beachmouse's Profile
Say what?? Cooking comments that baffle you
We use our oven proper all the time and only have the racks in there when it's off. But it's one of those models that came with a 'warming drawer' that we've just never needed for warming purposes and works out to be the perfect size and shape to store cookie sheets, sheet pans, and such.
Kraft "real Parmesan cheese"
Once or twice a year when family is around, we'll have tuna noodle casserole with the Campbell's mushroom soup and all- childhood comfort food that still tastes oddly good even though you feel like you should know better. And for that family recipe, it needs a bit of a sprinkle of 'cheese dandruff' as we'd call the green can stuff in order to taste right. Parmigiano Reggiano is too strongly flavored for that purpose.
What is swai fish?
Swai aka Vietnamese catfish have a very bad reputation down here. It's what unscrupulous fishmongers and restaurant owners will try to pass off as other much more expensive mild whitefish like grouper or snapper in the name of saving a few bucks, at least in the short term. (If you get caught by the state, it's a $1000 fine per incident.)
Refills To Go at Sit Down Restaurants
Florida Panhandle checking in. In the waiter service but very casual restaurants we're at on a semi-regular basis, they'll either offer a soda or iced tea "go cup" (We've close enough to New Orleans that term carries over.) to you when they're asking if you need anything else, or it's no big deal to ask for one at that point if server has made the offer in the past.
I definitely wouldn't ask for one at a more formal restaurant, but for where we usually end up, it's just part of the routine.
Why is the Olive Garden so reviled?
If a restaurant is going to hit the price points it needs to survive in the local market, then they need to pick and choose where they'll get the most bang for their purchasing buck. At our local Thai takeout place, they grow a number of their own herbs and peppers in the owner's backyard because they aren't happy with the quality of those things they can buy if they're going to keep their entree prices under $10. (Which is about the upper limit on Thai takeout entrees around here unless you're talking seafood or duck as a protein) Another way of hitting their price point- buying their rice from Sysco in bulk. Going through one of the local Asian grocers for their rice would get them the same brand they get from Sysco, but at a significantly increased cost.
Nigella/charnushka seeds.
They're also called black onion seeds of kolonji in some recipes.They seem to be pretty common in some regional Indian cuisines, and I've got 3-4 fairly anglicized Indian recipes that get used somewhat often.
Florida produce
In general, it seems like the further you get from Miami, the better Publix gets. My local store up in the panhandle gets all of the produce missing from the south Florida store except for passion fruit.
What did you have for breakfast today?
A Mexican Coke. (I'm not much of a breakfast-eater.)
Favorite Frozen Food?
Tandoor Chef's Pad Thai, Palak Paneer, and Paneer Tikka Masala.
Amy's frozen spinach pizza.
Praising Service (at a fast food chain)
I've sent an e-mail to Tijuana Flats corporate talking about the excellent service at my local outpost- cheerful, always the correct order, and they never blink if you want to order some other day's daily special.
2012 Confessions
Reminds me of my sister's study abroad experience in Costa Rica, where she stayed with a host family for the full experience. There were some very good local Costa Rican foods, and, due to a quirk in customs laws, imported German chocolate was dirt cheap. But the Costa Ricans apparently don't really do cheese much other than 'tico cheese' which is kind of a niche product sort of deal. And then one day my sister came home from class and her affluent and cultured host family was all raving at this amazing American product they'd found in the international aisle of the local hypermarket and how it was the most amazing cheese they've ever tasted.
And it turned out the miracle product they were raving about was a jar of Cheez Wiz.
When did fake crab meat become so ubiquitous? And why isn't anyone else complaining?
State law down here requires accurate labeling of fish & seafood products, and the krab/crab deal is always most or second most common when the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation publishes their lists of infractions.
2012 Confessions
I still hate carrots and peas, and will only consume broccoli if it's well hidden behind cheese sauce.
I'm addicted to Dairy Queen soft serve.
I crave Olive Garden food about twice a year.
I eat most of my in-home meals sitting on the couch instead of the perfectly lovely dining table.
New 'Menu Items That Need to Be Retired", 2012 edition...
Nope. This was Tucker Duke's in Valparaiso near Ft. Walton Beach. Looking back over their 'street food' menu, it appears that they do make their poutine with fries, even though they were otherwise pushing tater tots.
New 'Menu Items That Need to Be Retired", 2012 edition...
The fish taco at restaurants that are neither Mexican nor seafood-oriented. Elsewhere, it seems like they appear on the menu using the logic of: "We've got some of that tilapia stuff in the walk-in freezer, and it sounds easy to make, so let's do it."
I think that the new urban hipster burger place is doing tater tot poutine. I'm not sure how that reached the Florida panhandle, and I'm not sure it's a good idea either.
