cassiatoast's Profile
Gluten free in Ogunquit, ME?
Unfortunately, the GF cafe in Portsmouth has closed.
Loco Coco's Tacos in Kittery has some GF options, and they can leave off the cheese/sour cream. I have gluten and dairy intolerances and can always find something good there.
Foods you can't keep in the house because you can't stop yourself eating them
The spicy sweet chili doritos don't have dairy - they were a dangerous find for me after 10 years of being dairy (and dorito) free! Luckilly I was eating them at a friend's house and left the bag behind there - definitely something I shouldn't have in my house.
Gluten-free products at Trader Joe's
I think both the french rolls and english muffins are ok if you toast them. They may take a little getting used to but they are better than other GF breads I've tried. I don't like the rice bread, it's very heavy and needs to be toasted to be palatable, but it doesn't even toast that well. I'll skip the story about my toaster oven catching fire the first time I tried it.
refrigerate cookie dough?
Here's the NYT article that explains why refrigerating makes a better cookie:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09chip.html?ref=dining
They test dough after refrigerating for 12, 24, and 36 hours. It's an interesting read - some other good tips in there too.
Good ethnic restaurants in Portsmouth, NH?
I'm going to third the motion for Thai Paradise. We eat there at least once a week! Loco Coco's has great food but it's kind of loud - just something to consider depending on what kind of get together you're having with your friends.
Chiangmai Thai is also a decent option, but I think Thai Paradise is just a little better.
Advise needed on crock pots
While I agree that $279 for the All-Clad is excessive, my experience has been that it is a higher quality appliance than the lower-cost models I have had in the past. I have had several West Bend under-$100 models that cooked unevenly and had hot spots. One of them was excessively hot at low temperatures and anything I left in it for a day would be ruined. The All-Clad cooks evenly and slowly on Low. The timer/shut-off feature is great, too. I also value the ease of prepping/browning ingredients in an aluminum insert on the stove and I would miss that feature if I didn't have it anymore.
I was fortunate enough to get my All-Clad slow cooker for free. I am frugal and don't think I could have brought myself to pay full-price for it, but now that I have it I enjoy and appreciate it. I agree that paying more than one needs to is not always wise, but sometimes paying more will bring you a higher quality item.
Advise needed on crock pots
I have the All-Clad with the aluminum insert. It is very large and takes up almost the whole upper rack in my dishwasher. My dishwasher is pretty new and some of the parts fold down to help it fit better. If you are looking for something small-ish I wouldn't recommend it (but it's beautiful and cooks very well, I love it!).
Visit To Sturbridge
I just have to chime in with a 'me too' - I grew up in Sturbridge too (class of '90) and my parents still live there. I think it's neat to see other Sturbridge people on chowhound. :)
Is there a spice that goes with peppermint?
Maybe mix cocoa into the dough to make them chocolate butter cookies?
Just stumbled upon your iPhone optimized site
Hi,
How can I bypass the beta site? I don't see a way to access the common boards I like to browse (general chowhounding topics, not about food, home cooking, etc).
I tried closing my browser and starting over but every request I make is forwarded to the qwapi.com site, with many links to "click to view hilarious videos". That's not why I'm here.
thanks.
Hilltop Steakhouse, Saugus MA: "You mean we gotta pay for this stuff?"
I saw that article yesterday too, and just couldn't find any empathy for the Giuffridas. They're upset about not being treated like royalty anymore and are taking up courthouse time to try to get it back. This comes alongside articles about record numbers of people lining up to collect groceries at food banks, which are rapidly running out of food. I was pretty dismayed to even see the Giuffridas' gripes published as news.
How is Bennigan's still in business??
My husband and I went about 10 years ago. His steak was still frozen when they served it. We never went back.
Olive Garden's Culinary Institute in Tuscany?!
The OG website's description of the "Institute" has a lot of references to managers, not cooks or chefs:
http://www.olivegarden.com/press/fact_sheets/culinary_institute.asp
It seems more like a corporate boondoggle/reward for managers than a cooking school. It's also impressive-sounding if you don't stop to think about it. Ooh, Tuscany.
Non-Dairy Cream Substitute
Unfortunately there's no great substitute for real cream. Even the powdered "non-dairy" substitutes often contain milk proteins. I'm dairy-free myself, and I do enjoy the Silk (soy) coffee creamer in my coffee, but it is sweet and would probably lend an off flavor to your dish.
Tofutti makes soy cream cheese (and maybe sour cream too?).. I wonder if mixing in a tablespoon of the cream cheese with unsweetened plain soy milk would get you a step closer. I've never tried this but if it melts, it could help add some of the creaminess that's so hard to recreate.
Or, just make a tomato-based sauce instead. :) Let us know what you end up with!
Mo Jo's BBQ Shack - Islington St., Portsmouth, NH
Have you tried it yet?
I went this week for lunch, had a pulled pork sandwich with baked beans on the side. Both were fantastic. The BBQ sauce is a bit more vinegary than sweet, which makes it all the more interesting. The pork was tender. But the beans - I would go back for the beans alone! They had amazing flavor - tasted like the BBQ sauce was in there, but also a ton of garlic, making them zippy and again - very interesting.
All the guys I work with love this place. It's worth checking out! Parking can be a challenge and it gets busy at lunchtime.
