Toliver

It looks like you're paying for grill space (being able to grill for a crowd). From one of the reviews: Also, the triple nickel plated hinged cooking grate sounds like it won't rust out. But for $1,000? That's a bit steep for me, too. Does steep for you, make it wrong?? I suggest it only puts it out of your price range, but surely not in the least bit a bad thing. woodburner Steep for me means it's insanely priced in relation to my budget. Hence, steep=wrong for me. I am questioning why something so similar to a simple split barrel BBQ should cost so much. My guess is you're paying all that money for the name. Hey, whatever floats your boat or smokes your turkey...

That's a pet peeve of mine, too. If you ask for the recipe and then promptly change it, why did you want the original recipe in the first place? There's a popular recipe web site that has feedback for recipes and I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who post messages like "Great recipe, except I doubled this and substituted that." You want my recipe? Follow it word for word the first time you make it. This will show you how it's supposed to turn out. After that, feel free to change what you want and then take my name off the recipe, please.

Marlene, Thanks for posting the pics of your kitchen! I am envious. It all looks very efficient. I am waiting to see if your son will out-eat NeroW from her blog.

It looks like you're paying for grill space (being able to grill for a crowd). From one of the reviews: Also, the triple nickel plated hinged cooking grate sounds like it won't rust out. But for $1,000? That's a bit steep for me, too.

My mom goes to a lot of potlucks and likes to try out new recipes for them. The people who attend the potluck are her blissfully ignorant guinea pigs. I, on the other hand, can't imagine the scenario where I would serve an untested recipe to guests in my home. I'll make it for myself, I'll make it for my immediate family, but guests won't eat it until I know the recipe is edible.

There are numerous taco shops throughout San Diego that offer cheap and good eats. Roberto's was the first chain, followed by a spin-off, Alberto's, and after that it gets murky: Royberto's, Hilberto's, etc, you get the picture. The menu is pretty much the same at all of them as are the prices which are low. If you want "bang" for your buck, try La Torta (click here). They only have 4 locations but their Pacific Beach location, while small, is their best...not as crowded as the others and you can sit outside if the weather is good. Their sandwiches are mammoth (see pics on the website linked above) and if you go with someone, split a basket of their beer-battered onion rings. I'd recommend stopping at a 7-11 convenience store, though, to get a Big Gulp before going to La Torta since they only sell soda by the can/bottle. They also sell Horchata, etc. The Rubios chain offers some great fish tacos but their prices keep going up. I'd look for a "taco sale" sign in front of the store offering a deal (they offer different deals throughout the year...including lobster tacos!) before I'd go in. If you've never had a fish taco before, then you should try Rubio's. There's also a place called Da Kine's (Click here for Da Kine's web site) in Pacific Beach (another location in National City) that offers hawai'ian food. Check out the menu on the website with some pictures of their food. They offer combo platters, too, and it's filling. The Kalua Pig is pulled pork & shredded cabbage with Liquid Smoke mixed in and is quite tasty. Order the Kona cake for dessert and split it with friends. Da Kine's in PB is about a block away from the boardwalk/beach (see the pic on the web link). As for going south of the border, I don't really recommend it unless you take someone with you who speaks spanish. But then, that was my experience.

I take it you feel strongly about this. That's the nice thing about this board...there is often more than just one solution to a problem, more than one way cook a goose (to mix up my metaphors) or make pasta. It may not be your way to do it or even the "right" way (whatever that is) to do it, but it is a way to do it that has obviously brought success to those who've posted about it. edited to add: Lighten up!

When you started it out on high, how long did you leave it on high for? Was the lid on or off during this first part? thanks! Marlene, Did you add demi glace to your onions like fifi did? Taking another look at the original recipe linked from the first page of this thread, they called for quite a bit of liquid. So maybe confit IS supposed to have liquid at the end of the cooking. I don't know. Also, the original recipe calls for sugar. Besides sweetening the onions, wouldn't the sugar also help in thickening the liquid by acting like a syrup (after cooking a while)? Can any SSB's on the board calculate/figure out if the sugar is in too small a quantity in the original recipe to even effect the liquid in this manner?

I don't really see why you should start your onions in a skillet and then move them into the crock pot/slow cooker. I mean, isn't the point of using a crock pot/slow cooker that you don't need other pots & pans to make your recipe? It's "put the food in and walk away", right? Why dirty more pans? I think those who have said "use less liquid" may be on to something in regards to resolving the excess liquid problem. Using less liquid in my West Bend slow cooker wouldn't be a major problem because it has a non-stick interior anyway. I hope to give this grand experiment a try this weekend.

The 4 & 1/2 month Southern California grocery strike may be finally coming to an end. Click here for the story Union members will be voting on a proposed contract and could be back to work by midweek. Not mentioned in the article is the fact the the Northern California Grocery Workers Union contract with the same three supermarket chains ends later this September. It will be interesting to see how it will play out. Now the big question will be: Will the customers, who've spent the last 4 & 1/2 months shopping at other supermarkets (very few crossed the pickect lines), return to the Big 3?

Sometimes it's good to have friends in low places. Thanks for posting about what language you're using. I was wondering how you were doing when it came to "more tapas, please." I look forward to the pictures!

Soooo many questions come to mind...

