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From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

Mmm.... Popeye's..... Of course, I havn't had some since I was pregnant and couldn't care less about eating an entire days worth of calories in one sitting. Their red-beans and rice... I have no idea what the heck they use in that (I suspect it involves lard and lots of it), but that is some good fast food.

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

I make a watermelon salad with cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, red onion, lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. It's very yummy in the summertime and so easy!

From Talk

Do you scoop your bagels?

Yes, I have done it. But it's almost always at a function or some other situation where I didn't order breakfast - the tray of bagels was already there and the other option was pastries. Oh, and most ppl who scoop out a bagel only eat a half as it is.

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Recent Comments | Response to Comments

From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

Mmm.... Popeye's..... Of course, I havn't had some since I was pregnant and couldn't care less about eating an entire days worth of calories in one sitting. Their red-beans and rice... I have no idea what the heck they use in that (I suspect it involves lard and lots of it), but that is some good fast food.

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

I make a watermelon salad with cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, red onion, lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. It's very yummy in the summertime and so easy!

From Talk

Do you scoop your bagels?

Yes, I have done it. But it's almost always at a function or some other situation where I didn't order breakfast - the tray of bagels was already there and the other option was pastries. Oh, and most ppl who scoop out a bagel only eat a half as it is.

From Serious Eats

An Homage to Kimchi

Truer words have never been spoken - you're talking to a person who ate kimchi bap (with kochujang thrown in for good measure) as a snack age 4. And let's not forget the ultimate Korean fusion meal - spaghetti served with kimchi. :P

My kimchi, however, happily resides inside my regular refrigerator thanks to my Sharper Image refrigerator deodorizer. I could have an open container of over ripe oyster kimchi next to a cheesecake and I swear the cheesecake would not smell. It's amazing!

From Talk

What does one bring to a shivah?

I am not Jewish and went to my first shivah this past winter. I brought cherry, walnut and chocolate rugulach (on Epicurious) and although there was a ton of food there (catered), it was aprreciated. My friends are not very observant at all, so I don't know how that would have gone over at a more orthodox house.

From Talk

If Obama and McCain were food... What food would they be?

Obama: an arugula salad with heirloom tomatoes (locally grown and organic, naturally), fresh figs, goat cheese and lemon-pepper dressing.

McCain: beef jerky

From Talk

Anatomy of a philly cheesesteak?

I agree - JerzeeTomato is spot on. No one mentioned the hoagie roll, which IMO has been a deal breaker for me when trying to get a cheesesteak outside of Philly. Ppl can get the meat and fillings right, but the bread never tastes the same.

From Talk

Favorite summer food- now and from childhood?

Nothing is more evocative of lazy hot summer days from my childhood than juicy sweet peaches and big tomatoes from our garden (other than knee high athletic socks, short shorts and tube tops). I loved having tomato sandwiches still hot from the sun - I always felt like Harriet the Spy.

Today, I'd say anything grilled. And water ice ... mmmm ... lemon peel ....

From Talk

Father's Day, post matinee after Spamalot (44th street)

I know this a total cop-out answer, but it's my standard answer for whenever anyone asks me where to eat after seeing a show in the city. Walk out of the theater and keep walking until you find a resturant that looks good and fits your price range. There are more great resturants in NYC than the entire state of Kansas (ok, Kansans, not a diss on the state, just using hyperbole for humor), so you're bound to find something quickly. One little thing - mid-town is my least favorite place to eat in Manhattan.

From Talk

Food to gain weight on

Remember Charlize Theron gained 50 pounds for Monster? One word: doughnuts.

From Talk

Herb Garden

No, it's not too late - just buy them at a nursery. I suppose it depends on what you cook, but I think basil, chives, oregano, thyme and rosemary are great basics for an herb garden. Maybe some mint too - just keep an eye on it. It will take over your garden. And the best part is everything I listed (except the basil) are perennials and will come back year after year (depending on your location).

From Talk

How do you eat your hot dogs?

We just had this for dinner: grilled Nathan's hot dog on a soft bun with ketchup AND yellow mustard.

From Talk

My favorite grilled food is ____

I'd have to say kalbi - Korean beef short ribs. Mmmmm......

From Recipes

Time for a Drink: Presbyterian

I guess a drink like this was predestined to come along.

From Talk

Ah the ignorance of youth...strange food beliefs as a child...

