Thanks for the Crepes

Yes huiray, S-Mart's cress looks like the photos you posted, more like the first two. I love the bargains available from S-Mart and also the Mexican and Indian grocers I have right here in my neighborhood. I also love the idea of supporting locally owned businesses whenever I can. Enjoying their ingredients takes an open mind and willingness to research and learn, but that's part of the fun to me.

Hey rotuts, I never used the Betty Crocker frosting mix, you're referring to for butter cream, but this brand also had a "Fluffy White Frosting Mix," I used to buy all the time. It has disappeared from everywhere I have looked. I still make a cheesecake from the Betty Crocker cookbook, but now I substitute marshmallow fluff for the frosting mix it calls for. It's still very good. The recipe calls for extra sugar, but I never use any. I like to let the tang of the cream cheese get through. I despise those tubs of trans fat frosting. ETA: I think the reason the frosting mixes disappeared was that more women started working, getting stressed, and lazy about cooking, so standards dropped. I'm all for taking short cuts and doing things the easy way, but I'll never buy another tub of those gross pre-made frostings.

Hi huiray, "Etoilated" is a very cool word I wasn't aware of. Yesterday I described some green onions I grew as leggy and floppy due to lack of sunlight, and your word is much more succinct. The watercress available at S-Mart, which is a Korean-owned pan Asian market in my neighborhood, has smaller leaves than your upland variety, and is only identified as watercress, so I assume it's the standard variety. I love shopping and exploring in S-Mart. There are so many ingredients that are new and interesting to me. Unfortunately, I can't read many of the labels on the processed aisles, but the produce and meats are usually labeled in English, so even if I have no idea what it is, I can come home and research them on the internet. I found some fresh water chestnuts one time at S-Mart, and I have not opened or bought a can of them since. I'll never go back, although they are really a pain to peel, but worth the work. I like greens in soup, so next time S-Mart has some nice-looking cress, Ill try this. I will chop into half inch pieces first, because I dislike long stings of greens that slosh drips everywhere when I try to eat it.

Chinese buffets are notorious in these parts for being subpar, so your experience, palo, doesn't surprise me at all. Fried food especially, to be at its best needs to be served hot and right out of the fryer, otherwise it gets soggy, gross and totally unappealing. I especially seek out fried items that are prepared to order. In my area places you can get this are disappearing, but I make it a point to seek them out and try to support them as best I can.

When my bother worked at a very upscale restaurant, he warned my off of the "specials". They were indeed made with ingredients they needed to move before they took a loss on them. Bonus, they upcharged for the specials. I loved this resto (Cafe Giorgio's in Cary) which has many years since gone out of business including being padlocked by the IRS. This place had an absolutely gorgeous setting in a glass building next to a pond with swans, ducks and seasonally, geese, that were reflected in the building's glass. Woods around, outdoor seating on the patio, and creative, artistic lighting, also reflected in the pond and glass. Just beautiful!!! I was lucky enough to be invited as a guest to an employee party that included much beautifully prepared food and live entertainment, but the most memorable was the Greek roast lemon chicken steaming hot from the oven. I also paid for a dinner there that was really special. I was waited on by Diane, my brother's coworker and friend, and my friend as well. She pulled out all the stops to make our special occasion extraordinary. The bouillabaise and paella were amazing! I can't remember this many decades down the road how much I tipped Diane, but it was a lot. She deserved it. Giorgio Bakatsias, the proprietor is still in business in the area, but I never get to Durham where his Parizade restaurant is operating to this day. http://parizadedurham.com/ and http://www.yelp.com/biz/parizade-durham But I always followed my brother's advice and steered clear of the specials. ETA: fixed the second link which didn't work at first.

I planted some roots cut off from green onions I had bought last year at the Asian grocery at the suggestion of, I believe, of our member dcarch. I just threw them in a flower box on the deck, and even though I do not get enough sun once my trees' canopy comes on in late spring they were quite successful. They were leggy and floppy due to lack of adequate sunlight, but I was able to use them for all the green onions I cared to use through summer and into fall. I'd say onions are a hardy crop in very adverse conditions. Also I had no insect problems, and when I put my cyclamens outside to try to give them a bit more sun, they were immediately inundated by creepy scale insects. Those damned things jump like fleas or jumping spiders! UGH! We had Japanese beetle infestations two years in a row. They are very destructive. No problem with the onions. Good luck with yours Naftal.

huiray, yes! This is the way kale should be picked when it's still small and tender. The more I harvested my plants, the more they produced. Very prolific, and I would get a fall crop after clearing out the summer flowers, and always a spring crop from the root stock, even if the winter was harsh enough to kill off the vegetation to the ground. What do you do with the watercress? I can get that at my local S-mart, but the leaves are smaller. It looks like it would be delicious raw in a salad, but I have never had it.

