chezcherie

soooooo...how'd it go?

so, risking charges of heresy, i say with pride that today i stood over the sink, double-paper-toweled, to eat my second AMAZING peach of the still-young season...from costco. costco, via reedley, CA. i did not have one reasonably adequate peach all summer last year. and so far i've had two mind-blowing nectarines (my fav of all fruits) and these two peaches, all purchased not at my well-attended farmer's mkts., but from costco. triple-napkin stone fruits. the season is so promising. i am thrilled beyond measure. there was a varietal indicator of both varietals on the boxes, but i don't have them to hand. so, so good.

I regularly use my pot filler to fill my 24 quart stock pot with water after all the bones etc are in. I'm NOT hefting that thing from sink to stove top. Since I make a lot of stock, it's worth it to me. I've had my All Clad for years and none of it has ever warped. The stainless steel skillets and roasting pans regularly go into a 500 degree oven, and it's never a problem and they're easy to clean with a bit of barkeeper's friend. I'm neither inexperienced or a liar. ← hey, marlene-- i am completely delighted to hear that there is someone out there using that pot filler. since you obviously cook seriously, you may be among the very few that spigot makes sense for. having worked at an appliance store, and hearing my friends' catering war-stories, i can assure you that most of the ones installed in home kitchens get turned on once, and then make a lovely home for spiders. i have to ask though--after the stock is finished, do you fish the bones out with tongs and ladle out the stock in situ? cuz otherwise, it still seems like somebody's gotta lug that full (now hot) pot to the sink again? the logistics escape me (although i do see it more logical for stock than pasta water, which is what most customers say they'll use it for.) it's a relatively costly investment for occasional use, in most cases. but i'm glad you're happy with yours, and will amend my vote to pot-fillers, other than marlene's. i also love my all-clad, which i have happily abused for 20 years now. not a warped pan in the lot, and i like their handles!

i think this is the basis of the problem. the restaurant was not obligated to do anything, but it would have been nice if they had. woulda, coulda, shoulda. it seems to be that this is a case of obligation vs. entitlement. while i'm sure the OP is a perfectly lovely person, the post had a distinct air of entitlement. (obviously, the day started out bad and got worse...and went all the way to worst. been there, had those.) i'm not in "the industry", per se, unless you consider a cooking school "the industry". i do always try to go the extra mile for my clients, and do so most happily. but it's hard to want to do so when that sense of entitlement creeps in, because it doesn't feel so voluntary anymore. perhaps that was the case here? i dunno. i wasn't there, and we only have one side of the story.

those "pot filler" faucets that have to be plumbed in behind the burners of the stove top. seriously, if carrying the full pot of (presumably cool) water from the sink to the stove is too difficult, how will you ever get the cooked pasta, in the pot with the now-boiling water over to the sink to drain it?

so, if a patron decides to bring his or her pet to a restaurant, where clearly pets are not allowed inside, and an unforeseen event (storm) occurs, i don't see how it becomes the restaurant owner's fault, which is how this is reading to me. sure, the restaurant owner could make a gracious gesture, but it seems as though that's being close to demanded here, and i just don't get that. the restaurant owner may have had all manner of other issues to deal with, vis a vis the sudden storm (reservation cancellations, etc.). the dog owners have their dog to deal with. that's their responsibility. they chose to bring the dog. it rained. seems like it's nobody's fault. but certainly not the restaurant owner's responsibility. how does offering to pay to dryclean a suit even come into this equation? seriously. someone made a choice to bring their dog. it rained. now the restaurant gets slammed for poor customer service? i don't get that.

from another thread (recipes that rock '09), mine are the stove-top version of these "crashed potatoes" that we do in my cooking school: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06...h-hot-potatoes/ here's why: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1670571

If you are pondering the low-carb impact, you should probably consider the impact of gluten-free baked goods, now, as well. Don't know if it's possible to bake gf in the current configuration , due to cross contamination issues, but if you take on another space, it's something to consider.

we've been doing a stovetop version of these for one of our teambuilding menus for years...we hand "smoosh" them (verrrry theraputic!) and finish them stovetop in some rosemary infused olive oil. they are very, very popular, and out of all the menu items, this is the dish people make over and over. the very best thing about them---make more than you think you'll need,and set some aside ('cuz otherwise, there wont be left-overs, even if you made more than enough---that's how good they are). next morning, scramble a couple eggs in with those cracked potatoes with rosemary. i'm tellin' you....heaven!

