Random FOOD Whoring

Thought of starting this for a while, and seems like a good idea Trouble is, I gotta go to bed now, so someone else can start the first random food item... 'night!

Okey, dokey!!! How about those roasted garlic chips? I just love those. They leave your mouth garlicy, but they are such a good snack. If I get a bag of Gardettos' at work I always save the garlic chips for last. My favorite part.



TIS

I could go for a peanutbutter milkshake now.

Good. While you're going for it get me a cheeseburger, well done, and some french fries.

Well done??? Don't you know that beef should be eaten as close to RAW as possible???

Oh yeah?? Eat THIS raw!!!

I hafta have a hamburger at least medium-well....

The more rare (rarer??) the meat the better.

Buffalo bagels! If I wanted raw meat I'd get a can of dog food.

Rare meat? Raw meat? Not for me, thanks.

And especially not in my meat sauce!

Never was a big carpaccio fan. I like my hamburgers medium to well-done. Roast beef, on the other hand, should never ever be overcooked. (Now I'm thinking of Yorkshire pudding and/or toad-in-the-hole!)

But, as they say, each to their own taste.

Speaking of sauce, tonight, around 2:AM I made the gravy. A lovely marinara sauce, adapted from a recipe in The Arthur Avenue Cookbook. Still wish I could have had fresh parsley, though...

It's after 5:AM, and my hot sausages should be just about thawed. Time to braise them (that'll take around half an hour - I don't fry them) then add them to the sugo.

And, to a certain well-respected member of the BB who (justifiably) thinks I cook only Italian food - not at all. (Though I do love nearly all types of Italian cuisine.) I cook several Asian dishes, make some nice curry (both Indian and Thai styles) and have a passion for American diner-style food (among other things). The kitchen is a diner - but that's another story for another time.

Hey, Don Malta - great thread! Grazie!

Signor V.
____________________
The Artie Bucco of the GangsterBB

My cat's breath smells like cat food.

My cats breath smells of dog food....

Just think... if he starts barking you'll have a bi-linqual cat!

I have just had the best hot dog ever at frankie and bennys beautiful

SB, Say it isn't so.

Mig, what's wrong with rare??? I love medium/rare steak. I don't mind if my burger is a little rare, but not too rare.

Geez, I'm realizing that the variety of food I cook is so limited compared to some others here. And, the older I get, and now that I'm by myself, I cook much less.

If I had to pick one thing that I think I've "perfected" to my taste anyway, is my tomato sauce. It actually took a few years to get it right. Know what I mean? It's funny how the ingredients can be basically the same as say, my mom or mother-in-law's, yet each person's sauce tastes a little different.

As far as cooking Chinese food or any other ethnic food, I am far from experienced. I guess I'm basically a Italian-American gal when it comes to cooking.

TIS

I can't eat any kind of meat that is still bleeding. Well done for me.

But you'll eat that junk out of a can?

Over in another topic SC asked :




I used to go to the Lionel Train Store on Avenue M and east 15th street years ago when I was into model railroading. My uncle and I would always walk over to a Pizza place on E.15th and Ave J. I didn't remember the name but remember that we would walk down E. 15th over to Avenue J, so that must have been the place. It's where I first tried Falafel Pizza, which by the way is pretty good.

I don't eat junk out of a can. What is junk?

Honestly, I have NEVER had spaghetti-o's. Although, I admit, when my girls were babies and we'd go out for the evening, I'd have the sitter heat up spaghetti-o's cause it was something quick. I hear it's like noodles in tomato soup though!!!



TIS

Is Cardi still picking on people, Mig?



FAKE ITALIAN ALERT!! FAKE ITALIAN ALERT!!

If he wants to pick on me that's fine.

BTW Geoff, guess what the Col is doing this weekend?

Squirrel hunting?

(I gotta go get ready in a minute - I'm spending the day helping to film a wedding! Kinda nervous cuz I don't wanna screw it up! )

How'd ya guess? Good luck at the wedding. Are you helping Justin?

Boy, all of a sudden everyone here is so sensitive.

Mig I am just teasing.

Geoff on the other hand, I am picking on!

But I'll stop both the teasing and the picking now. Seems that some people can dish it out when they feel like it, but can't seem to take it when they don't.

DC, if you want to pick on me and my canned foods feel free. I am a big girl I can take it. But be advised, I will pick back. I have learned not to be so sensitive like I use to be.
So fire away.

For me, meat can't be rare enough. I will also eat it raw. Me and Mr. Babe used to like to buy the entire shell of beef. We would have the butcher cut it into steaks and leave the tails on. When we got home, we would cut the tails off and put them through a grinder to make our own ground beef. We would put a little onion salt on it and eat it raw. It's really the only safe way to eat raw ground beef, although we will have carpaccio in a good restaurant.

Roasts, steaks, any sort of beef, it has to be rare. My mother likes her meat medium, so we've learned to segregate hers and cook it longer, since she doesn't even like to LOOK at ours.

And you sleep in a coffin and get a burning feeling every time holy water is sprinkled on ya.

I've known you for how many years, and this is the first time that you noticed??

I noticed it in August when I told you I was ordering a steak... you had a look of panic on your face when you thought I said a (wooden) stake.

Next time I see you I'm gonna bring a garlic necklace.

As long as it ain't jarred garlic Geoff will eat it off your neck.

I just might like that!!!

What Geoff eating jarred garlic off my neck or yours?

Until recently I always said I wanted my meat "well-done", because my parents did, and encouraged me to do so too. But I tried it rare a few months ago, and I don't think I'll go back.

Garlic might just be the best thing ever.

Isn't that going forward ?

Makes no difference to him.... he's just a garlic ho.

I have noticed that Europeans don't eat their meat rare like Americans do. When we were in Italy, my daughter was craving red meat. I ordered her a steak and told the waiter to bring it cruda, or raw. It was served what we would consider medium rare. And I could tell that they all thought that we were animals for eating it that way.

SOME Americans!!

And do you put steak sauce on your steak?? That's something I don't get. Hmmmm, let me spend a lot of money getting this excellent cut of meat, and then smother it in some sauce that makes its actual taste unrecognizable.

Only at home when I cook the steak.

If you go out and get a good steak why would you wanna kill the taste with something out of a bottle?

While I don't necessarily want my steak raw, rare to medium rare is the only way to have a steak, IMO.

I don't understand it, personally. I've eaten in some great steakhouses and the waiters always ask if I want steak sauce. I must look horrified, because they quickly scurry away after asking.

Btw, found a great place by me that sells cheesecake (my well-known weakness) for ridiculously cheap prices. They make cheesecakes for Whole Foods, and sell their seconds for $3.50-$5.00, depending on the size. They are really good, too. And they have great flavors - plain, blueberry, vanilla bean, chocolate, chocolate swirl, key lime, and they're all delicious.

