Crazy chili

We usually add sweet potatoes and frozen corn near the end of the simmering period (some folks mentioned those already), but also chopped broccoli (or serve finished chili over steamed broccoli florets). We're also partial to several good shots of chili sauce and/or ketchup, and, if we're the only ones eating it, as much as a jar of Trader Joe's Habanero Lime salsa :)

ecd in Home Cooking

Simple things you can't get right

Stirred custard (eggs, milk and sugar)--have NEVER been able to judge "till it coats a spoon" properly, and end up with a curdy mess...

ecd in Home Cooking

Do we dare go to The Reef in Long Beach???

We were given a generous gift certificate to The Reef in Long Beach. As we tend to favor ethnic and budget meals, we've never eaten there. We're thinking of using up the cert by taking friends out for a Saturday night birthday celeb, but reviews on Yelp and elsewhere vary from ho-hum to stay away. Are we risking the friendship, or can anyone make any suggestions about what to order or avoid?

Thanks!

ecd in Los Angeles Area

Suggestions for super picky adult eater in Murray Hill...

Desperate call from dear husband in NYC on father-son vacation with my grown stepson.

This kid would never have survived his childhood without boatloads of KD. Now that he's in his 30s and on his own, I hoped he'd be up for something a little more adventurous, but ...no Asian, no curry, no Mex, nothing spicy, in a word, nothing interesting.
Right now, they're trudging up and down Lexington in the rain while the kid nixes every possibility :(

Can anyone recommend a few good comfort food, North American standard food kinds of restaurants around Murray Hill so my DH won't die of boredom and his son won't starve? (yeah, there's a whole dynamic going on there, but we can't deal with that right now....that's why I'm safely at home :)

ecd in Manhattan

Non-messy, quiet, yummy finger food or appetizers, and non-alcoholic punch recipes...

I'd like to tap the common wisdom here...I frequently hold meetings of an amateur musical group in my home--picture as many as 25 adults seated in a home living room listening to each other perform classical music for a couple of hours :) As our meetings begin mid-afternoon and end late afternoon, we celebrate with a buffet dinner--that I can handle. However, people get thirsty and hungry before dinner, so I make a large bowl of light fruit punch for self-serve during the afternoon, and have been putting out grapes, strawberries and nuts for people to snack on throughout the musical part of the PM. Another member served small tomato and bononcini skewers at her meeting, so I'm now trying to come up with some new ideas that aren't a lot of trouble. Whatever is eaten shouldn't require more than a cocktail napkin and shouldn't drip, drop crumbs or make a racket when chewed (so crudites aren't ideal).

I'd really appreciate any inspirations you might have for appealing snacks or a nifty punch.

ecd in Home Cooking

Palos Verdes Peninsula evening drive - where to eat afterwards?

Thanks for all the good tips, everyone! Just wondering: has anyone eaten at Saluzzi Italian restaurant
(in Golden Cove Plaza at PV Drive & Hawthorne)?

-----
Saluzzi
31206 Palos Verdes Dr W, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

ecd in Los Angeles Area

Palos Verdes Peninsula evening drive - where to eat afterwards?

A friend from Vancouver, B.C. will be visiting LA for the first time ever and staying with us in Long Beach for three days. Our plan for Sat. evening is a sunset drive around the PV peninsula. Any recommendations for dinner? A view would be great, but not essential; a $$$$ price is OK only if the food is dazzling :)

ecd in Los Angeles Area

Ghirardelli Brownie Mix

Stir a generous half a cup of Trader Joe's Super Cranberry & Pomegranate Blend dried fruit and half a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into any Ghirardelli brownie mix before baking (I usually use Double Chocolate), and you will be a star-the crunchy contrast with the smooth chocolate is to die for :)

ecd in Home Cooking

You would have a hard time finding _________in Los Angeles...

High quality Caribbean, Trinidadian or Jamaican roti (please don't recommend Indian roti-it's quite different--and no referrals to Caribbean Treehouse-they used to serve passable roti, but not now...)

ecd in Los Angeles Area

Where to eat on a budget near Disney Hall??

Thanks to all who responded. We might just end up in the Concert hall cafe after all (because of the unpredictable weather), but we'll take your suggestions to heart for the next outing---because nobody's budget challenges are going away soon!

ecd in Los Angeles Area

Where to eat on a budget near Disney Hall??

Good friend who's a foodie and I, not so much of one, are looking for interesting but inexpensive dinner before Murray Perahia concert at Disney Concert Hall tonight. Our usual routine has been to dine at Ciudad. However, we did spring for the best seats AND we both work for the state and are therefore living with diminished incomes--need I say more?
Any ideas?

ecd in Los Angeles Area

60th b'day in Long Beach on Sat.??

We suddenly find ourselves in charge of a small 60th b'day dinner for a somewhat curmudgeonly friend with a passion for spicy cuisine and seafood. Any suggestions in the Long Beach/South Bay area?? We need great, not overly pricy venues (we're picking up the tab, but he's, shall I say, mindful of expense, and would be mortified if we spent over $30 per person).

ecd in Los Angeles Area