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Paying for someone else's party?
Tacky and weird, but more because of the delivery than the message. It might have been less tacky and weird if, rather than sending formal invitations, the host would have called and said, "Look, we're celebrating so-and-so's birthday on this date at this restaurant, we would love for you to be there, but given the economy, we're asking people to pitch in and pay for their own dinners and throw in a few bucks to pay for so-and-so's dinner too." More of a personal touch than a "required donation" line on an invitation.
I like potlucks myself.
Really delicious, crispy BAKED onion rings
Ok, trying these asap!
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Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: D'Artagnan Boneless Heritage Ham
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How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
In order to cook like my grandmother, I'm going to need a cauldron, a goat and much, much despair.
Paying for someone else's party?
Tacky and weird, but more because of the delivery than the message. It might have been less tacky and weird if, rather than sending formal invitations, the host would have called and said, "Look, we're celebrating so-and-so's birthday on this date at this restaurant, we would love for you to be there, but given the economy, we're asking people to pitch in and pay for their own dinners and throw in a few bucks to pay for so-and-so's dinner too." More of a personal touch than a "required donation" line on an invitation.
I like potlucks myself.
Really delicious, crispy BAKED onion rings
Ok, trying these asap!
‘Top Chef Masters,’ Ep. 3: Offal on the Street
Seikel, Rick Bayless is a straight up dick? That's a remarkably hostile remark that seems to have no basis in fact.
I wrote about him for a magazine a few years ago, and he was nothing except kind and generous with his time.
Dear Whole Foods,
Dear Whole Foods,
Riddle me this. Why is it that at your store in Monterey, all of your food is wholesome and organic and well prepared, yet most of your shoppers are laden with chemicals and additives, like silicone and botox?
Thanks,
M
Photos from the Hot Dog Hootenanny!
@major lance. Thank God for you. Chicago dogs are sacred and have no resemblance to what's pictured above.
Whole Chicken in a Can Taste Test
You know, I can almost smell what that smells like, because that picture was so traumatizing I'm now hallucinating. I imagine it smells a combination of wet dog and death.
Jenny Hanivers
Can't sleep, Jenny Hanivers gonna get me.
Would You Eat Stinging Nettle?
My neighbor went insane with joy when they appeared this spring at the SF Ferry Building Farmer's Market. She does the pesto thing that @dmarina mentioned, and also throws them into pasta and on pizza.
I've never tried them. I don't think I will either, but I'm dull like that.
S. Pellegrino's 2009 'World's 50 Best Restaurants List' Released
Did Fat Duck ever reopen following its close encounter with norovirus?
Dinner Tonight: Pork Tacos with Poblano and Tomatillo Salsa
Making this tomorrow to go along with the ropas viejas in the crockpot. If I'm lucky, my friend will make a batch of corn tortillas (her job as a child growing up in Guatemala--two dozen every morning before school) and our families can share dinner ...
Alice Waters Agrees with Me: President Obama Needs to Try Some Beets
22 out of 23, bitzie. And she should apologize to Cristeta Comerford while she's at it.
Banning fast food near schools? Your take.
My son's 9th grade psych class is watching and discussing "Supersize Me." We live in an economically and racially diverse city (Berkeley) and my son is in a racially diverse small school at Berkeley High. The teacher asked the kids how many fast food places they passed on the way to school. My son passes one ... we live on the snotty side of town. Most of his classmates pass at least a dozen. I've found that since we moved here, our fast food consumption has trickled to zero (and my kid won't eat it anyway since he watched Supersize Me a few years ago) because it's inaccessible and I'm too lazy to drive to get my Big Mac on. And every once in awhile, I admit--I crave a Big Mac. Like DBCurrie above, the kids at BHS swarm the local mom and pop deli, or the Chinese buffet. Healthy? Eh, probably not the buffet so much. But the mom and pop deli loads their sandwiches with vegetables, so that's a plus.
I had the great good fortune to sit next to Chris Cosentino, chef of San Francisco's Incanto, at a food event last week. Chris is all about the meat, and he says his son (age 4) has already gotten called on the carpet by his preschool teachers for telling his fellow preschoolers what exactly is in that McDonald's bag they brought for their lunch.
Origin of the Term 'Foodie'
I like underpants too, that doesn't make me a Pantie. Does it?
(I stole that from someone, but I'm not sure who.) I hate the term.
The Green Sauce at Sophie's - What is it?
Could it be a tomatillo sauce? More Mexican, I know, but I've often wanted to bathe in it.
Worst cooking experience ever?
@ bonnie--your description is one of the funniest things I've ever read. Pure evil, the meat of Satan. Snort.
Worst cooking experience ever?
Ruined the engagement dinner of a MLB player that my ex-partner and I had been hired to cater by the player's future mother-in-law. My partner had not understood, nor did he convey, that the meal was to arrive fully cooked--I arrived expecting to put things in the oven and have them cook on-site. MIL was pissed, rightfully so, because her guests were kept waiting. And that started the beginning of the end ...
Cook the Book: ''Wichcraft'
Roast turkey, cranberry, stuffing, cheddar, lettuce ... the ultimate Thanksgiving leftover sandwich.
