Toliver

Okay, before I sidetrack this thread, I'll say KFC original. That being said, now did anyone else see on FoodTV Tyler Florence's "Ultimate" show on fried chicken? (okay, it's sort of related to the thread title) He visited a restaurant's kitchen in the Southern US somewhere and the cooks were deep frying chicken in the largest cast iron skillet I have ever seen in my life. It was mammoth. Anyway, their "trick" was to fry a lot of cut up onions in the oil and leave the onion in there. Then they added the chicken. The pan was deep enough so that the chicken pieces were covered in oil (so it couldn't be called "pan-fried") and oil literally came up to the rim of the pan. Why they didn't get a grease fire from it, I have no idea. But it was an interesting idea, to flavor the oil with the onions and then to leave the onion in there. The cooks said they just throw out the, by then, burnt onion when they're through cooking the chicken. Why they didn't end up with burnt-onion tasting chicken is beyond me. But Tyler said it was great. It's a mystery....

Oh, that just rocks! I am sooo jealous that I now have Farmers' Market envy. What a great idea to have area chefs come and prepare dishes! Now if only my local Farmers' Market could get their sh*t together like Austin's.

Now, someone could take that the wrong way...

I got four of his cookbooks on eBay but haven't made anything from them yet. The thing I enjoyed most about his cooking series was his enthusiasm for the different cuisines and the history behind them. He communicated that very well.

Oven roasted herb potatoes with rosemary, thyme, garlic and evoo. Green beans with butter and slivered almonds. And a big ol' bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken (original recipe)!

That's okay. When your Farmers Markets are eventually open, they will beat the crap out of my Farmers Market with one arm tied behind their back. I'm just getting my licks in now. edited for spelllling

Susan, Did you get a basket for the rotisserie? We used to have a round cage-like basket that we would BBQ chicken pieces in using the rotisserie. It could come in handy for things that you can't really put on the grill itself (shrimp thingies, etc). Thanks for posting the great pictures! I am already salivating. And is that a tomato plant growing there in the background? I am doubly envious! edited for clarity

Sugar snap peas are in! Is this a sign of Spring? Bought at the Farmer's Market this weekend: Organic navel oranges Sugar snap peas A dozen "Farm Fresh" eggs Locally harvested honey Carrots A bag of Apple Raisin Scones & 2 pieces of Linzer Tort from the German woman who sells baked and home-canned goods.

When dining, on rare occasions I get to the "Thin Mint" stage, a la the afore-mentioned Monty Python movie scene. The waiter egging on the glutton: "Surely you can eat one thin mint" (or somthing to that effect). The glutton does and promptly explodes all over the restaurant and the other patrons. Usually it's a home-cooked holiday meal that puts me at the "Thin Mint" stage. And it's so sad that my family always knows exactly what I mean when I say that phrase. Another TV show that loves its food (which I believe has its own thread) is "The Gilmore Girls".

The "Bassomatic" clinched it as a joke web site for me. But I do love the comment at the bottom of the Locations Page:

Of course, you're on the right track. I think what a lot of parent fail to grasp is that they're just not minding and feeding the kids until they turn 18 and then (if you're lucky) it's out the door they go. Parents have to realize that when they are raising their kids they are, in effect, "training" their kids on how to be adults. Teaching good manners is a small but important part of that. Giving kids chores not only teaches them responsibility but, again, teaches them skills they will need when they are adults. Teaching them how to make their beds, how to clean their rooms, teaching them to cook or how to do their own laundry, etc, all will give them skills they will need when they are eventually living on their own as adults. When they do leave the nest, you can have peace of mind knowing they are fully capable and well mannered young adults.

A Slim Jim.

Wasabi peanuts. Weird looking little green spheres that look like candy but when you pop them in your mouth they have a wasabi kick that is addicitve.

Peanut butter on buttered whole wheat toast. And it's creamy Jif (as opposed to crunchy). No other kind of peanut butter will do.

I noticed that and figured those would be for the chile wimps. Thanks for the reply!

I like to rotate interesting quotes from the various discussions going on here at eGullet (with permission from the original authors as per eGullet rules) in my signature. You can thank Marlena for the quote. I got it from her delicious blog. So did you have a cigarette after the bouillabaise?

I think you did great on the latte. It looks like the scene from "Gone with the Wind" when Scarlett, standing next to a huge tree as the sun sets, proclaims "As God as my witness, I shall never go hungry again!" At least, that's what I see. My God man, you've just invented the "Latte Rorschach Test"!

Has anyone seen "Wolfgang Puck's Cooking Class"? I was wondering whether it was worth viewing.

Jinmyo, The sandwiches sound wonderful, especially the lobster sandwich! Thanks to you, I learned what "concasse" meant (had to look it up...hopefully, eGullet will have a food/cuisine terminology dictionary someday!). Two questions: 1) I'm not sure if I asked you this before but how do you make your wasabi mayo? 2) Some of the sandwich combos look like they would have a spicy kick to them. Do you find you have to hold back on the spiciness since not everyone appreciates truly spicy hot dishes? Or do you offer a range of "heat" in your food?

I realize this is probably heresy to suggest this on eGullet, but you can buy pre-ground/pre-grated lemon grass in some Asian markets. I work with a woman from Vietnam who cooks a lot of Asian dishes and she says the jarred stuff is good and saves a lot of prep time. She said she also puts it in the freezer between uses (like people freeze ginger). Just a thought...

The duty of making the mashed potatoes for my family's holiday dinners has been relegated to me over the last 20 years or so. In fact, I am teaching my niece how to do it now. I've always used the "wire' masher to start mashing the potatoes and then used a hand mixer once all the ingredients have been added. They turn out great, not gluey. I think the trick is to just not overmix the potatoes. It's like making biscuits...handle the mixture until it's "there" and then stop. So count me as one in favor of hand mixers when making mashes potatoes.

Speaking of which, does anyone know how In & Out burgers has been doing, financially speaking? They have a very limited menu. It's the old principal of do one thing and do it right and they will beat a path to your door (or drive-thru). The line at the local In & Outs are always so huge, we almost hate to go there but do go because of the food.

Good going. And now wouldn't you like to add it to the eGullet recipes? You know, I think I will! The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it looks nice for a long time, even with the avacadoes. People love it and you can serve it with all sorts of things. Yes, please post it. It sounds intriguing and avocados are going to be coming down in price in a couple months. Let us know when it's in the RecipeGullet. edited to add: I've found tons of recipes for "avocado mousse" using a Google search. I'll wait until it's posted here to compare.

Soba, thanks for the info and the idea for a new moniker: Toliver, the bold-tongued!

Speaking as someone who grew up eating Miracle Whip (and liking it, gosh darn it), don't get me started. I prefer the phrase "mayo substitute".