uninorth’s Profile
Recent Comments
Cook the Book: 'Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes'
Agghh...I have to revert back to the Californian in me and say that my all time favorite is how In 'n Out prepares their burgers. If you hand me a burger with a soft bun with a nice crisp grilled touch, crunchy lettuce leaves, a thick juicy tomato, and hearty onion slices, I'll be golden. Drizzle it with maybe a sriracha ranch type of dressing, and I'll be even happier!
The Greek Non-Breakfast
Erin, I just got back from Greece last week, and you're right about the coffee and cigarettes. Some of the hotels we stayed at gave us breakfast, and we joked that our breakfast (even the sparse looking toast with jam and juice) was a bigger breakfast than over half the Greek population's. For one breakfast though, we splurged on some amazing Greek pastries and fresh squeezed OJ. Also, enjoy the fact that 90% of the restaurants you see there will be traditional Greek. No other ethnic cuisine from other countries. It boggles my mind when some travel guides (*coughfrommerscough*) will suggest Mexican, Italian, and Japanese restaurants. Wander the back streets for the local, non-touristy restaurants when you can and get seafood if you're by the ocean. Fresh caught fish is the best, but read the menu carefully - the restaurants are fairly nice about informing you if their seafood (mostly the cephalopods) are not fresh, but frozen. Enjoy some horiatiki and tzatziki for me, I miss it too much already!
How to Politely Take Food Photos in Restaurants
I'm surprised by the handful of commenters who still insist on using flash for their photography. Especially the person who said it makes it better for greasy food. Wouldn't that just come out worse as a glossy glean of white? Flash is one of my biggest pet peeves about food photography because it just gives the rest of polite food photographers a bad rap.
With my point and shoot, I've alternated between digital macro and auto shots for close and entire plate shots. If anyone is using flash for the reason of getting blurry photos, realize that you're at a table. Glue your elbows, or your forearms to the side of the table for your tripod and get more practice in. Most point and shoots are already equipped for higher ISO sensitivities and (if you dare fiddle) exposure settings and mine is 3 years old!
See more comments by uninorth »
Recent Posts
See more posts by uninorth »
Recent Favorites
uninorth hasn't favorited a post yet.
Recent Polls
uninorth hasn't answered any polls yet.
Recent Quizzes
uninorth hasn't taken any quizzes yet.
Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
Most of time when I bake, something goes wrong. The cake batter boils all over the oven...the glaze is not solid enough and is just super-soaked cupcakes...the cupcakes fall in...etc.
But I made strawberry filled cream puffs because of the opening day of strawberry season here in Maine, and no problems arose! Success!
Cook the Book: 'Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries & Shakes'
Agghh...I have to revert back to the Californian in me and say that my all time favorite is how In 'n Out prepares their burgers. If you hand me a burger with a soft bun with a nice crisp grilled touch, crunchy lettuce leaves, a thick juicy tomato, and hearty onion slices, I'll be golden. Drizzle it with maybe a sriracha ranch type of dressing, and I'll be even happier!
The Greek Non-Breakfast
Erin, I just got back from Greece last week, and you're right about the coffee and cigarettes. Some of the hotels we stayed at gave us breakfast, and we joked that our breakfast (even the sparse looking toast with jam and juice) was a bigger breakfast than over half the Greek population's. For one breakfast though, we splurged on some amazing Greek pastries and fresh squeezed OJ. Also, enjoy the fact that 90% of the restaurants you see there will be traditional Greek. No other ethnic cuisine from other countries. It boggles my mind when some travel guides (*coughfrommerscough*) will suggest Mexican, Italian, and Japanese restaurants. Wander the back streets for the local, non-touristy restaurants when you can and get seafood if you're by the ocean. Fresh caught fish is the best, but read the menu carefully - the restaurants are fairly nice about informing you if their seafood (mostly the cephalopods) are not fresh, but frozen. Enjoy some horiatiki and tzatziki for me, I miss it too much already!
How to Politely Take Food Photos in Restaurants
I'm surprised by the handful of commenters who still insist on using flash for their photography. Especially the person who said it makes it better for greasy food. Wouldn't that just come out worse as a glossy glean of white? Flash is one of my biggest pet peeves about food photography because it just gives the rest of polite food photographers a bad rap.
With my point and shoot, I've alternated between digital macro and auto shots for close and entire plate shots. If anyone is using flash for the reason of getting blurry photos, realize that you're at a table. Glue your elbows, or your forearms to the side of the table for your tripod and get more practice in. Most point and shoots are already equipped for higher ISO sensitivities and (if you dare fiddle) exposure settings and mine is 3 years old!
