Serious Eats: ThatGirl153's Profile

I tease my poor mother-in-law about her habit of "boiling the crap" out of her frozen vegetables. Perhaps I should be more polite and acuse her of hammering instead.

ThatGirl153 at 3:35PM on 04/07/08

From Serious Eats

One Trick Pony Restaurants

Pizza! oh...i guess its been done.

ThatGirl153 at 3:30PM on 04/07/08

From Talk

Best Hangover Food?

A Big Boy Slim Jim sandwich and a chocolate shake. (wish i was hungover right now!)

ThatGirl153 at 3:26PM on 04/07/08

From Serious Eats

Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway

chocolate!

ThatGirl153 at 12:46PM on 03/20/08

From Serious Eats

Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway

It must be nostalgia, but I actually crave cheap, hollow chocolate bunnies.

ThatGirl153 at 8:53AM on 03/19/08

From Talk

True Confession is good for the Soul. My dilemma?

Cassandra, a corpse...really?

ThatGirl153 at 12:15PM on 03/18/08

From Serious Eats

Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway

My Nonna traditionally makes rabbit for Easter. When we were kids we used to joke that we were eating the Easter Bunny. He was tasty

ThatGirl153 at 12:12PM on 03/18/08

From Talk

My Nonna in her broken english says Saaaangwich. And she always called "hors d'oeuvres" - Hor Derbs, which has been shortened to "Derbs" in our family. She'll come over for dinner and say "OH! Don't make the derbs we have too much food". This is the same Nonna who offered to make me a "Fuzzy Nasal" with OJ and vodka....and calls my cousin's boyfriend "Trevor" - "Treasure" or "Travel". I could write a book!

ThatGirl153 at 11:10AM on 03/12/08

From Talk

Need a new Dutch Oven

Oh I have a great one for you! They sell them at Target. I believe its the Chefmate brand. I paid 40 bucks for it and it was highly recommended in Cooks Illustrated. I use it all the time and love it. I got is last year and it was somewhat hard to find. I just had to keep checking back at my local Target store until I found one. A few weeks later I found another one and bought if for my friend who also likes it a lot.

ThatGirl153 at 12:57PM on 02/01/08

From Talk

The perks of frozen entrees...

Trader Joe's has some new frozen entrees that are outstanding! I can't remember what they are called but there is a Chicken with gorgonzola sauce that is so fresh and delicious you might think it was carry-out from your favorite restaurant. There is enough for two people in each package. Cook for 30 minutes in the tray. They also have Salmon Mojitio, Citron Talapia and another Chicken dish which might be Chicken with Chipotle. I also buy the frozen rice bags from TJ's, they cook up nicely in 3 minutes and make an excellent companion to the frozen dinners. PS: I am super picky about frozen meals and RARELY if ever eat them.

ThatGirl153 at 12:17PM on 01/25/08

From Serious Eats

Eastern Market: Almost Back to Normal

We went to DC in August...one of our first stops was Eastern market. We were shocked to find it closed and I didn't know why till reading this article!

ThatGirl153 at 1:43PM on 09/21/07

From Talk

Soup's on

A soup my Nonna used to make for us.....a dough ball made of equal parts parm and breadcrumbs.....eggs, lemon zest and fresh nutmeg. you press the dough ball through a ricer with large holes (not sure what its called) into homemade chicken broth....this soup is delicious! she calls it Strechetella or Passatini.

ThatGirl153 at 12:06PM on 09/19/07

From Talk

What do you purchase from vending machines?

we have 6 vending machines here at work. Based on the number of people buying stuff out of them here, they will never be obsolete! Once in a while if I forgot to bring a lunch or need a snack I will get a rice krispy treat or an ice cream. And even more rarely, I will be a diet Dr Pepper.

ThatGirl153 at 7:41AM on 08/31/07

From Talk

Sad Foods: What do you eat in times of trouble?

a pint of ice cream and a spoon if front of mindless television

ThatGirl153 at 9:01AM on 08/08/07

From Talk

News flash: _____ will be discontinued in 2 weeks!

Trader Joes had these awesome japanese scallops in the frozen fish section. they were so good, you could eat them raw. I loved and cherished these scallops! They stopped carryinng them about a month ago...not officially discontinued but I am skeptical. If they come back, you bet your arse I will be STOCKING up!

