joshlane4's Profile
Menu Suggestions
Thanks for the input!
lexpatti - I had thought about a potato dish too...I think roasted red potatoes with rosemary, garlic, olive oil, S&P might be great
cookie44 - potatoes au gratin sounds good too...a nice rich dish
I think I may just do a potato side...and RetiredChef, I love Caribbean food and personally would love your menu, but I'm cooking for a mixed audience of fairly conservative eaters who wouldn't know what to do with all the wonderful food you described!
Menu Suggestions
Alright foodies, I've been asked to cook a dinner for 12-14 folks next weekend. I need some menu advice. This is what I'm thinking so far:
Butternut Squash Soup
Spinach salad with cranberry's, nuts, cheese
Beef tenderloin
(help me)
1-2 dessert items
I need help picking 1-2 tasty side items for this meal, to go with the beef tenderloin.
Any help?
hot sauce in a bottle - favorites?
I love me some hot sauce!
Sriracha - for Asian dishes, sandwiches
Frank's - great on wings
Cholula - all purpose
Tabasco, and more recently, Tabasco Chipotle
mmm, mmm...
Can't find Blenheim Ginger Ale (in Augusta, GA)
Thanks for the reply, and I did call the factory. The drink is reasonably priced, but the shipping (understandably) is not. It was not worth the cost of shipping to me. Alas, I'll find it one day :)
ceramic/kamado cookers - different makes pros/cons
those who promote Kamodo say that they are priced better than BGE, and that they came first
as far as model, I think size is the main determinant-just make sure you get one that's big enough, which you may have to balance with the size/sturdiness of your balcony
Do I really need a chimney starter?
I'm all for the chimney for a myriad of reasons (most of which have already been discussed)
safety and ease of use are my favorite, no nasty lighter fluid taste and the ability to reliably and evenly light large amounts of coal is great too
I will never go back since purchasing my Weber chimney
Frozen Pizza...do you 'Doctor' yours up?
extra cheese (if I have it), pepper (chipotle, paprika, ground pepper), fresh garlic, & olive oil
Any tasty recipies for boneless chicken breasts?
We like to grill boneless, skinless breasts often. My favorite technique is to marinate them in a little olive oil and citrus juice for ~4hrs. Then coat them with your favorite rub. Then grill @ ~450 for 20 minutes. We always get juicy, tasty dinner!
Favorite way to cook red new potatoes?
we like to: wash, slice, toss w/: olive oil-S&P-fresh minced rosemary, the bake on a cookie sheet at 450 for 30-45 minutes (until done).
'Expensive' spices vs 'cheap' spices
I would say...it varies? I can get Szeged Hungarian paprika for cheap at my local supermarket.
I get Vietnamese black pepper in large quantities from Kalustyans.
I grow my own basil, rosemary and thyme.
I buy most of the rest from Penzey's. :)
In the market for a Gas Grill
I've had my Weber Genesis for 3+ years now and I love it. It has never let me down and I use it often. I don't have a lot of experience with other gas grills, I just know I love mine!
best BBQ smokers
I just had this question (see: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/542326 ). I went with the Weber Smoke Mountain that was mentioned above. I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER! Plus the virtual weber bullet site is an incredible resource. I think in the $200 price range, for a smoker, there is no choice. The WSM is the ONLY answer.
Best olive oil?
olive oils are like wine in Italy, with all sorts of regional varieties. In the states (especially in supermarkets), we don't see much variety.
As far as the big brands go, I buy Colavita for extra-virgin, and it's good enough for salads and finishing dishes. It's also not too expensive ($17 per liter).
I buy a cheaper brand (usually Filipo Berio $11/L) for my regular sauteeing olive oil.
I have good honey; inspire me with good ideas!
I got a bottle of Savannah Bee Company Tupelo Honey. I don't typically use honey in the kitchen, and I'm not a big tea drinker.
Tell me how you use good honey in the kitchen (other than tea) so I get some ideas!
cooking with okra
this recent thread had some good suggestions:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/544089
I love to grill okra, it's delicious
What kind of wood produces the best smelling/best tasting smoke?
this page has a lot of info about various smoke woods
http://virtualweberbullet.com/woods.html
offset smoker vs classic Weber...help me decide!
So, I changed my mind again. Last night, I ordered a WSM (Weber Smokey Mountain). I decided I would rather be able to smoke great that be able to both smoke and grill with mediocrity.
Thank you all for your help, and I look forward to many years of smoking ahead!
Can't find Blenheim Ginger Ale (in Augusta, GA)
I just called Fresh Market for the third time in as many months...
first time they said they were having a "hard time" getting any in stock
so I called the Blenheim company, and they said it wasn't a stocking problem-in fact Fresh Market had not placed an order in some time
I called back today, and was told that "it is a seasonal item and we don't have any right now"
....so I asked the kid when ginger ale season started....
Anheuser Busch sold to InBev for $52 billion
here in the southeastern US, Bud, Miller & Coors products are cheapest, with the exception of my beloved PBR & the much lesser 'Natural' Light, 'The Beast' and a variety of other monstrosities...
we don't have a TJ's in my town, and microbrews/imports are at least $1 more per six pack than the aforementioned "domestics"
Kale for a hater
wow, I just did this...tossed the de-stalked kale with extra-virgin olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, S&P, garam masala, and hot Hungarian paprika
into the oven @ 400 for 10 minutes - it was crunchy delicious!!
Roasted Okra
I do a similar preparation on the grill and love it!
Wash->ziplock w/ oil, S&P, spices->toss->grill basket->grill on medium for ~10 minutes
mmm...
Athens, GA: Heresy!
My wife and I LOVE 5&10. Unfortunately it didn't come to town until we were about to leave. We've been 5-7 times in the last 4-5 years and we've been thrilled each time. I second the opinion voiced earlier about asking you waiter/waitress about what's good/bad popular/unpopular. I do this nearly every time I eat and especially at a place with such good service. We frequently get the specials. Brunch on Sunday is also a special treat. I'm sorry for your bad experience, hope your next time is like mine!
Any hope for tough rib eye steaks that I bought?
hehe...I agree about the steak sauce comment...I cooked 2 pork tenderloins last night: olive oil, lemon juice, S&P, and herbs de Provence...delicious
offset smoker vs classic Weber...help me decide!
I guess my question is, with one of these cheaper offsets am I going to get a moderately good smoker/charcoal grill combo
the Weber smoker is out of the question IMO b/c I don't have money for a separate smoker and charcoal grill at this time
offset smoker vs classic Weber...help me decide!
I guess my question is, with one of these cheaper offsets am I going to get a moderately good smoker/charcoal grill combo
the Weber smoker is out of the question IMO b/c I don't have money for a separate smoker and charcoal grill at this time
