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Dal Bukhara recipe?
I can't imagine why you'd need a PC for lentils; they cook so quickly. And if these are already cooked lentils, you certainly wouldn't need one. No recipe, sorry, but don't worry about the PC .
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Oh, my. I do a whole routine on this. Lovely man, but just not An Eater. And as the relationship was winding down, one night a man showed up at my front door with a couple of lobsters under one arm and a copy of MFK Fisher under the other. And that, my friends, was Mr. Meatloaf.
In the midst of the earlier relationship, I had the opportunity to write Mrs. Fisher and thank her for all the pleasure she'd given me with her writing. And then I asked her if she'd consider getting involved with a man who didn't like to eat. She replied, "I would no sooner get involved with a man who didn't like to eat than a man who didn't like Mozart."
I rest my case. Tapioca is right.
Fried potato question
Well, my general ratio of potato to onion is about 2/1 - about one onion for every two potatoes. I'd start off with that. And I start with raw potatoes - and add the onion when they're not quite half done, so the onion flavor cooks into the potato. So I'd start with rethinking the amount of onion. I like the idea of chorizo, myself.
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mail order bone in ham
A vote for Burger's Smokehouse, which got great reviews from a NY Times panel. We've used them for years. Several different kinds of ham, too.
www.smokehouse.com
Dal Bukhara recipe?
I can't imagine why you'd need a PC for lentils; they cook so quickly. And if these are already cooked lentils, you certainly wouldn't need one. No recipe, sorry, but don't worry about the PC .
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Oh, my. I do a whole routine on this. Lovely man, but just not An Eater. And as the relationship was winding down, one night a man showed up at my front door with a couple of lobsters under one arm and a copy of MFK Fisher under the other. And that, my friends, was Mr. Meatloaf.
In the midst of the earlier relationship, I had the opportunity to write Mrs. Fisher and thank her for all the pleasure she'd given me with her writing. And then I asked her if she'd consider getting involved with a man who didn't like to eat. She replied, "I would no sooner get involved with a man who didn't like to eat than a man who didn't like Mozart."
I rest my case. Tapioca is right.
Fried potato question
Well, my general ratio of potato to onion is about 2/1 - about one onion for every two potatoes. I'd start off with that. And I start with raw potatoes - and add the onion when they're not quite half done, so the onion flavor cooks into the potato. So I'd start with rethinking the amount of onion. I like the idea of chorizo, myself.
It's Over - What candy is left, and what will you do with it?
Y'know you don't have to scrape the insides of oreos off to make the crust unless you just want to.... Smaller here than usual, numerous groups of middle-school kids, more than average. We hadn't planned on being here at all, so I had to grab some stuff very quickly. Ended up with some 100-calorie bags of microwave popcorn at the end of giving it out, which puzzled some of the little ones but mostly pleased.
And how on earth did that bowl get stolen? Mine never leaves my hand when I open the door.
Pumpkin Pie Ideas Needed
My goodness, the sweetened condensed stuff? Regular condensed milk, yes; it's what many of us grew up with. But one of my favorite tweaks is this crust, and a killer ginger-butterscotch sauce that is to die for. I blogged about it a couple of years ago: http://stlouiseats.typepad.com/st_louis_eats_and_drinks_/2006/11/tweaking_the_pu.html
Take a look, especially if you're not wild about making pie crust.
100 (okay, 50) Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do
Well, you know, this clearly is not a list of rules for, uh...some sit-down hamburger chain like Red Robin, say. I wouldn't call it uptight, I'd call it a little more formal. And there are places where that's much more appropriate. When I'm paying $30 or more for an entree, I expect a certain decorum from servers. To quote Mr. Meatloaf, "Restaurants set their own standards by the way they price themselves."
And a particular gripe from me: DON"T call me "young lady". I am an adult with adult children. Being addressed that way sounds sarcastic or condescending.
Embarrassing food question. Need help with foods I love.
Pasta? Just plain pasta? That's very unusual in combination with the other items you list. If bread doesn't cause problems, pasta shouldn't either. Have you seen a gastroenterologist, not just an internist or family practitioner?
