Knicke

Only partially a "cooking" question, but I'm not sure where else to put it. I'm headed up to the mountains for the weekend with a bunch of friends. As this is a working weekend (most of us are part of a band, and this is ostensibly "band camp"), we're not getting fancy or involved with the food. Riiight. Of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't overthink it... I've been asked to provide sandwich stuff for one meal: rolls, condiments, lettuce, deli meats and cheeses. Pretty painless, right? The staples of many a mediocre catered lunch...However, I rarely eat this stuff myself, so I have no idea how much meat/cheese I should buy per person. Some leftovers OK, but not too many, otherwise I'm going to have to give them away (they won't get eaten if they come home with me). I'll also bring crudites and dip, chips, and brownies for dessert - it won't be just the sandwiches. Any guidance on how much meat/cheese I should plan for? Suggestions for the breakdown/varieties? I also thought about making a soup or two - nothing too challenging for me or others (we'll have some non-picky foodies and some who are unknown to me regarding their pickiness and preferences). Overkill? Worthwhile? Suggestions for soups that are 1) not fiddly 2) don't take too many ingredients 3) appealing to many? I've been cooking for my adventurous self for so long, I don't trust myself not to weird folks out.

I can really identify with a lot of what's already been said. I've had to bite my tongue numerous times at work lunches when I hear coworkers talking about how great the food is - at the Olive Garden where we are lunching! (not my choice, but I can stand their minestrone and it could be worse...really, it could be) I (silently and metaphorically) tear my hair when my boss talks about how much she hates seafood and pretty much anything that is NOT chicken and how "weird" sushi is. And of course my roommate has learned to tune me out when I get that glint in my eye and start waxing rhapsodic about my favorite reuben at the diner back home... I have noticed two categories of "others" (i.e., not fanatics like me): people who really dislike most food and cooking (my boss), and people who sort of get it and like to eat but usually can't be bothered to spend the time/effort (my family and now, kind of, my roommate). My family enjoys food - my sister and my dad kind of get my passion for it, they will get excited about new stuff and sometimes I can bring them along with me on my missions...I remember my dad was always bringing home stuff he'd never tried, but he is not careful about what he does with it (resulting in some STRANGE concontions). My mom, eh, she is pretty ambivalent but can get excited about good black licorice, which tells me there is some hope for her. But none of them really understand it when I spend hours reading cookbooks and magazines. They appreciate good food, but are not enthralled by it. I have sort of started to convert my roommate, in ways. She is more careful about where and how she buys her meat, for instance, and sometimes will cook a real meal (instead of eating takeout or Kraft Dinner as she did when we first started living together). She will eat more spicy food, too! She talks occasionally about getting me to teach her to bake bread, but it has yet to happen. I won't force it on her. Ummm...but she WILL testify that when she is cooking, I am banned from the kitchen unless my assistance is EXPLICITLY requested. Because if I'm there, I constantly look over at her work area and interject helpful comments, like "If I were you, I would dice that smaller/larger/differently...". She claims that I have the same control-freak tendencies in the kitchen as my father does in an automobile. I honestly don't feel that way - it's more like, I've done it enough that I know what works - I genuinely feel I am being helpful. I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes. And several times, she has admitted (after the fact) that my way really was easier...

I will eat with mindfulness and pleasure, not simply to assuage boredom. I will bake my own bread more often. I will find a decent fishmonger. I will learn to appreciate liver in some form or another . I will teach my roommate how to bake bread, as well as anything else she might want to learn. I will read cookbooks for ideas and suggestions, and less for complete recipes. This is the year I will try cooking with salt cod (bacalao) at least once. I will taste a dish containing octopus that I've cooked myself. I will use up perishables (esp. produce) before they go bad. I will plan meals with BOTH a sense of luxury AND a sense of frugality (so far, I can only do one or the other). I will discover (and cook) a lot more of the Alsatian cuisine of my ancestors.

