lisavf's Profile
Needed: A fabulous bone-in pork chop recipe, please!
Not a recipe, but I would grill them. Salt & pepper, rosemary, thyme, grill for 5-7 minutes per side, depending on how thick they are and how hot your grill is. You won't regret it.
When yogurt separates - mix it in or drain it?
Thanks for the specific information. I truly appreciate it. I will reserve the whey and try to find a use for it, since calcium intake is important to me.
When yogurt separates - mix it in or drain it?
I'm not worried about it; I just wanted some information. How would I know that I'm not losing half the nutrients down the drain if I don't investigate? Not life-shattering, sure, but I wanted to know the answer.
When yogurt separates - mix it in or drain it?
Any idea how long it will last? I don't bake bread, but oatmeal - yes. Maybe I can add it to my milk when I have cereal. I am at an age (and have a family history) where calcium is very important, so I should add it anywhere I can.
When yogurt separates - mix it in or drain it?
Thanks for the info. I prefer it thicker as well. Any idea how much calcium is lost?
When yogurt separates - mix it in or drain it?
This is what I'm trying to find out. I need the calcium (don't we all) and I like how the protein gets me through the morning. I don't want to lose those benefits! How significant is the loss?
When yogurt separates - mix it in or drain it?
My question is, am I losing nutrients? All else being equal, I will continue to drain it because I like it better that way. But if I'm pouring half the protein down the drain, I'll mix it back in. I always do please myself. That's why I need to lose 10 pounds right now! :)
When yogurt separates - mix it in or drain it?
My Fage container doesn't say "don't stir" anywhere on it - I just checked it. On the smaller tub, I portion it out 1/4 of a container at a time so I get four fairly equal servings. It's easier to do that if I scoop out 1/4 of the container top to bottom. Plus I like the thicker texture that develops over a few days if I drain it. But am I losing significant amounts of nutrients?
Fair & carnival food
Cactus fries. They put a potato on a spiral slicer and turn it around and around and around until it's one long, thin spiral strip. Then they deep-fry it like a potato chip. I always ask for it extra-crispy. You can top it with ketchup (boring) or vinegar (traditional) or they always have shakers with different spices. I usually just go for salt and pepper.
Potato cakes and pierogies
Apple dumplings with cinnamon ice cream
Blue birch beer
When yogurt separates - mix it in or drain it?
When a tub of yogurt separates, do you mix it back in or drain it? I've been draining it because I like how the remainder becomes thicker every day, but I've begun to wonder, am I losing significant nutrients by doing so? What do you do when your yogurt separates?
A Chicken Emergency.
If you have a food processor, you could grind some of it for use in chicken chili or other recipes using ground chicken, and freeze some for later use.
NEPA Farms Selling Soybeans and Produce
Hey, Val, no problem. I'm just glad you got the information in time!
I would just caution you not to be too disappointed by the first market. It's a little early in the year, so we don't have a lot of produce yet in this part of PA. Don't let that deter you from returning for the rest of the summer. Also, Forks Farm itself is meat-centric (they raise cattle, pigs, sheep, chickens and turkeys) but most of their other vendors are produce vendors. I only mention this because I see you are on a path to veganism, and I don't want to give you a wrong impression. There's lots to love about it, and it just gets better as the season progresses!
As far as the soybeans and brown rice, you won't find them at Forks; however, perhaps one of the farmers there has access to them or can steer you to someone who does. You actually might have better luck at Ochs. They likely won't have those items in stock (not in bulk like you're looking for) but can probably obtain them for you, as they get a lot of items from other PA farmers when they don't have their own produce. They also stock a lot of locally sourced non-fresh produce items (dried spices, dried beans, etc.) but not in bulk (at least not right in the store, perhaps in a back room). But since they do source a lot of those products in smaller quantities, I would bet they can get you the soybeans and brown rice in bulk. They are a very nice family, although I'm embarrassed to say, for all the years I've been going there, I don't know their first names! But just ask. They are always more than happy to tell you about what they have and where it comes from and all of that great information. It's a really cute indoor store.
As I was typing this, one other place occurred to me: Junas Natural Foods, 928 Peace Street, Hazleton. I've never been there so I can make no personal recommendation, but it may be worth trying.
