Recent Comments

From Talk

The Naughty Chef

Yeeeaah...I have to say, I caught one and I am not a fan. Having caught the ads during The Notebook the same as an above poster, I was curious. While I was not thrilled, I might have reserved further judgment, EXCEPT, there was a tease during the show re: a food review that was foreshadowed as if it would be resolved after the next ad, but then was carried over to the next episode. While I get the reasoning behind teasers, it just bugged me enough to change my mind. Anyone else feel this way??

From Talk

Happy Fathers' Day to all Dads! What's on the menu?

I made breakfast for the hubster with my little girl. Then dinner by myself in the afternoon (she was sick and in bed by that time).

Breakfast was vanilla cafe' au lait, bacon, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs (my girl's specialty), sliced tomatoes, accompanied by butter, jam and bowls of juicy nectarines and cherries.

Dinner was a garden salad and vinaigrette, meatballs in a mushroom and onion gravy spiked with a spoonful of creme fraiche, herbed mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and slices of toasted pound cake with fresh cherries and sweetened vanilla creme fraiche.

Can you tell I was inspired by demands for a manly meal on one hand and by Kerry Saretsky's post last week on the other? Making creme fraiche was too easy by the way. And so good sweetened with a bit of sugar and vanilla then over the cherries and cake. Definitely will do that again. Now it will be on that list of stuff my friends think I am crazy to make myself, except none of them even know what creme fraiche is!!!

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

I left out the funny questions/looks over the different kinds of sugar and salt.

I had a friend who called me a few weeks ago asking if I had any shake and bake she could borrow. I told her no but that I had flour, dried herbs and seasonings. She turned up her nose, politely, but still. In retrospect, it was just too complicated for her. Then I needed flour one night (how did I run completely out of AP flour???) and I called her. And she told me she didn't keep flour in the house. I was gobsmacked. She did not run out like me. She just doesn't keep it in the house. Unless she has a special item and she will get rid of it after. I guess I know which crazy camp we both belong in now. But I still like her!

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@dbcurrie~I hadn't thought of it that way before. I, too have ingredients on hand that my friends (who all love the results, how ironic is that?) look at and ask things like, "HOW many kinds of flour do you NEED?" or "You make buttermilk at home?" So I guess from that perspective, there is a very good reason for the light in their eyes that tells me they think I am certifiable for not only baking bread/making vinaigrette/culturing buttermilk (haven't attempted yogurt yet, but really want to), but that I am so excited about how easy and delicious (to me) the results that I want to share with all these sad little unenlightened people (tongue firmly in cheek).

It's so funny. Hi my name is coffeefrappe and I am glad to know I am on the foodie end of crazy! ;-)

See more comments by coffeefrappe »

Recent Posts

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

From Talk

Wanted: Your ideas for a potluck church picnic this Sunday

From Talk

Your info or opinions re: an education at The Art Institutes

From Talk

Bad meal...What would(or do) you do?

See more posts by coffeefrappe »

Recent Favorites

coffeefrappe hasn't favorited a post yet.

Recent Polls

coffeefrappe hasn't answered any polls yet.

Recent Quizzes

coffeefrappe hasn't taken any quizzes yet.

Recent Comments

From Talk

The Naughty Chef

Yeeeaah...I have to say, I caught one and I am not a fan. Having caught the ads during The Notebook the same as an above poster, I was curious. While I was not thrilled, I might have reserved further judgment, EXCEPT, there was a tease during the show re: a food review that was foreshadowed as if it would be resolved after the next ad, but then was carried over to the next episode. While I get the reasoning behind teasers, it just bugged me enough to change my mind. Anyone else feel this way??

From Talk

Happy Fathers' Day to all Dads! What's on the menu?

I made breakfast for the hubster with my little girl. Then dinner by myself in the afternoon (she was sick and in bed by that time).

Breakfast was vanilla cafe' au lait, bacon, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs (my girl's specialty), sliced tomatoes, accompanied by butter, jam and bowls of juicy nectarines and cherries.

Dinner was a garden salad and vinaigrette, meatballs in a mushroom and onion gravy spiked with a spoonful of creme fraiche, herbed mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and slices of toasted pound cake with fresh cherries and sweetened vanilla creme fraiche.

Can you tell I was inspired by demands for a manly meal on one hand and by Kerry Saretsky's post last week on the other? Making creme fraiche was too easy by the way. And so good sweetened with a bit of sugar and vanilla then over the cherries and cake. Definitely will do that again. Now it will be on that list of stuff my friends think I am crazy to make myself, except none of them even know what creme fraiche is!!!

