Meat loaf? SOS? Meatballs? Pot stickers? Ravioli? Sloppy Joes? Fresh ground sausage patties and eggs on toast? Loose meat sammies? I grind my own meat btw...that sounds a lil' naughty but you know what I mean. I save buck$ by grinding my own pork, beef, chicken etc. At heart, I'm a cheapskate...but I'm full ON gourmet when it comes to cooking. I'd love some recipes from you hard-core foodies regarding ground meat.
I bought a new coffee maker recently...it's a 12 cup mama-jama and I LOVE it BUT the darned thing spews my fine grounds of fresh java beans willy nilly. I finally had a *light-bulb* moment and found one of those cheap, plastic strainers and sawed off the handle and use it as a 'topper' on my grounds. It works like a dream now and no coffee spewage. :)
On the latest "top Chef" fiasco the 'head dude' actually referred to lobster as "high cholesterol..."! I about wanted to throw my shoe at the TV! Lobster is almost virtually FAT-FREE~! It's what you SLATHER on it or DIP it in that makes it FATTY. DUH! Shrimp too...shrimp is pretty much sans fat. I hope ya'll don't mind me ranting here about it...for some reason I just find it ludicrous that a supposed 'chef' had the audacity to call Lobster high in cholesterol.
-Mine would have to be a potatocado (basically, a potato genetically grafted with an avocado). My fruity fantasy would be to genetically engineer some kind of melon and citrus so that you got the ‘bing, bang, zam’ of the citrus coupled with the mellow, easily digestible texture of the watery, melon.
I'm VERY picky when it comes to dining out. I oft have to have something 'on the side' and I always bring my own kosher salt. My worst dining experience is when I went to 'Red Robin' for a chicken burger and the chicken was RAW! UGh! My best dining experience is when I order a steak medium rare and it's *gasp* done PERFECTLY medium. :)
No matter what nearby grocery store I shop at I’m always a little disappointed/deflated because of the non-existence of really good, gourmet items available. I end up buying a LOT of stuff online to make up for the lack of ingredients I just can’t get at my local grocers. If you could build your own grocery store how would you make it? I would stock mine with hard-to-find goodies and plentiful fresh meat, fish, poultry etc.
Do any of you suffer from 'empty-shelf' syndrome?
The food that makes my mouth involuntarily water just upon viewing its visage would have to be Pizza. There is something about viewing that bubbling cheese and golden crust that brings me to ecstasy… yeah…*embarrassed blush*
My grandparents inspired me a LOT and probably gave me the impetus to further my culinary inquisitiveness but I have to say...the 'hallmark' of my cooking happened when my mother insisted that my sister and I choose to do either laundry or all the cooking and I chose the cooking (my baby sis had no chance in hell choosing cooking). I learned a LOT by trial and error in those days. :)
Potatoes get a 'bad rap' as being junk food (depending on how they're cooked for the most part) but [really] they are actually high in vitamin C and Potassium (heart healthy) if you cook 'em right and don't deep fry or slather with too much fatty stuffies. My favorite is low-fat twice baked (tastes as good as the real deal without pools of grease and sans coronary). :)
What part of ‘plating’ food appeals to you most? Is it the sight (ahh, the glory of that gorgeous plate of steaming food delivered to your eagerly awaiting table)…the smell [aromas can be so very intoxicating] or the ultimate taste [in the end it’s what you put in your mouth and taste right]? Have you ever almost gagged over seeing something on your plate but then braved a taste and loved it despite it being so fugly? Have you tried a bite of something that looked gorgeous but tasted like…?
Eh...once in a while I cook some chicken for my babies (I have 3 spoilt rotten boy cats).
My baby (youngest) is my favorite (I know, I know...Mommy's aren't supposed to have favorites...guilty as charged). My youngest loves to sleep on my back when I'm trying to sleep or he'll cuddle into my lap...sometimes I truly think that *he* thinks he OWNS *ME*. :)))
I mostly feed my babies 'Wellness' brand cat food because it's human grade food and after the whole pet food recall scare I FREAKED and I was so glad I had them on the Wellness stuff. I won't regale you of my youngest boy's traumas from eating dry food before I switched him to wet food...ugh!
Anyhoo, I think it's okay to once-in-a-while give a pet some human food treats but I wouldn't recommend it on the daily. I tried to get my youngest baby on a raw food diet and he shook his paw at it and refused to eat. -So, basically I'm stuck giving my babies the best commercial food I can find them.
