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The Ten Most Recent Comments By bygnerd

From Talk

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

Bacon, sausage, ham. The pig is, indeed, a magical animal. And I live in Iowa. It's just too easy :)

From Talk

Yellow food

egg salad!!! nothing better!

From Required Eating

Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway

I am a big fan of lefse for Easter. We're good old Norwegian Lutherans so it's a must :) Ham is a close second. Always the Easter Ham!

From Required Eating

They're Ba-ack! 'Top Chef' Gets Windy

I must have missed something. Who is Jennifer's partner?

From Talk

Does Topping Order Matter?

I've noticed that where you put the mayo-- top or bottom bread-- has an effect on how moist the sandwich seems. When it's on the top, I get more of a sense of moisture; conversely, when on the bottom slice the mayo seems to get lost in the shuffle of other ingredients. Curious.

From Talk

Do you DEEP FRY?

LivetoEat-- I'm from Iowa and I've heard the "deep-fat-fry" thing a lot. I don't think it's an exclusive term tho. Come to think of it, my mom always says that. :) lol

From Required Eating

Grant Achatz' Cancer Now in Remission

wow, that's sweet. what a lucky guy and lucky for us that he'll be able to keep on at his chosen career. Now I'll actually get to go to Alinea :)

Goods things can happen!

From Required Eating

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Bacon of the Month Club

I like my bacon however I can get it... but prefer if it's not "well-done" to shattering stage. :)

From Talk

Easy meals during kitchen renovation

Get a second crockpot and you're in business. There are loads and loads of great crockpot recipe books.

One recipe I'd recommend if you like beans is called Calico Beans. You can make this in a double or triple batch quickly and freeze portions that you can then microwave. It's saved me many times throughout grad school:

Cook 1/2 lb. bacon until crisp; remove bacon to paper toweling and pour off grease. In same pan, brown 1 lb. ground beef. Then add:

1 can kidney beans
1 can lima beans
1 can pork and beans
--all with liquids

1/2 c. ketchup
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. yellow mustard
3 T. instant onion
2-3 tsp. white vinegar
salt, pepper to taste.

Mix together and cook on stovetop (or in your crockpot) until the beans are cooked through. It can then be packaged up and you're in business.

You can adjust all of the flavorings in the sauce to your likening... making it less sweet, more tart, etc. Enjoy :)

From Talk

Seeking Gift Ideas

The ideas for "experience gifts" -- dinners, chefs tables, cooking classes-- are all great. In the smallish town I live in there's a great culinary store that has series of classes and tastings. The cheese tasting classes and wine tasting classes are really fun social events and often you could also arrange for that person to receive a gift after the class from the shop, etc. A lot of the wine classes, for example, include specialized Reidel wine glasses for the varietal being tasted that night.

As far as cooking gear or the like, it could be combined with these experiences if you know this person's cookware collection and what they *don't* have. I'd recommend buying a nice piece of cookware or a specialty pan or tool that may be expensive and overlooked up to now. I don't know too many people that are serious into their food that wouldn't love to receive a nice LeCreuset dutch oven, a super nice stainless mandolin, or a paella pan (all on my list at the moment).

Good luck! Someone's lucky to have you in their life! :)

Responses to Comments by bygnerd

From Talk

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

I was a vegetarian for a while, maybe around 8 years, one of which was spent in India, where it is supereasy and superdelicious (if you love Indian, especially South Indian, food like I do) to be a vegetarian. A few years later, I moved to Brasil where it is a lot harder to be a vegetarian, but I lived in Liberdade (Asian neighborhood) in Sao Paulo, and with all the access to cool mushrooms, noodles, seaweeds, etc., I was pretty happy.

I remember reading that book "Eat Right for your Type" which theorizes that people with type A blook do better with a predominantly veg. diet and people with type O blood do better with a carnivorous diet, and perhaps there's some truth to that.

Later, I was taken to a Brazilian rodizio (meat until you can't no more) place here in NYC and all that beef was delish, although my stomach rebelled.

Since then, I still don't eat much meat - small portions and lots of vegetables. Eating meat in huge amounts seems to only perpetuate the dominant model of a few lucky people getting the lion's share of the world's resources, and the factory farming of animals to be eaten still continues to be inhumane and motivated solely by profits. Mad cow disease is still much more of a problem than the major media and the government will cop to. I'm careful where I get my meats from, and still ya never know.

From Talk

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

"I was a vegetarian from age 6 when I was a stubborn brat and declared myself a vegetarian to avoid having to eat a hamburger one meal."

Wow, Megannesta, your story is just like mine. Only I was 13, and the meal was the ubiquitous Sunday roast beef dinner. And like you, I'm making up for lost time. I had a cheeseburger for breakfast today.

