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chiff0nade's Profile

Website: http://www.chiffonadecooks.com

Location: Florida

About: Cooking and fitness are my passions, along with family and friends. I take every opportunity to pimp cooking real food because boxed, canned and bagged stuff will do a body no good at all. If you love your family, see to it they eat good food.

Favorite foods: All of 'em. (Except rabbit...I had one as a pet for four years. He had the run of the house. If I were to eat rabbit, it would be the equivalent of anyone else eating Fido.)

Last bite on earth: Cake.

The Ten Most Recent Posts By chiff0nade

From Talk

Cutting Boards...

Posted by chiff0nade, May 13, 2008 at 4:24 PM

I'm strictly a wooden cutting board type of girl. I clean them thoroughly after each use (no matter what's chopped, sliced or diced on them). Lately I've come to love the bamboo boards as well. Just can't warm up to poly.

Do SEers have a preference?

The NYT published an article many years ago that had me just about dancing in the streets. Wood v. Plastic Cutting Boards

I'm curious to know - any preference?
Reason for preference?
Feel of the knife on the board?
Sanitary issues?

7 Comments

From Talk

Mother's Day and the Restaurant Experience...

Posted by chiff0nade, May 9, 2008 at 1:15 PM

Does anyone here make a conscious effort not to eat out on Mother's Day? When my brother and I were kids, we used to take my mom out but quit doing it. The last MD dinner we had out really convinced us to find another way to entertain mom.

1) Reservation meant nothing - We waited anyway along with a throng of other patrons.
2) Limited Menu - That "favorite dish" to which we were looking forward wasn't even offered that day.
3) Quality falters - I remember being served FROZEN cheesecake.
4) You get rushed out - It's all about turnover.

One year my mother didn't feel well so bro and I prepared dinner for her. Even feeling ill, she had a better time that MD than at any prior MD "restaurant" dinner. That was in the early 80's and we never again went to a restaurant on MD.

Now that I'm a mother, I demand the same - Spoil me - YES! But no restaurants, please. Thoughts?

28 Comments

From Talk

El Meson De Pepe's - Key West...

Posted by chiff0nade, April 29, 2008 at 4:48 PM

BF and I are enjoying some R&R in Key West. Loving the crazy chickens that have the run of the place and will do some touristy things over the next 10 days or so.

With the dazzling array of restaurants in Key West, we certainly weren't hurting for choices. A bit of serendipity brought us to El Meson De Pepe. For an appetizer, we enjoyed Calamares a la Criolla with the absolute best creole sauce I have ever put in my mouth.

I had Pan con Lechon - Pressed pork sandwich. The pork was marinated in mojo and we asked the waitress for extra mojo. She brought us not only the mojo but a wonderful hot sauce that tasted like "home-made" tabasco - kicked into high gear. BF had the Pan con Bistek (steak) and we both had a side of the plantains.

You can hardly judge a restaurant on three dishes but I'd recommend this cavernous, historic restaurant for its delicious food, excellent atmosphere and local Key West flavor (a chicken walked right past our table!). Patrons at the next table had dessert (which looked divine) but we're pacing ourselves... :D

11 Comments

From Talk

Whole Foods Customer Service...

Posted by chiff0nade, April 21, 2008 at 1:55 PM

...Boggles the mind. We went to Wild Oats (which was purchased by Whole Foods but the store front has not yet been changed). The sausage we got was...less than perfect.

I sent them this e-mail at about 9:00 a.m. today:

Whenever we get to the Tampa WF (still Wild Oats) we grab a selection of the sausage. This is the first time I need to tell you that it was not satisfactory. We purchased two kinds of chicken sausage - Apple and one with Mexican flavors on Friday, 4.18. The meat was ground way too fine and did not include enough dark meat or fat. When grilled, these sausages turned into hard logs. Worse, when we tried to grill off the remaining sausage only two days after purchase (Sunday, 4.20), they were definitely off. We wound up discarding about 6 links of sausage.

We absolutely love Wild Oats/Whole Foods but I wanted to let you know about this.

At 9:25 a.m., my cell rang. It was the Team leader and he fell on his sword so hard, I thought his pancreas would come through the phone. Long story short, next time I go in, I am to request three or four pounds of the sausage of my choice on the house.

They didn't have to work that hard but it was nice they did!

5 Comments | Tagged: customer service, Whole Foods

From Talk

Passover NYT Article...

Posted by chiff0nade, April 20, 2008 at 5:32 PM

I'm not Jewish but I found this article profoundly moving. The ingenuity necessary to survive the experience notwithstanding, some even found ways to make matzo and keep the Passover holiday. I wish the article had been longer.

5 Comments | Tagged: articles, holidays, Jewish, New York Times, Passover

From Talk

Love the new categories!

