Is it okay to make a hodgepodge pesto for 19?

I have to make pesto for 19 people and am wondering if it is okay to mix my greens - basil, spinach, some random scapes I have from the csa, etc. Are there any potentially clashing greens? Anyone have a recipe that is already figured out for this size? I am thinking of just taking the basic basil pesto recipe from Simply Recipes and multiplying by 4. But I am planning on playing it pretty loose...any tips?

We typically eat the Bionatura whole wheat pasta but since I am serving this for 9 kids who aren't my own, I was going to go white pasta - any favorite brands? Is the Bionatura white pasta just as yummy?

Thanks!

ruthie_1000 in Home Cooking

What to take to west coast foodies from Brooklyn/Manhattan?

I am going to a family wedding on the west coast and need to bring a little something from Brooklyn to represent. I have to bring about 10 individual gifts so it needs to be small and not crazy expensive. People will be traveling home with it so it also can't be perishable. Mast chocolate bars are too expensive. Brooklyn gum is made in Italy. Manhattan special is way too risky in a suitcase (can you imagine?!). Any ideas? Pickles, corned beef and whitefish salad are also out. Doesn't have to be gourmet, per se, just recognizably NYC and delicious. Thanks!

ruthie_1000 in Outer Boroughs

chicken liver pate with pastis?

I am making the Bourbon Chicken Liver Pate from epicurious:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bourbon-Chicken-Liver-Pate-108720

Friend recommended using less butter while cooking and when we made it together we did not put the butter on top.

I also love chopped liver (with hard boiled egg) but don't have a recipe for that. The above recipe is very smooth and the veggies are cooked. This is making me hungry!

ruthie_1000 in Home Cooking

chicken liver pate with pastis?

I am making chicken liver pate for the first time. Have a recommended recipe that I plan to follow but it calls for bourbon. I only have Pastis in the house. The taste seems like it would work well but don't want to make a total bomb. Anyone experimented with these flavors before? Would love any and all advice.

thanks,

ruthie

ruthie_1000 in Home Cooking

Delivery (Jackson/Hyde) for visiting NYC 'hound?

I will be in SF for three nights and have rented an apartment near Jackson and Hyde. I am traveling with a toddler who will probably fall asleep by 5-6 because of the time change and am therefore looking for some good delivery options for my dinners.

Am open to anything not crazy expensive but would especially love Vietnamese, Thai, and Burritos.

We will also need a source for organic milk, fruit and assorted snacks. Already plan on going to Boulange for daily croissants!

(And if anyone has suggestions for wrangling a toddler in the neighborhood please pass those along as well!)

Help!!!

ruthie_1000 in San Francisco Bay Area

can you pickle beets in their skins?

I am planning to pickle the little baby beets we got in the CSA. Do I have to peel them? I love the skins on roasted beets but would they be too grainy in pickled beets?

Home picklers - help!

And if anyone has a quick pickle recipe, please post that as well...

ruthie_1000 in Home Cooking

everyday foods in Charlotte? off Carmel Road

Hello Chowhounds,

I am a Brooklyn CH trying to create a little dining guide for my parents who are about to move to Charlotte, NC. I have compiled a list of burger places, Vietnamese spots, bbq (with disclaimers), and other places around town, but I am now looking for places near their house for take-out, delivery, or a quick lunch or dinner.

They are moving near Carmel Road (3611) and Pineville Matthews Road (51).

Help!

p.s. If anyone has a rec for a dumpling place like Dumpling King in Houston with fresh grated ginger and chopped jalapenos in jars on the table, that would be a bonus.

ruthie_1000 in Southeast

Recipe for muffin/quick bread - NO sugar, NO eggs

I am looking for a good recipe for some sort of bread product - muffins, bread, loaf, etc. that doesn't have any added white sugar, honey, maple syrup or fake sugar.

Something like zucchini, carrot or pumpkin bread? It is for a baby (11 months) who loves munching on bagels, but whose mother (that's me) would like her to eat something more than just straight carbs.

Applesauce and bananas are fine, but I am getting confused with all of the substitutions and would love a recipe that someone has actually made before.

