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madchen212

Ways to use Prosciuitto?

I just tried wrapping it around apple slices and grilling them in a class I took. We used Fuji apples and made a dried cherry glaze but I can see a seet balsamic reduction doing just as well. It was great

Crispy factor missing

Hmm.....I wanted to fry the chicken according to the recipe so I heated the oil to 325 and I kept oven at 200 or 250 and placed it on a wire rack before popping them in the oven. The thongs did a once over on the skin and they had crispy texture. I guess I should have fried them at a higher temp? Ugh. I was so close to getting the perfect fried chicken...so close.

Crispy factor missing

It tasted great but a crispy skin on the chicken would have made it a killer. The recipe didn't say anything about tenting....just to put it in a preheated oven when done frying to keep it warm while u finish up the rest. I made sure that while frying, it never dipped below 300 degrees so the oil was always around 300. I used an oval le cruset pot and about 3 cups of oil so it did go halfway up the pieces when frying. I also fried only two pieces at a time. Is refrying the chicken at a higher temp normal protocol? The recipe didn't even mention that so I did not know about that.

Weekend BAKE OFF! Need suggestions!

brownies are super easy and you can dress them up with a bit of caramel drizzle at the end. I remember I tried Emerils buttermilk spice cake recipe. I made it twice in the past and everyone loved it. And it wasnt all that hard to do.

Looking for Thanksgiving recipes I can freeze...

I probably would not bring this to Bobby Flay since it is a recipe from William-Sonoma but I have made it in advance and put it in the oven the day of and it is fine. I've frozen it too (post holiday) and reheated, it still tastes good. Its Sausage, Chestnut and Fennel dressing. You can find the recipe on the Williams and Sonoma website. I used herb stuffing to add more kick (remember to use less salt as a result).

Turkey Roasting....Breast up or Breast Down?

Im interested in this method but I have to admit, Im scared that the skin will rip somewhere in the process. Is this not the case? Also, when you spatchcock the bird, how is it dont on a rack so that it is all level and cooks evenly? I have a V rack. Does it work on that?

Do you ever eat things out of nostalgia and nothing else?

@myrnie_twin: Candy buttons and I dont know what the name of these were but they were awful botttles shaped from wax with the cheapest mixed flavoring. It was a drink. Like 1/4 gulp but it came in package and had about 4-5 flavors. I remember thinking how they werent so great when I was younger and I sure I would stand more firmly behind that statement now but I can't necessarily say I wouldn't be tempted to buy it if I saw it ;) I still think I like ring pops though.

Do you ever eat things out of nostalgia and nothing else?

@MissBrownEyes-your post put a smile on my face. Thanks for sharing that. It reminded me of how my dad liked buttery things. I just remembered how he'd dump a half stick of butter on hot rice and mix it up-add a dash of soy sauce and that was his lunch on the days it was too busy for my mom to fix something. Out of health concerns, I have not done that since I was 5 but hey, maybe it's time I did. He also taught me how to fix up a quick and nutrtious snack. Take a toothpick, carefully poke a hole on the narrow tip of a raw egg (yes. raw) and turn it over and suck that sucker out. Salmonella wsn't a concern back then. And I admit, I did do that a few years ago just out of nostalgia. It doesnt taste all that great until you hit the yoke but it brings back memories of when I was little and he is teaching me these things.

Geoduck, Sashimi and Sautéed

I've seen geoduck on TV shows but I have not seen it in sashimi form like the picture you have. Because of your picture, I now know what the American name for this is and that this is what I used to eat whenever my parents had enough money to splurge and make sashimi at home. We used to dip it in a red pepper paste dip that my mother made and I remember I loved it for the texture and it's taste. I never knew the American name and my parents are no longer with me to ask so thanks for the trip down memory lane and the information!

"gourmet" Cooking/Serving Advice You Ignore?

