Thanks for the info and have fun with your project! Sounds very cool...

I'm not sure at all...

I thought scopes were curly & tender?

I tried post a pic. They are about 6 inches long. But the bulb part doesn't look like a clove of garlic?

The shoot is green, but tough. The flavor is quite pronounced. So I should use it like I would chopped garlic?

Most definitely a garlic slip. Small green bulb at the bottom and thin kinda stiff shoot coming out of the bulb. No flowers.

Picked up a bunch of garlic slips at the farmer's market this morning. The place was packed, so I didn't really have an opportunity to chat with the man at the stand to figure out what I could use garlic slips for. I gave him my $ and figured out that I could just look something up when I got home.

"Garlic Slip" isn't even in Wikipedia. The closest I could find was "Sweet potato slip" which is, essentially a seedling.

Should this be under the topic Gardening? Did I just buy some baby garlic that needs to be planted????

Anyone know where I can get sashimi-grade fish in Denver? I know about Whole Foods and Pacific Mercantile downtown. Any other secret places? Specifically looking for yellowtail, but good sources for salmon, tuna (especially the really good kinds like toro) and halibut would help.

Thanks!

I thought of the fried chicken idea, as well. The only problem is that she lives waaaaayyyyy out in the country and the closest chicken place is an hour away... But I'm going to steal this idea for my next company picnic!

This is really an adorable idea. I'll swing it by her.

I love this idea. I'm going to share it with her!

The seminar is for training hunting dogs. Definitely no vegetarians!

I have a friend cooking lunch for 20 people this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and need some fresh ideas. The ideas/recipes need to be pretty straightforward - she's not a whiz in the kitchen. She did this same event last year and was disappointed in herself... She served turkey sandwiches ones day and roast beef the next.

Guests will be attendees from a dog training seminar put on by her husband. There will be both men & women. Budget is $10 per person per meal. Lunch will be prepared & served in a residence with substantial kitchen space. Depending on the weather, they will be eating outside. She's serving cookies. This will be buffet.

Here's what I came up with as ideas and was hoping you all could come up with a few other ideas outside the box:

Pulled pork or brisket sandwiches served with poppyseed coleslaw and good quality chips. Maybe homemade quick pickles?

Chipotle Chorizo Chili (or just regular old chili) with homemade green chile cornbread

A taco bar with some purchased barbacoa and rotisserie chicken as options - pico de gallo, guacamole, etc.

Thanks!

They were a special on the menu of a breakfast restaurant I went to about a year ago. I've been dreaming of them ever since and didn't order them when I had the chance - When I recently went back, they acted like I had horns on my head when I asked about them. Officially, they were Rice Krispie Treat Pancakes - complete with marshmallow sauce. So, no, they were not "Crispy Rice Pancakes" of the ethnic variety...

I think waiting until the pancake is partially cooked is a great idea. I was toying with that since I didn't want my krispies to un-krisp. I only turned up recipes for crispy rice pancakes, which is something else entirely than I'm looking for. Thanks for the tips!

I've heard about them, but never had them. Can't find anything online. Anyone have a recipe? Or would I just make regular pancake batter, add the rice krispies before cooking and top with warmed marshmallow topping? Also dreaming about the possibility of throwing some peanut butter or Nutella somewhere in there...

I know that a number of hot dog stands sell them around Denver but otherwise ordering them online for big bucks, does anyone know where I can buy 5 pounds of these delicious things?

Thanks Terry - Location? I did find the herb in dried form at the small Mexican grocery on Colorado Blvd near Whole Foods. But their produce section was lacking, to put it mildly.

Thanks nateco! Actually, the little grocery on Colorado Blvd is 5 minutes from my house, so I'll check it out. And thanks for the info on Avanza. For its size, I was disappointed with the selection.

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Avanza
1320 S Federal Blvd, Denver, CO 80219

I've been to Avanza, but I couldn't find what I'm looking for: hoja (or yerba) santa. Got some cookbooks and they call for the herb fairly regularly and they said I could find it in any Hispanic market. I figured Avanza would have it, since it's the biggest - alas, no. I don't need the whole leaf, just the herb for seasoning.

No luck at Savory spice shop.

Can I substitute anise for it in smaller quantity? Or some eucalyptus leaves? I read that fennel fronds could work in a pinch...

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Avanza
1320 S Federal Blvd, Denver, CO 80219

I had stuffed banana peppers as an app in Buffalo, NY a while ago and have been craving it ever since. It's not served with marinara - I'm remembering ground meat and creamy cheese? Anyone have any recipes? Can't remember the name of the restaurant.

I'm from Buffalo, NY so I know my wings. The best wings I've had outside my kitchen since I moved out here 20 years ago were at Wingman on South Broadway in Littleton and - believe it or not - Red Robin. I kid you not. Most like home...

