SSMom’s Profile
Recent Comments
overwhelmed with pot roast options
I only use chuck for pot roast, comes out great every time.
Search It!
Not all members of this community are as kind as you assumed, just ignore the comments that aren't helpful.
What's up for dinner tonight? Thursday 10/15
It is my son's birthday, so we had his favorite meal: bacon-wrapped filet mignon, green beans and mashed potatoes. I also added mushrooms sauteed with vermouth and roasted asparagus for the adults.
See more comments by SSMom »
Recent Posts
See more posts by SSMom »
Recent Favorites
SSMom hasn't favorited a post yet.
Recent Polls
SSMom hasn't answered any polls yet.
Recent Quizzes
SSMom hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Lactose-free Thanksgiving etiquette tips/dessert ideas please!
Sorbet is a good dairy-free dessert option.
How nice of you to go to such lengths to make him feel welcome, true hospitality!
overwhelmed with pot roast options
I only use chuck for pot roast, comes out great every time.
Search It!
Not all members of this community are as kind as you assumed, just ignore the comments that aren't helpful.
What's up for dinner tonight? Thursday 10/15
It is my son's birthday, so we had his favorite meal: bacon-wrapped filet mignon, green beans and mashed potatoes. I also added mushrooms sauteed with vermouth and roasted asparagus for the adults.
Pepper mistake: How to fix it
Some sweetness will offset the spiciness - maple syrup or brown sugar.
Good wine for a beer drinker?
Vouvray is a good starter wine, because it's sweet. If you don't care for sweet try a sancerre or chenin blanc. I do think a Chardonnay would be somewhat similar to beer (its so common, have you tried it?)
Befriending Chefs/Restaurant Staff
My brother's a chef, and my experience with him & his friends is they love beer & simple food - anything they didn't have to make themselves, but especially barbecue.
Blue Fish
Mustard is a great match for bluefish - I like to brush fillets with Dijon, sprinkle on thyme or other herb and grill.
Watermelon rind pickles...any ideas for use?
They are delicious wrapped in bacon as an hors d'oeuvre. (wrap w/1/2 slice of bacon & pop into 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until bacon crisps)
steel cut oats as substitute in recipes
I've used them in oatmeal cookies, and the texture was a little different but still good.
What would be an average fee for my time per hour catering?
Another way to charge for catering is 3x food cost.
One day & night in Boston - where should first-timers go?
Santarpio's pizza is not far from the airport - not upscale, but fun. Great pizza.
I second Bouchee - very reasonable for Newbury St. - French bistro style look & menu.
North end is great for Italian, if the weather's nice you'll enjoy walking around in that neighborhood.
Slip-n-Slide Food
Sliders (too obvious?)
What about foods that remind you of childhood summers - popsicles?
What is your opinion on Pampered Chef products?
I have a Pampered Chef thermal carafe for coffee that I love, works great and has held up for years. I don't remember what I paid for it.
I bought some of their bakeware and it broke relatively quickly, I wouldn't recommend it.
Do You Eat Radish Leaves?
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2009/05/radish_leaf_pesto.php At Chocolate & Zucchini there was this recipe for a radish leaf pesto. I cannot claim to have tried it, but if you've got the leaves there what have you got to lose?
Unusual Bake Sale Items
I sometimes make cupcakes baked in ice cream cones for bake sales.
The suggestion to label your goodies is also good - especially if you use nuts or other allergens - a pretty tag telling what it is will help sell your item.
Strange home-made pizza
This looked interesting to me: asparagus & egg from Ruhlman http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2009/04/homemade-pizza.html
cauliflower gratin suggestions
I have made the cauliflower gratin recipe in Thomas Keller's Bouchon, which is a great dish. Of course, being Keller, the technique is really important and it is very labor intensive.
The recipe calls for Comte or Emmentaler cheese, and good cheese makes a statement in this dish.
Two ingredients he uses that surprised me: 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish and a pinch of curry powder. You don't taste the horseradish and curry individually in the final dish. they just lift the cauliflower flavor nicely.
Home Dinner Menus
Like brooke29 I also make menus and shopping lists in Word for big occasions. I may not repeat them exactly, but it is a good reference for future parties.
I think balance is important - a variety of flavors, textures and colors.
I often look to traditional pairings and flavors - for example, mint and rosemary both go well with lamb, so I might put one on the meat and another in a side dish.
