Toliver

It was a vegetarian night for me: roasted beets, carrots & brocolli (a la Jim Dixon's cauliflower) with a side of mashed potatoes.

You whiners! If you had Cool Whip, you had it good. We had "Dream Whip". It came in a freakin' box, fer cryin' out loud! People have sought therapy for less...

Bon Appetit Digest – February 2004 “Warming Up Winter” This month’s contributors: Tama Janowitz, Bruce Aidells, James Leland Day, Leslie Mackie and Donata Maggipinto Starters – “Oscar’s Greatest Eats” by Hugh Garvey A brief look at some Oscar night memorable menu moments. Style Notes – “White on White” – White on white tableware “The Flavors of Bon Appetit 2004” – A new book compiling the best recipes from last year has just been released. "The Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift" A two-day trip to Napa Valley for culinary classes & wine tasting. “Love Potions” – Sensuous sipping suggestions for Valentine’s Day “The Art of Maple” – Artisanal maple syrup…moving beyond the breakfast table R.S.V.P. – Readers’ Favorite Restaurant Recipes “Coconut Cream Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust” – Mother’s Bistro & Bar – Portland, Oregon “Le Cirque 2000 Champagne Cocktail” – Le Cirque 2000 – New York City “Pasta with Shellfish, Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes” – Hélène Darroze – Paris “Pancetta-Topped Goat Cheese with Raspberry Sauce and Arugula Salad” – Artner – Vienna, Austria Entertaining Made Easy – “House Party Weekend” by Rozanne Gold Keeping things simple in the kitchen whether at home or on vacation. Recipes: “Pasta Rustica with Smoked Mozzarella”, “Braised Orange-Ginger Short Ribs with Dried Apricots”, “Warm Lemon-Cumin Chicken on Pita Bread Salad” Tools of the Trade – “Loafing Around” by Dorie Greenspan The season for bread baking is here. Get in gear with kneading mats, pans & more. Dorie offers bread making as stress relief in the modern age. She recommends a kneading mat such as the Demarle Roul’Pat ($40 at www.happycookers.com). There are different kinds of rising baskets, too. One is called a banneton (about $70 at www.kingarthurflour.com) and the other is more oval/round (Frieling Basket - $30 to $35 at www.cooking.com) and they both add a pattern to the exterior crust of the rising bread. A good peel is needed to make sure the bread gets into the oven without incident (wooden peel $19 at www.cooking.com or an aluminum peel $20 at www.kingarthurflour.com). Baking pans can determine how your bread turns out. Get a deep browned crust using a dark pan (Professional Nonstick Loaf Pan from Chicago Metallic - $14 www.cooking.com) or get a crust that is not too thick or dark by using a pan like the light-colored aluminum-coated pan like the Willams-Sonoma Professional Loaf Pan ($12 at www.williams-sonoma.com). Wine & Spirits – “Hot Hot Toddies” by Hugh Garvey Inventive twists on the classic spirited warm-ups from your favorite ski-resorts. Recipes: “The Irish Slalom” – Sugarloaf/USA Ski Resort in Maine “Mexican Coffee” – The St. Regis Aspen “Candy Cane Cocoa” – Teton Mountain Lodge - Jackson Hole, Wyoming “Rum Hot Toddy” – Fairmont Banff Springs – Alberta, Canada “Hot Apple Pie” – Restaurant Six89 – Carbondale, Colorado “Hot Buttered Rum” – Duchin Lounge – Sun Valley, Idaho Bon Vivant – What’s New. What’s Hot. What’s Good. – by Gina Provenzana Heart-shaped hand blown red glass vase (www.chiasso.com), kicked-up-a-notch chocolates (www.partistry.com & www.vosgeschocolate.com), pink-tinged dinnerware (Nancy Koltes at Home) and Organza tablecloth (Dransfield & Ross), chocolate perfume(!)(www.cosmeticmall.com), Kate Spade wedding paisley-themed thank you cards and place cards & Chelsea Paper initialed note cards (www.chelseapaper.com). Going Out – “Fantasy Island” by Malachy Duffy Malachy looks at the innovative restaurants revolutionizing dining on the Caribbean isle of St. Bart’s: L’Indigo (Chef Philippe Masseglia – Hôtel Guanahani, Grand Cul-de-Sac), Dõ Brazil (Shell Beach, Gustavia), Eddy’s (Gustavia), L’Esprit de Saline (Saline Beach), La Langouste (Hotel Baie des Anges), Wall house (Gustavia), Zanzibarth (St. Jean), Le Gaïac (Chef Maxime Deschamps - Le Toiny hotel) Top Tables – “The Restaurant Reporter” by Tanya Wenman Steel Side bar list of places to go for the “Best Breakfast” “The Buzz” – “Around the country and around the world – where to go now” Dallas – Jasper’s (Plano - Chef-owner Kent Rathbun), Standard 2706 (Chef Timothy Byres), Aurora (Chef Avner Samuel), Waka (Chef Seiji Wakabayashi) New York – ‘Cesca (Chef Tom Valenti – Upper West Side), The Biltmore Room (Chef Gary Robins), Matsuri (Chef Tadashi Ono - Chelsea) Venice, Italy – Osteria San Marco, Ristorante al Fontego dei Pescaori, Alle Testiere (Chef Bruno Gavagnin) How America Eats – 7th annual reader’s survey – by Tanya Wenman Steel Some surprising answers: 65% of those surveyed feel they are almost as good as a professional chef! Salty or Sweet? 