Mistinguett

The green curry with duck is outstanding ( it is soupy, as someone mentioned). I always pair it with coconut rice, which I could eat plain - but why? when there's all that curry sauce...

Actually, the Garden is not Cornel's anymore - for at least 2 years the name changed to Romanian Garden. Just in case that anyone is interested and looking for the place. Anyway... I'm up for a get-together at the Garden, haven't been in a while and I kinda crave their tripe soup. I highly recommend the papanasi at Romanian Garden - this is the main reason for not trying any of the recipes in the cookbooks I own, I don't think I can do better than their cook. The papanasi in my avatar are from another Romanian place, but they're not as good as Garden's.

The best inexpensive gadget I've found so far looks like an oversized beer opener, just that is made of plastic. It just pops the vacuumed lid - after that it's child's play to open it.

My grandmother used to make this sweet polenta for breakfast, more like a runny polenta. She would just add sugar to the water - I remember enjoying that as a child (and I didn't like polenta). Also, you can use the cornmeal as coating for fried fish.

I used to hate cheese (since childhood). Only the smell would make me gag. And then, one day (3-4 years ago), I fell in love with brie. And then with mozzarella (mild cheeses, does this mean anything?). Swiss cheese folowed: I'd make sandwiches with 2 slices of swiss and butter in between, with just a dash of pepper. For a while I thought that I like only mild cheeses, or certain textures - but I think it's just certain smells that I can't stand. To this day I can't stomach the smell of feta, but I love goat cheese. I used to hate parmiggiano, but did I know the good stuff? - no. Now I like it, only as a punctuation of flavor (I hate it when it overpowers the dish). I like some cheddars, but not nearly all of them. Same goes for blue cheese. However, I'm not turning my head in disgust anymore when I smell cheese. Having just spent a small fortune on cheese on Monday... I'd say it's worth trying to like cheese.

We went to NGB just this monday and the soup dumplings were as delicious as ever. Our server was a lady I haven't seen before, and she gave us the biggest smiles I've seen in NGB (after she came from the kitchen with a whole sea cucumber to show us that this is what we ordered and to ask if that's ok - when we approved the smile came and stayed with her until we left) Dumpling, it must have been an off night, who knows. I've never been disappointed by their soup dumplings yet. Funny thing about YSD - every time we intend to try it, there's something - either they have a private party, or they're closed for the night (we're late diners). On Monday they closed at 8 pm for a "New Year's private gathering".

I'll never again try to lift a whole chicken from simmering soup with just the metal tongs. Because it might just happen again that soup would channel it's way to the side of my hand and it really hurts.

Just reporting on the second half of the squash. I baked both halves at the same time, and found that a half produced more than enough "spaghetti" - so the second half went in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap. Afraid that it might spoil if I waited another day, I decided to give it a go for last night's dinner. Popped it in the oven (cut side down) for another half an hour and what do you know? it wasn't overcooked - I'd say it was just right, a little sweeter maybe than previous night. The sauce was sauteed shallots in butter, with a bit of cream (ok, more like 1/2 cup) and some peas. Some grated parmesan and that was it. Both sauces were delighful and not that much different, but if I had to choose, I'd choose the Alfredo. So my conclusion is what fifi and Jason said: great vehicle for butter, cream and parmiggiano, avoiding real spaghetti and having your vegetables. And a big YES to what fifi said about nuking before cutting and roasting. Makes a lot of sense and there will be no other way for me.

Cleo, I had some trouble with it myself - in the end I was able to cut it in (two slightly uneven) halves with my 10" chefs knife, as melkor said. So. I baked it, basted with a lot of butter, s&p, and just a smudge of fresh ginger. Scraped it and tasted: a bit... bland. So I decided to make an alfredo sauce - although I was worried about how the ginger flavor will go with parmiggiano - but it was delicious. Note - a half is more than enough for two hungry people. Now I have another half to experiment with.

It's my first attempt to cook spaghetti squash, and I have a feeling that I'll like it. However, my husband behaved like a 5 year old when his eyes fell on the yellow beauty, and his question was:"what are you going to do with that?" So, I need your advice. Microwave or baked? Does it really make a difference in taste? And after making the "spaghetti", what? I need some idea as I really want my husband to like it (yes, I'm trying really hard to make him eat his veggies).