Thanks for your reply, hummingbirdkiss, But again this recipe calls for expensive equipment which is way out of my ken. I know dosas were made thousands of years ago, and I know they were made without specialty Indian grinders that exist today or a Vitamix. They did not have electricity when these things were invented. I want to know how to make them without expensive equipment. I'm almost sure it is possible. As I said before, much of India suffers from lack of electric power or regular outages. They make dosas everyday, and I would love to know how they do this without expensive equipment. I may be too old to do it, even if given the path, but I'd still like to know how it was/is done. I have a small mortar and pestle, and I suspect that's how they did it, only with a larger one.

Ooh, ooh, ooh! rotuts, This is not the brand of my soba noodles, but it IS the brand of Korean soy sauce that I buy. I always bring the label back to the Korean grocery when shopping because I cant make sense of it. It almost looks like OKHJ or OIHJ? Anyway killer soy sauce in a liter bottle that's very good to me. I like this soy sauce a bunch and would welcome any info for my unenlightened self as well as anything on soba. Anna N has started another thread here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/150914-crispy-sweet-potato-fries-using-japanese-style-sweet-potatoes/

Sorry you didn't like your initial attempt at Japanese sweet potato oven fries, Anna. I always cook mine from raw in a hot oven shaken in a salvaged produce bag with a little canola oil. I've served them alongside Idaho potatoes (cooked from raw with the same treatment) and everyone I've served them to prefers the Asian fries. I wouldn't microwave them first. It's liable to make them mushy. The only seasoning I use is course kosher salt, after they're cooked. Yes, absolutely the Asian tubers are starchier (which allows them to cook up to crispiness that my native (and adored) orange sweets cannot.

dcarch thanks for posting all of those YouTube links, Unfortunately, I cannot watch them because I might never be able to enjoy a meal I didn't cook myself again. BUT you are right, this stuff does happen! http://www.nj.com/morris/index.ssf/2014/10/chef_at_budd_lake_restaurant_spit_into_patrons_food_police_say.html http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/2014/10/21/cook-accused-spitting-food-kennedys-pub-fired/17682523/ http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/2015/02/19/ex-mount-olive-chef-indicted-spitting-food/23679805/ http://7online.com/food/nj-pub-cook-in-court-to-face-allegations-he-spit-in-patrons-food/359396/ I used to eat lunch with a work colleague. She was so picky, demanding and condescending that I could never get any service myself including drink refills or anything. I despised eating out with her, and always had to make up her scrimpy tip. I'm the kind of person who sits back stuffing it all down, says nothing forever, and then one day, I just boil over and erupt. We severed before this happened, but it was coming to the surface in a hurry before that came about. She was a definite candidate for this kind of mistreatment from wait staff, and or/cooks. I just hope I wasn't collateral damage. I'm still here and fairly healthy for my age. I worked as wait staff in the late 70's in Bad Bob's Nightclub in Memphis. I made good money, but not a penny from management, all tips. It was quite illegal. They had live entertainment and drew a huge crowd into the two story structure. We had Willie Nelson and Jerry Lee Lewis as well as lesser local bands for entertainment, so the cash flowed. There was food served, but I hated doing it. I definitely smelled marijauna in the kitchen one night when I went to pick up an order of ribs when Willie Nelson was there. Weird, but true, because he had a small dressing room under the stairs to the second floor? The food platters were very heavy compared to the light and more profitable mixed drinks. I hated draft beer too. Heavy and not as lucrative. I had some very bad customers. I was the crazy waitress who followed a customer out to the parking lot screaming after no tip (pay, remember management pays 0) at all after the sot sat there using my services for free and drinking for six hours. But I cannot conceive of a customer/thief that I would spit into their food or drink.