BTW, my daughter is allergic to pet dander but I keep her room 'clean' and never let my cats in her room and she does fine...a pet will love you unconditionally, give you big, happy 'boo-boo' eyes that will melt your heart and they'll be your friend through thick-n-thin. :D
These sound soooooooo good! This idea for a recipe reminds me of a crab/lobster/shrimp type of cake only substituting zucchini. YUM! I'd pair the zucchini cakes up with a bit of cool, creamy cucumber sauce on the side. Argh! My tummy is rumbling. I need lunch stat! :))
Paul, I'm not much of a hard-booze, fancy, shmancy drink type of drinker but that looks sooooo good and refreshing too! YUM! *drool*
I grow my own fresh mint and you've tempted me...oh the devil!
JerzeeTomato, you are a food 'stocker-upper' after my own heart! I have a side-by-side fridge indoors as well as in my garage. I have a fully stocked pantry too! Costco is my wet-dream when I can get my hubby to drive me there [he HATES how much money I end up spending there ha-ha]! I think if we ever have a major disaster where either of us lives we'll be good to go...we'll just have to fight off our desperate, UNstocked up neighbors. ;)))
I've been spoiled lately with Albertson's and Safeway delivering my groceries but I try to just stick with canned good, bread etc. when ordering online groceries because trusting someone to pick my pork chops or head of cabbage is a little 'iffy'.
As to the topic... I think planning ahead a bit is a security/comfort thing for me...I like knowing precisely what I'm going to make for meals rather than last-minute quick thinking. I guess that makes me a bit of a slow, sluggish turtle but oh well... :))
Baking cakes [from scratch] are my weak spot...I wish I could make better cakes but mine always seem way too dry and the texture...ugh (and yes, I even use cake flour rather than all purpose). If anyone has some nifty tips for baking cakes please share? -And, I hope I'm not hijacking this subject...I know cake frosting/fondant is the subject but I figured I'd sneak a wee request in regarding cake rather than creating a whole new thread. :)
Dee, I've never had PB and bacon together but I'll have to give it a shot. I think there are some Hors D'Oeuvre recipes which include said ingredients. If you've ever watched "Auntie Mame" [the older one], not the one with Lucille Ball in it...I had to laugh at the Snobby folks whom put tuna and peanut butter together...I mean...YUCK! But, I could brave bacon and PB...I really want to try some sliced apples, sharp cheddar and PB on a cracker or sandwich bread.
I have one of those magnetic, dry-erase write boards I keep on my fridge (it also has a cork board bottom for tacking on coupons and notes etc.) I usually do try to plan meals because I need to remind myself to thaw out meat, use up veges (I always feel utterly guilty if I let veges go bad in the vege bin). I must admit I only usually plan 3-4 meals and then play it by ear the other days...especially in the Summer when I can get my hubby to barbecue. :D
BaHa,
I'm not sure if this counts [but, I'll give it my best shot].
-Something I figured out on my own [trial and error and whatnot] was to rise/raise[?] my bread in a covered 8-quart pan and put my pan in a sink full of warm water to help encourage my dough to rise a wee bit faster. Simply plopping dough in a bowl with a wet towel never did the trick for me. Perhaps many folks have success with the towel-covered-bowl method but that just never worked for me [hence, the reason I eventually improvised).:)
RE: Karen Resta
Your whole post had me rolling and giggling. I'm sooooooo glad I'm not the only one with a tincture of 'potty' mouth. :))
"Dick Headfoodie" brought tears to my eyes...OMgosh I'm still laughing so hard...
Uhm...honestly? I can't think up anything...oh wait...Funkie? [food junkie]? Eh...I give up. :))
Adam, I'm so guilty of using many of the aforementioned words you brought up...I feel like such a goofball but I honestly find a bit of hilarity in using words like 'foodie' or 'sammich'...to me anyway, there is something funny and humbling to use such nutty terms. Of course, my genius gran-gran [yeah I wrote gran-gran] was an English Major and schoolteacher and probably would be mortified to know I use such sloppy slang online. :))
I really don't find any harm in using a bit of 'current' slang but I'd never use it on anything I'm very serious about... -But, what can I say...sometimes I like to slip off my sneakers and take a break, smile and write something absolutely silly. ;))))))
Add my "NO" to the George Foreman grill. It's okay for some hotdogs, but definitely no good for steaks. I don't even want to tell you about the grey, steamed NY sirloin that was ruined by the GF grill...it's just too painful.