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

I left out the funny questions/looks over the different kinds of sugar and salt.

I had a friend who called me a few weeks ago asking if I had any shake and bake she could borrow. I told her no but that I had flour, dried herbs and seasonings. She turned up her nose, politely, but still. In retrospect, it was just too complicated for her. Then I needed flour one night (how did I run completely out of AP flour???) and I called her. And she told me she didn't keep flour in the house. I was gobsmacked. She did not run out like me. She just doesn't keep it in the house. Unless she has a special item and she will get rid of it after. I guess I know which crazy camp we both belong in now. But I still like her!

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@dbcurrie~I hadn't thought of it that way before. I, too have ingredients on hand that my friends (who all love the results, how ironic is that?) look at and ask things like, "HOW many kinds of flour do you NEED?" or "You make buttermilk at home?" So I guess from that perspective, there is a very good reason for the light in their eyes that tells me they think I am certifiable for not only baking bread/making vinaigrette/culturing buttermilk (haven't attempted yogurt yet, but really want to), but that I am so excited about how easy and delicious (to me) the results that I want to share with all these sad little unenlightened people (tongue firmly in cheek).

It's so funny. Hi my name is coffeefrappe and I am glad to know I am on the foodie end of crazy! ;-)

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@dbcurrie~Well said. That cheesecake mix and the seasoned/breaded meats sound like the premelted chocolate or the pumpkin soup mix mentioned above by one of the posters where you add the pumpkin and water. If you have to do that much to a "convenience" item, then it's not really a convenience. Maybe what those things are is more of a crutch for folks who aren't too sure of themselves in the culinary arts?

I buy instant mashed pots and use them in bread, too. I also use them in a pinch to thicken a few things.

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@huneybumper
I think you got my meaning. In a perfect foodie world I could go and play in my kitchen all the time and use all homegrown products to make all my homemade dishes. In the real world I currently reside in there are some things I have to live with in order to get the job done without getting dinner for the family from a clown's mouth.

I didn't mean to start a thread to bash the shortcuts that are oh-so-necessary sometimes due to having a (eek!) life. But what I found so puzzling was the idea that if I had the time, and that implies I am not in some sort of an extreme circumstance and I must bake brownies, then I'm assuming I have time to melt chocolate all on my own (or ya know with my kids bugging me to help). Does that make sense?

That all being said, there are always going to be some products that I look at and go "HUH?", because they are made to address something so simple (banana slicer anyone?? ;-)) I can't see it as EVER being a problem that needs to have a solution, or because the time savings is so minimal that the cost of the product is just not justifiable.

@ocarol, thanks for sticking up for me. I know it was for effect also, but it's too late. Already done ;-) but then it was after I procreated!

BTW@Chiff, I think that's the one. And the PB slices absolutely SLAY me! Too, too funny!

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@dbcurrie~Yep, those things are understandable. I sometimes do some of the very things mentioned above, like the potato and the (hanging head in abject shame) pbj pockets. Those were while we were moving and everything was packed and my little girl loves pb and j. She had been begging for them for ages and I saw no long-term harm in that indulgence.


Your "pre-made boling water" made me LOL. :-)

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@Ortolan and @Grumpy~I agree. We do live in a decadent age where many food and prep products are a waste of money and don't really deliver the time savings that seems to be implied.

Are there things you would go for in a time crunch? Like, if I need dinner in a hurry, I would rather have a bagged salad, rotisserie bird and some fresh store baked bread instead of a McHeartattack or whatever.

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@hmw0029~I have actually been guilty of purchasing one of those. I was gonna be alone at home for the week and I didn't think I would use more than just that one for a particular meal and didn't want/need a whole bag of spuds.

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@Traveller~You made me LOL. I hadn't seen either one of these things. My 9 year old daughter can manage both of those jobs, so I wonder WHO are these kinds of things actually aimed at? But, then maybe we are odd, since she has been at least stirring things since she could stand on a kitchen stool (with Mom right behind her so she wouldn't fall because she was that little)

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@Cassaendra~I've heard raves about Stouffer's from different people, but I have never tried it either. If I want mac and cheese, I want the comfort of making it, too.

If not for time constraints, I would love to make everything from scratch, but that's just not possible. There are times where I have to either take some help from the store or else cop out and visit a drive thru window. :-P And homemade with some help seems better than the bad-for you fare from most quick serve places. At least it TASTES better. Not baggin' on convenience items, but some things just look wrong somehow to me.