Cereal with Water and Other Cereal Compulsions
I am reminded of a friend of Mr. Meatloaf who has a scoop of ice cream on his a.m. oatmeal - milk and sugar, he says, cools the oatmeal and saves time!
Carrots and Celery
I chop them and freeze before sauteeing - just makes life easier, and I can measure out specific amounts. I spread them on a wax-paper covered baking sheet, freeze til rigid and dump them in a plastic bag (marked!).
What's your spice aversion?
You may want to see if it's turmeric or fenugreek that's making you feel bad about curry. For years - decades, even - I thought I didn't like curry. Any curry. Then I found out specifically what I didn't like was fenugreek, which also is something they use in fake maple flavoring. Do a little sniffing at a spice store. Turmeric is often called more for its color than its actual flavor - much of the color of most ballpark-style mustards are from turmeric.
I am still not crazy about it, but can manage it, have come to like cilantro, and am working on rosemary.
Cabrito Roasting a Goat in Mad. Sq. Mark't Right Now, No Kidding
Sorry to hear about djzouke's experience. But I will see about catching a plane to get there ASAP
Book Giveaway: Mike Colameco's Food Lover's Guide to NYC
Well, I was thinking more off the metaphorical map, not so much in the boroughs. Mr. Meatloaf is a Brooklyn guy, but his holes-in-the-wall are long gone. (There is consideration being given to making the first place where he ate Chinese food a national historical site, however.) The place that hardly anyone has heard of outside New York and where we send our friends is Gabriel's near Lincoln Center and ABC. Northern Italian, great way with game, and for years it was our traditional first-night dinner when we stayed at the much-missed Mayflower Hotel.
Why Fish and Red Wine Don't Mix
So what does that say about pinot noir and salmon, one of the classic combinations?
Eggplant for Dessert?
French fried eggplant is traditionallyserved with powdered sugar at Galatoire's in New Orleans, and other places, althoug it is considered an appetizer rather than a dessert. And if we can have torte de blette, which is a dessert with Swiss chard in Provence and the Riviera , why not eggplant?
Feeding Christmas Cakes
I just do it whenever I think of it, maybe every two weeks or so. I haven't found a big difference in the frequently-watered and the nearly-forgotten years, to tell the truth. But if I were planning stuff to be fed to families with kids, I would probably go lightly.
Cook the Book: Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes
That's 16 ounces by weight, for the powdered sugar.
Seriously Asian: Burmese Chicken-Coconut Soup
Let's talk about the chickpea-fava bean flour. Is the mixture something you can buy? What's the name for it that I'm apt to see on the package? Or do I have to buy the two flours separately and mix them? What else can I use it for?
Gadgets: Rival Crock Pot
You gonna put some meat in that rump roast, or is it vegetarian?
What's your favorite cake?
A really dark chocolate cake with a flulffy white frosting - basically a Swiss meringue, very marshmallowy.
Fruit Loops served at Best Western...
I was at a Holiday Inn Express night before last - hold the expert jokes, please - and there were Froot Loops, 3 other cereals, sausage, bacon, gravy, biscuits, HB eggs, omelets, yogurt, their signature cinnamon rolls, and a few other carb-type things like bagels and bread. This was Oxford, MS.
We travel a fair amount and I don't find that the sweetened cereals are region-specific and neither are the waffles (which are not bad, BTW) or HB eggs or anything else. It's corporate-think, believing that travelers want a consistent experience. I'm not crazy about the whole idea, preferring some little local spot, but Mr. Meatloaf points out we've paid for this, so we sometimes succumb.
Yes, I've indeed had vile swill put before me in such spots, but that means it's time for some milk and a piece of toast unless it's margarine instead of bread. (I can do ten minutes on those awful mini-muffins....)
Goat shoulder
You can treat it the same way you treat a lamb shoulder, in terms of roasting it. You might consider doing the same sort of a marinade you would pork, lots of garlic and sour oranges and oregano, and a slow roast.
