Knicke

Just a note, racheld: don't forget to submit recipes to RecipeGullet, now that it's back online! If you have some time to get around to it...I'd love to find those Polynesian Noodles easily again...

No idea why this is happening. Sorry. Could you not try fennel seeds? Those might work better.

Hmmm, unhealthy for everyone, I don't know. For myself, eating big before going to bed gives me an ENORMOUS blood sugar drop when I wake up in the morning. Nausea, dizziness, etc., kinda like morning sickness. Sucks because I love me a copious cheese-and-crackers midnight snarf...but no longer...

I find quinoa very cute! Those little curled up "snails"... I don't eat it on its own very often, but it certainly works well with other grains. I make a "breakfast fried rice with egg", and have taken to using about half brown rice and half quinoa in that. Less heavy than plain brown rice, maybe more nutritious. Kamut: never tried it. Amaranth: Tried it, liked it. Sweetish. It's odd-textured, though - very sticky. The best application I found for it was a recipe from Mollie Katzen (the Moosewood woman). I think it was in her breakfast cookbook (blanking on the title right now). You cook the amaranth, and then form it in patties and fry them up. Crisp-Y! No need to add eggs or any other binders - the grain is sticky enough to hold together on its own.

Not quite a sweet gratin like you're picturing, but I've made an apple-onion-cheese gratin that was really tasty! And no, it didn't stick hopelessly to the pan...

Unagi is way up there. Also anything involving roe of any kind - just love the way those little capsules pop in my mouth! Octopus. Mmmm. I don't really care for uni, but I don't hate it. I'm beginning to suspect that I've never had good uni. Honestly, I've yet to meet nigri or maki that I didn't like! Oh, and not really sushi, but I really like those little fried river crabs that they serve at our local sushi joint - like crab popcorn! Delicious!

A perfectly ripe, fragrant Comice pear.

Not unless it fell in the dirt on the way home!

Brilliant! I have a longing for hot non-instant cereal in the mornings, but not the wherewithal to get up extremely early and make it. I'll be trying this method soon.

MMMMMMMM! Duck cracklings! Haven't tried those yet, but I bet they're great!

Man, I haven't found these yet - but I made a roast chicken the other day. Ate the crispy bits right out of the oven, then peeled the rest off and fried it up in a pan to make my own chicken cracklin's. Forgive me - I'm sure this is nothing new to you folks, but they were a revelation! If Tito Al's snacks taste even half as good, I'm going to have to lay in a good supply... As for weird-tasting chips/crisps: I've never had squid-flavored, but my friend's Thai restaurant back in Lawrence, KS serves shrimp crisps w/ some kind of sauce as an appetizer. They are really good. Maybe you should try some different shrimp chips? Perhaps they're just not to your taste, NulloModo...

Not having kids, I have to report on my own childhood favorites. Duck Pickled herring Raw oysters Shrimp w/ legs (to be peeled off) Mushrooms of any kind (as long as they weren't canned) Really disliked liver then, and I still don't care for it. I have to say that my parents really helped develop my palate by making me try one bite of everything set before me, and not letting me make myself a peanut butter sandwich every time dinner was not to my taste.

Two eggs over easy (fried a little garlic before I put in the eggs, YUM), 2 pieces supermarket wheat toast (for yolk-dipping), half a grapefruit, and a cup of double-bergamot black tea with milk and sugar.

Oh. My. God. What took them so long????!!! I need to find these things!

Hmmm. Up until recently, I didn't - not very well, anyway. I really didn't have the monetary resources to just make whatever I wanted. I still don't, but there's a lot more wiggle-room now. I hate shopping in that 'after-work rush', so what I try to do is plan at least three meals at a time ahead of time. On Mondays and Thursdays, I have band practice, so I only have about an hour and 15 minutes to make and eat dinner. Thus, I am pretty much locked in to what I have around the house; not much time for changing plans! Planning ahead ensures I'll actually make something halfway nutritious. I'm only cooking for myself (always), my roommate (half the time), and her boyfriend (about a quarter of the time). I try to plan meals around dislikes - I won't make shrimp unless I want to eat it all myself. Also what I'm in the mood for, what the weather calls for, what uses up what I have on hand, etc. Usually it's simple - a main and a veg, or a main and a salad, or soup and sandwiches - two dishes is about all I can handle on a weekday evening.

Sweet! Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions; you've confirmed that I need to give onions their day in the sun. Now I've just gotta find some cippolines...

lyz, do a search at the top! There are several threads on this, I think.

As with many meals, the preparation of last night's dinner began with sauteed onions. While hovering over the skillet and inhaling the familiar odor, I began thinking about both how ubiquitous and under-appreciated these sulfurous bulbs are. They're everywhere, and they're vital, but rarely are they showcased - aside from the glories of onion soup and onion confit (which have been thoroughly discussed already!). I know creamed onions show up a lot on Thanksgiving tables - I have to confess I've never had them! Do you make these? Do you do anything special to them? What's so great about them (if anything)? I'd really like to try baked onions sometime - I love the idea of cooking a whole (or a half) the same way you might another vegetable. I know that sweet onions are best raw, so I won't use those, but what kind SHOULD I use? Any recipe reccommendations? What are your thoughts on onions as the main event (in a side dish, that is)?

I came to this thread all set to mention this, and y'all have beaten me to it. I'm making infused pepper vodka (jalapenos plus a little bit of roasted red bell for sweetness) this year...all my friends are bloody mary fanatics. Lots of good ideas on this thread!

mktye, those PacMan flourless chocolate cakes looked great (no matter how tedious they were to make). Fun lookin' spread! I will definitely be stealing a few of those ideas if the opportunity to throw such a party presents itself.

I make a greek egg salad that has capers, walnuts, and dill. Or you can add horseradish. Or bacon! Or chipotle peppers. Probably not all at one time, though.

Tobin, I'm actually about an hour away from Denver, so that's definitely a possibility. Thanks for the suggestions, all!

Getting bored with chicken, pork, and beef. I've started looking for a local source of rabbit meat, but so far no dice. I'm not sure if I can wait much longer to try braising some rabbit! But I'm not sure which source I should order it from, if I go that route. Does anyone have any suggestions?

It's not too cold here yet, but I just made three sisters soup, which is a newish favorite - beans, squash, corn - but with Italian seasonings (oregano, garlic, etc) and tons of red pepper flakes. Very warming, comforting, spicy. And cheese cornbread, of course! But Ritz crackers or saltines will do if there is no cornbread to be had. My very favorite and most comforting option: lentil-barley stew, with carrots and celery and onions and tomatos. And homemade honey wheat bread. My uncle and aunt (who lived downstairs from us when I was growing up) used to make a huge pot of this in the winter and invite us to dinner at least once a month.

No, it isn't hard to make at all, and miso keeps FOREVER in the fridge. It is SUPER EASY to make if you can find individual packets...just add water. You can add whatever other ingredients you like... But yeah...easy-peasy.