ThatGirl153 at 12:45PM on 08/07/07

From Talk

Overused Food Words

Toothsome....I have no idea what it means and it sounds GROSS!

ThatGirl153 at 9:20AM on 07/31/07

From Talk

What to do with canned or fresh artichokes?

If you have access to baby artichokes, this is one of my favorite dishes......
1. Peel outer layers down to the more tender bright green leaves and cut top quarter of artichoke off to remove thorns and though edges.
2. Use a veggie pealer to peal the stem and then cut off stem tip
3. Cut artichokes in half lengthwise.
4. Heat up a heavy skillet ( I use my cast iron) add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a clove or 2 of garlic. Add artichokes and stir a bit. Salt & pepper.
5. Add a 1/2 cup water to and cover to steam for about 5 minutes. Remove cover and let water cook away.
6. Let artichokes crisp a bit. (add a tad more olive oil if needed)
7. Eat and enjoy
One new thing i love to do with any of the leftovers....make a "sandwich" with french bagguette bread, a little butter and warm leftover artichokes...so good!

ThatGirl153 at 11:49AM on 07/30/07

From Talk

Milkshake: make mine______

mint chocolate chip ice cream shake! You get to scoop out all the dark chocolate chips from the bottom when you are done!

ThatGirl153 at 1:59PM on 07/27/07

From Talk

Desserts I don't like...

I love sugar. But I hate jello, bread pudding, tapioca pudding, apple and cherry pie and typical birthday cakes. Cheesecake has to be something really special to win me over. Also, not a fan of plain vanilla ice cream....boring!

ThatGirl153 at 1:56PM on 07/27/07

From Talk

What do you think of the new site?

love it!

ThatGirl153 at 1:48PM on 07/19/07

From Talk

"competitive eating"

I don't think competitive eating is exclusively American. So there goes the American excess arguement.

ThatGirl153 at 4:06PM on 06/26/07

From Serious Eats

Do You Love Iceberg Lettuce?

What's up with the "i can has blu cheeze" caption on the lettuce pic?

ThatGirl153 at 8:28AM on 06/22/07

From Serious Eats

Do You Love Iceberg Lettuce?

Certain things can only have iceberg lettuce.....BLTs and hamburgers!!
And I know this is wierd, but sometimes I crave warm iceberg lettuce....like when you get almond boneless chicken and it's served on a bed of lettuce....or on a cheeseburger with melted cheese stuck to the lettuce.

ThatGirl153 at 1:55PM on 06/21/07

From Talk

What's your favorite salad combination?

Top a bed of arugula with blueberries, sliced granny smith apples or pears, blue cheese and some chopped pecans. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top and you have a great salad combo! I have another great salad combo under my recipes section on my blog: www.shar-on-nutrition.com

SharOnNutrition at 2:28PM on 09/17/09

From Talk

What's your favorite salad combination?

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.

BananaMonkey at 2:08PM on 09/17/09

From Talk

What's your favorite salad combination?

Spinach, strawberries, red onion, almonds, raisins, cheese...yummy! This is also good with pears...and a homemade poppyseed vinagrette! Excellent!

dilizharb at 2:00PM on 09/17/09

From Talk

Best Hangover Food?

for some reason, i actually embrace my hangovers; it means that there's a ton to discuss with my girlfriends the next morning! we'll typically cruise over to a local burger joint and get their saturday special (huge greasy cheeseburger, thick-cut fries, and a large soda... i always opt for water instead of the soda). if they're not around, i'll brew some coffee, and then pick up a huge plate of pad thai, which is so big that i'll snack on it throughout the day.

cheers!!

katkatkat at 12:18PM on 08/22/09

From Talk

Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?

I used to watch a lot of FN back in the early days. I enjoyed Jack McDavid, Mario Batali, Sara Moulton. Now, I never watch FN. The turning point, for me, was when Rachel Ray became a "star" (gag).
Now if I want to learn something about cooking, I tune in PBS, and watch Jacques Pepin, Lidia, or the two ladies on America's Test Kitchen.

salpico at 12:34AM on 08/15/09

From Talk

Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?

Least: Ina Garten; from her voice to her food, personality, friends, etc. . .she drives me insane.