Cook the Book: Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes
Gooey butter cake is an old St. Louis standard, almost never made at home. We've got a couple of new places doing it in multiple flavors, including one with the wonderful name of Gooey Louie's. Basically, it was always something that came from the many little German bakeries that once existed in residential neighborhoods. For me, I preferred the variation that put the topping on a yeast dough rather than a cakey bottom; it seemed to cut the richness. You will never hear me use the words "It's too rich for me", to be sure, but GBC is not one of my big faves. We never had it in restaurants until the last few years, but now you can occasionally find it. One serves it with a tall, slim glass of very cold milk, the proper accompaniment.
Cook the Book: Pumpkin Baking
Larry Forgione's Pumpkin Pudding. Good warm from the oven or cold from the fridge.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Honestly, his preferences don't sound that outrageous to me. I don't like cheesecake, and I know people with very sensitive palates who don't like eggs. I try not to use many condiments to mask the taste of food.
I don't believe in deal breakers, but as others have said, what does get under my skin is treating ME as if I am weird or abnormal if I have particular tastes or only going to one or two restaurants. My father, for example, will only go to ONE restaurant in all of New York City (and one I don't like very much, frankly) and two in NJ (one of which is a seafood place, the other of which is the Olive Garden). Blood is blood, but I wouldn't put up with that from a guy I was dating.
A person can control going out to eat, though, and personal reactions to what you eat--however, if mayo makes him want to hurl, that isn't going to be something love can cure.
Mixed Review: Thanksgiving Cornbread
Jiffy is a great thing to have around in case of emergencies. I also love it in my favorite Thanksgiving side, corn pudding http://tinyurl.com/ygprkfc
I use cornbread in my dressing as well, but with other breads in the mix and lots of good stuff, so I make a very simpe recipe and leave it out for a few days to dry up. But for eatin' - it's real southern cornbread in a cast iron skillet cooked with bacon grease all the way!
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
They might show it in the States. Watch for a BBC show called Freaky Eaters, where people confront their food phobias. One man lived on cheese pizza and crisps for over a decade. It's entertaining television, and if you watch it together might make him more adventurous.
My wife was very picky when we met. She grew up on a game farm, and as a child only ate pheasant and dry bread. I introduced her to her first mushroom, her first crab cake, her first bite of lobster. She loves them all now. It takes time and encouragement, but pressure will just make someone stubborn. My nephew is famously picky, and when the family was over for dinner I made smoked haddock and salmon risotto with seared scallops on top. He made someone else take the scallops off. Never even thought of trying one ('It's the mildest thing on the planet' I said to no avail).
I feel sorry for those who won't try new things, but then again, it is a continuum. I try and be game, but when presented with a horsemeat carpaccio in Japan, I had to decline. Nor will I eat anything still living. We all have our limits.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Are we dating the same guy? My BF won't touch mayo or mustard. He'll make me a sandwich and turn green when he uses those! He also hates the vast majority of vegetables and thinks they smell...
Seriously, though, I don't think food issues have to be a deal breaker as long as other parts of the relationship are there. If you're making a list there's obviously something bothering you and I'd focus more on how he treats you and whether you and he are willing to make compromises for each other.
I'd love it if my BF would be more adventurous, but he's always willing to take me resturants where he knows there's probably only one thing he'll eat. He'll also try new stuff that I make, even if the end result is that I have yummy leftovers for lunch and he has a sandwich for dinner. If you can't see compromising about this, then it sounds like a deal breaker, but as much as I love food I think there's more important things to focus on in a relationship.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Good point @kerosena : worth repeating
"If you feel that your BF is shut off to trying new things in life, that's not going to change.
The food issue may just be a symptom of inflexibility. Only you can answer that one!"
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
It doesn't have to be a dealbreaker, but I find that a shared love of food and cooking is such an important thing in out relationship. Our likes and dislikes don't line up exactly, but we both enjoy lots of different things, and share a few favorites.
Do I wish there was more seafood in our household? Sure. But as long as we keep trying new things together, I can let that one go.
