jacobp's Profile
Grill Grates
Thanks for the replies. I actually came across cast-iron-grate.com and found what I was looking for. The 22" cast iron grate that comes in 4 pieces. I've had it for about 8 months now and its amazing. Would recommend to any of you.
Oil dispenser/container
Plastic squeeze bottles with a locking top. about 99 cents each. I use them for everything, and always have a couple filled with olive or vegetable oil handy when I'm coooking.
Teeny, tiny white bugs on my indoor parsley plant. What to do?
I'd definitely recommend the water/dish soap. I use it for my indoor plants and it works out fine. I've had to get more drastic with my pepper/tomato plants in my bed and containers. I have an aphid infestation that has gone crazy. Water/dish soap, citrus peel and juice (to keep the ants out) has only worked so much. I'm afraid I may have to go with pesticide this year.
Have they finally bred the heat out of Jalapenos?
They have indeed bred several varities of jalapenos to be more mild. I noticed it last year in my garden. This year I switched to Biker Billy and Mucho Nacho Hybrids because of their heat levels. I harvested my first japs last weekend and was not disappointed. Plenty of fire.
Texarkana to Memphis via Hot Springs and Little Rock
For Little Rock, I'd recommend Whole Hog Cafe for barbecue if you're going for a quick, affordable lunch or dinner. Its the best barbecue in LR.
For LR fine dining, look no further than Ashley's at the Capital.
Keeping dried peppers
Definitely freeze them. They can go from frozen directly into any dish you're cooking, or just pour hot water over the frozen peppers to reconstitute them.
Please Help!
If that were my girlfriend, I know I could skip any fancy, detailed dish and maker her a simple pot of chicken and dumplings or a chicken pot pie. I feel like down home comfort food works best for situations like these.
Weber Grill questions
The grills aren't actually made by KitchenAid. They are made by Nexgrill and supported by KitchenAid. The reviews I've read on the KitchenAid grills haven't been too impressive. I would go witha trusted brand over this one. If it retails for $5000 and they're trying to get rid of it for $1400, there's probably a pretty good reason why.
Growing your own hot chilis
In Southern Cali, you could probably do that, as your climate allows for plants to grow and produce year round. Here in northern Louisiana, I start my pepper seeds inside around the middle of February, when its too cold for them outside. I just finished transplanting some of my seedlings outside, but I still cover them at night for the time being, just in case.
Growing your own hot chilis
Some may start sprouting within two weeks, other can take longer. I've had certain chilies take as long as 6 weeks to show any signs of life. This year jalapenos, anaheims, cayennes, thais, and habaneros are almost ready to transplant outside, but my poblanos and bhut jolokia haven't come up yet. You have to be patient with chilies...they take awhile to get started but once they take hold they will grow to be pretty prolific plants if you take care of them the right way
Taco Bell's "Pacific Shrimp Taco"
Its an avocado ranch sauce. I winced at the idea of eating shrimp from Taco Bell, but I decided to give it a try for the sake of curiosity. It was actually better than you'd expect.
Best Online Sources for Veggie Seeds?
If you want to grow peppers from seed, this is the best site for seeds that I've ever found.
www.pepperjoe.com
College kid friendly in Baton Rouge
Plucker's Wing Factory and Grill is popular with college kids, and close to LSU's campus. Probably couldn't go wrong there. www.pluckers.com
There are several other stops around LSU that I like, but this one has always been my favorite, and its usually full of college kids, so it would be appreciated I'm sure.
Is this going to be a bad year for tomatoes?
They've been pretty abundant down here. It started to get too hot for them lately, but a recent rain and a cold front coming in, and my four plants are full of blooms again.
mucho nacho jalapenos
sorry to hear that! The first round of mucho nachos i picked have been super hot, and huge! I've got two plants that I have reserved for ripening and doing chipotles, and two just for the jalapenos. I haven't been disappointed with the jalapenos.
Near West Fork/ Fayetteville
There's not really much in West Fork, so I'd stick to Fayetteville for eating. As for Barbecue, you can't go wrong with Whole Hog Cafe. www.whcbbq.com . Penuin Ed's is pretty good as well. They have 2 locations, if you go here go to the one off College.
As for pizza, I always liked U.S. Pizza on Dickson Street in Fayetteville. However, Tim's Pizza on College Avenue or Guido's off of Wedington are good pizza joints as well.
Weber Grills -- Has Quality Declined?
Pros
First computer controlled grill
Full function gas grill
High BTU output
Large number of extra features
Completely isolated dual cooking zone design
Cons
Must be plugged in for computer controls to work
Lower quality materials used in it's construction
Durability of computer controls is unknown
Rotisserie burner included, but the rod and forks are sold separately
Limited indirect cooking capacity
From what I've read, they are experiencing some durability issues with the electronic components for this grill. And service and repair has been very difficult.
