YES! i know this mom from a mom group. very competitive, passive agressive and slightly narcissistic.

anyway, she's a "Baker". she made cupcakes for our friends' child birthday party. they looked beautiful with fluffy frosting. once you tasted this creation you realized it was over baked cupcakes from a mix and food dye in canned frosting. she's constantly boasting about her baking and frankly, everything i've tasted is awful. part of the problem is people seem to feel the need to compliment her. the proof should be in the pudding when half eat cupcakes are in the garbage.

I've been to some of the TJ's outside of our area and I was pretty let down. The one in Scarsdale, NY was such a let down. I can't say it was one thing that was disappointing but overall it didn't have the same vibe as the one's we have here in Socal or all of CA for that matter. The food seemed sparse and slightly old. However, after spending a long few weeks in on a road trip with no Trader Joe's (thru Utah and Colorado) I finally went to one in Santa Fe. They were sampling wine and champagne!

i bet you cut in line too.

Is it an old German treat as some say it is or did somebody at Dominique Ansel Bakery invent it?

i use mine all the time. i buy organic lettuce and kale from the farmers markets and it's bug city. it dries the leaves perfectly too.

yeah I get it. i do. and to do their work with balance and fairness (a la ruth reichl's debacle with Le Cirque or more recently S. Irene Virbila with Red Medicine) of course you need to have anonymity otherwise every restaurant would possibly be reviewed as "excellent". and to that i realize not everyone can walk around like Jonathan Gold but for him it works.

The one refreshing thing about Jonathan Gold is his lack of desire to retain his anonymity unlike most critics. If you read the local papers and have an interest in local food you know what he looks like. i used to see him enjoying a coffee and a pastry at my local bakery on a regular basis. he's just a lovable person all around.

this all so helpful. i'm going to have to try the cream cheese recipe. sounds great. i'm a big fan of cream cheese for an egg sub. in fact, i use a whole block instead of eggs in my chocolate chip cookies. although it's much more caloric it tastes divine.

so from what everyone said combined with some research i just fell in love with a vegan coconut ice cream. 3 ingredients, coconut cream in a can chilled, coconut vegan yogurt and some agave. i whipped the cream combo for eons in a mixer. the yogurt with the added gums and stabilizer only helped create a smooth texture. thanks for your input!!

I got a new ice cream maker. not a commercial grade one but just a Cuisinart 2 quart from Costco. it was on sale and I couldn't resist.

Anyway, i made a batch of lowfat frozen yogurt and it came our grainy and froze into a solid ice cube. i made a batch of regular non custard ice cream and it came out creamier but still froze into a solid cube. so upon much research people say the ice cream doesn't have, A) enough fat and B) not enough air whipped in.

So can I whip the stuff before i add into the ice cream? would that make a smidgen of difference? and can i whip up custard in the Kitchen Aid before putting it into the maker? i'm also working with some limits which may be impeding with greater results. I refuse to put vodka in it bc i usually feed it to my 4 yr old or young kids. and no egg bc i'm dealing with egg sensitivities.

so are you staying in Highland Park for vacation?

i'm sorry you didn't like the Kitchen Next Door. I have to admit the place is a hit or miss. i've had some meh dishes there and some really great ones like the tomato soup. The Kitchen OTOH is really great. Its a higher price point but more refined. The KND is more of a casual pub with healthy food.

we just got back from a trip to CO as well yesterday. and i completely concur about the drivers!! we were back at LAX and man, it was hell. and then back on the freeway with all the other jerks. i said you know you're back in LA when a white BMW cuts you off going 90 miles her hour in slow moving traffic. colorado wins with the most polite and best drivers!

while it's not sushi, the sashimi lunch special at Sushi Gen blows Sugarfish out the water for quality and value.

Not a fan of Sugarfish AT ALL. My mom lives right near the MDR location. We've gone twice and it's not a value meal for what they offer. Fish is ok. hamachi roll is chopped up hamachi which is suspect already.

yes, i assume so. they taste like candy that's why they're so good but as i said, i'd rather gain weight eating ice cream and eating pizza, not on dried fruit. it just seems like the wimp way to gain weight.

