Allura

I'm afraid I took all your wondeful advice and ignored it. *sheeps* I ended up getting two bottles of Bear's Lair Chardonnay from Trader Joe's. I'm not sure if it was the best choice for ham and such, but it was definately a good one for us. I didn't have a lot (I feel funny after only a few sips), but my mother and sister definately enjoyed it - it was light & crisp. I'd buy it again (esp since it was only $4.99 a bottle).

Well, you don't need bread, but it's one of those things that a lot of people don't have with everyday dinners, so it could make things more festive. But, only if you're buying it, and it's on your way someplace!

Ok, if this wasn't about wine, it would go in the "kitchen questions you're embarrassed to ask" topic. Anyway, I'm hosting Easter dinner (just 5 of us), hubby doesn't like anything but sicky sweet fruit wines (strawberry, apple, etc), and I can't drink much due to meds so I have VERY little experience with wine. Still, I'd like to have some wine for dinner, and there just isn't any in the house. My mom seems to like merlots, I'm not quite sure what my sister likes, and my dad doesn't drink much either, also due to meds. Personally I like crisp (?) whiites - told you, not much experience here - but I think dry all around works best. But if someone could guide me to at least a CATEGORY - heck, white or red! - that goes with ham (no sweet glaze), I'd HUGELY love it; specific wines good, too. Something inexpensive - it's not worth the good stuff on us. THANK YOU!!!!!!

Hmm...don't suppose this is online some place? Might be a better choice then the pea & lettuce puree I was going to do for my "unusual" side (no one seemed too keen on the puree)... Aha! I found it: Savory Bread Pudding. It's the third recipe on the page.

I've never had it with spinach, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's a variation like that.

Apparently it came from a "Polly-O" ricotta recipe book years ago, yet I've run into other Italian-Americans that make it, so make of that what you will : Pie crust 3lbs. ricotta 1 3/4 lbs. of a combination of ham, cheese (provolone) and salami, diced 4 eggs 3/4 C grated cheese (parmesan) 1/4 cup flour Mix all together; put in pie crust. Bake at 350F for 3/4 of an hour. Lower temp to 300F and cook for 1/4 hr. EDIT: Changed grated cheese amount to 3/4 C not lb. It sounds more reasonable, anyway.

I was told in Germany that one always gives a token payment in exchange for a knife. As a pure gift, the knife might "severe" the friendship. The transaction evidently prevents this. ← This is another one my mother follows. When a friend of mine gave me my Heinckel knives for a shower gift, my mother insisted I give her US$0.07 per knife. Asked me everyday till I gave in. Of course, my friend's not superstitious at all and thought it very silly. I think she tossed the coins back in the spare change jar I got them from.

As soon as I get it from my Mom/dig it up around here I'll post it. OTOH, I'm having some mild panic & re-reading this thread. Mom wants ME to host! This is utterly new to me. Thankfully it'll just be immediate family, I think, although I put in a call to my cousin to invite him. Might invite my father-in-law, but I'm not sure if he'll come up from VA to NJ. So 5-10 people. And my table only fits 5..... Anyway other then "ham" I have to start building a menu - and frantically clean! So far I've sorta got: Apps: -ham pie -deviled eggs Main: -ham -potato gratin with tarragon -asparagus -broccoli w/ cheese sauce -? Dessert: -carrot cake? This is all in the last 5-10 minutes. I have a small oven, small fridge, and a small kitchen in general, so I'm trying to plan accordingly. I kinda like lamb better, but ham's harder to mess up!

Cool or room temp. It tastes too sweet when it's warm, but not sweet enough if it's straight from the fridge. I make a very plain version; just milk, rice, vanilla cooked for hours, sugar & cinnamon added at the end. The only variation I've ever tried was raisins and I didn't like that. Nor do I particularly like nutmeg (well, not in rice pudding anyway). Of course, I only know how to make a huge amount (about 2/3 of my stockpot full....) so I don't make it too often. :)

Wheat pie I called my mom to ask her about the wheat pie. Basically, it's a variation on an Italian ricotta cheesecake, with wheat berries added. I've never actually made it; in fact, she says our immediate family doesn't normally make it - it usually comes from a friend of the family. The recipe is from "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" by way of the Epicurious site. Every time I've watched Lidia's show, she seems to cook just like my family does, so I guess her's is prob close to what we have. I did remember later that my aunt often makes an anise-flavored bread with hard boiled eggs baked in. Also, my mother asked me to make our other tradition, although not a sweet one - "ham pie," which other Italian-Americans often call Easter pie. It's basically a ricotta-heavy tarte with ham, salami and provolone in it. Grandma frequently made it - I think she used the ends of the coldcuts from my grandfather's butcher shop. Oh, and I like the hard-shelled chocolate eggs. I just saw a Lindt dark chocolate bunny at Target which I almost bought. In general, I like any solid chocolate bunny - hollow ones are no fun. We used to sit around the kitchen table a day or two after easter, my dad with a big knife & a cutting board, and he'd break off pieces of chocolate at a time, with all of us snagging shavings & chunks. That was fun - I miss that.

