nojunk's Profile
Please help with a bridal shower salad buffet menu & cooking theme
oh, wow, what a bunch of fabulous ideas! i'm going to rethink. love the taboulleh idea & might move the crab up front. could easily do asparagus (just had them last night & YUM!!). After I posted I also thought about a cheese plate...rethinking! like the fritatta idea - easy do ahead. also love the identify the spice game - very top chef quick fire-ish & would drive my sister-in-law crazy!! Thanks everyone!!
Please help with a bridal shower salad buffet menu & cooking theme
Hi, chowhounds, thanks so much for being such a great resource!
So here's my project du jour...I'm having a bridal shower in less than two weeks and it has a cooking theme. Of course, for me, any event is all about the food, so I'm going to force feed my guests from the minute they get here til they leave! ;~}
I'm thinking of starting with champagne cocktails of some kind and some apps like maybe gougeres and....? The main course will be a salad buffet. So far I'm planning a green salad with field greens, thinly sliced sweet onion, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, feta and a sweet balsamic dressing. I'm going to do some kind of fruit salad/tray/skewers. I want to do a fancy-schmancy crab salad served in endive leaves - does anyone have a good crab salad recipe for this?? I was also thinking of some kind of a rice salad - again I was thinking of a dried fruit/nut/cheese/crunchy (probably green onions) combo, but now that's sounding too much like the green salad, so does anyone have any ideas for a starch-based salad that isn't pasta? (I'm the queen of the pasta salad at all family events, and we're heading into pasta salad season, so don't want to do pasta here.) I'll also serve a nice bread basket and lots of butter. I might want one more salad, so does anyone have ideas?
For dessert I'm planning an assortment of purchased bite sized yum yums from the nice bakery that makes you drool just to walk in the door.
Any other ideas of help with recipess? Also, I need help with the dread bridal shower games - ! I'm going to do the ol' put a bunch of cooking tools and stuff on a tray and show them for 30 seconds and see how many the guests can list. Any other cooking theme game ideas?
Thanks everyone!
Garlic powder & onion powder vs garlic & onion
what brand of onion powder do you use? I love the idea of sweet onion powder since I love, love, love sweet onions!
Garlic powder & onion powder vs garlic & onion
A lot of recipes call for garlic or onion powder (or salt). I haven't had them in my pantry for maybe 20 years. On the other hand, I ALWAYS have onions and fresh garlic.
Am I missing something? If so, what brands should I look for? I have used Lawrys Season salt forever, so is it the same difference? Am I making something out of nothing?
What do you think?
Recipes from Smitten Kitchen blog.....what are your favorites??
I make this recipe.... http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/bittersweet-chocolate-and-pear-cake/ every Christmas with the David & Harry pears that I receive. Oh dear lord, this is fabulous & I serve it with lightly whipped cream. The last time I made it I finally got the butter browned correctly and what a difference! I'm also going to try doing it in the individual bundt pan that I have for take home gifts. YUM!
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 1 - Ep. #16 - 02/22/12 (Spoilers)
well, IMHO, the quickfire was very interesting, but I didin't like that Sarah won based on the skill and direction of Floyd. I think at this stage of the game you should be competing with just your own merit. Yes you can have help, but it should be your concept and it definitely wasn't Sarah's concept in the quickfire. Yes, the fact that I don't care for her, think her food has been mostly one dimensional, and don't think she belongs anywhere near the finale forms my opinion! I wanted Bev, Ed & Paul.
Do I dredge the beef chunks before browning for beef stew?
Ahhh....I like this approach. This is what I'm going to do. Yum yum! Thanks.
Do I dredge the beef chunks before browning for beef stew?
I havent't made beef stew for a while....none of the recipes I looked at have you dredge the beef first. That feels wrong to me since I want the dredging to help thicken up the liquid later. Is there a reason I shouldn't dredge it first?
Thanks for any advice!
Top Chef Texas - Ep. #10 - 01/11/12 (Spoilers)
Not a LCK spoiler, but a comment, so skip this post if you haven't seen it yet.
Though it plays to the drama, which of course I don't like, I was fascinated by Nyesha's comments that her competition with Ty-lor was personal. She was very candid in those comments, and maybe dropped down her guard a little (at least from my perception of her), dropped a little of her strict professionalism, and I thought it was interesting...
It also made me nervous that she might not perform as well if she was affected by her personal/emotional feelings...
Top Chef Texas - Ep. #10 - 01/11/12 (Spoilers)
lmao. you are insane, in a very good way!
What's The Oldest Thing You Cook In/With?
hmmm....the oldest thing that I can think of is a nylon spoon with a flat bottom that I just know came from a gas station - ok, I'm dating myself here - back in the day when gas was 27 cents a gallon and you got a gift with a fill up. I love it and have used it I'm guessing for almost 40 years for making scrambled eggs - the flat bottom is good for scraping up the cooked mixture. For years I shopped the gadget wall in various retail establishments wanting to replace it - just on the principle of upgrading my collection. But I could never find the flat bottomed utensil I was looking for. So it stays in the drawer. Now recently I started using a silicone "spoonula" for stirring my eggs, and was recently thinking I could donate the spoon, but I think I'll hold on to it as a souvenir of a long gone time!
