GG Mora
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Posts posted by GG Mora
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Anyone been here recently? I'll be in town on business, but dining with friends who recommended this place.
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And here I thought this was a companion thread to "Cleavage Creek"...
No, seriously, this is inspiring me to crank up the power tools.
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Ugh. What a turn-off. I'm sure it wil be a big hit with the "classy" crowd, though.
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There's a humble little restaurant that opened in our town last spring – no great shakes, but the food is reliably fresh, good, and reasonably priced. They have two, single unisex restrooms (as in you use whichever is free) and in each is a stray light switch with a sort of cage over it and a small sign above that reads "If this restroom needs our attention, please flip this switch on." The switches activate a light in the kitchen, & if the light goes on, one of the staff is dispatched to do some tidying up or replace toilet paper or soap or whatever. I think it's a wonderfully ingenious solution...and it works.
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hmmmmm....refrigustaloxulose......how's that?
:snort of deep amusement:
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Wow, y'all, there are so many excellent suggestions here. I'm suspecting we'll be okay once me and Hub get over the shock. Boy came home this afternoon and made huge-ass tuna melts for himself and his sister. Now that I think about it, she's probably gearing up for a spurt, too. 2 years younger, but only an inch shorter, than her brother.
I shot up from just over 5'5" to 5'9" in a year (growing that fast actually hurts, did you know that? I had this deep ache in my bones & muscles that kept me up nights)........my younger brother went from 5'9" to 6'3" in a year and just about seven months....(...we each grew MORE between the ages of 20 and 22, me two inches, him one).None of that surprises me. I actually grew just over an inch in my LATE 20's. My legs hurt so much at times that at night I would lie in bed jiggling them to distract myself from the pain. A friend of Boy's grew 6 inches in 5 months, and had to be under a doctor's care (and give up soccer for the season
) because his legs got so fragile (he's fine now)....and salsa (depending on where you live, you can probably get good inexpensive homemade...Green Mountain Gringo salsa (which, if you've never had it, is My-T-Fine for bottled salsa) is made near here, and a local store carries their 1-gallon food service size for something ridiculous like 18 bucks. Now may be the time to invest for the future.
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It all comes down to my philosophy on raising my kids "My job is to prepare them for life, not to be their best bud."
As their Stepmother, I get to do both.
That's because they're boys. If you were the stepmother to girls (at least, girls with a difficult mother), believe me, you wouldn't be able to remove that "KICK ME" sign from your butt until they were older.
Lucky ducky.
(The good thing is that both my stepgirls, ages 23 and 20, finally have come around. They drop in just to visit...and without being begged.)
Nope. 4 stepkids – one boy. The whole story is somewhere in here, if you dare.
I have my moments with the girls, but we're still all friends because I'm so much cooler than their Mom.
Two of them have yet to get hormonal, though, so I could be in for a nasty surprise. -
Jaymes, thanks for pointing me to that thread – both for feeding tips and for the hilarity of Jinmyo's contributions.
I should clarify a bit by saying that I'm looking for things he can prepare for / feed to himself during those hours when the, uh, chef is off duty. I don't have any problems with dinnertime, I just need to double or triple up on quantities. I also need to be careful – my husband and I are NOT fast-growing 13-yr-old boys, if you get my drift...I don't want to be cooking separate meals for the metabolically impaired.
Thank God Boy prefers to hang out at his friends' houses rather than host them all here. Although I feel I should start contributing to other mothers' food budgets. Or sending along pans of lasagna and pots of chili.
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It all comes down to my philosophy on raising my kids "My job is to prepare them for life, not to be their best bud."
As their Stepmother, I get to do both.
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If I hear the motor on my waring I am headed in there to kill somebody.
They already know not to even LOOK at my knives (that includes my husband, who has his very own chef's knife...I even sharpen it for him
).I love the smoothie idea, and I bet Boy would, too. And yeah, chips and soda aren't part of the equation – never have been, never will be.
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Oh, boy. It has begun. It seemed to me that the kids, 11 and 13 (the Adolescent Raiders™) were eating us out of house and home. I had no idea.
