jeniac42

Actually the corn pudding I'm thinking of is like a bread pudding only made with cornbread, corn kernels. The one you posted sounds really good, too, Ron - I'll definitely try it. I love sweet corn.

Actually, if anyone has a recipe for corn pudding, I'd like to have it - I only ever get mine at City BBQ. It seems like a spoonbread, really. I also like my pulled pork on a soft white bun, for what that's worth. Coleslaw should have either a very light coating of mayo dressing or (preferable) a vinegar-based dressing.

I like mustard-based sauces, beer, coleslaw, beer, potato salad, beer, baked beans, beer, corn pudding, and beer.

Since yesterday I have done an about-face and thought, hey, maybe I'll buy the smoker this year instead and invite people over for beer and bbq, because that sounds like fun. My paycheck finally arrived so if there's anything left after I pay everyone who actually needs money, I might be able to get one or the other and start this weekend (I've got Sunday off).

Grilled chicken breast sandwiches on decent storebought buns, with roasted red peppers, lettuce, and a cilantro-almond relish (almonds, chiles, garlic, cilantro, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and salt). Pretty good, really, and not a lot of effort.

I was thinking I might just get a kettle grill for this year, do a little bit of small-scale smoking on it and get used to working with charcoal (since I'm not), and then maybe next year get a smoker. Of course, my employer mailed my paycheck to me for reasons unknown (I always pick it up) and it hasn't arrived four days later, so I might be too busy digging myself out of late-fee hell to buy anything at all! (Sorry, it's been one of those days. The prospect of grilling, even on the gas thingy, is my sole source of comfort today - and of course it will involve copious quantities of beer.)

Duh, watch me entirely miss the word "cold" in your post. What can I say - it's Monday, I'm tired. I can never decide what I want to do. Smoking and curing and other things you do with meat - all fascinating. I took a look at the Char-Griller some more and I still think it looks good although, see, I just don't know. I wish you could take these kinds of things on a trial run before you bought. If I remember correctly from the other thread, you have a Char-Griller, col klink? I did some Google searching on it and found some people suggesting it is very difficult to maintain a good temperature in a lowpriced horizontal smoker, at least for rank beginners such as myself. So I don't know. Maybe I'll end up with that, or maybe a kettle grill and a bullet smoker, or...?

Oh, I'm definitely going to keep the gas grill for the quick cooking. Eh? I thought that's what it was for? Thanks for the link. I shall now have to consider the Char-Griller smoker thingymabobber, since it could obviously do both jobs (and smoked meat is great, but sometimes I want grilled asparagus or a really seared steak). The beer can chicken must be tried once. My favorite roast chicken at the moment is the one where I cut the backbone out, take out my aggressions on the breastbone, air dry for 24h, then roast at 475F in the oven. However, every summer I become convinced that a grill is a much better thing than an oven for meats. I'm not sure why - I think it's because you can play around with the fire and it's more visceral than using the oven temp knob. That and it's outdoors.

I have read and enjoyed the various threads I've been able to track down about bbq. The closest thing I've ever had to perfect food was pulled pork, so I have a great deal of interest in learning how to do this at home. Presently I have a gas grill (I know, I know; it was a gift and couldn't be exchanged), which I find to be not good for much except a quick outdoor cooking experience - now with Beer! So I'm considering the purchase of either a charcoal grill or a smoker. I can't decide which one I should get. I imagine I would buy a Weber kettle grill, if I went that route. Could I smoke on a grill? Could I grill on a smoker? Also, can you use bullet smokers or grills for cold smoking (like bacon, fish, and cheese)? Anyone have links on the procedure, if so? I'm wading through the virtual weber bullet site but that's taking quite a while. Any advice and random anecdotes appreciated. Also, beer can chicken: Can you actually fit a chicken, propped on a beer can, under the lid of an average charcoal grill?

I've got a question about the bottled water thing. On the ready.gov website they say to store water tightly in clean plastic containers (so you don't necessarily have to go out and buy bottled water). I always thought that water sitting around still like that was an invitation to bacteria. True or not?

Here is another question about possibly bad wine: Should a 1999 Syrah/Grenache (I can't remember the name... it has the word Maris in it though) have sediment at the bottom of the bottle? I haven't encountered a wine with stuff in it yet. It tasted OK to me, but I'm, um, clueless. The cork was kind of crufty on the bottom, too.

Oh, I also have a Screwpull table model that I bought due to my trepidation over opening bottles but couldn't use it at work due to its being unprofessional, so it mostly just sits in a drawer. $25 I'll never get back; oh well.

