Kitchen Imp's Profile
Fine Dining in Kansas City
I second the Rieger - great food and atmosphere, and the speakeasy is great for a drink afterward. They're serious about their mixed drinks there: some downright artistry goes on in that basement.
Lisbon trip report (long)
Once again, I just want to say in case people run into this problem: in smaller, family-run restaurants, even something as basic as a salad often won't appear on the menu. You just have to ask if they have salad. The phrase to get you a green salad (sometimes with tomato, cucumber, and/or grated carrot) is "salada mista." It's not hard to get vegetables in Portugal at all. That said, it's definitely true that green vegetable sides are not terribly interesting -- just steamed or boiled, generally. But the vegetable soups are divine!
A Trader Joe's Care Package
I second the Wasabi Seaweed Snack - and don't forget Wasabi Peas!
Lisbon trip report (long)
In my experience, the Portuguese are perfectly good with vegetables, it's just that they're not listed on restaurant menus for some reason. I discovered this by happenstance by traveling there with a vegetarian in the late 1990s. When I explained what he could and couldn't eat (I speak Portuguese), all sorts of options appeared that weren't on the menu. Having lived in both Porto and Lisbon I can tell you that the supermarkets are full of vegetables, and people certainly eat them in their homes.
How much chicken to purchase?
Since we don't know your recipes, probably the best way to do it would be to look at the number of servings for each recipe and multiply the amount listed for each meat product to come up with 20 servings.
Etiquette Questions [Do you report sickness from bad food] Moved from Minneapolis-St. Paul Board
Before everyone gives Butter Fish/Escolar a bad name here, consider this response posted to the link Jackie007 posted. There are TWO types of Escolar/Butter Fish, and only one causes those symptoms:
"There are in fact two different species of Escolar. In the fishing industry they are known as SMOOTH SKIN (Lepidocybium Flavobrunneum) and ROUGH SKIN (Ruvettus Pretiosus) Escolar, the latter (Rough Skin) being the much cheaper yet problematic fish causing the purgative problems mentioned in so many other posts. It is such a pity these two different fish species have been lumped together as it is an amazing eating as well as environmentally sustainable fish to consume."
Buttermilk Party--Help!
There are a lot of recipes out there - I don't know if it would work to just swap it in place of water.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/ButtermilkPancakes.html
Enjoy!
So WHY were we forced to sit at the table till the food was gone??
To ipsedixit - AMEN. I agree 100%.
have you noticed ben & jerry's quality going downhill? espcially the classic flavors?
Thanks for this - I'd always wondered why they're needed in cream (since presumably cream is thick already). Interesting!
have you noticed ben & jerry's quality going downhill? espcially the classic flavors?
Guar gum and carrageenan are naturally occurring thickeners (made from beans and seaweed, respectively). While I agree that they have no business being in ice cream, they're not preservatives or otherwise nasty:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guar_gum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan
That said, I totally agree that B&J has gone way, way downhill. They're nothing like they were in the late 80s/early 90s, back when the ingredients list was usually fewer than five or six items long and included only the basic ingredients you'd expect to see. Now they're no different from any other mass-produced "good" ice cream.
Good Eats
Thanks for this heads-up, grayelf - sounds like maybe, just maybe, the OP is making a doc film about food in the Bay Area and wants our input on places to go without admitting it! [the previous post also says it's his first visit, and mentions that he's a filmmaker]
Make ahead for a novice cook
Just saw that she's a recovering vegetarian. One of my fave recipes for a make-ahead soup-as-a-meal came from an Italian cookbook whose title I've now forgotten, so I'm very sorry if I'm somehow breaking copyright here. I've adapted it over the years in any case. It was the first soup I learned how to make and I promise it's an easy one!
PASTA E FAGIOLI
1 onion, chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, diced (I love garlic, some people might prefer less)
3 cups or 1.5 28-oz cans Italian crushed tomatoes
10 basil leaves, cut in thin strips
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chopped
3 15-oz cans of small white beans (Italian ones, called cannellini)
6 cups water
1/4 lb small dried pasta, like mini-macaroni or something like it
salt & pepper to taste
Saute onion & garlic in olive oil, about 5 minutes, until soft. Add canned tomatos, sliced basil leaves, and chopped parsley. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add canned beans (drained) and 6 cups water. Simmer over medium heat at least 15 minutes, until beans start to break down and the soup thickens somewhat. Add the pasta and cook (according to the timing on the box) until al dente.
This soup is fabulous with crusty bread and grated parmesan, and if you have time a salad is always nice but not necessary. It's always better the day after you cook it.
Make ahead for a novice cook
Hearty soups and stews could really be your friends in this case. That would tick all your boxes -- no heavy starch, no mushrooms or blue cheese or eggs necessary, and cheap!