Cook the Book: 'L.A.'s Original Farmers Market Cookbook'
At Portland, ME's Farmer's Market, there's a farm run by these two gentlemen who have amazing produce, both fruits and vegetables, but what makes them stand out from the rest is that they also make their own preserves and pickled vegetables. Their hot garlic sour pickles just can't be avoided, they must be eaten!
Cook the Book: 'Endangered Recipes' by Lari Robling
I guess frying those prawn chips with my mom was always a fond memory. I always loved how you could bite into one and the chip would get stuck in your mouth.
Cook the Book: Eugenia Bone's 'Well-Preserved'
tomatoes and cucumbers would probably what i'd like to start canning
Cook the Book: 'Bottega Favorita' by Frank Stitt
Either a spicy creamy shrimp penne or a basic spaghetti with homemade sauce of mushrooms, onions, and ground beef.
Cook the Book: 'Serious Barbecue' by Adam Perry Lang
A good chicken tandoori!
Cook the Book: 'Real Cajun'
Frying batter-covered sticky sweet cakes for Chinese New Year's with my mom. She always let me do the fun part, which was to turn over the slices in the frying pot and pick them out when they were done.
Cook the Book: 'The Asian Grill'
At the last bbq party we had at our friend's house, a bunch of us were plopping corn and meat patties and what have you onto the grill. Somebody also put on a couple veggie burger patties for our vegetarian of the group. About 10 minutes later, someone stopped to nudge the stuff around a bit and remarked, "Hey...why is the plastic still on the veggie patties?" We're still not sure what the ratio of melted plastic to veggie patty was that day.
What Do You Put on Your Biscuit?
I usually end up eating biscuits plain (or to sop up gravy or sauce from a plate). But I do notice that when I get biscuits on a rare fast food craving for KFC, I'll split it in half. One is to spread it with mashed potatoes and gravy, the other is covered with honey. How odd of me.
You live where?
@sammie, there's only 2 of us in the Portland, ME area it seems! I guess we're just going to have to represent Portland's budding foodie community ourselves!
Cook the Book: ''Wichcraft'
mm...a really nice turkey melt with some delicious provolone and heirloom tomatoes..
Cook the Book: 'Beyond the Great Wall'
On my last trip to Taiwan, we paired the trip with a couple days touring around Japan. That was amazing with all the different kinds of Japanese food we had. I still remember making that stop and making our own tempura to fry individually.
There Are Already CSAs and Cow Shares, Why Not Fish?
Yay, go Maine! I wish I didn't live so far away from Rockland, but we do have some great seafood options all along Commercial St. here in Portland.
What Do You Like to Read When Eating Solo?
I'd agree with you about bringing in the fiction, putting away the news. Scrolling through a PDA for latest NY Times articles always made me tenser and "seriousfaced." Ironically, one of Portland's magazine's did a news article earlier this year on the merits of eating alone:
Cook the Book: 'Kneadlessly Simple'
sourdough...i can't get enough of it.
Cook the Book: 'On the Line'
a foil pouch on the grill or baked in the oven with a chili-miso marinade, quite tasty. =D
Healthy & Delicious: White Chicken Chili
Quite delicious. My friend and I made it last Wednesday because she was recovering from the flu and this recipe happened to come along the day before our weekly cooking nights!
Cook the Book: 'Almost Meatless'
My soups! Miso soup doesn't really need meat, but if you drop in a fish head, it gives it a really nice flavor (you usually don't eat at the head, although my mom sure loves to pick at it). And hot and sour soup is one that really doesn't need any meat to it. The vinegar, mushrooms, and green onions do such a good job with packing flavor that the thin strips of pork or chicken that people usually see in restaurants, don't really do much...
Cook the Book: The Essence of Chocolate
I remember when a boy tried to convince me that flourless chocolate torte was the most amazing thing ever...but honestly, it was a bit much. Plus, he didn't eat a bite...I had to finish a whole torte by myself! I think I'll stick with a simpler french silk pie any day. Give me a flourless chocolate torte every 5 years, maybe?
Cook the Book: 'Osteria'
Chinese curry, but not before drinking some of the soup before converting it curry. My mom would always let me sneak a bowl of the delicious soup, and now I find myself giving myself a generous taste before I change it from a soup to a curry. =P
Restaurant Crawl Tips in Philly's Queen Village 'Hood
I'm quite sad to see that no one's responded to this at all. I'll be doing this on Friday when I fly in to see my boyfriend!
Mark Bittman's Savory Oatmeal with Scallions and Soy Sauce
It's just like how my college roommate would get grits from the dining hall for breakfast, and put soy sauce and a fried egg on top. It was a weird marriage of the South and Asia.
Speaking of congee, I think I will make some!
What Do You Put on Your Biscuit?
