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Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Pumpkin pie will be on my table.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
The sauteed brussels sprouts and bacon can hardlly go wrong.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Pecan pie is sounding awfully good.
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Recent Posts
Toasting pumpkin or squash seeds - is there a trick?
Posted by Likeswords, September 24, 2009 at 9:29 PM
Marinating times - what is "overnight" anyway?
Posted by Likeswords, May 1, 2009 at 1:33 PM
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Meat Lite: Potato Crusted Sausage, Leek and Spinach Quiche
Posted by Tara Mataraza Desmond, September 29, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Cook the Book: Bottega's Limoncello
Posted by Caroline Russock, May 11, 2009 at 3:20 PM
French in a Flash: Asparagus Parmesan Pain Perdu with Homemade Tomato Jam
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, May 7, 2009 at 1:30 PM
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
What is your stance on "tipping"?
I hate the whole tipping custom. I would much rather pay one person (the restaurant owner) enough to cover the REAL cost of my meal AND the service. Instead, I have to pay both the restaurant owner (for the food and setting) as well as the server and whoever else gets a share, over which, please note, I as customer have no control, although how much I leave in addition to the price of the meal is supposedly a response to only the server's behavior. AND, I have to do the math, which I don't enjoy. Also, I hate the idea of having to give a free job performance review at the end of a meal (I hate doing that at work, too, but that's another story; at least I have gotten paid for it).
That said, I usually tip 20% if the service is average to good, maybe a bit less if it isn't, because those in the biz didn't set the rules and it's not fair to punish them for working under stupid conditions. But I still hate the whole darn thing. We are chumps to put up with it, but I don't know how to change it.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Pumpkin pie will be on my table.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
The sauteed brussels sprouts and bacon can hardlly go wrong.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Pecan pie is sounding awfully good.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Maple walnut cornbread. And I don't usually like to interfere with a classic, but it sounds so good.
Creeping curry paste and soy sauce
Clearly, now that we know that vinegar has joined the escape plot, we need to investigate this phenomenon more thoroughly. Are our condiments acting in unison? Is this an evolutionary step toward eventual freedom? Seriously, I really would like to know how the curry paste in particular (no label at the neck, no bits stuck at the top of the jar) morphs to the outside. I will continue to explore, and reveal all once it is discovered.
Creeping curry paste and soy sauce
I keep the curry paste in the refrigerator consistently after opening. This has happened to me with a couple of brands. It's just plain weird.
I keep the soy sauce in the cupboard. I have tried rinsing the top of the soy sauce bottle after use, to no avail. Maybe I should wipe it instead - I'll try that.
Prepare ahead and freeze!
Boeuf bourgignon (spelling?) works great for me, even with the mushrooms. Soups too - I've had luck with squash-based soups (butternut and parsnip is good) and mushroom soup.
What's Your Favorite Sandwich?
Bacon, lettuce, tomato on toasted white with mayonnaise and a sprinkle of green onions/chives.
What was known where I worked as "Dr. Perlmutter's sandwich" - involving shrimp salad prepared with extra something that made it better than the shrimp salad offered to others in the regular cafeteria. Dr. P. was detained one day, so they gave it to me and it was wonderful. But they would only make it for him.
Time for a Drink: Zombie Punch
So to make this, I have to have all the ingredients and then all the subingredients Way too hard.
Bewitching in the kitchen! What's for dinner 10/27, Tuesday?
Some kind of calzone I will create with some of my refrigerated artisan no-knead bread dough, and the mushrooms and baby spinach I liberated from the refrigerator earlier - maybe some parmesan or that gouda with nuts that's still lurking in there, as well. The baking should warm up the house.
Serious Heat: Cayenne Tea to Cure the Sniffles
Okay, yesterday I awoke with a slight sore throat, so I did the cayenne/lemon/honey tea and it made my throat feel much better (it also made my nose run). I had two cups yesterday and am having one now, with not quite a half teaspoon of pepper. Hoping to avert a cold!
