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Nom nom 'Tasty' Man-Cologne Suggestions
If you like bay rum, Burt's Bees makes a nice one. Not too spendy, and pretty natural. I don't care for it myself, but my dad wears it. I think it's got some caramel-ness to it, and it's definitely masculine.
Pretty Sneaky, Sis
Love the "Connect Four" reference.
Jerz, maybe for Christmas this year you could forgive PW for her dumb recipe. The goodies far outweigh the baddies.
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In response to feriorrenna, what was the last INTERESTING thing?
Posted by Kerosena, December 19, 2008 at 5:12 PM
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Video: AHT's Own Nick Solares Talks Sliders on 'CBS Sunday Morning'
Aahh! Can't believe I missed Sunday Morning this week! Of course I'll still watch the clip, but man, I would've been so excited to see this as a surprise!
Nom nom 'Tasty' Man-Cologne Suggestions
If you like bay rum, Burt's Bees makes a nice one. Not too spendy, and pretty natural. I don't care for it myself, but my dad wears it. I think it's got some caramel-ness to it, and it's definitely masculine.
Pretty Sneaky, Sis
Love the "Connect Four" reference.
Jerz, maybe for Christmas this year you could forgive PW for her dumb recipe. The goodies far outweigh the baddies.
Taste Test: Finding the Best Apples for Baking
I know I'm probably the only person in the world who feels this way, but Macintosh will always be my favorite for both eating and cooking. To my taste buds, they are the quintessential apple.
Pizza Madness 2009: I Left My Heartburn in San Francisco
Thanks for the adorable, punny title. That sort of thing is always appreciated.
Where Does Your Thanksgiving Loyalty Lie?
Definitely the sides. Yes, you could make them any other time, but generally we don't make that particular combination of sides. And although I don't especially care about *eating* the turkey, I care very deeply about smelling it while it cooks and the gravy it produces. So I guess that means the turkey is equally important, but for different reasons.
Lobster or King Crab Legs: Which do you prefer?
Crab, but I actually prefer snow crab. I find it a little bit more delicate, and easier to remove from the shell.
SE Contests - If you don't win it, how often do you buy it?
I only enter for things I want to win. Don't wanna waste my luck! Last winter I won 2 Peter Luger steaks (Thanks again, SE!!!). When I got the notification, I was as happy as a person who just won a trip to Hawaii. The steaks were perfect, and so big that we had all four of our parents over for dinner and all ate well.
As for the cookbooks, I don't normally enter or buy. I like to browse, but I'm just not a big cookbook junkie.
Funniest Thanksgiving
When my brother was about 3, my mom brought him along to an appointment at the hair salon. Casanova developed a quick crush on another customer and invited her to Thanksgiving at our house as his date. Unfortunately, she stood him up.
Weekend Cook and Tell Round Up: Vintage Recipe Redux
My mom used to make something that involved canned asparagus spears, that Kraft blue cheese spread that comes in a little glass jar, and flattened white bread with the crusts cut off. I think the bread was smeared with the cheese and rolled around the asparagus, and maybe wrapped in bacon.
That, along with my dad's famous "Mike's crab dip," was the height of elegance.
The Varying Food Preferences of Conservatives and Liberals
Hm. I've always *felt* pretty liberal, but I guess I eat more like a conservative.
And really? Brie?
HELP! Butter free stuffing?
Can't go wrong with those yummy, yummy pan drippings.
My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal...
Mashed potatoes and gravy is my number one, followed closely by stuffing made by me or Aunt Rose.
What's a good word to replace "garlicky"?
Have we had "Garlicient" yet? Cuz that's my vote.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
It doesn't have to be a dealbreaker, but I find that a shared love of food and cooking is such an important thing in out relationship. Our likes and dislikes don't line up exactly, but we both enjoy lots of different things, and share a few favorites.
Do I wish there was more seafood in our household? Sure. But as long as we keep trying new things together, I can let that one go.
If you feel that your BF is shut off to trying new things in life, that's not going to change. The food issue may just be a symptom of inflexibility. Only you can answer that one!
Instant Noodles/Ramen
Most asian markets sell packaged steamed ramen (rather than fried). If I don't feel like using the spice packet, I mix up some chili oil, soy sauce, and maybe some furikake for the broth.
marinara separating?
Are you draining your pasta thoroughly? Are you rinsing it with water? If you are rinsing, stop. My mom does it this way and it drives me nuts. Worse than fingernails on a blackboard. And hers always comes out watery.
I also second the rec for tossing just-before-al-dente pasta with your sauce for a quick simmer before serving.
What's your spice aversion?
I have several:
White pepper-smells/tastes like rotting flesh to me
Saffron- overpowers everything, and I prefer my food to have it's own natural color.
Turmeric-see "saffron"
What to serve the night before Thanksgiving?
Pizza. It's traditional on one of the busiest nights of the year for both bars and pizza parlors.
What strange things are in the door of your fridge?
Insulin for the cat.
Book Giveaway: Mike Colameco's Food Lover's Guide to NYC
I don't know any off the radar places as I only visit NYC 2-3 times per year, but I love Penelope Cafe for breakfast. Great food, and I really enjoyed eating breakfast at the bar.
Cereal with Water and Other Cereal Compulsions
I like my cereal soggy and with milk. If there's no skim milk available, I'll use a little bit of whole milk mixed with water. But it MUST be soggy. And never for breakfast.
Cook the Book: 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'
Far and away, Serious Eats is my favorite.
Saturday Night.... in Albany...
This is a good dining guide:
http://www.metroland.net/guides/2009_fwdg/ssdg04_contents.htm
It has lots of great suggestions based on what type of food you're looking for.
If you're in the downtown area (Pearl St, Broadway), dp American Brasserie is great. Nice menu and lovely drinks. A step up from "low key," though. Also check out Wolff's Biergarten, which is fun, cheap, and delicious. And really the only reasonable place to go if you like to drink in the morning (just kidding, sort of). wolffsbiergarten.com
Hill Street Cafe is verrry laid back with an awesome neighborhood vibe and cheap prices for good bar food.
Capital Q is good bbq, but really more of a take out place.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
@cybercita ~ thanks for clearing that up and sharing your recipe. I agree with you about a zester - don't know how I lived without one all those years.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
@dmcavanagh, let me know how it turns out. it really is a fantastic cake. if you don't already have a microplane zester, i highly recommend one for grating the ginger and the nutmeg.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
@cybercita-----thanks for the recipe, I'm going to make this soon. This sounds like a winner, I love spicy cakes so I'm with you on increasing the amounts. Will let you know somewhere along the line how it turns out.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
ha! i almost said, and by the way, the two cups of oil is correct in my original post.
the two cups of oil is NOT a typo. it's a very moist cake.
Pizza Madness 2009: I Left My Heartburn in San Francisco
Lets hear it for Mingus and the Margherita.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
Way! Love pumpkin in pretty much any form. And not that I dislike pumpkin pie, but there are other way yummier pumpkin desserts to be had - pumpkin roll with the cream cheese filling, pumpkin cheesecake, etc.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
I you don't like pumpkin pie do you count as a Real American?
It's like wanting Old Yeller to die ...
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
@cybercita ~ thanks so much for posting this. I'll take a wild guess that 2 cups of vegetable oil is a typo?
@angelfood ~ my hands-down favorite ice cream is pumpkin and I didn't have a recipe, even though I own an ice cream maker. Thanks for sharing.
Tip: If you have an ice cream maker like mine where you store the cylinder in the freezer ~ it makes a perfect wine/champagne chiller for the larger bottles. So yes Alton, it does multiple tasks.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
here is the cake recipe as i got it originally. i up the spices considerably, using about a tablespoon each of the cinnamon and nutmeg, and two teaspoons of cloves. i also use a teaspoon of cardamom and include a thumbs worth of fresh ginger as well. it can be frosted with an orange glaze -- orange zest, juice, butter, and confectioner's sugar -- frosted with cream cheese frosting, or left plain.
it's a dump cake -- just dump all of the ingredients into a big bowl and beat.
pumpkin spice cake
3 c flour
2c sugar
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1 t freshly ground nutmeg
1 t ground cloves
2 c vegetable oil
1 15 oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat at medium speed for 4 minutes. pour into greased and floured 12 cup bundt pan. bake at 325 for 1 hour or until done {there should not be any wet spots under the top cracks and a tester should come out clean}.
cool 20 min and turn out on rack.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
WAY in a big way but not the canned stuff. Use sweet potatoes instead. Or better yet, grow your own sugar pumpkins or kabocha squash, hopi blue or other heirloom varieties until you find the one you like best. They are easy to grow and so easy to cook and freeze. New rules against canning it so can't recommend that. I made this years pie with kabocha. I'm having a slice right now for breakfast and nibbling candied pecans on the side. Whole Foods sells them and farmer's markets have them. I use them in everything both sweet and savory. Old Uncle Gaylord's recipe for pumpkin raisin ice cream is divine! Safer to make cooked custard than use raw egg though.
PUMPKIN RAISIN ICE CREAM
4 cups half&half
1egg
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, nutmeg, ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup golden raisins (you could soak them in rum or brandy)
Mix, chill, freeze in machine
Does Anyone Really Love Pumpkin Pie?
Though I do like pumpkin pie, there are many pies that I would prefer any day, such as strawberry rhubarb or lemon meringue. I did find an AWESOME recipe, though, for pumpkin pie, and it was the second pie to disappear at a Thanksgiving dinner for 30 friends this year, out of about 7 other pie chioces. (The first to disappear was also mine- Dorie Greenspan's "Favorite Pecan Pie" with chocolate and espresso.) I'll be making it again for my family...it's Sherry Yard's Triple Silken Pumpkin Pie from "Desserts by the Yard." Baked in a springform pan, the bottom layer is pumpkin custard, then a layer of maple whipped cream, then a layer of caramel pumpkin mousse....truly an awesome pie and worth the work!