Posted by chiff0nade, April 16, 2008 at 1:19 PM

...Not that I don't check everything when I come to SE. :D It's nice to know where to "file" things that might be broadly categorized. Looking forward to e-mail alerts of comment additions.

Did I mention this site rules? Well permit me to do so now.

1 Comment

From Talk

Pizza Hut and their pasta...

Posted by chiff0nade, March 15, 2008 at 9:16 PM

Some might not even think this worth mentioning but it drives me absolutely nuts. Pizza Hut is advertising something called Tuscani Pasta with (breathe...) "Meaty Marinara." This is impossible because there is no such thing! It's the equivalent of saying "meaty hot fudge sundae." Marinara, or in the style of the mariner, was taken on ships because it would not spoil as quickly as sauce containing meat. That's where it gets its name. I could scream every time I hear that commercial! Thanks for letting me vent...LOL.

14 Comments

From Talk

NYT Great James Beard Article...With Recipes!

Posted by chiff0nade, March 15, 2008 at 8:56 AM

Required reading for any serious foodie NYT Magazine article on James Beard with recipes! (Hope this link works...)

4 Comments

From Talk

Last Bite?

Posted by chiff0nade, February 18, 2008 at 12:23 PM

When I'm eating meals, I find that about halfway through I decide what will be the last thing I eat. What morsel will be the final thing to pass my lips - the item on the plate that will be responsible for leaving the lasting impression.

e.g. During today's leftover homemade chix pot pie with leftover kale, I ate all around the crust of the pot pie until the crust was the only thing left in the plate. I savored it at the end of my lunch.

Do you do this? If so, what are some "save the best for last" items you find yourself reserving until the very last bite?

24 Comments

From Talk

Most Romantic Valentine's Dinner?

Posted by chiff0nade, February 6, 2008 at 3:52 PM

If I had to elect one Valentine's Dinner as Most Fab - it would be the year I prepared beautiful Filets Mignon with port sauce and mushrooms, potato gratin for the side. Also a raspberry marzipan cake for dessert. Naturally, champagne was served.

Memorable Love-Day Feasts? Either prepared or served at restaurants. Dessert-Only courses may certainly apply ;)

4 Comments | Tagged: dinner, Valentine's Day

The Ten Most Recent Comments By chiff0nade

From Talk

Lebanese couscous

Is Lebanese couscous different than Israeli couscous? They sound similar. (Large grains...)

chiff0nade at 4:20PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Breadmaker

I don't have a breadmaker but I think it's a great tool to mix and raise bread dough. I don't care for the weird shaped loaf, so I'd remove the dough and hand shape for the last rise, then bake in a conventional oven.

You can find breadmaker recipes everywhere so you're not chained to that one recipe. You can start here.

chiff0nade at 4:19PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Old cookbooks

A yeast cake is fresh yeast. It's widely used by professional bread bakeries and is very perishable. You can probably find it at a health food place or somewhere like Whole Foods.

chiff0nade at 4:16PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Simple Strawberry Cake.

If you have The Joy Of Cooking try the Peach Cake Cockaigne and sub Strawbs. I think that recipe would work with strawbs and the cake itself is very tasty.

chiff0nade at 8:30AM on 05/13/08

From Talk

organic/natural butter replacement?

If you like, you can exchange applesauce for butter in some recipes at a 1:1 ratio. You might try using 50% real butter and 50% applesauce in cakes where the butter flavor is necessary (i.e. yellow cake). I would not attempt this with say, pound cake because butter is the focal point.

I have made banana bread using 50% applesauce and 50% butter and it comes really moist. Give that a try.

You can also use prune butter (prunes mixed with very hot water and processed in a fp to make a paste) to replace butter in chocolate cake recipes - same 1:1 ratio.

chiff0nade at 8:40PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

sugar cream pie

@Madame Tart...Way off topic here but Bob Evans' Pot Roast Hash is one of my favorite breakfast dishes ever.

chiff0nade at 5:30PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Fuzzy Onions?!?!?!?!

That's the frustrating thing - sometimes those onions are rock hard if the rotted part is toward the inside.

chiff0nade at 3:38PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

sugar cream pie

Where were you when you had it? What restaurant? City?

I googled "sugar cream pie recipe" and came up with a whole page of links. Some referenced a Hoosier concoction, some an Amish version.

Can you describe the taste? Mouthfeel? Could you identify any ingredients? (I know two of them are sugar and cream...LOL.)

chiff0nade at 3:36PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

Fuzzy Onions?!?!?!?!

When I cut into one of those losers, I generally discard it. If the "fuzzy" layer is toward the outside, I'll peel it away and examine the rest of the onion. I really hate it when that happens because there is almost NO indication on the outside that the onions have age on them.

chiff0nade at 2:18PM on 05/12/08

From Talk

What are you known for?

