And I'm truly amazed at how many people are defending this, as if it's par for the course, normal, acceptable, she's old so it's ok, it's the south and it's just how thing are, free speech... just truly amazed.

I've never been able to even listen to her. She was able to get through a high school education, apparently, but still feels the need to speak as if she wasn't educated at all. But this is truly proof that she is classless.

How can anyone explain bigotry away as "just a joke?"

I'll have to agree that the scooping item is secondary to the dip, but I have very definite ideas of which chip/cracker/veg should be served with those dips. Guess I think of it as a symbiotic relationship.

THis works great for peaches, too.

I get great results as long as I heat the grill baskets/trays long enough to get them up to the temps your normal grill grates would be. If you put your food in a basket and then put it on the grill, I doubt you'll have ideal outcome, just like putting ingredients in a wok and then putting it on the heat.

Everything needs to be lubricated, but I don't find that a grill basket reduces flavor or
caramelization. I hate to lose food when I don't have to. I've never used one with handles that interfere, but one that fits my grill.

I've participated on this site for many years, and there have certainly been people who have used the site to be inflammatory, shills, or pranking jerks, but it seems that these are a very small minority of the posts.

My favorite and obvious prank was the one not too long ago where the guy repeatedly asked why he couldn’t boil every protein, in many separate posts, and argued with every reply. The number of people who kept trying to help him see the light, and he just kept going and so did all our "help. We can all be swept up in our effort to help. At some point, there is a clue to stop responding.

Our annual Father's Day is a bushel of crabs, which my dad requests (and treats!), but we do it next weekend because crabs cost about $50 more on Father's Day. We usually have burgers to throw on the grill for anyone who is still hungry, plus a couple of salads. Those are TBD at this point. Looking forward to it!

I thought I'd join in this thread as I have been following it with great interest and gathering ideas. I'm trying to eat lower carb for health issues but am new to it, so this has been great information.

My dinner last night was my innaugural grilling for the season. I am just cooking for myself at the moment so firing up the Weber kettle is a lot of work for a little food, so I tend to cook several meals at once and then I don't have to cook for a few days.

I made my favorite grilled chicken dish, Bademiya's Justifiably Famous Coriander Chicken from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible (http://old.post-gazette.com/food/2001...), though I usually replace the cayenne with a fresh hot chile. I did two small legs so that I have leftovers. I added romano green beans from the farmers market and a green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and radish. This is a fabulous chicken dish.

I also marinated a couple of shoulder lamb chops in a Korean style sauce with Gouchagan, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey and sesame oil. The sauce grilled up with nice charred edges (I had to sneak a bite) and I'll have that for dinner tonight with lettuce to wrap.

I also grilled some tomatoes, onions and peppers to make a salsa today, and a small piece of turkey kielbasa for my breakfast this morning.

Thanks for all the inspiration!

Someone recently asked a smiliary question on the DC/Baltimore Board -- you might pick up some tips here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/875617

The zpizza on Rockville Pike just closed. I never saw a soul in there and never tried it.

I also do this to stuff into muchroom caps.

I've noticed in the many "how much to tip" threads over the years that lots of people say "double the tax" as a guideline. Where I live, that would be about a 16% tip. Tax rates vary, and I just don't understand why people can't look at the check and do math.

We had international business colleagues visiting often, and they all commented, no matter where they were from, that they couldn't believe how huge the portions were for their meals served in our restaurants.

I'm curious about what you want to do with it. Why are you so puzzled by an average salad that you asked this question?

I can only hope it migrates this way, because it is one of my favorite things from childhood. I don't think I've seen it on any menu in this area.

Me too! I had no idea there were any Trader Vic's alive. When I graduated from high school 35 years ago, I was treated to Trader Vic's and all I could remember were the crab rangoons and mai tais. And the mai tai was the reason I don't remember the rest, I'm quite sure. ;))

I have 2 sizes of microplanes and my good old box grater. They each have their uses. The box grater is a pain to use for finely grated items like citrus zest or ginger. But, using the microplane for grating something like cheddar cheese is tedious and the box grater wins here.

The sharpness of the microplanes make them a very worthy addition to my kitchen.

