eG Foodblog Tag Team IV: Marlene, Dave, snowangel - Cold Turkey, Three Ways

[prasantrin]

My husband suggested the patch and offered to find me a hypnotist.  (I may yet take him up on that one)

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Acupuncture! Try acupuncture! I don't know if it works for quitting smoking (I've heard raves from some who have used it for that), but it's so fascinating!

You're doing a great job! You're all doing a great job with quitting! I'm almost inspired to quit my potato chip addiction...

[M.X.Hassett]

"Cold Turkey" funny movie I forgot all about it. I have a confession a few friends came over and I was making some martinis 2:1 Plymouth/Martini&Rossi Bianco, orange bitters, flaming orange twist. Regretfully I took a few drags of a cig. Two steps back one step forward . Great looking food everyone, Jaz those nuts sound great I'll pickup the stuff to make them tmrw.

[snowangel]

Keep the faith, Matt. I'm hoping not to backslide tonight.

Stay tuned. Winter grilling up next!

[mizducky]

Which TJ's do you use, mizducky? Hillcrest, La Jolla Village Square, or Pacific Beach (Garnet Ave)? LJVS store is in a pretty new bldg, might have friendlier floors.

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The PB TJ's (boy, does that ever sound like geek code! ). I've been to the La Jolla Village one once, and yes it's got a brand new building, but it's also in a mall with one of the screwiest, most congested parking lots I have ever attempted to drive through without getting into a Towanda the Avenger moment, so I haven't been back. When I move, I think the Hillcrest one will be my nearest--also in a shopping center with a screwy parking lot, but I shall give it a shot. But I think we should take further discussion on this topic, if any, elsewhere so as not to distract from the main focus here, that being our noble tobacco fighters.

Having said all that, though ... TJ's has certainly got a wealth of snacky things suitable for staving off the nicotine-fits. Lotsa chocolates, lotsa nuts and dried fruit, lotsa chips and salsas. Y'all could do worse than dropping by one, if handy, and getting a nice big tub of those little chocolate kitty-cat cookies to keep the mouth and hand occupied ...

[snowangel]

Dinner. I decided yesterday that I wanted a burger. And, I wanted potato salad.

Potato salad. I make many, many different kinds of potato salad, but today, I wanted regular "yellow" potato salad. I used to always use red or new potatoes, but a weekend at the cabin that included a craving for potato salad, no red potatoes, but a mess of russets started something new. Peeled, diced russets cooked til done in salted water. Drained thoroughly and tossed (while hot) with vinegar.

I use a Meyer lemon and dill vinegar from the Epicurian Fig, out of Minneapolis. My friend buys me these vinegars when she's at the St. Paul Farmer's Market.

These are wonderful vinegars, but it beats me why someone would pay almost $10 for a bottle of vinegar with stuff that's easily available. And, in the case of the lemon/dill vinegar, call it a limited edition and get an even higher premium. Anyway, I digress. That pepper vinegar is also really wonderful.

I went to pick up Diana and let this mixture cool off. Got home, diced up some onion and celery, chopped up a whole mess of hard-cooked eggs (I wanted this one to have lots of eggs) and made a dressing of mayo (Hellman's), some rice vinegar and yellow mustard -- the regular French's kind. The reason I wanted this potato salad heavier on the eggs is that it is one of Heidi's favorite foods and she wouldn't touch a burger with a 10-foot pole.

Last night, I pulled a package (1.5 lbs) of ground elk out of the freezer and stuck it into the fridge. My uncle and his son had been hunting (I'm thinking on a game farm) in central Nebraska. This stuff was processed in Friend, NE. It is very lean, but the patties held together well.

I made six 1/4 pound burgers. I always poke a little hole in the middle of them so that they don't turn into balls.

Paul was none to happy about grilling outside tonight. It is 14 degrees (F) with a howling wind. Wind chill of about zero. But, being the game chap that he is, we had grilled burgers.

But, before dinner, a picture of my table, which is pretty darned special.

My parents bought this table when we lived in Thailand in the early 70's for a paltry sum. They had it at their house for many years, but when they moved into a town house that with a dining room too small for the table, it went on loan to some friends. But, we bought a house with a dining room that just screamed for this table, so it is back in the family. The table didn't come with chairs, but I think I found a perfect match. The center of the table is a built in lazy susan. Serving dishes on our table always have the handles of the serving implements turned in! (Less spills). We love this table and it seats 9 comfortably.

So, to dinner.

Potato salad, burger and caesar salad. So, OK, the salad was a bagged one. It was free at the grocery store for answering three questions, and the rest of the greens looked like they had seen much better days.

On my burger, I had lettuce, lots of onions, mustard (yellow this time) and ketchup. The Heinz "kickers" with tabasco. Their idea of a "kicker" is certainly different from mine.