Well, it's official - Easter will be a brunch this year. Usually my aunt hosts it, but she & my uncle will be in Hawaii this year. So, Easter will be at my mother's house. She's not sure exactly what she's making, although so far maybe a ham & some kind of egg casserole. Maybe a coffeecake as part of dessert. I've been drafted to make "ham pie," what other Italian-Americans call "Easter pie." It's sort of a quiche, filled to bursting with ham, salami, cheese, etc - the base is ricotta. VERY rich, but something I love. Of course, I have no idea where my recipe got to, so I'll have to get it from my mother again. This is something my grandmother used to make, so I'm very glad my family is willing to entrust it to me.

I'm not sure I've ever seen "real" sugar eggs - how do you make them? Are they actually edible; I think I've only seen porcelin versions. The one sweet we always have is an "Easter pie" - it's an Italian wheat pie, usually with citron & other dried fruits in it. Lots of chocolate & Italian pastries. I've become the "fancy" cook of the family, so I need to think about something to make - I'll be watching this thread! :)

One of my mother's good friends is Armenian, and my mom has learned all of her superstitions from her. "Mom, why do you do that?" "I don't know; Marie taught me" She's told us about cracking the eggs, but it's not something we usally do. Snapping the wishbone is required anytime we have a whole bird. Salt over the shoulder; if you're my mom, BOTH shoulders - just to be sure. We've got an odd New Year's day tradition: The meat should be from an animal that "walks forward." So, no poultry; we usually have pork. Also, pickled herring is a requirement "for good luck."

Elder of two kids. I'll start by eating a bit of everything, and somewhere in the middle decide what my last bite will be - usually a "best for last" for me.

I've been to Theresa's a few times, and it's pretty good. Although, if you've been going to Northside Trattoria, Theresa's is also Italian. A bit fancier, though, I think (only been to Northside once). They do make all their pasta fresh.

So what are these food theme parks? It looks like they're a food court focused on a specific type of food? I mean, when I think "theme park", I think of something like Disney World or another type of amusement park.

I consider myself a "technical" cook - I can follow a recipe with the best of them, but I really don't have a grasp on creating my own meals. I grew up with a mother that cooked well most of the time, and has a few things that are really good, but I'm not sure she actually enjoys cooking. I mean, she's Italian-American, but the sauce (gravy in our house) was always from a jar. She never made her own pasta until I was in college & we made a batch of cavatelli one afternoon. And you know what? It's much better then frozen, but it's also tedious & takes a while to make enough for everyone. My grandmother was a saint, apparently, b/c she used to make tons of them. In general, I don't think my mother enjoys cooking. She says it's a lot of work, and takes time she doesn't have. End result? "Semi-homemade", like potato flakes for mashed potatoes, jarred gravy served with the roast. Despite this, she and I both love food, and I know I inherited that from her. She enjoys going out to eat, and she & I will go explore new restaurants. Here, though, finances, not time, rears its head. My family rarely orders a full 3 courses at even the most casual of restaurants, unless it's a special occasion. Needless to say, we tend to limit our exploring to lunch, not dinner. With this background in mind, I set off to live on my own. I couldn't afford to eat out as often as I was, and realized I needed to cook. And without really knowing how, I hit the grocery store. And I encountered the ready-made foods that my mother used. Guess what I started making? Then the doc ordered me to watch what I ate, and eat low carb. You know what? Unless you want to eat chemically-laden food, you basically HAVE to cook from scratch if you eat low carb. And the same doctor warned me to stay away from heavily processed foods in general. So I started to cook. Except I still didn't know how. And I can stare at a cookbook for hours (literally) and still not know what to make. So I joined something called Saving Dinner, that sends me a weekly email with 6 recipes, suggested sides, and a shopping list. And I stumbled across egullet. And now, finally, I think I'm learning to cook. I'm starting to learn how to season things and not be afraid to use salt, and how to use a knife and got my first "pro" pan and, and... I'm quite likely one of the biggest & most long-term lurkers on the site (although I'm working hard to change that). I started off just reading the restaurant reviews of restaurants it will be a long time before I can afford, but now I read the cooking section just as avidly. Why am I still here when I ate a frozen ham & cheese croissant sandwich for breakfast? Because I'm learning. I still need a recipe (heck, even for the roasted cauliflower I hunted down the recipe!), but I'm MUCH more comfortable in a kitchen now. I used to think cooking was a chore, now it's a joy. I still don't have the stamina for really long cooking sessions (CFIDS sucks), but I can make dinner on a regular basis, and it's mostly from scratch. Sure, I've got frozen spinach in my freezer that's going into a meatloaf. But I also served salmon over fresh spinach the other day. I don't think there's anything inherently contradictory in that combination. I still love the occasional kraft mac & cheese (with tuna & cream of brocolli soup), but I also now want to try my hand at the real thing - something I never ate as a child. That's definately something I've learned to appreciate purely due to this group.

