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Cleo

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Everything posted by Cleo

  1. Although I don't care for chopped liver, I have bought it at Russ & Daughters and my guests raved about it. 2nd Avenue Deli's too. Haven't been there since it has reopened, but I'd imagine the chopped liver is as good as it was.
  2. Cleo

    Tire Shaped Meatballs

    You've probably seen this stuff already, but if you haven't, you might like it. I particularly like the checkered flag toothpicks.
  3. Certainly sounds easy! I actually found this recipe and I will probably make it tonight. I guess the pureed beans help to thicken the soup...
  4. Wow, that carrot soup looks great! Although I'm not a huge fan of soup, I've been trying to make more of it lately. Can anyone point me in the direction of a broccoli soup, but one that is somewhat healthy (meaning, not a ton of cream, etc)? Thanks!
  5. I'm trying to plan a week on Cape Cod for late August and I'm strongly considering staying at the Ocean Edge resort in Brewster. It was recommended to me since we have 2 small kids, and apparently it's very family-friendly, and there's a lot to do. Does anyone have any experience with this place? Thanks!
  6. That person would have had a lot to say to me, since when I was pregnant with my daughter, now 3, I had chocolate milk for breakfast every day. Why? Because it gave me relief from the nausea. While pregnant with my son, now 15 months, I also had the chocolate milk. Not because I was nauseaus, but just because I like chocolate milk! My theory is the "everything in moderation" theory and just basic common sense. I stopped drinking coffee both times, not because of the caffeine, but because I didn't want to have the Sweet 'n Low. I didn't drink alcohol, but I don't drink in general, so why would I drink while pregnant? (now with a 3 year old and 1 year old, I sometimes feel like drinking would be a good idea! ) I breastfed my daughter briefly, then switched entirely to formula. I didn't breastfeed my son at all. Thankfully (knock on wood a million times) both of my children are extremely healthy and they are both excellent eaters. I think most of this is due to good fortune, and not what I ate or did not eat while I was pregnant.
  7. I'm glad this topic came back up because as I said earlier in the thread, I'm a confirmed paper towel addict. So what better time to try to break my habit than at the beginning of a new year?!? Part of the reason that I never bought towels was that I couldn't figure out which ones would be best for my needs, but these microfiber towels seem like they might work for me. I don't really dry dishes, since just about everything in my kitchen goes into the dishwasher. But I'm constantly wiping down my countertops, and constantly washing my hands. So I ordered these towels from Costco and we'll see what happens. I'm not too concerned about extra laundry, since I have 2 small kids, so the laundry is done several times a week anyway. Plus, I just got this fancy new washer and dryer, so (at least for the moment) laundry is fun!
  8. Otto is very child-friendly and accessible by subway. I'd suggest getting there by 5:45 or 6:00 at the latest to avoid long waits, though.
  9. My husband and I ate at Tabla last year for his birthday. We were completely underwhelmed. In fact, I can almost say that I didn't like it (and I'm not picky). This year for his birthday (early December), we were talking about where we went last year, and we couldn't even remember. As docsconz suggested, I much prefer Devi all around.
  10. My mother always forgets something when she has holiday dinners. We'll be eating dessert and she comes running out of the kitchen with the string beans. I forgot to serve the fresh fruit at Thanksgiving this year. Nobody missed it since there was 2 pies, cupcakes and 2 kinds of Ben & Jerry's.
  11. It was my first time hosting Thanksgiving and all went mostly well. We had 6 adults and 4 kids and enough food for 25 (a Jewish Thanksgiving). Started off with the ever-popular pigs in a blanket (I made them) and good old spinach dip and Ruffles (my sister brougt the dip). I, my sister, BIL, husband and kids hovered around this food and devoured it. I think that my health-conscious in-laws were horrified! I ordered a brined/marinated turkey from Stew Leonard's and all I had to do was stick it in the oven. It was huge and it took a little longer than expected to reach 170, but when it did, we took it out and let it rest for a while. It was pretty good, nothing too exciting, but to me, turkey never is. At least it wasn't dried out. Then I made this Triple Cranberry Sauce, which, oddly enough, I thought was the best thing on the table. Tart, tangy and sweet all at the same time. I made a stuffing from Mark Bittman (adapted from a James Beard recipe apparently). The flavor was delicious, with pine nuts and sage, but it was a little dry for my taste. Vegetable was peas, with butter and sauteed shallots and thyme. These were good. I wanted to make brussels sprouts or something more seasonal, but I knew that the kids would all eat peas. The only thing that I really wasn't too happy with was the mashed potatoes. I've had great success in the past with Barefoot Contessa's Parmesan Smashed Potatoes. But I decided to switch the red potatoes out and use Yukon Gold instead. I didn't realize that they could (or would) become waterlogged and the whole thing was too soupy. I mean, it tasted okay, but consistency was totally off. Then my MIL brought a carrot ring -- almost a cake-like thing that's actually pretty good. It's one thing that she can actually make that's good. And my sister was in charge of desserts. Some kind of cookie pie, and a pear-cranberry tart, all to be topped with 2 kinds of Ben & Jerrys. All in all, a nice day.
  12. I am hosting for the first time this year. Right now, it's 6 adults and 4 children, which is a pretty small crowd for us. Here's what I have so far: Turkey Stuffing made outside the turkey -- I've been wanting to try this Giada De Laurentiis recipe for Raffy's Turkey Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing. Has anyone ever made it or tried it? Some kind of cranberry sauce -- maybe this one Carrot Ring -- my mother-in-law insists on making and bringing this...it's actually the one thing that she can make that is good. Potato of some sort -- maybe a potato gratin for a change. Does anyone have any good and easy recipes for a good potato gratin? Vegetable -- maybe brussels sprouts, maybe green beans. I can't seem to zero in on what I want to make for some reason. The carrot ring is very sweet, so that's why I'm not making sweet potatoes. Also, I was going to make a corn pudding, but again, don't want too many sweet dishes. I keep thinking that I need more food, but with only 6 adults, I'm trying to not get carried away. My sister will bring desserts -- she is an excellent baker.
  13. I have to admit that I like canned mushrooms. I mean, I wouldn't make them the main ingredient and focus of a dish that I was serving to anyone, but I do keep them in the cabinet. I work full time and have 2 kids (ages 3 and 1), and I do cook many nights of the week. But on occasion, when it's late and I'm having a bowl of spaghetti with jarred marinara sauce (gasp! but it is Rao's sauce), canned mushrooms thrown in there aren't so bad. I also put capers in there too.
  14. Cleo