Whole Foods won't accept them if they have even the teeniest defect. I picked up one yesterday that had a 3/4 inch crack on the top, and I got it for $3.50. Of course, they sell them frozen!

I knew I'd catch you kids whoring around the food thread.

Although I don't dislike steak sauce, I never really use it. Usuallyl, if I am having my family and/or guests over and am cooking steak, I'll go out and buy steak sauce because I know many people use it. However, it's not something I always have on hand.

Are you guys big fish eaters? I can't say I am. I love lobster and shrimp, but seldom eat them. Whenever I'm out to dinner, I never can pass up getting a good steak.


TIS

I love shellfish, TIS, but not fish fish, if that makes sense. Mussels, lobster, clams, crabs, and so on are real big for me, but I can't imagine ever ordering salmon or flounder. YUK.

Just go for the surf and turf, TIS, and you can satisfy both appetites!

The only thing I put on a steak is lea and perrins, A1 if they really fuck it up.

Medium to medium well is good for me. Well done is too chewy most times even with filet.

The Col. has to have his steak medium well and he drowns his steak in A-1 plus he puts the A-1 on his steak fries. I get my steak well done and I only use ketchup.

Now we have a Random FOOD Whoring thread? Geez, we're all whores on this BB.

You can say that again!!

Um, noooo.... that would scare ME away, but vampires would just shrug wondering what it was.

What does raw garlic taste like?

Raw garlic.

Their beef is horrible in Italy.

Tastes like chicken.

More like squirrel.

???????????!!

Guess you're not Italian (or even "fake Italian")

I love (real) garlic. Sometimes I just get the urge to chomp on a raw clove... to the dismay of anyone I may run into the next day or so (Italian enough for you, DC? lol)

Ahh, you ain't so tough... you water down its taste with a bottle of Vodka!

Mmmmm..... Garlic Vodka

(Hmmm, THAT would be something, huh?? )

You would have loved the story in our local paper. A local Chinese restaurant had an unusual way to crush their garlic. An employee would put it in a big tub and then stomp on it, shoes and all. Well, one employee decided to do it outside the back door of the restaurant. The guy who worked at the AT&T store next to the restaurant took some photos of it, and sent them to the newspaper.

Ok, speaking of raw garlic, let's see if any of you Italians (or maybe it's just Sicilian, or maybe just something in my family) are familiar with this. My mother would make this every now and then with steak. We would dip the steak in it.

She canned her own tomatoes (I don't can so I'd use stewed tomatoes. A pint or quart depending on how many your cooking for.

Chop in small pieces 6/7 cloves of raw garlic (again depending on how strong you want it and how many people you plan to serve)
I have a garlic masher I use (the little wooden cup thingy with a little hammer thingy)

Pour in the tomatoes; add basil, salt pepper and a touch of olive oil (or regular oil if you don't have olive oil). You then dip your steak in or in my case, cut it up and let a few pieces soak in the garlic gravy. In my family fresh Italain bread was always on hand, and we loved dipping the bread in it as well.

Let me tell you, that would be so potent that we made sure to make it on a day when we did not have any commitments or company, because with that raw garlic, you'd feel as though your mouth reeked. We always had mints, brushed our teeth and what not. Ha ha. I don't make it quite is strong anymore, but it does make you very thirsty for the rest of the day.

TIS

I'm coming over, TIS! Sounds great!

Not only that, he sent the photo to the local Health Department, who promptly investigated.

The photos were also sent to all the local TV stations, and the story was featured on all their newscasts. Reporters were dispatched to the restaurant, looking for a statement. What they usually got was a screaming manager attempting to order them away from the front of the restaurant (which is public property). They said that the garlic-stomping employee no longer works there.

According to the fellow who first took the pictures, this was not a one-time incident; it had been going on for awhile.

Click here to see the story, literally "ripped" from our local Fox TV News.

Signor V.

SV, I had no idea it had made TV. That's pretty funny. We used to eat there when the place first opened, but stopped going several years ago. It was rather obvious that the quality had dropped off.

Thanks for the link!

I'm getting ready to make some pico de gallo. Forget the stuff you can buy at the store. Sure, you'll end up paying much more buying all the fresh produce to make it, but it's worth it.

I'll eventually post the recipe I use. It's pretty basic, really. But it's awesome.

I just read SC's description of some Slovak foods. I am getting hungry again Being alone, cooking is a major inertia for me. I am consuming milk and cereals at an alarming rate At least it is healthy!

My mommy bought me some rice pudding. I love rice pudding.

I'm having a craving for a pizza.

With spaghetti-O's on top? Ha ha.... DC made me do it!! It's rubbing off!!



TIS

I will have to try that one of these days.

Ziti pizza is great! So why no SpaghettiO's?? Right, Mig?!

This is disgusting!!!!

Click the link if you'd like to see a visual!

Rodent Head Found In Green Beans


A rodent head found by a Lehi woman in a can of green beans would be safe to eat, the company's spokesman said Thursday. But Marianne Watson, the woman who found the head in the can bought from a Wal-Mart store, rejected a $100 settlement that Allen Canning offered her if she signed a liability release.
"There's no way that product could have hurt her," Allen Canning spokesman James Phillips said in a telephone interview. "This rodent was rendered commercially sterile. We cook each can individually at a temperature up to 265 degrees."
Even so, Phillips said the rat head wouldn't be welcome at his home. "I'd hate to even think about seeing the same thing on my kitchen table."
Watson bought the can from the American Fork Wal-Mart store on Sept. 28. On Sunday, when she opened the can to prepare lunch for her family, she found the rodent head.
The Arkansas-based company called the check it sent Watson a "gesture of good will," but assured her that it was not an admission of liability.
"It's a $100 bribe," Watson said. "It's insulting, and I felt they were disingenuous. I feel like they're asking me to view them as good farmers, but they're just protecting their tails."
Phillips says that Watson isn't the victim, though.
"You can be assured that the people who've been hurt by this is us. She's trying to ruin
us through the media."
Watson said that she still will not pursue legal action.
In a letter to Watson, the company asked that she send the head to a lab to be tested. Watson says she may send it to a lab, but not the one recommended by the company.
Phillips says that the incident is rare and that the company produces millions of cans a year.
"If you would calculate the frequency of this on a calculator, it wouldn't fit because the number's so small," said Phillips.
Still, the case is not the first time a complaint about animal parts in Allen's green beans has been made public. In 2005, The Northwest Herald in McHenry County, Ill., reported that a woman found an amphibian leg in a can of Allen's green beans. Brenda Eisenberg of Spring Grove found the leg in November 2005. Allen's offered her $25, a gift pack and a cookbook.
Watson says she made the incident public to prevent others experiencing the same thing. She advises those who have purchased Allen's green beans to check the label for the tainted batch number: 34CG262162.
Allen's regrets that the incident happened.
"Were we disappointed? Absolutely. Do we want these things to happen? Absolutely not. But when they do happen, we try to respond," said Phillips.
blange@sltrib.com






How Gross

I stay away from ALL canned veggies (except corn and sometimes peas -- not cuz of potential rodent parts, but because they normally suck! They're not veggies anymore, they're watered down slimy nutritionally-vacant disgusting 5th-cousins of the vegetables they're supposed to represent.