Just want to add myself to the legions of fans of roasted cauliflower. :) I had meant to try it sooner but my husband kept giving me the hairy eyeball when I suggested it. Finally made it last night, as we were looking for something to munch while watching tv. Very good; I think I liked it more then he did, or else I was just more hungry. :)

Ok, I talked to a friend who's fairly involved in girl scouts. There's several bakers. ABC (linked above) is one of them, and Little Brownie Bakers is another. Apparently the decision is region by region & council by council. When I was selling cookies, way back when, in Clifton, NJ (Lenni Lenape council), I'm pretty sure they used Little Brownie Bakers, which still calls them Samoas. ABC calls them "Carmel DeLites," and I'm not sure if the recipe was changed, they bought it but don't make it the same, or what. The name sounds like it was a reaction to the first wave of low-fat foods, though. They used to be my favorites, but the last batch I got had waaay too much caramel, like they had poured it into the container after or the cookies hadn't been cold when packed or something. I don't think I even like the "Peanut butter patties" which were another fav. Again, I think it's a difference in bakers. When my friend's troop starts selling, I may buy some from her and see how they compare to the ones I just had a few months ago. I'm mildly hooked on the newish "Animal Treasures", sold by ABC. They're the shortbread ones, but dunked in chocolate on the back. Ok, they're not gourmet, but they're not bad. [Edited to change the baker info]

My husband started out as one of those who put salt on everything, before tasting it. I finally persuaded him, mostly because my mother thought it meant he didn't like her cooking. She's just very sensitive, and I don't think she thought he was rude, though. I grew up eating low salt (Dad had been put on a low salt diet when I was a kid and it sorta stuck), and used to really have to work hard to talk my mom into extra salt for certain thing. Anyway.....DH finally started trying things first, and discovered somet stuff just didn't need extra salt. In a moment of compromise, I started salting my french fries with extra salt. :)

Saturday I made pork chops with pears. I know I've said before that I don't like fruit in my savory courses, but I'm trying to change that. Pears were a good choice, b/c they're really not that sweet at all. Just glazed with butter & brownsugar, saute'd the pork chops, made a sauce of chicken broth & a bit of balsamic. Potatoes au gratin from a box...DH is in charge of sides, and he can cook less then I can! Sunday I marinated some chicken breasts in lemon juice, tarragon, and lots of garlic. Saute'd. DH wanted garlic mashed on the side, which, frankly, was overkill on the garlic, but whatever. Potatoes twice was defiantely comfort food for me. :)

I finally had a chance to watch the Flay vs Bayless show. First, I watched it while mentally composing my post, which was weird in its own way. I really didn't know much about Bayless before the show, and I was impressed with his knowledge. I thought his food looked more interesting to me then Flay's did, actually, but I'm also one of those weird folk who doesn't like fruit or sweet things with my savory dishes, so I'm prob a bad judge. I did think Flay's plates looked better; maybe it's my tv, but Bayless's looked a little too monochromatic. From a performance PoV, I preferred watching Bayless. He had less practice at this format then Flay, presumably, yet he seemed much calmer and in control. Also, he seemed to genuinely welcome the chance to explain what he was doing, unlike Flay who seemed a bit annoyed at the interruption. But, I know someone mentioned rudeness from Flay to Bayless, but I didn't spot it. And the chopstick thing was just weird. Eat with the utensil appropriate to the food, not the diner's ethnicity! Sheesh. I wish there were more comments from the judges during the show, especially from Steingarten. Oh, and I thought one of the sous chef's, Tracy (missed her last name), rocked. I want to learn to butcher like her!

We went to a friend's apartment, which has been a tradition since it's been her parent's house we went to. Last year in the apartment for them - they bought a house! Anyway, while she's an adventerous eater, when she cooks "American" (she's Thai), she cooks fairly plain. We ended up with 12 people, I think, so buffet style: Apps: spinach-artichoke dip with bread toasts veggie platter w/ dill dip chicken salad w/ cranberries & pumpernickel toasts cheese board pepperoni-asiago pinwheels tartletts with a dill cream, a shrimp perched on top, and a caper on the side - cute! Dinner: big ol' ham macaroni & cheese (which I now need to snag her recipe for) pineapple bread dressing (I ate this for dessert!) Wild mushrooms with thyme (I brought) another friend's incredible lasagna with zuchhini, sundried tomatoes, and roasted garlic Dessert: cheesecake Actually, I'm probably being a bit harsh on her - everything was really good, and she's been working till midnight and weekends all month. So "easy" was part of the plan for her. Today we're headed over to my mother's for our "New Year's Day" dinner; DH had to work yesterday. I know she's making a crown roast of pork, but I'm not sure what else.

Spaghetti. A tie between spaghetti with clams (white) and spaghetti with stuffed calamari (red). Mmm. It's not Christmas without it, and it was really good this year.

Wow, lots of great ideas. I've got to think about it some more. I'm thinking something with some tomatoes, although they'll be vastly out of season here in NJ. Maybe some red pepper or red onion - want to get some color in there somehow, to make it a bit festive. Ok, time to let this all stew in the back of my head for a bit. Thanks!