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I slowly slowly lowly cook thin slices of garlic and sliced almonds in olive oil and butteruntil they are just barely browned, and finish the last few minutes with a good shake of seasoned salt and sugar.

They are the perfect delicious yummy crunchy topping to any mixed green salad. That, plus a sweet element, like grapes or berries or diced apple, makes a good salad great for me.

I highly recommend Gramercy Tavern - it is by far THE best service, atmosphere and food I have ever eaten in my life. You get what you pay for, and beyond!

The organic farm is drowning us in huge quantities of broccoli, lettuce, boc choy, kale, spinach, Kale, collards, radicchio and escarole! I'm not complaining, but I'm trying to keep things interesting while we eat all these greens.

Current fave: any combo of lettuce, sliced strawberries, chopped red onion, walnuts, chevre and poppyseed dressing thinned with a little milk - don't like it too thick. You can throw in some white beans, too, if you like.

Also: lettuce or greens of any kind, thinly sliced pears, craisins, and a good-sized slice off a log of chevre, rolled in chopped pecans and baked until warm. Dijon mustard dressing - heaven!

My favorite chopped salad: lettuce, onions, tomato, avocado, walnuts or almonds and any type of vinegarette. Love, love, love tomatoes and avocado together.

I cant imagine making a marinara without basil, oregano, fresh black pepper or crushed red flake, and a bay leaf. Is the purpose of the carrot to take the acidic edge off of the tomatoes?

Also, I have seen real Italians add celery to their sauce as well. Not for me, thanks. btw, my mother was born in Venice of Italian parents, so that makes me anglo-venetian, but I learned to make sauce from my southern Italian buds.

scallops. or serrano ham.

a lifetime supply of filet mignon would be the greatest. perfect for BBQ's. cooked medium rare. best cut of meat there is, no question.

Kathyvegas, where do you find Kimlan soy sauce for purchase? It's so delicious, but i've only seen it in little packets with takeaway sushi.

For me, Kewpie mayo. And Muir /glen roasted tomatoes. And Pederson Farms bacon.

De Cecco pasta
Ghiradelli chocolate chips
Brown Cow yogurt
Beeler's bacon
Boulder Canyon potato chips
Real Fritos
Coca-Cola

Not particularly loyal about most other things... of course, I'm probably just kidding myself...

I always put tomatoes through a food mill (smallest holes) to remove skins and seeds, which contribute the the bitter flavor people comment about. Nearly everyone I know puts sugar in their tomato sauce, even people "off the boat". Whenever I hear this, I know they aren't straining the tomatoes. It's a lot of work and makes a big mess, but I wouldn't make tomato sauce without doing it.

Thanks so much! I will get both.

I want to first state that I am not Vietnamese so I cannot vouch for authenticity.

The Foods of Vietnam by Nicole Routhier has been good to me. I have the 1989 version, but I'm sure the 1999 version is just as good. According to Amazon.com, the later version has a few more pages.

There is a short section where she makes recommendations for menus (simple, elegant, buffet, etc.), which is helpful, as well as how to order at a restaurant.

There are recipes for 9 sauces, as well as how to make the fried shallots. I've only tried the standard ones - nuoc leo (peanut sauce) and nuoc cham (fish sauce) + variation (added shredded carrots and daikon).

I've made the summer rolls (don't really need a recipe for that tho-...), spring roll, shrimp paste on sugar cane, pho bac, crepe, and various mix n match of shrimp, meat, and salads.

The only negative is that each dish doesn't have a picture. Most of them do, but not all. If I am baffled, I refer to Vietnamese Food & Cooking by Ghillie Basan, a cheapie discounted $6 cookbook from Borders with lots of pictures, a longer introduction explaining ingredients, and includes Cambodian dishes. Both books cover festivals and other cultural influences that have shaped Vietnamese cooking.

Routhier's cookbook also lists the Vietnamese name and the English translation. I really like it when cookbooks list both so I can identify them when I am at a restaurant.

I think it's worth checking out at the library/online to see if you like it. Good luck.

Can't beat the gyro!