fifi

Ah, loverly, bleachboy. I agree with you about chile gravy tasted on its own. I don't like it much either. I felt the same way about the version from page 106 that starts with dried anchos. But when it is combined with the other usual ingredients, it comes into its own. I also find that medium high heat on my crummy electric range is too high. I have to use medium to keep things under control.

What is it about frying a bird that has so much emotional baggage? It does for me. The baggage is almost always good and lightly carried. Even in the past few years, when I resurrected the ritual, it was universally greeted by family and friends as an "event." And a good one at that. I am also beginning to suspect that Aunt Minnie's technique of fiddling around with the chicken in a clockwise manner was a way of focusing her mind on the situation at hand. Oddly enough, the last foray into frying the drumettes and employing this technique resulted in a weird experience. I was focusing on rotating the chicken but in the back of my mind, many other life decisions became clear. *cue Twilight Zone music* OK . . . Maybe we need a thread on the Zen of frying chicken.

Endorsement or not, Ming Tsai is absolutely correct. I was a "trained shrimp nose" for FDA in the late 70s. Flash freezing or Instant Quick Freezing (IQF) was just coming into its own. Unless you are next to where the shrimp boats dock (I am), shrimp are in season (not today), and they return to port every day (Gulf shrimpers don't) you really want the IQF product. BTW . . . I am in Steve's camp on this one. More power to 'em. I'll judge a chef's cooking and creativity on the end result. I still adore Bayless's restaurants.

If it is your recipe there aren't any copyright issues, please enter it into RecipeGullet and put a link here. I would think that the different varieties of sweet onions are probably interchangeable.

I hardly ever eat cereal but my nostalgic favorite is Cheerios, whole milk and sliced banana with not a lot of sugar. When I want to feel virtuous, I like Grape-Nots. We fondly call them "gum rippers." Life comes in a distant third. I do find myself munching on leftover Rice and Corn Cheks from the holiday snack making session.

Thanks for the link, steverino. That is what I was looking for, especially the story. I think I remember my mother finding something similar in the newspaper when the packets first came out. I sure didn't remember any sour cream involved. That would have been an "exotic ingredient" back then. Contents have now been captured in my recipe folder.

The 1015 sweet onions are showing up in our markets. This always speaks to me of warming weather and a good cold beer. Now, we all know that cooking with the various sweet onions is a waste of sweet onions. We do know that, don't we? Sweet onions are meant to be eaten raw. Of course, you think of salad as a natural. But my favorite way to enjoy these beauties is in an onion sandwich. Stay with me here: 1) Get a couple of slices of a really good white bread. A soft verson is best. 2) Liberally spread with a good mayonaise. Many afficiandos use their homemade. I generally wimp out and use Hellman's Mayonesa (made with lime juice). 3) Pile on very thinly sliced sweet onion. Salt and pepper, be generous with the pepper. I have been know to use Jane's Crazy Salt for a nice variation. 4) Eat with a nice crisp cold lager, or two. 5) Nap! There is some mysterious chemistry in a pile of raw onion and cold beer that is nap inducing. A hammock is optional. The other thing I do with these is start again with the thinly sliced onion. Spritz generously with fresh lime juice. Add salt and pepper and let it sit in the fridge for a while. I heap this stuff on all sorts of things . . . salads, tacos, as a condiment with quesadillas. (I have done this for years using red onion but the 1015s give it a nice twist.) Most of my uses of these beauties really keep it simple and take advantage of the raw goodness. Any other ideas?

My friend Mr. Google found this from Cooks Illustrated.

Dana, I just sit mangos on the counter sort of like you would avocados. If you need to speed it up, put them in a paper bag with an apple. The apple will give off ethylene gas and the bag will keep it around to help ripen the mango. That is the theory, anyway. I sort of suspect that a mango gives off enough ethylene on its own and might do just as well in a bag without the apple. The one I used was ripe enough to be really sweet but wasn't mushy yet.

This must be a convergence of the stars or something. I was just wondering about this the other day. It may have been the Kraft or Hidden Valley commercials about the added buttermilk and whatever. I got to wondering about the original recipe. I think I remember my mother making it with a package of seasoning and just buttermilk, I think. I can't see where saltines would come in unless they are well pulverised and used for thickening. The package of stuff looked like it was just herbs, salt and maybe cornstarch or something like it for thickening. Does anyone know the origin of ranch dressing? Is there an "original recipe?"

