LBNoble

I am almost embarrassed to admit (not really) that I’m adding the last of my Aldi white cheddar/cranberry cheese to my mac n’ cheese (yes, I use the blue box) tomorrow-

This is the curly kale, so we’ll see- I had lacinato kale in my last box & made a frittata w/ kale/bacon/Gruyere for Xmas morning, it was delicious (had chopped Roma tomatoes w/ basil & balsamic on the side)-

I don’t have collards either, so I will cook my kale & Swiss chard w/ a little bacon for greens for tomorrow, already cooked black eyed peas & will make cornbread, too. Happy New Year, everyone!

I use 2 of those generic glass jars that pizzerias use for red peppers (i also have different sea salts in their original containers)they're on the side of the stove w/ 3 pepper mills-2 black, 1 white. Szechuan peppercorns are in a plastic container in the cupboard.

I have been going crazy w/ soup-lentil & pulled pork, turkey broth, & a good hit of balsamic. Today, I used a smoked turkey carcass to make pho broth, added Szechuan pepper, star anise, half a cinnamon stick, lots of white pepper, & a small piece of orange rind. I added rice noodles, leftover brisket & turkey, to make a faux pho. Next up, blackeyed peas w/ leftover ham...

I have smoked a lot of stuff on my Weber Smoky Mt this fall, & I'm kicking myself that I haven't set up anything for today, because it's beautiful (72 degrees) here, but we're still eating turkey & brisket that I smoked 4 days ago. I love my smoker.

Guess I'm the heretic who said I could bake my own pita bread-have a bread machine recipe, pop on the pizza stone,3-5 breads for a day or two, works for me...now if I just had some convenient olive trees, I'd be set...I'd much rather have other folks cooking for me, those kishk & shanklish look wonderful...

I think I have 4 clay pots, oldest is the cazuela, I use that for bean dip & casseroles, used at least monthly, it's probably 10 years old, so it's paid for itself. I have a romertopf, purchased at a thrift store, used once, a new Chinese clay pot, only purchased a month ago & used once, & this past year for Xmas, got a La Chamba covered casserole (2x/ so far). The cazuela is my favorite, probably because of longevity. I don't notice a huge difference in the use of clay cookware, but the runner-up is the La Chamba casserole-it's just beautiful! Personally, I wouldn't bother buying a clay skillet-regular ss or nonstick are fine for quick sautes.

Thanks for the tips, I'll have to try Me Jana for lunch sometime. What's the grocery in McLean that has good stuff? I live in southern Fairfax county, closest to me is Mediterranean Gourmet Market, I'll be visiting this week. I make my own labneh (basically, drained yogurt, right?) & make a bastardized 'Greek grilled cheese', w/ melted provolone on pita, topped w/ yogurt, feta, marinated cukes, lettuce, tomatoes, olives. I'd like to pick up some za'tar & start baking my own pita (just because it's dead easy, & overpriced in the grocery store).

I'm really enjoying your blog & photos, that grilled fish looked delicious. When you're back in DC, are there any places that are similar to the food you can find in Beirut? I know this area has a lot of kabob & falafel places, but they're all different-Lebanese, Pakistani, Afghani, chains like Maoz...what do you do to try & approximate the flavor, or do you just cook for yourself, & enjoy different stuff?

It seems more logical to put some veg on the bottom, but I try to get the majority of the meat's surface in contact w/ the pot (& I don't use much added liquid, preferring fatty cuts, like chuck or chicken thighs), so my vegetables go on top, but eventually get stirred around....

Kosher salt & limes or lemons...

We're having blackeyed peas & collards, ribs & cornbread-the first 2 are a given (need some luck & money this year)...

liver, beets, chickpeas, bell peppers-not totally ruling out sweet potatoes or winter squash, although I've never had any that I've liked...

Serendipity!-Just back from vacation, not much in the kitchen, but rather than chucking the slightly tired cabbage & green onion, I sauteed them w/ a dab of oil, soy sauce, & pepper, topped w/ some frozen salad shrimp, mixed 2 eggs w/ some flour & water, poured it over the top, & after flipping, had a lovely little mini okonomiyaki. I topped it w/ a smear of sriracha mayo & it was delicious! Next time, I'll add some bacon...