Most: Giada Di Laurentiis, I have a girl crush on her.

moondancerdre at 8:39PM on 08/14/09

From Talk

Question of the Day: Any former vegetarians out there? What happened? Why'd you go back to meat?

I was a vegetarian between the ages of 13 and 22. One night (about 2 months ago) I decided that I simply wanted a steak. Right there and then I went to a diner with my best friend and she watched me down a steak. It was incredible. Not only was that night amazing, but since then I have SO much more energy than I did before. For nine years I had issues with energy. It hit a climax last year when I literally could not stay awake at 2pm every day for months. That went away after I started to take insulin pills (I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes at that ime), but I was still kind of low on energy, moody, depressive...

I swear eating meat has been my savior! I feel like a new woman! I literally feel like a completely different person. I have energy now! And I'm not as moody or depressive... wow, things are different! Plus I feel more like "me"... I never saw myself as the girl who'd eat a salad at a steakhouse while her date had a rare one. I saw myself as the down-to-earth-red-meat-eating chick even when I didn't eat meat for 9 years.

I love steak! I can't ever be a vegetarian again!

chloeloveslife at 8:42PM on 08/08/09

From Talk

Best Hangover Food?

Last night I drank a bunch of beers and some shots. I was so drunk I was hitting on a lady who was twice my age, so thats about how drunk I was. Went home and fell asleep as soon as I hit the pillow, woke up fully clothed shoes and all --- I was HUNG OVER. But there's a Pho diner around the corner. I went over there and got some of that vietnamese noodle soup and ate that whole thing. Went straight home and fell right back asleep again until later on in the afternoon. When I woke up, the hangover was completely gone.

graystranger at 5:08PM on 08/01/09

From Talk

Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?

I have to agree with many comments here.I have studied culinary arts for years and these housewife cook wannabees do not know the difference between a good Veloute and a bowl of gravy.
Where does the food netwok find these people?
Sandra Lee gets so excited over her booze,you would think she was an alcoholic! Rachael Ray acts like the host of Sesame Street with her ignorant, goofy, childish sayings. Paula Dean serves so much fat in her food, it is more rich than her fake,overpronounced accent which is comparable to fingernails on a chalkboard.Giada dresses like a street walker and tries to sound italian with her fancy pronouncing og food.What happened to credible culinarians? are all we are left with are women's day readers like these four women who think they are teaching cooking? please!!!

navyservant45 at 6:54PM on 07/26/09

From Serious Eats

Pizza Hack: Broil Your Pies

I tried this and I had a few problems I'm hoping someone can correct...
1. My pan got WAY hot on the burner and turned ashen in the middle. The burner coil coating flaked off when I removed the pan to put it under the broiler. Maybe I left it on too long (25 minutes or so)?
2. The dough was really difficult to manage being so thin and flimsy. It was hard to maneuver accurately, and dealing with such extreme heat, I decided to put the pie on the upside down skillet before placing it under the broiler. It cooked while I was holding it.
3. 1 minute 35 seconds under the broiler was maybe too long as the bottom turned to coal.
4. Have to say, all this aside, that was one delicious pie. Willing to try again with a few adjustments, provided I didn't ruin my pan or my stove coil.

jtsmith01 at 8:51PM on 07/20/09

From Talk

Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?

My faves: Alton Brown, Anne Burrell, Ina Garten
Likes: Jaime O., Tyler F. Micheal Chirello (sp?)
My not so faves: Ray Ray, Sunny Anderson and the Neeleys...I started out liking Ray but her overexposure did me in...I haven't seen a thing on Sunny's show that I would make, and I can't stand her delivery, and the Neeleys...I like things they make but that lovey dovey crap really turns me off...and of course Sandra goes without saying...

sammie at 1:25PM on 07/15/09

From Talk

Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?

My favorite is Ina and my very least favorite is Giada. Can Giada's tops get any lower without this show being rated as porn? I have nothing at all against showing some cleavage, but please...this is a cooking show, and if her cooking isn't good enough to stand on its own, they should take her off the air. Actually, I tried several of her recipes and thought they we just "okay". Her books are loaded with photos of her rather than of the food, and she is way too full of herself. She should stop the annoying Italian accent when she pronounces Italian food items. She was born and raised in California for goodness sakes!