I'm actually the one who grabs the check, mostly to make sure there is a 20%-ish tip. It is painful to watch others try and do it. I don't know why is it so difficult, and maybe I have a head for numbers, but coworkers who have advanced degrees in everything still can't manage the restaurant check. So, I just do it outright, and it is almost assumed I'll do it.

Curious question from an east coast person -- is butterscotch pudding a current trend in LA?

I'm curious as to how you think it could be improved? What are your ideas, Dave?

Is there a reason it's important for you to serve hot mac and cheese for this gathering? It just doesn't seem to fit the situation. Cold mac and cheese isn't most people's favorite, and reheating it will take up valuable grill space. The usual grills at parks have no way to control the heat and no lids to help act like an oven to reheat, so the bottom of your pan could easily burn before it is heated through (I've learned through experience). Do you have other things that rely on the grill to cook and know how much grill space is available at the site?

If you are set on it, I think your idea of baking it the previous day in a foil pan and reheating it on the grill would be your best bet, but I wouldn't do it.

He's obviously a smart boy and, because you both know of his health and eating neccessities, you and his doctor are going to be his best source for information for putting together his fitness interests and allergy concerns, and give him good advice.

My local farmers' market is only on Saturday, so I look for a few things I can use and store for the week. I only cook for myself at this point, so stocking up on every great thing I see doesn't work for me.

I peruse the whole place first (there are only about 25 purveyors) to see who has what and the prices, then go back to the places that fit what I want. I also know what is available at the grocery store and weigh those prices and quality against what I can see. I'm on a meager budget, so this is something I have to do.

I love to chat with them and get their ideas, though it is so busy that I don't take up too much of their time.

That's the one!

It might be that you could lower the heat level and cook it longer. My favorite piece of meat is the "7 bone" part of the chuck for chile, but I've been successful with other (cheaper) chuck parts as long as I put it in the oven at a low heat. Simmering on the stove can end up being higher heat than you might want.

Considering the time of year, I’m wondering if you are planning ahead to the start of the Fall semester, or if he’s living there now. If he is living there now, you can know the roommates’ dynamic and can plan better. If you are planning ahead, the living situation may be foggy, but you have a couple of months to advise him on budget shopping and cooking.

If there is no agreement as to how they are handling shared expenses, the Costco card can be used to get a good price for bulk items, but your son might be taken advantage of if the bulk items are shared but not paid for. If they have an agreement and chip in on things like toilet paper, it would work. Thinking that he will buy bulk food items at Costco and cook and eat them as a group isn’t likely to happen all that often. Figuring out how they will share the food situation is key. College boys have their very diverse schedules and don’t tend to do communally shared dinners all that often.

I suggest you consider what his budget should be as a good starting place. You know how he eats. Find out the close-by grocery store where he will shop and sign you both up for their weekly email ads. Help him learn how to plan some easy meals based on what is on sale. You’ll be able to follow the ads and send him some recipes using the sale items.

One of my nephews was the pickiest eater on the planet when he started college, and, after the mandatory freshman year in the dorm, moved into an apartment. His parents gave him a monthly budget for food and entertainment and it didn’t take him too long to realize he couldn’t order pizza or take-out every day on a budget. By the time he graduated, he had managed to learn to cook some simple chicken, ground beef, pork rib, and even the dreaded fish he had never eaten in his life (though I think the latter was for a girl). His younger sister also bloomed from “ew” to “yum” when she and her roommates cooked for themselves.

He’ll be more than fine.

You lost me at the French toast, but with a big smile. People can be rather creative!

I'm not a pork rind afficianado, but have held on to a dip recipe where they are used as part of the scoopers along with raw veg. It's a spicy Thai pork, shrimp, tomato and okra dish from a famous LV restaurant that was featured on tv. I've never made it, but now I'm going to have to give it a try and repurpose the leftover pork rinds as a breading.

Kathryn, I'm ingrigued by your crushed pork rind "breading" = how did that turn out? Was it an obvious pork rind flavor? Sounds like it could be very tasty and fun.

I just bought the Reynolds Release (on sale, even!), so it is still being sold. It makes so much difference when cooking things like chicken wings.

What a creative idea, Melanie. Did you serve them as an appetizer?