Good luck, and please let me know your impressions if you make it to Forks this weekend!
NEPA Farms Selling Soybeans and Produce
Hey, Valentine. I live in Drums, too. I just brought an old post of mine back to the top of the Pennsylvania board. The place you're looking for is Forks Farm Market. It's about a 45-minute drive, but well worth it. They have limited market days. Check out that post. I'm sad because I'm going to miss the first market day, but I have the May market day on my calendar and I WILL be there! A co-worker and I go together. You could ride with us if you wanted to.
Also, try Ochs Farm. They are located on East County Road in Drums. Much smaller but open six days a week year round. They sell their own produce as well as a variety of products mostly sourced from other farms, generally around the Lancaster area. They do not carry raw milk, but they do have locally sourced eggs and honey. I'm not sure where you are in Drums, but if you know where Greco Estates is, it's just down the road from there, also down the road from Dave's Gun Shop. If you need specific directions, let me know where you are and I can get you there. They are a great family and I love shopping there year round. Fridays are baked good days - all kinds of homemade pies and cakes - but you have to get there early because they sell out quickly.
In the summer there is a farmers' market on the square in Wilkes-Barre, I think it's every Wednesday (not sure on that, though, I'd have to check) but I never make it there because I'm pretty sure it's daytime only. The Wegmans in Wilkes-Barre also carries a lot of local produce during the local growing season, and they label it as such, specifying which farm each item came from.
Hometown Market is just okay. I haven't been there in years because it reminds me more of a flea market than a farm market. I've never found it to be worth the trip.
Let me know if you need any more information!
Forks Farm Market near Bloomsburg
While there were no responses to this when I originally posted it last year, I'm hoping some of you in NEPA read the posting and visited Forks Farm. They're having their first farm market day soon, so I thought I'd bring this back up to the top to let everyone know this year's market dates:
April 21, 10am-1pm
May 19, 10am-1pm
June 9 & 23, 10am-3pm
July 14 & 28, 10am-3pm
Aug 11 & 25, 10am-3pm
Sept 8 & 22, 10am-3pm
Oct 13 & 27, 10am-3pm
Turkey Mkt Nov 20, 1-6 pm
Holiday Mkt Dec 15, 10am-1pm
Check out their website www.forksfarmmarket.com or they are on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/?sk=welcome#!/ForksFarm
Check them out online, visit the market, and support our local farms!
Tricks you figured out in the kitchen and thought 'good one'!!!
Okay, I never, ever laugh out loud when reading Chowhound, but today I did!
Traveling to Seattle on business - would appreciate some recs
Ugh, the food for the rest of the trip was pretty dreadful. My work was at the Columbia Center, so lunches were in the food court. Dinners were ordered from the cafe in the hotel and eaten in my room. One day I brought a sandwich home from the food court to have as my dinner. Basically I just had enough time to eat in order to get some food into me, not to enjoy a meal (more time eating means less time sleeping, and I was on a really tight schedule). So I was especially grateful for the recommendation of Chez Shea, because it was my one and only "special" meal.
I do hope to get back to Seattle one day to enjoy more of what the city has to offer. It was a beautiful, clean city with friendly people. Traveling for work isn't always fun, but I do always try to make an effort to enjoy at least a little bit of what a city has to offer, and thanks to Chowhound, I usually find good eats. So thanks, Seattle CH!
Only 3 Dinners in St. Martin...What Are Your Favorite Picks?
We just got back from a week in St. Martin, and just to give you a heads-up, they're doing roadwork in Marigot which makes traveling to/from there or even through there to get from the west end of the island to the northeast a bit of a headache. There's always road construction somewhere on the island, so just be aware of that. For that reason and for, shall we say, health reasons (oy, the things that can happen when you're on vacation), we never made it to the north side of the island. (We stay in Cupecoy). Yes, we could have gone down Union through the middle of the island, but after one harrowing night of night driving, we decided to forego that and stay closer to our home base.
That said, avoid Temptation, which is actually in Cupecoy, not Philipsburg (unless there is another Temptation there as well). The food is very expensive and not great for the money. We went there because it was close (we could walk) but would have been better off at Rare, which we've been to in the past. They're owned by the same people and are right next to each other, but we enjoyed the food at Rare much more. (although our meal at Rare was two years ago)
We mostly stayed on the southwest side of the island - Cupecoy, Maho, Simpson Bay.