From Talk

A product that made me scratch my head. Would you use it?

@laurelie~I agree. I also saw on the same shopping trip, packages in the produce section that had cut up veggies and other assorted salad toppings that I assume you would put on bagged salad. They were next to chopped onion and other assorted chopped veggies. They all make me wary since they appear a bit watery or wilted.

From Talk

Some potluck etiquette questions...

1. Most potlucks I have been to are work or church related. At these functions, each dish is generally put with the others as everyone arrives. When I have a party at my home and people bring items, regardless of whether it is an actual potluck or if folks just want to contribute to the meal or bring a token to say thanks, I always lay out whatever has been brought. Always. Usually with a flourish, as in, "Wow! Everyone look at the pretty flowers/nice bottle of wine/delicious dessert Aunt Martha brought" If it is a food item and it's great, they get their due. If not, then at least noone thinks I made the offending dish. ;-) No matter how terrific or awful their contribution, it is not in me to be anything less than grateful.

2. I think you hit all the high pints on this one. In my mind, potluck=ready to serve when arriving or soon thereafter with the exception of garnishing or cutting into serving sizes. If it needs to be kept cool or warm that should be addressed by the person bringing the dish.

3. Since it can be life threatening, I think the hostess must tell anyone bringing a dish if she knows of any allergy issues. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I never direct much as to what anyone brings. I decide on a menu and unless I am sure someone is skilled at one of the dishes I have decided on or specifically says they would like to make that one dish, I generally make everything and let everything else that is brought just fit in as it will. Probably a little loosey goosey for some, but it works for me. And it has never been a problem.

4. I don't think there is a limit. If each person or family group brings enough to feed at least themselves, it will all work out. I usually plan to bring one main, one side, one dessert and may add in a bread and/or a drink, especially if there is any doubt as to whether that will be provided. There are usually five of us and I know what we like and will eat. So if nothing else is very good, then at least my dishes will suit my bunch. I usually cook substantially more for my church because I never know how many guests might drop in and I know that everyone at my church really likes my cooking and doesn't hesitate to go back for seconds.

5. Plates/cups/napkins/utensils/drinks/ice/coolers and chairs to use for the event/even activities for the kids are SO made for the culinarily challenged.

From Talk

Wanted: Your ideas for a potluck church picnic this Sunday

Wow!!! You are all the best! I am thrilled you all spent your precious time to give me some much needed ideas. Thanks!

I ended up bringing:
A tray of cupcakes. Half were buttermilk dark chocolate banana cake with chopped Reese's inside and chocolate icing. It looks funny typed out like that, but it was crazy good. The other half were orange blossom cake with a citrus icing. I used one of my sturdier icings and kept them cold until everyone started moving towards the desserts. They were a big hit once people realized what they were. My little girl was bragging on them and when she told what they were, the reaction was like a thunderbolt. "I've gotta try THAT!" Note to self, next time put a note or something since people thought they were just chocolate and vanilla.

I also brought a big platter of rolls in all different shapes and configurations, a pot of bbq pork and beans (using the leftover pork from my dinner party Saturday night), and cucumber and tomato salad (the tomatoes at the farmer's market looked awesome!). Everything was well received and I am always amazed by the repeated queries of "You made this from scratch??!!" I often forget that to "non-foodies" or whatever you would like to call those not dedicated to making good food with their own hands, that many things I think of as simple are looked on with something bordering on awe.

I love events like this and if I had not had my friends over for dinner and cards Saturday, I probably would have cooked boatloads more, hehe! And I am so bookmarking this page for ideas for next time too :-D

From Talk

Wanted: Your ideas for a potluck church picnic this Sunday

@fin~Yeah. Gotta love that homemade bread, ya know? Ever since I got my KA mixer, I have loved it prolly too much! It's so easy and sooo good.

From Talk

Wanted: Your ideas for a potluck church picnic this Sunday

@sadie. Those are all good ideas. I love the idea of a citrus cheesecake. If it's very cold when I pull it from the fridge, it will stay that way for long enough in the shade to be doable. Now my mouth is watering thinking about lime/lemon/orange/ cheesecake. Yum!