Even though you did some of the recipes in the past, I would still be interested in your opinions of what you have cooked. In the interest of science . . . You go, Don! I forgot to take pictures but I made the Mango Salsa on page 254. In the past, I have left out the pineapple and maybe not had the ripest mango. This time I did it by the book. Tip . . . I was able to buy a small container of prepped fresh pineapple in the produce section of my grocery. In the past, I have not used the pineapple because I was avoiding the sweet notes and prepping a whole pineapple for a cup was too much trouble. My mango was nicely ripe and sweet. Actually, last time I made my black bean and mango salsa I used a ripe mango and it was noticeably better. Note to self: sometimes sweet is good. Anyway, I did this one by the book to take to a friend's house. This was probably a historic moment . . . fifi makes salsa using measuring utensils. It was served with some very nice grilled shrimp. I am now a believer. I even used the cilantro. I hate the stuff but my friends love it. Actually, in this mix and the fact that the recipe doesn't call for that much, it wasn't bad. Maybe the fruit does something to it so that it doesn't taste as much like soap (to me). For the poblano and red bell pepper, I chose what I call a medium size, not the giant honkers. The only substitution I might make, just for the fun of it, is lime juice instead of lemon. Too bad about the pictures. It is really a pretty dish on the plate. I forgot my camera and my friends' camera had a dead battery. There were no leftovers for me to bring home and shoot.

From the consumer's perspective, me . . . If you don't take plastic I probably won't go there. We continue to move toward a cashless society here in the US. Yes, I know that there are fees in there. I just expect it to be figured in with the price of the food just like the rent, ingredients, utilities and all other costs of doing business. I remember a few years ago one of the oil companies offered a few cents a gallon less for cash. Then the competitors started with "same low price, cash or credit." The cash discount was about as popular as the "New" Coca Cola.

Heh heh. Susan, you have really hit on the absolute charm of braised dishes. They are so forgiving of real life. What else can sit around in the oven and sigh . . . "OK. Just go ahead and ignore me. I will be here when you need me. I know. You don't think I am important. But I am still here. I will fill your belly when you happen to notice. And I will be really good. But . . . Do you notice? I wonder? (Sigh.) I don't get any respect. I am just a pot of braised goodness. (Sigh.) If I were that sexy grilled whatever I would probably get more attention. (Sigh.)" Braised dishes are the Eeyore of my kitchen repertoire.

Mabelline . . . I am so glad that the enchiladas added to your serenity. Those that I did had the same effect. There is something soul satisfying about this dish that evades description. I needed that when I cooked them and they have definitely come through.

OK. You lost me there. Is there something you did with the regular recessed lights? I mean, I got the bit about the blue shades on the halogen lights over the eating bar. What else is there?

I am making notes on my blueprints as we type. I am adding power strips everywhere. Especially on the island. Sheesh. Between Marlene and Varmint, you guys have saved me a lot of grief. And I thought I had everything well thought out.

I used to use a ring flash many years ago for scientific photos. I was just getting way into macro 35mm when I kind of dropped it due to other priorities. Now I am wondering. I don't remember about the ring flash in the lab. Is a ring flash less "intrusive" so that I wouldn't feel bad about using it in a restaurant?

Over in the Tex-Mex Cooking with Robb Walsh thread, I made his "Montparnasse Gruyere Enchiladas." That was quite a taste adventure.

You just made my day!

Ask and ye shall receive . . . Confit Duck, Step by step with photos. I can't think of a way to waste onion confit. It may take a long time but you pretty much ignore it so it isn't any work at all. And, it is cheap! I say to give your Ruffles a treat. Hey . . . It has to be better than the dried onion soup version.

Another thing I don't see anymore is the fried chicken livers. In the early sixties, my best friend and I would ride our bicycles about two miles to the nearest Kentucky Fried Chicken every Thursday all summer long. We would get a bucket of livers to go, peddle them home, and we would all pig out. They only had livers on Thursdays. The biography of the Colonel that I saw recently on The Biography Channel said that he lost control over his image when he sold out and regretted it. It was some time before he would agree to do promotions for them again.

Actually, that grid reflection sounds kinda cool.

Rainbow Lodge is lovely. And they do some very nice game dishes. As an aside, the original part of the building was the home of my pediatrician. Hmmm . . . 48 hours is much too little time.

I have always been able to get them in just about any grocery store. Not the five pound bags, but I could get them. They are an essential ingredient in my Microwave Fudge recipe. Though I haven't tried to buy them since the holidays.

I ran into this tidbit on CNN today. I find it somehow satisfying that maybe someone "gets it" as in . . . don't try to be something you are not. Given the popularity of our recent Fried Chicken Cook-Off, why am I not surprised?