If you cannot get fresh, at least get frozen. Frozen veggies are just fine (except for frozen spinach and other greens which are horrid, too).

I'm glad I freeze and can my veggies.

Anyone else out here love thos "World's famous" candy bars the kids usually sell. I absolutely love the ones with almonds. If anyone knows a kid who's selling them I'll buy a box.

What happened? You ran out of doughnuts?

I'm in the mood to eat nuts.

Sorry, lady. I only got one.

That's ok. I'm on a diet.

Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't.

These dark chocolate covered espresso beans are gonna be the death of me...

Sometimes you feel like a nut

Said the bisexual to his interested lady friend.

I just found out today that pasta is Chinese, pizza is Greek (though Margherita is Italian), sushi is French, fish and chips is Jewish and all sorts of other unsettling historical facts.

We live in a world of constructed habit. It's about time I started to question notions of culture a little more.

Hey Mick, you ever watch Jamie Oliver?

I ask for a reason. Last year, Jamie wrote Jamie's Italy, which was regarded as the BEST Italian cookbook of 2006 in many circles. It's kind of relative to your point; here's Jamie, an Englishman, getting 5 stars for writing an Italian cookbook. Constructed habit; that's a good way to put it.

Jamie Oliver is repulsive. If his ideas are not too big for his head, his tongue is too big for his mouth.

Jokes about speech impediments aside, I don't really mind him, though a lot of people don't like him.

I suspect, much like Sean Connery, Jamie's more popular here in the US than he is in the UK??

As with a lot of English exports, yeah, I guess.

(Though I must concede that I'm the only person I know who finds Connery's acting intolerable.)

I'm fucking starving. But I'm to wait: my housemate's birthday party tonight, and we're cooking sweet and sour chicken. What I would do right now for a plate of baby's guts.

Compromise, eat one of your flatmates. Have they gotten any better looking?

That reminds of another question my brother asked us at the table one day (he loves to provoke discussion). We were talking about the movie Alive, about the South American soccer players who had survived a plane crash in the Andes by resorting to cannibalism. I asked how many could do it if they were in the same situation.

My brother took the question one step further and asked if there was anyone that they would find too repulsive to eat. Interesting question.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, not even with extra cheese.

My uncle, definitely. He's got this onion-smelling, swathy skin with grey hairs and bushy, murderer's eyebrows.

All the way through eating him I'd be thinking of his hairy sack, back and crack.

The Clintons

The first person who came to mind for me was the former Chairman of the Board of the non-profit I used to work for. He had obviously spent too many hours in the sun and was very leathery. I imagined that he would be all gristle.

Once the flesh is properly roasted, it bears little resemblance to its human form, and the taste is fairly uniform....or so I am told.

Seriously, I guess we can't answer that question unless we are subjected to the dire situation that would warrant consideration of cannibalism. The question becomes easier to answer perhaps if we were to ask whether we would feed human flesh to our kids if their lives depended on it.

The South American soccer team, mentioned above, reminded me of an old 18th or 19th century English case that involved a merchant vessel sinking in the South Atlantic. Four crewmen and a young teenage boy, a hired servant, were sailing for weeks on a small raft or lifeboat. The boy was weakening and declining as he became delirious and fell in and out of consciousness.

The four (I think it was four) men, knew they had to eat soon, and realized that this boy was near death. Facing their own mortality, the men killed the boy and were about ready to carve him up when a ship rescued them.

The men were charged with murder. All I remember is that an Appeals court overturned the decision of the lower court, but I don't remember the outcome.

Sounds like George Hamilton

Plea bargained to criminally negligent barbecue.

I would do it in a heartbeat, klyd, and without thinking twice. I don't know if I could KILL another human to survive, but if they're already dead, why not?? And we, in our comfortable lives, underestimate the power of hunger, REAL hunger.

I also read the book after seeing the movie, as well as the book Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado, one of the survivors that walked down the mountain. It was fascinating. What I thought was interesting was how inspired they were by their faith.

I have developed some kind of craze for Guacamole recently. I just can't have enough of it.

I get cravings once in awhile for marshmallow filled donuts. They are so not good for you, and I usually can fight the urge. There's a dunkin donuts next to the store I get my lottery tix and I walked right on by with a heavy heart. If I win the lottery I'll buy them by the crate full.

I never heard of or seen a marshmellow filled donut!

The Dunkin Donuts up here do not sell them. At least the one I go to doesn't. Interesting!

The other day I got a mad craving for Won-Ton soup! Don't know why I did. I eat it every once in a while but never go nuts for it. But the other day I just was craving it. So on the way home from work that night I stopped at a Chinese take-out that I never go to or order from. I figured Won-Ton soup is Won-Ton soup that can't be screwed up. Boy was I mistaken. It sucked. It was like they used heated up dishwater! And they skimmped big time on the roast pork.

Boy was I dissapointed! My craving went right down the drain along with that Won-Ton soup!

We must've been bitten by the same bug, DC. I was dying for wonton soup earlier this week. There's a takeout a few blocks from me, so I drove over, picked up two quarts and hurried home. It was TERRIBLE.

So you won't be WAN-TING any WON-TON for awhile it would seem.

WHY WOULD I WANT ONE TON of WONTON WHEN WE WISH WE WOULD WEIGH WAY less?

If you eat ONE TON of anything you're not gonna need to worry about weighing less.

That reminds me of the neighborhood in Baltimore City I used to live in called Canton. It breaks down to mean, "Can you eat a ton"?

It could've been worse, You could've grown up in Flatbush.

I could go for a nice hot pretzel right now.

Good. While you go for it, get me one, too.

I said I could go for one. The problem is: I don't feel like moving.

So you really CAN'T go for one. You're such a pretzel tease.

You fly, I'll buy!

I love hot pretzels with lots of melted cheese. Mmmmmmm



TIS

Last January when I was in New York I got a hot pretzel with supposedly pizza sauce on it at Central park. It tastes like a can of tomato paste was thrown on it. I took two bites and threw it away. I might try one with cheese. It can't be as bad as that.

I had some mighty fine chicken paprikash(sp) today.

my wife made Chicken Caccitore tonight - magnifique.