Bamboo Bernie's in Maho is really good - they describe their menu as NY style sushi with a Caribbean twist, but it's much more than sushi and a really fun atmosphere. It's not the gourmet French cuisine of much of the island, but it's really good food with a slightly younger but upscale vibe. It would be a really fun place for a group. You don't say what the typical age of your group is, but if it's a late 20s to 40s age group, you'll appreciate the fun but dressy vibe without it being too formal or too wild. It is kind of a NY vibe.
We also went to Pineapple Pete, in Simpson Bay, which is strictly casual but served us good food. I got their "famous" lobster thermidor, a huge half-lobster shell filled with chunks of lobster meat and mushrooms in a creamy thermidor sauce; my DH got grilled ribs and chicken. The ribs were excellent, and he didn't even share any of the chicken with me. Sit out on the deck and watch the ships in the lagoon - very serene view with a cool breeze. They have a pool room and, nearby, a sports bar. It's just a fun place. As I said, strictly casual but a real taste of island life.
We also went to Lee's Roadside Grill, which is two doors down from Pineapple Pete in Simpson Bay, where I had the whole grilled lobster - you choose your lobster from the "pool" and they grill it right then and there for you. I chose the smallest lobster they had - 5 pounds - and thought I would be bringing home leftovers. I ate it all! As a start, I got a bowl of their conch chowder, which I wouldn't recommend. It was a watery soup with very rubbery but very large bits of conch in it. Neither the soup nor the conch had much flavor. I don't even remember what DH had. Again, you can sit out back and take in the view of the lagoon. We were entranced by a massive, monstrous yacht that parked itself within our view - it could easily have fit our house in it 5 times!!! But it was definitely a cool sight.
The thing we enjoyed about Pineapple Pete and Lee's is that they're open all day long. So many of the restaurants in St. Martin don't open for dinner until 6:30, which is a little late for us (we're in relaxation mode and don't want to be out all night, plus having a few drinks and driving home in the dark in St. Martin is a scary proposition!) It does get dark around 6:30 or so year-round, so take that into consideration. We went for late lunch/early dinner - around 4:00 - which suited our schedule on those days. The good food and casual atmosphere on those days was a bonus.
We also had Sunday brunch at Ernest & Fidel, which is in the new Porto Cupecoy complex just near the Dutch/French border at the far west side of Cupecoy. I know I had Eggs Benedict and lots of mimosas, so I don't remember much else except sitting outside on the porch and feeling absolutely relaxed. The pace of the servers was slowwwww, but we were in no hurry, and we really enjoyed. We wanted to get back for dinner but never did. The lunch and dinner cuisine is Caribbean / Latin American and looked really good.
I hope I've given you a few ideas. While all of the French food is wonderful, it's also fun to explore the many other cuisines on the island, and there are many, so I hope you enjoy your trip!
Traveling to Seattle on business - would appreciate some recs
Thank you, all, for the input and advice. As expected, I only had the one free night, so I decided to take your collective advice and head to Chez Shea. I had a wonderful meal, and my server, Dylan, made me, a solo, middle-aged female diner, feel very special and well-cared for. He steered me to great food and made appropriate wine choices for me. The view was amazing, as the sun was setting over Puget Sound. It was my one taste of Seattle, and it did not disappoint. Thanks again!
Traveling to Seattle on business - would appreciate some recs
I'm traveling to Seattle next week for business. I am a 50-ish woman and will be traveling and dining alone. My schedule is such that once I start working, there's really no break, so I will have only one free night - Sunday. I've done some research already on the board, so I just need a little help here.
I'm flying from the east coast and arrive on Sunday around 1:30 Seattle time. This is my only free time. I'd like to get at least a little touristy, so I do plan to go to the Space Needle to see the view, so at least while I'm working all week I can feel like I did see a little of Seattle. I'll be jetlagged and I have to be on my toes for work Monday morning, so I don't want to do a lot of walking around. I need to settle in and prepare myself. I also need to eat!