TNFNS - was it a toss-up as to who went home? (Spoiler)
I think they have their hearts set on Debbie winning the thing, and it seems they really favor Michael even though he admitted he is terrified of the camera. Bobby Flay looks like he wants to can them all and start all over.
Fayetteville, AR?
Ziggylu, just wanted to pop in here and see how your trip went, and what you ate while you were "on the hill." I'm heading up there for a weekend trip next month, already have my reservations at Theo's. Also jaunting over to Eureka Springs for a day or two, can't wait to eat breakfast at Mud Street Cafe.
Store bought barbeque sauce
I could take a gallon bottle of Cattleman's Barbecue sauce, and show you how to use it as a base for 6 different sauces that several barbecue restaurants use a variation of.
Speaking of jalapenos...
It could be as easy as that when jalapenos ripen they turn red. As you probably already know, red jalapenos are usually smoked and turned into chipotles.
Fayetteville, AR?
OH, and I'm sure you already have it, but here is a link to the restaurant at your hotel. The Inn at Carnall hall is a nice quiet place, and has a great view of the Old Main Lawn. I don't know how many of the trees were damaged during the ice storm last year, but sitting out on the patio for coffee in the morning will be nice regardless.
Anyway, here is the link for the hotel restaurant, Ella's
http://www.ellasrestaurant.com/
Fayetteville, AR?
feel free to post anymore questions you may have about Fayetteville. I miss living there so much, so talking to someone about will give me the chance to ramble on about how great it was.
Fayetteville, AR?
I lived in Fayetteville from 2001-August of last year, and I can't say that I ever visited the place. It could be there for all I know, but it must have lost its luster with people, because I've never even heard of it.
Fayetteville, AR?
I lived in Fayetteville for 8 years, through college and a few years after. Its beautiful up there, although very hot at this time of year. I see your staying at the Inn at Carnall Hall, and their restaurant, Ella's is pretty good. They're most known for Sunday Brunch. As for other dining, you're a short walk or cab ride to Dickson Street. If you're looking for more upscale dining, I'd suggest Bordino's or Theo's American Kitchen. You can look them over at www.bordinos.com and www.theosfayetteville.com. 1936 Club and Amelie's Meditteranean Kitchen are also good restaurants, I don't know if they have websites or not though. Also, check out www.experiencefayetteville.com. It will give you a run down of a lot of stuff to do while you're in town.
As for the Farmer's Market, I'm not sure exactly what all they'll have at this time of year, but its worth the trip anyway. The Fayetteville Square is always beautiful this time of year, and its right off of Dickson Street anyway. Although its uphill, so you may want to take a cab if you're not prepared to hoof it.
For more budget friendly dining along Dickson Street, a good lunch spot can be found at the Hoghaus Brewery. Good, inexpensive food, and you can sample the many different beers they brew onsite. Also, Hugo's. Its located off the square, almost underground, so it could be easy to miss. Its mostly a burger place, but they have great food, and a great atmosphere. Its a Fayetteville institution, especially for college students. Also, if you're there on a Monday evening, check out Mickey Finn's Irish Pub. On Mondays, they do 25 cent chicken wings (they're great by the way) and have really great beer specials. (if you're into that sort of thing.)
I'm sure I'll remember more later, so I'll check back in on this thread as often as I can. But you'll be staying right in the heart of Dickson Street, so I'm sure you'll be able to find plenty to do. Enjoy.
Asian Menu: what should I order?
Pho is absolutely wonderful, and I don't think you'll find a person on this board that would disagree. After that, its all about your tastes.
I'd probably go pho, crispy lobster dumplings, shanghai chicken, a tien roll spring roll, and some fried rice (just because I love fried rice.)
I'd say just mix and match and share with your dining partner, order several different things and find out what you like.
"Throwdown with Bobby Flay" ... what would you want Bobby to challenge you to?
Jambalaya. My crawfish and sausage jambalaya always gets rave reviews. I can only imagine Bobby Flay would beat mine, but it would be a fun day. Jambalaya and Abita beers all day long.
mucho nacho jalapenos
So after I harvested two pepper plants, I left just enough to ripen so i can do chipotles. So far, those two plants are the only ones that have produced. My two poblano plants aren't doing so great (one large pepper that's almost ready, no others even started) and my pimentos aren't doing so hot either. Hopefully with the heat and less rain here lately, they'll start to take off soon.
Next FN Star - Episode 3 - since no one's started one yet... [spoilers]
As previously posted, they weren't bashing Paula Deen's food. They were bashing Eddie's execution of Paula Deen's recipe, and his lack of originality.
