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eG Foodblog: FabulousFoodBabe - Of Queens and Former Presidents


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Greetings, your majesty!  :biggrin:

Any chance you might make an expedition across the Hudson this week to visit my childhood hometown, Nyack? (It still kind of boggles my mind to know that there is now fine dining going on there, as well as live music and antiques and what-all--when I was in high school in the early 1970s, all those chichi cafes and shops were nothing but a bunch of decrepit and/or vacant storefronts.)

(Edited because sometimes I kan't spel)

Mizducky, I'm touched that you curtsied! :::let me help you up::: I'll try to get to Nyack; it's not too far. Last time I was there, we were amazed at how happenin' it is.

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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Gifted Gourmet has it exactly right.  Cyclone Larry ripped through Queensland earlier this year destroying most of the banana plantations and driving the cost of bananas to between 16 and20 dollars a kilo.

Sorry for the interruption. 

I think I lived on chipwiches and their ilk as a child.  Lovely, sticky memories.

Thanks :smile:

No chipwiches ce soir, fou. I did the banana dessert, and here 'tis:

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I'm still getting the hang of this food photography thing.

The dessert base is some leftover almond-buttermilk pound cake with lemon glaze that I made with organic pastry flour. I dont' like the color or texture nearly as much as when I used regular APF, but it eats good anyway. Bananas were caramelized and placed on top of the cake, with a few Luxardo cherries and syrup here and there. It was a very, very rich dessert and too much for one, but still I didn't share. I think with a tart sorbet to cut the richness, it might be better still. Maybe buttermilk sorbet ... yeah, that's the ticket.

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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So, today was a glorious day in Westchester, and I went out to play some golf.

Our club is golf-only and on some beautiful grounds. The chef, as I said upthread, is really amazing. He does some pretty wild stuff (wine dinners, amuse dinners, molecular dinners), and takes care of the regular everyday things with style.

On the weekends, before lunchtime, we can sit and have some eggs in the bar room. Today, one of his cooks, Harold, was preparing omelettes.

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Dude moves fast, and keeps a nice bit of chatter going at the same time.

My omelette today was tomato, mushroom, bacon and cheddar.

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Our favorite waiter, Tony, didn't want to be photographed. He's 75, looks 50, acts 30, and is raising his grandsons, along with taking care of all of us four days a week.

Not a bad way to start the morning!

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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After a grueling front nine, although the 4Hybrid I was demo'ing worked out nicely, we still weren't hungry, but the halfway house beckoned.

Unfortunately, Mary wasn't in today -- her husband owns a restaurant and she works for him more and more these days.

Here's the halfway house and my husband gesturing about something. Probably Gatorade.

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Even though I wasn't hungry, I had to have some of that hot dog. It was pretty good anyway: parboiled, split and grilled. Ahhhhhh.

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Mine are always the same: Lots of hot brown mustard, and sweet relish.

The Diet Pepsi is one of my must-have's. Gave me a nice kick for the rest of the game, which we finished in record time.

Back home again to see my new baby, and get ready for tonight's cookout.

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"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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This is a FABULOUS blog, naturally.

I only have one question.

What, exactly, is icky about Chipwiches????   :hmmm:

Chipwiches are delicious! :cool:

Chipwiches ... the ice cream, when it softens, gets kind of spongy ::shudder:: My husband likes the BadaBing Cherry variety.

Ling, they are also rolled in little mini-chocolate chips. I've made my own version of these for the family and they don't like them as much as the Chipwiches.

I give, and I give .... :wink:

Ahh...so they are a mass produced frozen ice-cream treat that we don't get up here. We have something like a Chipwich, made with Chips Ahoy cookies. I would be happy to have your version...(your family is so ungrateful!!) :wink:

Your almond cake and banana dessert looks good!

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So, tonight's cookout was back at our club (which is not far from our home).

Lots of tables are set with soups, salads, cold plates, and a few chafing dishes. Heirloom tomatoes are grown on the premises, as are lots of herbs.

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Can you identify the items on this plate?

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And how about this one ...

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We call it the "Carnivore Plate." More about this kid's eating habits later. Sigh.

