mrsbuffer's Profile
good eats on the drive from DC to Rehoboth Beach, DE?
@laststandchill and @lawhound, I have to agree with you about Holly's. Ate there twice, and we were not impressed at all. Lousy gravy, lackluster food. Plus mrbuffer got crabcakes and they didn't pick the crabmeat that well - it was FULL of shells. We'll find another place.
Empire Pizza is on our regular route to our house in Magnolia DE. Finally stopped there today for a couple slices on the way home and it was good! Much better than the pizza we are forced to endure in Maryland.
Fair & carnival food
Sausage and peppers (from the San Gennaro feast in NYC and the feast in Boston's East End)
Aracini with mozzarella in the middle (deep fried rice balls)
Zeppolis with powdered sugar
Deep fried Oreos (had them at the Montgomery County Fair in MD and OMG!)
Italian Ices
Marinara/Red sauce/Tomato Sauce/Gravy Help?
Here is my recipe, taught to me by my first mother in law, that i still use to this day:
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in the sauce pot. Add a can of crushed Italian tomatoes. Simmer for an hour on very low heat. Put the mixture through a Foley food mill to smooth it out. Put back in the sauce pot.
Add a can of tomato puree and a can of paste. Smooth it out with a whisk. Bring to a boil and immediately turn the heat to the lowest setting. This is when you add the meat - either meatballs, sweet or hot sausage or brasciole.
Cover and simmer, stirring with a metal spoon so the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepot, for about 2-3 hours. Usually at that point I'll make some eggplant parm or lasagna with the sauce.
The Foley food mill is the key. It takes out any seeds or skins and makes it very smooth.
You knew you mastered the fine art of cooking or baking when you ______________.
When I looked in the pantry and freezer and made up a meal using just "a little of this, and a little of that" and have DH ask for seconds.
Also when my BIL requests my parmesan and prosciutto scones every time I go there for dinner. REQUESTS!
Royal Farms Chicken and Sides
Any thoughts? I've had it a couple times for a quick lunch with mrbuffer and it's pretty good. Plus their coleslaw is outstanding.
Good Chinese in Dover DE?
Looking for a good Chinese restaurant in Dover. Any suggestions?
Sexy food-What do you cook to woo someone?
The first dinner I ever cooked for mrbuffer was homemade eggplant parmesan with homemade red sauce with spaghetti and fresh Italian bread. He said it was better than his mother's! It's an Italian thing...that was fourteen years ago this weekend...so I guess it worked!
What is the hot dog place's name in Wilmington or thereabouts?
That sounds right. Is it still there?
What is the hot dog place's name in Wilmington or thereabouts?
There's a hot dog place off I95 I think in Wilmington that we used to stop at on the way south from New York to DC. What's the name and is it still there? The hot dogs were wonderful and it was little hole in the wall place.
Why would I use white vinegar?
In the laundry, I use white vinegar with my darks to help get rid of the cat hair. It comes out in the lint trap in the dryer -- I guess the vinegars makes it less likely to stick.
In cooking, a little bit in the water when poaching eggs keeps the eggs from separating all over the pan. I know it's an old trick but it works.
Thawing frozen turkey in refrigerator
I plan to buy my turkey (small, since it's just mrbuffer and myself) on Sunday morning when I do my regular food shopping. I'll get a frozen one.
If I put the turkey in the refrigerator in a pan it should be pretty thawed by Thanksgiving, right? Turkey won't go into the oven until noon on Thursday since dinner is planned for 530 to coincide with halftime of the second football game.
Thoughts?
What is Your Thanksgiving First Course?
i am doing appetizers around noon or so, consisting of shrimp with cocktail sauce, some mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat, and maybe a small antipasto. The meal will be around 5:30 since it's just mrbuffer and myself...
Romertopf clay baker no lid
I found a Romertopf clay baker today at Goodwill for $4. It has no lid, probably why it's at Goodwill.
Can I still use this without the lid?
Finally doing my own Thanksgiving for 2 - menu comments?
After many, many years of visiting family, I finally get to do my own Thanksgiving dinner this year since mrbuffer and I both have to work the day before and on Black Friday (we run a self-storage in Maryland and we're six hours away from family in New York).
Mrbuffer will be in hog heaven since there is football all day after the traditional watching of the Macy's Parade.
Here's the issue - I am lactose intolerant. So I can't cook with or eat anything with dairy otherwise it will not be, shall we say, a good day.
I've planned a tentative menu for the two of us with appys at noon and the turkey around 5:30 to coincide with halftime of the second game...
Appys: Stuffed mushrooms with crabmeat, shrimp/cocktail sauce, small antipasto plate, veggies and dip made with tofutti sour cream
Main Meal: Turkey (small, probably kosher), stuffing with sausage and slivered almonds, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes made with Earth Balance and Lactaid 2% milk, pan gravy, fresh green beans. Mrbuffer doesn't eat sweet potatoes.
Has anyone ever experimented with or used the Lactaid milk in making a pumpkin pie? I figure I would have to adjust the recipe accordingly. Mrbuffer also likes pumpkin cheesecake and I'm trying to figure out what I could use to replace the cream cheese. I use the tofu cream cheese substitute on my bagels but can I use it in cooking?
The CHEW
I only saw 10 minutes because it was on at the nail salon whilst I got my pedi. I remember thinking, "This crap is what ABC cancelled All My Children for?" Whoever the genius was behind that decision needs to be fired.
Can't have dairy, how is butter flavor Crisco and lactaid milk/Silk in baking?
I recently became lactose intolerant and therefore, anything with dairy does not cause a pleasant reaction (i never want to go through this again.)
I recently found a clone recipe for "Pecan Sandies" and wanted to know if anyone's had any experiences using butter flavored Crisco in cookies, et. al.
Also I've had some success using Silk as a replacement for milk in cornbread? Any experience on using lactaid-free milk in baking (biscuits, cakes, etc.).
does OLD BAY SEASONING, from Macormick, contain any msg-like artificial ingredients for enhancing its flavour?
I use old bay in my homemade bloody mary mix. Wonderful! tomato juice, worcheshire, horeseradish, tabasco sauce, celery seed, old bay and lemon juice. I also use it on chicken, especially wings and chicken breasts, and of course fish. Never had any adverse reaction to it...
have you noticed ben & jerry's quality going downhill? espcially the classic flavors?
Yeah, I really liked Clusterfluff, too. I was surprised, b/c I tried some drek maple flavor crap and it was awful. However, my old standby, New York Super Fudge Chunk, never lets me down.
What's on your grill?
The other night I took some cod, marinated it briefly in olive oil and a little garlic, and grilled it quickly, diced it and made fish tacos with fresh pico di gallo in hard corn tortillas. Yummy!
Your favorite store bought eggs?
I buy Eggland as well. They seem to be consistently fresher that the others.
Salmon burgers with frozen salmon?
I have a couple pieces of frozen salmon that I want use to try to make salmon burgers. Has anyone done this? All the recipes I've found use canned salmon.
Anyone know what happened to the Hollywood Diner on Rockville Pike?
We went to the Silver Diner for breakfast one Sunday morning and I wasn't happy with them either. I know that turkey sausage is healthier for you, but on the few occasions that I go to a diner I want the real thing. Bleh.
Anyone know what happened to the Hollywood Diner on Rockville Pike?
We went there last night for dinner and it was closed? WTF? We ended up going to the Thai place next door and it was....eh.
Best inexpensive coffee?
8 o'clock whole bean decaf is wonderful! You'd never know it was decaf especially fresh ground. And it's affordable.
What's your favorite snowed-in comfort food?
I have a crockpot of lamb stew going- bought lamb stew meat yesterday at Giant, floured and browned it in hot evoo, removed the meat to the crock, browned one onion with more evoo, deglazed it with beef broth, put contents into crock, added halved baby red potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, herbs de provence. Peas will be added 1/2 hour before serving. Also making buttermilk biscuits...
Food So Wrong, It's Right
At the Montgomery County Fair last month I had my first deep fried Oreo. Ohhhhh yeah.....I thought it sounded disgusting until I tried it.
Also, fried dough (plain) with sugar.
Pot roast help, please
I use either Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master (a small amount, maybe a tablespoon tops) in my pot roast. I use good beef stock (low sodium) and use carrots, turnip, potatoes and onion. It ain't Yankee pot roast without turnip!
I dredge the meat in flour, salt and pepper and brown in good olive oil, then remove, add the onion, then carrot and turnip and potatoes, then deglaze with the stock, the gravy master, stir and add the meat. Turn the heat to very low, cover and cook.
I've also done it in a crock pot, but like the stovetop method better. I will add a bit of flour to the pan gravy to thicken it as well.
Shameful Food Secrets
shake and bake pork chops - and i will gnaw the meat off the bones. mrbuffer looks on in amazement but sorry, there's meat left on those bones.
i will, at times, squirt the reddi-whip directly into my mouth. mrbuffer doesn't see that.
canned frosting right off the spoon
anyone know what grocer would carry medaglia d'oro instant
I'm looking for medaglia d'oro instant coffee. I didn't see it in Harris Teeter in N. Bethesda where I usually shop. Any ideas who would carry it? Rodman's maybe? I live in Rockville 20852.