Anywho, my experiences with the indoor, stove top, grill pans, like you see used on the FN, produce copious amounts of smoke. Good grill marks, good color and flavor, but lots of smoke. The advice above to finish cooking in the oven is smart, but handling a hot grill pan doesn't sound like fun. So if you have a poor vent/hood, I would skip it and go to the park with a little Smokey Joe or mini-Weber.
I'll use my George Foreman for fajita chicken, but that's basically it. I wouldn't put red meat on it, definitely not hot enough and you miss that smoky flavor and charring! I'm in a similar situation, and have been grilled food-free so far this summer :( except for occasional visits to the parents'. Maybe I'll have to invest in one of those grill pans, except I have a stupid electric stove, will it work okay?
Go to a park where grills are available to all.
So, essentially, if you're into the *flavor* of grilling, e.g., kiawe, mesquite, charcoal, versus form, you're SOL w/o an outdoor grill or hibachi. :(
love love the Delonghi indoor healthy grill... I bought the one with the glass cover though, to retain moisture (avoid the smoke alarm) and cook faster. I did a lot of research first... glad i bought it. Paid $79 Amazon or Macys.
I enjoy Food Network! I AM SO GLAD THAT THEY FINALLY PUT AFRICAN AMERICANS ON THERE TO SHARE SOME RECIPES THAT I CAN RELATE TO. I am not interested in panini or vinaigrette....give me soul food & my family is happy!! I am glad that they are more diverse now & I will watch them even more now, since I will be getting recipes that my whole family are used to & will be able to enjoy! THANX FOOD NETWORK...KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!
Also, dont be so hard on Rachel Ray....she is not a chef & it just shows how food network is not so fast to judge others, they accepted her & the audience saw themselves in her & that is how she has became so famous. She IS goofy, but that just reminds me that she is human! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK RACHEL!! JUST (PLEASE) get rid of the goofy laugh....she laughs at LEAST 4 times a show & it is beginning to DRIVE US CRAZY!! lol
My boyfriend drives me INSANE when he eats! He holds his silverware like a freakin shovel! I'm dying to say something to him about it, but don't want to his feelings. It's actually embarrising whe we go out to a nice resturant, all dressed up and here comes the shoveling...agggghhhh
I really hate it when I've spent hours preparing a meal and my husband and other family members eat it so quickly that you have to wonder.....did they really even taste it?
I also hate it when people mix their food. Ok.....when I was a child I mixed my food, but it really is annoying when you have spent a lot of time preparing a meal with great flavor and someone mixes each bite! My suggestion.....make things easier for them and just put it in a blender before serving :)
Reading about all these delis is making me hungry. But for me delis are about something more than food: they're about nostalgia. Normally, I find all nostalgia corrosive and to be avoided, but nostalia for the deli is irresistable and not all that bad for you--like a pastrami sandwich once every other month: it won't kill you. So, to indulge... Ed's recent musings about delis past reminded me of the Strathmore Deli on Northern Blvd (I think) in Manhasset on Long Island. My parents liked it because they knew the owner who had worked (or partly owned?) the Turnpike Deli in Forrest Hills (which was a GREAT deli). The owner (I wish I could remember his name) was married to the woman who worked the cash register. There were numbers on her arms. "From the camps," my parents informed me quietly. At the time, it didn't seem out-of-the-ordinary for me to meet a Holocaust survivor. This was the Sixties and WWII was more recent history for my teenage self than the War in Vietnam is for today's young people. ...These are odd images to indulge when discussing delis, but my memories do point to the uniquely Jewish (and perhaps vanishing) sense of community one felt in a local deli when I was growing up. Everything felt famliar and family-like...in the good and bad sense of those phrases. I loved the food, of course, but the experience of going to the deli, was about much more than food. But honestly, I could go on for hours (or paragraphs)...so intense are the memories evoked by Ed's piece.
As all the old, modest buildings are replaced with shining towers and the people who have been here for generations and who defined this place are priced out of their neighborhoods, pretty soon there will be nothing left of the NY we know.
Those "modest" buildings replace other buildings and the people who have been here for generations replaced other people who had been there for generations.
People who lament for economic hardship and crime to preserve some silly ideal, that very likely never existed, are just as bad, if not worse, than the "white elites" who "prey" on the culture. You'd rather people suffer so you can enjoy some kitsch culture.
Subscribe to our feeds:
All of Serious Eats, Talk, Required Eating, Videos, Eating Out, Recipes, New York
Subscribe by email:
Website:
Location:
About:
Favorite foods:
Last bite on earth: