Toliver

[sHAKES FIST] Why...you! [/sHAKES FIST]

My mom used to do this, too! Now she puts the butter in a small Corning Ware dish and covers it with a paper towel (the dish is a deep one so the paper towel doesn't make contact with the butter). Now if it goes "pop!" it gets the paper towel and not the microwave oven.

Thanks for posting the pics! They brought a tear to my eye, the food looked so good. A great blog!

Welcome, HollyB!

Hold it, Hold it, Hold it right there. You mean you top your deviled eggs with bacon?! The mere thought of such a combination is setting my tastebuds to salivating. Do you do anything special with your filling? My, my, my. Thanks for bringing a shining moment into my afternoon!

Nope. I think it's because I used it to wrap something as opposed to sealing something. I don't think it's really intended to be used like "normal" plastic wrap where if you unwrap that piece of cheese, you can rewrap it using the same piece of plastic wrap. This stuff is REALLY sticky and seems to be intended for sealing/covering bowls, cups, etc. I made the mistake of wrapping a piece of cheese in it and had a dickens of a time trying to get it unwrapped. I ended up going postal on that piece of cheese just to get it open! The piece of Press 'N' Seal I finally got off the cheese was toast, so to speak. It was just a clump of Press'N'Seal that was really, really sealed on itself. Hey, I guess the stuff really works!

Butter & Garlic.

What got the scientific folk interested in the lowly gecko was its ability to cling to glass, even upside down. You're right about the microscopic hair on the gecko feet. They create a sort of suction where there shouldn't be any suction. Here's a story on some man-made developments in this area: Click Here. As for Press 'N' Seal, I'm a fan. I have no idea why it works but it does (see the "This Really Works" thread). Unlike normal plastic wrap, though, you have to be careful when you remove the Press 'N' Seal in order to reseal the container with the same piece of wrap. Otherwise the wrap stuff tends to become un-reuseable (hey, a new word!) quickly.

One step down, "powdered" milk! Remember? from Carnation? Gosh, do I! My mom thought she'd try "making" skim milk by using that powdered stuff for a while. Yuck. But then my mom grew up during the Depression when she had to eat and drink some horrible things because there was nothing else. So I don't think she thought it was that bad. Think again, mom!

what are the round disc things you refer to? Ha! I found it! You can buy the disks at Bed, Bath & Beyond-type stores (at about half the price you see listed here): The green disk thingy HOORAY FOR TOLIVER! I drove myself NUTS looking for those things on the web. Somehow googling for "green disc thingy" wasn't working for me. I Google-searched for "green disk keep vegetables fresher longer" (thinking I could get a hit with the sales pitch for it) and ending up finding it on page two of the results.

Not a meal, but I used to HATE non-fat/skim milk. When I was a teen I used to call it "Blue Water" it was so thin and odd looking. But today's non-fat/skim milk is anything but "Blue Water". Have dairy processes changed over the years? It doesn't look anything like it did when I was younger. It's much more palatable these days.

I thought this was interesting in the article: That it will be housed in Nabisco's old stomping grounds seems quite appropriate (insert cookie-cutter joke here) and ironic at the same time. Sure, there's a lot of crap on that network but there are some good shows, as well. It's too bad Tony Bourdain won't be on it anymore. It was FoodTV (as they used to be called) that re-ignited my interest in cooking well which, in turn, eventually led me here to eGullet. That's a "good thing", as Martha says.

what are the round disc things you refer to? Ha! I found it! You can buy the disks at Bed, Bath & Beyond-type stores (at about half the price you see listed here): The green disk thingy

Thanks for taking the blog time to give us your "who-what-where..." background. I appreciate it. Oh, and make sure you take notes during your open house so we can see what the cook eats at his own shindig. Your mise en place for the jambalaya looks wonderful...I can almost smell the ingredients!

