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jbeach's Profile

Website: http://devourthis.typepad.com/

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The Ten Most Recent Posts By jbeach

From Talk

Pie Contest Help

Hi, all -- I'm so glad I have you to turn to in times of need...I have an upcoming pie contest at work (winner takes all: a hefty Williams-Sonoma gift certificate--hello!!) and would so appreciate your favorite pie recipes/types/links/ideas/anything!!
I promise to post the results!

From Talk

NYC Lower East Side recommendations, please!

Hi, NYC food-savvy people!
We are a group of 15, needing to make a reservation in the LES. We were originally going to Café Mogador, but they can only accommodate a group of 12. Looking for something cheap, as we are mainly writerly, new entrepreneurial types -- and also with vegetarian options (one gal is also gluten/wheat-free, egg-free, and nut-free, in addition to being a vegetarian, but I won't ask you to go there...)

From Talk

I want flours, not flowers

Remember the scene in Stranger Than Fiction when Will Ferrell's character brought Maggie Gyllenhaal that box filled with different types of flour? I want that! I can never ever find cake flour -- how about you all? And I live in NYC! Can anyone recommend a place to find different types of flour, or do I need to order online?

From Talk

Need NYC group restaurant recommendation!

Hi, all -- it's time for another birthday celebration in lovely Manhattan...but we need help deciding where to go with a large group! We've done Otto, Dim Sum Go Go, and Korea Town....Help! Looking for great food, good prices, and nice atmosphere. Thanks in advance!

From Talk

Food grinder: uses?

I am so fortunate to have received a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for my recent birthday (I'm completely goo goo ga ga over it) -- it also came with a rebate for a food grinder attachment. I rarely eat meat so can you all throw out some other uses for a food grinder?

From Talk

Hit me with your best shot - recommend Brooklyn restaurant

A few parameters:
1. I'm going to the Brooklyn Book Festival at Brooklyn Borough Hall in Brooklyn Heights...needs to be close or easily acessible by train (sorry, that's my friend's rule, not mine)
2. Affordable.

From Talk

Recommendations for a good bread knife??

Recently I hacked away at a crusty baguette to make cubes for a bread pudding (Lemon Spice with Sauteed Peaches, if you must know), and I went through my whole drawer of Ikea crappies and no-name terribles and barely got away without sawing off a finger. I would really appreciate a recommendation for a trusty, affordable bread knife...

From Talk

Cooking lobster for first time...help!

Thanks to ThatGirl 153 for suggesting lobster, and for everyone else's responses to my seafood query. I would actually like to try cooking lobster this weekend, but have never attempted this before. Any tips/tricks/hints I should know about before setting forth??

From Talk

want to make a special seafood dinner for that special someone...would love to get some of your favorite, most delicious, uncommon seafood recipes.

From Talk

Favorite Trader Joe's items?

Most people I know rave about Trader Joe's. It's been hit or miss with me (but mostly hits). I'm curious to know what items people love most.

The Ten Most Recent Comments By jbeach

From Talk

Breakfast Club Ideas!

@wookie -- I was going to suggest sausage gravy and biscuits, too. YUMMY
Your suggestions are amazing.

Also, sweet potato biscuits w/ham and cheddar are d-lish.
http://devourthis.typepad.com/devour_this/2008/04/i-love-my-food.html

Scones of all varieties, baked egg/cheese crepes, easy chicken fried steak and eggs, homemade granola and yogurt....

From Talk

Favorite thing to eat with mayo

When I was younger, my dad would boil a chicken and we'd dip the meat in mayo -- yummy! Sometimes he mixed in a little soy sauce w/the mayo and that was even better. I rarely eat chicken now, but sometimes I still crave this unusual pairing.

From Talk

Food blogs

Oh, and I'm going to start adding recipes, too. I've started formulating my own lately, which has been loads of fun.

From Talk

Food blogs

Hi, all:
It's
Devour this
http://devourthis.typepad.com
Cooking, baking, farmers' markets, personal food stories, etc.

However, I'm starting my first (small) roofdeck vegetable and herb garden and am looking to blog my way through it! Hoping to redesign my blog a bit.

From Talk

Do you garden?

Great post and thread!!
I am starting my first ever garden, but as I live in NYC, it's going to be a roofdeck version. We're emulating the square foot gardener and hoping for the best! We just built our little plot today...still not certain if we should start with seeds or little plants that've already been started...

From Talk

SE users: please introduce yourselves.

Hi, all-
My last name's Beach, first initial 'J'; therefore jbeach was born.
I'm 26, living in Hoboken, NJ (right outside NYC), became obsessed with food and cooking about 3-4 years ago, and there's no end in sight.
I adore farmers' markets and used to work at one in Manhattan called Real Food Market. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
Like many other SE members, I am a total list-making freak -- I even started keeping a Grocery Inventory spreadsheet (and I hate Excel) to keep concoct recipes from what I have on hand, instead of blowing all my money at gourmet grocery and health food stores (which, truth be told, I still do). If I had one of those pie charts made to show me where I spend all of my money (and there's not much of it, being as I work in book publishing), the pie would undoubtedly be far heaviest on the food/restaurants/groceries side. It's just what I love to do! And I feel so fortunate to be in NYC, with endless food wonders at my very fingertips.
I'm a cookbook editor and I do enjoy it, although I do not enjoy sitting in a cubicle, especially with the weather blossoming as it is...
Also a freelance writer and have written numerous blog posts for TimeOut New York's "The Feed" food blog.
Food blogs are one of the greatest joys in my life. I read many daily.
My personal food blog is: Devour this. It's still very much a work-in-progress, and I hope to get a re-design and better content up soon!
It's so nice to meet all of you -- "Talk" is my favorite part of SE and it's because of all of you!

From Talk

Hoboken, NJ - great town, getting tired of the food.

Who knew there were so many Hobokenites on SE?
I used to eat at Charrito's, La Isla, and Zack's with some regularity, but Zack's switched chefs and went totally downhill and I got tired of all of the food at Charrito's tasting basically the same, and La Isla, well, La Isla is still pretty great if you're in the mood for it.
Margherita's is also pretty fantastic.
There are still many restaurants I haven't tried in Hoboken and I was hoping there were some hidden gems out there that I don't know about, but it doesn't sound like it. Interesting idea to try JC (will have to check out Ox!); I always just go to the city for eating out when I'm too lazy or I'm too tired of the places in town.

From Talk

Love to eat, hate to chop

@unarata- seriously! chopping onions makes me weep like a baby.
@hammondcheese, I'm with you on broccoli, too. Something about it is just annoying, yet I love cooking with it!

Now we should talk about what we enjoy chopping! Zucchini anyone? It's like butter! Carrots are also fun to turn into half moons.

From Talk

mac n' cheese recipes

Unfortunately I don't have the exact recipe, but my best friend's grandmother's recipe is to kill for (yes, not only to die for)! It involves condensed milk and tiny cubes of good quality ham. Need I say more?

From Talk

Food-related books that aren't cookbooks.

I just have to add: Lately I've been completely obsessed with Calvin Trillin. I don't know how I didn't name him first! I just read Feeding a Yen, which was superb. Read his stuff; there's lots of it!
Churchka is right on with The Best of Food Writing. Another good collection of essays is Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant.

Responses to Comments by jbeach

From Talk

SE users: please introduce yourselves.

I'm Rosezilla (named for my three year old daughter and the giant lizard thing that stomped Tokyo...it's what I call her when she's being...how you say...willful). My real handle is Mandy. I live in Santa Barbara County again after growing up here, but lived for 11 years in western Sonoma County...home of fabulous food and wines. It spoiled me rotten, to become an adult surrounded by all of that luscious produce and foodie opportunity. I managed a microbrewery's kitchen for 6 years, and have SERIOUS opinions about ales, should anyone care for them. Now I'm a home cook primarily, although I do a little catering here and there. My daughter's favorite foods are salmon and broccoli, so I feel as though I've triumphed a bit over the three-year-old beige-food diet. We do, however, eat at McDonald's every Friday after school...it's our little Happy Meal indulgence...and those tiny cheeseburgers are SOOO good. I live with and cook for my mother, as well. I am dating a high school band director, who has actually LOST weight being with me, as he's eating more asparagus and less fast food. I think that size 14 should be the new size 6. I am curvy, healthy, happy and active...and think that excellent foods should be part of everyone's diet. I am active in the "S'Cool Food" movement here, which tries to bring local and sustainable healthy food into school cafeterias. And I love, love, love this website.

From Talk

Breakfast Club Ideas!

After they came back from Turkey, my mom started serving Turkish breakfast every now and then: Good greek yogurt and honey, maybe some jam; Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers; sliced cheese (greek cheese if she can find it), olives, bread. Definitely not american, but really delicious in the summer.

From Talk

Breakfast Club Ideas!

i love breakfast so i had to come back :) one of my favorite restaurants has a great breakfast dish - a bowl of creamy polenta topped with a perfectly poached egg and spicy chorizo. soo good! also if you're doing oatmeal, yogurt, etc. flaxseed adds some nice crunch.

From Talk

Food blogs

Matt The Butcher
www.mattthebutcher.com
brand new food blog by a butcher,soon to have recipes, money saving tips on buying meat and any meat related questions answered

From Talk

Food blogs

@foodlexi.........regarding dry mouth - it happens when you're nervous and not breathing normally. Try to be conscious of how you breath during normal conversation and focus on breathing like that when you're being interviewed. It does help to have a piece of hard candy handy just in case, but it could garble your words. Best of luck!!!!

From Talk

Food blogs

Chew on That
http://chewonthatblog.com
Chew on That serves up daily food for thought, all fresh to the blogosphere. Our menu includes a wide range of choices from recipes and restaurant reviews, to disasters in the kitchen and more! Keep checking in with our cooks to try out the latest catch!

From Talk

Favorite thing to eat with mayo

In college my favorite sandwich was a peanut butter, strawberry jelly, banana and mayonnaise sandwich: Toast the bread, put mayo on both inside parts, then the peanut butter on one side, the jelly on the other, and then bananas. I know it seems disgusting, but it's absolutely delicious!

From Talk

Breakfast Club Ideas!

If you have a griddle/large skillet you could have an omelette station-think of any ingredients: meats, veggies, cheese
How about pancakes/waffles: plain, choc chip, blueberry, banana walnut, etc
French Toast-you could even make french toast sandwiches
Bagel Bar-various cream cheeses and bagels
Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
Breakfast wraps
Breakfast Potatoes as a side maybe-plain or with veggies/cheese

From Talk

Favorite thing to eat with mayo

I like mayo on white bread with american cheese (deli sliced, not "singles"). For a while there, it was my favorite hangover helper. But it was just so yummy, I've kinda incorporated it into regular rotation.

During homegrown tomato season, I'll slap a few slices onto my cheese and mayo sandwich. East Coaster here.

From Talk

Favorite thing to eat with mayo

A dip for artichokes: equal parts mayo and sour cream with curry powder. Yummmmm.