I really wanted tomatoes on my burger, but what was available at the grocery was an insult to tomatoes.

A great meal. The elk was very mild, almost indistinguishable from lean beef. We think we prefer a fattier grind for burgers, but the kids got a big kick out of eating elk, and my freezer is 1.5 lbs. lighter.

Wish me luck tonight. It's been a tough evening. I really want some dark chocolate. That's a big new crave.

[snowangel]

HELP! Can I make banana bread but use muffin tins instead of a bread pan?

[Mayhaw Man]

HELP!  Can I make banana bread but use muffin tins instead of a bread pan?

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Sure. I do it all of the time.

It cooks fast though. Pay attention. Better wait until you thaw out. You might need to move fast.

[daniellewiley]

I called my doctor today and we talked.  She suggested the patch, an lo and behold, it is covered by my insurance company, so she called in a script.  I went to pick it up, and apparently, she has to call the insurance company and they will pre-authorize it.  What a bunch of malarkey, if you ask me.  The pharmacist said it could take a couple of days.  WTF?

Malarky is the nice word for it. I've had the same nonsense pulled on me, and responded by bursting out crying in the pharmacy. Good on you for a more civilized reaction!! A trick is to have the doctor call the insurance company instead of faxing. Often, it's the faxing that slows things down. Worth a try at least...

Dr. Pepper =

[snowangel]

HELP!  Can I make banana bread but use muffin tins instead of a bread pan?

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Sure. I do it all of the time.

It cooks fast though. Pay attention. Better wait until you thaw out. You might need to move fast.

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Brooks, we're tough up here. We don't freeze until it gets to the 30 below range.

[Marlene]

And so another day almost done. Tonight being Friday and a husband who actually made it home at a decent hour, cried out for cocktails to start.

For me a Manhattan, with one of the bitters I picked up on my recent trip to New York:

For Don, Scotch, this one he picked up on a recent trip to the UK:

Ceasar salad to start. I make my dressing in my KA and it works wonderfully

I have a huge salad bowl. This actually has a stand but I didn't use it tonight:

Then on to the main course. We decided on the Porterhouse steaks tonight and we grilled. It was way warmer here, +5 C which for Southern Ontario at this time of year is positively balmy.

I coat the steaks with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and paint with balsamic vinegar:

A touch more overdone than we normally like, but still awesome:

Dessert? Who wants dessert? Definately not us, although Ryan had another one of the cupcakes.

[Marlene]

I also have to say that these are the martini glasses that caused me to be treated like a criminal at Canada Customs. They were available at WS by internet only. And WS does not deliver to Canada. As I was going to Chicago that weekend to visit a girlfriend, I ordered the martini glasses and a a set of old fashioned glasses to match and had them delivered to her house. Of course the box was too big to fit in my suitcase so I carried it.

Canada Customs "what's in the box mam"

Me: Martini glasses sir.

"Canada Customs. "right. Step this way please"

The next thing I knew I was in this little room with a spotlight being grilled by short people with no sense of humour. Don and Ryan were waiting outside to pick me up.

Canada Customs" Do you have a receipt for these glasses mam ?"

Me" No, they were a gift.

Canada Customs: Well how much were they?

Me: I have no idea. I'm not in the habit of asking the price of gifts.

Canada Customs: Well, Mam, you know you have to declare gifts and their costs.

Me. No I didnt' know that. Would that be in US or Canadian dollars? Sir.

Oy

[snowangel]

Beautiful dinner, Marlene! Love your dishes and my don't they look familiar!

[snowangel]

After dinner, I found six of these on top of the fridge

Diana espied them and immediately had to bake. And talk.

Recipe is from the new Gourmet Cookbook -- Banana Bread with Macadamia Nuts and Coconut. I chose to do this as muffins because they are so transportable, and the kids don't get crumbs all over when the cut the stuff, and don't leave knives laying all over the counter. Neater all around. I also use those muffin tin liners. They also help contain crumbs.

(the white things are macadamia nuts, not butter) (note to self; Peter needs a nail trim)

Peter loved his muffin.

The kids have pronounced the muffins wonderful. I really don't care for banana anything (I suppose that is a holdover from wiping up entirely too much banana ick off of babies?).

Diana does a wonderful job baking. But, the funny thing is that when I bake, I clean. When anyone else bakes, I clean. Something's not right with this equation.

[M.X.Hassett]

Inspired by Marlene I am ending the evening with a Wild Turkey Rare Breed perfect(rosso/bianco) Manhattan with Peychauds, you may want to try the O.Bitters in you Manhattan or a dash of O and a dash of the Peychauds. Heres some scary pictures (warning nasty picture link) to inspire us from slipping.

[snowangel]

Inspired by Marlene I am ending the evening with a Wild Turkey Rare Breed perfect(rosso/bianco) Manhattan with Peychauds, you may want to try the O.Bitters in you Manhattan or a dash of O and a dash of the Peychauds. Heres some scary pictures (warning nasty picture link) to inspire us from slipping.