How about a little background on yourself for those who don't know you (like me, for instance)? What's your food background? You say you got the juice for the punch from work...what kind of workplace? I take it you're in the Chicago area which makes me think of deep dish pizza, hot dogs or just meat (from the packing plants). Set me straight as to the regional cuisine of your area, if you have time. Inquiring minds want to know!

Bon Appetit Digest – January 2004 “Best of the Year” Contributors in this issue: José Andrés, Rod Davis, Alan Richman, Anthony Dias Blue and Dede Wilson. Again, great food photos! Starters: “Bringing the Cheese Course Home” Cheese courses when dining are now the “in” thing. Hugh Garvey offers some suggestions on shopping, serving and sides. "Q&A" with Susan Gillespie and her two year old Springer Spaniel Cooper Gillespie, co-authors of “Throw Me a Bone: 50 Healthy Canine Taste-Tested Recipes for Snacks, Meals and Treats”. Restaurant Trend – “Money on the Menu” A sidebar looking at the trend of taking typically humble dishes and turning them into a Big-Ticket item. How about a $19 Kobe Beef hot dog at the Old Homestead Steakhouse? Kitchen Notes – “Crazy for Copper” - It’s the new look for hardware and fixtures. A side article with suggestions for “A Texas-Style Super Bowl Party” with web links to purveyors of chili kits, tamales and chocolate pecan pies, to name a few menu items. “Grand Cru Cruising” – A short sidebar on the new trend in cruises where the off-ship trips include tours of wineries. R.S.V.P. – “Favorite Restaurant Recipes” Something different this issue…the two restaurant recipes offered are from restaurants featured in this issue’s travel story “The Great Weekend Getaway”: “Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes with Rum-Ginger Ice Cream” (Cover recipe…not from a restaurant but from the Bon Appetit “test kitchen”), “Potato Enchiladas with Tomato-Chile Sauce”, “Striped Bass with Mushrooms, Treviso, Raisins and Capers” Entertaining Made Easy – “The New Cocktail Party…” by Rozanne Gold “It’s more than just nibbles. It’s dinner and your own special drink.” Recipes: “Pear Martini with Lemon and Rosemary”, “Shrimp Escabeche with Blood Orange Mojo”, “Moroccan Chicken and Lentils”, “Soba Noodle Salad with Cucumber and Mango” Sidebar article: “Shaking Up the Bar” Recipes: “Mar-Tea-Ni” (yes, a martini made with tea), “Orange-Tini” People and Places – “My Year in Food” by Alan Richman Alan ponders his five favorite dishes from around the world which are: Hamachi Tartare from Le Bernardin in New York; Chocolate Mole-Painted Foie Gras from Azul, Mandarin Oriental Miami; Napoleon, Le Cirque 2000 in New York; Carne Deshabrada (Shredded Beef) Taco from ¡Loteria Grill! in Los Angeles; Black Truffle Anchovy Amuse-Bouche from La Maison Troigros in Roanne, France. Tools of the Trade - “Gotta-Have-‘Em Gadgets” by Dorie Greenspan Dorie’s tested some cool tools and presents the best of the best: Oxo Good Grips Angled Measuring Cups, Julienne Peeler ($13 at www.surlatable.com), Orka Silicone Oven Mitts ($21 each at www.happycookers.com), Krups Panini Maker (about $80 at www.cooking.com) Kitchen Design – “The Big Three” by Gina Provenzano Gina reviews the latest trends in major appliances with sleek looks and user-friendly functions. Suggested dishwasher brands include Asko, Miele and Dacor with Jenn-Air, Bosch and Maytag bringing up the rear. Recommended refrigerators models include KitchenAid’s Proline model, Sub-Zero’s newest and LG Electronics latest model with Samsung, Electrolux and Frigo Designs