escondido123's Profile
Not Trendy North Park/Hillcrest
I rarely go to San Diego for dinner so need your help. There will be 5 of us next Friday the 8th coming from graduation to dinner at 7:30. All adults. No sushi. Not expensive, but not paper plates, and not too loud or "romantic." Thanks much.
Grocery tomatoes
I rarely eat them out of season in a raw state, but will roast them (did breadcrumb stuffed yesterday) or chop them up for a pasta sauce with oil cured olives, proscuitto and fresh herbs. (I do have to admit that I got a few small heirlooms from the Farmers' Market last week and they were wonderful.)
8 days a week
So nice to have someone think about how to be a good guest. I've had some arrive and just basically act like they were at a hotel and then expected exactly the meals they wanted. Those only come once of course.
Help me troubleshoot a seafood pasta idea?
I'm curious how you undercook mussels and clams. To me, once they're open, they're done--up until then they're not.
High Tea Menu Help Please
I have baked scones (not getting them too brown) and then reheated with much success. As to chutney, being someone for whom cilantro tastes like soap, I would vote against a cilantro chutney. I find Major Greys chutney to be fairly mild so would suggest that.
Help me troubleshoot a seafood pasta idea?
My main concern would be setting all that cooked seafood aside and then putting it back in to reheat. You're likely to end up with overcooked seafood.
Make ahead meals for Elderly
Why canned potatoes? I find their taste to be unpleasant and fresh potatoes are so cheap.
San Diego - Great weather, but where is the outside dining?
I understand those are great spots with great views. I thought the OP was looking for a selection of places which is why Escondido seems a great choice. Of course, I can't say you will have green views, but you will certainly have mountain views since we are in a valley here. (Oh and parking is free within a block or two of most restaurants, right in front if your plan is for 2 hours or less.)
High Tea Menu Help Please
Maybe a curried egg salad or put some chutney onto the bread. I would assemble the sandwiches ahead with a thin bit of softened butter on the bread so nothing gets soggy and then wrapped in plastic film. I think the rest of the menu sounds fine and I would cook the scones and cheese crowns ahead and then serve warm/room temp
Tip and other etiquette for table sitting
I would speak to them and find out what they expect from folks using their space for a meeting. Just seems like the right way to proceed.
8 days a week
I think the stick blender would be fine, just ask for their okay before you use it. As to the rest, you seem to have it prettily well figured out. I would suggest you just ask them what you can do to help...if it was my house I might want you to just "disappear" once so I could have a non-guest dinner. At the same time, I'd want to make sure you were comfortable and well taken care of so would probably go shopping with you to get in the tea, cereal, snacks etc that you liked--if you paid the bill on those that would be wonderful. Be glad you have friends willing and able to be your hosts and think about what you would want if the tables were turned...and just remember it is their home.
Planning on Bone In Leg of Lamb this Sunday, Greek style but first time on the grill....
I'm with MGZ on this. Chances for a fiasco are great with that whole leg, but butterflied it is pretty simple and the meat gets a lot more grilled since there are two "extra" sides without the bone.
I know, this is ridiculous but regarding raw shrimps...
And here's more information that explains your difficulty getting raw shrimp....it's from a study on Scandinavian fishing practices. "There are two different Swedish markets for Pandalus [term for shrimp], resulting in two different kinds of landings: high valuable large shrimps boiled onboard and smaller low value shrimps landed raw to the industry for further processing."
I know, this is ridiculous but regarding raw shrimps...
Rather than driving all over, you might want to spend an hour on the phone calling around. I do not have access to fresh, raw shrimp on a regular basis, but I find frozen ones to be a great choice because then you can thaw them right before you use them....with raw but previously frozen shrimp they could have been sitting around for awhile. (By the way, I just read an interview with Swedish Chef Leif Mannerström. He says Sweden has great shrimp and then says they are usually cooked on the fishing boats right away...so therein lies your problem.)
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp-"Lend Me Your Recipes, Please"
My only recommendation would be to precook the bacon to get some grease off but leave them still pliable enough to wrap the shrimp. Otherwise, you run the risk of either overdone shrimp or underdone bacon--I've had both.
Seeing Someone Touch Your Food
In many small places, there's a deli near me, there is only one person working at off hours. So when you come in and order, she puts on a clean pair of gloves, makes your sandwich and bags it, and then removes the gloves to ring up your order. New gloves go on with the next customer. What else would you want her to do?
Seeing Someone Touch Your Food
I am confused about the changing gloves between perishable and non-perishable because I'm not sure what those items are. But I didn't see any mention of changing gloves at any time when working with perishable items...so you kept on a single pair no matter what you were working with? Just trying to understand what you were handling.
Homemade/DIY Cherry Pitter
While you're at the Goodwill you might also keep your eye out for a cherry pitter---that's where I found mine for 95 cents.
Need a Recipe for a Coffee Cake to Travel
The OP wants to pack this in her suitcase for a snorkeling vacation.
What would Emily Post do? [moved from New Orleans]
I had a guy sitting kitty corner from me at an outdoor restaurant and his T-shirt was printed with the words (I'm paraphrasing) "If you're reading this, you're a fucking asshole." I myself would call that "graphic" and not "suitable for family viewing."
Looking for interesting cheeses to try
I too am not a fan of cheese that incorporate fruit, or much of anything else. If I were you I'd go to either Dean & DeLuca or Whole Foods and ask the cheesemonger to put together a group of cheeses for a "beginner" like you. That could lead to either a selection of very different cheeses or a variety within a certain kind of cheese such as goat, blue etc. Have a few folks over and have your own tasting.
Make ahead meals for Elderly
Chopped whatever is not a bad idea if that's the only way it can be eaten. I'm sure he still has things he loves to eat that he loves the taste of. I mentioned this because I have seen people turn meals for elders into something I certainly wouldn't want to eat.
Cooking Squash
If it's small, I just slice vertically and fry until golden in olive oil then sprinkle with salt--no need to peel.
Make ahead meals for Elderly
I am so with you on this wekick. When I get old and maybe aren't feeling so hot, I hope folks bring me the foods I want, not the foods they think I should have. The most important thing for many folks is that they keep their weight up--foods they won't eat do nothing to help that.
"Least Favorite Vegetable" Poll
I think cucumber is fine, and at this time of year nicely steamed or roasted asparagus can be a great addition.
"Least Favorite Vegetable" Poll
I really don't understand the addition of uncooked broccoli and zucchini on a crudite platter, those vegetables are meant to be steamed or at least blanched prior to eating in that manner.
Seeing Someone Touch Your Food
The San Diego County booklet for food handlers says this: "State law says you should minimize bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods." It does not say you "have to" wear gloves. You can read the whole booklet here: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/deh/food/pdf/publications_fhbooklet.pdf