From Talk

Wanted: Your ideas for a potluck church picnic this Sunday

I was planning on pulling the cupcakes out of the fridge at the last possible moment when everyone is heading for the desserts. Hmmm, now I'm wondering if that's gonna work. And here in the South, if we didn't eat baked goods when the weather was warm, we'd hardly ever get to enjoy them at all! =-)

From Talk

Wanted: Your ideas for a potluck church picnic this Sunday

Good idea. I hadn't thought of making buns for the ham. I could go home and start the dough tonite and be letting the happy little yeast do its thing in the fridge until early Sunday morning. Fruit salad and watermelon are nice ideas, too. Baking is not a prerequisite, just something I love. Thanks!

From Talk

Nashville Eats?

I've eaten at Arthur's at Union Station and really enjoyed it. No idea what it costs since I was there with the company I worked for at the time, but I'm sure they have a website where you could check out the prices beforehand. I remember good filet mignon and the tableside production of Bananas Foster and Cafe' Diablo by our waiter were especially excellent, as was the bite of my spouse's tiramisu. There's also a good deli called Noshville.

I took a look before I submitted this and it appears Arthur's has closed, sorry. (Now I'm bummed.) But Noshville is excellent and still open and with several locations (including one in midtown), but they aren't gonna do for after 10 pm since they don't have hours that late. You can look for yourself at noshville dot com. There is also a Melting Pot (good fondue), and The Spaghetti Factory. Melting Pot has a site, don't know about Spag House.

If you go for a drive, The Loveless Cafe' on highway 100 has AWESOME biscuits and other southern comfort foods.

As for drinks, there are all the typical Music City spots like Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Ernest Tubb's Record Shoppe and The WildHorse Saloon. If you're coming to our town, you gotta soak up some of the local flavor!

I hope that helps at least a little!

From Talk

Favorite or Odd Fair Food

Many faves already mentioned, including the fresh corn dogs, fried pies (especially apricot!), roasted corn, italian sausage with peppers and onions, and the ubiquitous chicken on a stick. I don't know what the big deal is either, but I sure do love them!

Gotta add fried cheese curds, fresh lemonade, taco salad or "walking taco," tater twirls (this is one potato cut in one continuous strip then fried), and frozen chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick. This is like the best Eskimo Pie EVAR! I'm drooling just thinking about it and August is A LONG WAY AWAY :-(

Guess it's a good thing I go with 3-5 people and we all share bites of each different thing or I'd weigh approximately 7,000 lbs!

From Talk

birthday cake for Perky

Either light, luscious and lemony, or devilsihly dark and decadent chocolate. Or both! ;-)
From one April baby to another, HAPPY BIRTHDAY PERKY!

From Talk

What is your favorite cooking tip or recipe from Grandma?

Mom's mom thought (talkative) kids belonged anywhere but in the kitchen. So I learned rather quickly not to draw attention to myself by talking, but I would quietly observe and learn lots. Not always about food, sometimes about the latest gossip around her little town, but....(shrug) So I suppose that lesson is the value of observing with my mouth closed.

Dad's mom would always make the effort to cook one thing she knew each person coming to her house would love to eat. Main course, side, dessert, 30 people coming for dinner, didn't matter. There would be one thing she knew you loved on the menu. I remember once mentioning to her that I had never had warm apple pie and ice cream. I was about 10 years old @ the time. This was only about an hour before dinner. After dinner, the mythical dessert appeared before me. So I learned from her that cooking and love are intertwined. And I have no higher aspirations in my kitchen than to show the ones I love that I LOVE them. Now you all know why my family is fluffy!!! LOL

From Talk

What's the easiest way to make Skillet Potatoes?

I usually use leftover potatoes for skillet potatoes. Whether boiled or baked, skins on or not, I usually throw some chopped onion in some hot (not smoking) bacon fat, then add in the spuds after a minute or two. When I add them, I do not stir for at least a couple of minutes because that is when they form a crust on the outside. Now I must make some kind of taters for dinner since I am now craving fried potaoes to go with our Saturday morning breakfast. Hope that helps!

From Talk

Am I the only one on the planet who dislikes ___, or loves ___?

There isn't much I can say I outright detest. But @chisai~I am with you on the tomato not being anywhere near tuna. Hurlworthy is right, yikes! The tomato makes the tuna taste like dirt to me somehow. Matter of fact, I do not enjoy most fish/seafood and tomato combos. Most don't bother me as much as tomato/tuna, but still.

See more comments by coffeefrappe »

Recent Favorites

coffeefrappe hasn't favorited a post yet.

Polls

coffeefrappe hasn't answered any polls yet.

Quizzes

About coffeefrappe

Website:

Location: Nashville, TN

About:

Favorite foods: fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds when fresh and in season, chocolate, breads of all kinds, cheesecake

Last bite on earth: