Jujubee's Profile
Least Offensive Cheap Cupcakes
I feel especially sheepish posting this since someone just asked about the best cupcakes, but oh well. My daughter is turning 4 and I am just looking to pick up some cupcakes for her preschool class. As such, I don't really want to spend a lot of money since they won't appreciate it, but I was wondering if any of the local grocery store chains had cupcakes that were marginally less offensive than the other chains' offerings. As you can imagine, I'm not inclined to hold a taste test myself. It doesn't have to be a grocery store; it could be an independent shop (I'm in Bellevue) as well, but price is certainly going to be considered.
Also, before someone suggests this: if i wanted cheap and good, I would normally just bake them myself, but her school doesn't allow home baked goods. Allergies and such.
Family Friendly Sushi
Thanks for suggestion and the warm welcome, barleywino! It's nice to see a familiar name in a new place.
Family Friendly Sushi
We're trying to think of a Japanese restaurant to take the family to for my Dad's birthday. Obviously, good food is important, but I also want a place where both my parents and my preschooler can feel comfortable. Since it's my Dad's birthday, I also want it to be nice, but not in a trendy "scene" type of way. We just moved to Seattle a couple of weeks ago, so I'm not familiar with many places yet. We live in Seattle, my parents are in Issaquah, so anywhere Seattle/Bellevue/Issaquah or thereabouts would be fine. Thanks!
Best sandwich I ever invented
Shrimp or crab, avocado, mayo, and sprouts on whole grain bread. A little briny, a little sweet, and little creamy, and still fresh.
Ann Arbor Wine Store
Does anyone have a recommendation for a really good wine store? I am looking for a place with knowledgeable employees who will chat with you about the meal you plan on serving and offer specific suggestions.
peanut butter substitute
How about chinese Sesame Paste? Unlike tahini, which is untoasted sesame seeds and therefore kind of a pale creamy color, the chinese stuff is toasted first so the color is closer to peanut butter. I've never actually tried it plain, but recipes are always suggesting peanut butter as a substitute for sesame paste (in cold noodle dishes or whatnot) that I thought maybe the substitution would work the other way. You probably want to buy your own sesame seeds and toast and grind them yourself for maximum cross contamination control. Also, if you do it yourself you can add salt and sugar which would probably make it taste more like commercial peanut butter.
Ann Arbor Grocery Shopping
We are moving to Ann Arbor later this summer and I am looking for some advice on the best places for groceries. I have checked out the threads on restaurants and will definitely use some of that advice, but as a young family on a grad student budget we had better do most of our eating at home. So where are the best/freshest/most varied places to shop?
Produce - I would love to find a great place for fresh, appealing, diverse produce. (Right now I am in the Boston area and love Russo's in Watertown if that gives you a frame of reference.) It doesn't necessarily have to be local and/or organic, though that doesn't hurt, of course, and it would be nice if prices were reasonable (again, that pesky grad student budget).
Ethnic Markets - Especially east asian, but I love exploring ethnic markets of all persuasions. Are there ethnic groups that are particularly well-represented in the surrounding areas?
Seafood - Which stores consistently have good looking seafood? It could be a fish market, of course, but it could be an ethnic market or even a tip on which megamart has the highest turnover and, therefore, freshest product.
"Natural" Food - I don't know how to categorize this, but I mean things like maybe whole grain flours, nuts or seeds, or spices, or maybe the type of things that Whole Foods sells in its bulk foods. Really, I'm just looking for a tip on which places are the most popular and have the highest turnover since a lot of these items are prone to rancidity and possibly also pests. That place might very well be Whole Foods, but Ann Arbor seems like it would be a place that might have a popular local alternative.
General Store - Don't flinch, but I do shop at regular supermarkets too. I'm not familiar with which chains you have in the area. (Haven't been out to visit.) Which do you think offer the best ambiance/selection/value/etc? Which do you think are evil?
Thanks very much for any advice and ramblings you many have! I am looking forward to discovering your town.
Ma Po Do Fu
I am not a fan of the ma po tofu at Taiwan Cafe (though I love this place for the taiwanese dishes).
Mulan - eh.
I haven't been to Mulan, so I can't comment on that restaurant in particular. However, a lot of Taiwanese food is kind of bland, especially compared to Sichuanese food. I don't really consider it bland, just more subtlely flavored, but it doesn't have the heat and strong spice that Sichuan food is known for. I remember eating a bowl of noodle soup with my mother (we're Taiwanese, BTW) and she commented that the flavor was subtle, in a Taiwanese style, instead of very strong like more middle-of-the-road chinese restaurants. That said, the food shouldn't be flavorless, I just think it's a level of seasoning that allows the natural flavors of the food itself to come out more. That makes sense, given the abundance of fresh seafood on the island, which could easily be overwhelmed by strong flavors.
