steverino

There's a certain timeframe for this. It is at some time, in my opinion, supposed to end. weaned dictionary results for: weaned American Heritage Dictionary - wean (wēn) Pronunciation Key tr.v. weaned, wean·ing, weans 1. To accustom (the young of a mammal) to take nourishment other than by suckling. Deep body shiver for me, as well. A glass of cow's milk is near anathema to me. Steve

Speaking as one who has virtually no comprehension of the French language, I would hazard a guess that the loose translation would be something along the line of "Classic", to perhaps epitomize the nature of each country. Taking into consideration McDonald's complete disregard for anything remotely "classic", of course. Steve

I'd have to estimate that about 27 years ago, Dairy Queen had a summer special called the "Peanut Buster Parfait". It was a rather delicious combo, if I recall correctly, of peanuts, chocolate, peanut butter and the ubiquitous vanilla soft - serve. My girlfriend, buddy and I, accompanied by his extremely shy and somewhat bitchy girlfriend (who I didn't care a helluva lot for...) toddled up to the window to place our order, and I decided, in my teenage brilliance, that the proper way to order at that moment was to request a "PENIS Buster Parfait" loud enough for all to hear. She was less than thrilled, to say the least. My girlfriend at the time was unflappable, and that may have contributed... (her muffled snorts were music to my ears.) I got a lot of mileage that summer for recommending a trip to Dairy Queen in their presence. Her response was pavlovian, visceral and quite hysterical (to me). Not so much to him, however. Ah, the summers of years past. If they still serve it, I highly recommend this approach to any young man in a similar circumstance.

I remember both the banana and mint shakes at Mcdonald's. That may have been my first experience in thinking "Why don't they always have this delicious glowing green shake... thing... I'm quite certain I can't call them "Milk" shakes, because they tasted quite artificial back in the day. But they were perversely good in a perversely good way. Steve

It's been almost 2 years since this baby saw the light of day, but it seems like the summer brings back the nostalgic ramblings of "The Glory of Fast Food Past." Hopefully we can get her up on her feet again. Enjoy! Steve

For all those interested, this is an outstanding site featuring just about everything you could ever want to know about the Weber "Smokey Mountain" (WSM) smoker. I own one, and can't speak highly enough about it. The site also speaks very highly of the Kingsford briquettes, which I use with great results. http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/ Peace, Steve

Kim - That Texas caviar looks amazing! I would earn MAJOR points with my bride if I broke that out as a side - is there a recipe? From what I can see, there's black beans, black eyed peas, tomatoes, cilantro, parsley(maybe...) guessing now - red onion, garlic, jalapeno, green pepper, ??? I guess the dressing is what I'm most curious about. Thanks in advance! Steve

Suzy- this is good for 2 fillets, 6 - 8 oz. each: For a simple, yet delicious fish fillet of virtually any kind, heat up a good 10" - 12" sautee pan over medium heat, add equal parts olive oil and butter, say 2TBS of each. While the pan is heating, put about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of flour on a piece of parchment, or wax paper, or a plate, for that matter. Add a good pinch of kosher salt, a few grinds of pepper, maybe a pinch of paprika and mix it up. WARNING! - this part sounds goofy: taste a small pinch of the flour. Adjust seasonings. If the flour is bland, most likely the fish will be. Dry the fish on paper towel if necessary. Coat both sides of the fish lightly in the seasoned flour, gently shake off excess. Lay fillets into pan, they should make a good sizzle sound. Cook for about 4 -5 minutes on the first side, it should be a LIGHT golden brown. Flip and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. Remove fillets to warmed plates. Squeeze a lemon into the pan and swirl it around. Spoon the sauce over your fish, maybe add some parsley, and voila! You have a simple, delicious dish. The French call this "meuniere" - in the style of the miller's wife. As you experiment with this concept, you can add additional seasonings to the flour for more fun and enjoyment!

Nice piece, Priscilla! This is a bit embarrassing, but what would you consider to be the definition of a roadhouse? I like the term, it has a certain rustic quaintness to it. My imagination conjures up cliched Hollywood stereotypes, but I'm certain there's much more to it than that... Steve

BShapiro- Get yourself some Bell or Mason jars that are "Freeze or Can". It may be a different lid - it's been a few years... Anyway, cook your tomatoes down, season and spice, add carrot, celery, basil, etc. whatever you desire- Pour into new jars (I ran them through the dishwasher, I believe) leave 1/2" - 1" of headroom. Put them in the freezer, and you're good to go, at least all winter they'll be good. Steve

Is there any way that I can see this in the States? Thanks, Steve

Rasa- My understanding of the Frittata is that it is an Italian way of stretching leftovers, primarily starch. In Italy, that would be pasta of some kind. I generally start with leftover pasta. It could be angel hair with sausage and tomato, or a pesto, or any starch and sauce. I usually heat up a pan, medium high, add a good amount of olive oil, enough to coat the bottom with a thin layer. Add your starch/sauce, and let it heat up. Scramble a few eggs, with salt and pepper, garlic, onion, etc. Don't be shy with the seasonings. Pour the egg mixture over, and let it set up around the edges. Cook for a minute or two, add fresh herbs, spring onion, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. I like to finish under the broiler with cheese until the egg and cheese have some golden brown spots on them. Remove from pan, cut into slices, and you're good to go. For an Asian frittata, maybe you have some kind of leftover rice noodle dish with shrimp, or pork, or whatever protein. Hell, it could be just a rice dish of some kind. I look at the starch as the "crust" for the frittata. I've used potatotes, too. Same concept. Add egg mixture, and DIG IT. It's a cheap and tasty way to use up almost anything in your fridge! Enjoy to your heart's content. Steve