I told Mr. Babe to get some Won Ton/Egg Drop soup tonight. After reading what DC and SC posted, now I'm not so sure.

I guess this is the right thread.

I took the day off work yesterday, and decided to take the kids out for lunch. We wanted to go some place other than the neighborhood pub we usually visit. Of course, there was no unanimous choice as the names of Applebees, TGIF, CChili's and Red robin were thrown out there. As a compromise, we went to Friendly's. I hadn't been there in about 8 years.

I thought it was pretty good. I had a barbecued chicken sandwich on grilled sourdough bread with cheddar and bacon. It was better than I thought it would be.

Klyd, We used to love our local Friendly's. Then they must have gotten a new manager or something, because it became absolutely gross. My daughter ordered her favorite hot dog with macaroni and cheese, and the hot dog was actually green in spots. Needless to say, we haven't been back since. My older daughter went there a few weeks ago with some friends, and she said it was actually pretty good. Maybe we'll give it another whirl.

Klyd, a couple of months ago we went to visit a college for my son. It was in a small town and we obviously were not familiar with the local restaurants. So we figured that we'd eat at one of the commercial places. There was an Applebees, TGIFs, and a Friendly's. Not being big fans of Applebees or TGIF, we wound up at Friendly's. I had a fried chicken salad and I must admit that it was pretty good.

A similar place that I also liked is Bob Evans'. I haven't been there in about 8 years and honestly don't know why.

The "Cripsy Chicken Salad"? That's what I get every time I go there - I like it. It used to come in an edible bowl which was even better, but it's still pretty decent. They do, however, generally charge more than they should for a place like that, though...

We have a Bob Evans and we usually go there for breakfast. It is rare we go there for lunch or dinner.

Not having Friendlys in the UK i checked their website out. They look like nice places and their breakfasts look lovely. The pics of good looking model types with their tongues hanging out drooling over ice cream is a bit off putting though

The food is really nothing to write home about. It's ok at best. But their Ice Cream desserts are excellent.

I haven't been to a Friendly's in probably 23 years.

I've never heard of Friendly's. Must be an East Coast thing maybe? I seldom go out for breakfast, but I'm happy with I-Hops (can't beat their pancakes)


TIS

I used to love I-Hop, but they've gone downhill (at least here in the East) in the past ten years or so. I loved their special sampler breakfasts .... and they used to have good coffee (VERY important to rating a breakfast joint).

I agree SC, Ihop is terrible. Last time I went for breakfast they served the food cold and under cooked

I haven't even seen an IHop in years, at least where I live. My Uncle Sal used to LOVE IHop, for exactly the reason that SC gave - the Coffee. They would bring the entire carafe to your table. Every year, Uncle Sal would take my mom and Aunt Grace Christmas shopping. When they were done, they would always go to IHop.

My mom treated us to breakfast the other day. We went to a delightful little place right near me that served HUGE pancakes. They were about the size of a dessert plate. They were obviously freshly made, and they were fluffy and delicious.

My dad tells me the other week my nana (his mother) was cooking a chicken and, since he was present, she asked him what he preferred:

"The leg or the arm?"

You sure it was a chicken??

Microwave popcorn is f'n maddening!

I can use the same brand, time after time, for the exact amount of time, and sometimes it all pops, sometimes it smokes and sometimes it burns.

Try using the same microwave.

Call me weirdo, but even though I'm not a big popcorn eater, I like my popcorn a little to the burnt side.



TIS

Don't focus on the time it's in the microwave, but take it out once you start getting one pop every two seconds.

I too don't mind it a tad on the burnt side (But I still like my steaks rare).

A man after my own heart.

I'm holding out for your liver.... with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

Why is it I always crave peaches or necatrines when they are off-season. How can these fruits be out of season in sunny California? What? I gotta grow my own peaches?
I'm just good at eating them, not growing them.

TIS

Speaking of steaks, I'm going to a Shula's Saturday night. I can't wait.

LUCKY!!!

Not really, I gotta drive to Norfolk,VA to go to it. I hope it is as great as you say it is.

Are you staying at the Marriott?


When you go there, make sure that you tell them that you want to join the 48oz. club.

Do I look like John Candy eating the 'ol 96er to you?

BTW No I'm not staying at the Marriott?

Oh, I was just wondering because most of the Shula's restaurants are located in Marriott Hotels. I believe the one that you are going to is located in a Marriott.

Mama, have the BBQ Shrimp appetizer. It's delicious!

I believe you are right DC, I think that the Shula's in Norfolk is at the Marriott.

When I was getting the address I noticed that Philly has a shula's. Maybe next time we have a BB weekend there we can go there huh?

It's only 25 miles from my house in Newport News. I hope this one lives up to the one you guys went to in Chicago.

Sorry I can't eat the shrimp. I'll stick to a well done steak. But I will tell the Col though.

There's a Shula's in Philly?? Really?? Actually, now that I think about it, I think Mr. Babe ate there, and he loved it. Well, as good as it might be, nothing could be La Veranda!! Outstanding!!

Becky told me the other day that she hasn't found a better place than LaVeranda.

I was only there once, but I loved Shula's. We don't have one by me so it was a real treat. However, when I'm on vacation, I like to go and try places that I don't have in my area. I don't know. I guess just to try new places.


TIS

That Itasca one was the only one I've been to so I can't vouch for how good the other ones are. (That one was great).

We have some wonderful restaurants out here in the L.A. area, and a fair variety, but....

After being in NYC and eating some wonderful meals there, along with seeing the huge variety of all ethnicities of food, I've come to the conclusion that perhaps it's the East Costers who should be more the authority when it comes to food critiques. (Noting of course that nobody's food is better then my mom's.)

Really, I thought Carmine's was excellent. I'll never forget it. Heck the pastrami sandwich I got from the Carnegie Deli was the best I've ever had. I never had a meal in NYC that I didn't love. (ok, maybe breakfast is pretty much the same anywhere, but still good...well although Chicago did have the multi-yoked egg).





TIS

Carmine's is fun, isn't it? There's actually one in Atlantic City now at The Tropicana. Has anyone been there????

You don't want to go to Shula's in Philly?

Because you didn't want to go.

Good thing I didn't huh?

All this talk of food is making me hungry....

Stay out of this forum if you're trying to lose weight.

You feeling better, Yogi??

Yes much better thanks SC
Back to work this afternoon for my sins....

I went to Shula's in Chicago for my birthday, not nearly worth the money. There's many, many better places to go for a steak that are better priced.

I used to eat at a steakhouse in Downtown Manhattan called 'Manhattan Prime' which was very good. Unfortunately they had to close down after the attacks of 9/11 because of their location. They also owned a Steakhouse in Chicago called 'Chicago Prime'

You familiar with it Longneck?