This thread could be called "The Ultimate Pot Luck!" :D

chiff0nade at 9:20AM on 05/12/08

Responses to Comments by chiff0nade

From Talk

Old cookbooks

I love old cookbooks, and yes, sometimes I run across something that baffles me just a bit. But that's half of the fun.

dbcurrie at 9:49PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Breadmaker

I hate yeast and it hates me. However, I love my bread machine. I make clone of a cinnabon from allrecipes.com all the time. In fact, I did it last night. I stand over mine with a spatula and help the mixing part along a little...looks too crumbly? A little splash of water or milk. Too wet? A sprinkle of flour. I never bake bread in it, I always use the dough cycle and then dump it out, shape, rise and bake.

Just monkey with it. If nothing else, feed the birds and make ALOT of french toast!

ChelleyD01 at 8:54PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Wedding Eats

Although this memorable story isn't all about food, I feel like I just HAVE to share:

Last summer I attended the wedding of my little sister's high school friend, who had just graduated college and was marrying the "man of her dreams."
*To start things out, the rehearsal dinner was held at the local BOWLING ALLEY and hot dogs were the day's special.
*The groom spent the ENTIRE time during the ceremony "stretching it out." He was literally up there cracking his neck, shaking out his arms and looking like he was preparing for a 100 yd dash.
*We got to the reception, and it was pretty normal, aside from the absence of anything edible and nothing to drink if you're not a keg-stand fan.
*The bride went to cut her cake and, alas, her husband was nowhere to be found. That is, until an announcement over the PA system called attention to the fact he was out behind a decorative bush "relieving" himself.
*Finally, it was time for this wedding from hell to end----the bride and groom left the reception, were about to jump in the Extended 4x4 Truck limo when all of a sudden the groom ran back inside. He reappeared moments later ROLLING THE KEG behind him and stuffed it in his wife's lap before he jumped in the limo.
I still shake my head and can't believe it happened.

nichole at 7:59PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Breadmaker

The problem is probably not the amount of water, but the way you're measuring the flour. A cup of flour can range anywhere from 3.5 to 5.5 oz. depending on who is measuring, what method they're employing, and what cups they're using.

Many cookbooks will give a weight measurement for things like flour, along with the cup measurement -- or they will tell you about what a cup should weigh for their tested recipes.

If you don't know what weight the flour is supposed to be, per cup, for a particular recipe, or if you don't have a scale to check they weight, you're probably going to have to do a bit of experimenting before you get the recipe they way you want it to be.

dbcurrie at 7:57PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Wedding Eats

i have never been married, and all these stories make me laugh and also scare me to pieces... at a large party like a wedding it's so difficult to please everyone, although I am sure that attention to detail and good taste should always rule.

When I do get married, it'll be a lacto-vegetarian wedding. And I want the appetizers, food and cake to be so spectacularly delicious that those who are not vegetarian will have to TALK about how good the food is.

Those are the plans... hope they get realized soon!!!!

MadelynRodriguez at 7:35PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Wedding Eats

oh boy. just starting to plan a wedding for next summer. we are going to check out our first venue next week. we have heard amazing things about the place and the food, but i am dreading it being a disaster. i know how judgmental people can be about weddings... all the personal expectations... all the gossip. yikes!

lexophile at 7:09PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

What are you known for?

1. Pastas - any kind, macaroni and cheese, lasagnas, baked ziti, you name it.
2. Carob chip, toffee and cherry cookies
3. Carrot Cupcakes
4. Party dips - Sweet Bell pepper with cream cheese and my Veggie dip
5. Hummus - very lemony and garlicky

Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking

MadelynRodriguez at 6:58PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Breadmaker

I use my baker in the same manner as chiffO. It does the hard work (I used to call it therapy...) and then I "handle" through the final stages in a regular loaf pan. One thing you might confirm is the order you add ingredients. My machine requires all of the liquids to start on the bottom and then work up into the dry during the kneeding cycles. One thing I do is open the machine early in the first knead and poke my finger into the dough to get a feel for the moisture content. If it needs more, I add it on the spot, a spoonful at a time. You should ome to love your new tool. It does take some personalizing so start approaching this as an artistic hobby instead of a scientific formula.

czken at 5:45PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Subscribe to threads?

Great suggestion! :)

Hillary
Chew on That

Chew on That at 5:21PM on 05/13/08

From Talk

Mother's Day and the Restaurant Experience...

Yea, you make a good point. We wound up going out to eat this year and the service wasn't the best. Not only that but the person who liked her food the least was mom, so that was sad. Maybe next year I'll try and cook....She can't hold me to a high standard. :)

Hillary
Chew on That

Chew on That at 5:14PM on 05/13/08