Pizza Madness 2009: I Left My Heartburn in San Francisco
As I was catching up on pizza news, I was shocked to read this from the Darsky interview from SF Weekly:
Favorite music to cook by?
Johnny "Guitar" Watson, "Superman Lover."
What!? That was MY song at Pizzaiolo. In fairness to Darsky, that might have been before his time - I think Johnny "Guitar" Watson was banned from Pizzaiolo before he started.
In any case, Fela Kuti is better for cooking, anyway. As are the Talking Heads and Mingus (esp. "Cumbia and Jazz Fusion"). "Superman Lover" is still pretty fly though.
Taste Test: Finding the Best Apples for Baking
Sad we cant get bramleys cooking apples here :( oh well. I got mystery apples in my CSA and used those, lets hope they work!
Best Hangover Food?
i go to mcdonalds and get a mc-double with whopper special sauce, and a hot and spicy chicken sandwich, since i wake up after breakfast haha. then i take the mc-double and pull it apart right in the middle. then i take the entire hot and spicy and put it between the two patties of meat and smush it down. it works wonders and doesnt even taste like mcdonalds.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
@Monelle ~ Supermarket pumpkin pie? No comparison. It's like comparing apples and gym socks!
@bareneed ~ I've missed SE and YOU as well. Been a rough year, and I'm glad to be back.
@cybercita ~ Please post your bundt cake recipe?
I'd say the majority do like pumpkin, sweet and savory. I have made sweet potato pie and nobody knew the difference, so I'd substitute that in a New York minute if I couldn't find canned pumpkin. Anyone care to share more savory recipes, like cream of pumpkin soup?
Nom nom 'Tasty' Man-Cologne Suggestions
You may want to saunter over to Basenotes and enter the fray on the Community Discussion boards. What you're after is called a "gourmand" scent - you can also search by individual fragrance notes in the Fragrance Finder.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
Waaaaaaaaaaaay! How do I love thee, pumpkin... let me count the ways...
Surprisingly, I didn't even taste anything pumpkin till I was a teenager. Everyone in my family didn't like it and had me brainwashed until I felt obliged to take a little bite of a pie that was pressed upon me by a good friend's mother. It was love ever since, in a multitude of permutations. And it couldn't be Thanksgiving without it. My family eats the pecan pie and brownies while everyone else gobbles up the pumpkin stuff.
Nom nom 'Tasty' Man-Cologne Suggestions
As usual; serious-eaters are full of great ideas.
@all who responded: thank you for making my decision easier; I hope to get something that smells like I wanna eat him so I'm well-equipped with info now--you guys rock my world....again!
:D
Nom nom 'Tasty' Man-Cologne Suggestions
Oh my God, yes, there's this company called I Hate Perfume that makes the most amazing scents ever. I have a bunch of their products and also give them as gifts. The scents are for men or women. It's not cheap, but it's not really expensive either. My personal favorites, especially for men, are In The Library, which smells like leather and chocolate and old parchment paper, and Burning Leaves, which pretty much smells just as advertised, like burning maple leaves. Also, Summer 1966, which smells just like the beach, all Coppertony and salty. Wild Hunt is pretty great too. If you life in the NY area, they have a shop in Brooklyn, by the Brooklyn Brewery. I'm gushing, I know, but honestly, I really do hate most perfumes/colognes, but this stuff? It's just amazing.
Video: AHT's Own Nick Solares Talks Sliders on 'CBS Sunday Morning'
Really was a pleasure to see Nick on CBS Sunday Morning this past Sunday. The whole sliders thing has been around for a long, long time (I was eating White Castle postage stamps about 30 years ago). I think that the small plate phase we are all in helps out. Wasn't impressed with the foie gras slider however. Looked far to big to get in one's mouth in one bite!
Video: AHT's Own Nick Solares Talks Sliders on 'CBS Sunday Morning'
YEAH! AHT gets legitimate national exposure! I'm not weird after all . . . Now to prepare some sliders.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
Way for pumpkin! So good in so many incarnations.
Pumpkin: *Way* or *No Way*
@cybercita: I'm dying to see that pumpkin spice bundt cake recipe if you're willing to share!
Recent Posts
In response to feriorrenna, what was the last INTERESTING thing?
Posted by Kerosena, December 19, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Lay down the boogie and play that funky music til ya die
Posted by Kerosena, April 16, 2008 at 10:27 PM
I must confess...I had a naughty dream about Mario Batali.
Posted by Kerosena, April 11, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Are you sick of winter? What is your ideal summertime meal?
Posted by Kerosena, February 12, 2008 at 10:41 AM
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Aahh! Can't believe I missed Sunday Morning this week! Of course I'll still watch the clip, but man, I would've been so excited to see this as a surprise!