's Choice. I have started tasting my coffee to see if it needs sugar or milk. Its like adding salt to a dish, taste before seasoning. I only add sugar if I find it too bitter when drunk black. I do not fully understand the purpose of milk in coffee, except for flavor. Does it serve a specific function or purpose?

After about 4 days of waiting, we finally got power back after Irene smacked us around. I never opened the door to the freezer hoping that everything would survive. When the power came back on, the temperature on the door panel said 30f. I opened the freezer to inspect the contents and found some of the smaller items like frozen peas and popsicles had melted, but the meat was still pretty solid. I used my instant read thermometer and I never saw a temperature above 31f. Given that none of the readings were above 40, I assume that the food is safe to keep and allow to go back to a frozen state. Is the meat really safe, or am I completely off on this? Thanks! Dan

There is an awesome new product at Trader Joe's... at least the one in Orange, CT. They have mystery beer 6 packs in brown paper bags. They can be a single type or a mixed pack. If I wasn't a beer snob, I might give it a try.

It looks like we will get spanked this weekend by Irene. The projected route is from the Hudson to Rhodes Island, and we are smack dab in the middle. I have a far amount of canned foods, beans, pastas, tetrapak soups and broths. I might try to get more food this morning after a quick inventory. I also bought a gallon of camp fuel and charcoal so I can cook if we lose power. Regarding water, I have 10+ gallons of bottled water and I plan to clean out and sanitize a couple of brewing carboys for an additional 10-20 gallons. I am concerned about losing power. What is the safe amount of time for food to be in the freezer after losing power? I stuffed every ice pack I have in the freezer to add thermal mass, but I don't know how long that will add. Worst case scenario, I will have a barbeque with neighbors on Monday evening. I was a boy scout... I prepare for the worst. Am I forgetting anything?

A Drizzle of Honey is one to look at. It documents the lives and food of Jews in Spain during The Inquisition. It interests me as a read, but necessarily as a cookbook. A Drizzle of Honey

Peach season is in full gear in CT. Personally, I think there is nothing better than a peach, or three, chased down with a glass of bourbon. I plan on picking a ton of them before Irene comes and possibly kills the crop. I am interested in finding more savory applications. Any thoughts? Dan

My knowledge of Manhattan is minimal, but we had a great experience at Otto. The wine list is exensive and they offer DOP Napolitan pizza. The bagna cauda we ordered was amazing. http://www.ottopizzeria.com/

I want to bump this to see if there are new suggestions in the five boroughs. Dan

The next time you are in New Haven, I recommend checking out The Terrace in Hamden. It is on Dixwell, about 2.5 miles out of New Haven. The Terrace Curry is a sadomasochistic dream. I had it at 1/3 strength and it burned all the way through.

My only issue with rice in salt is that it looks like weevils. I know it's irrational, but it just bugs me.

I have been using a coffee press for a while now and have been happy with the flavor... much better than a drip machine. I have also seen the rather funky vacuum pot. What differences will I see in the coffee between the two methods? Thanks!

I have the Bodum Bean model. It's $20ish and so far reliable.

I packed 25 lbs of tomatoes today, carefully following the instructions. I guess I did not get all of the air voids out of the jars as some have 2"+ of headroom with the tomatoes floating above the liquid. I assume that I will need to open these jars tomorrow morning, add more liquid, and process again? I am tempted to make room in the freezer and just stick them in. Dan

I rotate my dishes by taking the clean plates out of the cabinet, put the clean ones in, and then place the others on top..

Yet another reason to buy honey from local sources.

I am about to receive about 25 lbs of roma and other small tomatoes from a local farm at a stunning $1 per pound. I am going to can them, which looks pretty easy. Does anyone have advice on canning them? Thanks! Dan

I just cleaned out the backup fridge and found a jar of Coleman's mustard that expired in 2009.

I was wondering if there is a difference between plastic and wicker bannetons. While wicker is traditional, plastic is more sanitary and durable. Dan

I'm also in the let it cool before putting away group for the reasons mentioned above. I have a granite trivet that I put pots on to act as a heat sink. Its quite impressive how quickly it will suck the heat out of a pot of soup. Dan

My only concern with this recipe is the baking soda and baking powder being in the batter for so long. I would be concerned that it will activate too early and not provide enough leavening. I would personally mix them in at the last moment.