jsolomon

Methinks that would cause 2 holes in the bottle. Would it then need to be shotgunned? Or <gasp> shared? I didn't think that's what the stuff was for.

Eh? If you look at a properly sabre'd champagne bottle, the cork extends beyond the broken/cut neck of the bottle, making it the compressed cork which keeps the glass out. If I had a proper champagne sabre, or at least one more substantial than my Olympic style sabre, I might try it... but my competition jobby just isn't designed for that kind of "proper" usage.

Take two bottles to your neighbor's house and make a friend.

I'll have to support what Mayhaw Man said. I have tried my hand at making mead a couple of times, and I've never been very pleased with the outcomes. I'm not sure whether it's the honey I used, or the yeast, or the phase of the moon, or what. It takes a long time to ferment. It got me good and stupid. Nope... it got me stupid and ill. I highly suggest many people try brewing it once if they are serious about homebrewing. But, very few people do it well.

There are several versions of pickled beets which I highly recommend. Also, roasted beets go wonderfully with citrus dressings on salads. Roasted, sliced, and served with walnut pieces and bleu cheese is really great, as well. Congratulations on a good vegetable choice!

How are you attacking the neck of the bottle with the sabre (any other weapon would be uncivilized). You want a motion that's about at a 30 degree angle with the axis of the neck taking the lip off, otherwise, you'll destroy the whole matrix of the bottle a good portion of the time. But, remember that Champagne has a significantly different lip at the neck...

With tomatoes like those you have on your blog, why haven't you done something like roasted/grilled stuffed tomatoes? I've found those to be fabulous, and ought to easily be made into a good WW-type meal.

Step 1: Jack up the rear end of your rusted out '54 Ford pickup truck. Step 2: Remove rear tires Step 3: Take off cover of rear differential Step 4: Remove seal and bearings from both sides of rear axle Step 5: Turn spider gear in rear differential until locking bolt can be reached Step 6: Remove locking bolt holding rear axles together Step 7: Remove rear axles Step 8: Place locking bolt against cork Step 9: Beat bolt with lead hammer Step 10: Take care not to drop greasy bolt into wine. Step 11: Drink lustily from bottle Edit to add: Leave '54 Ford pickup to rust in yard afterward

Being a bachelor living alone, I hide my good stuff... in my gullet

I am trained (and a trainer) in handling prehospital emergency resuscitations, so if you know some ladies in need of a good faint... Although, my main problem is meeting ladies/girls/women. When I spend my time at home cooking, I'm obviously not trolling the meat markets in town. If I'm ever in your area, Bergerka, I might drop you a line for an introduction or two

The only places I've ever had something comp'd were places where I bring my running club. But, when I go there, I warn the owner/manager, and we go in and drop several hundred dollars (keep in mind, we're gutter snipes, so that's a hard night at an establishment, even if we have a large run that day). That being said, I've got 2 comp'd beers in my life. Ever. Never a meal, yet.

Feh. You think that is difficult... I've been in the dating scene [repeatedly] over the past few years and finding a woman who bloody EATS is damned near enough to make me discorporate. All the time I hear, "that's weird" or "no mushrooms" or "tongue--which I've never actually tried--is gross". Sorry ladies. Things like that will get you evicted from my kitchen and my affections because food is a HUGE amount of how I identify myself. But, how can you justify that someone who cooks his SO homemade alfredo with homemade garlic bread (on yesterday's fresh-from-his-kitchen-bread) emotionally absent? Hell, I've even been known to do the dishes, too. So... the question to Jason and Steven is... Where are the eG personals?

Hmm, this is an interesting thread. Yesterday, I was perusing the U.S. Pharmacopeia and National Formulary handbook (all 3000 pages of it) and came across a USP specification for chocolate. I'll look and see if there is one for olive oil.

To quote my damaging former English Professor, "Eh?" I'm curious what you are meaning by molecular compatibility. When I read it I think "botulinum toxin is incompatible" I hope there are nuances that I am drastically missing. I'm curious about chemistry, too. Not that food isn't chemistry, but, again with the missed nuances...

Okay, what's the deal? I had Nebraska STEAK tonight, and Nebraska SWEET CORN, and those still looked good. STOP STEALING MY STATE'S THUNDER! Wow! Great looking food! And you lucky dog!

I thought Monica Lewinsky had put that silly rumor to rest... When my running club had our annual Monica Lewinski Birthday Run on Saturday, we made sure ALL rumors were revived!

Butter dripping off my chin and elbows with a little bit of black pepper please Oh, and if you're at my family's home, you'll probably just have corn and something to drink for those meals. It's too good and fleeting to not gorge on :) But, method is top to bottom, left to right.

I think you can see that my opinion tends toward the European standpoint. I am a healthy young individual with no known allergies to date. I have a hard time seeing the other viewpoint. But, I gladly yield to issues of health and spirituality. For issues of being an ungracious guest, people can kindly expect themselves disinvited from my table. If, however, it is an unquantifiable or infinitesimal fear that has someone at my table paralyzed, see the sentence about being ungracious.

Hear, hear. I've had it likewise. I was quite ill for a week, but still to ill to go to school the second week. It took about 6 weeks for my gut to settle down to a normal diet after I was back on my feet 2 weeks post-contraction. But, salmonella isn't the only thing you can get from bad eggs. It's just the most well-known (American pop-culture-wise). From improperly handled eggs (contaminated with other foods) you could get the whole range. Anything from mild stomach upset to things that make you lose 10 pounds in 1 hour (or close). But, generally, you will know the egg is BAD because it smells like, well, rotten eggs. Hence the term in the American vernacular.

Thanks! Step right up, folks! If you are part of a Medical School Admissions Committee, I'm unsigned!

So... I'm going to ask a question that I know is rhetorical. Why do Americans always look to eggs when we hear of Salmonella? Haven't we learned anything more about food safety than we knew 30 years ago? Salmonella is everywhere. When I got salmonellosis, it was traced back to a food counter at a sporting event that had no eggs or poultry whatsoever. The stuff is like tetanus. It lives in dirt and just happens to be pathenogenic, too. It's not an obligate human parasite. Yes, I understand we must be reasonably careful, but an occasional cut, scrape, bruise, or illness is a price I'm willing to pay to not be frightened. I make certain the people I know and cook for are prepared for my food, because if they can't eat it, they're going home hungry. And, if they can't handle it because they are C.S., they ain't no real friends of mine.

I'm backing you up 150% Rachel.

Just remember to use 4 inch lag screws that have pre-rusted tops to really achieve the "it was built in the 30's" look

I think PETA would support you doing that. Dead chickens need their entertainment too, you know.

I think Italians are less alarmist. Remember that eggs are naturally intended to be sterile (from a fowl point of view) on the inside of the shell. So, an unfertilized egg should stay safe for several days right around body temperature. If you are certain your eggs are fresh and reputable, and you are going to use them within a week, there is little reason in my mind not to leave them at room temperature.