Love that!

The name of the book is "Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It." I tried my best to get through his first book "Good Calories, Bad Calories" but couldn't get past all the dense scientific info. His new book is excellent - just a simplified version of his original, I think. My husband was actually considering going vegan (God save us all) until I started reading the book out loud to him. I've been low carb for the better part of 15 years, but fell off the wagon last year. This book set me back on track.

Hey Mamachef, I'd love the feta app recipe. And can you give me proportions on the savory mini-kugels? My mother-in-law has a fabulous kugel recipe, but I can't figure out how to translate it to finger food.

Thanks to everyone for the fabulous ideas! I will post final menu.

We've been doing this party for close to 10 years and we try our best to come up with food and drink that's actually IN the movie. All attendees have seen all 10 movies and we're stuck.

This is the plan so far:

Drinks:
Social Network - Heineken (? - some people thought it was Amstel Light Zuckerman imbibed)
Black Swan - Champagne
127 Hours - Gatorade (ceremoniously untouched)
Red Wine - The Kids Are Alright

Food:
Toy Story 3 - Cheese Quesadillas. OK, There's not a quesadilla in it, but the short scene with Mr. Potato Head as the tortilla cracked me up.
127 Hours - Cold Chicken, bean & cheese burrito
The Kids Are Alright - Organic strawberry salad. I don't remember this meal, but someone coming to the party remembers this. Any help? While heirloom tomato salad would rock, it's not practical right now.
True Grit - Campfire beans
Winter's Bone - Venison Stew
Cake - The Fighter AND Black Swan
King's Speech - Shepherd's Pie. I took liberty with this. I think the mush Logue's Family was eating in one scene was most likely this dish. Besides, I really like it and never get to eat this guilty pleasure.

So I have a food and/or drink for everything except for Inception. Help!

In years past, we've had theme food like you've all listed (the most politically incorrect was chili dogs for Brokeback Mountain, I'm embarrassed to say) and since I host every year I think we should go back to that. And since there was so much drink and drugs in the top 10 this year, we may need to rethink our plan. Thoughts?

The event is in a private home, non-kosher. All attendees are aware that I'm cooking and that I won't be preparing in a kosher kitchen. I will definitely be sticking to the fish/dairy thing. My host contacted the synagogue directly to provide the parameters.

I'm reluctant to move this post to the Kosher side because it's really not a strictly Kosher event. It's more about the food than the spiritual. 2 people out of more than 30 people attending the gathering keep Kosher. It sounds like this couple is like Smartie's family - they keep with the food rules outside of their home, but not the strict strict strict Kosher rules. Besides, the synagogue is reform, not orthodox so I'm pretty safe.

Thanks for all the food ideas! I was having trouble thinking outside my normal catering box!

I will be cooking in my own kitchen, as well as in the (non-kosher) kitchen of the host. The guests are aware of this.

Love love love the ideas. And I agree - I'm going to stick with the fish/dairy thing. Keep them coming!

Catering an event for about 30 people for a planning meeting for a local synogogue. I am not Jewish and therefore do not have a kosher kitchen. A couple of the people attending the event keep kosher, so the menu is restricted to what these people can eat. I'm confused by this since I thought if someone kept kosher, all food had to be prepared in a kosher kitchen.

Here are the parameters my client gave me:

No shellfish
No pork
Cheese is OK only if there is no meat

Of course, the obvious choice is salmon. But it's not a sit down meal. And it all needs to be finger food (no utensils). Help!

Update: Had the party Saturday night and it was a huge success. Some pairings were better than others...

Pork Belly: Champagne was perfect perfect perfect. The Cru Beaujolais? Not so much. But that might be because the only one I could find was a Fleurie DuBoeuf. It tasted fine, but I don't feel like it was the best for the dish.
Bisque and Salad: The Chardonnay (Clos Pegase) was great with the bisque, but the caramelized garlic on the salad killed ANYTHING you could put in your mouth. It was delicious, but I can't imagine any wine going with this. At least we had a long break before the lamb was served to recover.
Rack of Lamb: Oh, I should have listened to all of you a little better. I decanted the Orin Swift Papillon as well as a 2004 Oakville Far Niente 2 hours prior to dinner (a couple of the guests LOVE California cabs). What a waste of good lamb. Or was it a waste of good wine? The Bierzo would have been perfect (I opened it the next night with leftovers) or even an earthy Pinot Noir. Lesson learned.
Dessert: Instead of banana cake, it ended up being banana panna cotta. The Moscato d-Asti was so absolutely right with dessert, I almost cried.

Thanks to all of you. I'm new to pairing food & wine and I appreciate all your input and advice.