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In the back corner of the patio is a grill setup where Chef Carey (closest to the camera) and his Sous, Randy, do a la minute plates. Both are CIA graduates and very, very big on the school -- at one point, I wasn't sure if I would return after externship and they spoke firmly to me about it.

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Tonight, we could have any or all of the following from their station: Venison sausage made in their kitchen, pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, and tenderloin. I had pulled pork and a Caesar salad. I was full from all the food today, and knew that bananas were calling.

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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Chappaqua, huh... do you know the dammann's or the baltays?

No, but if you hum a few bars, maybe it'll come to me ...

thank you, I'll be here all week

*****

dvs, because you live in such a beautiful place full of people who have welcomed this right-coaster many times, here's the first turning leaves for you. My split-leaf maple sends you her regards.

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"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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Ahh...so they are a mass produced frozen ice-cream treat that we don't get up here. We have something like a Chipwich, made with Chips Ahoy cookies. I would be happy to have your version...(your family is so ungrateful!!) :wink:

Your almond cake and banana dessert looks good!

Have you any idea how much that means to me? Thank you, Pastry Princess. :smile:

Here's a bit of trivia: My husband was the VP/GM of North American cookie brands for Nabisco, during the time that Chips Ahoy! were called out by that fifth grade class for not having all the chips they claim to have had. :laugh:

Remember the Snackwell's commercials -- when those ladies were chasing him, calling him Cookie Man? I have a pair of Snackwell's boxer shorts autographed by Himself. I'll dig 'em up and show you all if you want.

I also have a an autograph from the Dr. Pepper guy, who was in "American Werewolf in London."

There are some interesting benefits to being a corporate wifey-type!

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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After a grueling front nine, although the 4Hybrid I was demo'ing worked out nicely, we still weren't hungry, but the halfway house beckoned.

Unfortunately, Mary wasn't in today -- her husband owns a restaurant and she works for him more and more these days.

Here's the halfway house and my husband gesturing about something. Probably Gatorade.

gallery_28661_3538_13568.jpg

[...]

Ah, so there's another meaning for "halfway house," other than a place where ex-cons and recovering junkies go before being released into society...

Sorry about the cyclones in Australia ruining the banana crop.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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Chappaqua, huh... do you know the dammann's or the baltays?

No, but if you hum a few bars, maybe it'll come to me ...

thank you, I'll be here all week

*****

dvs, because you live in such a beautiful place full of people who have welcomed this right-coaster many times, here's the first turning leaves for you. My split-leaf maple sends you her regards.

gallery_28661_3538_31942.jpg

*sniff* beautiful!! you're the best!

when you come back, you let me know where you want resos... i'll make it happen :wub:

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Good evening, Fabby!

SEPTA's been running on a holiday schedule, so I had to wait for a couple of hours before I could arrive at this blog. Sorry I got here late. :wink:

I couldn't identify all the various tomato varieties on your plate if I tried, except to say that one looks kinda like a Brandywine.

I'm looking forward to more fabulous food as well as any suggestions you may have about things to do with duck fat. (Actually, I had one today while eating lunch in Widener's dining hall [i had to shoot photos at freshman move-in]: Grilled cheese sandwiches. I did note on Sunday that the omelets I cooked in duck fat had a slightly sweeter flavor and browned without burning.)

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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I'm looking forward to more fabulous food as well as any suggestions you may have about things to do with duck fat.  (Actually, I had one today while eating lunch in Widener's dining hall [i had to shoot photos at freshman move-in]: Grilled cheese sandwiches.  I did note on Sunday that the omelets I cooked in duck fat had a slightly sweeter flavor and browned without burning.)

Sandy, on my Externship I learned to poach salmon in duck fat. The color was beautiful; unfortunately, some customers thought it looked raw and wouldn't even try it.

Grilled cheese sandwiches -- maybe grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Sounds like a plan.

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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It's Tuesday, our Labors are over and the school year starts for my sons tomorrow. I'm not much of a breafast-eater early in the morning, but I generally need something to jump-start my day, besides coffee.