Where did the recipe come from? Can you share? I'm always on the lookout for new spud recipes. ← it's here.

you don't mention it, but are you tenting the chicken with aluminum foil? that starts to steam the skin...the only other alternative i can suggest would be to tear the crispy skin off in a savage manner, and consume it as soon as it's gorgeously crisp and burnished looking. that's what i do.

i think it's your paddle. you said that the "rubber" is coming off, and that makes me think that's your problem. i'd get a new paddle, pronto, because little pieces of that coating could be flaking off into your batter.

if my extremely shaky italian serves me (and it may not), pesto comes from the verb "to pound", and pasta comes from the word for paste, as in a flour and water mixture. i think you can refer to an herb (other than basil) concoction as a pesto, but if you don't specify what herb is in there, to most of us, the "default" is basil.

(calling andiesenji....she posts amazing stuff about these vintage machines. i wanna see her garage one day!)

aren't open fires among the worst air polluters? in fact, i thought several bay area cities have banned them?

so many spots are a short cab ride away. i'm sure you will get many recs. chez papa and lulu are walking distance, as is the ferry bldg (that's a longer walk, but i've done it many times while at the fancy food show, and that's after walking allll over that moscone center!)

prosciutto=italy. a store in my 'hood sells prosciutto from germany...it might be from a pig, but to me, it ain't prosciutto.

i use a sauce whisk, a balloon whisk and a roux whisk. oh, and a teeny little almost-toy whisk when i want to make an eggwash. (although i sometimes use a fork for that task.)

oh, please, paris. i mean padma. whatevs.... since when does she have food cred, anyway? since she was the hostess of top chef? let's not forget the previous hostess, katie lee joel. not the greatest of chops required. (yeah, i know...they both wrote cookbooks. still not impressed.)

sadly, tj's is discontinuing all king arthur flours. king arthur website blog

the "cat's eye" might refer to the small white spot on each grain of arborio? it tends to stay a bit al dente, while the rest of the starch relaxes into the stock, creating that gorgeous creaminess. i call that spot the heart, but maybe that's the eye??

i'm tweaking a pork loin roulade for an upcoming "spring flavors" cooking class. so far, the best version was with sauteed red onion, leek and mushrooms, with whole asparagus spears in the center of the roulade. it was good, and the asparagus gives a cherry polka-dot effect in the middle. for plain asparagus eating, roasted in a hot oven until the little tips frizzle is my fav. shave a little parm-reg over that, and i'm set for dinner!

are they quite large? cerignolas come to mind--i've seen them in green (which, while a fairly vivid green, looks pretty natural) and red (which doesn't). found this: natural red dye?

my girls live in my daughter's old playhouse, complete with heart-cut-out shutters. we wire-clothed it in (we do have both a dog and visiting raccoons, so it needs to be heavy gauge around here). they have an attached scractch area, and we also let them out to free range when the dog is secured. you might want to check craigslist or the like, for free or near-free playhouses or garden sheds. then you need roosts and laying boxes and you're about set. i've had a varied number over the years--barred rocks, amercaunas, an austrolorp and a rhode island red (the only mean one i ever had) and one mongrel, we never knew what she was. all had lovely temperments. the only trouble we ever had was when we tried to "adopt" one from another flock...didn't go well. (pecking order, you know.) we only do eggs...we name them, and consider them pets (with a bonus), and we don't eat our pets. i admire folks who raise them both for eggs and meat, but i can't do it. we've gotten about 6 eggs per week per girl during laying season. i never was one for leaving a light on in the coop to simulate more hours of daylight---i figured they could take it easy, and quit laying when the days got shorter. i think it paid off, as my girls live long and happy lives. just lost one a few months ago, and she must have been 9 yrs old...

hi anne- happy birthday! what a great present. it seems your family has thrust you into something you might have only pondered...but chicken-keeping is really great! i've had chickens for eight or nine years, and would be happy to answer any questions via pm. they take very little work, and provide great pleasure. the eggs, of course...wait til you see your first gorgeous greenie (see my avatar for proof!) but the chickens themselves are almost therapuetic. their soft contented clucks, the way they rush to see you (and what treat you may have brought them), their crazy antics while they dustbathe...i love to take a glass of wine out into the backyard and just sit and watch them poke around for bugs and make their happy sounds. cheap therapy! there's a new book out called the joy of keeping chickens that i think is a great primer. might want to pick that up--author is megyesi. and again, congrats, have fun, and pm me if you like!