Pronouncing "macaron" (rant?)

I don't like coming off as a dunce, so I've figured out how to say it the "French way," if you want to call it that. It just kind of irks me when people correct me with "macaroon" as if I'm the one who's misinformed (and I kind of look retarded, because they're just like "WTF is this girl smoking, WTH is a "macaron"?). I don't argue, just raise an eyebrow, because, really, no one needs to get into a tiff right before diving into a pastry.

They're so popular now, why do people still call them "macaroons," ala "racoons" - or is this just a Texas thing that I'm running into? I don't believe there are two different pronunciations. Macarons and macaroons are two completely different cookies. Also, I believe that restaurants and bakeries serving such cookies should know what they are and how to pronounce them!

I rue the day when I encounter a bakery that serves both cookies. Woe for both for its staff and its customers.

P.S. - I'm not in an angry blind rage. I will continue ordering and eating them happily regardless of how many times I appear like a fool.

Questionable bar etiquette?

I like taking part in happy hour specials in restaurants all the time. The only problem is, a lot of restaurants seem to limit their happy hour items to the bar area, which is fine, but I'm not a big alcohol drinker. More than that, I don't like the taste of it. Can I safely assume bartenders are unused to, and maybe even dislike, people like me sitting at their bar, not ordering drinks, and thus, not increasing their tip jar?

When I go out with others who drink, this isn't an issue, but sometimes, I don't. I am more than happy to tip generously for nonalcoholic drinks (soda, coffee, tea, milkshakes, etc....) and food, but I'm just wondering if this is generally bad etiquette at the bar.

Thanks!

Trying to replicate a cookie...

Has anyone tried Harry & David's raspberry galette cookies? I'm trying to replicate it, since I'm not into paying an arm and a leg for my cookies.

I assumed the cookie part is made with a soft sugar cookie, but I've read on Google something about it being made with butter cookies, or perhaps shortbread. Having never had a butter cookie (at least, I don't think I've had one), and finding my usual shortbread cookies crisper than the cookie I want to replicate, I wanted to see if any of you guys have tried Harry & David's galettes. Or even know of a comparable recipe!

Thanks!

What to do with poor quality meat

The boyfriend purchased some flash frozen pre-formed hamburger patties awhile back that have been sitting in his freezer. In short, the quality is really poor, and it seems that a good percentage of it is fat. It's also this grayish-pinkish color too, and he tells me its kind of precooked or parcooked (seems pretty raw to me, but the color makes me want to believe him). It's also presalted, as I found out the hard way.

I hate wasting food, but the question is, what can I do with it to hide the mushy texture (or make it better)? Also, what can I do to extract the excess fat out of it?

Thanks.

Homemade ranch dressing

I'm looking to try making this, and want some advice from others who've already tried it. I notice a lot of online recipes call for mayonnaise and buttermilk or sour cream. Can I use store-bought mayo and still get good results? Which kinds of recipes are better - those that use buttermilk or sour cream?

Finally...got some winning recipes you guys want to share? Thanks!

What are some great blogosphere/foodie-tested recipes?

I had a lot of success with the Rick Bayless Enchiladas Especiales Tacuba Style recipe from a while back, based a lot off of what SE-ers told me. I also had wild success with the NYTimes Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe as well (involving several people I rarely talk to hunting me down for the recipe, and inappropriate sounds being made while cookies were being ingested...)

So I want to know, what are some recipes that are extensively tested out by the blogosphere? I find looking at the photos of what a lot of people have tried, their various methods and approaches really helpful. I also trust (perhaps misplacedly so?) regular bloggers more than the average reviewer on allrecipes.com. Bloggers often note what went wrong, what they did differently from the original, ingredient brands, and tips. It's just very useful information that a short blurb of a review might not have - and they almost never have pictures on allrecipes (or other recipe sites) connecting the review with the recipe.

So...any thing that has caught like wildfire through blogging sites recently? Or in the past? I read SE and TheKitchn, but my lurking waxes and wanes, and I don't follow any blogs religiously. I assume some segment of population at SE does, and has a better finger on the pulse than I do.

Gifting a dutch oven

What's a good size dutch oven to start with? I'm hoping to buy a Lodge one and want a generally useful size to gift to someone who's never had one before (but wants one!).

Said person likes cooking in large quantities to eat over the week, and likes making curries, jambalayas, sauces, and stews. He also likes to cook for others as well. I'm not much of a cook myself (more of a baker), so I don't have any kind of reference point. 3 qts? 5 qts? 7.5 qts?

I've heard generally good things about Lodge, but I'm open to other suggestions as well. Thanks SE community!

Basic chicken

I was just browsing through SE, when I stumbled upon Rick Bayless' Enchiladas Especiales Tacuba Style recipe (yes from that "What's the Best Thing You've Learned from SE" thread). I would love to test this out on my boyfriend/guinea-pig. The thing is though, I don't really have left over chicken lying around, never really have. I also notice a lot of recipes that for plain cooked chicken as a vehicle to showcase the other ingredients (take for example, the enchilada recipe, chicken pot pie, chicken salad, etc), and I kind of shy away from them because they really don't provide directions on how to prepare the chicken.

I'm fairly new to cooking, and I've had my fair share of tough, stringy, tasteless chicken. Should I brine a few chicken breasts and toss them onto a skillet? Should I poach the chicken? Should I poach it with herbs or just plain stock? Should I just buy a rotisserie chicken from the local grocery store and shred it up (I get a feeling the boyfriend will laugh at me for this, but I'll live :P)?

Please provide recipes (with simple ingredients, preferably), and some directions. Thanks so much!

Bringing fried food on a plane (help!)

So, I'm going to be traveling in a bit to hang out with my relatives, and my dear, pregnant cousin asked that I bring beignets with me when I visit her. Well, beignets and napoleons (aka mille feuilles) from some local shops she sampled when she was last in Houston. I would love to, of course, but I don't want people shooting me dirty looks on a 3 hour flight.

How should I pack it? How should I keep it fresh (as from my experience, fried foods tend to get soggy with grease if not eaten quickly after preparation)? Can i even bring it on the plane? I'm not packing the beignets into my check-in luggage as I'd prefer not to smell like donuts for the entire week that I'm there.

Much thanks!

Deveining shrimp.

I have usually assumed that people who did not devein their shrimp just didn't want to do it. In other words, they were too lazy, or didn't want to be bothered, or didn't care. I always took it out because (1) the black stuff looks unappetizing, and (2) I always felt like I was eating shrimp poop (it is the intestine after all).

I was reading a blog earlier today which mentioned the possibility of keeping the vein intact for flavor reasons. Anyone else heard of this?

Mooncakes online...

I've been specifically looking for Hong Kong brand Maxim's/Mei-xin snow-skin ones. They are, quite simply, the best mooncakes I've ever had. While I live in Houston, which has a large Asian population, it can still be hard to locate specialty items so I've resorted to hunting for these mooncakes online. I've been able to find the normal mooncakes, but have had a hard time finding the snow-skin ones.

Anyone know where I can find these online? Better yet, in Houston?