Here's a Google search for "chile pepper seeds": Chile Pepper Seeds Here's a seed company that was in the "Links" page at Chile Pepper Magazine's website: B & T World Seeds It's not a well designed site but seemed to have a lot to offer. For example, type "Bird Pepper" in the search engine and you'll get some hot hits. Type in "Capsicum" and you should get a list with most of the peppers they have to sell. I have not ordered from either site so I can't vouch for them. If you need a primer on growing peppers, Chile Pepper Magazine had some suggestions: Growing Peppers As the article states, if starting from seeds, you need about 8 to 10 weeks to grow the seedlings before you have something you can plant successfully. Regarding seeds, my brother, the cheap chile head, is infamous for dipping his hand into the dried chile bins at the supermarkets to get the seeds at the bin bottoms. It's not the best way to start out growing the best peppers but he's grown some scorchers from such seeds.

Marlena, Speaking of fried food, do you see a lot of it there? I ask because I have friends who lived in Madrid for a while (many years ago) and that was one of their complaints about the food. They said they encountered fried food everywhere, even the vegetables (like your onions) were usually fried. Or is the cuisine of Barcelona completely different?

A sumptuous and scintillating supper...I am superbly sated! And the market sounds like a wonderful world unto itself. Thank you for keeping us updated.

how would that be pronounced? Pronounced like "win". edited: Or kind of like "when" with more of a "ih" sound

Would brining help keep the breast meat moist while still allowing for crisp skin? The oven-roasted chicken discussion seemed to favor it.

Doesn't mean overbearing sweetness at all. The phrase appears as a song lyric on Nick Lowe's "Homewreckery" on his album, The Convincer.... That phrase is a lot older than a record album. I've always taken it to mean that whatever the person is saying, there's no warmth or sincerity in it, or that they never have a kind word to say. Some other food phrases: "It's like taking candy from a baby" "It's a piece of cake" (not a simile but close) I had more but they weren't similes. And more of the insults: "He's a few fries short of a Happy Meal" "She's a taco short of a combo platter" edited to add another insult from that my aunt used to say: "That boy's yolk is done broke" (meaning he's crazy)

It just gets worse and worse, doesn't it? I just saw a promo on FoodTV for a new series debuting next week hosted by....wait for it....Bobby Flay's newest girlfirend!! Ta-Da! Yes folks, she's fresh off of her exit from NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" and moving right into hosting a week of shows called "What America Eats" on the Food Network. That'll look interesting on the ole resume, won't it? As if that isn't enough, the show will also feature some Parade Magazine reports, too, on what America is eating and when they're eating it. It just oozes "riveting TV", doesn't it? Yes, it just oozes. At this rate, FoodTV will eventually have a Ratings Sweeps month filled with shows featuring all of Bobby Flay's ex's (she's not a girlfriend, folks, she's a future ex). Maybe they can call it "Flay's Lays Month". I would normally hurl a torrent of invectives at this point (or just hurl), but I think I passed the point of "What's the point?" a few Sandra Lee/Dweezil & Lisa shows ago. Here I thought things would get better when their VP, who said something to the effect of, "It's entertainment. People aren't supposed to learn anything from TV" left the network. Guess I was wrong.

Has he started any new medications? Sometimes meds will exacerbate or cause constipation. Just a thought...

San Diego has a great chain of all-you-can-eat soup and salad bars called The Soup Plantation. My family actually prefers it over other typical buffet places. I agree with some of the other posters...size up the situation first, ignore the "fillers" and don't drink a lot of fluids even though it's free for the taking. Save the room for food, not liquids. A little known fact about buffets: Did you know a lot of buffets set their A/C really high in hopes that patrons don't stay too long due to the cold air? Of course, my brother and his wife are wise to this and dress like they're getting ready to trek through the Artic Circle when they're heading out to a buffet. As for buffets at home, Thanksgiving at my Mom's has turned into one over the years and it works out great. There's just no room for all the food on the table and you can get up and get seconds (or thirds!) if you want without having to have someone pass it to you.

Marlena, I can't speak for others but I certainly wouldn't mind a bit if your blog ran long! Will you be staying in Barcelona for the weekend after the ceremony? Or will you return home the next day? I ask because if you will be staying, I'd certainly like to have you share some of your Barcelona dining with us, in addition to the dinner Friday night.

I posted about this earlier in the thread. I can attest that I roasted more cauliflower a couple days ago using a dark brown cookie sheet with a small lip (covered with aluminum foil for easy cleanup) and it just took the 20 minutes the recipe calls for. I can also verify Tommy's point. I made two smallish heads and ended up overcrowding the sheet pan and some pieces did just steam. But overall, I got good browning. As for phaelon56's experience...did you turn the cauliflower at the ten minute mark like the recipe calls for? You mentioned that at 15 minutes you thought it was browning too fast. If you had turned the cauliflower at the ten minute mark, there shouldn't have been any "browning too fast" since the uncooked side would have then been down for only 5 minutes and the already-browned side would be up at that point so it wouldn't be browning anymore (I believe it's the contact with the sheet pan and the oil that creates the browning). Unless, of course, as fifi suggested, there is a calibration problem with your oven. If you use an aluminum (light colored) sheet pan, the roasting will take longer. Also, a lower oven temp will increase cooking time, decrease a majority of the browning but should provide the overall golden color previously mentioned.

[JINMYO] Gah! [/JINMYO] The show itself can become a conduit to educate the American audience. Have faith in the medium and in the viewers. But then I'm an optimist, or least, I hope I am. edited to add s p a c i n g

I know what you mean. Here at eGullet, my lips get sore from reading so much (sorry for the old joke). You think six pages is bad, try reading the "Dinner!" thread from page 1...oy! You can probably zip through many of the posts in that cauliflower thread since there's a lot of "I thought you guys were crazy until I tried it for myself" kind of posts.