Pickles

The French Laundry Cookbook is a nice one. Use the "look inside" feature here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/157...9934405-8472107

To get through customs, just wrap carefully in a pair of Happy Underpants.

I am very sensitve to noise. Some people just are. When the music's too loud, I don't enjoy my food. I get over-stimulated. Then I get crabby.

Wooo! As I was typing my reply, so were the rest of you lot. Interesting answers! You learn something every day....

I have From Julia Child's Kitchen open in my lap. Poulet Saute Marengo is garnished with tomatoes, mushrooms, crayfish or shrimp, herbs, black olives, croutons and "french fried eggs." p. 195 To quote Julia: The recipe was never catalogued, so the "whatever" is open to interpretation. I make Marengo all the time, and never put eggs shrimp or crayfish (allergic) or croutons on top. Julia uses croutons, eggs (cooked runny) tomatoes, olives, italian seasoning, and shrimp.

I have a very severe allergy to all forms of shellfish and mollusks. Cropped up unexpectedly after an evening of grilled shrimp. Several hours later...ER and massive amounts of benadryl and epi-whoziwhatzis. Testing later confirmed I was allergic to all the other stuff--lobster showing the strongest reaction. Who knew? I was quite a surprise I can tell yah! I am a personal chef and I can handle it and cook it for my clients without problems. I take care not to breathe the steam from the pots, and taste my sauces prior to adding the seafood. Any further seasonings involve willing testers. It all works out great. Personally, I don't miss it. Shrimp I used to like, but didn't eat often, and I miss Mom's linguini with clam sauce. All the rest I can live without. I have to.

I always eat the parsley sprig if there is one! You never know where that's been... As for the cheap, yellow dye enhanced pickles...UGH! Those I stay away from, and fortunately they give themselves away pretty easily by the color and sharp aroma... so I can push them off my plate lest they leak their vinegary, stanky juice on my sandwich bread.

How about the Fleet O' Pita van and franchise? Didn't it play "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac? It was when Marge was dabbling in the food industry, selling hot pretzels, I think. The "Fleet" van was her competition.

For what it's worth, here's my edited list--this is what I watch sometimes--nothing here watched with any real regularity unless highlighted: $40 a Day (she's less irritating on this show than she is below) 30 Minute Meals (her voice...GAH! ) A Cook's Tour All American Festivals Barefoot Contessa The Best Of Calling All Cooks Cooking Live Cookworks Everyday Italian Follow That Food Food 911 Food Finds The Food Hunter Food Network Specials From Martha's Kitchen Good Eats Happy Days Live (never seen this one but might watch it..) Jamie's Kitchen The Naked Chef Oliver's Twist Paula's Home Cooking Recipe for Success Sara's Secrets Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee (for the laughs) The Surreal Gourmet Top 5 Trivia Unwrapped What America Eats with Parade

Speaking of pickles, I polished off a half a jar of jalepeno baby dills last night--Mt. Olive Brand. I always wish they'd put more than one lousy little spear on the plate in restaurants, but if the pickles are especially good, I always ask for more.

Gotta love Homer's invention..."Hamburger Earmuffs..." That went with the Lazy-Boy that had the built in toilet...

Dried cranberries....the devil's turds!! Dry, nasty thangs!!

Just heard it on ET (Entertainment Tonight...) Is SHE the next Martha? http://et.tv.yahoo.com/tv/2004/03/17/sandralee/

Indeed. Hard to believe, but I actually HAVE met a pickle I didn't like....the cheap, flacid, sour ones that often end up on an exceptional cheeseburger and fries plate. We used to go to Wolfie's Deli and they'd have a whole vat of cut-up half sours on every table and I'd go nuts. The garlic...the crunch...OMG.... and their cole slaw was impeccable. Soggy pickles and deadly sweet, overly dressed cole slaw gets ignored totally. And the cole slaw that's often FIZZY?? Bleh! And what's with that "eye cup" of cole slaw thing some places give you? You know...that tiny Dixie Cup that holds just a whisper of dried up slaw? Spare me.

Dried citron is actually a legit dried fruit and not all that offensive. I think those yellow, green and red lumps appearing in many baked goods really isn't citron at all, but a lab experiment gone terribly, terribly wrong. http://eat.epicurious.com/dictionary/food/...ssf?TERM=citron

According to my Dublin-born pal, a traditional (and basic) Irish recipe wouldn't have raisins in it. And usually any bits of dried fruit I've gotten in American-Irish Soda bread have been dried currents (or raisins). It's the caraway seeds sometimes in it that I can live without. I don't mind raisins (or any dried fruits) in savory dishes. And my favorite bread is raisin pumpernickle..which is very hard to find for some stupid reason.

I'd love to smell the bacon "flavored" one. But I pity the fool who'd pay over ten bucks for one smokey ham-scented votive. Looks like you have to buy the set anyway. Think I'll get a shot glass, some kite string and a pound of Oscar Meyer's thick cut and make my own.

Killed two birds with one stone, did you?

As a Personal Chef, my living depends on people who hate cooking. And my clients really do hate it. They hate shopping for ingredients, prepping foods, reading recipes. So I make the big bucks helping them enjoy food without the mess and hassels they think exist with its creation. It's not as though they don't like to eat. None of my friends cook either..so it's rare for me to be treated to anything more fancy in their homes than a bit of baked salmon and a salad. Which is fine...just not overly thrilling. And I get "Want to have dinner next week, Pickles?!" "Sure!" "Good! What are you going to make for us!" So much for being a guest ever again!

Don't cook barefoot! Period. Find something that at least protects your feet from the odd accident of a dropped knife or spilled "HOT PAN!!!" even if you're only cooking in your home kitchen. If you don't already have foot and back troubles (occupational hazzard!) , you will unless you offer your feet and back some support. Trust me..... Find a clog or sneaker or boot that works for you. I use 2 pairs of clogs...one from "Chef Central" and a pair from "Payless" shoes (that for the $20 price tag....) offer the best and most comfortable support I could imagine! Better than the $60 CC pair in many ways. Like any shoes, you have to shop for comfort and practicality. Just get something on your feet...and hurry!

I do think Jennifer would have added fistfulls of parsley and anchovies to a chocolate cake if she'd had her way. Those two things were her favorite seasonings.

I, too, miss Clarissa and Jennifer, z"l. They were a couple of righteous old broads whose passion for food was lusty and contageous. David Rosengarten's personality is abrading. I always thought him to be more dicty and rigid than Martha Stewart. I don't think I was ever tempted to prepare anything I saw him make. Clarissa is doing some acting lately. Mom said she turned up in AB-FAB recently. I was so sad when Jennifer died. Those two were such a brilliant team. http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0225735/

Yes!! I can fake it pretty well...plain yogurt with prune butter mixed in it. But it's not as good as the Breakstone's was. It was Breakstones, yes?--Ooops...just saw a post similar to mine...sorry!

Is that found in Campbells Cream of 'Shroom?

You can NEVER have too many carrots. BB Yah think? I don't have any use for carrots. To me they are just cheapo vegetables; filler in canned soups. Like too much baker fern in a flower arrangement, I pluck 'em out. Especially in prepared soups. I stand over the trash can..pluck...plop...pluck...plop. And I eschew them as a side dish (bleh..so boring!) and leave them to the bunnies. Depends on what you're sick from doesn't it? Perhaps only liquids are good for some things....but I can't imagine why one would need to be so restrictive. Pasta is easily digestable, no? I hate jello...so I'd surely not be able to stomach that! Unless it's made up of my tomato aspic. That'd be good.