I often make a huge pot of chicken & vegetable soup on the weekend, and we eat it a couple nights during the next week; ditto for Italian white bean, kale, & sausage soup, also minestrone. And beef stew is a really easy one to make in advance, and the flavors, like soup, only get better overnight.
Soups and stews don't need to be as daunting as they initially sound, either. I suggest browsing around on the internet for samples.
That would be too easy.
I agree -my experience is that people like a set white (runny white = ick!), with a well-warmed, runny yolk.
That would be too easy.
+1 for sueatmo - I've never been served an egg fried the wrong way if I specified over-easy or sunnyside-up, either.
That would be too easy.
I've never thought that the question "how would you like your eggs?" means anything other than - do you want scrambled, poached, fried, etc. Never thought I was being asked how well-cooked I want them, except for over easy (flipped) vs. sunny-side up (not-flipped). Native English-speaking American, here, and I'm gobsmacked.
That would be too easy.
Funny, I always thought "over easy" meant that the egg had been flipped, so that the white was fully cooked; "sunny-side up" is when it's left to cook without flipping, with a white that isn't completely set. I wonder if it's a regional dialect thing? In my lifetime experience in the SF Bay Area, ordering "over easy" has always resulted in a flipped, cooked-through white with a runny yolk.
Open House Desert for a crowd
I'd love to do this myself. Any particular recipe for creme anglaise that you especially like?
Open House Desert for a crowd
One more thing I forgot to mention - in that post I said to use part-skim ricotta, but since then I've come to the conclusion that it's infinitely better to use whole-milk ricotta and get skim evaporated milk, instead. Of course if you don't feel like cutting calories, go full-fat on both and the texture will be beautifully creamy. But the part-skim ricotta produces a grainier texture than whole-milk ricotta, so I'd definitely go for the latter.
Open House Desert for a crowd
To be honest I've never made a larger version, nor have I made it in a rectangular pan, but I'm certain the latter would work. I think in terms of doubling it, I would bake two that are more or less the same volume as a 9" pie pan (if you decide to go rectangular). Doubling it in a single, larger pan could lead to cooking-time problems.
I think a shortbread crust would work fine. I've never tried it. Here's an excuse for you to make a cheesecake today, to test it out! Mmmmm.
As for freezing, never tried that, either. I don't think I'd risk it. It does taste *much* better if you cook it a day in advance and chill it overnight, though, so maybe just make it a couple days ahead and keep it in the fridge.
Open House Desert for a crowd
I think it would. It's the only kind of cheesecake I've ever made, and it's awfully easy. The thing to keep in mind is that this recipe is *not* for a NY-style cheesecake (the kind made with cream cheese and sometimes sour cream). It's a version of Italian ricotta cheese pie, which often has a texture that is simultaneously denser and lighter than NY cheesecakes. It's hard to explain the difference, but I'm attaching a photo so you can see what I mean.
Here's a link for the recipe from when I posted it on a different thread a few years back, with some notes about modifications: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/390347#2482054
Something simple to teach
I was wondering the same thing as Hank. It's hard to imagine that he's never eaten barbecued chicken on the bone (drumsticks?!?), but I suppose these days one never knows.
Something simple to teach
Exactly what I was going to suggest. Roasting leg quarters or just thighs is incredibly easy and non-intimidating. In fact it was one of the first things I learned how to cook as a kid. Chicken thighs, rub with olive oil, sprinkle with a mix of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder; put in 400º oven for 30 minutes then reduce to 350º for 20 more minutes. Eat. Simple.
Chicken Chili too acidic -help.
Just to clarify, I'm talking like a tablespoon of milk for your entire pot. It may work wonders to cut the acidity and be totally undetectable to anyone eating it.
Chicken Chili too acidic -help.
This may sound bizarre, but given that adding a little milk to tomato sauces cuts the acidity, I wonder if you could try the same in this case. Maybe put a little chili in a separate bowl, stir in a little splash of milk, and see what it does to the flavor?
What to do with leftover whole wheat linguini?
I'd make a big pot of chicken soup or mixed veggie soup, cut the linguine into short pieces, and add it to the pot during the last 10 minutes or so of simmering. Presumably the pasta would soak up the flavor of the broth and since it would be mixed in with all the other yummy ingredients in the soup you wouldn't notice it so much.
Open House Desert for a crowd
Having gotten wicked food poisoning from tiramisu that sat out for a few hours, I'd follow your first instinct on that one - mascarpone should not be left out. A baked cheesecake, on the other hand, should be just fine. I have a lemon ricotta cheesecake that I adore that holds just fine in an open-house type setting. You could make it in a rectangular pan and precut cheesecake squares with a little whipped cream or fruit topping on each. Mmmm.
Can you help me save this chicken dish?
Well, you could always stick in the freezer until the frustration has worn off. :-)
Maybe chop it up and put it in a casserole?