Healthy & Delicious: Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake
Kristen, thanks! I wound up buying a "medium" size squash from among the choices at my grocer's, which came to 2.5 pounds, but I figured that I Iike squash and I don't know what to do with half of one, so go ahead! But I found that I wound up with about two layers of squash in the 8" by 8" pan (which I didn't change because I wanted the sauce and butter to cover the recommended area to be topped), and the middle layer didn't cook as well (it was good, but it didn't have the browning or the tenderness of the bottom layer). The apple layer and the cranberries were fine, as was the sauce. All told, it was very good and worth repeating. I served it with sweet Italian turkey sausages that I cooked in the oven with the vegetables for the last 20 minutes and browned off under the broiler, a fine flavor combination - maybe next time cook the sausages in with the vegetables? Altogether, a success.
Healthy & Delicious: Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake
By "large" - what do you mean? The squashes in my grocery store vary from small to what seems to me really huge. I'd like to make this tonight, and a little more precision would be appreciated. Thanks.
The family that eats together...What's for dinner 10/25 Sunday??
Mushroom soup (frozen this spring when I got an insane deal on fresh mushrooms), artisan bread, and the bacon/fig/brussels sprout dish from the New York Times (an experiment).
Bad mood, bad food?
My mom told me this - she pointed out that when you cook while you are in a bad mood, the food suffers (and so, by extension, does whoever eats it, i.e., the rest of the family). Was this a subtle threat . . . . ?
cordless electric tea kettle recommendations
I got mine several years ago at Target: Aroma Water Kettle, AWK-1158. My Brit fiance liked it so much he got one too. Fast, reliable, easy to use, cheap.
Help for a picky vegetarian?!
I suggest making some artisan no-knead bread (I got this from the website www.artisanbreadinfive.com/), and using part of the recipe to make a sort of calzone - basically, you spread out the dough, and on half of it put whatever nice vegetables you have (I like peppers, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms), olives, any cheese you like, until you have a combination you think will taste good. The big deal is not to put in anything that's too soggy or anything that's hot - it makes the dough almost impossible to move later. Fold it over, slash it, slide onto the preheated baking stone and cook for half an hour.
Soft-Boiled Eggs-Your eating style
White toast, cut into squares and put in the dark blue bowl (I think it's Fiesta ware). Crack soft boiled egg over toast and scoop out with a spoon. Add salt and pepper (lots of pepper). Mix with spoon. It's not the same if you don't use the blue bowl.
What's the Secret to Great Fried Chicken?
Cut up your chicken. Put flour and season salt into a bag. Shake one or two pieces of chicken at a time in the seasoned flour. Shallow fry in oil in a cast iron skillet on medium low, browning all over (it takes a while) - by the time you have a nice brown crust on the outside, the inside is moist and delectable.
Good heat-up-the-house ideas
Let us know how the unusual pot roast turns out, please, yayfood. I am currently making a stew in the oven at 275 degrees, supposedly leaving it there for 8-10 hours - browned chuck cubes, canned chopped tomatoes and their juice, cup of fresh basil, 8 cloves garlic, tablespoon cracked pepper, red wine, covered tightly. It smells great, and is taking the chill off.
How Do You Slip the Waiter Extra Tip Money?
Oh dear, the whole tipping thing is such a pain.
Video: Levi Johnston's Pistachio Commercial
Can't hear anything on the video. What's up?
Toasting pumpkin or squash seeds - is there a trick?
A thought just occurred - maybe I'm eating them wrong. Are they like sunflower seeds, which you are supposed to shell before eating, or do people eat them whole?
Toasting pumpkin or squash seeds - is there a trick?
Thanks, yayfood. This sounds wonderful! Could you give me some directions? I'm hopeless at guessing how much butter to how much (many, although I don't count them) seeds.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Chipotle meatballs
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Brussels sprouts with bacon. Mmmm.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
sautéed brussels sprouts with bacon
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Wild mushroom stuffing....now all I need is a free turkey!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
i can haz chocolate passion fruit bread pudding?
