Toliver

I tried the Triple Ginger Cookie Thins (not the Triple Ginger Snaps) and they are quite good. They have just enough bite to them. The cookies themselves are super crisp and thin (hey, truth in advertising...whatta ya know?). As I was eating them I kept trying to come up with ideas for using these cookies in desserts. My first thought was of using them as a stacked torte-ish dessert with a pumkpin mousse/cream piped between layers of the cookies...and you'd have to make sure you don't overdo the filling so the edges of the cookie would retain its crispness and provide a textural difference with the cookie that made contact with the filling and got soft. Because they're so thin, you get oodles of them in a box, which is a plus. I believe they had another flavor in the cookie thins, as well (butter cookie?).

Doritos 3rd Degree Burn - Scorchin' Habeñero This is a scan of the empty bag having just consumed the contents myself. Wow. And here I thought the Doritos 2nd Degree Burn were spicy hot chips. This new flavor blows those chips clear out of the water. I will freely admit that I do not like the flavor of habeñeros. I like the heat of the chile but not the flavor. If there's a hot sauce with just a scant amount of habeñero in it, I will still be able to taste it. That being said, there is absolutely no habeñero flavor whatsoever in these chips that I can taste. (Yeah for me ) They are, however, nuclear spicy hot. I mean OMG hot. I mean so hot your future grandkids will be born sweating if you eat these chips. The burn also lingers in your mouth long after you've eaten the chips. They are really, really, really (that's three "really's" so you know I'm serious ) spicy hot and not for the faint of heart. As a chilehead, I give these chips two huge spicy thumbs up. I found it humorous that on the back of the chip bag there is a side bar box of info containing a suggestion from Frito Lay that these chips should be consumed while drinking "Pepsi Max Cease Fire" (regarding that link, you may have to select the Cease Fire version on the left side of the web page for the soda info to appear on the right side of the web page) to help cool the burn from the chips. Having read this info after consuming the chips, I did not heed their suggestion and have no idea if the combination really works well together (PepsiCo owns Frito Lay). I'm a decaf guy now so I won't be drinking that soda (it has twice the normal amount of caffeine in it). According to the Pepsi web site, the difference between the regular Pepsi Max and their Cease Fire version is that the Cease Fire version has a hint of Lime flavoring. It's a limited edition soda. I've heard a spoonful of sugar can help remove the spiciness left in the mouth after consuming spicy hot foods. I think the sugar helps dislodge the capsaicin oils from the mouth and I don't think a sugary soda would do the same. I believe it's the grainy texture of the sugar that helps dislodge the oils and not the sugar itself that does the trick. Take this assumption on my part with a grain of salt, if you wish.

Instead of yogurt you could always use kefir which is a liquid yogurt and you wouldn't have to use any other liquid. A plus would be more bacteria strains (probiotics) in the kefir. Just a thought...

If this helps any... "Chinatowns in Europe" From Wikipedia: Have you been to the Chinatown in Belleville?

My brother and his wife are diehard "chile heads". My SIL could eat a slew of habeñeros and ghost chiles and it wouldn't faze her in the least. Their daughter, my niece, however never developed a chile tolerant palate. She tried to train her palate by starting out with "Fiery Hot" Cheetos but couldn't get beyond that. I think she's a super taster which may explain why she wasn't successful.

This year at the Del Mar Fair (San Diego) they had deep fried Pop Tarts. I didn't get a chance to try them. Not sure if they were breaded...which could have been redundant. A similar previous eGullet discussion: "State Fair Food: Eating on another planet "

There was a previous discussion about fried fruit pies. It doesn't really have a dough recipe listed in it but an ingredient were listed in post #4 in the discusion. You might try PM'ing host jsmeeker so see if he ever came up with a final dough recipe: "Fried Fruit Pies"

I don't think it's the board. The pinkish shade is probably how it should have looked overall. Was there incandescent light around ? I think he may be on to something. It could have been caused by the falloff of the light. Different lights cast different hues of color. The camera may have color corrected for the brighter portion of the background and just couldn't deal properly with the falloff. It makes me wonder how an actual film camera would have seen the same scene. Another (minor) possibility could be that that area of your camera could be on the fritz and so you're seeing a color difference (like how on old TV's and monitors you would have degauss them to get rid of color variations). That's easy to rule out, though, if this color difference doesn't appear in any other photos taken with that same camera.