rounding out the list. Microwaves no longer go by that name. Instead, they are now called “speed cook” ovens. Who knew? The top three recommendations are Whirlpool’s G2Microven, GE’s Profile Advantium and Kenmore’s Elite Speed Cook with Viking professional series, LG Electronics’ Glide and Cook, a Sharp model (not named) and Samsung’s Toast & Bake finishing the list. Wine & Spirits – “Tasting the Trends” by Hugh Garvey 2003 will be known as “The Year of the Screw Cap”. Hugh recaps the Aussie Invasion, Super-Specialized Glassware, Screw Caps for Serious Wine, Even More Classic Cocktails, Rosé Gets Respect, More Good Wines by the Glass Restaurants and Wine that’s Cheaper than Water (“Two Buck Chuck” at Trader Joe’s!). A major side panel article lists the “Top 25 for Under $25”, dividing the list into Whites and Reds. Bon Vivant – “What’s New. What’s Hot. What’s Good.” “Trends in Tableware” – The ‘50’s are back with the reemergence of “mid-century modern” design in tableware. The article features photos of a pewter mushroom bowl, cheese board and knife, some elegant MarieBelle Dessert China Collection Hot Chocolate cups, boldly colored Lumipli votive holders, and some abstract gondola bowls by Capriccio. Top Tables – “The Restaurant Reporter - Special Edition: The Year in Review” by Tanya Wenman Steel There’s a side bar listing the “Best of the Rest” on the first page of the article. Featured Restaurants include: New York – “Best Casual” is Otto Enoteca Pizzeria in Greenwich Village. “Not worth the Hype” is WD-50 in the Lower East Side. “Best Place You’ve Never Heard Of” is 36 Bar and Barbecue in Midtown. “Best Value” is Mix in New York. “Best Cocktail List” is Sueños in Chelsea and “Best Scene” is Midtown’s Lever House. San Francisco – “Best Casual” is Baraka on Potrero Hill. “Most Anticipated” is Michael Mina’s Restaurant Michael Mina in the Westin Francis Hotel on Union Square. “Best Value” is Market in St. Helena (nothing over $15!). “Best Place You’ve Never Heard Of” is 1550 Hyde atop Russian Hill. “Best Scene” is Bambuddha Lounge in the Phoenix Hotel. Houston – “Best Scene” is Artista. “Best Value” is Cava Bistro. “Best Asian” is Café Le Jadeite and “Most Anticipated” is Rouge and the soon-to-be-opened Shade in the Heights. Atlanta – “Best Casual” is MidCity Cuisine. “Most Anticipated” is Blais. “Not Worth the Hype” is Twist. “Best Value” is Pangaea. The “Best Wine List” is Donlan and Greenbaum’s New York Prime (also is one of the best wine stores). “Most Child-Friendly” is Osteria 832. “Best Scene” is Emeril’s Atlanta. Miami – “Best for a Special Occasion” is Talula. “Best Casual” is The River Oyster Bar. “Best Value” is Pilar. “Best Place You’ve Never Heard Of” is Carmen the Restaurant. “Best Scene” is Grass and “Most Anticipated” is Chispa Restaurant and Bar. Chicago – “Best Casual” is Menagerie. “Most Anticipated” is Le Francais. “Best Value” is Escargot. “Best Place You’ve Never Heard Of” is Jambalaya. “Most Child-Friendly” is Southport Grocery and Café and “Best Scene” is Japonais. Los Angeles – “Best Place You’ve Never Heard Of” is Noé near the Walt Disney Concert Hall. “Most Child-Friendly” is Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante. “Best Casual” is EM Bistro. Portland – “Best Casual” is Lauro Kitchen. “Best Place You’ve Never Heard Of” is Alba Osteria & Enoteca. “Best Value” is Carafe. New Orleans – “Best for a Special Occasion” is Annadele’s Plantation in Covington. “Best Casual” is Lulu’s in the Garden. “Most Anticipated” is a two-for-one with Tacqueros on the first floor and Coyoacán upstairs