JRicher's Profile
Mashed Potatoes - an Informal Survey
A waitress friend of mine was talking to me one day about the big menu changes at a local family friendly place, and I had to stop myself from laughing when she said, all astonished "We're going to use REAL potatoes! It makes me feel kinda fancy."
Mashed Potatoes - an Informal Survey
Add me in the "depends on the potato" column. Grew up in southern Massachusetts currently living in north central North Carolina.
Painful, but funny
After repetitive shoulder injuries & nerve damage, my father's left hand is numb from his middle finger over to his pinky. One year he was playing assistant in the kitchen around Thanksgiving and pulled the 23lb turkey out of the freezer, and ended up dropping it on his left hand. Everyone freaked out asking if he was okay, and he just laughed and said "I didn't feel a thing!" The best part was, after dropping the turkey on it, he regained feeling in his hand for a day or two, and now he likes to joke that if he wants to use his hand he needs a frozen turkey first.
Chicken 'N Waffles ... how best to eat it?
When eating this dish out I use a knife and fork. Butter and syrup on the waffles, just syrup on the chicken, and take a small piece of each in one bite. However, when I make it at home, I use chicken tenderloins for the fried chicken, put one on half a waffle, fold up like a taco and dunk into a waiting ramekin of hot maple syrup.
Jello 123
I remember that stuff. A quick google image search will bring up plenty of evidence to prove your sanity. :)
What to do with Cheerios
Of course it's a fantastic idea to donate them to a local food charity, however, the OP was requesting recipes to use them herself. Also, when I make this recipe, I keep a small amount for myself, then divide the rest into jars, boxes or cookie tins and give them away to friends, neighbors, etc.
What to do with Cheerios
I like to toss them in a bowl with some dried cranberries and toasted pecans, (or dried apples and peanuts) then coat with melted white chocolate, spread on parchment paper to cool and break into bite size pieces.
Fluffy debate -- fluffernutter sandwiches
:) I grew up just north of the RI line in Blackstone, MA.
French Fries: France vs. America vs. Belgium vs. United Kingdom
My condiment choice depends on the fry. If they're thick, I like malt vinegar. If they're thinner I prefer them plain or occasionally with a bit of ranch dressing.
Waiter Poll - What do you think is more professional?
I get anxious watching waiters balance plates on their arms, and can't help but think about how the plates are usually hot. It may look "unprofessional" to some, I prefer the tray method for the comfort of the waiter.
Fluffy debate -- fluffernutter sandwiches
For it to qualify as an authentic Fluffernutter to me, it must be Marshmallow Fluff, creamy peanut butter and white bread that gets stuck to the roof of your mouth. Add some salty potato chips and Autocrat coffee milk and that was lunch for me almost every school day when I was growing up in MA.
Shameful Food Secrets
I see your shameful monkey bread and raise you a disgustingly delish "dough boy". Rhodes bread dough thawed and risen, then cut into thirds, stretched thin and deep fried until golden brown. Top with butter and powdered sugar or maple syrup.
Shameful Food Secrets
I remember once when I was little, mom was sick and dad was making kraft mac & cheese with hotdogs for dinner but we were out of milk. So he measured out the water, heated it in the microwave then dissolved two teaspoons of powdered coffee creamer and used that in place of milk.
servers commenting on how much we ate - rude?
I live in a very small town in the middle of chain hell, so when a new (non chain) Italian place opened, my family decided to try it out. The food and the atmosphere were both great, and we were repeat customers, until... It was my birthday and after a delicious meal, we ordered dessert. I got a scrumptious piece of chocolate cake and ate the whole thing. The owner came out to see us and proceeded to make a huge deal about how I ate the whole piece of cake, even going so far as to pick up the dessert plate and scrape the frosting off of it, then offered me the fork. I'm not sure how others would've reacted, but having been a big girl my entire life, it hit a nerve and as soon as we got into the car I burst into tears. We never went back again. I'm sure he was just making what he thought was a funny joke, but being self-conscious already, it just absolutely mortified me.
Looking for a great cake in Winston-Salem
My birthday is next week, and I'd like to treat myself to a really great cake that I don't have to bake myself. I'd love a coconut cake, but anything yummy will do. Any suggestions?