I usually find out what I can and can not do by trial and error or from sheer laziness. If a stew calls for dry red wine and I don't have it, I use whatever I have and it turns out fine. Same thing with cheese. The other day I made a simple pasta and I thought the little container was some parmesean I had grated last week. Turns out it was smoked gouda and manchego. Pasta tasted perfectly fine too. Sometimes if it's just for me or my family, I tend to substitute and ignore certain things-bouquet garni? please...Im going to save my cheesecloth and just put the stuff in the pot. BUT...if I have guests over, I tend to be a bit more anal but that only happens to a point. There are only so many times I will run down to the local store but nothing ever tasted horrible.

What restaurants in NY serve rice wraps for Korean BBQ?

I haven't had it in a while but I think if you just request it, they will bring it out to you. I believe the last time I had it was at Won Jo on 32nd street between 5th and Broadway

Beginner Baker

I started baking in my last year of high school because of sheer boredom. I walked into a KMart that was closing and bought a book on cookies. That book had all these different types of cookies and slowly I went through the book. Sure enough, you will have mistakes-like I had no idea what "fluffy" butter was supposed to be cause my butter was always semi-hard. duh for me. It is true that baking is a science because things can go very wrong if you don't follow the measurements. But having said that, it is not as intimidating as one would think. I think that starting off baking goods gave me enough confidence to start cooking. But I will admit, I've never baked bread-THAT is still a bit intimidating to me. That and I hate making dough of any kind =) Just have fun with it! And let the people around you enjoy your success.

Shameful snackage

Flaming cheetos (I cannot eat the regular flavored ones) and reduced fat cheez-its. Reduced fat has more of a crunch to the snack so that is why I buy it. Love them. Im always stocked with those two in the pantry although I do find myself hiding my flaming cheetos because the store doesnt always have them in stock and my friends just seem to grab the bags when they come over.

Hill Country Chicken: Are Fried Chicken and Pie the New Burgers and Cupcakes?

I love fried chicken. So much so that if I hear of a place that does good fried chicken, I HAVE to make my way there. Sadly, I have to say that the places that I have been are not always what they are cracked up to be and for some strange reason, I am always comparing them to KFC. KFC is my, hands down, ultimate favorite. It can stand to lose some salt but their biscuits are spot on and their chicken rocks. Did I mention their price???

What do you feed your pets?

When my Max was younger, I'd treat him by cooking an addition of ground beef, potatoes, and vegetables-sans onions to mix into his dog food. Sometimes, I even treated him to Peking duck skin I'd have left over or some nice short rib bones from a bbq joint, the potatoes soaked in chicken juice after I roast a chicken, etc. He was a well fed dog. Spaghetti dinners from my roommates' parents, Korean bbq....I think they even fed him McDonalds once. But now that he is a senior citizen, he can't eat like he used to and he is now on a prescription diet. Because I have a younger dog whom I want to have the same experiences (meaning not confined to eating dry dog food, I make a barley, carrot, white rice, and chicken mixture in a rice cooker (cooking and cleaning is a snap). When I can, I boil leftover chicken bones to use as a stock so it tastes extra "chicken-y". I skim any fat or as much fat, I should say, as I can. I generally fill Max's bowl of dog food with the chicken broth to be easier on his teeth. Ripley, the younger one, he gets a few scoop-fuls of the chicken mixture in his dog food. They also love tomato scraps, an occasional carrot, cucumber, and raw meat if Im trimming anything. They also love most fruit and they adore yogurt of any form. They haven't developed a taste for bananas though.....
I always keep in mind that before pets held the position in society that they do today and these "gourmet" dog foods came out, they ate leftover scraps. I had vets differ on this opinion. One gave me an evil eye cause Max had a green pepper in his dinner. Not a chili. Not a jalapeno. A green pepper. And I had one doctor say that back in his home country, every dog was fed scraps and they are fine. Onions, grapes, whatever. They are fine. Just as a rule of thumb for myself, I avoid onions and I try not to feed my dogs anything too greasy or fatty, I try to not feed them processed stuff or anything too salty because it does upset their stomachs. But is just me.