One factor can be the cost of the lease. Perhaps the mall owner is charging too much. A restuarant that is just squeaking by can make it or break it depending on how much they're shelling out for their monthly rental. I Googled that location (it still lists the sushi restaurant as being there) and was surprised to see it was the old Clairmont Quad Bowling Alley shopping center. My best friend lived just down the street from there. As you said, that joint should be jumping as it's a high traffic area. There could be a multitude of reasons why it didn't survive. The afore mentioned lease rate, food quality, price, and a lack of advertising (when the economy goes south, the first thing a business cuts out is advertising which seems counterproductive. When the economy tanks, you should advertise even more to bring in that rare customer). There's a Roberto's/Alberto's, et al, just up the street that does great business. There are a lot of restaurant's in that immediate area so the competition is fierce. As for getting an Indian restaurant to come in... I'd say go to your favorite Indian restaurant and suggesting they open a second (or third or...) location, letting them know where there's an available building. You might have some success that way.

The plants will still want to grow up towards the sun. The suggestion that weight of the fruit will make the plant grow "down" doesn't seem to apply if you're growing cherry tomatoes (like my mom discovered she is doing this year. Surprise, Ma! ). As David mentioned, it was the threading of the plant through the opening that caused her to end up with cherry tomatoes this year...it was the only tomato plant she had on hand that wasn't too thick to fit through the planter opening. I look forward to your seeing your progress.

My mom's pork roast and sauerkraut is one of those leftovers-taste-even-better-the-next-day type dish. The first night it all tastes great with all of the elements seperate (pork roast, sauerkraut and dumplings) but then she combines everything for easier storage in the fridge and it just elevates it to a higher level of flavor the next day. Her Navy Bean soup is another that tastes better the next day as leftovers.

No, it's not just you. My mom noticed the same thing (dull dishes) and has been doing the same thing for years. She buys the bulk bottles of white vinegar and uses a cup of it with every dishwasher load. She puts a cup-sized measuring cup (that always stays in the dishwasher) in the top rack, fills it with the vinegar and adds the regular amount of soap and runs the load. I will suggest to her that she try using less soap, as well. There was also a recent study done that suggested most people use too much soap in their dishwashers/clothes washers which is not good for the life of the appliance.

You can also make a trifle with the cake disaster. Break it up into chunks, mix with whipped cream/pudding/lemon curd and/or fresh fruit. Then just say "I meant to do that."

Grind them up and throw them all together to make a rub or your own Emeril's "Bam!" seasoning. Or take pictures of the dried chiles with your phone and go to the grocery store and play Match Game.

Dude! Have you ever had roasted carrots? Some olive oil, a wee bit of garlic powder, s & p, and lots of cumin. The aroma as it's roasting is wonderful. Heaven on a sheet pan. So does celery include celery seed? It's the secret ingredient in my mom's potato salad and if it's a "yes", then I'll be forced into the celery camp.

Some friends who have a composting pile had volunteer pumpkins last year. They didn't get a great harvest from it but it bore some fruit.

My mom's Topsy-Turvy tomato plant already is bearing four fruit and even more blossoms. Unfortunately, she still has it hanging in the same place it's always been which is over the waist-high railing along her patio. It's the perfect height for a night critter to come along the railing and chow down on the hanging fruit just as it's done in the past. I guess some lessons just don't take...

Sonic is a puzzle indeed. They are different in that they do offer the tots where most fast food burger joints don't. A&W and Arby's used to offer tot-ish type potato sides though I'm not certain they still do. Sonic's are not the greatest tots I've ever had but are decent and are a nice change when you get tired of fast food fries. I think Sonic's success is nostalgia-based, a la the drive-in. I've been trying to figure out their "one thing" (like McD's has their Big Mac) that is their strength but I'm not sure what that would be. Their Cherry Limeade is fantastic but their diet version is just terrible. And don't order a hot dog from them. I believe, but haven't confirmed this, that they microwave their hot dogs, bun and all. The bun has a chewiness to it that microwaved bread gets. They have some good grilled sandwiches but they tend to be a little greasy. They will also sometimes feature a "happy hour" where you can get two drinks for the price of one which is great in the summertime.