Cook the Book: 'Urban Italian'
Spicy shrimp in tomato sauce ... served with grilled bread.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
Oh for Christ's sake, can the food elite please lay off on the First Family for awhile. Alice and The Gang got their garden, although they failed in their rather dogged attempts to oust Cristeta Comerford from the chef's position in the White House kitchen. (A fact decried by Marian Burros in February's Gourmet. Her exact wording "the Obamas have not accepted (Waters') offer of “kitchen cabinet” advisory services and are not getting rid of their current executive chef" but the installation of the Obama's chef from Chicago, Sam Kass, in a lesser role is seen as "an accomplishment.") I don't want to see chickens or goats or cattle feeding on the White House lawn, and I'm one of those Berkeley nutjobs referenced above.
You live where?
Berkeley, a few blocks from Chez Panisse, but I grew up on the South Side of Chicago.
From Hedge Fund Manager to Pizza Delivery Driver
I had a business fail. I had a business partner walk away from his portion of the financial obligation and I cashed out every penny available to me, took my kids out of private school and changed the way I live to pay off the debt. He's not technically liable for the mortgage if he's being foreclosed upon, which according to the story, he is. It will screw up his credit for the next decade, but he's not liable to pay it.
I've already learned my lesson. But thanks.
From Hedge Fund Manager to Pizza Delivery Driver
They haven't paid their mortgage in two years, according to the segment. Two years. I wish I could live mortgage or rent free for two years as well.
Who Should Be on Reality TV: White, Steingarten, or Ramsay?
Actually, Marco doesn't claim to have made Gordon cry. Marco says Gordon made himself cry. And Marco also had Batali in such a tizzy that Batali stormed out of his kitchen, dropping handfuls of salt into several sauces on his way out.
Serious Eats City Guide: Chicago
also you can check out Flo, Toast, and Over Easy... All do a pretty good job. Have fun!
Serious Eats City Guide: Chicago
Gepperths is a wonderful place owned by wonderful people. Agreed.
My favorite breakfast is Lula Cafe up in Lincoln Square- food is great. service can be touch and go, but if you're out for a slow Sunday brunch, no big deal, have a cocktail, it's the weekend :) expect a wait, and don't be surprised by all of the too cool for themselves hipsters.
Lou Mitchell's is just ok- but gives fresh donuts on the weekend as you wait and milk duds to kids
Serious Eats City Guide: Chicago
Wow Mr. Nagrant you really got some stones thrown at you in the comment section. While I have only lived in Chicago for two years I think your review is really exceptional. The mentioning of pequod's, Al's and GEPPERTHS! I think you really got it down, awesome summary!
Please note indigenous Chicagoans there is no mention of LouMalnatis here. Mostly because its not good.
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
My Grandma Ruby was born in 1903. She taught me the old ways like making egg noodles and fluffy dumplings. She always baked her cornbread in a sizzling hot cast iron skillet for a crunchy dark golden crust. Her green beans cooked forever and were laden with onion and ham hocks. Chicken was fried in bacon grease after being simply dredged in seasoned flour. Pork chops browned next to apples and onions while potatoes fried on the next burner. The biscuits she made were a mile high and equally delicious under gravy or topped homemade jam. The dried apple fried pies she made are still a family favorite today.
Serious Eats City Guide: Chicago
I am looking for a best breakfast place in Chicago . Funkyness encouraged since I am of the Friendly Toast, Portsmouth, NH school.
Dear Whole Foods,
Once you bite into a Great A&P 150th anniversary chocolate chunk cookie, that taste will make you forever foresake Whole Paycheck.
Head on over to any A&P Fresh and rediscover the origins of foodie paradise, great food at fantastic savings.
Can't beat that A&P!!!
What makes you feel better?
ice cream. and chocolate.
preferably a whole gallon of fudge brownie fro yo. :)
Soda vs. Pop vs. Whatever: What Do You Call Cola Drinks?
I am from Sparta,TN. Like most of the South, we called everything "coke" as a generic term, but there was another, even more common term. All soda pops were called "cold drinks" -pronounced "co'dranks." This referred only to soda pop, not to juices or any other, well, cold drinks. I've since lived in South Florida and New York City, where it was "soda," and Illinois, where it is "pop." I usually call it soda, but can never bring myself to call it pop; when I was a kid, everyone made vicious fun of anyone who said "pop" because it marked them as a Yankee (in our eyes- for some reason there was not such a stigma on soda.)
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
My one grandmother's not much of a cook, but a terrific baker. Her pies are amazing.
My other grandmother once cooked the Thanksgiving turkey in a microwave. She's best known for her "party cake," a recipe that does not include a single ingredient not found in a box or a can.
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
@NotAmerican: I had no idea that I help old British people putz around! Thought I was only a car and a German room.
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
Wouldn't Michael Pollan rather agree with a more old fashioned, grandmother-esque style of cooking? Before everything was laced with HFCS, before trans fats, and before you could buy yogurt in a squeezeable tube? Just a thought...