Parmesean as hard as a rock

Oh wait...so the cheese has to be in small pieces before going into the food processor? I cant even put a knife in these-they are that hard.....

Parmesean as hard as a rock

Thanks Cary. I actually saw that but I was afraid (still am), that it will get gooey on me and not grate.
Sweetie-I do have a microplane but it is THAT hard that the results are minimal...with my elbow grease at least.
When I go home tonight, I am going to try the food processor. I have an old one that I can experiment on.
Thanks everyone. I should just be more diligent in the future on storing my cheese regardless if I am tired or not.

Chopping like a pro...

I am all for taking a knife skill class. Once you start cooking, you will realise, sooner or later, that there is a more efficient way to prep and you begin to wonder things like "Is this the correct way to dice a bell pepper? Is there some easier way?" Usually, these would be learned from observing the person who taught you how to cook but like myself and others, we are self taught so I either resort to the internet for such questions like "the proper way to julienne a carrot" (I dont want to use the mandoline or grater) and I learn but my friend who has taken a knife course at ICE says it is so worth the money. Watching TV shows help too. I learned the proper way to dice an onion from Bobby Flay =)

Good Steak in NYC

I am a die hard "black and blue" fan and no matter where I go, it is always overcooked. So for me, without fail, Angelo and Maxie's around the Union Square, cooks it perfectly. Every single time. Ambiance is okay..it gets lively which may be good for a group of guys. Service can be really good or pushy depending on when you go. A total old school New York steak joint is Keens. It has two levels and the cocktails are great as well as the well stocked bar. Great porterhouse. Sides are okay. Ambiance is old world New York.

Where to eat Thanksgiving dinner in NYC?

A long time ago, I had Thanksgiving dinner at Tony Di Napoli (I think that is the name). It is on the corner of 2nd and 83rd. Can't miss it. It has a statue of a fat chef in the front (at least when I went there). They have Thanksgiving dinner at a reasonable price. I think you get salad, minestrone, turkey and all the trimmings and a slice of pie. Personally, I couldn't finish everything so they give you alot of food and I was surprised but alot of people dine out on Thanksgiving. This place was BUSY!

Used to hate it, now I love it

Pickled ginger-yes the nice bright pink mounds that accompany plates of sushi and sashimi. When I was younger, I thought it was ham. That assumption ended badly. But now, I love the stuff. I even find myself buying it and eating it just out of the canister once in a while.

"Bad habits" I've developed from my time in the service industry

I have not been in the service industry but I do have "bad habits". I prefer eating everything that calls for a fork with chopsticks instead, I can put hot sauce in just about everything except dessert/sweet items-doesn't matter what time of day. I even find myself boiling broccoli just so it can be a vehicle for the hot sauce. I do eat with my fingers-what is the big deal? Some people may find it annoying that I have elbows on the table-I never really understood that one, and I have a habit of looking at people's refrigerators. It doesnt matter if I have known you forever or just met you a few minutes ago. I will open up your fridge without a second thought and look at what you have. I even do it for cupboards. I come from a communal type home environment. If my mom made stew, we just take our spoons and take the stew from the pot-no individual bowls (it helps with decreasing dishwashing time as well) so I find nothing wrong there. I dont know why but I also eat standing up and I, for some reason, love eating at my kitchen counter standing up. I like watching TV from my kitchen counter and I like speaking to my guests from the kitchen counter. Im always standing in the kitchen behind my counter. It makes some people who do not know me uncomfortable but my friends just find it strange and tolerate it. I also have a gross habit of eating leftoevers-not my own. Its a habit from college-eat whatever you can get your hands on.

best part of the cow/chicken/duck/goat/pig/etc?

