chezcherie

Do you know who else? I saw Steven from Season one is opening one and then winner, Harold. I havent really heard anything from Season 2 (which imo really sucked anyhow) ← during the holiday special, tiffani talked about her restaurant in LA being on the drawing board...

i recall reading something about this, where the subjects repeatedly failed to wash their hands before removing the gloves from the box, thereby potentially contaminating the glove beneath, if not the whole batch. of course, best practice would be to wash thoroughly, then retrieve a glove from the box, but that didn't happen. i think the over-reliance on gloves diminishes the importance of hand-washing in the minds of many.

boy, we miss those amazon deals a few years back, before riedel bought spiegelau...used to pay $4 per glass (sometimes buy one, get one!), free shipping...still have a few boxes stashed...those were the days! thanks, eG! (this is where we found out about the great deal.) i think the main difference is the shape at the bottom of the bowl. authentis have a more angular shape, while the vino grandes are rounded.

i hope i haven't missed a previous post, but was delighted to see the feb 08 issue of saveur feature eG's own rancho gordo:

make romesco. i use a food processor....piquillos, stale bread, almonds or hazelnuts, garlic, sherry vinegar. use it as a dip, or on grilled chicken or fish, even on pasta or rice.

if you don't want to use your hands, for whatever reason, a large slotted spoon works pretty well.

i want to live where you live. ← That's easy - turn off the TV! ← it's not just tv...can't look at magazine covers. or cracker boxes. or shop in cookware stores. not that easy to avoid rr anymore.

i want to live where you live.

thanks, dianabanana.

what's the deal with lighting the wrappers on fire and making a wish? i have seen this or read about it, but it is a dim memory...will someone please describe this tradition in detail? thanks!

i think you are referring to a chinois (or china cap) and pestle:here the only thing is, don't extract the very last drops with it--if you mash and press too hard on the solids, you'll get some bitterness in your stock. but other than that, it's a great tool.

this may be my "princess and the pea" issue, but i think a quick parboil changes the taste as well as the texture. from raw flour to cooked flour, i guess...even though the heat of the sauce cooks the pasta enough to make it palatable, i "think" i taste a difference, and so, i do.

i sometimes stick a couple spent vanilla beans in a bottle of (good but not fabulous) balsamic vinegar. doesn't make vanilla balsamic--just adds a subtle layer of flavor. so if you have tons of medium-good balsamic around...or if you want to start more presents...

so, at risk of sounding completely odd, i use resealable bags for this sort of thing, seal them nearly completely, and insert a drinking straw into the small unsealed portion, and ....~inhale~suck the air out through the straw. then quickly remove the straw and seal the bag......yeah, i know... but my question is: is this gadget better? thanks....i'll just go suck the air out of some brownies now...

yeah...happens. nowadays, while i am making recipe lists, shopping lists, and prep lists, i also make a serve list. takes 30 seconds. saves hours of fretting/regret. even though i laugh at myself while i do it...i do it.

just back from tuscany, i used a bag of great penne (martelli), a sage infused bechamel, with pancetta and leftover turkey, with a ciabatta-pecorino crumb topping. can't wait for dinner....and tomorrow? turkey gumbo. i love leftover turkey recipes.

another tip for an intense mushroom flavor is to use some dried mushrooms along with the fresh. reconstitute them in hot water, stock or (my fav) sherry, and saute them along with the fresh ones. deep, woodsy flavor and aroma.

well, let's see. i actually had a column for about a year and a half, for which i was paid, by a fairly well-respected news agency. but i don't do that anymore. and if i have a choice of being appointed by that agency, or appointed by FG, i choose the latter. appoint me, please?

now THERE'S an idea...

i don't know if it's a great idea...but the commercial made me laugh...and they are in COSTCO, for god's sake..they must have something going for them.

brownies.

i was in a wal-mart today (for the second time in my life!) and they had a black bag displayed on the customer service station that read "paper? plastic? neither." i didn't even see the walmart logo on it, and if i had not already gone through the check-out line, i woulda bought a couple. sadly, at this rate, and with my (non)proximity to wal-mart, i will not have another chance until the next millenium. i am in trader joes, however, nearly every day. while i have a few of their reusable bags, i mostly use their paper bags, and use them to gather recyclables during each cooking class, then recycle the whole ball-o-wax...seems like a reasonable trade off to me, but i'm not sure how that affects my "carbon footprint". (as i am leading a group of students and friends to tuscany next week, i think my shoes are getting larger by the moment...)

pre-scrubbed (maybe??) potato, wrapped in saran, to stick in the microwave. really? realllly? is that what lazy looks like? i hope to god they pre-poked a hole too, 'cuz we all know that's the tricky part of microwaving a spud....

i would take it out of the brine, rinse it and put it back in the fridge. you should be fine roasting it tomorrow.

i am really enjoying this: nerf-like knife block no slots, so any knife can go anywhere you like it. it is oddly satisfying to stick the knives into. i need another one.