Harry- you should check out: http://www.pizzamaking.com It's a website that has very much the same type of give and take, and benevolent advice that our very own egullet has. Steve

LindsayAnn- When I did mine, I cracked the egg into the glass, then covered it with about an inch (about a knuckle on your first finger) of water. What may have happened for you is that the egg floated on the surface of the water, as opposed to being immersed in it. It got too tanned by the rays. And as Carrot top said, a bit of tweaking will probably be necessary. I just got really lucky the first time. I have given my microwaves many interior "facials", much like yours, while eggsperimenting with whole yolks. Sorry it wound up on your face. Steve

Carrot Top: There's nothing new under the sun, eh? Laziness sometimes equals invention. Not always necessity. Well, wait. Laziness plus necessity could equal.... GENIUS!!!! Steve

Way ahead of me, Carrottop, I knew it couldn't be brand new.!

The other day, I was prepping eggs to boil. While piercing the ends with a pin, I managed to mishandle one of them, dinging the poor thing, making it unsuitable for boiling. So, in a moment of inspiration, I cracked the egg into a "rocks" glass, covered it with about an inch of water, and put it into the microwave. I fired it up for 1 minute, and kept a vigilant eye on it, as I have had less than stellar results with solid egg yolks in microwaves in the past. When I pulled it out, I had a near perfectly poached egg. The white collected itself into a nice mass around the yolk, and when I took a fork to it, the yolk issued forth as a delicious golden river. The white was well cooked, as well. It was surprisingly tender, and not rubbery as you might expect. I have not tried to duplicate this success, but I figured I'd throw it out there into the wonderful virtual world that is egullet. A one - minute poached egg... hoodathunkit! Steve (Hopefully someone hasn't mentioned this before, but I couldn't construct a good search function).

After a pretty much one sitting read, I finished the book yesterday. The first few chapters felt rather tentative, as if he was trying to find his voice through the bluster. As I continued, however, the book took on a more conversational tone, and I really felt as if he was speaking. Perhaps it just took a bit of time for me to get to know him, as it were. He certainly doesn't fear humiliating himself, nor does he fear bragging about himself. He struck me as an extremely complex man, trying to attain pure simplicity. Tough to reconcile. I really enjoyed it. Steve

Adam, I couldn't agree more. Sometimes the dish just needs more, well, salt, pepper, worcestershire, etc. But sugar? Well, if I were writing a recipe for someone, I would probably write "A pinch of sugar, if it needs it." Cooking, after all, is very personal and subjective. Steve

I've had good luck with Martini and Rossi Dry vermouth. I subscribe to the Julia Child thought of using it in place of white wine. In some recipes, though I reduce the amount used, then taste and adjust. Absolutely make sure it's DRY vermouth. Sweet vermouth will whack your dish.

Just for giggles, you could have said: "Very good then, Ma'am. I've cancelled your reservation, and moved your name to our 'No longer welcome in our restaurant ' list. Thank you, and have a marvellous evening. Goodbye." Sort of a "Soup Nazi" thing. Then when she proceeds to tell everyone she knows about this latest offense, those who find her arrogant and self righteous will be dying to check out the restaurant.

Check out the website www.pizzamaking.com There's an almost overwhelming abundance of information on everything to do with pizza. I'ts also a very friendly forum, much like egullet. Steve

Here's a link to James Beard's "American Cookery": http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031608566...5Fencoding=UTF8 If you read the introduction, you'll get a good sense of the writing style of the book. It has over 1500 recipes, and lots of great storytelling (probably my favorite part). The amazon reviews are spot on, as well, and with the price I'd certainly consider it a "must have". Here are a couple of classic "Beardisms": Creamed asparagus: "For some reason this used to be considered a rather dressy dish. Actually it is a waste of asparagus. Nevertheless, if it is to your taste, here is how to prepare it." Carrots and Peas: "This is to be feared. It can be delicious only if the carrots are young, well drained and nicely buttered, and the peas are fresh and perfectly cooked." Supermarket chickens: "Today's chickens are "design bred." They are taken from hatcheries to growing farms, where for nine weeks they are fed scientificallyand watched carefully so they all develop in exactly the sane way. They come to market uniform in size, uniform in color, and uniform in lack of real flavor." Don't for a moment, however, think that there is a negative tone to the book. He is just not afraid to offer his opinions, which I find very refreshing. Check it out!

My "go to" cookbook for everyday cooking is James Beard's "American Cookery". Though I continue to buy new books here and there, this is my "Bible", and I can't recommend it highly enough. His writing style is occasionally laugh out loud funny (to me), and the ground he covers is staggering. Be forewarned, however, that there are no photos, if that's important to you. Good Luck! Steve

Compare the price of granite to Corian. I would not be surprised if they are comparable, depending on the type of granite, of course. "Black Galaxy" granite will cost you a pretty penny, but "Uba Tuba", or some of the "Pearls" should be comparable to Corian. In my experience, once people go to granite countertops, they almost never go back to anything else. I can't speak intelligently about Silestone, as I have no experience with it. I did kitchen and bathroom remodeling in a previous life. Peace, Steve