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
Corn flakes, cold cuts and Pepperidge Farms frozen coconut cake.
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
My mom's mother believes in overcooking and under-seasoning, but I was very fond of her stuffed cabbage as a kid. She used to bake, too. It's kind of sad that as she's gotten older, she's stopped cooking almost entirely, despite still having the physical faculties to do so.
My dad's mother paid the housekeeper extra to come in and cook when she had company. But she did stock ice cream and cookies, which my parents never had around. Also, butter, which I don't think has ever seen the inside of my family's house. She let me put it on matzoh, which was even better than ice cream.
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
I loved visiting my father's mother or having her visit us. She would always make our family's version of some Turkish/Sephardic treat:
bimuelos (for breakfast)
montees (not the Turkish lamb dumplings and yogurt, but more like a spinach borekh that's flatter and has more cheese)
biscochos (a flat toroid with the outside edge cut so it flared with sesame seeds on top)
The food was great, but boy, did she use a lot of oil. The walls in her kitchen always had a coating of oil on them. I knew that I was making my own montees properly when I had a small fire in the oven!
My other grandmother was a decent baker, but her sister was a master. I still remember seeing a pie crust recipe in the Times when I was young that called for a little vinegar. She railed against its use in a pie crust--"It should be sweet! Why would you destroy that with vinegar?" and gave me her recipe, which I subsequently lost.
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
I learned everything from my grandmother cause she loved us with food. My grandma could cook anything for any size crowd. She raised my four cousins who were orphans but at least once a week she called my mom and say I'm just making dinner, why don't you all come over -- all six of us and she would just add a few slices of bread to the fried potatoes to make them go a bit further and get another jar out of the cellar of something she canned in the summer and whip up another pie in a flash. She could make a chocolate pie in the 5-10 minutes it took us to get there. I was blessed to grow up in her shadow.
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
me and my grandmother were bff's and all we did was eat and eat when i would spend the weekends with her. pancakes, bacon, cheetos, snicker bars, frozen pizza, apple pie, cookies, creamy soups, grilled cheese, fried fish, root bear floats, popcorn...the list goes on and on. she was an awesome cook and definitely knew how to stock her cupboards with stuff the grandkids loved to eat. after all that food, she just had to asked me, "how much do you weigh now?" grandmothers have a special of telling you that you're chubby.
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
my one grandmother could do just about everything, bake her own bread, make noodles, can fruits and veggies, make pastries, smoke meats.... pretty much because she had to .... but she had a knack for making it all taste so good..... the other grandmother was taught by her sicilian mother in law to make outrageous food .... so both were pretty good cooks....
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
By the way, Erin, your last name is particularly apt for this post...a 'walker' is known in the UK as a 'Zimmer frame'.
How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
My nan used to make mac and cheese with cheese ends and spaghetti. It would melt your soul, it was so good.
She also knew her way with a cast-iron pan and a few handfuls of ground beef. I still remember the smell of those burgers cooking. Always on plain white bread, always with Kraft singles, always delicious.
At the same time, she would make this god-awful thing called 'spaghetti casserole', which was watery spaghetti mixed with tinned tomatoes, canned olives, boiled bacon and velveeta, all over-cooked.
Let's face it, we all probably have one recipe we like that no one else does.
What makes you feel better?
carbs, carbs, carbs, and more carbs....
mmmmmmmmmmmmm
What makes you feel better?
a really good loaf of bread or fruit.
What makes you feel better?
B&J NYsuper fudge chunk or Coffe Heath
or
fried egg sandwich
or
coffee with a generous squirt of caramel sauce and tons of heavy whipping cream
Paying for someone else's party?
I think tacky hardly begin to describe what this charge to the guest could be called. It sounds like someone is trying to make a buck on this affair. I honestly believe the "guest of honor" should be told. I know if someone were giving a party for me and a friend or associate did this, I'd be so embarassed I wouldn't know what to do. Then I'd get mad! I think this person would want to know. What's going to happen is that people eventually are going to hold resentment against the person the party was held for, they're not going to to believe they didn't know about it. I wonder if the honoree finds out about this just how STUPID the hosts are going to feel? I really hope someone tells them off about this, I also hope they have VERY few people show up. Of course they'll wonder why, they appear to be a very dense type.
Paying for someone else's party?
We know a couple who regularly order pay-per-view events (mixed martial arts primarily) and then invite people over to watch. When you get there, they have a jar out for "donations" toward the refreshments and the cost of the pay-per-view. I find this so tacky, I refuse to go with my boyfriend. I agree with others -- if you can't afford to host a party, make it pot luck, or don't host a party.
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Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: D'Artagnan Boneless Heritage Ham
Posted by The Serious Eats Team, December 26, 2008 at 3:00 PM
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About maered
Location: Berkeley
About:
Favorite foods: Cheese, specifically St. Andre; good bread; more cheese; salami; a good green salad with ultra lemony dressing; crisp fries; sweet green grapes. I've rarely met a potato chip I didn't like.
Last bite on earth: A good cheeseburger with caramelized onions.

In order to cook like my grandmother, I'm going to need a cauldron, a goat and much, much despair.