I have to tell you, we went to Charlie Brown's last week, which is my daughter's favorite place. I had the 24 oz. double cut prime rib. For $20, it was a damn good steak. I also enjoyed the salad bar.

Charlie Brown's is good. Another moderately priced chain where I had a good steak is Doc Holliday's. I don't know how widely they're spread throughout the country.

There is a 19th century establishment, called the Carsonville Hotel about 45 minutes from me, pretty much by itself in the middle of nowhere -woods and farmland. It's been maintained well and has a cabin feel to it, but they're famous for their large juicy steaks. People keep making the trip.

Klyd, those are some of the best places, the small, well-run ones. We had one here called The Saloon. Good food, great prices, always packed. Then it was rumored that the owner was gambling. Next thing we knew, the place had new owners and the food and service declined as quickly as the prices went up.

No, I live an hour from my house to downtown Chicago and really there's a lot of local restaurants in the area so I don't go to eat in Chicago much unless it's a special occasion.

My co-worker who grew up on southern cooking slow cooked some stew made up of 15 beans and smoked turkey. It would have been great except she put kayan pepper and hot sauce in it. Someone else came behind her and added more kayan pepper. Let's just say I have no sinus problems now.

I might try the recipe at home, minus the pepper and hot sauce.

So, are you going to let us know how it was???

I am so glad you asked SB. I(we) were very disappointed in the Shula's 347 in Norfolk. The food was just ok. Laveranda and Panico's were better imo. The restaurant was basicly empty. I guess each franchise is different. I would like to go to the Shula's Steakhouse in the future though.

Thats too bad, Mig. I don't expect that the difference between one of their steakhouses and their "347" restuarants made a difference, but I can only speak about the steakhouse in Itasca, IL (which was wonderful).

I'm dying for a steak now.

I'm surprised, too, Mig. I've never had a bad experience at a Shula's, but I do have a favorite----the one in the Yankee Trader Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. It's probably just the beach view, but I love it!

No worries. It's not the food it's the company you are with what makes it good. Spending time with Becky and her bf was worth it.

They have a Shula's 2 in Cleveland. I'll try them one of these days.

A very good butcher nearby runs a special every few months on NY strips ($3.98-419/lb), provided you buy the entire strip, which gives about 12-15 steaks. I package them in freezer bags, about three per bag. My sons love them, and my oldest will now cook them on the grill.

This past Saturday, I took a bag out to defrost. I told my son to speed up the defrost time by putting them in the microwave under defrost mode. This was done.

He began cooking them around 6:00PM when I was getting ready to take my other son to his baseball game. I told him, "Make a steak for yourself and mom, if she wants it, and grill the third one for your brother, so he can have it after his game."

He told me that there was only one steak in the bag. I couldn't believe it so I went out in the dark on the deck where the grill was on. The three steaks were still partially frozen and stuck together. He was disappointed that he was only going to get to eat a third of that giant ball of steak.

We have Charlie Browns over here but it is a garage chain.....

No tasty food to be had there...

I've learned that they have different types and styles of Shula's restaurants. And that may make a big difference.

Example :

Shula's 347 Grill Steak Choices :

The SHULA CUT® Steaks

8 Oz. Filet Mignon
14 Oz. New York Strip
16 Oz. Cowboy Steak


Shula's American Steakhouse Steak Choices

Steak Mary Anne
12 Oz. Filet Mignon
16 Oz. New York Strip
32 Oz. Prime Rib
24 Oz. Porterhouse
48 Oz. Porterhouse
22 Oz. Cowboy Steak
20 Oz. Kansas City Strip

Well, Mr. Babe loved the Shula's in Philly. He said that it was one of the best steaks that he's ever had. I didn't realize that there were different "types" of Shula's within the chain.

Klyd, our local market used to have a sale on shell steaks like that. I would have them butcher the whole shell and then cut off the tails. I would make ground meat out of the tails. YUM.

That's too funny about your son. Growing boys!!!

Miss Babe is right, those "tails" from the shell of beef make the BEST chopped meat.

Learn something new every day.

Shake a little onion powder on it and eat it raw. Delicious.

I'm hungry for corn bread in a glass of milk. YUMMY!!!

Little Matthew is now feeding himself at meal times.
Half of it goes up the walls and the dog gets the other half but he is getting the hang of it we think.....

I can't wait for fresh summer fruit, like watermelon, to be in season.

Come June, we'll have more fresh strawberries than we can eat growing in the backyard. They grow like crazy, and each summer we have more and more.

MMMMMMMMMM, fruit. I can't wait either. Right now strawberries are $5.00 a pack. Grapes are $2.00 a pound. I'm stuck now with bananas and oranges.

I like juicy peaches!

I'm so hungry right now, I could eat a bear.

Made a 4-5 inch deep dish frozen pizza....took over a half hour!

The new hash browns at Dunkin Donuts look ridiculously delicious.

And fattening.

I havent had much pop in the last few days and now pop tastes weird

THEY ARE GREAT! and they aren't very fattening at all, sence they are oven toasted

I guess when I post, a thread dies

And you responded this to someone named Yogi???

I think you got a nickname now - "Threadkiller".

Yogi?? Geez, I didn't see that one!! Figures you would pick up on it.

SC is a good man.

Three more days and I can eat cheese again!

I gave it up for Lent.

My daughter gave up soda, PB. She said that she could care less about getting chocolate this Easter, she just wants some Diet Coke.

I'm a Diet Coke junkie myself. It just makes me pee so damned much.

Eh, I'm getting old.

Aren't we all??

BANG! You killed another thread!

Personally I feel since Dunkin Donuts began serving these pizzas, flatbread sandwiches, and breakfast sandwiches, their service has declined quite a bit. I know that I no longer frequent D&D for a cup of coffee the way that I once did. At one time you used to be able to run in, get a cup of coffee and be on your way. In and out of there. Now it seems to take forever just get a cup of coffee because the lines are longer due to the fact that the workers are too busy making sandwiches and other stuff rather than serving coffee and donuts. I think that if they don't hire more workers to just prepare the food orders, this expansion by them into selling foods other than bagels and donuts is going to hurt them in the long run.

And then Krispy Kreme can rise again!!

I stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts today. I think a big problem that they face is the big bakery departments in the suburban supermarkets are making bigger and better doughnuts that are cheaper.

Turkey bacon isn't bacon!

WTF?

When the Hurricanes of '04 hit down here, the power went out and FEMA handed out those MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) there was a pack of "Apple Cider Powder" I read the ingredients and there was no apple-anything in it, the closest it came to apple cider, was the picture on the front

I can't wait for summer fruit.

I'd love some watermelon about now.

I had a piece of watermelon at the buffet the other night. Not good yet...