31% chose Nuts as their favorite snacks. Unfortunately, the survey results are rather short (two pages). “Fire & Spice” by Bruce Aidells (of Aidells Sausages fame) Bruce offers up some recipes using bold spices from around the world…not all are necessarily spicy, but most are warm & comforting. Recipes: “Veal Parprikash” (sour cream balances any heat from the paprika), “Thai Shrimp Curry” (adjust the heat by adding the curry to taste), “Turkey Green Chili” (poblanos, jalepeños, tomatillos & cilantro), “Baked Ziti with Spiced Pork and Sausage Ragú” (spicy Italian sausage, pancetta & hot red pepper flakes), “Moroccan Chicken with Eggplant, Tomatoes and Almonds” (Cover Recipe), “Baked Baby Back Ribs with Lemon Confit Marinade” (thyme, rosemary, fennel seeds), “Roast New York Strip Loin with Adobo Rub” (garlic, paprika, rosemary), “Tandoori-Spiced Leg of Lamb” (lime juice & “Indian” spices) “Wonder Bread” by Leslie Mackie A true comfort bread recipe for Winter: “Rosemary-Semolina Round with Sesame and Sea Salt” “Dinner by Candlelight” by Suzanne Goin A Valentine’s Day dinner for more than two. Recipes: “Bay Scallops with Polenta, Wild Mushrooms, Sherry and Parsley Breadcrumbs”, “Duck Breast with Crème Fraîche and Roasted Grapes”, “Potato Gratin with Bacon and Thyme”, “Warm Crepes with Hazelnut Brown Butter” Table & Home - “Serving Up Winter” by James Leland Day A look at some beautiful casserole dishes, gratins and ramekins that go from the oven to the table. “Cozy Breakfasts” by Dorie Greenspan Breakfast comfort foods! Recipes: “Banana, Raisin and Oatmeal Pancakes”, “Individual Oven-Coddled Eggs with Mashed Potatoes and Herbs”, “Raisin-Bread Strata with Sausage and Dried Plums (formerly known as “prunes”), “Sugar-Crusted French Toast with Honeyed Apples”, “Crispy Cornmeal-Bacon Waffles” Dorie offers a side bar of tips on “Waffle 101” “It’s in the Cards” by Mara Papatheodorou & Charlotte Butzin A casual Winter party with an Argentinian flair. Recipes: “Poblano Chile Olive Empanadas”, “Rolled Stuffed Flank Steaks with Onion and Tomato Salsa”, “Onion & Tomato Salsa”, “Baked Corn Pudding with Chiles, Onions and Cheese”, ‘Mixed Greens with Honey-Lime Dressing”, “Crepes with Carmelized Apples, Rum Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream” “Love at First Bite” Recipes: “Chocolate-Hazelnut Soufflé” (Wonyee Tom of the Water Grill - Los Angeles), “Praline Meringues with Dulce de Leche Cream and Tropical Fruits” (Malka Espinel of De la Tierra at Sundy House – Delray Beach, Florida), “Dark-Chocolate Mint Cupcakes with White-Chocolate Mint Frosting” (Marcel Desaulniers of the Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia), “Chocolate-Raspberry Dome with Marinated Raspberries” (John Hui of Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas), “Lemon Cheesecakes with Lemon Chantilly Cream” (Scott Varricchio & Amanda LaBarbera of Quest in NYC), “Passion Fruit Tart with Crisp Meringue Top” (Michelle Gayer-Nicholson of Trotter’s to Go, Chicago) “Chilling Out in Park City” by Tama Janowitz Tamara takes beginner ski lessons and explores the Utah Resort town. A side bar suggests the “best places to fuel up for the slopes.” Recipe: “Macaroni and Cheese with Crumb Topping” (with Asiago & White Cheddar - from Robert Redford’s restaurant Zoom), “Mustard-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Sauce” (from the restaurant Stein Eriksen) “Food with a View” by Victoria von Biel, photographs by Steven Rothfield A quick look at the gorgeous Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. Fast Weekday Dinners – “Every Night Cooking” by Brook Dojny and Melanie Barnard Recipes: “Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples and Onions”, “Turkey Enchiladas Adobo”, “Seared Peppered Scallops with Orange-Soy Glaze”, “Steak and Onion Sandwiches with Horseradish Mayonnaise”, “Escarole Soup with Garbanzo Beans and Pasta” At the Market – “Grapefruit” by Donata Maggipinto With names like Star Ruby and Rio Red, this isn’t your father’s grapefruit. The bitter sour variety is a thing of the past thanks to grapefruit growers in Texas. Recipes: “Pink Grapefruit, Fennel and Parmesan Salad”, “Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables with Grapefruit Gremolata”, “Grapefruit, Ginger and Star Anise Compote”, “Roasted Tuna with Grapefruit and Tarragon” Reader’s Time Saving Recipes Recipes from Susan Richardson of Edina, Minnesota: “Classic Date Bars”, “Beef, Black Bean and Corn Nachos” Recipes from Juli Tsuchiya-Waldron of Tokyo, Japan: “Cola-Braised Pork Stew”, “Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Butter Dressing” Feedback – The End Page Q & A with Fashion Designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka

