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Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
Goo-enhanced crust + ice cream!
100 Rules for Restaurant Staffers
Haha please to #64! I never order specials because they never have prices!
Dinner Tonight: Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheddar
I thought broccoli and cheddar was kind of the basic baked potato topping? I mean, come on. It'snot like Wendy's is exactly innovative.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
I went to Montreal last year and tried the St. Viateur bagel after reading about how great they were. I was pretty disappointed. I just found them to be chewy and thin. And they don't put the cream cheese on for you and instead give you those little cold packets. NYC all the way. :(
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
Goo-enhanced crust + ice cream!
100 Rules for Restaurant Staffers
Haha please to #64! I never order specials because they never have prices!
Dinner Tonight: Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheddar
I thought broccoli and cheddar was kind of the basic baked potato topping? I mean, come on. It'snot like Wendy's is exactly innovative.
In Season: Brussels Sprouts
I had amazing brussels sprouts over the weekend at a tapas place called The Vanderbilt in Brooklyn. The menu said it had sriracha, lime, and honey. Whatever they did to it, it was so friggin tasty. I dream about these brussels sprouts.
Tipping
I've been tipping on the after tax amount my whole life but was told recently it's supposed to be based on the pre-tax? But I can't change my ways now. It seems too low!
The Burger Lab: The Fake Shack
I love this post. Your efforts are much appreciated.
The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made
Paula Deen's corn casserole made from a can of cream-style corn, butter (of course), sour cream (of course) and cheese.... of course.
:(
Video: 3 Cats, 1 Steak
hahah that middle cat has it made. he's like "thanks guys!" chomp chomp chomp. not much steak left to fight over by the end.
Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 88: Are Bananas Helping or Hurting My Weight?
With all the crap we could be eating, I think fat from a banana is negligible. It's fruit and there's good stuff in it too. I say go for it.
Video: Tabasco Singing Pepperoni Pizza Commercial
If it's good pizza I leave it alone. If it's sub par pizza. I love some Tabasco or Frank's.
Why Don't More Mini Bagels Exist?
I'm on board. I love mini bagels. I always feel full and guilty about 3/4 of the way in, when eating a regular sized bagel.
What's hot in the pot? Dinner Tuesday Oct. 6th?
I'm also planning on a simple chili and cornbread.
Data Visualization: Distances to Nearest McDonald's
That looks terrifying.
Spam: Better than we give it credit for?
Spam is a total guilty pleasure of mine. I love fried spam, rice, kimchi with a runny egg for breakfast.
Photo of the Day: Hand-Pull Noodles
Does anyone remember Gak? I used to play with Gak and pretend I was making noodles. So fun.
Photo of the Day: World's Largest Pie Fight?
I hate hate hate food fights. Even as a child, when I'd see food fights or people getting pied in the face on TV, I wouldn't laugh. I would just think "What a waste of food..." It's offensive to people who go hungry.
Video: The Freshman 15
I gained 20. It totally sneaked up on me though. It doesn't seem like much when the pounds are gained 5 a year... but then suddenly bam! I was a senior and 20 lbs heavier and totally did not notice because of all the elastic pants I'd been wearing.... College is terrible for the health.
Sugar Rush: Tiny Cupcakes at Baked by Melissa
Smaller than a quarter? I've found bigger morsels of food stuck in my teeth while flossing.
The Fish in Filet-O-Fish Sandwiches at Risk
Oh man. Filet o Fish is the only sandwich I'll admit I actually crave every once in a while from McDonalds.
Great Lake Is Great Shakes: The Windy City Finally Has Great Pizza to Call Its Own
The zucchini one is beautiful. I suddenly really want to visit Chicago.
Reality Check: What's the New Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pan Pizza Like? We Try It
1. When I first saw this, I thought "what is the difference between this and the original stuffed crust?? I was confused.
2. Now I see it's not even an actual stuffed crust. It's just.. more cheese. Isn't that just... extra cheese? Still confused.
3. I totally had the idea for stuffed crust when I was 7. I was so mad at Pizza Hut for beating me to it.
Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby Renamed 'Hubby Hubby' in Support of Gay Marriage
As if I didn't adore them enough already.
Foods from you childhood you don't miss.
Carrot juice. I'd pour it in the toilet when mom wasn't looking.
Bologna. I never ever want to eat bologna ever again. Ever.
Eggos.
Raisin Bran cereal.
