DanM

I've been known to make beef stew with Chimay, La Fin du monde or other Belgian-style ale instead of wine. You may want to change the spicing if you go that route (less bay leaf, more clove, in my opinion). I'll stick with wine. While I prefer beer, I need to keep in mind who will actually be eating it. Fond is the brown crust that forms on the bottom of the pan when you brown the meat. It contains a lot of flavor so you want to liquefy it into the braising liquid. This can happen when you saute the mirepoix and the vegetables give up liquid and/or when you add the stock and wine. Ah, I know it simply as crispy brown goodness stuck to the pan. I worked hard on it, so they can file their complaints under SUAEI.

Thanks for the responses. A few of questions though. What type of wine do you recommend? I assume a dry red? Is there a beer alternative? (More my style) And I assume I use enough wine and beef broth to cover? What ratio of wine to stock/broth? Fond?? Can you explain that to me a little more? I am not familiar with it. Finally, I assume I can vary the vegetables? I might make a run to a local winter farmer's market and pick up a few things. I would not be surprised to find some nice winter root veg.

My two zen moments are kneading a loaf of bread and cracking open a homebrewed beer for the first time. Dan

I have to admit that I am not a beef eater. However, my parents and my mother-in-law are coming next weekend for my daughter's birthday and I want to make them beef stew. I have never made beef stew before... where to start??

There is a really good recipe for tomato soup on the back of the can for Muir Glenn's petite diced tomatoes with garlic. Dan

One of my favorite cakes... yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Enjoy

I don't have any family recipes, but I am a sucker for a simple yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Dan

Trader Joes has some pretty good frozen fish. The occasionally have packages of bits and pieces of cod or halibut at a really cheap prices. I use these packs for fish tacos, chowders, and soups. The tuna is good, but I only eat it fully cooked, typically in a sandwich. The only bad thing I can say about Trader Joes fish is the inconsistency in the portion sizes. I recently tried Costco's individually packaged Mahi Mahi and found it to be quite good. When I am back on solids, I plan to give other varieties a try. Dan

I think part of the problem is that many shows are dumbed down to appeal to the lowest common denominator instead of challenging home cooks with new ingredients and techniques. Sandra Lee is an excellent example of this.

Thanks Jenni. I will have surgery in two weeks to correct the damage caused by Crohn's disease. It will probably be 2 months before I can eat what I want again.

I will be on a liquid diet for the foreseeable future, so I want to come up with creative ideas on what I can eat other than cream of name your vegetable soups. There can be no chunks, seeds, or other bits in the food. I will pass everything through a strainer just to be safe. It has to be thin enough to drink. Lassis were mentioned in another thread. I was wondering what Indian dishes I could have while on this diet. Thanks! Dan

Thanks everyone. Custards and puddings are a good idea. I will have to experiment with them. Flan for breakfast? Why not... I have enough ramekins to go around. Lassis are a good idea that I will have to explore more. Broths are okay, but low in calories and nutrients, something I need more of. Regarding Ensure. I have been on Ensure Plus for about a week now and have tolerated it pretty well. I guess I am lucky my palette has not rejected it just yet. I may be on this liquid diet for the next 6-8 weeks, depending how the surgery goes, and will need it for calories and nutrients. Dan

I made Mario Batali's dirt simple eggplant Parmesan for my wife. Roast eggplant, top with mozzarella, sauce, basil, and parm. Stack 3 high, sprinkle with bread crumbs and then bake until cheese is melted and eggplant is soft. I could not enjoy it with her since I am on a liquid diet... At least until I put a stack in my vita-mix, extra tomato sauce and plenty of veg stock. I gave it a whirl, strained the results, and had eggplant parmesan soup for dinner. Dan

I have been placed on a liquid diet for the near future. I am consuming my weight in cream of name your vegetable soups, sorbet, Ensure, and other options during the day. I am running short on ideas for breakfast. The key rules are no chunks at all, no seeds of any kind (even berry seeds can be a trip to the ER), and must be liquid enough to drink from a cup. Smoothies are an option, but I want to hear other thoughts. Thanks! Dan ETA... yes, I have a vitamix and it be well used.

two new ones... The Flavor Bible and James Peterson's Splendid Soups.

Does anyone have a recommendation on where to buy an extra jug for a Vita-mix at a good price? Thanks! Dan

I prefer simple, white dishes, but I have a wife to keep happy. We typically plate and serve at our house. I don't put much thought into it. It controls portion size and reduces the number of dishes I have to clean later. Dan

I have seen King Arthur Flour's new Unbleached Cake Flour Blend a few times in local stores. I was wondering if anyone has used it and what they thought of the product. Thanks! Dan

I always recommend a copy of Cafe Paradiso Seasons by Denis Cotter to anyone who wants high end vegetarian cooking that isn't health food. He has two other books, The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook and Wild Garlic, Gooseberries, and Me. The latter is his thoughts, stores, and anecdotes on his favorite vegetables with a few recipes thrown in. Dan

We recieved a Fagor Duo Combi as a wedding gift. It has 4 and 8 qt pots and a glass lid so you can use the pot for regular cooking. I use it on a regular basis and am very happy with the quality. Dan

I have a recipe management program for my netbook for managing random recipes. The rest are printed on 3x5 index cards which are kept in my grandmas old recipe box. Dan

I would not be surprised if hot dogs, or better yet, pretzel dog, or corn dog bites would be quite good with a cheddar fondue.

I've never done that, sounds brilliant. Do you use a high-walled non-stick pot? Nope. Just a standard 1.5 quart stainless steel pot. The grains tend to soak up the butter so you are essentially dry toasting them. I follow Alton Brown's recipe for steel cut oats. I toast .5 cups of oats until fragrant. Add 1.5 cups of water, a cut up apple, and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add .5 cups of milk, spices, and then simmer covered for 10 more minutes. Sweeten as desired. Dan

It looks like a great book. It is now on my ever growing wish list on Amazon. I am actually quite surprised how much of the book is available through their preview option. Naturally, the ginger cake is not available for preview. the banana cake is and that looks stunning. I am wondering what others think about the book containing volume and metric measurements, but not imperial measurements. Dan

I typically toast my grains in butter before adding the liquid to help bring out the flavor. I like to add a chopped up apple to my breakfast at the beginning of the cooking cycle. One off the wall, yet curiously good addition to my oatmeal has been peanut flour. I don't know why, but it works well. Dan