Yeah, I had some watermelon chunks myself the other day. They looked nice and red, so I gave them a shot. But they weren't sweet at all.

The only melon you can really trust out of season is canteloupe.

I had some excellent honeydew last week.

I love melons

We're talking about fruit here, not... well, y'know...

I was wondering who it would be and it is you, Geoff. Why am I not surprised.

I was talking about fruit!

Honest

I like big melons, small melons, any kind of melons really...

My boss took us out for a team lunch today. After pigging out on mexican food, I am terribly sleepy at work Need lot more caffeine today than usual.

We never get anything nice like team lunches where i work,but there are 2,000 staff in the hospital so it could work out expensive

We do get a free selection box at Xmas though so it's not all bad.....

I am dying, I mean dying for a hot pretzel with mustard right now.

I consumed a whole can of Dole Pineapple Slices in 100% juice (no sugars added) tonight. It is the best food I've had in a long time. Atrociously juicy and sweet. Do try it if you haven't.

Only if it goes in a Mai Tai!

I think 8 oz soda cans are most suited for my needs. I don't enjoy the drink towards the end of a regular sized can. I've stacked my fridge with dozens of these since my last walmart trip.

I love pizza.

Me to SB. YUMMY!! YUMMY!!

There's this place a couple blocks from my apartment called Yogurtland. It's like a soft-serve yogurt buffet, with about 20 different variations, and all the toppings you can think of (even fresh fruit!) They charge 30 cents an ounce, but it's absolutely worth it. My girlfriend and I go there about twice a week and just binge on frozen yogurt.

It's mega popular with the college crowd (CalState Fullerton is literally right around the corner.) Every night, the line stretches out the door.

Sounds really good, X. We used to have a bunch of frozen yogurt places, but they all seem to have closed now. My favorite was cheesecake from TCBY.

Glad you're enjoying the CA lifestyle!

The other day when I was at the in-laws my Sis-in-law brought home a cheesecake it was a little frozen. With every bite I ate I had to laugh.

I am eating some of my leftover potato salad. I make some pretty fine potato salad, if I do say so myself.

That's probably my favorite side dish in the world, but it's sooooooo fattening. Nothing but fat and simple carbs.

Thanks for telling me NOW! My secret is 2/3 mayo and 1/3 sour cream.

Oh, well, you should have said something then. The sour cream makes it quite heart healthy.

I love the Col's Aunt's potato salad she makes her like mash potatoes.

I am a firm believer that adding cream of any kind significantly improves all recipes.

I've got addicted to eating dill pickles. I bought a bottle of whole dills from walmart. It says Kosher dills. Wonder how it is different from others?

Are you pregnant?

I thought I was getting a tummy because I lacked excercise

Two things you MUST try:

1. P♥M pure pomegranate juice (this is pretty expensive, but well worth the cost)
2. Minute Maid Pomegranate Ice Tea (amazingly refreshing, I am drinking this in alarming quantities )

Those of you who make pizza or whose mother's do or did, do ya'll use shredded or sliced mozzarella and peeled tomatoes that you crush or tomato slices?

I actually use either a marinara sauce or sometimes a meat sauce. And we use both sliced and shredded. First the dough, then the sauce, then sliced mozzarella, then some shredded, then a little grated cheese, usually romano.

At the end of each semester I treat myself. I buy a big bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and freeze them. Then I start eating them and drinking milk. A little while ago I just about finished the bag. God, there are few things better!

I live very close to the Reese's plant, which, of course, is in Hershey. The employees there (and Hershey too) are provided with large bins, filled with peanut butter cups, Hershey bars, Kit Kats, etc. They're free to have as much as they want. I've been tempted to get a night job there many times.

My wife has learned how much I like Reese's. So instead of telling me that she's not in the mood or that she has a headache, she just throws a bag of them at me. They're not quite the same thing, but, more and more, I'm leaning toward the Reese's.

I could never get a job there. I'd get as big as the plant.

I could go for Nathan's french fries RIGHT NOW.

I'll buy if you'll fly.

I seen Nathan's hotdogs at the store the other day. Is this new or have they always been in the stores?

I have seen Nathan's in the stores for years

They aren't bad but I think I like vienna beef more.

I think they're branching out across the country now (in supermarkets). Our local stores have been carrying them for many years, and lately I've seen their french fries in many frozen food sections here. The fries aren't as good as if you bought them at a real Nathan's, but they're the best frozen fries I've ever tried.

Mig, if you try the Nathan's franks, grill or broil them - don't boil them.

I got my fries today up in Yonkers (the 3rd oldest Nathan's in the country, after Brooklyn and Oceanside). I had 3 dogs and 2 fries. Maybe it's all in my mind, but even their relish is the best!

I think the next time I go to the store I'll pick up a pack. And I'll keep your suggestion in mind. Thanks!

As SC said, Nathans are delicious and perfect for grilling. I also love Thumanns for grilling. Both are very very good.



If you decide to grill them on the BBQ, keep the BBQ on high, but do NOT place the Franks directly on the lower rack of the grill. Instead place then on the upper rack and then close the cover. By grilling them that way they'll plump, split and crisp up.

But as SC said, whatever you do, do NOT boil them. If you are going to boil franks, then buy the Sabrett pushcart style brand.

Thank you for your suggestions as well DC.

Why is that almost everything that nutritional science tells us is good for us tastes like sh** and everything that nutritional science tells us is bad for us tastes great?

Because it's a cruel f'n world.

Hey Cardi,

FYI,

My family is requesting that I make the delicious prime rib receipe you gave me for the holidays. They all say they'd rather have that for Thanksgiving instead of turkey. I like Prime Rib better than turkey too, but you gotta have turkey on Thanksgiving. I'm thinking maybe I'll make it on Christmas.

Anyway, just wanted you to know what a hit it was, and if anyone else on the BB is interested, we can repost. It's really really good.


TIS

I can't believe it is October and I'm still picking green beans out of my back yard garden. I need to save some of the beans for seeds for next years crop.

I'll be having Thanksgiving, too, TIS. I have the best sausage stuffing recipe if anyone's interested.

How can anyone eat mashed potatoes from a box or frozen bag?

I never understand how people eat mashed potato with onions all mashed up in it.

No two food groups should be mixed together. It's just gross.

The salami my wife buys from CostCo is just delicious!

It does'nt last 2 minutes in the Yogi fridge!

I think I'm gonna get some mashed potatos, carrots spinach and a big ol' steak, mix them all together and make you eat them. Ha ha ha ha I never mix my food together either, but I don't mind if, in the course of eating dinner, some juice from the corn touches he meat or a piece of carrot gets in the mashed potatos. Then, on the other hand, I am that way with any liquid I drink. No crumbs, no dipping, no kind of floaties in any drink I have. I'll dump it and get another.