Boy – 13 – is (has been?) undersize for his age. He has us check his height on the doorjamb compulsively...as IF he might actually grow overnight. And his progress has been very slow. He and his sister returned Friday evening from 2 weeks at their Ma's house, Boy with a colossus of a zit on his heretofore spotless chin. I teased him that his hormones must have activated. He teased back that maybe he'd finally start to grow. I suggested checking his height. Yep. Almost an inch since the middle of July. Egad.
Yesterday the two of us were home alone, holed up indoors away from the heat. I took over the coach to pore through the Sunday NYT. He ate. And ate. Honest injun, he was back in the kitchen every half hour for another meal-sized snack. Bowl of cereal. Dry handfuls of granola. Tuna melt. Bowl of cole slaw. Egg and cheese sandwich. And at dinner, a giant cheeseburger and plate of fries, a big glass of milk, and a root beer.
Yeah, so at this point, any of you that have raised boys are chuckling into your sleeves and thinking "Just you wait...this is only the beginning".
I recognize that I need to amend my food shopping habits, and fast. I want him to have nutritious things to load into the pit, not just cereal and bagels. I'm thinking he needs lots of protein, but how do I get it to him without spending every penny we earn? He's happy to drink milk, eat cheese and eggs...actually he's happy to eat anything even remotely resembling food. He suggested I stock up on packages of ramen noodles.
Help. You who've been through this: what did you stock up on? I need suggestions for appropriate Boy Chow.
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GG Mora your post has my interest peaked. Does a refridgerator promote staling because there are mold spores floating around in them?
I don't think staling has anything to do with mold. Two separate issues.
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What's the weather been like in Germany? Hotter and more humid than usual? That would cause the bread to mold faster. Try cleaning the inside of the box very well with bleach or some other anti-bacterial agent. If there are residual mold spores in the box, they'll keep latching onto whatever bread you put in it. Whatever bread we put in our bread box, which sounds quite like yours, is in some sort of bag, either plastic or waxed paper. Even so, this time of year it just molds very quickly due to the weather.
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My stepkids are still adjusting to a "Mom" who actually cooks. And some of the stuff I cook is entirely foreign to them. Last Christmas, I portioned out a lovely beef tenderloin into individual filets that I planned to pan-sear and serve with a nice red wine / veal reduction. When asked the inevitable "What's for dinner?" by one of the twins (age 12), I simply said "filet mignon". When the other kids asked the same question shortly thereafter, the twin answered with utter confidence and aplomb and even a little flourish "FlamMAY LonYON".
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One of my brother's daughters, when she was about 4, inquired about a truck full of pigs that passed them on the highway "Dad, how come they're taking those pigs for a ride in that truck?". My brother, ever the straight-shooter, said "Oh, I suspect they're taking them away to make them into bacon."
(Thoughtful pause.)
"They use pigs to make bacon?"
"Yes."
(Thoughtful pause.)
"Do they have to kill them to make bacon?"
"I'm afraid so."
(Longer thoughtful pause.)
"Dad, how come they have to kill the pigs? Why don't they just go to the store and BUY the bacon?"
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Gawd. I haven't had liverwurst in ages but used to LOVE it when my Mom would make her liverwurst extravagana: Sturdy pumpernickel, liverwurst, sliced red onion, cream cheese, ripe tomato, S&P.
Now I'm having cravings, too.
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Here's the quick list:
Walk down an attractive street at 8:45 pm. Go into the restaurant that has the most people in it. You will have a great evening.
Yes! Paris is all about discovery. You can take someone's specific recommendations and then be stuck trying to make the experience measure up, even when it doesn't...or you can go out and find your own treasure. There are SO many good, unsung, local restaurants, bistros, brasseries and cafés in Paris that it's nearly criminal to rely on someone else's sensibilities.
That said, on my last trip to Paris, my husband and I used "Le Methode Ocean_Islands" and discovered the prefectly delightful Brasserie Fernand, at 13 rue Guisarde in the 6me. We had an excellent 3-course prix fixe, bottle of wine and fizzy-water for 69 euros (spring of '02). The place was packed with a lively, young, local crowd.
