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twoshoes

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Posts posted by twoshoes

  1. I finished it yesterday and enjoyed it as well. he does seem happy w/ his lot in life and has toned down his bad boy ways since becoming a father. he still is outspoken and opinionated and not afraid to say what he thinks and why he thinks it. he also seems quite comfortable poking fun at his own personae. nevertheless he still pulls no punches and is more than willing to call a turd a turd. he didn't exactly bash alinea or achatz, just didn't enjoy his meal there. he gives waters her due before calling her on her utter nonsense. finally he truly does let james beard and alan rickman have it and makes a damn good case why.

    fine read and easily digested.

  2. I second Marcella Hazan. I've cooked through her"Marcella's Italian Kitchen" (except for the lengthy chapter on veal recipes - I can't get my hands on any veal), and learned so much. The dishes are uniformly delicious; although they will increase your olive oil consumption to an exponential degree. Any time I have a vegetable I don't know what to do with on my hands, I open up one of my Marcella books and sure enough, there's a simple recipe - hardly ever more than a handful of ingredients - that has me looking at that vegetable in a new way. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is still in print, isn't it? I just purchased a copy in Hong Kong.

    I picked up essentials of classic italian cooking for $5 at the local big box store.

  3. Dinner two nights ago:

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    Spaghetti and meatballs. All but the pasta was frozen and just needed heating up. I’m not big on leftovers, but spaghetti sauce is different!

    YAY! we love love LOVE spaghetti and meatballs.

    perhaps the definition of comfort food. ummm garlic bread. I know what I'm doing for lunch. or dinner.

  4. DSCN1309.JPG

    every bit as good as advertised. the oil temp got away from me on the first two pieces and they came out a bit too dark, but I ate them anyways.

    golden brown moist tender and very tasty. also simple to prepare. this one will become a staple recipe although the wife doesn't really like it when I fry food.

    she did love this chicken though.

  5. new mexican food - my favorite.

    los dos molinos is great especially if you can stand the heat.

    I've heard very good things about carlsbad tavern in scottsdale though I haven't eaten there - too far from my home on the other side of the valley.

    richardsons was excellent but it burned down and is being rebuilt. meanwhile the richardsons menu is being served at rokerij just up the street. the taos trio is excellent as is the carnnitas burrito. red white and blue enchiladas w/ red chile is superb as well.

    a couple other (mexican) possibilities...barrio cafe is very highly regarded and excellent. authentic mexican cuisine (not yer typical gringo sonoran slop). I especially like the carne asada torta (rib eye!) and cochinita pibil tacos, my wife loves the mole. los sombreros in scottsdale is similar - everything I've tried there has been outstanding. suggest the lamb adobo again the wife loves the mole. ritos is in an old house, no indoor dining (patio dining at picnic tables) is incredibly busy and rightfully so. red and green chile burros enchilada style are awesome. finally las tradicciones is also very highly regarded, I've only eaten there once and it was good, but I'd go to every other place I mentioned rather than las tradicciones.

    I doubt you'll be disappointed in any of these recs.

  6. tonight I served the beef stroganoff and feel free to say I'll never bother again. I may as well have made hamburger helper.

    the beef ribs were suitably tender but lacked a depth of flavor I get from another and much tastier recipe. the skimpy ribs may have contributed but...those others are so much better and next time I prepare braised short ribs I'll use that recipe.

    the sauteed shrooms were not a problem. they were delicious but how could they not be.

    the mushroom sauce was cloying(?) is that the right word? far too rich and shroomy. I'd prefer a more gravy like sauce and toss the sauteed mushroms into the mix and on top.

    I used store bought pasta as I don't do homemade pasta (I will soon though).

    I may tweak this one a bit to fit my taste if I even bother to do it again.

    I guess I could include a pic if you wanna see it (looked fine) but I'd just as soon forget about this one.

    thursday I'm gonna do the fried chicken and I have high expectations for that.

  7. I did the whole roast chicken and root vegetables last week and while tasty enough it certainly wasn't wonderful. the chicken was succulent moist and tender and the skin browned adequately, but not to my liking. the vegetables were great. I'd never eaten rutabaga before and can't remember the last time I ate a turnip and found both to be quite good. the potatoes and onions though were delicious. should I choose to make this dish again, I will brine it and maybe flip it over at some point to get some browning on the bottom of the chicken.

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    I made the chocolate chip cookies on friday and they were super!

  8. I've been dying to try those lemon bars and would go all out and torch the meringue since I regularly use a torch in my regular job, it's not intimidating. that technique you describe though is.

    I did the blueberry cobbler today - looks lovely though I haven't tried it yet. I'll let the wife be the judge since she's the expert.

    the whole roasted chicken w/ root veg is in the oven and I'm enjoying another (third?) glass of wine while it finishes.

    I love lemon bars and those look great. no powdered sugar sprinkled atop?

  9. pave prior to finishing w/ butter and chives. this may be the best potato dish I've ever tasted, though I remain very very fond of au gratin potatoes maybe because I'm crazy for cheese. this was the test piece for an afternoon snack.

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    not as lovely as the ad hoc image but oh so good. was better for dinner w/ garnish.

  10. I am dying to try potatoes pave, but it looks quite exacting.

    I've got the pave in the fridge waiting to be fried up for tonight's dinner. it wasn't too bad to this point. rather simple actually and less time consuming than au gratin potatoes. the only thing I would have done differently is to build it in a smaller (say 8'x8") pan.

    I've also made the chicken pot pie and it was exquisite. and better reheated in the oven for lunch the next day.

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  11. whoa - first post...

    my wife got me started buying ground beef at sprouts (are they national or regional?) because they grind it themselves fresh daily and it makes all the difference in the world. my only gripe is that it's 80/20 and I'd prefer 70/30. anyways, I won't buy it anywhere else because the quality is generally ensured.

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