In Praise of the Fish Sandwich
I've been in coastal Florida long enough now that I can't come up with a single best ever or a dozen best ever fish sandwiches. But I'll throw some love to fresh from the docks grilled red snapper. It's a delicate fish that's easy to over or under cook, so a lot of people and places just want to go straight to frying it because it's less risky. But when grilled by someone who knows what they're doing and lightly dressed so the fish remains the star of the show, it's sublime.
Healthiest choices for chicken breasts and where to find it?
I'm 300 miles one way from the nearest Trader Joe's.
As for Fresh Market, they've been rotating their Tuesday specials monthly for about the past year. Looks like April 2012 in general will be Tuesdays are chicken breasts for $2.99 again. One thing I like about their boneless-skinless chicken breasts is that they're well-trimmed and you feel like you're paying for a very minimal amount of fat or connective tissue.
Campari tomatoes -- tried them yet?
They're nice, but for most of the year, I can get Ugli Ripes for $2.49/pound and I prefer those in terms of flavor to the camparis.
Everything is relative. Olive Garden can be the best you've got. Does it matter?
Grand Rapids' (Michigan) food scene has seriously improved over the past 10-15 years. There's a cool little Haitian place over in Eastown/East Hills, some nice bakery options, the longstanding Fulton Farmer's Market, assorted local & seasonal options... The only time my parents eat at a national chain when they're in town there anymore is for the occasional Dairy Queen soft serve craving.
Pink Slime (UGH!) - What are the safe brands?
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/where-you-can-get-pink-slime-free-beef/
Among large grocery chains, Costco, Kroger, Publix, and Whole Foods verify they DO NOT use pink slime.
So WHY were we forced to sit at the table till the food was gone??
My mom's only rule was that we had to finish our milk before leaving the dinner table. I'm one of those folks who finds milk to be slimy, and while I choked it down back then, the only time I drink milk as an adult is in hot cocoa.
Favorable review of new Olive Garden in Grand Forks, ND
Wen we lived in middle of nowhere West Tennessee, the big giant restaurant opening that caused massive traffic jams and kerfluffles was for Burger King. Olive Garden was that fancy big city place that was 45-60 minutes' drive one way to get to.
(In town, the only edible non-fast food options were the slumming Iranians running a pizza & falafel shop and a small Asian restaurant that catered to the Korean & Japanese students who had ended up there because of some sort of affordable 'learn business English' program.)
Red Lobster
It all depends on how well the local outpost is managed. Some are terrible; some understand fish & seafood well enough to be surprisingly good.
Why do people expect "ethnic" restaurants to be cheap?
I live in a climate where a number of the local Thai restaurants end up growing their own herbs because it's more cost-effective than trying to buy the same thing from a specialty supplier. It's usually in the restaurant owner's back yard, but I can think of one crumbling cement block dive with basil bushes between restaurant and gravel parking lot.
I'm in an area that's, at heart, a military town, and the roots of ethnic restaurants in the area are 'war brides' who opened up a little business when their husbands retired young in the area. They were cooking for GIs who were thrilled to get a taste of the good stuff they'd thought they'd never see again once they PCS'ed away from Thailand or Japan or South Korea. So the price threshold for ethnic food in the area ended up being whatever a master sergeant could regularly afford for lunch.
Best Online Spice Store
1. Get on Penzey's paper catalog list. They'll frequently include coupons for free 1/4 cup spice blends.
2. Get on the Spice House's e-mail mailing list. A few times a year, they'll run free or low cost shipping promotions, and since their normal shipping costs seem to start at $10 per order, the shipping promos are a real deal.
Your Favorite Retro Dishes
I think you can still find frito pie at some Sonic Drive-In locations.
Your Favorite Retro Dishes
I never thought of german chocolate cake as particularly rare. You can still get it at the Public bakery in these parts.
POLL: Can you walk to an actual grocery store?
Niceville, Florida in a large scale development bankrolled by a German industrialist. So the area is more pedestrian/bike friendly than a lot of the state. It's less than a 10 minute walk to an unfortunately mediocre and overpriced Winn-Dixie (only stop there for 1-2 items when it's not worth it to pay bridge toll for the preferred good Publix & Fresh Market option about five miles away) and assorted small shopping centers with Japanese, Mexican, Italian/pizza, ice cream parlor, fish place, etc. options as well as the usual fast food outposts.
New 'Menu Items That Need to Be Retired", 2012 edition...
I'll pick up the Williams-Sonoma cakes and quick breads when they go on clearance for $5 or less. They're way better than the grocery store mixes, but IMO, still not worth $15 when I've still got to add eggs and such.