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We need to capitalize on this. The eGullet diet plan. Wander around a lot, preferably in search of the finest ingredients, smoke whenever possible, drink wine, nibble a wide variety of very small but tasty rich treats and voilà, you're thin! I also think spending the entire month of August swimming in the Mediterranean and having sex might be necessary.
Hmmm, being led by a guy named Fat Guy might be a marketing problem though... maybe he can carry a pair of big pants to publicity events and become Monsieur formerly known as Fat Guy?
He could be Guy Le Fatte.
No, how about Guy le Gros?? using more eG's than desired, no doubt ...Actually, Louisa Chu has already aptly (and, linguistically, accurately) francofied "Fat Guy" as "Gros Mec".
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Good:
Babbo. Neat, clean, fun, easy to get around, full of interesting info.
French Laundry. Lovely, understated, seems to accurately reflect the sensibilities of each of the restaurants.
Bad:
Smokejacks, Burlington, VT. Annoying music, color scheme that has nothing to do with food, bad cut-rate photography. I boldy forged ahead, though, since this is a place I want to try when I'm next in Burlington. Once you get into it, it's decent, except for that awful purple.
Web Pages That Suck. Sorry, I think this web page sucks. It's ugly, and his placement of links to support his (reasonable and helpful) arguments is awkward and confusing.
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Heresy, I'm sure, but I use dried linguini. Just the right texture – fettucine is too beefy, spaghettini or (shudder) angel hair just too wimpy.
Little bit of breadcrumbs in the balls, little bit of egg, NEVER any onion, and I like my balls on the big side – bigger than a golf ball, say, about the size of a small clementine. Browned separately.
Sauce is chopped garlic melted in olive oil, canned whole San Marzano or SM-type tomatoes, S&P, red pepper flakes, and a splash or two of balsamic vinegar to mellow the acid in the tomatoes. All simmered for 45 minutes or so, then blitzed quickly with the immersion blender. Sauce gets ladled over the cooked pasta, meatballs laid reverently on top.
Lots of grated parm on top. Don't need bread on the side. Simple mixed greens with V&O. Whatever red wine is hanging around.
Not something I'd make for company, really, more of a school night kind of dinner. First time I made it for my stepkids, my stepson raved and said "Wow. I never knew you could make your own spaghetti and meatballs". Meaning that, previously, he'd only had it out of a can or at a "restaurant".
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When I saw the thread title, I hopped in to recommend Dan Leader's book...and there it was on your list. To my mind, it's the most "serious" of the books you've listed, and gets you deep into the whole ethos. I've had excellent results baking from it.
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There's also a co-op in the middle of Gigondas (as I suspect there is in many wine-region villages) – Caves des Vignerons (which is probably what most of the co-ops would be called). Domaine des Bosquets is a particularly good Gigondas, and the estate is quite beautiful.
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More pics from the garden:
Cauliflower
To be separated into florets, lightly oiled and grilled.Delicata Squash
Best baked plain, seasoned with a little S&P. Maybe used in Thanksgiving cheesecake?Pattypan Squash
Looking forward to another of these. -
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If you put them on the grill with the husk on, they just taste steamed to me, may as well microwave them.
I don't find that's the case if you peel the husk back, silk the cobs and then reinstall the husk. The husk then hangs loosely on the cob, allowing the smoke to infiltrate. Water soaking is advisable with this approach to prevent the husk from burning. Leaving the husks on makes the cobs easier to handle while cooking (less slippery) and the kernels less likely to burn. Also, the loose husks cool quickly. Presilking makes them somewhat less messy at the table. Another thing I like about the approach is that there's no added fat; it's healthier and neater.
I find that the browned husk & silk add excellent flavor to the corn. Big diff between grilled au naturel and microwaved.
Edit: Just to clarify, by au naturel I mean in its natural state – with husk on. Au naturel only means nekkid when you're talking about humans.
Is it cocktail time yet?
Toaster Pig
in Cooking
Posted
There's an entire book devoted to the technique of cooking under the hood – "Manifold Destiny". The top rated engine for on-the-road cooking is a Jaguar V6 (might have been a V12...haven't read the book in a while, but it seems a V6 would have better heat concentration).