I'm looking for a relaxing, slightly indulgent meal - no sandwiches, pub food, etc. I expect to have to take a cab to/from the hotel/needle/restaurant. I'm from a town that has rather unadventurous choices culinarily speaking but is overflowing with Italian, so I do not want Italian. Quite a few places which the Seattle hounds have recommended to others are closed on Sundays, such as Sitka and Spruce, and Book Bindery. After reading up on a bunch of places, I'm honing in on Crush or Tango. How do you think I would fare at such a place, as a solo female diner on a Sunday night? Will I be able to get a cab back to my hotel?
My second issue is, I'm staying at the Courtyard at 2nd & Cherry. Truly, I will not have time to go out to a sit-down meal and eat - work starts at 9:00 a.m. and is done when it's done, usually around 10 p.m. But I will need dinner every night. Any suggestions of where I can pick up dinner between the office I will be working at (5th and Columbia) and my hotel? Room service is always most efficient for me, but it does get boring (and expensive for what it is, or should I say isn't).
Any and all thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.
Change to mobile site?
I was having the same problem using an iPhone. I saw that I was logged in but saw no "new" flags on threads and threads would not collapse after reading them. I also could not post a reply. This happened for 2-3 days that I noticed. Then I clicked on "saved boards" and was prompted to log in, even though it looked like I was logged in. Did the login and, voila, everything was back to normal. So for me anyway it was a false appearance of being logged in that was the problem. Maybe this will help engineering with the problem.
Amazing Pie Recipe calls for uncooked eggs, how safe is this?
A Christmas favorite in our family is Rum Cream Pie, which my great-aunt always makes. This year, I asked her if I could help her make them, so I could learn her secrets. A dozen raw egg yolks for three pies! From memory, the ingredients are egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream, gelatin, rum - nothing that would "cook" the egg yolks. The ingredients get combined, the filling is poured into pie crusts, and the pies are frozen. No cooking whatsoever. We've been eating them as long as I can remember, and no one has ever gotten sick. Can it happen? Sure, any food can spoil. And I might not feed it to anyone whose health is iffy. But you can believe that we will have Rum Cream Pies at Christmas as long as I live!
Cooking potato skins in advance?
I don't use much of a recipe, really. Bake the potatoes (russets) until they are fully cooked. To bake them for this use, I just wash them off, poke a few holes in them with a fork, wrap them in foil, and put them in a 350 or so oven for about an hour - no oil or seasonings. I prefer to wrap them for this purpose because then the skins don't get too dried out - they will crisp up on the second baking. Remove them from the oven and allow them to fully cool (so you don't burn your fingers!). When cool, cut them in half the long way and scrape out most of the flesh, leaving about 1/4" of flesh attached to the skins. (Make mashed potatoes for yourself with the flesh - your own cook's treat!) You can leave them as halves or cut them in half again, your choice. Sprinkle a little salt & pepper on the potato pieces, then add the toppings. I usually go with a pretty traditional topping - shredded cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, green onion - but whatever you want is fine. Go wild and have fun! If you want to use bacon, you need to fry it in advance. At this point they can be frozen as I described above, or if you're serving them that day, just put them aside. To finish them, put them on a baking sheet lined with foil (makes much easier clean-up), 350 oven, for about 10-13 minutes, until the cheese melts and they get a little crispy.
I really just eyeball the quantities, timing, etc. They're super-easy and pretty forgiving, just don't let them burn on the second bake. Good luck with your Superbowl party!
problems with caramelized onions
All good advice so far. The dried-out bits you're seeing may be the very thin outer layer(s), which you should just discard. They will never caramelize. Just peel them off and get rid of them. After years of trying to salvage as much of an onion as I could, I finally realized it's not worth it.
I never use oil, just butter, and not a lot, less than one tablespoon for a full 12" pan. To me, the oil causes the onions to sizzle and "fry" more than I like. Also, add a little salt (and pepper, if you like) at the beginning. This helps draw out the moisture, which you need for them to caramelized.
I always use baseball- or softball-sized white onions, and I always cut them into rings, which I then generally cut in half. 1/8th of an inch seems thin to me. While I've never measured them, just looking at a ruler, I'm guessing I cut the rings closer to 1/4 of an inch. You need to use the really fat onions, because thin onions have thin layers, which will just shrivel up and dry out.