Plus, I like to tease you.


TIS

Picky eater!

The dinnerware at the Babes' house:

Ha ha ha ha! I think they have that same dinnerware on sale somewhere. Buy one place setting, get a second free.

But make sure there are no crumbs in any sections, we don't want to gross SB out. (Wait til she sees this)

Btw, speaking of mixing foods together,I was never raised on this, and admit it doesn't appeal to me, but I remember "hash" (no not hashish) was a common dinner for one of my friends. You know, mixing all leftover together?????? Never had it, but it doesn't sound good to me.

TIS

When I was a little girl, my mom used to let me dunk my cookies in milk. When I was done with the cookies, she would strain the milk into another glass so that I would drink it.

I know it seems bizarrely OCD to eat like that, but I can't help it. It makes me actually nauseous to see someone mixing potatoes and a vegetable together. Not only do I have to have them separate, but I also have to eat them in order, from least to most favorite, saving the best for last. Like Sally, I am also very big with the phrase "on the side".

I am totally insane.

That might be overstating it. Then again, maybe not.

You're just a PICKY EATER!!! PICKY EATER!!

I'm really NOT. I do eat a lot of different foods. I'm just picky about the way they're served.

Just a little bit.

Me and my Sis-in-law made mash potato pancakes tonight. yum-Yum!

A pizza-eating contest was held in Times Square (NYC) today in honor of Columbus Day (tomorrow). The winner, Joey Chestnut, a former hot dog eating champion, ate 45 slices in the allotted ten minutes.

The pizza was standard 16" size (eight slices/pie).

FORTY FIVE slices???

Is the human stomach even that big in the first place? That is more than 5 large pizzas

I'm about to barf even thinking about it.

Imagine all that cheese in your system! My cholesterol would spike to 400.

BTW, I just finished my lunch. Reheated Fettucine Carbonara direct from the kitchen of Ms. MaryCas, the best cook south of the Mullica River.

Oh, that's MUCH healthier. Pancetta and egg - that won't do a thing to your cholesterol.

I'm in the middle of doing my omelate with peppers, frankfurters, spinach and worcester sauce. It's amazing. Although I've got no cheese to top it off with. Booo.

Too true, Turi (try saying THAT ten times fast). An omelette without cheese is like a day without sunshine.

It only spiked to 300, but it was worth it. When I got home I ran 2 miles, had a martini and 2 glasses of wine. I feel better now.

Really good spaghetti carbonara is worth the risk, especially if it's homemade.

I just had a Peperami. It was like there was a party in my mouth, and everyone was having sex. It is a bit of an animal.

ABSOLUTELY DA BEST!

I've just had a firestick peperami. It was like there was a party in my mouth, but everyone were arsonists. It is a bit of an animal.

I have never heard of peperami. Is it like pepperoni and salami at once??

It's quite possibly the best sausage based snack ever. As far as I know it's a mixture of the two. I went nuts recently and bought about 20 multipacks recently (because they were half price and because they're cured they keep for a while).

I think we need to start carrying those in the US. They DO look they'd be a party in your mouth.

If you ever see them they're so worth trying. I've never actually had the mini one's on the picture because I get the footlong ones in multipacks. Not surprisingly they don't sell the multipack firestick peperami's anymore. I'm nearly crying after one of those.

Why have a mini when you can have a footlong?

Sure you got the right thread, Babe?

This isn't the Penis thread??

I am partial to a firestick pepperami

Just wanted to thank Santino_Brasi for all the recipes It must be discouraging to see no replies to any of the recipe threads. Someday I'll try out one of your veggie recipes.

No Problem my friend, yes, it is a bit discouraging

Too many at once. Recipe Blitzkrieg!

I had a delicious knish AND a hot pretzel down at Grand Central this morning.

Your recipes are great Santino. Don't be discouraged

Well, they aren't mine, but I recommend them, at least this batch of them isn't mine

oh! I thought these were your recipes. Whose are these BTW?

Their Links are in the posts now, I chose some of my faves, but next batch will be all original

Santino, send me some of the food you make via express air mail. I'm starving and haven't eaten in days.

Haha, as soon as I get my signed copy of your album

DEAL!!!

Deal

Hey DC, if you're there, I am (by popular request) making Prime Rib New Year's Day, using the receipe you gave me. It was a big hit. Hopefully I won't be as nervous the second tme around.

Thanks
TIS

You'll do fine!

It really is so delicious!

I just may show up!!!!

I tried Dunkin Donuts coffee two days ago, based on rave reviews here. Pretty average coffee.
Or maybe that particular branch wasn't up to their general quality

I don't know what to eat tonight.

Nevermind, I just had steamed fish, grilled aubergines, peppers and courgettes and lightly cooked some spinach in olive oil. Fanbleedingtastic.

I'm baking a ham.

Turi, did you cook or eat out? And what kind of fish was it?? And I swear that when I first read your post, I thought you had peppers and cigarettes and lightly cooked spinach. I thought it rather unusual.

I thought the same thing but whatever floats your boat.

Dunkin Donuts is not anything I'd reccomend to anyone. It's not great at all.

I like MacDonald's coffee better. Or you know what I do?? I make coffee and drink it at HOME!! GASP!

Dude, I thought it was you who recommended it! When I went to the store, I somehow was reminded of you telling in some post that they make good coffee

haha, I'm pretty sure I didn't! I like the Verona blend at Starbucks, but a lot of people here don't like Starbucks. Maybe it was that thread?

I love starbucks myself, so I didn't look for recommendations on that.

Sorry, you are right, I checked, you mentioned that you don't like it. You have mentioned Kripsy Kreme donuts.

JRCX, Pizzaboy, Goombah and SC seem to be the culprits

Maybe it's that Texas water. I love Dunkin Donuts' coffee.

It's 6:50 a.m. here and I am browning off meatballs and sausage. Probably the only time of the year you'll see me cooking anything this early. Actually it smells pretty good in here. I am tempted to steal a meatball for a little pick-me-up.


TIS

I'd open my window to see if I could smell it but it's raining here.

Now I see, all 4 of you are from the same place

I was at Wal-Mart and came across a display for Pringles -- "Cheeseburger" and "Onion Blossom" flavors from their "limited edition" "Restaurant Cravers" line. For $1/can I figured WTF. I'm not their biggest fan, but I tell ya, these flavors are pretty dead on, especially the Onion Blossom! ...or maybe I think they're good because I tried them when I was starving...

I love Pringles. Actually, I love chips of almost any kind, except the Salt and Vinegar ones. Mr. Babe refers to them as flavored with a feminine hygiene product.

Any of you know where I can get Danish butter cookies (those round blue tins) in a popular chain store? Last time I bought some from Walmart for my parents and now they want me to get them when I visit them. I tried a couple of Walmarts and Krogers, no luck And also some coffee flavored wafer sticks? All I see is french-vanilla and mint-chocolate. Any suggestions?