I realize this is an old topic but I had to comment. Before I fell victim to a most unpleasant allergy to tomatoes I always enjoyed tomato gravy and biscuits. Now its butter and maple syrup. I also have to agree with many of ya'll....a good plain biscuit is its own type of heaven.
Mark Bittman's Savory Oatmeal with Scallions and Soy Sauce
I just found this Blog. Great ideas. I would skip the meats, bacon, regular sour cream, etc. since I am trying to lower my cholesterol. Thanks.
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish: Yea or Nay?
I haven't had one in decades but just to keep this sandwich going, I will go there and have them.
Healthy & Delicious: White Chicken Chili
I realize this post is a bit old, It seems to me that turkey could make a reasonable substitution for the chicken. I've got some leftover turkey that I roasted in my BBQ sitting in the freezer. Anybody have any input before I try it and possibly ruin it? Thanks!
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish: Yea or Nay?
They're tastey but they're like 700 calories each!!!!!!
The Greek Non-Breakfast
When I lived in Thessaloniki, I was always surprised at the number of burly men waiting in line at my bakery with me who'd buy a "pita" pastry (often apple) and wash it down with a giant box of "Milko" chocolate milk. What I'd give for a Milko! I love your photos & commentary, thanks for bringing back fond memories!
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
Thank you for participating, and congratulations to our winners:
kevlney
Sigilum
firni
merstar
_greenbean
Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page.
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
dropping the entire casserole on the oven door
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
I made walnut brownies with walnuts that had secretly gone bad...it was a giant inedible pan of musty, nasty brownies. Sick and so, so sad.
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
As a kid, my best friend and I made sugar cookies. She read the ingredients as I incorporated them. She read off 1/4 cup of salt, I then asked her if she read that right because that was a lot of salt. She insisted she was correct and I added that amount in. Once the cookies had baked, we couldn;t wait to try them, we each took a bite and spit them out. She was wrong, it was 1/4 tsp salt!
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
My most triumphant baking success was making brownies for my friend.
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
My biggest success was baking my husband's favorite pie, a Lemon Meringue Pie. garrettsambo@aol.com
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
no disasters but I haven't tried to make anything that seems too complicated for me, I guess the triumph would have to be making pound cakes, just because I had to make them with a hand mixer
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
My most disasterous was when I was about 8 or 9, I deceided to make my mother a surprise cake. I got up about 4 in the morning and decided to make of all things a chiffon cake. Well it calls for lots of eggs and etc. When that cake came out it was flat as a pancake and I cried and cried, but my mother said it was the thought that counted, but she was not happy I had used so many eggs.
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
My greatest success was the first time I made bread. I was inspired by a retired pro-wrestler (yeah, a "wrassler") interviewed in the student newspaper. He baked bread, read classic literature and was a tour guide at the local zoo. If he could do it, I could do it. And it did.
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
Oh, just pick me, I always enter and never win, but this book I REALLY want. I now live in the south (KY) and really need to show up my next door neighbor, she's just a little too cocky about her pies. And I'm telling you, they aren't that good. This old lady needs to be taken down a couple of notches!
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
I made an apple pie in college from apples grown on my parent's farm for a girlfriend. It came out quite well.
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
My baking disaster was the time I made a red velvet cake and forgot to put in the baking powder. I ended up with a 1/2 inch thick red, tough cake. It didn't taste bad, but the texture was horrible.
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
My greatest baking success is finally learning how to make my great grandmother's pie crust using her method. It took me awhile, and I had a few of my greatest disasters during the process (including a pie crust that literally disintegrated and became part of the filling), but I've finally gotten the feel for it. I hope it makes her proud.
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
Success: Three layer chocolate wedding cake
Catastrophe: Three layer chocolate wedding cake that fell over...
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
My own personal success was making a devil food cake once. Turned outlywonderful
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
In college, I made my own chocolate ganache cake. Definitely a big success for someone who never baked!
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
My biggest success is turning the dial to preheat the oven for someone else in the family who is baking!
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
My greates baking success was making about 12 full loves of pumpkin bread from scratch for family as gifts at Thanksgiving time! They turned out delicious too! =)
MovieMomma@gmail.com
Cook the Book: 'Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies'
I have an old Hershey's cookbook that produces marvelous results every time. I make a great chocolate cake with a little strong, black coffee added for flavor.
Recent Posts
Recent Favorites
uninorth hasn't favorited a post yet.
Polls
uninorth hasn't answered any polls yet.
Quizzes
uninorth hasn't taken any quizzes yet.

Most of time when I bake, something goes wrong. The cake batter boils all over the oven...the glaze is not solid enough and is just super-soaked cupcakes...the cupcakes fall in...etc.
But I made strawberry filled cream puffs because of the opening day of strawberry season here in Maine, and no problems arose! Success!