offering upscale dishes. Best of the Year – “Haute Burger” by Rick Rogers - Recipe: “Porcini-Gorgonzola Burgers with Veal Demi-Glace” “Restaurant Trends: Small Plates” – Recipes: Michael Tuohy’s “Oven-Roasted Mussels with Garlic-Herb Butter” (from Woodfire Grill in Atlanta), Gerry Hayden’s “Orecchiette with Spiced Duck Ragú” (from Amuse in New York), Todd Davies’ “Cabrales Cheese Soufflés with Endive and Asian Pear Salad” (MC2 in San Francisco), Bobby Flay’s “Saffron Risotto Cakes with Shrimp, Chile Oil and Chive Oil” (from Bolo in New York), Todd English’s “Rib Eye Tacos with Onion Jam and Horseradish Crème Fraíche” (from Bonfire in Boston), Summath Das’ “Lamb Phyllo Triangles with Malt Vinegar-Molasses Glaze” (from Monsoon in Chicago), Aaron True’s “Pan-Asian Chicken and Vegetable Lettuce Wraps” (from Small Plates in Detroit) “Sweet Star – Lavender Vacherin” featuring recipe from Chef Alain Giraud of Bastide restaurant in Los Angeles. Recipes: “Lavender Ice Cream” “Cuisine Spanish” – recipes from Chef José Andrés of Jaleo restaurant in Wahsington, D.C. Recipes: “Roasted Sweet Onions with Cabrales Blue Cheese”, “Roasted Red Peppers”, “Red Snapper Baked in Salt with Romesco Sauce”, “Braised Chicken with Garlic and White Wine”, “Mashed Potatoes with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil”, “Catalan Spinach”, “Fresh Oranges with Spiced Red Wine Syrup” “Flavor Green Tea” by Victoria Abbott Riccardi Recipes: “Scallop Tea Rice” “Desserts – Down-Home to Uptown” by Dede Wilson Recipes: “Crème Fraíche Cheesecake with Honey-Rum-Roasted Pineapple”, “Five-Spice Apple-Quince Pie”, “Caramel-Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur de Sel”, “Rhubarb Tart with Brown Butter Streusel”, “Mango-Lemongrass Ice Cream and Blood Orange Sorbet”, "Maple Crunch Layer Cake” “Entertaining: The Dressed-Up Dinner Party” by Mara Papatheodorou & Katie O’Kennedy Recipes: “Crispy Shrimp Wontons with Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce”, “Crab Cakes with Lemon butter and Plum Tomato Salsa”, “Roast Beef Tenderloin with Merlot and Shallots”, “Chive Popovers”, “Fresh Spinach Gratin with Parmesan and Blue Cheeses”, “Mixed Vegetable Sauté with Herbs and Garlic”, “Double-Chocolate Soufflés” “Travel: The Great Weekend Getaway” Some suggestions for that weekend getaway: Carmel-by-the-Sea, St. Paul Winter Carnival, San Antonio, Hudson Valley. With each featured getaway, there is a side bar with “Trip Tips” including How to Get There, Where to Eat, Where to Stay, What You Shouldn’t Miss and what’s the Big Secret place. Fast Weekday Dinners – “Every Night Cooking” by Brooke Dojny and Melanie Barnard Recipes: “Penne with Pancetta and Tomato-Cream Sauce”, “Grouper Sandwiches with Wasabi Coleslaw”, “Greek Spiced Game Hen with Clemetines, Artichokes and Olives”, “Curried Vegetable and Tofu Couscous” Timesaving Recipes – “Too Busy To Cook?” With recipes from Rosemary Leicht of Bethel, Ohio. Recipes: “Cinnamon-Chip and Pecan Loaf Cake”, “Fig Focaccia with Gorgonzola Cheese”, “Ham-and-Egg Pizza Squares” Cooking for Health – “Foods That Heal” by Marie Simmons Recipe: “Stir-Fried Tofu with Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas and Green Onions”, “Pears Poached in Earl Grey Tea with Dried Fruit”, “Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Beet Greens”, “Maple, Walnut, and Flaxseed Pancakes” Includes a side bar of “Natural Healers”, food items that can contribute to overall health: soy, tea, flaxseed and brightly-colored fruits and vegetables Feedback – Last Page Q&A with Dick Clark (hey, Dick likes Valrhona!)

