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The Ten Most Recent Posts By mepolo
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, May 13, 2008 at 8:04 AM
With summer coming, and all the seasonal fruits coming soon...it's becoming pie baking time. Let's have a pie baking contest! What kind of pie are you bringing to the table? Do you use a traditional recipe, or do you put your own spin on it? Where did your recipe come from? Are you willing to share the recipe? Please do!
I'm not a big pie baker...guess I've always been intimidated by pie crust ever since I watched my sister try to make it when I was a kid, and she spent the entire time cursing at the dough because it kept falling apart on her. Flash forward 30 years or so...and I still don't make pie crust....I often rely on Pillsbury....or ask someone else to bring the pies!
For the contest though, I'll be making the traditional dutch apple pie with a crumb crust....my husband's favorite. I will splurge & make homemade vanilla bean ice cream to go with it though.
What about you?
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, May 8, 2008 at 8:14 AM
Which do you prefer?
I'm a Top Chef fan myself...although I do watch Hell's Kitchen too. I like the food porn in Top Chef better! It's great to get inspiration from the chefs on the show.
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, April 29, 2008 at 8:14 AM
Good morning all!
On Sunday I smoked a brisket using my gas grill....it was a small one, about 2 1/2lbs, and I had some issues during the process (ran out of propane - grill got too hot at one point). I did cook it using indirect heat for about 3 hrs, and kept the grill about 250 degrees...although at one point it did get up to 400 degrees (right after changing the propane tank).
As I was cutting the brisket Sunday I noticed it was a bit tougher than it should be. The flavor is great though....nice & smokey...with a good crust.
I'm serving it tonight, and was thinking of reheating it in a covered pan in the oven w/some beef broth. Do you think this will slow cook it longer to achieve the tenderness I desire?
I should have known better not to cook a brisket when I couldn't tend to it better...I got busy in the yard and neglected it too much I think!
Thanks!
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, April 26, 2008 at 4:59 PM
The introduction post that turned into a party got me thinking about upcoming summer parties, and the drinks that accompany them.
I host an annual chicken bbq on July 3rd....and one of the enduring favorites are jello shots. (So much so that I have to make non-alcohalic jello shots for the non drinkers...they were beginning to feel left out!)
Some of my favorite combinations are:
lime jello & tequila - Margarita jello shot
pineapple jello & rum
strawberry jello & rum - Strawberry Daquiri jello shot
I usually do a berry jello w/vodka too, but found the Pina Colada jello that came out last summer just didn't taste right w/rum as a shot...maybe it was me....
What I am lacking in though, is a really good cocktail that is fruity, but not too sweet. I'm not a fan of cranberry though.
What are your favorite summer time cocktails? Let's get ready for our parties......and happy hour!
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, April 15, 2008 at 8:07 AM
An exchange between Perky & I got me to thinking about one bit of information that is sometimes easy to share here, and sometimes difficult. What is your "cooking level"? Are you an advanced cook....a beginner? Do you cook mainly at home or is it your profession as well?
Personally I am a home cook, and consider myself somewhat advanced....
I am willing to try new recipes & ingredients, and usually make something new a couple times a week. I still have some techniques I'd like to try....but I do try to absorb everything my brain comes across. I did cook 'professionally' for about 11 years...starting as a short order cook when I was 14, culminating in a year of restaurant management when I was 25. I'm 43 now...and have spent the past 18 years as a cube dweller!
What about you?
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, April 14, 2008 at 9:07 AM
Good morning everyone!
I need alittle assistance lowering the sodium in one of my favorite recipes passed down from my Nana.
The basic recipe calls for thinly sliced potatoes, onion soup mix, & butter....layering potato, soup mix, then butter into a 2 qt dish until full...then baking. When I make the dish now, I also add some grated cheddar cheese to add some extra gooey,yumminess (yes...I swear yuminess is a word! lol)
I began making the dish Sat. night & discovered I was out of soup mix, so I improvised using beef base in a small amount of water, and dehydrated onions. (I use dehydrated because the flavor is stronger in some dishes).
I thought by using the beef base it would bring down the sodium....but it was still salty.
Any thoughts on how to get that great beefy flavor into my potato dish without all the salt?
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, March 6, 2008 at 10:41 PM
NuJoi's comment to my transitional cooking question, mentioning a soup & sandwich kick, got me thinking about my own recent ice cream kick...I've been firing up the ice cream maker & making at least a batch a week for the past month...including vanilla bean, chocolate w/reeses chunks, and some killer maple ice cream using some great local grade b syrup. What kind of kick have you been on lately?
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, March 5, 2008 at 6:28 PM
Now that spring is just around the corner, I'm losing interest in cooking heavy winter dishes, but it's just alittle too early for spring peas & asparagus in WNY....what are you cooking during this transitional time of year?
btw...tonight for me it's Shepard's Pie...nice warm winter dish...huh? We just had a nice wintery ice storm here...today it's necessary! lol
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, March 5, 2008 at 6:16 PM
I'm not a chain restaurant fan, but my sister wants to go to The Melting Pot this week-end for her b'day.
Has anyone been there, and what are your thoughts?
I tried looking online for reviews, and all I found were newspaper reviews (which I tend not to always trust)....and badly written reviews from people who seem to enjoy the chains.
I just want to know what I'm in for when I get there! lol
From Talk
Posted by mepolo, February 26, 2008 at 1:14 PM
Just checked my e-mail, and I finally got my recipe to test from Cook's Illustrated.....it's for No Roll Pizza Bianca. Of course it comes before a week-end I'm going camping....and they want the review by Monday. Guess I'll conquer this tonight....guess what I'm having for dinner! lol
I know some others got their recipe to test....how did it turn out?
The Ten Most Recent Comments By mepolo
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Location: Angola, NY (near Buffalo)
About: Cubicle dweller who is obsessed with food.....married to a man who could care less about food, but loves & tolerates me anyway. Luckily I trained my daughter right! ;-)
Favorite foods: See my last bite on earth.... :-)
Last bite on earth: Delmonico steak - grilled rare with just a touch of salt & pepper. Garlic roasted russet potatoes - nice & crispy on the outside, soft & creamy on the inside! The best vanilla ice cream in the world to finish.