Washington Sq. Tavern, Ali's Roti, South End Buttery
I think that the burger at the Washington Square Tavern is ground in-house and that makes a huge difference to me. (I asked a couple years ago; haven't been since I moved from the neighborhood and had a baby.) I'm willing to pay a couple extra bucks for the labor, rather than eat a burger with ground beef from possibly hundreds of cows.
Finding a recipe among your cookbooks
I've actually done this. I type the info for each recipe into Excel because it's easier to drag and drop infomation like cookbook_title, chaper, etc. and then import it all into an MS Access database. In addition to the info you listed, I also put into ID's so I can identify unique recipes, i.e. chocolate cake from two different cookbooks. Also in the database, I keep track of recipes I've tried along with a rating and comments and such and have queries that link up the various tables. Since it's in a database I can search by keywords, ratings, categories, etc. Typing in all this information actually doesn't take very long at all and it is incredibly useful. I couldn't tell by your posting if by database you meant an actual relational database or just a data set kept in Excel, but if you can get someone (either yourself or some data geek) to set up a relational database for you it is much more flexible and much easier to find information.
Your favorite "everyday" recipes
I coat some salmon with hoisin sauce and then broil a few minutes per side until browned and crisp. Serve with steamed rice and a simple vegetable.
My mom mixes up Hellmans mayo (she says it must be Hellmans, not Miracle Whip, not any other brand) with sugar, slathers it over a salmon fillet. Then she bakes in her convection oven (a regular oven would work too I'm sure, just turn up the heat a bit) until the mayo browns all over. We don't actually eat the mayo topping itself, but it keeps the salmon extremely moist, even when well done, and the oil it creates at the bottom of the pan is delicious.
Miso Soup is also quick and easy: take water, add instant dashi powder (or not - the dashi powder makes it better, I think, but miso is so strongly flavored it doesn't matter that much). When the water comes to a boil, add miso to taste (about 2 T per cup, less if you are using dashi) and simmer a bit until the miso dissolves. Add any/all/none of the following, depending on what you have in the house: chopped scallions, small cubed tofu, seaweed. For a simple meal, sometimes I'll add some chunks of fish and serve with some steamed rice. I like to add a scoop of rice into the soup. But most of the time, I make it as a quick accompanyment to round out a meal.
Thai curry is actually very quick and easy, and can be varied infinitely according to the stuff you have on hand. Heat 1 T oil in a big skillet, add 1-2 T of curry paste (depending on brand, they vary in spiciness) and fry for a minute or two until fragrant. Add a can of coconut milk (I use light), a big spoonful of brown sugar (like 1 1/2 T), and about 2 T of fish sauce. Let is simmer together while you slice up a pound or a pound and a half of protein (thinly sliced beef, chicken, pork; peeled shrimp;) or cubed tofu). Add the protein, stir it around to separate the pieces and disperse it evenly in the liquid. Then add a bunch of of veggies, say a pile about the size of a head of cauliflower. You can use anything: snow peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, etc. You can also use asian vegetables from the pantry: bamboo shoots, straw mushrooms, water chestnuts, whatever. Simmer together for about 5 minutes until the veggies are tender and the meat is cooked. Take it off the heat, stir in a big pile (maybe 1/2 cup) of fresh basil and/or fresh mint (or even better, Thai basil, but my local supermarket doesn't carry that) and squeeze in the juice of one lime. Actually the last time I made it I was out of basil and mint and I forgot to squeeze in lime juice. It was still tasty. Serve with lots of rice. It sounds complicated, but it only takes about 1/2 hour. Do it once and you realize it is basically 1) fry curry paste, 2) add curry base, 3) add meat and veggies, 4) simmer, 5) add herbs and lime.
For a really, really simple meal, I take chicken thighs, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, pour on some barbecue sauce (try some of the gourmet brands - I like one made by Butternut Maple Farms that I found at Whole Foods) and bake for until the chicken is done (20 minutes or so for boneless pieces, longer for bone-in).
My default way of cooking vegetables is roasting them. Preheat oven to 425 or so. Chop up vegetable of choice into bite size pieces. Toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil to coat. Roast until caramelized and tender. I do this with cauliflower, green beans, asparagus (or use the broiler), potatoes, carrots, fennel, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic ... almost anything, except for leafy greens. Vary the seasoning with different herbs and spices if you've got them. It takes about 5 minutes to get the vegetables in the oven and then you can ignore them until you are done.