If you feel that your BF is shut off to trying new things in life, that's not going to change. The food issue may just be a symptom of inflexibility. Only you can answer that one!
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Hi neighbour!
Funny you ask this. I was thinking about it not long ago.
I just started dating someone: I believe that he's picky but I haven't found out the extent yet. He appears to be a "ketchup and KD" kinda guy...so maybe I just need to present some kind of exposure or something.
Maybe this is an opportunity for you to "teach" good food you know?
I really like him...so this won't be an issue for me.
I just left a four-year "foodie" relationship...and I've found that it was too much of a "war in the kitchen" after a while. I enjoyed that he would cook for me ALL THE TIME. but I never got to cook myself!!!!!
Just somethin' else to ponder.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Good point joyy-
Just poach a big bunch of bland chicken, cook up a batch of buttered noodles and rice and pack them into seven containers for reheating.
Then cook what you like.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Next time, it will be.
**sigh**
Now, please excuse me while I take my millionth chicken breast out of the freezer and prepare my millionth pot of white rice.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
The other option is to unburden yourself from the responsibility of feeding him. Yes, it's not that romantic and it's a little unconventional, but he is a grown man, right? He can feed himself, right? Just because you love to cook doesn't mean that you should shoulder yourself into bearing the responsibility for someone whose tastes are clearly driving you up a wall.
And when you feel like it's time to rotate something from his super limited menu into your more divers menu, it will be a treat that he appreciates more than if you just resigned yourself to cooking a handful of bland boring dinners for the remainder of the relationship. Or make BIG batches of things when you do cook for him that can be frozen and will last much longer if you need to assuage yourself from the guilt of abandoning him food-wise.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Picky eaters are a deal breaker for me in relationships. It would be tough to see myself dating a vegetarian (given my love of steak, chicken wings, sausages). I actually like a lot of vegetarian dishes so if they didn't care if I ate meat we could try to make it work. But it would be impossible to date a picky vegetarian, the kind who actually doesn't like vegetables and really only eats leaf lettuce with dressing, pasta, and potatoes.
Picky eating even strains friendships too. Those people have to know what's at a restaurant before eating. Never want to go someplace new unless it's a new TGI Friday's or Olive Garden.
"Why didn't you tell me you guys were going out to dinner?"
"But you don't want to try Indian food."
"You could pick a place everyone likes so we can all go out."
"But we wanted Indian food at that new place."
Even at the beach, "Hey let's go to that restaurant by the bay!"
"Do they have seafood? I can't go if it smells like fish. Will there be chicken there? I can eat chicken as long as it's not on the bone. Oh wait, there's onions and mushrooms. Is this cheese? I only like American."
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
This thread is fascinating! As my sons married and additional people were added to the mix, I found I had to add things to the menus for holidays because the new people had dislikes and I didn't want to not cook the old favorites so we just have a Lot of Food now. For every day though I thank my lucky stars that my beloved husband of 40 years eats everything except liver, a food without which I can certainly survive. He also cheerfully cleans the kitchen every night no matter how many dishes I have used. The more things you have in common to start with the better the chances of longevity of the relationship.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
"Then she told me she didn't like honey. 7 years and I'm now finding out that she doesn't like honey."
WTH! Who doesn't like honey?
Is all this chain of food hate some passive-aggressive form of punishment on the cook?
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Bottom line-
What do YOU want in a relationship?
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
If you're at a crossroads with him anyway, and you're not totally head over heels in love with him, then I say the food issue is a deal breaker. It sounds like you're a creative person, and you're already being limited by his pickiness. You have to eat at least three times a day, so this is just going to keep coming up.
Also, imagine what travel would be like - your honeymoon to some exotic place and he's picking things out of his food... Or worse, keeps wanting to hit up the McDonalds in the train station and then complains that the hamburger is seasoned differently.... Or worse yet, you don't end up traveling at all because he's afraid of the food.
The ability to cook is an asset and as someone else put it above, an expression of love. You should be with someone who appreciates it! I can't believe he refused to eat a sandwich you made him!!