Note: This is part of an extended topic that became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it into shorter segments; the preceding part of this discussion is here: Dinner 2015 (Part 1) Hey Norm Mattews, Your "fatties" look absolutely awesome! Have you ever tried Anaheim peppers instead of poblanos in a stuffed chili preparation? To me they have lots more flavor. Sometimes they're smaller and they're almost always more slender, but I have two huge ones in the fridge, that I am sure will accept 1/4 pound of seasoned ground beef which I'll top with cheese and bake. When I can only get the small ones, I just make more per serving. I do not really care for heavily egg-battered deep-fried chili rellenos, but baked chili rellenos stuffed with meat and topped with cheese are the bomb. I can only imagine that meat and cheese stuffed chilies wrapped in bacon and smoked would be sublime. In fact, I think I'm gonna stuff my chilies as usual, wrap with a slice of bacon, then top with cheese to melt it after the bacon is cooked and crispy. Thanks for this idea. Now I'm looking forward to it more than ever. And I have to add that I like to do a little research before running my mouth (fingers) on the internet, and I found out for the first time today, that Anaheim's are also called Hatch chili's. I have spent several years being envious of Shelby's very expensive over-the-internet once-a-year delivery of a large shipment of Hatch, and I had no idea I was eating the same thing, available fresh in my grocery almost year round for $1.99 a pound. Now that I know this, the canned Hatch chilies I can get from Trader Joe's do taste a lot like what I can get fresh, but they are different. The fresh are better. I like to leave some of the seeds and membranes in my Anaheim chili rellenos for more heat, but I take them out for my husband who doesn't like the capsaicin. The heat varies in these chilies, but the floral, vegetal flavor is pretty consistent. Just an idea. I'm absolutely sure your "fatties" will rock with Poblanos too. ETA: Don't try to substitute Cubanelle peppers for Anaheims. Sometimes they look similar, except the Cubanelles are usually less pointy on the flower end. I was very unhappy the one time I could not find Anaheims and made this substitution to the point I picked out the meat and cheese and the raccoons got the pepper.

Hey there, carlieskitchen! Yes, please do tell us about your areas of interest in food and the general area where you're from if you don't mind. Welcome to eGullet!

Hmmm? I tried TJ's version and went back to the ones from S-Mart, my local Korean owned pan-Asian store. Their pork and leek dumplings are cheaper AND tastier to me. I like them well browned, not steamed, no matter the variety. I despise cleaning the grease pops on the stove, but the flavor is worth it. But thanks for the info, Shel_B because lots of folks have access to TJ's, while only a couple I know of on the board can easily get to "my" S-Mart.

Tonight we had roasted chicken wings with rosemary, beautiful rainbow chard sauteed with garlic in olive oil, and yellow corn on the cob. I'm not sure where the corn came from, but it was pretty good for out of season and hit my craving for summer just right. The meal was garnished with some "Scarlet Pearl" grape tomatoes from Mexico with surprisingly good tomato flavor for this time of year, and HUGE (almost 3 oz. apiece and not hollow) strawberries from California that were some of the best I've ever eaten out of season. Very fragrant and sweet. I can't wait for warmer weather, and local produce, but this was a really good meal, and it helped thaw out my soul a little after a very harsh winter, although I realize it wasn't as bad here as for our Northern east coast neighbors.

Thanks Anna N, weinoo and rotuts, For the helpful information on the soba noodles. I also received a very informative PM from huiray, which leads me to believe that it may be my choice of the noodles themselves that was responsible for my initial dissatisfaction with the dish. I tend to be very thrifty, and he recommends that in this case, the more expensive ones tend to be better. Also I bought these in a Korean owned pan-Asian market, and huiray recommends Japanese brands. I just checked the plastic overwrap which I did save when I stowed the noodle bundles in a heavy plastic container in the pantry. They are indeed a product of Korea, so that may be part of the problem. I've never had them in a restaurant, so I'm flying blind. It's been a while since my attempt, but I probably served them hot because of the alien nature of cold noodles to me. I will keep at it, once with the noodles I already own, and if that doesn't work, I'll get some more expensive noodles with the ingredients huiray suggests from Japan and try again. Thanks everyone for your help in expanding my culinary horizons. I love eG.

I too grew up with Kraft parm, and have never developed a taste for the stinkier cheeses. Trader Joe's sells a mellow nutty Parmesan that I really enjoy, and I've found a few others that I like too. Marcella was a fan of the more mellow ones too. She says in her "The Classic Italian Cook Book:" "When buying Parmesan cheese, ask to look at it and taste it before it is cut for you. If it is whitish and dry, and leaves a bitter aftertaste, do not buy it. If it is pale yellow, slightly moist on the tongue, and pleasantly salty, invest in a good-sized piece." So I don't feel so unsophisticated in my stance that if it smells like dirty feet or vomit, it's not going in my mouth. I realize many people enjoy the stronger flavored cheeses. They should look at like people like me leave a larger supply for them to enjoy. All that said, I still usually have a container of Kraft in the fridge, because it's the most accessible and cheapest parm that I like. I also use Gravy Master, Kraft Mac and Cheese for my husband (I can't stand it since they quit using any cheese in it), frozen pie crusts and puff pastry, and I've been known to make the Hormel canned tamale and chili casserole. WITH delicious beans, so there Texas! I even have a package of Totino's pizza rolls in the freezer, although the rest may get cooked up for the raccoons, unless the husband wants to eat them. Every decade or so, I forget how bad they are with all the ersatz ingredients and give in to a craving. I don't worry too much about what other people like to eat. Life is too short, and there are way too many other things to worry about.