I'll add my vote for the Swissmar. I never though I'll use a peeler with such pleasure. Bought at BB&B for $2.99. p.s. so much for W-S's claim that it's an exclusive...

I love tripe a la mode de Caen and a tripe soup that I have at the romanian restaurants in my 'hood - heavy on sour cream, served with crushed garlic and hot peppers, fixed with vinegar. It's a strange but delightful dish if made right. It's richer than the turkish version and, I find it, more flavorful. I find that with tripe (especially) it's very important that the preparation is a careful one. Tripe can be tough if slightly uncooked or stringy if overcooked. A mediocre dish can be a total turn off for a first timer.

Gluttony is All You Can Eat Buffets... And I won't elaborate on that.

I've been making chocolate truffles with unsweetened chocolate (Calebault) and Splenda for weeks now and I can't taste anything funny, they're absolutely delicios. I use about 5 packs of Splenda for 8 oz. of chocolate. For whipped cream - 1 pack to 1 cup heavy cream. I have no complains. As for bars, there's an Atkins bar with peanuts that I tried and liked, and Think Thin Lo-Carb I find pretty good (Chocolate Fudge) and the right size.

I tried (just for fun) "grocery cart retail price" and this is one of the first results: http://www.factorysupply.net/carts.htm It looks like the regular plastic ones are $135.

Polenta - here's another fav dish, inexpensive and fast. Make a small pot of polenta, and while still hot layer in a small bowl like this: polenta, feta cheese, polenta, cut up ham (or browned bacon if you wish), polenta and an egg sunnyside up - broil for a minute and serve. Another polenta dish - scoop some polenta in a small bowl, make a well with the back of a spoon, place some sour cream in the well. Grate feta cheese over and serve.

Here's my two cents. Peas - dump a package of frozen peas in a little boiling water (per package instructions, but boil for a couple of minutes less); saute an onion, add 1 small can tomato sauce, 1/4 cup water (or stock if you have on hand), salt and pepper, and (optional) 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon white vinegar. (If you have any leftover chicken, you can add it now). Drain the peas and dump into sauce, let boil for 2-3 minutes. Add a good amount of chopped dill (1 teaspoon if dried, more if fresh) and serve. All about 20 minutes. Beans mezze style - I use Goya butter beans. Brown an onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil with a pinch of paprika. Pour the beans in a blender (or if you use a stick blender like I do, in a bowl) add a garlic clove per can of beans and salt and blend until creamy. When ready, top with the browned onion and the oil.

How timely this thread resurfaced... I just noticed "dyed salmon" at my local Stop&Shop, it was prepackaged and mentioned on the label - total turn-off.

I almost danced in the supermarket aile when my Queens supermarket started selling Plugra. AND 10 cents cheaper than Fairway . I, too, buy it thinking that they won't discontinue selling it if stock goes fast. In a Gourmet issue last year I read an article about the use of Plugra and other premium butters for baking. I don't remember the specifics, as what came better or not, but I remember that overall, Plugra got excellent grades. Runner-up was Land O Lakes european style - but I wasn't thrilled with it.

That's what I used to say before I discovered Plugra. Now I can't stop. On-topic: I subscribe to the opinion that Plugra makes anything baked (or not) better. And getting into economics, it's only 50 cents more expensive than regular butter per batch of cookies. More than worth it.

A few years ago I got the strangest craving of my life: pork rinds. And I mean the supermarket ones, that I've never tasted before and hoped that I never will. It was an eerie moment, as I could smell them and I could taste the almost rancid fat - all that being half a mile from the closest bag. I gave in because I actually found all this amusing, went to the supermarket, bought it, eat about 3 pieces and that was it. All I can say is that they were almost as disgusting as I imagined.

Just last night I made the recipe in Ruth's Reichl "Tender to the bone". It's basically a can chopped tomatoes, 6 cloves garlic, 1 cup water, 1 T oregano, 2 T EVOO, salt and pepper sauce, braise the shanks for an hour turning every 15 min., then add 2 cups orzo and 2 cups water and bake for another 20-30 min. until pasta is done. The recipe is for 4 shanks. Delicios.

Any kind of grilled meat Sashimi Cherries The "seafood soup with vegetables" at Nha Trang in NY Chinatown Any or all, I could have every single day

I adore lovage - but why is it so hard to find? Any place in NY where I can get it?

I might be wrong, but I always though Wishnia is sour cherry...