Knicke

Yeh, I agree with the above. Bagels + melted cheese = good, but only openfaced. Perhaps if you took one of those ginormous monster bagels that so many bagel chains are fond of these days, and sliced into 4 slices instead of in half - used the middle slices... But if you're going to go to that much trouble, why not just use bread??

Laksa, it was a pleasure to be exposed to a cuisine I've never experienced before! Wonderful job.

FoodTutor, if you get stuck, here's a place to look for inspiring insect recipes... Eat-a-Bug Cookbook

Oh, oh, OH! oh NO! FoodTutor, you've successfully ruined rice pudding for me! And just after I got over the tapioca fish-eye paranoia. Ok, maybe it's not ruined forever...but for awhile. Maggots...ick, ick, ick. Edited to ask, why can't you have both cardamom AND cloves? Or is that overkill?

Hmm, I'm SURE figs are good with cheesecake. My favorite snack is dried figs stuffed with pecans and cream cheese - how could a cheesecake with the same be bad?

I used to have this problem. Maybe instead of trying a green olive every year, you should try developing a taste for good BLACK olives instead - maybe you'd find them less objectionable, as they might be closer to what you already like. I started with Kalamatas, and now I can eat any olive you put in front of me! It did take me awhile to develop a taste for green 'uns... I pretty much eat everything. I am a bit embarrassed to say that I hate squid in all forms, even calamari. My seafood-hating friends, who happen to love calamari, don't get it at all. I tell them that if I wanted fried rubber bands, I'd just go pick up a $.25 packet from the office supply store and throw them in the fryer - cheaper and less involved! But I love octopus. And caviar is divine!

Wow, those mushroom chips sound GREAT! I'm going to have to experiment and see if I can make my own...can't be that complicated...

MMMM, almond creme!

Incidentally, trillium, what brands did you pick for cooking vs. tableside? Just curious.

Hmm, I'm getting no real definitive answers here, folks! Other than, "it's a matter of personal opinion". Sheesh. So I guess what I'll do is see what's available where I live (not much choice there, I suspect ), and start working my way down the list I've compiled from y'all. I would love to get them all in one place, trillium, and try the taste test you suggest, but a) I'm just getting started on my Thai cooking adventure, so I'm not sure I'm at the point of needing several varieties for different applications and b) I have a small kitchen and hate waste, so I'd be asking for excessive clutter (keeping 'em all) or excessive guilt (throwing out the less desirables). Thanks for the opinions, everyone! *edited for spellin'

No, but it sounds like it could be amazing!!!!! Though I highly doubt I would be able to sacrifice especially delicious ears to such a concoction...they'd get boiled up and chomped too quickly!

Also in college.... We lived in a teeny apartment - 2 bedrooms, a tiny bathroom, a tiny kitchen, that's it. The kitchen served as our living room most of the time. We had a faulty plastic gallon of milk that leaked all over the inside of the fridge, but we caught it quickly (we thought) and disposed of it properly. Three days later our kitchen smelled a little off; 5 days later we were sure that something had died. We looked every, in drawers, in closets, to no avail...until we finally realized the smell was coming from the ostensibly-clean fridge...not from inside it, but from UNDER it. When the maintenance man came to move the refridgerator, we found...not a dead mouse, but a quart-sized puddle of yellowed, curdled milk... ...which had apparently dripped down, out, and under to fester.

Anna, I just made choc. pudding and then added a few drops of natural mint extract. Really, it's not very fancy - just tasty!

Oooh, how purty, Petite! I'm going to have to try that if I'm ever in need of elegant-looking pops...

I just got a set of the Tupperware molds - we used to have them when I was a kid, and much as I like storebought novelty concoctions of all kinds, I like the homemade kind better ('cause you can pick your own flavors). I've moved way beyond the frozen Kool-Aid stage, and plain ol' juice blends are well and good (and homemade pudding pops are to die for), but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I think most granita recipes would probably work well as popsicles. So far I've made batches of honeydew/mint (pretty good), balsamic strawberry (really good!), and two-tone raspberry/plain lemonade (alright). Chocolate-mint pudding pops also (these were quite good as well). Any other ideas?

Bumping up this thread 'cause I really wish people had shared more.... C'mon...at least point me to a cookbook and give me someplace to start!

Hmmm...can't say from direct cooking experience, but my eating experience has been that pie crust made with lard are a lot flakier...maybe you should try that if you're so inclined? Someone correct me if I'm wrong!

Thanks, Zealot! I knew I had seen a thread like this, but it didn't come up on any of my searches...weird.

So, I'm all excited about cooking Thai for myself...but I want to use the good stuff! What brand should I look for? Can anyone describe differences in taste, etc.? Thanks!

You can gently sautee in a little butter/olive oil! Or steam and serve with a little pat of butter and some lemon. My parents had oodles of it in their garden when I was growing up, and that's always how we had it.... Actually I think the weedy wild kind works best for cooking; I'm growing the domesticated variety in a mesclun mix, and the flavor is not as strong...works good in salads but doesn't have any punch when cooked...

I can confirm the above claim that it makes a good mouth-freshener; not just onion breath, but morning breath, too!! Other than that...all's I know is it's tasty.

According to the article, if the new hybrid is productive, it will take 5 or 6 years to get naturally decaf coffee on the market; if not, up to 15... Guess I'll have to keep drinking regular decaf for awhile!

I don't frequent this forum 'cause I can't do caffeine (and the idea/taste of decaf is just...not the same)...but when this makes it onto the market, I'll be able to guzzle with abandon! Cool - it was just hanging out wild in Ethiopia...

I cook pork on the medium side when at home, but I've never had distinctly RED pork before. I guess some might be freaked out - too bad for them! :) I wish that more restaurants would ask me how I like my chops done...seems that then they could then accommodate both the adventurous and the squeamish...

Hey, thanks for asking this question, tighe! I have often wondered the same thing....waiting with baited breath for eGullet wisdom...