Right now, I'm eating mac & cheese w/ crumbled bacon & Marie Sharp hot sauce. I've been to the grocery store twice in the last 2 days, tanked up the car, & don't plan on leaving the house for the next 48 hrs.-just hope we don't lose power! Got some black beans cooking for tonight...

2 of my favorite basic Asian cookbooks are 'Let's cook Japanese Food'-Amy Kaneko (homestyle Japanese food) & 'Everyday Asian'-Marnie Henricksson (easy recipes,my favorites are Vietnamese Chicken salad & Green beans w/ minced pork)-those are 2 he or she could cook dinner from, while becoming comfortable w/ Asian ingredients. A good all-around basic cookbook is Corinne Trang's 'Essentials of Asian Cuisine'-these would all help w/ fundamentals of Asian cooking, although there are lots of other wonderful cookbooks...

I care, thanks for letting me know-I thought this episode was the best yet, it's a shame it was cancelled prematurely. There seemed to be more focus on the cooking (less drama) & although I disagreed with the 'chopped' couple, I thought it was worthwhile viewing...I thought the 'crimson' team's menu sounded much more appetizing than the black team's, still a 'rough' show, but I think if they had stuck with it, it could have improved & pulled in an audience...

I'm kind of annoyed that NBC decided to cancel this show after only 3 episodes-I think they didn't even give it a chance. The least they could do is finish it out, let us see a conclusion, even if they didn't plan to continue with the show. I would also prefer to see a straight up cooking show, w/ MPW, but that's not going to happen on NBC.

I'm sure his stable of restaurants have been affected by the global depression, but I'm still enjoying his shows on TV-just started watching F-Word & Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America. Some of the restaurants he's dealt with have major problems-& probably won't make it, especially if they have ongoing debt. The food business has got to be the most difficult to continue, in this lagging economy...perishable product, slow market, sounds like impenetrable odds...

It sounds like you've got a wonderful opportunity w/ your summer stint at Hibiscus, my son is just a bit younger than you & interested in food as well, here's my advice, for what it's worth- -read everything you can, not just cookbooks- newspapers, novels, know what's going on... -cook as much as you can-meals for your family, help with the shopping (so you know costs), treats to share w/ friends -don't neglect your schoolwork, it's great that you have a focused ambition, use your schoolwork to support that -a weekend job would be enough right now, you can form good work habits-showing up all the time, doing 'scut' work, learning to work w/ a group I started working p/t as a waitress when I was 15, & continued while I was in college, it was valuable training in how to conduct myself in the workplace, & I learned a great deal. I hope my son (who is interested in food, cooking, & service) will show the same initiative that you have, in going after a position that he's interested in-Good luck!

I purchased 'On the Line' right after Xmas-it's a great book! It gives you an upclose look at the inner workings of a top restaurant like Le Bernardin. I'm looking forward to the 'Top Chef' rerun tonight, just to see Chef Ripert in action-I think most people in the culinary world have a great respect for him & that says something, that your peers (& the viewing public) think you're doing a good job...

I can't believe this thread has gone to 2 pages. I f you cut an appreciable amount of bread, it would seem to be worthwhile to use a proper knife-like a serrated Mac. I also have a long serrated Spyderco utility, if I were really obsessive, I'd get a Gude. In the meantime, I prefer to save my other knives for other tasks-it's not that they couldn't handle it, it's just that it's not what they're best suited for-the right tool for the right job...

I use trays, because I have let my children get into the unfortunate habit of eating in the sunroom/tv room. They also frequently have other kids over, & it's just easier to put drinks & plates on several small trays that they can put between them. Of course, I have not yet figured out how to get them to take their empty trays w/ dirty dishes out to the kitchen, to place in the dishwasher, but I'm working on it... (I use Ikea plastic trays).

I agree with the others who have suggested Togiharu-I have a 240 cm Togiharu Inox that is my most used knife (& I have a few), & also the hammered textured damascus knives (I have the santoku & a petty from another maker that looks identical to the Togiharu) are quite attractive, as well as wicked sharp right out of the box. I don't imagine that you could go wrong with any of their lines & they are on sale now at Korin through 12/31.