Limited Edition Strawberried Peanut Butter and Coconut M&Ms
The tan m&ms were always my favorite. I was so angry when they got rid of them. Remember the whole "vote for the new m&m color" hoopla back in the 90s? We were misled. They never mentioned once they were replacing a color! I thought they were merely adding a color! I would never have voted for blue had I known it would go on to replace my favorite. I loved the tan m&m. I don't know why. Sigh. I'm sorry. I still harbor a lot of resentment.
But anyhoo. I am very intrigued by the coconut m&m. And I don't even like coconut.
This may be TMI, but when the crispy m&ms came out, my friends and I were excited and ate an entire bag in one night. And it totally gave us gas.
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
My vote for Fairmount, the best bagel bakery in the world.
Important advice for bagel smugglers: NEVER put hot Fairmount bagels in those plastic bags. Keep them in paper bags until they cool and then transfer to plastic. If you do put hot bagels in plastic, PLEASE do not blog about it. Spare me the anguish.
In a wood-fired brick oven, sesame comes out best, natch. But be sure to try kimmel (caraway seed), too. Never found a kimmel bagel in New York. Only place outside of Montreal I've seen one is at Happening Bagel, the best bagel bakery in London. That's not saying much: I don't even mind much if you put a hot Happening bagel in plastic.
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
The half-life of a fresh bagel is less than six hours. I am skeptical how a six-day old bagel would taste, or worse yet, one stored in the refrigerator for 10 days.
A fresh bagel that is sliced and immediately frozen, then toasted, is OK, but not as good as a fresh-baked bagel.
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
I like both, I was so blown away by my first Montreal bagel, that the next was better than the last. I didn't even realize I was eating Canada's best bagels.
St. Viateur gets my vote due to the fact that they also have a Cafe on Mont Royal that sells beers and great food put between two halves of your favourite bagel.
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
I'm definitely on the St-Viateur side of the bagel divide and I miss scarfing down a couple of hot bagels as a treat (!!!) before my morning swim when I lived in Mile End. I hardly eat bagels here in NY/NJ because they're just bread in a doughnut shape. Schwartz's smoked meat is the best!
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
I'm a bigger fan of the Montreal-style bagels than the NYC ones. I dunno, the NYC ones always tasted much more doughy to me.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I also love the pastry snails made from leftover dough, butter, sugar and cinnamon. I like crust, but not the bottom soggy crust. Usually pick around it and leave it behind. Lately I've been making little tarts and putting just a dab of whatever homemade jam or jelly is around. I use less sugar so the fruit flavor is more pronounced. Good way to clean the refrigerator out of too many jars with just a dab in the bottom. I've also used guava paste and quince paste with good results. I have silicone tart pans and a tart tamper gadget that takes the work out of pressing the dough in place. It really works! Can't live without it now. Here is my dough recipe. It exactly fits two 12 cup tart pans and I whip it up in the food processor. A fast sugar pastry fix!
JAM TARTS
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cream butter and sugar. Add yolk and vanilla. Mix well.
Add flours and salt. Mix just to combine.
Pinch off about a tablespoon of dough, roll gently into a ball and press into tart mold.
Fill with a teaspoon of jam or jelly.
Bake at 350 for 9 to 11 minutes. The edges should be very lightly golden.
Cool on rack. Make a pot of tea and try not to devour them all.
In Season: Brussels Sprouts
They're the Ugly Betty of veggies: not too enticing at first, but sexy and dynamic when you get to know them.
I've started slicing them and throwing them into my stir fries and warm salads. I'd also like to work them into an hors d'oeuvres, maybe roasted then skewered with fried chorizo and/or cheese.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I've always put up with the filling to get at that crust! MMM! Snapping off the golden brown crunchy goodness as a prelude of the goodness to come! MMM!
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I also am a "good" crust junkie. When my mother made pies she always had enough scraps left to make what we kids called piewheels. She would roll out the scraps into a rectangle shape, put a layer of butter then brown sugar and sprinkle with nutmeg & cinammon. It was the rolled up on the longer side, edges pinched and cut into little rolls. These were baked until golden brown & bubbly. I cannot make a pie without a few piewheels to snack on while the pies finish baking. Even friends ask me to make them.
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
Having lived in both cities I have to say Montreal-style bagels are much better, chewy perfection and a perfect ratio of outside crispy to inside chewy.
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
A generation ago, New York bagels were more like these, although never quite as sweet.
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
Montreal-style bagels are MUCH better than NY-style. And the St Viateur ones are much better than Fairmount's, which sometimes taste too sweet for a proper bagel.