A good rule of thumb for pairing wines is to pick one from the geographic region your menu represents.
What to do with nonfat yogurt
You can marinate chicken, fish or lamb nicely with yogurt - add garlic, oregano or curry or other spices.
Chicken marinated in yogurt with garlic, fresh oregano & then topped with feta cheese & chopped kalamata olives is my favorite.
Serious Eats? Really?
@Don Luis - Be the change you'd like to see.
I wanted crispy biscotti ... not rock hard
Look for a recipe that uses oil instead of butter, it gives you a different texture.
homemade ravioli- too ambitious for this amateur?
@French Laundry at Home any suggestions at all? Anything positive to add to the discussion, or just "crap"?
homemade ravioli- too ambitious for this amateur?
try using won ton wrappers
Do You Eat Radish Leaves?
There's a pretty lengthy chain on the forum about this topic...check that for some ideas. I started using my radish tops after I read that and the chocolate and zucchini post linked to above. I sauteed them with some red chili powder, lemon juice and potatoes. They have a slightly bitter taste with a peppery kick...and are apparently really healthy for you.
Do You Eat Radish Leaves?
i was looking for radish top recipes also, and i'm inspired by this talk thread to eat radishes with the bread i just baked, with sauteed radish tops on the side.
two vegetables for one, and healthy too!
Lactose-free Thanksgiving etiquette tips/dessert ideas please!
Thank you SSMom! That's very nice to hear! :)
Lactose-free Thanksgiving etiquette tips/dessert ideas please!
@yayfood - Yay! I hope he loves it all!
Inca Coke or Mexican Coke: Have you seen it?
We recently found Mexican coke at Wegman's. Snagged a few bottles, because we refuse to drink the HFCS stuff. The coke with real cane sugar tastes much better :)
Inca Coke or Mexican Coke: Have you seen it?
My local HEB in Texas stocks imported Coke from Mexico. It really does taste better. I don't know why, I will not pretent to know if it is healthier. But, when I'm at the grocery and I see someone about to buy Coke, I point them at the import Coke. Yep, I'm a Coke sniper :) I can't tell you it tastes fresh and spicy and have you beleive me on my word. You must try. It costs more, but it tastes better. I'd rather pay extra for something I enjoy than anything for something sub-par. I have extra seats on the bandwagon :) Aside: Poster from Canada, skip the Coke, just send REAL maple syrup. Canada seems to be the only place selling something other than that chemical crud on almost every shelf.
overwhelmed with pot roast options
Pot roast is always better the next day, or at least after it's been refrigerated and reheated. There was a Good Eats episode that explained why this is true, but who cares, anyway.
Instead of fiddling around with a baster trying to get the fat off, just put it in the fridge and the next day the fat will be hardened at the top and you can just pull it all off.
overwhelmed with pot roast options
Oh, cool, I'd never heard of top sirloin. And using a bulb baster to remove fat is a great idea! I need to buy one for my first T-day turkey in 15 years, anyway. Thanks so much.
overwhelmed with pot roast options
I've used all you've mentioned, as well as a top sirloin (which I'd say was the leanest from my experience).
Search It!
I've seen people ask for recipes and then someone else suggests they Google it, which I think is a tad rude. The way I figure, if someone is asking for a recipe here, they're asking this group of people because there's an expectation that you'll get a tried-and-true recipe rather than just a random recipe that has never been personally tested.
Some people are blatantly lazy, though, and will ask something like "what temperature is medium-rare for beef?" and you have to wonder why they're asking that here instead of looking it up online or in a cookbook. But I usually give them the benefit of the doubt, because there might be a valid reason why they need an answer from this group. If it's something that I know, I can probably post the correct answer as fast as I could post a snarky "Google it" comment.
But just like real life, there are people who enjoy being rude. Sometimes they're the first ones to answer a question. And sometimes the really rude answers are from people who don't post here regularly. They'll just appear, make a rude remark, and disappear. One comment from a cranky poster doesn't mean the whole site has that attitude.
Normally, the people here will make an attempt to offer advice.
Search It!
I have found that when searching on SE for recipes or suggestions, it's better to type in your search word or phrase and then make sure to filter for recipes, otherwise you do tend to get results that might not seem so helpful
Search It!