Well, when Amanda starts posting on eGullet, I will thank her. Until then, I will attribute this recipe to our own Jim Dixon who brought it to our attention and will heap on him all the kudos this excellent recipe deserves.

I can't believe that they sell it for $17.50!!!!!! Look again. That it's $17.50 (currently $15.00) for a 5 piece set, one of each color. That averages about $3.00 per peeler. Though why would one person want 5 peelers at one time is a puzzle. Perhaps it's their idea for stocking stuffers at Christmas time.

Those feed companies wouldn't be headed by this guy, now would they? Exxxxxx-cellent.

I share your pain. I never tasted butter until I moved away from home. That fake stuff follows me where ever I go....crossword puzzle clue "4 letter word for margarine": [GAH] "OLEO" [/GAH] When I made Christmas cookies at my mom's house this year, she said they tasted better than hers and wondered why. Maybe it was because I used BUTTER, Ma!! Mwaahahahahaha!

Wasn't there some sort of "Who's Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?" with Robert Morley as a Food Critic? "Moonstruck" had a lot of food-related scenes in it. I always get so hungry when I watch that movie!

As a Southern California native, this is completely new and utterly foreign to me. Is it like an ice milk? A Slushee? A Slurpee?

Oh, God. La Choy Chop Suey. Yeah, the canned stuff. It was putrid and I never ate it...just sort of mushed it around my plate. Mom always accompanied this horror with a bowl of the crisp chow mein noodles (also from a La Choy can, most likely) which would end up being my dinner. The chow mein looked like something even the dog wouldn't touch... Lucky dog.

Well, "oht" and "oat" sound the same to me, unless you're saying the "oht" sounds like "ought". It's "chee-poat-lay", if you pronounce the spanish vowels correctly ("ah"-"eh"-"ee"-"oh"-"oo"). Unless my 7th grade Spanish class did me wrong...

Let's put a positive spin on this. It sounds like you're being frugal and there's nothing wrong with that. I enjoy a good Porterhouse, for example, and when a local store has "Family Pak's" of Porterhouse's on sale, I'll spring for a package or two and split the packages up into smaller portions for freezing. It's called taking advantage of a good price. Full freezer? Time for an eGullet Shindig! Again, a positive spin would be: 1) You're being frugal. 2) You're being ecologically responsible by not throwing away something that can be used or recycled (leftovers!). 3) You grew up being told "Eat everything on your plate, there are kids starving in China" and the message is just now sinking in so you're hestitant to throw anything away. Positive spin: Thanks in part to eGullet, your palate and food-wisdom has become more refined and you subconsciously realize that you're a better cook than most chefs so you stay at home where you know the food will be good. Positive spin: You're eating healthier, not avoiding expensive snacks. Postive spin: 1) See "frugal". 2) Less is more. As we grow older, we realize we don't need to eat that entire box of candy when only one or two pieces will carry the entire experience of the pleasure we seek. Or, you could just be getting older, period (thanks for that Marlene!). edited to add a period

Why are we re-inventing the chicken? Wasn't there already a wonderful thread (or two?) about roasting the perfect chicken and the "how-to's"? Here. And Here. And Here. Amidst these threads you'll find two glorious new words for your eGullet chicken vocabulary: "brine" & "spatchcock".

Thanks, "Dr. Phil"! I resolve to finally wade through and use (or toss) the freakin' cupboard full of sauces, condiments, dried herbs and spices I've accumulated. It is literally overflowing onto my precious countertop space and I want that real estate back. "Poultry Seasoning"!? I know I never bought that little can. Did it come with the apartment or was it a present from my mom when I moved in 17 years ago? Out you go, little can! Out with the Old....and let me ask myself "Will I really use it?" before I try to bring in the New.