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Cider-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
James Beard's Roast turkey!!! First off, the older folks will know who James Beard is, Secondly, It has Bacon and Cognac. Those are Great Thanksgiving staples.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
roasted sweet potato - very nostalgic, my mom used to give them to us first thing to stave off our appetites
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Pumpkin pie brulee!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Potato leek au gratin sounds delicious. I think I'll give that a try some day after our already over-stocked Thanksgiving dinner.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
bacon brussel sprouts
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
brussel sprouts and bacon!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
pumpkin cheesecake :)
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
need to add cranberry sauce, pumpkin and apple pies and turkey cupcakes for the grands. think maybe that should do it with the M&M cookies my daughter is baking.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Maple walnut cornbread!
What is your stance on "tipping"?
The free online dictionary defined gratuity as "a favor or gift, usually in the form of money, given in return for service." If it's required then it isn't a favor or a gift, it's a fee. So @mongoose is correct.
As for the article... A 18% gratuity on their $73.87 tab would have been $13.29, not the $16.35 they were charged so that's unfair to the customers. The article I first read about the incident mentioned that the group waited over an hour for salads and wings, that their waitress went out for a cigarette break instead of bringing their napkins/silverware/etc, and that they had to go to the bar to get their drinks because no one was around to wait on them.
Yes waitstaff deserve a break but leaving a group of people for an hour without any service is irresponsible. Not bringing your table the items they require like drinks or silverware or their food is irresponsible. The restaurant barely did what they were supposed to do. The customers should not be required to pay. I think they should have complained to a manager and pointed out the math error in the bill and explained why they were refusing to tip instead of just walking out.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
I think I'm going to try the Potato Leek Au Gratin. Such a nice combination and it would look beautiful on the table.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Pumpkin cheesecake!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
I'm going to try the Wild Mushroom Stuffing!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Faithful to my Perfect Mashed Potatoes
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Wild mushroom stuffing sounds fantastic.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
cranberry sauce with champagne? I am in.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
THE CIDER GLAZED SWEET POTATOES SOUND GREAT!
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
Those braised and glazed brussel sprouts are going on my menu, for sure. Maybe with some cauliflower thrown in, too.
Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey
I have to try the recipe for Cook's Illustrated's Roasted Brined Turkey.
Recent Posts
Toasting pumpkin or squash seeds - is there a trick?
Posted by Likeswords, September 24, 2009 at 9:29 PM
Marinating times - what is "overnight" anyway?
Posted by Likeswords, May 1, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Recent Favorites
Meat Lite: Potato Crusted Sausage, Leek and Spinach Quiche
Posted by Tara Mataraza Desmond, September 29, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Cook the Book: Bottega's Limoncello
Posted by Caroline Russock, May 11, 2009 at 3:20 PM
French in a Flash: Asparagus Parmesan Pain Perdu with Homemade Tomato Jam
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, May 7, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Seriously Italian: Spaghetti All'Ubriaco
Posted by Gina DePalma, April 2, 2009 at 8:30 AM
Grilling: Pork Souvlaki with Pita and Tzatziki
Posted by Joshua Bousel, March 20, 2009 at 6:30 PM
Dinner Tonight: Jacket Potatoes with Mushroom Ragu
Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, March 6, 2009 at 4:30 PM
Eat for Eight Bucks: Cornmeal Crepes, Mushroom Ragout, Fried Egg
Posted by Michele Humes, February 19, 2009 at 3:15 PM
Seriously Italian: Almond Olive Oil Cake for Valentine's Day
Posted by Gina DePalma, February 13, 2009 at 2:15 PM
Dinner Tonight: Mushroom Curry
Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, January 30, 2009 at 4:30 PM
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I hate the whole tipping custom. I would much rather pay one person (the restaurant owner) enough to cover the REAL cost of my meal AND the service. Instead, I have to pay both the restaurant owner (for the food and setting) as well as the server and whoever else gets a share, over which, please note, I as customer have no control, although how much I leave in addition to the price of the meal is supposedly a response to only the server's behavior. AND, I have to do the math, which I don't enjoy. Also, I hate the idea of having to give a free job performance review at the end of a meal (I hate doing that at work, too, but that's another story; at least I have gotten paid for it).
That said, I usually tip 20% if the service is average to good, maybe a bit less if it isn't, because those in the biz didn't set the rules and it's not fair to punish them for working under stupid conditions. But I still hate the whole darn thing. We are chumps to put up with it, but I don't know how to change it.