Growing up Korean-American, I never knew identity of the majority of the foods I ate until I was a teenager or older. So those rubber-band looking thingies I ate in cucumber salad? Jellyfish. The soup my mom made on my birthday (even though I didn't really care for it)? Seaweed. That meat fried in egg that looked suspiciously like Spam? Oh wait - that was spam. (Koreans do love their Spam).

From Talk

Kitchen Garden

I grow lettuces, peas, broccoli, Korean parilla, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers (sweet and hot), cherry and heirloom tomatoes. I also have an herb garden with oregano, thyme, basil, chives and rosemary.

From Talk

brocolli with Korean BBQ ribs?

Why not serve it Korean style, steamed with Korean red pepper paste (gochu jang), crushed garlic, some sugar, sesame seed oil, chopped scallions, crushed sesame seeds and dash of vinegar?

From Talk

MOST favorite cookbook in collection

Hmm... I'd have to say Martha Stewart's Cookbook, although Joy of Cooking comes is close second.

From Serious Eats: New York

Off the Beaten Path: Mother's Day Guinea Pig

Gee, is this where all the guinea pigs on Craigs List end up?

From Talk

What is more of a 'deal breaker'--food or books?

As a former English major and self-professed foodie - I have to say my deal breaker is food. I once broke up with a guy because he didn't drink hot beverages. You can go a whole marriage without ever discussing James Joyce's Ulysses, but you can't go a whole marrieage with a man who puts ketchup on his eggs and thinks twinkies are pastries.

From Talk

starting a food blog ........

I also like "A Butcher's Blog" the best, but if you go w/"The Butcher's Block", how about "On the Butcher's Block"?

From Recipes

Dinner Tonight: Ramps with Linguine

I agree with your inital comments - what's with this inexplicable trend of every food blog featuring a glorified scallion? I've grown up eating ramps (only recently learning the English name) and I am scratching my head at the fuss. So I didn't quite get a real sense of whether you liked ramps or not. I personally treat it as I would leeks or scallions - to flavor a dish, but not as the star attraction. It's a bit too strong and bitter for top billing IMO.

From Talk

MOST favorite cookbook in collection

Hands down, my favorite cookbook of all time is Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. It is brilliant, completely useful in everyday life and with one single exeption (the pear cake thing) every thing I've made from it has come out great. And I've made almost everything in it over the years. It is what I give new brides. It is what I give the young people I know who are starting out on their own.

From Talk

MOST favorite cookbook in collection

If you're conserving "real estate" in your home, here are a few suggestions...

Baking With Julia

Joy of Cooking

Martha Stewart's Cooking School

I'd also get books of your favorite ethnicities. They round out a cookbook collection nicely.

Bottom line - get books you'll USE. I love baking bread and have several books on the subject but if you're not interested in baking bread, skip it. I like Italian baking as well and have books by Nick Malgeri on the subject. (Baking w/Julia is an "all around" baking book it has a little bit of everything from some of the brilliant minds in baking.)

You might visit a library and/or bookstore and thumb through some to get an idea if you'll like them. Don't forget to visit USED book sites. Some things strike readers as "out of my league" so they bail and sell the book with nary a splat of olive oil on it. I beefed up my cookbook collection via used book sites.

Happy shopping!

From Talk

MOST favorite cookbook in collection

Kenny Shopsin's Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin, hands down. Really changed how I think about cooking.

From Talk

MOST favorite cookbook in collection

I would have to say Professional Cooking...the massive amount of info in it is amazing! lots of step by step pictires and detail instructions. Although you have to know some professional terminology to use it. Measurements both in metric and u.s.

From Talk

How do you eat your hot dogs?

Fewteeth.. I know you are probably long gone from here, but I'll ask anyway. What exactly is a "sewer beetle?" Something you invented?

From Serious Eats: New York

Off the Beaten Path: Mother's Day Guinea Pig

I've seen frozen cuy for sale at my local Hispanic food grocery store. They keep a freezer full of Central American products and cuy is always in stock. Even frozen and unprepared, they're $19.99 a pop.
The look of horror in the poor animals frozen face is enough to make me lose sleep for a couple of hours.

From Recipes

Time for a Drink: Presbyterian

A bartender's secret to these is to add a dash or two of Angostura Bitters ... the bitters rounds out the drink a bit and unifies the base ingredients.

From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

Ok. You've made me want to do it. I live 5-10 minutes away from a Popeye's. I've never eaten there, but have always wondered. I will have to try it out...

From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

For maximum enjoyment, you should try making a carmel biscuit w/ a Popeye's delicious buttery biscuit. It's exactly what it sounds like and is completely disgusting and awesome.