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Thanks. I needed that. After 9:00 pm, it is hell. Pure and utter hell. This is, at times, worse than labour and delivery. I have three kids. I know.

Off to eat more char sui with jalapenos. I may sub sliced Thai bird chilis.

[Abra]

Oh, good job, y'all! You're still on the ball, carrying on with life, eating well, surviving crankiness with at least a modicum of humor and enough grace to go around. Well done, and keep it up!

Marlene, what do you think of that Alziari oil? I keep eyeing it in the Zingerman's catalogue, but cringing a bit at the price. Worth it?

[Rebecca263]

You are all doing so well! and, wow, I'm so jealous, I've never eaten elk, and I hear that it tastes very buttery and smooth. Yum. One of my friends says that sucking on lemons got him through some of his worst cigarette cravings. I would think that Pico would do the trick much better, though. If there's a Mexican grocer near any of you, you may like to try it. Pico comes in little packets, and it has different flavors. It's basically a grind of pepper/lemon and salt. You open the packet and lick. Well, that's how I eat it, anyway!

Edited February 4, 2006 by Rebecca263 (log)

[M.X.Hassett]

Yum. One of my friends says that sucking on lemons got him through some of his worst cigarette cravings. I would think that Pico would do the trick much better, though. If there's a Mexican grocer near any of you, you may like to try it. Pico comes in little packets, and it has different flavors. It's basically a grind of pepper/lemon and salt. You open the packet and lick. Well, that's how I eat it, anyway!

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I have been eating salt, yes salt, lick finger dip repeat. It seems to help along with the rubberband on my wrist which I snap with each craving.

[maggiethecat]

Day three dawns, and I haven't had a cigarette. Getting outta Dodge and quitting outside my real life was a good move I think: hopefully by the time I go home I'll have even more confidence and resolve. I try to compare it to a really bad romantic experience: the person who's promised you all that joy, a lifetime of fidelity. etc. tells you he or she has decided to kick you to the curb. The pain is severe, but eventually you train yourself not to think of the creep, and when you do, with loathing, not longing. My daughter insists that quitting smoking is a head game and she's right.

At about five o'clock I get depressed and get a short , sharp, painful craving. I remind myself that I got through it yesterday, so I will today. I have been spotted sniffing the inside of my purse, the receptacle of five years worth of cigarettes. Tobacco doesn't smell bad to me yet, folks. I'm pathetic, but it works for a minute or two.

I've been eating well, but I don't think that I've eaten more than usual. Coffee for breakfast, lunch in Culver City, at teatime, some amazing macarons from a bakery called Boule on La Cienega north of the Beverley Center. We decided to go to a movie tonight -- distraction is another good idea -- so we hit the Trader Joe's at Third and La Brea and bought every pate, cheese and bottle of wine that caught our fancy. This took awhile folks. In my experience, this TJs is always a zoo, but at six o'clock on a Friday night? Cheerful bedlam!

I'm enjoying checking in. Keep up the good work, and bon courage to us all!

[Marlene]

Inspired by Marlene I am ending the evening with a Wild Turkey Rare Breed perfect(rosso/bianco) Manhattan with Peychauds, you may want to try the O.Bitters in you Manhattan or a dash of O and a dash of the Peychauds. Heres some

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I thought about trying the Regan's but Don wasn't sure it would work. Perhaps that should be on the list for tonight! (right after I recover from this hangover. )

Oh, good job, y'all!  You're still on the ball, carrying on with life, eating well, surviving crankiness with at least a modicum of humor and enough grace to go around.  Well done, and keep it up!

Marlene, what do you think of that Alziari oil?  I keep eyeing it in the Zingerman's catalogue, but cringing a bit at the price.  Worth it?

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I love that oil. It's one of the best olive oils I've ever come across. Oh yeah, the price is way scary. I use it for special things, like the steak and I toss pasta with it. I definately don't use it for frying or cooking oil! It's also wonderful mixed with some of that balsamic and used as a crusty bread dipper.

Day three dawns, and I haven't had a cigarette. Getting outta Dodge and quitting outside my real life was a good move I think: hopefully by the time I go home I'll have even more confidence and resolve. I try to compare it to a really bad romantic experience: the person who's promised you all that joy, a lifetime of fidelity. etc. tells you he or she  has decided to kick you to the curb. The pain is severe, but eventually you train yourself not to think of the creep, and when you do, with loathing, not longing.  My daughter insists that quitting smoking is a head game and she's right.

At about five o'clock I get depressed and get a short , sharp, painful craving. I remind myself that I got through it yesterday, so I will today. I have been spotted sniffing the inside of my purse, the receptacle of five years worth of cigarettes. Tobacco doesn't smell bad to me yet, folks.  I'm pathetic, but it works for a minute or two.