I usually eat 4 meals a day (breakfast, lunch (around 11), "tea"/snack (around 3-3:30), and supper). Anywhere from 7 to 8 p.m. is the optimum time to eat my evening meal, imo. Eat supper much later, and I pay for it the next day.

Interesting! I found this book through another online forum (that one is focused on herbalism/energy healing etc., but there is a food section as well) and just recently borrowed it from the library. I agree with many of the previous comments - I miss the pictures (often a huge motivating factor in pushing me to try a recipe) but appreciate the text-heavy approach when I'm using it as a learning resource. I think I may have to get my own copy; it certainly seems worthwhile as a reference, if not a go-to cookbook. I put together a jar of the gingered carrots (lacto-pickle) a few days ago, and they should be ready tonight when I get home from work. For some reason, I'm a teensy bit squeamish about the idea of eating something that's been in my cupboard fermenting for 3 days. Weird, because I love wild yeasted bread...I'm sure that slight squeamishness will pass once I taste the carrots and confirm that I've done it correctly. Edited to say chappie, what did you think of the beet kvass? Can you describe the flavor a bit? It has me intrigued....

A big salad - arugula, walnut oil, walnuts, D'Anjou pear, and a decent local sheep's milk bleu cheese. Generous sprinkles of pepper and fleur de sel. I love being able to go home for lunch.

Count me as yet another lamb lover. I guess I must enjoy the gamey flavor, because I have yet to find a preparation that I dislike. I only wish it were more available and less expensive.

LiveScience.com via Yahoo Very neat!

Leftover eggplant parmesan (with my first batch of garden-raised tomato sauce! yeah!), cracked peppercorn pasta w/ EVOO, and half a Bartlett pear.

diva, I think the movie you're thinking of is Easy Rider. Daniel, I can't thank you enough for these whirlwind vicarious journeys. I'm getting itchy feet and a rumbling stomach just looking at the pictures.

Hmmm. I am on the fence. I like potato salad with eggs. I like potato salad without eggs. If it's going with a big hunk of protein, I'd just as soon leave out the eggs. If it's accompanying a lighter main dish, I would put them in. But I wouldn't sneeze at either version.

I'm 99% sure that it is. I find it pretty funny that they're selling these in the supermarket! Back when I was in college (and bored) in Kansas, we would occasionally try "hedge apple bowling", using these crazy-looking fruits and empty beer bottles...sometimes "hedge apple bocce"...or if we were feeling mean, we'd just chuck 'em at each other... They are indeed supposed to repel rodents and insects, but I don't know first-hand whether this is true.

Gul_Dekar, I've never actually eaten zucchini leaves. However, while I was visiting Guatemala a few weeks ago, my host told me that the leaves of certain squashes ARE eaten. Since zucchini is a type of squash, I assume you could eat those leaves, too. Here is a link to a Oaxacan recipe for "Sopa de Guias" that uses squash vine and leaves.

The better question is, how do I NOT like eggs? I can't think of a single way! My absolute favorites are nothing fancy: - devilled. 'nuff said. - poached atop any variety of supporting cast members. - overeasy, cooked in bacon drippings, mopped up with a side of medium brown toast. Guess what I'm having for dinner?

Thanks to everyone who has responded to my plea so far. As expected, lots of variations here! I can't wait to get started trying these recipes out. They all look great.

Pam, thanks, those are great questions. I like borscht with meat and without. I like sweet and sour or just plain sour borscht best. But maybe I just haven't found the right sweet recipe yet? Anyhow, I'm pretty open to anything you have to throw at me! I asked this question mainly b/c I'm intrigued by how many VERY different borscht recipes are out there. It's like lasagna, everybody's mom has a recipe, and there's a wide range of soups called "borscht". So yeah, lay it on me - I have few-to-no preconceived notions here.