Another YAY on the dried mandarin slices but at 140 calories for 14 pieces I can see myself easily gaining back those 3 lbs that took like 100 yrs to lose. i'd rather gain weight eating ice cream or guzzling wine.

i had a similar experience until someone in a past thread recommended this. heat olive oil in a pan then fry the carnitas. finish off with orange juice. i've also finished off with lime juice and each method produces a decent end product.

Why not Proof?

yes, that would be like going to San Diego and skipping the beach.

true true. and a good reference for later since this board is so slow.

i think it's a good to know but the OP states cheap eats and casual. i don't think the Penrose is cheap or casual unless it's changed.

The Kitchen Next Door for happy hour. I live in LA and go to SD often. For this type of food (quality and cost) I haven't found anything comparable. in LA the same type of restaurant will charge double for what hey offer. Local beer on tap and excellent pork sandwich and tomato soup.

Here is the following recipe for famous raised waffle. Has anyone attempted this without egg? how does it come out?

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes...

gloves and protective clothing will not protect the child with the allergies bc the said allergen will still be on their protective clothes. so it's just best to clean your kid up with a wipe after eating. it's that simple. you take a wipe and clean their hands and mouth. and if you spill your food just pick up after yourself and put it in the garbage. i do that anyway bc i'm not into littering. my child has food allergies and we have playdates with friends who bring PBJ's. we are all ok with this. the child gets wiped afterwards and it takes about a second. we like this bc it's teaching my child how to protect himself and understand his disability. i never wanted to say it's a "disability" bc he's fine otherwise but inorder for people to understand that my kid can go into anaphylaxis with one bite i've had to explain it that way.

we make onigiri or rice balls as our non refrigerated picnic food. salt the hot rice and stuff it with salmon, egg, or whatever you want. bring the nori with you so it doesn't get soggy. we use the seasoned seaweed from Trader Joes for a little flavor.

MEH- Pad See Ew or should i say "ew" haha! anyway, i think they got the flavor profile correct, a tad bit too sweet for my liking but the noodles. oh boy. they come frozen and when i cooked them down they were slimy. i think last month someone said it was like eating snot. well, they got that one right. but the veggies tasted ok for frozen. maybe if it's the way i cooked it. if there can be another way to cook the noodles...oh and the calories. apparently the good people at TJ's think there's 5 servings in there. well, it's more like 2 unless it's a tiny side appetizer.

yeah, well i actually started making my own kombucha at home due to explosion incidents. takes a few weeks but worth it.

yeah, but it still sucks. beet juice all over my canvas bag! they sent me some kraut to makeup for it but there was kraut juice everywhere.

the pouches stink. i buy this raw sauerkraut at WF and they changed their packaging to the pouch from glass jars. i got a beet kraut and it leaked everywhere bc it has some kind of vent. i don't buy the kimchee at TJ's just bc i hate the pouch.

it is a seasonal item. i asked last week. however, powdered sugar is supposed to be seasonal as well but they've carried it thru now since the holidays.

i've used it and it's a YAY for me. however, i only used to spray pans when making brownies. i'm yet to cook with it stovetop. i'm a bit hesitant bc i'm really picky with the coconut oil flavor. the last time i used real coconut oil for a stir fry i didn't care for the flavor. i thought it interfered with the soy sauce and clashed with sesame. however, i do use coconut oil when making curry fried rice. the curry and the raisins go nicely with the coconut.

i don't necessarily agree with having to give veggie sticks and whole foods for a picky toddler. i feel like that's asking someone who has never run to go for a 10K immediately. i think it's ok to "hide" the food as long the hidden ingredient is communicated. we made kale smoothies for a long time. my child knew there was kale in his smoothie. now fast forward 2 yrs kale is normal for him so he'll eat it chiffonade with dressing. he's aslo acquired a taste for it. i think that can be the key sometimes.

we put kale in our smoothies but we've been giving it to him since 18 months so he's taken a liking to it. however, you have to be careful with what kale to use. after some trial and error we find that we can only use curly kale. all other kales are too strong in flavor. we also use a ton of frozen mango and a fuji apple. sometimes a squeeze of fresh orange juice and yogurt.