babyluck

Thanks and will do--if we end up at a Mexican joint. I may have been overruled. Otherwise, I may post a review in another thread!

I've seen the same thing on just about every bag of coffee I've bought recently and I am stumped too. I like my coffee very strong but that way it is just undrinkable. I usually go for a scant 1 1/2 per cup. A rounded coffee scoop is about right too, but of course with the fancy stuff you don't get one of those. Anyone know how much they hold?

Anyone have an opinion on Hat vs. El Nuevo Amanecer vs. Festival? For dinner tonight. Don't tell me to go the couple extra blocks to Tres Aztecas--with the -10 wind chill we're supposed to have, my friends would kill me.

Yup. I really appreciate how he tells you how it's done in the restaurant but offers an easier/more available alternative. That's the best way to do it. If you look at some cookbooks from 20 years ago, you know that they are dumbed down and that the ingredients they omitted are probably widely available now. You know what I mean? This way, you can try the recipe both ways and see if it makes a noticeable difference. Also, the book is beautifully printed. Do you especially like any of your other 5 books? I only have Scandinavian Feasts by Beatrice Ojakangas. It's good to have some of the traditional recipes in the Aquavit book so you can see how they are interpreted by a brillliant modern chef. I made Thursday Pea Soup the other day with both books open, mixing and matching however I wanted. Somehow, it is reassuring to have a second opinion--gives you more of an idea of the essence of what a dish is supposed to be. Is Kitchen of Light good? I'm pissed I missed the series...

Got: Tender at the Bone, Ruth Reichl Some kind of illustrated history of eating Aquavit cookbook, love it, already used it 3x The New York Restaurant Cookbook A microplane with the same gauge as the one I just bought A ridiculous amount of packaged crackers & cookies Vast quantities of cheese food--I keep throwing it out, but it keeps spawning! A case of Korean pears (addictive!) Gave: Korean pears (we have plenty) Korean pear cake (brought to Christmas buffet hosted by Mr. Babyluck's chef uncle--it was underdone--ack!) The New York Restaurant Cookbook (Mr. Babyluck bought one for me and one for his uncle) For my sister-in-law, Emile Henry cream-colored ramekins and a green round baker from the Artisan collection, plus coordinating linen towels. I really wanted to keep them--they are beautiful. Other than that, I was a lazy bum this holiday--didn't cook, didn't bake, didn't crochet or knit or quilt... made it a lot less hectic but less festive too. Did I mention how much I love the Aquavit cookbook? Wait, an Iron Chef board game? Have you played it?

Anyone read the T.C. Boyle story "Quetzacoatl Lite" about archaeologists searching for an elusive ancient can of beer? This thread just reminded me of it--great story.

I did, until now...

Oh, and I have 2 words for you: BAMBOO SPATULA. The ones you get at the Asian market (Joyce Chen has similar ones that are burnished for a decent price too--E&F in this pic). My narrow wooden spatula and regular wooden spoons only get used in an emergency, like when my bamboo ones are dirty, lost or broken. I've actually only had one split on me, and I immediately went and bought two more just to be safe.

WORD. That's the only pan Mr. Babyluck touches in the kitchen, but when he does...

I had a hunch when I saw the ridiculously low prices for the hard anodized on Amazon just now. Almost all of them are at least 75% off. Do I complete my collection now, ask for them for Christmas, or drop them entirely? I still like them, but the skillet has been retired in favor of cast iron (maybe that's why they mention "searing" and "releasing" specifically in the letter above), and the difficult-to-clean sticky goo bothers me a little. And no, hannah, I hate nonstick too. All the fuss about not using metal utensils--and it seemed silly to me to register for cookware that had a limited lifespan. Nonstick will eventually deteriorate. I was pissed, though, when I got my hard anodized and saw that technically you're not supposed to use metal on them either.

I made a slightly modified version of Daniel's short ribs & celery root puree (based on what I had in the house) on Saturday night--it was amazing & just what the doctor ordered for a snowy, blustery evening. I had the heat turned up to 75 to bake bread yesterday & it was probably 80 with the oven going, so we had tiki drinks with lots of ice!

But does it get you drunk faster? (Results extrapolated from extensive testing during 7th grade lunch using ordinary drinking straws suggest it is possible...)

If I recall correctly, the original Don the Beachcomber recipe went something like this: equal parts gin, bourbon, fresh lime juice dash of bitters fill with ginger ale No rum. But I'm sure the version you had bore no resemblance to the original. Not necessarily a dig at Vic--hey, at least his legacy is still alive & kicking--it's just that most tiki drinks have been turned into "girl drinks" over the years. I will have to check it in my (misplaced) copy of Beachbum Berry's Grog Log, which I highly recommend along with its sequel, Intoxica. With them, you can (and will) become a vintage tiki know-it-all like yours truly! (Caveat: Don was highly secretive to the point of paranoia and no one is 100% sure of the original recipes; the Beachbum Berry books are just the most reliable sources I know.)