Slim Jims. I see them at the checkout stand and just get a hankering for them and boom, they jump into my cart. I usually regret it when I begin eating one and feeling the beefy greasy texture in my mouth that makes them so...unique.

hannahcooks was quite correct in her post. It looks like Calphalon is closing out their Hard-Anodized line in anticipation of the introduction of their new line of anodized cookware. Here's the link on Amazon (through eGullet) that will take you to the clearance sale: Clickety Some of the prices are astoundingly low. Scroll down on the linked page to see the Top Sellers. Also, as a reminder...Hard-Anodized is not Non-stick.

When I was a kid growing up in San Diego, California, some 30 years ago, there were stores called Fed-Mart and later, Gemco, which were one-stop stores. My mom shopped at these stores for the convenience and also the prices (no matter how convenient a store is, if it doesn't have good prices they won't get the business). So the basic concept of Super Wal-Marts are nothing new to me. It is interesting to see, though, how Wal-Mart has taken the concept and run with it, so to speak. Can Corporate America be stopped? Why would you want to do a thing like that? From a capitalist's point of view, it's just survival of the financially fittest. From a consumer's point of view, I look forward to the cheap groceries. Super Wal-Marts and the corporate thinking behind them have become the proverbial 800 pound gorilla. I know the local grocery chains here in my city are scared witless with the arrival of the Super Wal-Mart. But if Von's (Safeway), Ralph's and Albertson's had low prices to begin with, they would have nothing to worry about. There is a "mom & pop" chain (2 stores) locally that might survive. They've positioned themselves as purveyors of the fine life (Harris Ranch beef, a good variety of wines, locally grown produce, etc). Yes, there is some pretty cheap (bad) crap at Wal-Mart, but there is some good (cheap) non-crap, as well. The same can be said about Target, K-Mart, etc. Educating the consumer (as other posters have advocated) to be able to tell the difference between the two is what is needed. An educated consumer is a powerful thing.

On "Black Friday" (the Friday after Thanksgiving where everyone in America seems to go out looking for a bargain or start their Christmas shopping), Wal Mart stores reportedly did about $1.5 BILLION dollars in business. In one day. Sounds like an uphill battle...

I wonder, too, how many of those who find cilantro to be "soapy" are supertasters? Imagine all those extra tastebuds screwing up their palates. Perhaps they should take up smoking to kill off a couple hundred or so of the little buggers.

Okay, this isn't for a product but is a kitchen tip I rediscovered over the Thanksgiving holiday that really seems to work: My mom has one of those "jar poppers" that releases the vacuum on a jar so you can easily open it. But she had misplaced it and couldn't open a jar. I had been helping with the cooking and my hands couldn't get a good grip to open the jar. But I remembered that you can wind a rubber band around the rim of the jar lid to help provide a better grip. Sure enough, that did the trick and jar was easily opened. Hey, this really works!

This is the Voice of Experience talking: Relax. Take a deep breath and let it out. This is not something you should be stressing about. Take a moment to calculate your free time and then look at your list of regular Christmas goodies and figure out what you have time to make and what you don't have time to make. Be realistic. What are your "best" goodies? Which ones are you known for? What receives the most rave reviews? What shortcuts can you take (that prepackaged cookie dough, for example) that will help you out in the long run? Concentrate on just those and leave the rest to be done next year (if even then). Yes, the time is short between now and Christmas which makes each minute of it that much more valuable. Don't waste it by worrying that you can't do it all. Don't do it all. Do what you can and be happy with what you accomplish.

They are two different books: Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen Lidia's Italian Table I believe "Italian Table" was published first. (Still haven't counted my cookbooks yet)

Possible slogans for the Culinary Detective: - Alimentary, my dear Watson - Have spoon, will travel - There are 10,000 greasy spoons in the big city. My job is to find them and tell you about them. I'm the Culinary Detective. - My spoon is quick. I suppose "The Dining Dick" would be too old school.