From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

I'm telling you, there's like 3-5 Cracker Barrels on Jersey Turnpike, totally yummy and better than fast food by miles :)

From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

If you're lucky enough to get to a good Popeye's, it's OK, but the one nearest me has overcooked the chicken on every visit, and my one experience with their onion rings was an opportunity to discover what the outside of the onion...the part you normally throw away...tastes like battered and deep-fried.

From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

onespicymama said -- Their red-beans and rice... I have no idea what the heck they use in that (I suspect it involves lard and lots of it)
--------------------------------
Cured pork fat, seasoned with brown sugar and natural smoke flavors. :)

From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

No_Pam, where in Philly is there a Popeye's?!?! I moved here a couple years ago, and have yet to find the joy that is Popeye's in the city of brotherly love!!!

I remember that as a child Roy Rogers was one of the only fast food joints that were "good quality" (as if there is such a thing when it comes to true fast food joints). But, I recently made the same mistake and had some Roy Rogers fried chicken on the NJ turnpike!!! Yeah, that was a pretty traumatic experience!!

From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

The guy who does topsecretrecipes.com cloned the RBR using 1/4 C. pork fat. Them are good beans, but for that occasional treat of fried chicken, nothing beats the big, juicy and hot pieces at Church's in Texas. You need to try it again, Cassaendra. What baffles me is that KFC stays in business. They offer the worst fast food in any category in my opinion.

From Serious Eats

When on the Jersey Turnpike, Eat at Popeyes

I've had terrific Roy Rogers fried chicken but it probably went downhill after Hardee's bought them out.

Popeye's can be great or not so good, in my experience they tend to hire very unenthusiastic employees.

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

@brooke29: You were so right. It's gooooooood. And I will try it with mint next time.

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

@Susquehanna - I told you I didn't remember any slime:-)

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

Watermelon and feta. Yum!

I didn't us the recipe above, but I got a 2"x2"x1" piece of cold feta (patted dry) and placed in the middle of a small dish. I covered it with six cold 1"x1"x1" pieces of watermelon, sprinkled a handful of tart wild blackberries around (picked yesterday) and added a grind of black pepper.

No slime. No wretching. Just surprise and enjoyment.

@Butrflygrily: I dislike a lot of blue cheeses, so I'm probably with Gail regarding Sam's dessert. Seriously, you might like watermelon and feta. I was a little scared of the combo, too! A little courage paid off.

From Talk

Do you scoop your bagels?

i agree with sloppy -- i don't have a problem with people trying to be calorie conscious, it just seems a little wasteful to me to order a bagel and have the clerk scoop all of the inside from it, leaving just the crust. if you're using the pizza analogy, it's like ordering a slice of pizza and having the clerk throw away all of it EXCEPT the crust.

but on the other hand, hey, if some places offer it, that's their prerogative. just because you buy a bagel doesn't mean you should be forced to eat all of it! who am i to tell anyone how or how not to eat the bagel they purchased?

From Talk

Do you scoop your bagels?

Of course!!! That way you have more room to load it up with cream cheese and/or tons of lox!

http://www.someonespoilme.com

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

Not gonna try it. I am a watermelon purist.

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

I am afraid to try any type of Watermelon Salad. Not goin to lie. I blame Sam from Top Chef...Anyone see that episode where he made that Blue Cheese and Watermelon thing? It looked gross and the judges said it was awful (I believe Gail said it made her nauseous). But, maybe I should give an exception...I do love Watermelon and have both on hand....

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

I add watermelon to my grandmother's radish salad recipe, and it is delicious. Just thinly sliced radishes, thinly sliced onion, diced fresh tomato, salt, minced garlic, pepper, finely chopped fresh basil, lemon juice, safflower oil
and a little parsley. I think I'm going to make some today!

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

There is a Mexican dish with chunks of mango, watermelon, cucumber, jicama, and pineapple. You add red chile powder and lime juice as I remember it. Does anyone know the name? I had it once at an informal Mexican wedding reception. Someone said you can get it on the street in Los Angeles. It tasted great on a very hot evening.

From Talk

Savory Watermelon Salad?

Sounds good to me. You might want to try a dry feta instead of one packed with liquid. Might cut down on the slime factor, or leave the feta out. I like to make fruit salsas and it is very good when made with watermelon. Just make sure to serve cold.

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Website: http://abeautifulmosaic.wordpress.com/

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