C'mon guys! Can't somebody give in and take one for the team!? Maybe we can get them to donate a pan to eGullet for analysis and review. Yeah, that's the ticket. Let SLKinsey take one for a ride.

I can personally attest to the fact that tolerance can be developed. My brother is famous in our family for his spicy "Two Beer Shrimp", named so because it used to take two beers to cool off your mouth after you took your first bite. But today, its spiciness is rather mild to our "seasoned" palates. It amazes us that we once thought it so hot that you had to have a "crying" towel next to your plate. Times change and so do tastes, I guess. As for the "second burn", Chile Pepper magazine once recommended Solarcaine sunburn spray to relieve the pain.

The Winter Farmer's Market doesn't have as many vendors as it does in it's heyday during the Summer, but here's what I got this weekend: Organic garlic 2 HUGE heads of cauliflower (Roasted Cauliflower, here I come!) (They also had HUGE heads of what looked to be purple cauliflower, but I passed) Sweet red onions Gala apples Baby spinach leaves Locally produced honey And two pieces of spiced Linzer Tort from the German woman who sells baked goods, as well as a bag of her raisin scones.

Never even heard of one. Where are they located? There's an M&M store/Museum on the Las Vegas Strip, on the MGM side of the street (there's a Coca Cola store in the same "mall"). It does indeed have a wide spectrum of colors. Rumor has it the place is popular with brides-to-be who want to find M&M's that match their wedding colors to use as party favors for their receptions.

I made roasted cauliflower for my family to go with our Christmas Eve dinner. My mom was already making green beans with butter & almonds so I just roasted one head (sliced as per the Jim Dixon recipe) thinking it would be enough to let everyone have a taste. Two women at the dinnertable nearly came to fisticuffs over the last bit remaining in the bowl after it had been passed around the table! Needless to say, it was a big hit. One very different thing though: My mom's (gas) oven is about a year old and has never really been calibrated correctly. Her cooking times always seem to be off because of this. I set the temp to 400 degrees (like the recipe calls for) but it had to have been actually lower since, at the ten minute mark, I took the cauliflower out to turn the pieces and not a piece had been browned. Wassup wit dat? So figuring the temp was off, I just set a timer and every 10 minutes I turned the cauliflower. Instead of the white-ish bits with brown spots that I got on the caluiflower when I previously cooked this recipe in my own (electric) oven at home, the cauliflower ended up becoming a pale golden color with brown edges. It was absolutely gorgeous and tasted as good as it looked. I think the total cooking time ended up being about 30 or 40 minutes. Now I am thinking the next time I try this recipe at home, I'm going to try it in a slower oven to see if I can achieve the same golden color I got on Christmas Eve. Has anyone else have this happen to them?

As I've posted before (everyone here must be sick of seeing it said) my mom used tenderized round steak but instead of just flour, the coating was mostly corn flake crumbs mixed with a little flour and onion flakes, garlic, s & p. I could eat if for dinner every night for a month. Too bad her cream gravy always sucked (sorry, Ma, but it did!).

That's because Hefty is a division of the Pactiv Corporation. Link below http://www.pactiv.com/ Thank you for finding that link but they are still idiots for not buying the domain name www.hefty.com (which is currently a create-a-book site for personalizing children's books) and having it forward to the parent company web site. www.heftybags.com isn't taken. www.heftyplastic.com isn't taken. Someone isn't thinking in that company...

Ginsu. When they get dull, buy another set for a dollar on eBay.

Regarding the Dweezil & Lisa Loeb show, having just seen the promos for it, I would hazard a guess that this show is FoodTV's blatant attempt to draw in their (Dweezil's & Lisa's) demographic. Most cooking shows (on PBS, for example) tend to aim towards the "foodie" and aren't age specific. This show, however, looks like it's aimed to draw in a specific age group. This will impact how FoodTV can sell themselves to sponsors...the prize demographic being 18 to 35.

At the moment, I would have to decline. I am about to leave on my Christmas vacation and will be away from computers for a couple weeks (hard to imagine, isn't it?). Unless eGullet has a WiFi laptop they can loan me. I would like to, eventually, but will have to pass for now. edited to add: No Chicagoan here...I'm in Bakersfield , California, originally from San Diego.

Last night I oven roasted some broccoli (a riff off of Jim Dixon's Roasted Cauliflower). It didn't chop up as well as the cauliflower does but still had that sweet carmelization. Unfortunately, I over-salted. Since I was busy wrapping presents I also popped a Freschetta Brick Oven combination pizza (the square ones) into the oven. It was surprisingly good. The crust turned out soft and chewy and actually tasted like pizza dough instead of the usual cardboard flavor one gets from frozen pizza. It had lots of toppings and the red sauce wasn't too bad, either. Imagine that...I was impressed by a frozen pizza.