i want to make my stuffings ahead of time. should i cook it first and then freeze? or can I leave it wet and freeze it?

i'm thinking wet will make it too mushy but cooking it will be too dry.

can you let me know what has worked from your experiences?

THX

a refined creamed corn?

Valentino's in Middletown, maybe Belford technically. As ex-NYC'ers, we enjoy this pizza more than any other local joint. Nice and crispy bottom when reheated, not over-sauced or too cheesey

http://www.ardesia-ny.com/

chipotles - have had them as part of dishes at restaurants but only just recently started using it at home. and the whole foods fresh chipotle salsa is seriously addictive.

i'm not saying it was rancid or the eggs were necessarily bad or spoiled, I just meant the souffle really smelled like eggs, which normally it shouldn't. and when eggs smell, they stink. I have not made enough souffles to know what went wrong. don't want to diss the quality of their ingredients...it could have just been cooked improperly.

really? we just couldn't. it would be like salt in the wound. i'm sure they realized it anyway bc 3 of us didn't have more than 1 bite.

after the mistakes, they were all over us and I think it was Nicholas who came to our table to apologize - they gave us some extra desserts and cheese, so didn't complain about the souffle. plus, we were trying to still enjoy the experience so didn't focus on the last course.

we still tipped well and will go back again. it's true, there are no other places like that here in jersey. beats going into the city.

p.s. with all of that said, we did have a good time - i think it had to do with all of that extra wine while waiting for courses tho! and I would give it a second chance.

so, finally made our way to Nicholas last night, after reading much about it. and the many praises by specific people...but I'm sorry to report that our experience was not so great.

we did the tasting with the pairings. the main things:

- most of the food was beautiful and delicious (fluke, gnocchi, lamb, char); some of the food was average (scallops, squab)
- but the souffle was inedible - smelled and tasted of bad eggs, something went wrong
- the cheese plate was boring
- BUT the biggest disappointment was that the timing of tasting and pairings was completely off. 1st course was served w/o wine (we had to ask where it was) and then the wine for the 2nd course was served 20 mins before the 2nd course arrived!), and the 3rd course was served immediately following the 2nd course.

I have read that some people think it's a bargain for this kind of food, but I disagree if the service is not on par with the food. we were 4 ppl and the bill was over $600, so for that price, I want to enjoy my food with my wine and I want to served on time - I mean, that is what we are paying for right?

I have never had these issues at 3-4 star restaurants in NYC. and just another note - the dress code is definitely not enforced there. besides our party, only saw 1 other man with a jacket - others had golf shirts and untucked button-downs.

I realize this is just a 1-time experience but I was expecting better - and a place like that shouldn't have an "off night."

I do agree with a previous poster about North of the Border tacos - one of our favorite places and it never disappoints!!

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North of the Border
176 Monmouth St, Red Bank, NJ 07701

my husband and I LOVE that place! the tacos are the closest thing to northern California mexican, which we miss very much. and I love to hit the grocery store next door.

The other good mexican place is across from the long branch train station, don't know the name but they have really good tortas.

well, i ended up using 3 and they came out really good - just like an italian bakery!

i was just trying to make the lemon biscuit cookies but realized the recipe in the link doesn't say how many eggs - do u know?

i'm definitely going to make those ginger cookies! are they chewy or crisp? either way, I'm still going to make them. i love ginger cookies strong and spicy

has she said if it tastes like beans? i imagine it to be rich and chocolate-y, but with a pasty bean texture somewhere - can you get her recipe?

just curious to see if they actually taste good or not...anyone?

i think they're actually on his website too, not sure why anyone would buy the dvd if it's all free!

anybody else?

are you considering any new menu items this year? I'm thinking about glazed parsnips maybe.

the ones at la esquina are good, albeit not super authentic bc I think they use baguettes, but they are quite tasty

i just found them all on itunes...for free

I just made this on Sunday for watching football, more of an app than entree but would make a great sandwich

crostini topped with herbed goat cheese, carmelized onions, thinly sliced pork tenderloin and cherry jam (i roasted the pork in the oven and glazed it a bit at the end with the cherry jam too)

I don't think it claims to be a steakhouse, but they do serve steaks.

sam1 - don't know when you ate there but I know when I had my reception there, the chef had just come back after being gone for a serious health issue (and while he was gone, we had a tasting that actually was really bad - but when he returned there was a tremendous difference)

19lucas - we had about 85 people for sit down dinner with passed apps and cocktails first. lots of apps plus raw bar, starter, choice of 3 entrees, 2 sides and 2 desserts. sidecar as our cocktail, veuve as our chomps, a red, a white and full top shelf open bar.

the room is beautiful - PJ Clark actually used to live there. it was his apt. the service was fantastic. people at our wedding still rave about it. who wouldn't love a clarke's slider at a wedding? plus a pint of guinness.

i can't say enough about it. just make sure you schedule a tasting and then you'll know what you're getting. our first tasting was not great but our second was amazing! and my husband and I are PICKY. stick to classics and you shouldn't be disappointed

to see if our opinions may agree, here are the kinds of other places we love - Mermaid Inn, Bar at the Modern, Sushi Yasuda, Balthazar, Peasant. don't like overrated places like any batali joint, prune, momofuku noodle (ssam is ok).

if you have any more questions - ask away!

how do you know when to have this meal if it's PRE-pregnancy? well I guess you can just keep eating everything on the list until you get preggers.

I have a newborn and I missed eating sushi while pregnant and now that he is here, we have no time to go out to a nice sushi dinner, so I recommend getting your fill of raw fish now. eat some for me too!

pumpkin. can not wait for the upcoming season!

crabcakes. it is very rare that i meet a crabcake that is any good.

now, a good one is great, but the ones everyone else orders and devours off of hors d'oeuvres trays are bleh.

I helped with a tea party for a niece and had so much fun making those little sandwiches, altho it was very time consuming for something so small

one of the things i found while google-imaging was these - they are so pretty and lovely - i think i made them non-vegan tho, using real cream cheese

http://www.flickr.com/photos/teenytin...

I love it too. Recently, I cut it up, roasted it, and separately made a sauce by toasting pine nuts in olive oil with some garlic, added a bit of cream and grated parmesan - tossed it all together

SO so so so delicious

we then mixed it with penne and sauteed tuscan kale - an amazing vegetarian meal

i got 2/3 good surprises so far! some turkey meatballs, which went great with the hot sausage we were having for pasta and a small container of leftover ja-jang sauce, which we'll be eating with our leftover spaghetti

It's fun being frugal!!!

I hate to throw away food and almost always save a serving (or two) of leftovers from dinner, or some extra of a side or soup, extra meat, etc.

So, now I find myself with a freezer full of containers filled with mystery something or other (I was not that organized to label everything, maybe something I will start doing).

Today, I am going to start defrosting a few at a time and hoping to find something edible, maybe even a delicious, tasty memory of a dish from the past - but this experiment might go awry, with bad surprises instead of good - freezer burn, food that is just too old, etc.

I am assuming others have this same problem - would love to hear defrosting stories of the good and the bad!!

I've posted about Sidecar a couple of times b/c I had my wedding reception there - it was AWESOME! and everyone raved about the food - from the sliders and raw bar to the filet and scallop entrees.

Service was also excellent. and the absolute best best best part is the booze! Real, proper open bar with wine service and Veuve flowed all night - plus sidecars!