    Cutting Boards

    Ok, now I'm really not sure which one to get. I sort of like the Chinese chopping blocks, and they certainly are cheap. While I love the look of the Boos boards, and the Boardsmith ones too, I'm thinking that I wouldn't keep it out at all times. I pretty much keep my current cutting boards (I only have, gasp, plastic, which is why I want a new one) standing on their sides and just pull them out as needed. So maybe it's not worth spending a ton of money on something that nobody will really see?
  15. I love Stew Leonard's. I used to go to the Yonkers store every so often when I lived in Manhattan. It was always fun and a change of scenery from the usual stores and even Fresh Direct. Now I live in Westchester and I'm 15 minutes from Stew's. I go on a somewhat regular basis, maybe every other week. During the summer, we will all go -- my husband and I and our 2 kids -- and make an outing of it. We will get there around 10:30, shop and then have lunch at the outdoor grill. I have made the mistake of getting there too late (in the afternoon) on a weekend, and I won't do that again, particularly not with a 3 year old and a 1 year old in tow. So we go early -- we're up anyway. It is somewhat annoying that you can't buy "everything" there, but then again, when I go to the Food Emporium/A&P right near me (a nice, clean store), I'm always annoyed at the produce, so I can't really get "everything" there either. And I still order Fresh Direct once in a while, but I still can't get "everything" there either. With regard to the milk, my husband drinks an enormous amount of skim milk (as does my daughter), and he claims that Stew's milk is "the best". I can't vouch for it, since I don't drink enough to know good milk. Another thing that I often get is the roast chicken. Way better than the Costco chickens, and better than the Whole Foods chickens. We've tried them all and Stew's are the best around (and the cheapest at $5.99). Soda at Stew's is often on sale -- 89 cents for a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke -- can't beat that. And Rao's marinara sauce is often on sale for 2 for $10. I can never pass that up, which is why I now have 3 jars in my cabinet! For many years I lived near Fairway on Broadway & 74th and shopped there regularly. But I was single at the time, so my needs were different. Then we moved downtown and Fairway in Red Hook opened -- it became my new love. And now we're close to Stew's, which is certainly nice. I think for me, the key to to mix it up since I get a little sick of a place when I go for too many weeks in a row. I'm suddenly longing for Fairway, so a trip to the Harlem store might be in order...
  16. Cleo

