Substitutes for Italian Parmesan (NOT Cottage Cheese)
Substitutes are available

We just got The Cooking Channel on our cable service and I really enjoy the reruns of David Rocco' "La Dolce Vita". Most episodes are from 2004 but I never saw this before and it is really great.

I don't know what Comcast's problem is, but I've been waiting for this to be added. I've also been waiting for their promise of "more HD channels" they keep reminding me about in junk mail every single week.

They seem to have a lot of duplicate channels in their line up...why 2 CNN's, Food Network, MTV, MSNBC?...

Wanted to see what the BFG deal was with truffles, so bought some truffle salt.

OMG.

BTW, I hear most truffle oil is synthetic, so be careful! Truffle salt seems to contain the real deal (6% in my case), which is plenty. I had to double-bag the jar from the intense (yet alluring) aroma!

SD and HD channels, fine. I don't care about that. But to not carry many popular HD channels to me is an infamita in 2010!!

I understand that Risotto with a touch of truffle grated on top is not to be believed, but I wouldn't even know where to buy it. I assure you, my local Shop Rite doesn't carry it.

Where did you get it, Geoff?

50 Signature foods of Metro Detroit

Faygo and Sanders were obvious of course. I thought all Greek salads had beets. That's not the case?

I swear, any more everything comes from either Walmart or Amazon.com -- and ppl make fun of me for saving money! lol

Nice URL!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/carrotsglazedwithcum_80467

Tomorrow I'm gonna tackle two biggies at once... a meal for my folks, with a huge nod toward my mom who LOVES Osso Buco. I was going to do the traditional veal, but she really prefers and loves lamb, so lamb shanks it is.

I'm using these recipes from epicurious:

Braised Veal Lamb Shanks

with

Wild Mushroom Risotto

I've been staring at those two recipes for a long time, and now finally gonna give'm a try. Found everything I needed at Wegman's 20 mins away (took a while, but finally actually found things there -- searched forever for some things! lol).

Most of the herbs I've been growing myself. And since it's now lamb, I'll likely add some fresh mint. I already got the truffle salt, and also bought some truffle oil for the rice. OMG, I can't wait!

Plus the usual app of sopressata and Italian provolone, and bruschetta. I forgot to pick up a veg, but probably not necessary at this point.

What, no salad?? The meal sounds amazing, JG. Keep us posted.

Btw, summer's half over and I'm still waiting for my invite. Must have gotten lost in the mail.

I'm gonna make the osso buco today, for tomorrow night. Think it'll be better that way. Besides, I'd rather tackle one thing at a time the first time out. Gives me time to pick up a veg or salad, too.


I know, I know! Time's going by way too fast!

In order to save myself some time yesterday when entertaining, I bought a bag of salad. It sucked. Although it was dated 7/21, many of the leaves were wilted and had to be thrown out. I ended up dragging out a head of lettuce to chop it up and augment it anyway.

The osso buco will be delicious tomorrow night, I'm sure.

As for the invite, autumn in Toms River is lovely, too!

Part 1 is done.

That looks incredible, Geoff. You really are turning into quite the chef!

I'm having dinner guests on Tuesday. I was planning on penne vodka, then a flank steak (marinated), lots of bread and salad. What do you think?

Penne vodka?

Penne in a vodka sauce. It's made with cream, basil, tomato paste, grated cheese and vodka.

Grazie! I LOVE cooking! If it wasn't such hard work on a large-scale basis, I'd probably change careers (tho I still have plenty left to learn)


What time should I be there? Any single women? lol

Geoff, have you tried any baking? I do enjoy baking, but it often requires more patience than I have. Plus, I sometimes burn cookies.

If you like, I'll send you my penne vodka recipe. I got it from a cookbook called "Simply Delicious", which pretty much sums up the types of recipes the book has. The most complicated part of it is making a roux, but other than that, it's a snap. And everyone loves it.

I'll trade you some penne for some osso bucco!

No... the idea of "precise measurements" has scared me so far. And there really isn't a lot of things I can think of that I'd be interested in making (I'm not much of a sweets person).

Sure, send the recipe. It's gotta be better than most of that jarred crap.

That risotto is next, and I hope I can get rid of this buzz since I had to drink 5 shots of my 95 proof limoncello to water it down to 80 proof for my folks.

I'll let you know how everything turned out on the guinea pigs. (Test subjects, not messy Italians lol)

This gives me a great idea! How about a GangsterBB.net Cookbook? Completely filled with recipes from members of the board? I have all the software to set the copy, layout & artwork. I have many contacts in the publishing/printing world and all proceeds could go to a great charity or civic organization? BTW, anybody know somebody we can "shakedown" for initial funding?

Dinner for the folks tonight was a complete success!

My mom looked SO happy (smiling, even!) eating her favorite dish, and raving about it! Dad loved it, too - said I should be a chef (I replied, "maybe if I was 20 yrs younger" lol).

Cooking (well) for loved ones is always a special thing.

I'm not so intimidated by Osso Buco or Risotto any more, either. Just takes time and following directions, that's all. And quality ingredients helps, too. Wegmans rawks!! (Would rawk even more if you could find everything in less than 1.5 hrs)

Here's the Wild Mushroom Risotto:

Geoff, that looks delicious! Glad that it went so well. And don't be silly about the 20 yrs ago thing. If you find that this is truly a passion, then who cares how old you are? Of course, the hours truly suck when you're a chef, but what the heck.

Sales sizzling for 'better burgers'
Restaurant chains spring up touting bigger, fresher, quality concoctions

With a drive-through seemingly on every corner, you might think the market for burgers long ago reached saturation. But the fastest-growing restaurant chain in America last year was Five Guys, which specializes in double-pattied behemoths the size of a softball and has seven locations in Metro Detroit.

And that's just the tip of the arugula. "Better burger" joints are one of the fastest-growing parts of the restaurant industry. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay launched Bobby's Burger Palace in the Northeast. Elevation Burger is expanding into Kuwait. Mooyah Burgers & Fries, Meatheads and the Shake Shack are looking to expand.

Higher-grade beef, fresher or more creative toppings and better buns are bringing customers in the door.

It's a market that has room to grow. Such chains represent about 2 percent of the $65 billion burger market, said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Chicago-based restaurant consultant Technomic.

"The traditional players -- McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's -- have really shifted their focus away from burgers to breakfast, chicken and beverages," said Tristano.

He predicts better burger chains will continue to have double-digit sales growth for the next few years.

Farmington Hills retail analyst Ken Dalto agreed. Nostalgia and a tough economy are helping drive the trend, he said.

Americans' love for good, old-fashioned hamburgers was quashed in the 1990s when eating meat became politically incorrect and new fad diets continually were introduced, he said.

But now that baby boomers, who grew up on burgers, are older and less concerned about their weight and being fashionable, their craving for burgers is back with a vengeance, he said.

Hamburgers are considered a comfort food for many consumers, Dalto noted. When faced with economic and personal difficulties, consumers tend to eat foods they ate in their childhood. Plus, many families can't afford to go to an upscale restaurant anymore, but they can afford a fancy hamburger, he said.

.....
Better Burgers

I'll say it again... 5 Guys is the BEST!!!

J Geoff, back in the day I was a cook & baker in the Navy. I was trained in the bakery first and then moved on to the galley. I was lucky to train bakery first because transitioning to the galley was very easy. The fellas that trained galley first had a tough time making the move into bakery work...precise measurements, exact water temps and flawless baking times were a lot to take in after cooking galley food.

The food on the Navy ships ain't all that bad.

That's because us Navy cooks are the best of the best...just call us the "White Berets"!