I assume that if people ask what, to me, seems a question that requires a simple response, that they come to this place because we are a community of people with experience/interest and a willingness to learn from others questions. Perhaps (and I've had this experience) they've already googled and found inconclusive or contradictory advice. I trust the advice of commenters here to be thoughtful and well-informed and so likely more trustworthy than a google search of sources I do not necessarily know.
I also don't mind when people chime in to ask questions about threads that deal with regionally specific foods or restaurants. It may be obvious to people who are from that area/familiar with that food product or whatever, but if someone asks, and is responded to, then others who might also be curious can learn without having to 'leave the cocktail party', so to speak and google.
Search It!
Someone told me to think of website, blog or any social media as being present at a cocktail party ... starting or contributing to conversations between like or similar people. This is how I select which websites to comment on. I don't think anyone would flippantly remark to another person to "Google it" if they speaking in person about recipes, or food-related topics. When the comments become distasteful on a blog or website I frequent, I move on. I make the assumption that it's not a group of people I'd want to be in a living room with.
I believe the majority of commenters here are food savvy and really have a strong interest in sharing the love. One expects a few naysayers. When they outweigh the good, I just go away. This probably makes everyone happier.
Search It!
@kathryn and @lemonfair -- agreed.
I post on numerous (often non-food related) throughout the day, and in my experience there's a huge spectrum of posters ranging from a) the lazy person who has a very obvious yes/no answer, and has clearly not taken the time to do research, and b) the person who's done research, but wants more input or just a range of opinions from experienced people. The former is merely leeching from the community, the latter is more likely to contribute and add to it.
Personally, I'm not one to tell someone to turn to Google and leave it at that, but it is endlessly frustrating to read through a forum where the same question has been asked and answered a dozen times, and the answer is in a clearly marked guide at the top of the webpage!
Search It!
I'm trying to search on SE but all I get, usually, is one page that has nothing to do with the subject I was researching. This has been a problem since the "new Improvements" were established on the site. Any ideas?
Search It!
Agreed, and incorporated into the question I just posted. I think the commenters directing posters to the internet for answers are kings of the obvious.
What's up for dinner tonight? Thursday 10/15
Everyobody's dinner sounds so good...it was rainy today too so I made a pot of "lets clean out the veggie bin" soup...some of the veggies include carrots, parsnips, onions, cabbage, celery & potatoes --kinda boring, I know & tasted so...I may drain the liquid and fry it up to resemble a colcannon based dish....
More inspiring dishes this weekend...I'm gonna make fried chicken and butternut squash mac & cheese ...
What's up for dinner tonight? Thursday 10/15
I am late chiming in--long day.
For me just baked acorn squash from my recent haul with lots of butter and pepper. A cold apple and some leftover chapatis bread I had in the freezer. Simple, but awfully good after a long day. I hope to do some real cooking this weekend!
You all ate some tasty things!
What's up for dinner tonight? Thursday 10/15
I left campus to go grocery shopping today, and went to a cafe nearby called My Daddy's Cheesecake. Apparently they have really good cheesecake. I did not try it today, but I will someday.
Instead, I got vegetable soup in a bread bowl, a pumpkin roll, and coffee.
For some reason, drizzly, cold fall weather makes me want to eat soup, pumpkin flavoured things, and apples all the time...
I am going to be cooking in my dorm again. I'll save what I make for tomorrow's "what's for dinner" thread ;)
What's up for dinner tonight? Thursday 10/15
it's cold and wet here, and I got home kinda late, so we did dubu jjigae. I'm all warmed up :-)
What's up for dinner tonight? Thursday 10/15
heelsonbricks...your spinach sounds soooo good.
What's up for dinner tonight? Thursday 10/15
Tonight was fish share night, so I made fish chowder out of this week's hake. I made the fish stock for the chowder from frozen fish heads and bones from past weeks, white wine and saved veggie clippings. Turned out rich and delicious.
What's up for dinner tonight? Thursday 10/15
I peeled and cubed a butternut squash, roasted it and then mashed w/ salt, pepper and butter. Also had meatloaf and a green salad.
Recent Posts
What Would You Make To Help a Family Through a Tough Time?
Posted by SSMom, January 28, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Recent Favorites
SSMom hasn't favorited a post yet.
Polls
SSMom hasn't answered any polls yet.
Quizzes
SSMom hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Sorbet is a good dairy-free dessert option.
How nice of you to go to such lengths to make him feel welcome, true hospitality!