Hey Anna N, Would you mind sharing how you make those soba things delicious or even edible? I bought some and still have all but one bundle and have been thinking of cooking them up for the raccoons, because my first attempt was horrible. I don't like whole wheat pasta either, but I know we have a member who goes under the name "Soba Addict," so I'm convinced there must be something to this thing.

Hey there Nut chef, Sorry I can't help you out with your query, but I extend a hearty welcome to eGullet anyway from an ex-Vermonter. I lived in Jericho and Essex Junction, which were both close to Burlington, but with little Vermont, what town isn't?

cyalexa, Those beef tendons look like good pork rinds. I would SO try them. Tri2Cook, With chittlins, it's all about the prep. As I said upthread, I would not prepare these myself after hearing descriptions of the smell during the cooking, but I'd eat them if someone I trusted their cooking offered them again. The only reason I ate such a small serving at the holiday potluck dinner was that there was so much other absolutely delicious food that I almost ate myself into a food coma. There were literally 300 different dishes, and I tried a little bit of everything I could. This is the same family that served me a sit-down seafood dinner (not allowing me to lift a finger) better than any I have ever had at any restaurant. I think it was in return for throwing their son a birthday party at my house for their family and mine with rib eye steak I cut myself from a couple primes and grilled will all the fixins. I had to rent tables and chairs and put them in the yard to accommodate everyone. He got a lot of nice presents. Too bad the relationship didn't work out, because I really, really miss the culinary side of it. If I were to find myself in a situation where I needed to cook chittlins, I'd find a way to do it outdoors, but the ones I ate were very tasty, clean, and tasted and smelled of nothing but good porkiness. Ooh! chefmd, I LOVE rabbit. My grandparents used to fry it up for breakfast, and it was wonderful. It used to be a lot easier to find in the fifties and sixties, even into the seventies, but it's pretty much gone from the mainstream by now. One of my aunts and uncle used to raise them en masse, and the whole family shared the bounty. I wish I could find it easily now. I would have to go on a quest and pay a ridiculous price in my location. I have searched for it. ETA: bold the names of those to whom I was replying.

Hey hummingbirdkiss, Would you be kind enough to please share how you make your dosa batter and what equipment and ingredients you use to produce it. I'm very eager to learn how to do this.

CatPoet, I'm very intrigued by your entire post, and I have a question about the customary Swiss desert: "swiss roll with half a peach whipped cream on top": Are fresh peaches already in season in spring in Sweden, or do you use canned/preserved peaches? Either way, this dessert sounds great, and any more details you'd care to provide would be welcome. Thanks for sharing.

Welcome to eG JanRed, There is much discussion here about gardening and sustainable, ethically grown food. You're in the right place! I'm too old to do much gardening or hobby farming on the ambitious scale I used to do it, but it hasn't diminished my interest in it one whit. It's surprising you have so much trouble with pests eating your squash plants. I never had trouble with that, in fact some of the most successful zucchini I ever grew volunteered from the compost pile and were completely neglected. Mmm, stuffed zucchini blossoms. Butternut male blossoms are even better. The hardest thing I ever grew was brussels sprouts. In Tennessee the bugs just loved them and forced me to use more pesticide than I ever had in my whole life. Weirdly, kale a related vegetable, they left completely alone, so I was able to grow it organically. Maybe the cooler growing season killed the pests off? I planted my kale in fall, and it was pretty hardy. Even if it died back to the roots in a harsh winter, I'd get a new crop in spring. The more you picked, the more it seemed to produce. I like it small and tender for boiling. The stuff I can get in the grocery now, while cheap enough, is overgrown and tough. The only way I like it is to bake it for chips. It mitigates the toughness. I, for one, would love to hear about the developments in your rooftop garden and greenhouse. I'm very much looking forward to your participation.

The eating of butan was a challenge competition on CBS's show "Survivor" several years ago. The mostly American contestants were retching and obviously having huge problems downing this "delicacy". I love trying new foods, but this will not be one of them, unless of course, I find myself starving. Never say never.

Panaderia C., As usual your beautiful (and cheap) cornucopia is amazing! Mmm, I can almost smell those peaches! Also if your green/black walnuts are anything like our local ones, you'll want to wear disposable gloves while working with them and cover cutting boards with plastic film or something. Your shells look thinner, though, more like English walnuts. Our black walnuts stain everything like crazy. They're also very perishable and go rancid quickly, which is enough for me to almost cry over. The flavor while they are fresh is unparalleled. Good luck with them, I hope they work out to be the better deal for you.