Help!

ruthie_1000 in Home Cooking

$75 dinner for two?! (help a NY hound pick a place in Chi-town)

Thanks rubinow, The Bristol looks great! They are going to have to get a babysitter and I don't want them to have to wait an hour for a table...know if it's crazy packed all the time?

And thanks nsxtasy for all of the info. Do you work for Chicago?!?! Unfortunately, we can't stretch the budget (Secret Santa rules) and the smaller, less corporate, places are more up their alley.

ruthie_1000 in Chicago Area

$75 dinner for two?! (help a NY hound pick a place in Chi-town)

I want to treat my sister-in-law and her husband to dinner for a x-mas present but have a $75 limit. I used to live in Chicago, but am drawing a blank on moderately priced restaurants.

Am currently thinking Le Bouchon, but it leaves them either paying tip or buying their own bottle of wine.

Bonsoiree seems great, and I love that it is BYOB, but at $55 per person it is out of the price range of the gift exchange.

Lula is my favorite restaurant that I always return to, but I am sure they have been.

Nothing downtown or too far east. Hoping to find something in Wicker Park, Bucktown, NW-ish area.

Help!

ruthie_1000 in Chicago Area

Help! can't remember: supper club? prix fixe? wicker park?

Yes, that was it. Thanks for figuring it out! Sorry to hear she passed away.

ruthie_1000 in Chicago Area

Help! can't remember: supper club? prix fixe? wicker park?

I need to buy a gift certificate as a gift and want to get something unusual. I lived in Chicago almost 10 years ago (a NYC hound now) and remember something that was like a supper club...you called and made a reservation and the woman asked about your food preferences. It was a fixed menu and maybe even byob. In the Wicker Park area? Anybody remember? Is it still around? Anything else to recommend?

ruthie_1000 in Chicago Area

Help a Brooklyn Chow! Back Bay with a 5mo baby?

Wow - thank you for all of the information!!!

To answer some of your questions:

- We will have a car, but will only really have time to travel for dinner. We are definitely up for adventures. The T is fine, the baby is very used to traveling by subway and we wear her in a carrier so there is no stroller to contend with.

- We live in Clinton Hill and have eaten at Al di La for a birthday celebration. The pizza place I don't know because I love Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge. My husband, however, thinks Totonno's in Coney Island is better.

- I am not eating dairy these days because the little one might have an allergy to cow's milk protein, so that rules out the pizza. I have had pretty good luck eating out so far and am even trying to make sure we find a lobster roll that is made with mayo instead of creme fraiche or sour cream. No butter toasted bun, but I'll survive.

Thanks for the restaurant info and the advice for dining with a baby - every day is so different and such a surprise.

-r

ruthie_1000 in Greater Boston Area

Help a Brooklyn Chow! Back Bay with a 5mo baby?

We will be staying at the Sheraton in the Back Bay for a conference (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights) and could use some solid recommendations for the following:

Quick and Easy breakfasts - coffee, eggs, etc.
Lunches - lighter, quicker, salads, lobster rolls, Vietnamese?
Dinners - one very decent meal and one a bit more of something special

If you know NYC - we are looking for the likes of Marlowe & Sons, Diner, Schiller's, Mama's, Queen's Hideaway, Momofuku, Minca, Corner Bistro, etc.

Our daughter just started "talking" and likes to make lots of noises, but no screaming thank goodness, which means we either need a somewhat loud place or a more casual place.

Thanks!

ruthie_1000 in Greater Boston Area

Grocery Store that turns into a restaurant at night

Are you thinking of L'EPICERIE? 270 Vanderbilt (at DeKalb) 718-636-1200. They serve a family style dinner on Saturday nights only and get booked pretty quickly. We went in January and it was so-so. The food was decent, it is BYOB, it was a fun experience, but for $45 pre fixe we were a bit disappointed [good salad with pears and cheese (can't remember the details), braised short ribs that were tender but oddly devoid of flavor, mashed potatoes with a similar issue, and fondue that was basically a melted bittersweet chocolate bar with unripe winter fruit]. Even so, we plan to give it a second chance when the local produce gets going.

ruthie_1000 in Outer Boroughs