pastameshugana

For me it was a move to Asia. I discovered ridiculously cheap produce, and had a little more time on my hands than normal, and just started experimenting! We had a housekeeper that would occasionally cook, and I was amazed at the level of work put into simple Indian preparations, and I began to learn techniques and study to get better. Incidentally or not, that is when I discovered egullet. From then till now it's been almost a decade, and I'm still loving the process of learning.

No. it depends on what they eat. See what happens if you eat too much carrots. dcarch Wait a minute...tuna are eating carrots now? Mind = blown.

I'm curious: I've never seen tuna that 'pink' before - is it just the photo or was it really that light in color? Or is this a different kind or grade of tuna that I've just never seen?

For some reason I originally read this as 'smokey cheese' instead of scotch, and it sounded wonderful. I'm not a drinker, but I bet the right cheese would get along quite well with FN. Any cheese suggestions?

I've learned from experience that the key isn't leading the horse to water, but making him thirsty. A wife of a good friend of mine had told us she wasn't 'into' cooking - she had a basic few things, but no desire to learn. One time at their house for a BBQ (this was in India, mind you), I rummaged through their pantry and ended up making fettuccine alfredo from scratch (including noodles from scratch and alfredo from roux). She helped me with a few of the sides, but was stricken by how easy it was to make this from scratch. That ignited a passion in her and she's now a quite accomplished pastry 'chef' in her home and a joy to eat with. The point: For some people, seeing something incredibly easy (a perfectly sauteed chicken breast with S&P) that tastes like a million bucks can inspire them to want to learn. My $.02 (depending on exchange rates)

I'm not a drinker - but I bet that would make for some 'interesting' margaritas...

That is a beautiful picture!

I am deeply curious about the recipe you use because everything sweet potato I encounter seems to be, well, VERY sweet to the point of basically being a dessert. While sweet potato based desserts are fine, I don't really want to eat them while they're pretending to be a soup or a side dish to go with something else. I'm with you on that. Sweet potatoes are already so sweet, that by the time they've had brown sugar or marshmallows or whatever else gets thrown into them for many dishes, I'm quite put off. Roast sweet potatoes, by themselves, are great. What about a savory sweet potato soup? I'd try that! You guys are spot on. Actually this soup came about at a reaction to sweet potato toothaches. In my family growing up, we never did sweet potatoes. My wife's family, however, did the cinnamon, marshmallow thing which drives me batty. Here's the link to the soup I did last year, which has precious little info but a nice pic. My basic method: Boil the sweet potatoes till soft, meanwhile, sautee fresh chopped garlic and leeks till browned, I think I added a little fresh red chile powder at this point, and probably mustard powder to the onions. I bet using roasted garlic would be really great. Added chicken stock and the chopped sweet potatoes and simmered a little, then immersion blender till smooth. I added cinnamon & nutmeg & maple, salt & pepper, but kept the balance toward savory. Also milk and/or cream while simmering the blended concoction to loosen it up It has a little Indian flare - in that your brain is telling you 'this should be sweet' but your tongue is telling you 'this is savory'. I only made a small pot which is a shame because it stole the show!

Our first week living in Bangalore, we took the kids to a great steak place called The Only Place. The kids got quite a laugh when the waiter asked if we wanted 'wedgies' with our steak.

Sweet potato soup! I make it savory and it vanishes overnight. I think this year I might make it military-scale and freeze it to last a while.

Hey now...don't be talking about the new super-auto espresso machine I'm lusting after...

PC - That tart has me intrigued as well. I'd love to see a recipe or method for that one. Also - I love these pictures. Especially the Cha Ca La Vong and the Tart. Beautiful. Possibly you could show us a pic of your setup over at The Food Photography Topic.

Yes it seems to be designed to limit convection as much as possible.

Turns out..the little roasted pepper on the bottom was a Trinindad Scorpion Bhut Jolokia!! WOW..I'm still feeling it There's not a lot I wouldn't give right now to have a bowl of that soup...

Have I been living in a cave? I can honestly say I don't think I've ever realized people ate loofah. I just googled it and was enlightened.

That's more your iPhone/iPad's fault than eGullet's. Apple, in their infinite wisdom, has denied you access to the file system. So you can only share photos with certain apps, and I am pretty certain that Safari and Tapatalk aren't on the list.Keith - I can say for certain that tapatalk on iPad lets you upload photos from your camera roll.

On the subject of replacement batteries - I've been purchasing Wasabe power (from Amazon) replacements. They usually come in sets of two with a charger (including car adapter) for $30-50. I've got a set for each of my Canon's and also my GoPro Hero. They work like champs and function like OEM, no issues at all. I'm not sure how they're so cheap, or why the others are so expensive - maybe it's magic unicorn dust - but I love them!

Teo, Not food-specific, but a good all-rounder is Tony Northrup's DSLR Book. It helps to understand the basics, and the eBook version includes some videos that are helpful.

Sorry for the very late resurrection/answer to this question: Yes, that little patch is great for moving the cooked stuff over to. Also, on all but the highest settings, the outer edge of the disc stays cool enough to rest cooked meat. My go-to recipe: Fry 1lb of spicy chorizo, move to the side 1lb of chopped bacon (cheap fatty stuff) till crispy, move to the side 2lb of chopped pork (shoulder or boneless chops, whatever is on sale), move to the side --At this point I've also added chicken if trying to make a bunch of food You should have a puddle of amazing smelling grease/fat in the middle now, toss your veggies in: -Chillies, garlic, onions, after a few seconds, scoop all the meat back in and quickly dump a can of coke or other dark cola in (some use beer) and toss it all together, including the already cooked meat you scoop in from the edges. Turn off the heat and serve directly into tortillas. Some good cheese, crema mexicana, and you've got a feast. This is really fun when everyone is hanging around outside, or camping. It's a truly sinful dish but super yummy.

An easy 'hack' to upload pictures via tapatalk that aren't in your iPad or iPhone already (for iOS users): If you use a PC, you can install photostream from Apple (iCloud panel). It allows you to keep a copy of your pics from your cell phone cam/ipad etc on your PC, but you can turn that option off. It also provides an 'uploads' folder. Dragging any picture into that folder will copy it into photostream, and will shortly appear on your iPad/iphone or other devices connected to that account. Wait a couple minutes, open Tapatalk on iPad and upload your pics. OR any other syncing app like dropbox will work. The big advantage is that tapatalk automatically resizes the pictures, eliminating a PITB step.

I must say, that's the first time (I think in my life), that I've felt that a liver dish looked appetizing. Did you form the pate in a full mold (like a dish) or is that pattern from something pressed into the face of it?

Brilliant. I don't think there's a person who doesn't know you that would connect the pic of your setup and the shots of your food. Just more evidence that you can make beautiful pictures with basic setups.

Panaderia - I love those spiral dishes. Have any pics of a dish unobstructed by tasty treats?

Lucky boy! And for shame that he didn't make it. I, for one, deeply regret that I never got 'into' cooking until long after mom was gone. Thankfully, Mrs. Meshugana is able to make some of mom's recipes (thank God she was paying attention!).

The first certainly has a more traditional look, it reminds me of a cabin, rustic and warm. The second is a little more modern. The soft lighting in the second can flatten things which may or may not be what you're looking for. Maybe I should've presented the two quick snaps without the editorializing.