I started having this when I was expecting my oldest. I had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies and wanted to control it with diet and exercise. This a.m. meal is a good combination of fiber, protein, and a little sweetness and fruit on top. Plus, it's fast and portable.

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Yes, folks, that's an Eggo toaster waffle! It's spread with natural peanut butter and has a smear of Polaner All-Fruit on the top.

To start the day, I make a list. Sometimes my husband emails me something to add; when I'm cranky, I let him know that "today is not a day to pester me via email."

But today, here's what he sent:

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Sigh.

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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But today, here's what he sent:

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Sigh.

:laugh:

P.S. That was David Naughton in the DP commercials/American Werewolf. . . I can't believe I remembered that. :wacko:

"A good dinner is of great importance to good talk. One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf

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P.S. That was David Naughton in the DP commercials/American Werewolf. . .  I can't believe I remembered that. :wacko:

Aargh! Now I’m singing the DP song…I even remember the dance.

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Very cute puppy!

Coming in a little late to the blog, but I’m having fun so far. My cousin lives in Chappaqua, supposedly right down the block from the Clintons, but I have yet to see proof.

Karen C.

"Oh, suddenly life’s fun, suddenly there’s a reason to get up in the morning – it’s called bacon!" - Sookie St. James

Travelogue: Ten days in Tuscany

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Rest in Peace Jean-Luc: I just met three Bassets yesterday, they were very calm and friendly dogs.

I am so anxious to read about what you are ripping from J.P.'s kitchen, I ripped something from him as well which I admitted to on MelissaH's blog last month. Is it the barn boards?

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Are you currently working in the food industry?  You've said you went to CIA, can you tell us more about that experience?

Currently in the industry? Sort of.

For most of my adult life, I've been a food writer, cook in restaurants and markets, owned my own catering business with a gourmet-to-go; I've also been a teacher and a consultant. I've enjoyed an interesting career as we relocated and relocated again, and I'd travel to the CIA to take Continuing Ed. classes whenever I could. Once we moved here and knew we were not moving until the youngest graduated from high school, I decided to get a degree.

I first stumbled across eGullet when the food boards on a different site went from fun to really odd. I remember posting a question about what culinary school to go to, for someone who'd been doing what I'd been doing for so long. I got lots of good direction from there, and wound up enrolling in the CIA, which was 'mecca' for me.

I loved being in school, had really great professors and chefs and some good classmates. I'd always been known as a thorough researcher and very knowledgeable about food, but within a week of starting class, I realized how much there was to learn. I learned from the best and still channel my chefs -- can't look at a whole fish without hearing Chef Clark in my ear ... "start with a clean dry fish on a clean dry board, a clean dry fish on a clean dry board ..."

I'd always wanted to write, teach, and eventually own my own cooking school and figured I could do that until I keeled over. I do a lot of teaching in our town's Continuing Ed courses, and in private homes. The kitchen we're putting in will allow me to do classes in my home. I also want to write more, and have been pitching a cookbook. It's little and charming and I can't get anyone to read it, so I'm going to pull some strings to have it looked at.

Working in the industry for someone else would give me credibility and better skills, and keep me sharp. Plus, I love it: The heat, the pressure, the focus, though I don't want to be a chef. I just want to cook, and I'd be thrilled with a few days a week. Believe it or not, I have had my age flat-out cited as a "concern." Hmmm, maybe I should put my teeth in before interviews, and quit calling the chef "sonny boy" and "whippersnapper." Good Lord. Oh -- and these concerns are cited without seeing me work in a kitchen. Those are not the right environments for me, but there's a place for me.

Oh -- I'm 48 now and am pretty energetic. I'll find my place but until then, I'm having fun, staying in touch, and always taking classes and looking for something new. And that cookbook ... its time will come, too. :wink:

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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What's your dog's name? 

Oooh, ohhh. I know the answer to this one.

That's Jean-Luc.

You are correct, sir! :laugh: You win the prize -- to babysit him for a week. He'll be on the next flight to Lunken.

Walking this dog is like walking a vacuum cleaner; I can tell he's got something when the flaps on the side of his mouth bulge out. Today: a pine cone, a piece of wood, and a dead bird.

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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