Very true, russ. He appealed to my dad who is about as anti-elitist as they come, and by osmosis to me. Because I felt like I knew him personally, I find it hard to accept his shortcomings (foodwise and otherwise). In his books, he makes a lot of statements that are calculated to become mantras, like "never do this, always do this, remember that..." and they really do stick with you because he seemed so clever. I can't remember what the topic was, but I recently came across one of these statements and it was dead wrong. I was embarrassed for him and quickly put the book away as if someone were looking over my shoulder. For the record, although this specific thread is supposed to be about one particular book and we have strayed from that since most of us haven't read it and obviously relished an opportunity to talk about the Frug, our discussion of his legal issues is no more OT in Food Media and News than most of our chatter about celebrity chefs. A lot of the time, we're talking about the people behind the food, and that's perfectly fine. This is not the Cooking forum. Whether someone agrees or disagrees with a specific comment, or finds it salacious or petty, is another matter altogether.

I absolutely love them--they have far surpassed Cinnamon for me. I like non-mint flavors so I can freshen my breath without ruining my next cigarette. I only saw them in TJ's once and lived sadly without them for months until finding them--where else?--at Han Ah Reum, our beloved Korean supermarket. Apparently (according to Mr. Babyluck) they are available at every market/convenience store near where we work, where there is a significant Asian population, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of them near where we live. Interesting...

I second the WMF recommendation. I've ordered twice from China Fair, who happened to have the discontinued pattern I wanted for--get this--$99 for the 45-pc+hostess set. (It's Action, the first one on the page.) I was very satisfied with their service both times and I love my flatware. The other patterns are closer to normal prices, but still cheap. (I tracked down the pattern from a single spoon Mr. Babyluck stole from first class on SAS--7 years later we bought the whole set. It's a goddamn perfect spoon.)

I know this isn't the point of the thread, but I feel compelled to put in my 2¢ and say that I always thought the accusations were BS. His original accuser, Clint Smith, did time for stealing money from the Frug's restaurant among other crimes. That case was dismissed with no settlement. I always thought it was pretty believable that Clint was just a soulless prick who saw an opportunity to make some cash. The stage was set: I think the same would happen to any clergyman who made the big time. I figured that he was gay and didn't want that to get out because at the time, that would have ended his career just as quickly--that they were essentially blackmailing him. I'm not so sure anymore--the other plaintiffs' stories of drinking followed by various grooming rituals are almost too bizarre to be made up--but it is still a shame that everything he wrote except the original Frugal Gourmet is out of print. I picked up an unsold overstock copy (it came out in 1995 at the same time Clint's accusations did) of his book The FG Keeps the Feast for $2 at a flea market--it's about Mediterranean cuisine of the biblical era and it is good. My dad & I still use a few basic recipes from his original & Cooking with Wine books. Either way, it's a sad story. The thing is, his career was over as soon as the first story hit the news--he wasn't famous or powerful enough to ride it out. If only the same were true about America's favorite pill-popping radio talk-show host...

This is a big issue for me. I am a natural-born slob like my dad. He and my mom had an agreement that whoever cooked was exempt from cleanup duty. He was the better cook & she doesn't terribly mind cleaning, so it worked out pretty well. Of course, this arrangement also included me (I would help my mom clean if my dad cooked and vice versa) so I found it in my best interest to learn how to cook from my dad. I don't know which I hated more, washing or drying-and-putting-away. Mr. Babyluck, however, obstinately refused to abide by the clearly just laws of my family. His reasons were that cooking is "fun" and that if I know I have to clean up, I will use less dishes. At that point, I say, fine, you cook. He does for one meal and never again. I go back to cooking and we let the dishes pile up until one of us feels brave. I would say it was him 2/3 of the time, though. But Megaroo, this story has a happy ending for you. During this time, we were living in sin for a few years and have been married for a few more. Nothing changed in his behavior--until a few months ago when we got the lovely "Carousel" countertop dishwasher. Now he thinks the "I cook you clean" method is just fine and I think even enjoys the process. I've even been known to run a load or two myself.

I feel the same. The comment from fresco about the quality of discourse on this site is well taken, too. Clearly, that is why we feel it is possible to discuss fine points like this one, and why we feel a responsibility to make it even better. It's worth it.