There was a previous discussion of Southern California steakhouses that did mention quite a number of LA area steakhouses: Southern California Steakhouses edited for spelking

They're not cut off a rack of ribs. They're short ribs so they're are cooked individually. See the picture in the link posted above. That being said, I visited my local BK this weekend to see if they were carrying the ribs. They were. I placed an order to go and brought them home to eat. I am sorry to say I didn't get any pictures but the picture at the link posted above captures the essence of the ribs. As I was leaving the restaurant with my order, the BK server said the BBQ sauce was in the bag. When I got home and opened the bag there was a small sealed container of BK BBQ sauce inside which I didn't use. You could smell the smokiness of the ribs right away. I didn't get a chance to see how they were cooked. These must have been in a holding bin as the time between placing my order and receiving it was quite quick. They were fall-off-the-bone tender and were overall pretty good considering they came from a fast food joint. You can order 3 ribs, 6 ribs or 8 ribs. I can't understand why didn't they make it 9 ribs which seems like a natural progression. Go figure. They are relatively expensive when compared to the rest of the BK menu items. As with all short ribs, ordering the ribs can be a crap shoot. The first rib in your order may be a big meaty rib but then the next rib could be rather small and pathetic and so on. As an example, see the photo in the link I provided in my previous post. If you don't mind spending the money for them, I recommend them.

Burger King has debuted short ribs that have gotten a good reception: Burger King To Run Out Of Ribs Sooner Than Planned So has anyone tried them?

That rocks! I hope it grows and prospers. My mom still has a potted tomato plant from last year that continues to bear fruit. Granted, the fruit stayed green through the winter months but now that the sun has returned, the fruit is finally starting to turn. She's also decided to give her Topsy Turvy tomato planter another try this year. Best o' luck to ya, Ma!

Recently BK franchisees had sued BK corporation because the corporation told them they had to sell the double cheeseburger for $1 when, I believe, it actually costs the franchises $1.10 so they are losing money with each one they sell. The court ruled in favor of the BK corporation: Court upholds $1 BK double cheeseburger All of this was started in response to McDonald's $1 double cheeseburger on its value menu.

I've posted earlier about them but the Lemon Ginger cookies are quite good...Refreshingly lemony with a little spicness from the ginger. The Maple Leafs are OMG good and addictive. And at Christmastime for the last couple of years, my sister-in-law has given me the Chocolate Dunkers which look like biscotti but aren't. They're chocolate chip cookies in a biscotti-like shape with one side covered in chocolate. Come to think of it, they're almost madeleine in shape. I haven't looked at the ingredients but they taste like they also have some cocnut in them, as well. As for "healthier cookies"...I don't buy cookies very often so I don't mind that they're not healthy food items. I'm sure, though, that TJ does offer some sort of healthy cookie.

I used to have celery shame. I have one of those classic green Tupperware celery containers. I would put the celery in it and promptly forget about it until it was mush and mold. Really, it wasn't my fault. The Tupperware container lid has a flat surface so I would place other flat items on top of it (it's the perfect space to hold a carton of eggs ) and it became a case of "out of sight, out of mind". I guess I'm too efficient at using up the space in my refrigerator. Yeah that's it... However, I decided after wanting some celery only to find it was beyond useable, I vowed to change my celery-killing habit. Now when I buy celery and get it home, once I put away the groceries I make myself cut and clean the celery right then and there. It takes all of five minutes. I bought a small plastic pitcher that I fill with water and in goes the cut and prepped celery. The only maintenance I do is to change the water about every 3 days (the old water is used to water indoor and outdoor plants so it doesn't go to waste). As a bonus, when I buy red radishes, I do the same prepping and they go into the pitcher with the celery. It's always front and center in my refrigerator, no longer hidden in that long green Tupperware, so I tend to use it up more frequently. Today I am a reformed celery-killer. edited for clarity