Hell has frozen over...I think I'm fooded out
yup...scale says STOP. But I've summoned up the energy to pull out the ziplocks & I'm going to chuck everything into the freezer in portions for later.
Except the salted cashews. They are the devil. Thought it breaks my heart, I think they have to go down the garbage disposal asap. But I'm afraid if I even look at them....well you know.
BTW,
Hell has frozen over...I think I'm fooded out
The past days/weeks have been a frenzy of preparing fabulous apps, meals, desserts, cookie tins, etc. This morning I wake up with a fridge stuffed with an assortment of fabulous tidbits...all of which could be converted into something delicious or portioned and frozen or ??. But, I just had the thought "just pitch it" - I don't know if I have the energy for one more food day!
Maybe another cup of coffee will do the trick!
How are you feeling about the food aftermath?
Prepping stuffed pork loin in advance
Hi. I'm serving a stuffed pork loin for Christmas dinner. The stuffing is onion, garlic, fresh spinach, bread crumbs, parm, etc. My question is can I butterfly the pork, make the stuffing, stuff it and tie it on Thursday? I want to get as much done in advance as possible, and Friday and Saturday are full. Thanks to everyone for input. Also, looking at stuffed pork loin recipes, I'm reading that they should be brought out of the oven at temps ranging from 138 to 170! I'm thinking about 145 and carryover to about 152 or so for serving. Any thoughts on temp are also welcome. Thanks!!
Recipes so I can finish a jar of horseradish for once!
wow! really? oh well, i'm still going to try some of these recipes with my new jar. thanks, everyone!
Recipes so I can finish a jar of horseradish for once!
Hi, I just finished cleaning out the fridge - ooh, it looks so clean! - but, for the zillionith time, I had to pitch an almost full, way-expired jar of prepared horse radish. I basically use it just for making cocktail sauce (for shrimp, crab cakes, a holiday crab dip, etc.), and not really not much else.
Does anyone have any yummy recipe ideas so I can use it up next time???
Wedding Celebration Menu on the Cheap
Thanks for the ideas, everyone, I'll be seeing them later today and will pass them along.
Wedding Celebration Menu on the Cheap
A family member is struggling to come up with a menu for a belated wedding celebration. About 100-120 people, in an open air pavilion, late September in Ohio, there’s a kitchen with refrigeration, sinks and a small prep area, not sure about ovens. The budget is measly, the whole thing’s going to be very homegrown & they’re in over their heads. Think Costco/Sams/GFS. Ideas anyone?
Whats your top 5 herbs?
oooh, great tip, esq! Who knew shade is the answer. I'm going to try since my top five list includes cilantro, italian parsley (which I put in EVERYTHING), basil, thyme and #5 is a toss up between mint, greek oregano, marjarom, dill, rosemary, chives. I grow all of these (in pots on the deck) and tarragon, and I'm trying stevia this year. I've never been able to find chervil seedlings in the spring. Great thread - the choices and the growing info!
Baking Sheet with rack?
The ones I've seen come as a set. If you belong to Costco look there. I bought my set which includes 2 baking sheets (nice, heavy ones), a rack and a plastic cover (which I never have used so far) for less than $20.
range versus cooktop plus wall oven
I've had both & I prefer the cooktop/wall oven combo. I currently have a range & I love the oven but I find that I can use the back burners only with smaller pans since there's limited space between the burner & back thingy (? - not sure what it's function is - ?). When I had a wall oven previously it was way too small, but there are much better/larger ones available. Maybe in my next home??
Best Plastic Wrap?
Wow, that's been my favorite too for ages & I've been rationing out the last of my supply since I haven't been able to find it in the stores. In the meantime I bought a roll of Wallmart generic & have been pleasantly suprised by it.
Where to buy curing salt in Columbus?
I don't know for sure if they have it, but you might try Carfagna's on Dublin Granville Rd just east of the I-71 exit. 614-846-6340 They are a old-timey kind of place with real butchers and shelvies that have all kinds of interesting items. I just love the place - I often go in to grab something for lunch. It might be worth giving them a call...
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Carfagna's
1405 E Dublin Granville Rd, Columbus, OH 43229
Can I grind whole bean coffee in the food processor?
Ok, y'all convinced me. I was just trying to avoid a return trip to Costco on Superbowl weekend, but if I gotta go I gotta go! Thanks for all of the good info & warnings.
Can I grind whole bean coffee in the food processor?
I bought a 3 lb bag of coffee at Costco and forgot to grind it on the way out. (I hate it when that happens!) Can I grind it in the food processor. If so, any tips?
_______ ruins my figure/diet/life
Without a doubt....salted cashews. Might as well be crack. The only time they're allowed in the house is during the holidays. I'd say, of the 7-8 lbs I packed on this holiday season, probably four were thanks to those salty little nuggets of bliss. Oops, I probably just added another pound just thinking about them.
What do you eat when you're sick?
Thanks for all of the feedback! We went with chicken pot pie.
What do you eat when you're sick?
I have a friend who is recovering from pneumonia, is weak and has no appetite. She's "souped out", has tried grilled cheese, scrambled eggs, toast, and all the typical when your sick items. Does anyone have any other ideas of dishes that would be easy on the system but nutritious and comforting. She's elderly, so probably can't tolerate a lot of spice or heat. Thanks for any ideas!!
