snowangel

Tammy, reading about this makes me tired! I can't imagine the mess! How did your quantities work out? How did you fix the brussels sprouts?

I'll set the record straight: the first (the baby poop one) was a mussaman curry with venison, potatoes and peanuts. It was excellent. The second was leftover coq au vin. It was good, but the leftover nature of it left if tasting a bit "dense." The third was venison stroganoff. It was way, way yummy. Yes, I'm seeking to get rid of the remainer of venison I have in the freezer because I'm expecting two more this fall. I can't believe how much of this I've run through this year, and how well it takes to Thai and Asian foods. And, tonight's dinner was pretty, light and clean tasting!

Pam, if you are looking for definitive Indian cookbooks. I'd steer you to stuff by Mahdhur Jaffrey. I think CTM is like many dishes. Addition or omission of things like the cream, or addition of cashew butter do not diminish the "authenticness" of the dish. Think about potato salad, Phad Thai, meat sauce for spaghetti. There are probably as many ways of making these dishes as there are people!

The best part of dinner tonight: Peter no longer needs knife supervision, and knows to wash it in hot water and dry it afterwards before replacing it in it's proper place. "Don't worry, Mom, I won't put it in the dishwasher!" Another chest-puffing moment of pride.

I'm so defeated by every bread thing I bake. So, I tried the Italian Bread today. Why do my batards, when they go through the final rise, just get wider and not taller? This was the "high" point. After a while, I decided that perhaps we'd be better off with breadsticks instead. Some of them were thicker and chewier, some thinner and crispier. Best ever breadsticks, but I really wanted bread!

I swear by this rub (thanks, Matt for putting it into RecipeGullet!) and this South Carolina Mustard Barbeque Sauce and if you'll look around eGullet about pork products, you'll find that many, many people agree. One of the keys to getting the best out of your pulled pork is roasting (actually, many of us prefer to smoke our butts (click here) is to do it low and slow, and you can expect it to take a lot longer than you think. The temp in the oven or smoker is ideally not much higher than the temp at which you expect to pull the meat out, and if you use a meat thermometer, expect a serious stall if you are cooking low and slow enough. That's when that collagen and gristle will melt and make your butt everything it should be.

What about lobster cakes? I think it would also be nice in a quiche or frittata.

Pam, there is a three-page discussion of this dish over here.

Marcia, yes, it was a stroganoff (venison). I'm already missing the clean crisp foods of summer, and I have a really hard time moving into the more muddled foods of fall. I'm out of practice. I miss my corn and tomatoes and simple grilled meat, eaten on the deck in daylight. I think I'm discovering that most of the time, I like my food tastes to be separate.

And, yes, the "hits keep on coming." There will be no more braises or stew-ey things from me for a while. I swear that if I were a sports fan, I've have sworn I've have a hat trick, a triple, or something. Really, I'm a good cook! It's just a tough adjustment from grilling and eating on the deck with nothing but fresh veg to these days when the snow is acctuall accumulating .

For me, whether I boil or not before roasting boils down to how full the dishwasher is and whether I really am going to have room for an extra pot. Yes, they are someone different, but we enjoy both the raw-roasted and boiled-roasted. Yep, I'm lazy.

As they say, the hits keep coming! I'm really on a roll these days.

Moderator note: The original Dinner II: The Gallery of Regrettable Foods topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the preceding part of this discussion is here: Dinner II: The Gallery of Regrettable Foods (Part 1)] And, no, it's not what you wash out of a breast fed baby's diaper (with chunks added) as one of the kid suggested.

I have no clue where they came from, but that are (as Peter would say) "da bomb." Sadly, tomato season is done here, so sigh, it will be about 9-10 months before they come around again. But, my most remarkable BLT this past summer was made with a combo of cabin and regular bacon. THe cajun bacon from F & D Meats in Virginia, the regular mapley bacon from Zupps. Makes me weak at the knees to think of it. That lettuce from the garden, those brandywines...served with a "side" of the freshest sweetcorn. Here in MN, it's the question of mayo vs. Miracle Whip. Personally, Diana and I like a garlicky aioli on that bread!

Abra, you might want to check with your local utilities company and see what they say. When I replaced a very old upright, the rebate for the chest was more than worthwhile, A chest freezer, while not as convenient as an upright, using less electricity, and should electricity go out for several days (as happened to us) is easier to keep under control. I store things in the chest freezer in milk crates and it is very organized.

Lori, how about serving the cake pre-sliced?

In our house, I don't tear off pieces, rather they just "fall" off . Do go through this topic and make notes in the book. I think there's a general consensus that she recommends too high a temp. This topic has lots of hints on how to get the most out of the recipes and perhaps improve on them. I gave copies of the book last year for Christmas to my three close college buddies, and sat and made notes in each on on the recipes that needed notes!

Every now and then since December 2004, a good number of us have been getting together at the eGullet Recipe Cook-Off. Click here for the Cook-Off index.. Oh, those little dumpling pillows filled with broth! They are a favorite at dim sum places, and it's time we tried our hand at making them. There are many topics on where to get the best ones in different cities and a few on making your own (and there seem to be many different spellings on these lucious dumplings): Xiao Lun Bao/ Soup Dumpling Recipes Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Tang Bao) Xiaolong Bao Little Steamed Juicy Buns Let's talk filling, technique, wrappers, and just how to get those perfect topnots, and then let's eat!

Show us where you get your pasta and what your anchovies ( ) look like where you get them!

Oh, so many questions and comments! I know well the allure of being a city person with a remote destination. In my case, it is a spring/summer/fall accessible cabin, and in my case, groceries are a good 30-mile round trip, but never-the-less... I'm under the impression that language may be a difficulty? Please elaborate! And, do tell how your life when you return to NYC is different, please. And, Curtis. What's he doing these days? Finally, I'm hoping for a good report of your farmer's market, and what's available.

John, great blog! I'm a bit behind because I've been out of town, but I'm wondering if you'll show us in what equipment you sous vide?

Klary, what made you and Dennis choose PNW as a destination. Thanks for the full report!

For me, it was the pic of the pate sandwich. Oh, my. I know what I'll dream of tonight! Since you only have one a month, I assume it is just that effing good? Do they make their own pate?

Peter has requested Chicken ala King. He wants it on biscuits, not toast. I know I've done right by my kids when they know about the classics.

Does using an offset spatula to mud drywall count?