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Cut him loose. In my experience, ( I have a very low tolerance for picky eaters) its usually not the food, its a passive aggressive manuever to control something else. And sorry, didn't anyone teach this guy that its bad manners to pick things out of your plate at the table? Either he doesn't seem to know how this makes you feel, or he does and it doesn't matter. Throw that fish back!
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Before we met, my husband disliked certain things -- brussel sprouts, asparagus, and the like. It wasn't until I cooked those things for him that he started enjoying those vegetables... and I thought (rather arrogantly), "Hey, maybe I can change his mind about other foods!"
After we got into a disagreement about anchovy butter in mashed potatoes (me presuming that, a friend very delicately pointed out that no, I don't have the power to flip a switch and change his mind on all foods (much less anything), I just have the power to make some things that he really enjoys.
Compromise is a big thing in a relationship. If you want someone who's willing to meet you halfway, then he has to be able to do that on his own. If he can't, then it'll cross over into non-foody issues, and that's going to be a larger problem down the road. Likewise, if you can't work around the fact that your boyfriend is a picky eater, then it's time to re-evaluate whether you want to stay with this one long-term.
@ocarol -- my sentiments exactly!
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
As Liz Lemon would say, "That's a dealbreaker!" My partner does't like eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini and peas--and trust me, it sucks sometimes. Not enough to be a dealbreaker, because at least she's not a five year old about it--she'll eat around it, or give me her mushrooms or whatever. Only time it sucks is when we go out to eat because we generally share our entrees, but that's about it.
I couldn't imagine being with someone who doesn't like half the stuff that I like. Screw that.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
So true , if something bothers you before marriage, it aint gonna go away after thats for sure...it's gonna get bigger than BEN HUR....you could 1.either cook ONLY for yourself, let him fend for himself
2.keep trying to please him, probably mostly unsuccessfully.
3.cut him loose so he's someone elses problem, unless you can deal with his criticism everyday, for the rest of your time together.
these things don't diminish in time they actually divide you more, if it's something you enjoy and he always spoils it for you...where's the fun in that!!
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
You don't like mushrooms? Great. . .I'll gladly eat them. The king of the house also doesn't like cheesecake, corned beef, ribs, mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin pie (aka "baby-poop pie"), and the only thing he eats that's green is the lettuce on a Taco Bell taco.
He loves salmon patties, which I don't understand at all. Why would you want to poach a beautifully expensive fillet, mix it with an egg and cheap saltines and fry it in butter? But if that's what he wants for his birthday dinner, that's what he gets. When I grill, roast or pan fry any kind of beef, his serving is cooked an extra 10 or 20 minutes until it's dead and dry. I hate that.
There's a lot of food in the world, though, and we agree on a lot of them: biscuits and gravy, lasagna, pizza, Szechuan chicken, chili, anything Mexican, any form of rice, bouef bourguignon (I get all the mushrooms). He's perfectly happy to have frozen On-Cor Salisbury steaks while the rest of us have ribs; except for the cheesecake and pumpkin pie, he loves everything I bake; and he adores any variation of grilled cheese.
Fifty percent of the sons are normal, but there's the one who's almost 40 and hasn't eaten mashed potatoes since he was three; the one who scrapes the cheese off his lasagna (you should hear what his wife has to say about his food preferences); the one who won't eat cooked carrots. . .I love them all anyway.
And, my oh my, how I love that man o' mine. Madly. There's a lot more to nourishing a relationship than ringing a dinner bell; if he manages to feed your soul, keep him.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
oh and- marriage is hard work. There is PLENTY to fight about without adding a daily struggle of what his highness will eat.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
Sorry but it would be a deal breaker for me. Food (for me anyway) is an expression of love, passion, and joy. Move on.
Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!
also, ocarol had the best comment on this entire thread. listen to her.
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A vote for Burger's Smokehouse, which got great reviews from a NY Times panel. We've used them for years. Several different kinds of ham, too.
www.smokehouse.com