Cow-the tail and shin. I also like tripe and intestines.
Chicken-I believe they are called "oysters" but they are located in the back of the chicken. I love it cause no one I know really eats that part so when I roast a chicken, they are all mine!!!
Pig-cheeks and crispy skin for sure
Duck-I've never checked to see if they have the "oysters" too like the chicken but if they do, Im sure that would be my favorite alongside crispy duck skin.
Fish - eyeball and cheeks. K, I think the eyeball is more out of nostalgia but I still do it. Cheeks are great eats.

Hen of the Woods

I agree with hmw0029. I first had hen of the woods mushrooms at Hearth and I thought I died. It was so delicious and it seemed like all they did was a quick sautee in butter (maybe browned or clarified butter?), and perhaps a quick broil. They still had alot of structure- they weren't wilted and mushy. Oh, and salt. I can still remember that dish and how I reacted when I ate it.

Childhood Rediscovery - Kix!!!

I never knew why my friends in elementary school would say "ew.....sloppy joes" whenever my cafeteria made them. I forgot about them in middle school and high school and college. Now I crave them. The thought of it makes my mouth water. I also like taking trips down memory lane when I eat sugar babies and fruit roll ups.

Crispy factor missing

I found a great recipe for fried chicken and after had it in the brine, I was ready to fry. I had a candy thermometer and pot ready to go as well as a pre heated oven to keep fried pieces warm. So the oil was at 325 and it DID dip too 300 but never lower. When I took the pieces out,the crust seemed to be crispy but after I was all done and I was ready to eat, the skin was light but it didn't have crunch. I felt like the steam of the chicken meat made the skin reabsorb moisture and made it soggy...like when u have fries delivered . And yesterday, I made chicken fried steak and same thing! I know yesterday it was rainy but what am I doing wrong?? If the chicken skin was crispy, I would have had the perfect weekend brunch.

Do you ever eat things out of nostalgia and nothing else?

Have you ever eaten something just to take a trip down memory lane? Even though your tastebuds have experienced evolution and eating that particular item no longer makes sense but yet you do it anyway? My father liked slivers of deep fried tofu in his stew. They were golden in color and puffy and usually in the frozen section. I believe once they hit the broth of the stew, the texture becomes a bit stringy. He admitted to me once that deep fried tofu (yoobu) has no taste but it reminded him of when he was a young boy. For me, I sometimes get excited about going to Olive Garden (it hasn't happened yet because my bf refuses to go to it when we are blessed with the restaurants in Manhattan) because it reminds me of high school and how there was NOTHING to do when I was in high school where I lived and Olive Garden was considered "fine dining". I still giggle when I think back of how myself and all my friends thought that way and when we went, it was for special occasions. I also hold nostalgic value to OG because I remember I finished the entire "Tour of Italy" and I was quite proud of myself. Pizza Hut also holds nostalgic value to me as well.

Parmesean as hard as a rock

It is my fault for not preserving my parmesean correctly and instead just wrapping it in flimsy plastic wrap and tossing it in the fridge but I seen to have lots of parmesean in the fridge that are all rock hard. Some have way too much "meat" for me to just toss it in a pot of soup. I can't bring myself to do it. And when I take out the grater....my arm could fall off if my fingers don't get shredded first because it is so hard, it just skims off the grater with just a feathering of pamesean. What can I do to soften it up so I don't have to buy another block of expensive parmesean? I dont want to waste it by throwing it away and I also think there is too much that can be saved to just throw it in a pot..
Is there no way?

Cake Flour. Does it really make that much of a difference?

I have seen recipes that call for cake flour. Now you can call me an amateur baker or blind but I swear I have never come across "cake flour" in the baking aisle of my ghetto supermarket. Don't get me wrong, I love its ghetto-ness cause I can find cheap cuts of meat that I usually cannot find in hoity toity places but having said that, I can't recall ever seeing "cake flour" in the baking aisle. So, in lieu of cake flour, I usually use all purpose flour, which by all means, makes a perfectly good and edible cake but I can't really compare since I have never used cake flour. Can anyone enlighten me please? Should I go out of my way to get some of this stuff?

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