Favorite Sonic Drinks?
I like the strawberry limeade, and on occasion I'll get a Sprite with a shot of watermelon flavor.
Ice cream and ___________ = a winning combination
I like crunchy granola and melted peanut butter on vanilla.
Sometimes when I want the sweet/salty combo I let my bowl of chocolate ice cream get melty and then eat it with Fritos scoops.
Chocolate is also good for making a Cheerwine float. (For those of you in regions other than the southeast, Cheerwine is a cherry flavored soda.)
What Do You Do With Your Food When No One Is Looking?
I always seem to lose one or two ravioli in the transfer between the colander and the pot of sauce.
My SO doesn't like looking at the strip of fat around the edge of his ribeye, so, being the sweet and loving woman I am, I remove it for him before I bring him his plate. That most of it goes in my mouth instead of the trash is my own shameful secret.
Tip for shaping peanut butter cookies
That's a great idea! I always used my potato masher, but pressing a whole sheet of cookies at once would definitely speed up the process of baking four double batches for my holiday gift baskets. :)
BEST PACKAGED ICE CREAM
If it's going on a pie, cobbler, etc, I like Haagen Daaz vanilla bean. If I'm having it by itself I'm all about Ben & Jerry's Imagine Whirled Peace.
Major bacon fail
I use my George Forman grill for bacon. I preheat the grill, toss on four or five slices of bacon, flip once during cooking and take it off when the pieces are all evenly browned. They come off the grill floppy and get crispy while draining on paper towels. Then I just pour the grease from the drip tray into a coffee mug and save it for later use.
World Market Recs
Their private label dessert wafers in hazelnut and orange chocolate are addictive and I recently discovered the Sticky Fingers brand of lemon curd is absolutely divine on shortbread cookies. Also their veggie tortilla chips are tasty.
Boneless chicken breasts bore me to tears
I use boneless skinless breasts to make chicken tacos. I coat them in my fave fajita seasoning blend, bake, then shred them and serve with grilled bell peppers and onions, a squeeze of lime and a little corn salsa on fresh tortillas.
Sins in the Kitchen
Count me as another one who's anal about their kitchen. My *latest* pet peeve is the roommate who continues to use my good kitchen shears to cut tape and open mail and those godforsaken plastic packages, even though I've asked him nicely not to on several occasions. We have a regular pair of scissors right in the pencil holder by the phone, just as convenient as my freaking kitchen shears, man.
What foods give you heartburn?
Bananas, canned tuna and popcorn all give me heartburn. My father gets heartburn from watermelon.
Polska Kielbasa
One thing my mom used to do for a quick weeknight dinner- slice the kielbasa into 1/4 inch slices and fry it up, then toss into some good tomato sauce along with some (cooked) rigatoni. Be sure to let everything simmer together for at least 15 minutes so all the flavors combine well and the rigatoni absorbs some of the sauce. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese and voila!
Bojangles Chicken
I've only eaten at Bojangles once. The chicken was dripping with grease and made me sick as a dog, and the biscuits had a bizarre chemical aftertaste. It may just have been the one store I went to, but as sick as it made me I won't be taking a chance on another location.
Best chain Onion Rings
I love Steak & Shake's onion rings. They're battered, not breaded, and are the only chain onion rings I've ordered more than once. Burger King should be ashamed of what they call an onion ring.
Looking for old fashioned drive-in restaurants.
I haven't been in years, but The Redwood on Route 16(Uxbridge Road) in Mendon used to have the BEST fried clams, and those awesome stringy onion rings that come out in one big tangled, tasty mess. Some of my favorite memories are of summer nights going to the Redwood for dinner and then the Mendon Drive In for a double feature.
KFC'S GRILLED CHICKEN--HOW IS IT?
I tried it today. The pieces are much smaller than their regular chicken. It was tough and dry on the small spots that weren't covered by skin, but the meat that was covered by the skin was very tender and not dry. The skin itself was crispy, and not as tough as I thought it would be. Honestly, though, it didn't taste grilled to me, it tasted more like broasted chicken.. it didn't have that smoky flavor that good grilled chicken has. It was okay, but in the future if I'm going to blow my daily fat intake in one meal at KFC I'll just get the extra crispy.