The meal that flipped me (at age 19) was a hotdog at a fireman's picnic. Didn't get sick.

From Talk

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

I becamse a vegetarian for a while in high school, but it was really only to annoy my grandmother, who I was living with at the time. She only had 4 stock dinners that she rotated over and over every week: meatloaf, green beans, mashed potatoes; roast beef, salad, baked potatoes; broiled salmon, broccoli, roasted potatoes; and spaghetti. She liked her meat and potatoes. There's only so long one person can deal with that if they're more adventurous. So I went veg.

These days I still only really eat meat twice a week. I feel like the US has a serious meat overindulgance problem.

From Talk

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

In-n-out

Damn you double-double with onions and extra sauce...the saucy korean bbq had no sway over me but you, with your two patties, hand torn lettuce, melting cheese, onions, and that sauce....

From Talk

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

Being a poor student! I was happily veg for 4 years of high school, first 2 years of college while I lived in the dorms. Then I got an apartment. I have no problem cooking a totally vegetarian diet for myself in my home - I never buy meat ingredients at the store. And I still very rarely pay for meat when eating out, unless I'm really sick of just ordering the freaking veggie burger. But the number of free food events at my university and my poor student budget make passing up free meaty meals seem wasteful. I call myself a freegan now (vegetarian unless it's free). I've heard others use the term too.

From Talk

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

I was a vegetarian for 8 years. When I got a heart infection, my nurse told me I should eat cow's heart. Since I told her that was never going to happen, I decided to give normal cuts of meat a try. I went to a restaurant and I ordered a pulled pork sandwich. My husband thought I was daring and ordered the conservative chicken, thinking that if I didn't like the pork he could switch with me. My first bite was amazing, I was in shock. Although it may have been the fact that the meds I was on made me have a huge appetite, having meat for the first time in so long was fabulous. My husband thought I was being sarcastic and offered to switch. I told him he was crazy!

From Talk

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

i was a vegetarian from the age of 18 to 22. what did me in was a plate of prime rib at a hotel in kansas city. it just looked so good, i was starving, and the alternative was a crappy looking industrial iceberg lettuce salad and an anemic little roll. i had always been a meat lover, had embraced vegetarianism in college during the 70's after reading frankie lappe“, and always struggled against my carnivorous inclinations.

interestingly, years and years later, i find myself not especially wanting to eat meat at all these days. i haven't consumed animal flesh, except for the occasional tuna sandwich, in months. although generally i am a very healthy eater, and in addition to the fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains i eat daily, i eat plenty of nuts, seeds, yogurt, eggs, and cheese, i am bemused to report that my ability as an athlete seems to have suffered as a result. i don't recover as quickly after my workouts, i can't run as far or as fast, and i can't lift as heavy weights or complete as many sets as i was doing as a meat eater.

a few years ago i was in a relationship with someone who insisted on having meat at every meal, and when i left, it was such a relief to not have to cook and eat it all the time. i'm much thinner and happier basing my diet on salads and veggies, although i am somewhat concerned about my workouts deteriorating. we'll have to see. i don't call myself a vegetarian right now, because i don't want to label myself or call attention to my private eating habits {i live alone, so there's no one to please but myself}.

From Talk

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

I grew up in a strict vegetarian household. Eggs and dairy products, but that was it. Veggies, brown rice, I didn't even taste candy until I was 8 years old. So, I get my first job, at McDonalds. They give you a meal. I had a Big Mac, large fries, cherry pie. That first bite? Into the Big Mac? Heaven. Half an hour later I was over the toilet, heaving. Back to work two days later. What did I eat? A Big Mac. I hid my meat eating. Like most kids do with the occasional joint or beer (which I was allowed, btw). I got permission to eat it at 19. I go back and forth now. I can go months at a time without meat and feel no loss whatsoever. But then I need a steak, or bacon, and it's awn.

From Talk

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

I was a vegetarian from age 6 when I was a stubborn brat and declared myself a vegetarian to avoid having to eat a hamburger one meal. Flash forward to being 18, at my boyfriend's house, and the smell of flank steak on the grill. I pointed out how good it smelled, and he asked, "why won't you eat it again?" and I realized I really didn't have a reason. I just didn't even see it as an option since I had completely forgotten what it tasted like. It wasn't for animal rights reasons, or health, it was just habit at that point. I had a taste, and now I am a fiend. RARE steak. I think i'm making up for lost time, although that was 8 years ago and I'm still just as into meat, hah!

BTW -- after 15 years as a vegetarian I broke my vegetarianism with two plates of rare meat. Felt great. I don't know why they say everyone gets so sick to their stomach.

From Talk

Yellow food

@ PerkyMac...I made your Baked Corn for a party last weekend and I was SOO SOO good. I sent the recipe home with about 10 people. THANKS!