I thought so too until I read this (scroll down to section 23)--now you know something she doesn't! Personally, I omit the apostrophe unless it is necessary to prevent confusion, as in ccs vs. cc's. There is one very good reason to be careful about spelling in particular--if I misspell the name of a restaurant or ingredient, the post won't show up when someone later searches the archive (unless they misspell it the same way). Aside from that, there is no real reason to be overly formal or to go back and edit an inconsequential typo or grammar mistake. Unless you are like me and have a reputation to uphold, that is. I think the evolution of netspeak is a natural phenomenon and find some of it useful/charming and some of it incredibly irritating. But I could say the same for the people I meet! I am usually too uptight to use netspeak or omit punctuation/capitalization, but I don't hold it against other people. It's a good use of the medium--form follows function. 1 SP3cuL@T3 +h4T SoME 0f +HE RE$1S+4Nc3 +o N3w pH0rm5 of L4n9U@9E, E5PecI4lLy h@Ck3R5PeAk, M4y bE 4 G3N3R4tI0N4L Th1nG. gIv3 U$ @ Br3AK--we'v3 b33N OVERl04dED W1+H T3cHnOLo9y 4Nd M3D1A 51Nce 81RTh, @nD 0uR Br@1n5 4Re 4 l1T+lE 5Pl1n+ered.

I tried this last night, kind of combining my celery root bisque recipe & flavor ideas from this one. Mr. Babyluck says it's better than the other, which is saying a lot--I haven't met anyone who doesn't love my bisque! I altered it to make it less fussy so that the flavors in the garnish were incorporated into the soup and to make it heartier and more savory. I sautéed an onion in butter, added 1 chopped celery root, 2 Yukon Golds & 1 russet. Added crumbled chestnuts (I stopped far short of the pound called for in the recipe because of peeling difficulties--probably 4 oz. or so), salt & white pepper, then some sugar & let it caramelize. Added 1 lg. can chick broth and a handful of soaked Polish mushrooms & their liquid (about a cup). Simmered for 30 minutes & puréed with immersion blender (for company, I'd probably put it in the Vitamix). Added a scant 1/2 cup heavy cream. Served with a dusting of nutmeg (absolutely makes the dish), a twist of white pepper, a drop of truffle oil, and a drizzle of cream. Big winner. I was afraid the mushroom flavor was taking over too much until I added the cream. I can see how the prunes soaked in Armagnac in the original recipe would be nice, even for my vastly adjusted version, to pick up on the sweet undercurrent going on--I might even blend them in with the soup, or replace them with something else to get the same effect, but that's the only thing I'd change. In the end, the celery root flavor came through strong--it's amazing how it takes over a soup. The bisque has parsnip, thyme & spinach vs. chestnuts, mushrooms & nutmeg, but they ended up tasting remarkably similar. I love it both ways but I think I agree that last night's soup was better.

Hunh. I've read that mustard will not taste right for a few days after making it. That wasn't the problem, right? I must say I'm concerned about the instant mashed potatoes too, but I applaud you for having the balls to admit it. That would probably be the last convenience item I'd go for, but then I think they taste vile. I think it depends if you grow up with them or not. I know some people who love them!

What went wrong with the mustard?

I would draw the line somewhere after homemade mustard--does that mean I'm loonier than you? I've been thinking along these lines lately too--saving most of the projects for post-apartment life. But until then, I also have the excess condiment issue--and spices, grains, noodles... makes me think I am tackling too many cuisines at once, but I'm powerless to stop myself from trying new ones (well, I did curb my desire to go into a West African grocery last weekend). It makes me think that I would have no problem cooking and storing in the limited space I have if I had a stronger cultural identity and cooked more traditionally. I rarely indulge in fusion, so I'm always amazed at how many ingredients I have in the house that don't go together. And especially when I buy the good preservative-free stuff, things always go bad before I use them up. I am considering cutting back on my ambitions and limiting myself to the general area my family is from--let's say Scandinavia, Germany and France. Maybe bleed into Eastern Europe a bit to keep my beloved goulash in the mix. I feel like this would allow me to master a few cuisines I was brought up on and allow me more pantry space to start projects like homemade sausage, mustard, sauerkraut, cheese... If you think about it, most of the chefs we admire stick to one thing and do it well. It would also be a relief for my brain, overloaded with ideas from different cuisines and often stymied by having too many possibilities. It will also be a nice treat to go out for food we don't make at home. However, right now it's just an idea I'm tossing around in my head. I wouldn't want to get rid of the collections of non-perishables I've painstakingly collected, and Mr. Babyluck really enjoys rolling sushi. Either way, I encourage you. Bread baking is an excellent start--maybe you could spin off from there. Personally, I would love to have a grain mill--was planning on the KitchenAid attachment, but in the DIY spirit maybe I'll get a manual one!

I did as I promised & went downstairs for lunch today. Roast chicken (leg+thigh), plain white rice and corn. They were out of the beans & yucca to go on top of the rice. Have to go earlier next time. Oh, and a Coke. A grain of rice went up my nose. Happens to me a lot. Had dinner with an ENT nurse once who told me it's because of all the Coke I drink with my meals--the fizz tricks the uvula into opening up the nasal passages. I'm happy to report that it slid down my throat a little while later--rather disconcertingly--and did not remain lodged up there for days as they sometimes do.