Elpidagreece at 1:09PM on 07/15/09

From Talk

Best Hangover Food?

well, i'm hungover right now and all those foods make my stomach hurt to even THINK about eating. other than miso soup... i might go get some... DEFINITELY "try" to remember taking ibuprofen and a few tums with a big glass of water before bed. my advice, lay out the meds beside your bed before you go out..

spunky711 at 8:46AM on 07/15/09

From Talk

What's your favorite salad combination?

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.

dashingirish at 11:12AM on 06/15/09

From Serious Eats

Paula Deen Is Trying To Kill Us

Its real and its here... (as disgusting as it is)

Paula's Fried Butter Balls

2 sticks butter 2 ounces cream cheese Salt and pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Peanut oil, for frying

Cream the butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper together with an electric mixer until smooth. Using a very small ice cream scoop, or melon baller, form 1-inch balls of butter mixture and arrange them on a parchment or waxed paper lined sheet pan. Freeze until solid. Coat the frozen balls in flour, egg, and then bread crumbs and freeze again until solid.
When ready to fry, preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
Fry balls for 10 to 15 seconds until just light golden. Drain on paper towels before serving.

Full recipe is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/paulas-fried-butter-balls-recipe/index.html

Whats the difference between this recipe and deep fried mozarella or deep frying whole turkeys or chickens (before baking) or even Krispy Kremes which are deep fried TWICE?? All of which I cannot stomach.

daxxter at 3:38PM on 05/20/09

From Talk

Question of the Day: On Your Burger—Ketchup or Mustard?

Unless I'm trying to be a show off, and grinding my own meat, or stuffing blue cheese in the middle of the burger patty, I am completely indiscriminate about what I'll slop on a burger- ketchup, mustard (yellow, dijon or grainy), mayo, relish, pickle, bbq chips, onion rings, pickled onions sliced thin, horseradish, all and sundry hot sauces, vegetables, what else ya got? I pay zero mind to the flavor combinations in that case for some reason and I am rarely displeased.

BananaMonkey at 12:08AM on 05/14/09

From Talk

Question of the Day: On Your Burger—Ketchup or Mustard?

This is also good for diet, as its relatively lo-cal.

1/4lb chop meat, drained of fat
1 tbsp lite bbq sauce
sauteed onion
fat free american cheese
corn tortilla

crawdkenny at 11:18PM on 05/13/09

From Talk

Question of the Day: On Your Burger—Ketchup or Mustard?

Both, with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, seasonings, and sometimes other random veggies (mushrooms, peppers, whatever). Sometimes cheese, sometimes not. Ketchup and mustard can be traded for Frank's though. Or for A1. Or for teriyaki sauce. Or even for marinara and mozzerella. NO mayo.

cycorider at 9:50AM on 05/11/09

From Talk

Question of the Day: On Your Burger—Ketchup or Mustard?

Preferred in this order...from bottom to top:

Bottom of bun - toasted
French's mustard
Burger patty
American Cheese
Onion slice - no more than 1/4" thick - raw, full slice
Pickles - sufficient to cover the onion
Tomato - 1/4 thick sufficient to cover the almost all of the patty. If 2 slices needed, thinner slice
Iceburg lettuce
Mayo
Top of bun - toasted

NEVER ketchup. That's for fries.

GianniB at 9:03AM on 05/11/09

From Talk

Question of the Day: On Your Burger—Ketchup or Mustard?

*shuffles uncomfortably*

Can I have salsa and avocado on a veggie patty instead, please? :(

feriorrenna at 10:05PM on 05/09/09

From Talk

Question of the Day: On Your Burger—Ketchup or Mustard?

Adam this is an awesome topic because until I really got involved in 'food blog' stuff I never knew people ate mayo on burgers. Even amongst my friends during the bad 'McD' years, Quarter Pounders were the rule, no mayo-laden Big Macs. I always had hamburgers as a meat eater with ketchup and perhaps a little bit of mustard. I thought there was ketchup and a bit of mustard and nakedness, nothing else.

With veggie burgers, which I eat now, the topping depends on the taste of the patty. I know now that a fondness for various toppings may be very regional and local--I guess in the NJ area where I live, ketchup is the rule.

HeartofGlass at 8:13PM on 05/09/09

From Talk