When I first started serving, I'd opened maybe five bottles of wine in my entire life. I would start shaking anytime someone ordered a bottle. Now, I still have trouble cutting through the foil sometimes and getting it to actually come off, but I enjoy opening bottles of wine. My corkscrew and I are good friends. So I don't know about the screwtops - there's something fun about pulling the cork out. Of course, none of the wines we sell have crumbly corks so I haven't had to deal with that. Now if only I could figure out that second knife! I want a Laugiole, just for appearance, but would also really like a double hinge. Hmm.

I have a waiter's corkscrew from Monopol that works very well. I do want one of the double-hinged types, because the ones I've borrowed at work have been great. Two questions: What does a spiral corkscrew look like, vs. an auger? Also, on mine, I have two knives. One is a curved blade and the other is a serrated straight blade. I always end up using the curved one to cut the capsules, but what's the serrated one for? The foil on Champagne?

Great article. Certainly it's made my morning in the office more interesting. Of course, it's also made me crave a steak, and it's not even that time...

Nono. Mountain Dew and Pop Tarts is the breakfast of champions. You can feel your teeth rotting out of your head as you eat. I like the blueberry and raspberry frosted Pop Tarts best. But they are, in fact, way the hell too sweet so I only eat them once or twice a year.

Oh, and if you want some kinda sandwich, Chiodo's (near the slightly odd new Waterfront development in Homestead, but Chiodo's has been there since the development was steel mills) has a Mystery Sandwich. You really only need the half size one. Can't really tell you what's on it, because it's a mystery! They also have lots of bras hanging from the ceiling, if that appeals to you.

Primanti's is great. It's not in the Strip, but the O (Original Hot Dog Shop) is also well worth anyone's while. You really don't need more than the small fries there, and don't be freaked out that they charge for extra ketchup - the amount alloted to you is probably enough (I think it's like 4oz or something). Lots of good food in the Strip. Mmmm.

Well, that'd teach 'em right quick, wouldn't it?

I have a husband who's a graphic designer and am myself a big fan of beautifully designed functional objects (cf. KitchenAids, and why did they come out with the new pale blue color? just to spite me?). So most of my pans are All-Clad Stainless, although I'm not buying anymore AC saucepans - no lip? What's up with that? Function comes first, but design and appearance are also reasonably important.

The thing is, if I had a food allergy so severe I might die from it, you damn well better believe I'd be asking about everything that went into my mouth. I think fish with meat-based sauces is pretty common, so I wouldn't see a need to disclaim that. Also, having waitstaff verify every ingredient with every person who orders a dish would be... well, not so good. Can you imagine how long it would take to order dinner, and how obnoxious it would get? "Is bacon OK?" "Yes." "What about eggs?" "Fine." "Dairy products?" "Yes." "Spinach?" "What the heck, just BRING ME MY FOOD!" You know? I mean, it gets to a point where it's ridiculous. Restaurants should never be dishonest when asked what goes into a preparation (intentionally or through an error of omission) but with the number of things people object to, are allergic to, or otherwise won't eat, it's just kind of impossible to keep up. Edited because I forgot to say that listing every ingredient on the menu might also get out of hand.

I love the paper containers so when I get food in those (a few of the takeaway places still use them here) I just eat straight out of the container with chopsticks. Any other kind of container goes to a plate, unless I'm on my lunch hour, in which case I just eat straight out of whatever it is.

Funny, I sold a bottle of the Trimbach pinot blanc to a table this weekend (well, it sold itself - they knew what they wanted). I've never tasted it but it's now on the list to try.

You can buy wine in grocery stores here (Ohio). Most of them have terrible selections, but places like Giant Eagle and The Andersons seem to have a decent assortment of low- to mid-priced bottles. They also have someone assigned to work just in the wine area who can help you out a bit; kind of like a wine store, only... less so. Of course, they (like many of the places I've been to around here) tend to stock a lot of California wines, a fair number of Australian wines, and very little French, German, or Italian.

Well, my failure to consume Jaeger is no longer true. Last night (hey, it was a rough night on the floor, right?) I had a Jaegerbomb, which as I recall - and the details are fuzzy here, since I'd had, well, I probably shouldn't detail everything because it's kind of frightening - was some "beer", maybe Bud Light, and a shot of Jaeger. It kind of did taste like Dr. Pepper, but again, I wasn't in a state to judge, really. And lemme tell ya - waiting tables hung over ain't no fun. Smilin' through the pain, that's what it's all about. Smilin' through the pain.