I've been blessed (cursed?) with more fresh garden beets than I know what to do with. Thankfully, I'm also on the lookout for a borscht recipe that's a keeper. Do you have one you'd be willing to PM to me, or post here? Can you point me to one you like and use? I've found three or four so far (including some in RecipeGullet), but since I have so many beets to use up, I figure this is the best time to try a bunch of different recipes and find the one I like best. Extra points for recipes which can be served hot OR cold (most are better one way or the other). Anxiously awaiting the infinite wisdom of eGullet...

I myself like them all. Even the licorice, which is weird because I don't care for licorice in other forms, especially inferior licorice jelly beans. My friend had some "store brand" beans the other day (Sam's Club? I think they were Sam Walton's doing...) that were essentially generic Jelly Bellys. I was skeptical, but they were actually pretty good. Not as many flavor choices, but the ones they had seemed awfully close to the real thing. Methinks I need to get them side-by-side for an evaluative tasting!

YUM! You might have predisposed me to trying that recipe first....

SethG, sounds intriguing! Is that the "Desserts" or "Chocolate Desserts" book from Herme?

Here's what I'm after: a good quality, rather dark, chocolate ice cream recipe. Simple-sounding, I know, but I haven't found one I like much yet. I'd like to use this recipe as a jumping-off point. I have ideas for ice creams much in the style of certain haute chocolates (choc. and tea, choc., coconut and curry, etc.), but I need a good base recipe before I start on that madness. Can anyone point me to a good one?

Okay, I'm truly embarrassed to be asking this, but it's been driving me crazy! I have a problem...with tossing pasta. Specifically, long pasta tossed with small chunks of things (vegetables, bacon, etc.). The problem doesn't occur with cut pastas. Say I'm throwing together a dish with some jarred roasted peppers. No matter what I do, the peppers end up at the bottom of the bowl, rather than dispursed throughout. What the heck am I doing wrong? Can this be remedied? Can someone give me a good description of how I should be tossing pasta to avoid this? Or should I just give up on this and make chunky pasta dishes with cut pastas from now on?

I second the community garden suggestion. I am planting a plot in our community garden for the first time this year, and I'm so glad that I did. I too have only a balconey, and this offers me the opportunity to grow so much more than herbs and houseplants. Furthermore, it's a great way to connect to your community. I've already had a delightful time sharing tips and ideas with both first-time and seasoned gardeners. A good way to socialize and learn while growing your own bounty. Here's what I'm growing in the community plot: -radishes (several kinds, mostly as companion plants) -carrots (3 varieties; 2 orange and one purple) -beets (Chioggia, Detriot red, and Golden) -pole beans (2 heirloom varieties) -nasturtiums -pickling cukes (not yet planted; this weekend!) -tomatos (also to be planted this weekend) -lotsa herbs: marjoram, lemon balm, basil (Greek and Genovese), chives, dill, sage. -calendula: for skin preparations (and for pretty) -poppies: just for pretty On the balconey in containers: -4 boxes of various greens (heat-resistant arugula in 2, in the other 2, different mixes as the whim strikes me and according to the weather) -yet more basil -purple sage (because it's tasty AND purty) -spearmint -thyme -big rosemary bush (from last year; it's enormous) Whew, I think that's it.

Just made amaranth "grits" last night. Ok, for those of you who love your grits, this might be sacrilege. Really, it was not that bad. Google "amaranth grits" and you'll get several recipes. Obviously not a replacement for regular grits, but for some variety, it's worth at least one try. You can of course doctor them up the same as corn grits.

Tepee, it's been awhile since I was 11, but I'm pretty sure that at that point I was able to draw a distinction between a real animal and a cake in the shape of one. Even a much younger child can tell the difference. I haven't studied psychology either, but myself, my sister, and all my younger cousins grew up with my aunt's interestingly-shaped cakes - animals and cartoon characters were favorites - and none of us developed any tendencies toward animal cruelty. I say go ahead and make the cake the way you would like!