In Season: Brussels Sprouts
I never cared much for brussels sprouts until later in life. They ain't strawberry shortcake but I can tolerate them. I think my palate was tainted by some poorly prepared sprouts in the past because I cooked up some fresh ones with just butter and salt for my wife and they surprisingly good -still not strawberry shortcake. Last Thanksgiving I made a sort of slaw out of brussels sprouts from a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine. They were a hit.
So I guess I'll try a couple of the recipes above and see how they fly. The cheese and bacon gratin sounds good.
Montreal Bagels: St-Viateur vs. Fairmount
I always thought Montreal bagels were more chewy, not less. In any case, I like them better than NYC-style, though I don't play favourites between Fairmount and St-Viateur.
It's true that Toronto hasn't mastered the bagel yet: even the outpost of St-Viateur somehow doesn't get them right. Ottawa, on the other hand, has a couple decent bagel-makers.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
CRUSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!! Yes! Yes! Yes! Flour, butter, sugar, a pinch of salt, lovingly baked together..........H-E-A-V-E-N ON EARTH! Which is why my 3 favorite baked goods have always been plain scones [from Premier Gourmet here in Buffalo, NY-no one makes them better] shortbread cookies, and my piecrust made only with butter. Ya know, my husband will chow down.....no pun intended..... the innards of one of my fruit or pudding pies and leave the crust. He does it with everyone's pie......disgusting!!! However I usually retrieve the fluted edges of his discard to savor as dessert to my now finished piece!
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
This sounds exactly like my Asian family. Everything is "too sweet! too sweet!" We also scrape most of the frosting off cakes. I'm a savory kind of gal, but my favorite sweet pie is when the fruit filling is a bit tart.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I lurve the toasty taste of a nicely browned pie crust and I truly love nutty flavor of the crimped edge. That said, nothing tastes better than a crisp, well-browned crust with a tart-sweet fruit filling. Boysenberries, anyone?
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
i could never resist fruit pie filling! But, that being said, i used to make little pie crust cut-out cookies for an old boyfriend. He loved them - they were little, flaky bits of goodness that were covered in cinnamon and sugar. Good alone, with milk, or sprinkled over ice cream... mmmmm :)
100 Rules for Restaurant Staffers
I was a server a few years ago and I don't think anyone should be bothered by the "do you need change" question, but that being said, there are people out there who do take offense to it.
Another server told me about a good solution that worked for her:
Pick up the check and announce "I'll be right back with your change..." giving the patron the chance to say "Thank You" or "Go ahead and keep it."
In Season: Brussels Sprouts
I blanch them while frying up the bacon. Half them and chop/crumble the bacon. finish cooking them in the bacon fat and deglase with balsemic vinager. top with bacon and serve hot. There are people who come to my Thanksgiving dinner just for the sprouts! LOL
In Season: Brussels Sprouts
I like them blanched, cut in half, and stir-fried with ginger, garlic, and a final seasoning mixture of sherry, soy sauce, corn startch, sugar, salt, and rice wine vinegar, which is a common mixture for stir-fried veggies. If you know how to wok, you know to heat about 1-2 TBLSP of peanut oil until smoking, add the minced ginger and garlic, cook until browned, and then add the blanched and drained brussel sprouts, stir-fry until they soften, and then stir in the final seasoning mixture. Sorry I don't have the measurements with me, but I think it is 1 tsp each of sugar, sherry, vinegar, salt, 1 TBLSP of corn startch and 2 TBLSP of soy sauce. Great dish!
100 Rules for Restaurant Staffers
I disagree with the author about pulling the plate. When I am eating out I hate it when the server doesn't take the empty plates. I don't want to sit around with an empty plate in front of me. I'd like to be able to put my hands/elbows on the table.
When I became a waiter, I was told that older people generally prefer to keep all plates on the table until everyone is done, while younger people prefer to have the plates pulled as they finish.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I have ignored fillings before, yes. It is better when you can eat the filling and the crust together but the crust is almost never problematic.
Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?
I think whoever said "maybe crust haters are used to store bought crusts and never had a scratch crust" might be onto something. Well-made scratch crust...OMG, nothing like it. And you KNOW that someone making a scratch crust would not waste such a labor of love on acky Sandra Lee canned filling.
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I went to Montreal last year and tried the St. Viateur bagel after reading about how great they were. I was pretty disappointed. I just found them to be chewy and thin. And they don't put the cream cheese on for you and instead give you those little cold packets. NYC all the way. :(