I've been eating well, but I don't think that I've eaten more than usual.  Coffee for breakfast, lunch in Culver City, at teatime, some amazing macarons from a bakery called Boule on La Cienega north of the Beverley Center.  We decided to go to a movie tonight -- distraction is another good idea -- so we hit the Trader Joe's at Third and La Brea and bought every pate, cheese and bottle of wine that caught our fancy. This took awhile folks. In my experience, this TJs is always a zoo, but at six o'clock on a Friday night? Cheerful bedlam!

I'm enjoying checking in. Keep up the good work, and bon courage to us all!

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Miss M. I am s glad to hear you are doing ok. Day three is hump day, so they say and your daughter is right. This is a head game. It's amazing what this can do to your mind. I've been known in the last few days to encourage my friends to light up just so I can smell the smoke.

Um Dave, did you eat anything last night?

Susan, would it help if you went to bed as soon as your kids do? Or better yet, tell Paul to deal with the kids and you go to bed! For me, mornings are the worst time.

Morning all. A quick glance at the weather page shows we are under a winter storm warning, although our area can expect to see most of it as heavy rain, possibly freezing, if the temp doesn't hold. This is a perfect day for cooking projects.

Being audit season, my husband was up and gone at the crack of dawn, and the friendly giant (known as Ryan) is still asleep.

I'm thinking pancakes for breakfast this morning.

Today is roasting day for the three of us, and yes, mine will be Prime Rib with roasted fingerling potatoes, yorkies and broccoli gratin. I should probably make some sort of dessert so I'm off to look at cookbooks for inspiration.

[lancastermike]

I thought about trying the Regan's but Don wasn't sure it would work. Perhaps that should be on the list for tonight! (right after I recover from this hangover. biggrin.gif

The orange bitters works wonderfuly in a manhatthan. It is really my bitter of choice with whiskey. Last night though I had both orange and Peychauds and marischino liquer instead of vermouth with my Old Overholt rye.

The Peychauds also is part of the famous New Orleans cocktail the Sazerac. If you have not tried this you should. It does call for bourbon, but your CC would work, though not the same. You do need so sort of pastis to make this however. The small amount of anise taste it imparts makes the cocktail sublime.

sazerac cocktail

Edited February 4, 2006 by lancastermike (log)

[snowangel]

Good morning! It is a beautifully sunny day. The troops are rising and I'm starting to think breakfast.

Diana has a volleyball tournament today, so I'll leave her about 1:30, return to fix dinner then after dinner, Paul will take the evening stretch. They won't be home until sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 pm.

I need advice about tomorrow. Although we don't watch football, we do have a small Super Bowl gathering every year. This stemmed from the day when the company I was working for produced a Super Bowl Half-Time show, so we watch just for that portion.

Need food ideas. I have a big pack of chicken wings that I'll pull out of the freezer. What else should I do? Needs to be simple and kid-friendly (the other kids who are coming are not as adventurous). Also need to keep my dad's food needs in mind; he had quintuple bypass surgery last year, so low fat, low sodium is a good idea. I'm toying with the idea of smoking a small turkey my cousin has (that he wants me to smoke), but not sure. Inspire me, please!

[Rachel Perlow]

You may as well smoke the turkey breast, and serve it cold (sandwich fodder) - about time there was some cold turkey in this thread!

For your dad, make sure there's veggies & a heart healthy dip, perhaps spinach dip made with low fat yogurt instead of sour cream, or tzatziki.

Dumplings? Fried for the kids, steam a few for your dad. Just use a little meat, and lots of veg.

Broil/bake the chicken wings instead of frying them. Set aside a few very well trimmed/skinless drumettes for your dad.

Pizza? Home made or bought, cut it into bite sized hors d'oerves. One pizza can go very far cut this way, so you can have a variety of toppings, if you are keeping it to mostly finger food. This way it is not the main event, filling people up on mostly bread and cheese, as pizza can tend to do. When we have leftover pizza, I almost automatically cut it up, wrap well and freeze. 10 minutes in the toaster oven and there's a little snack that satisfies a pizza craving, but keeps the portion smaller than even 1 slice.

Perhaps some bruscetta for the adults including dad. Make a couple of toppings, and do a make-your-own set up: tomato, garlic, evoo; white beans, garlic, evoo, wine vinegar; hummos and/or babaganous (you could make pita chips for these instead of bagette croutons).

[BarbaraY]

If you can't get the smoke one way you get it another?

Smoked turkey should be great for the party and turkey would be just the thing for your dad.

Some raw and/or blanched vegetable sticks? I find that they're one way kids really like vegetables.

[Marlene]

Susan, do the asian wings. Get them marinating and make them ahead. Meatballs are good. Honey garlic is my preference.

Cheese and cracker trays?