    Cutting Boards

    Octaveman, I'm wondering why did you get walnut over the others like maple or mahogany? Is it just for the look (it really is beautiful!)? I really don't know the difference, but now I'm intrigued and want to make an informed decision on which type would work best for me. Thanks.
  17. I'm looking to get a wood cutting board. Just wondering, do you prefer the end or edge grain and why? I'm not sure which to get. Thanks!
  18. My daughter is almost 3 and my son is 11 months old. We don't eat at McDonald's on a regular basis by any means, but my daughter has been to McDonald's on occasion, maybe for the first time when she was around 10 or 11 months old and my son has only been there once. The need to go there just doesn't come up that often. At this point, they eat the majority of their meals at home during the week, so I make them fairly nutritious and balanced meals. I am lucky because they both eat everything -- including loads of vegetables and fruits. We don't keep a lot of cookies/cakes/chips around the house, mostly because I don't want to be the one eating them! But when we go out for lunch or dinner on the weekends, I see no harm in them eating hamburgers, french fries, etc. I mean, we go to places that are nicer than McDonald's, but french fries are french fries. I feel like if I keep up with the variety at home and just keep introducing them to more interesting foods, but not "forbidding" the fast-food, it will work to my advantage. I couldn't agree more with the theory about forbidding them to eat "junk food". It will only backfire on the parents. As a child, my husband was forced to eat certain foods that his father deemed "healthy". Let me tell you that today my 38-year-old husband would die before he would eat a piece of lettuce or a nectarine, or about a thousand other things. The good news is that until he met, it me used to be a million things that he wouldn't eat! And he really doesn't even like McDonald's (except when we go to Europe!).
  19. I do something similar: I put sliced raw cucumbers in a bowl with sliced onion, white vinegar and sugar ← Along these lines, I make this sweet & sour cucumbers with dill. Very easy and really tasty!
  20. Great, thanks for the leads. I will have to figure out the best spot with a lot of sun since we have loads of trees, but I'm already looking forward to next sumer!
  21. I never knew there were so many interesting varieties of tomatoes! But maybe that's because I've been living in an apartment in Manhattan for the past 17 years! Anyway, here's my question. Now we live in a house with a lovely backyard. Next summer I would love to have some homegrown tomatoes, but I have no idea where to begin. Can anyone recommend a website or book to give me some guidance on what varieties would work well where I live and how to care for them? Almost like "Tomato Growing for Dummies" (maybe that even exists!)?
  22. Grew up on Long Island. Chinese food on Sundays, but never chow fun (maybe we had it when I was in high school?). We were definitely of the egg roll/spare ribs/pu pu platter/fried rice camp. We never had shrimp in lobster sauce. We had a lot of cashew chicken, beef with broccoli and sweet & sour whatever. Oh, and we also had Chow Mein. Gloppy Chow Mein. I can honestly say that I haven't had Chow Mein in about 20 years!
  23. I measure salt. I hate when I cook something and it's too salty. I also measure most spices, but I'm not so precise as to level off the measuring spoons or anything. And in general, if I'm making something that I haven't made before, I will measure everything. This way, I know how the recipe "should" taste, and I can make adjustments, either right then or in the future. Once I've made something, then I rarely measure, again, except for salt. I always measure for baking.
  24. I do like Oreos! But the thing is that I didn't even see anything other than the regular natural Hershey's and Nestle's cocoa. And again, that was in 4 stores. Whole Foods had one or two additional choices, but not Dutch. It's not really urgent that I make these brownies, but they sounded good. I have a Williams-Sonoma right by my office, so I can check there. Oh wait, I just checked Penzeys website and sure enough, they have it. Next time I place an order with them, I'll order the cocoa.
  25. I was tempted to just use the natural unsweetened figuring "how bad could they be?", but then I saw this on the Joy of Baking website: "There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural and Dutch-processed and it is best to use the type specified in the recipe as the leavening agent used is dependent on the type of cocoa powder." I was too afraid that they wouldn't be good and I didn't have time to make another batch.
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