Medium heat turned down to low is fine. Good caramelized onions will take at least 45 minutes. While I don't stir them constantly, I listen and stir them occasionally, stirring more frequently as the process progresses. Also, stir them as they give up their moisture. You don't want a dry pan, but you don't want the onions swimming in water so that they steam.
Good luck! Caramelized onions are oh, so yummy on so many things!
Top Chef Texas - Ep. #11 - 01/18/12 (Spoilers)
If you want to see how the conveyer belt actually worked, check out this video from the Bravo website:
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-9/videos/behind-the-scenes-building-the-conveyer-belt
It shows how they built the conveyor belt, then how it worked during the challenge. They actually rolled it through manually for the whole half hour of the challenge! It's a fun video to watch.
Restaurant Websites - At this point they should pretty much be mandatory [moved from General Topics]
Because when it's lunchtime at work I'm not heading to the Internet to decide where to go, I'm looking in the menu drawer.
In my (somewhat smallish) circle of friends and family, I'm the only one who uses the Internet to research dining options. They all think I'm "clever" or have some special skills. They are always impressed with what I come up with. And they all think they themselves couldn't do the same thing. Ages range from mid 20s to 70s and everything in between. Just because you and I use the Internet regularly and thoughtfully does not mean the majority of folks do.
Locally, our newspaper is the most widely used source of restaurant information, along with word of mouth. The Internet is a fabulous tool but it's not the only way to get people in the door. That said, I do like when I can find more about a place online, particularly when I'm traveling.
Freezing cooked food
Try spreading them out on a baking sheet and popping the sheet into the freezer until they are frozen, then transferring the frozen veggies to a container. That way when you reheat them, they won't be one big mass. You can probably reheat them in a roasting pan in the oven and get a result close to the original roasting.
Cooking potato skins in advance?
I have frozen potato skins with excellent results. Bake potatoes, cool, scoop out, And put them on a baking sheet. Add all of your toppings and put the baking sheet right into the freezer. After they are frozen, transfer them to another container until you need them. On the day you want to serve them, take them out of the freezer an hour or so in advance to bring them back to room temp, then pop them in the oven to heat up and melt the cheese etc. You want them to come back to room temp because they don't take long to bake, and you don't want to overbake or burn the toppings. But this worked great for me and it was a nice treat to have in the freezer. Hope this helps!
DC business traveler seeking recs near Columbus Circle
Thanks for the recommendations. I only ended up having time on two nights to venture out for dinner, and both had to be very nearby. The first night I went to Art and Soul, and was not particularly impressed. Appetizer was "Soft Egg" which I actually swooned over - soft-cooked egg, crispy sweetbreads, pickled jalapenos, red pepper jelly. I wanted to lick the plate. The problem was the entree. I had the Tamworth Pig, which was described as sausage, pork shoulder, and pork belly, accompanied by cider-braised cabbage, potatoes, turnips. The sausage was two slices which were pan-seared, but really, were practically burnt. The skin on the pork belly was hard as a rock. Not crispy, but hard. Couldn't cut it, couldn't bite into it, couldn't eat it at all. The layers beneath the skin were not appetizing - instead of melting in my mouth, the fat was just... fat. I like pork belly. I could not eat this at all. The shoulder was pulled and then formed in a ring. It was the driest pork shoulder I've ever encountered. Tasted like it had sat in an open container in the refrigerator for about a week after it was cooked. And to make it all even worse, all of the meat sat on top of the cabbage, which had a very strong vinegary taste, which permeated the meat. I knew things were bad when I was searching out the potatoes to eat. I declined to have dessert.
Bistro Bis, on the other hand, was a delight. I went there on my last night. As I was dining alone, I decided to design my own tasting meal. Lobster bisque - smooth, creamy, luscious; Moules Marseillaise - two dozen mussels in a slightly spicy, highly flavorful broth, perfect for sopping up with the baguette slices offered; Steak Tartar Atilla, seasoned with salty capers and tangy red onions, would have loved more of the spicy aoili served with it; Caramel Creme Brulee served with spiced tea. Server Norman made me feel well-cared for, the food was delicious and perfectly paced. After a week of long hours of work, I left relaxed and refreshed. Without question, I would go back.
trouble logging in...
I've had the same problem. Tried to log in four times, just kept circling, circling. After I refreshed the page the fourth time, I was logged in.