After a quick google search, try Walgreens or Office Depot, as well as Amazon.com -- great cookies, I haven't had'm in a while!

Thanks Geoff. I'll try Walgreens. I didn't know office depot had food

I'm so excited - I found out there's a new Bonefish Grill nearby! Got a $50 gift card for my birthday good for there, Outback, Carrabba's, or Flemings (not close by). I actually like Carrabba's, less so Outback, but have a decision to make for my birthday dinner tomorrow.

They don't or JG would have already been there to get poster tubes

Geoff, there are no Carraba's (that I know of) in California, but there is one in Michigan that my parents really love. They took me there when I visited last year and it was very nice. The calamari appetizer was great, as was their entrees. As a matter of fact, last year for Christmas I included a gift certificate for them as part of their gift.

TIS


Geoff, btw, I always will remember your birthday. If you recall, my grandson, Evan, shares the same birthday. He'll be two tomorrow. Also, wasn't it Zia's birthday as well?

I looked on my calendar. I have Evan's and zia's birthday listed. I have it also listed that it's the official end of Christmas. It's Geoff's birthday, too?

That quite the Epiphany

Ahhhh. Very good.

He's very sharp isn't he?

He's Our King For A Day on Three King's Day.

Hospital cafeteria food sucks!

Really? Because on most special occasions, that's where the mister and I head for a nice dinner.

I found it in another Walmart!

How many freakin' Walmarts do you have by you if you checked at least 3 of them??

One near my home, two near my work that I checked. But there are easily dozen more supercenters that I can go to. Dallas has ridiculously high numbers of walmart, staples, office depot, jc penney, kroger, fry's etc. All the big chains have something here.

We have a Wal-Mart 10 minutes away and another about 20 minutes away. Both are Superstores.

Walmart wanted to buy the land where my church is, which sees a high volume of traffic. The church was seeking to move a mile away because it needs more room for its school, church building (It's a growing congregation) and gymnasium and multi-purpose center. Walmart agreed not only to pay fair market value for the property, but they also agreed to build state-of-the-art facilities for the church elsewhere.

Our local board of supervisors, which included owners of a grocery store and hardware store within a stone's throw of the church, denied Wal-Mart permission to build, so the deal fell through.

Our local ASDA(Wal-mart) is only 5 minutes drive away. However the other 3 big UK supertstore chains Tesco,Morrisons & Sainsburys are also only 5 minutes drive away,in other directions.

Plenty of choice!

I made tacos today!!!

(for the first time ever)

Did they turn out ok LN?

My wife has done them before. Very nice they were too!

Great! I made them again last night. I put a little garlic powder in the taco seasoning.

oooooooh.....drool drool......yum yum!

This week, I've been mostly eating... Cod liver oil.

Good for the joints.....

Fish Oil in your weed...

Oily wee on your fish....

For my son, Andrews birthday on Thursday gone we went here

www.taybarns.com

One of these eat as much as you like places. We have a few now but this is the best one i have ever been to.

It was a nice evening so we walked here and got a peanut butter milkshake.

Yummy! I prefer a pineapple milkshake but PB would have worked as well! Good call, Mig!

Mig, we have a few Bruster's in our area. It's the only ice cream spot I know that has a line waiting out the door...when it's 3 degrees outside. They have an excellent Almond Joy soft serve.

I haven't had a decent piece of watermelon yet this summer. Is that too much to ask? Some nice, sweet, juicy, deep red watermelon by July?

It must have something to do with this cool spring/summer we have going on.

I don't mind watermelon, but prefer cantaloupe (or musk melon as we called it when I was a kid). It is refreshing on a hot day.



TIS

They didn't have melons when you were a kid, TIS .

I'm with you TIS. I like watermelon but it leaves a weird taste in my mouth.

There is a really good Hawaiian Barbecue place near my house that has great food. I just tried a new item on their menu called Spam Musubi. Anyone else had it? It doesn't sound good, but it is tasty! I never thought Spam could be so good. It is a piece of fried spam on top of rice wrapped in seaweed, with a little bit of their Hawaiian barbecue sauce (which is sort of like soy sauce, but not as strong).

They look like chalkboard erasers like we used to have at school Blib,but i bet they are tasty.

Chalkboard erasers never were.....

Watch it young man!!! I'll woop you!


TIS

And I finally got lucky with watermelon today. At Pathmark, of all places. Nice and sweet and juicy. But I'll tell ya, those pre-cut chunks sold in little bowls really are some racket.

That spam/sushi thing does look like one of those old erasers. I'll bet it's tasty, though.

And you called me sick because of my iguana friend "Sparky."

Yeah, but at least the watermelon is moist.

[quote=pizzaboy]And I finally got lucky with watermelon today.

Why you kinky little devil you! Hey, whatever floats your boat. Sounds kind of "seedy" to me though.


TIS

SC, when did TIS let you use her profile to make bad jokes on?

I just ate a whole quart of cherry Italian ice from a local pizzeria.

We went to a carnival over the weekend. I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted a gyro or a stromboli. The stromboli won and it was good.

So far I've put four quart size bags of green beans in the freezer. Fresh out of my garden.

I just got back from a cruise to Mexico. The food on the ship was fantasic. Italian food to my hearts content. I finally got to try buffalo mozzarella.

I always likes to drink the almond milkshake always. It is really fun to drink this item.

Good old Number One on the Chinese takeout menu is still my favorite: Chicken chow mein, fried rice and an egg roll.

That was my lunch today.

That's a classic.

Now I want Chinese food. Thanks, guys.

"No substitution on spesher a da day!!!"

I made 1 Qt and 2 pints of tomato juice today. Plus I put 3 bags of beans in the freezer today.

Submitted for your approval - an oldie but goodie:

Combo #5

Signor V.

I remember that. I got that as a email a long time ago. I liked it.

Sr. V, your visits may be too infrequent for our liking, but you definitely offer quality over quantity!

Bravo, Signor V! That was most excellent!

I made 6qts of kraut yum.

Sounds great. Now you just need some pork roasts, and you'll be set. There's nothing better than pork and sauerkraut with buttery mashed potatoes.

The honeycrisp apples are out. these are the best apples of the season, tart and sweet, crisp and juicy. I must have bought 40 pounds of them so far.

All this Rosh Hashanah talk in the other thread has my craving potato pancakes!

Sauerkraut is one of the few foods that I just can't tolerate. The smell alone makes me wretch.

Great.... now I have a craving for some.

I need to get some apples so I can make some applebutter and fry some for breakfast.

Glad to see you're on a healthy diet now.

SC, Have you ever had fried apples?

Yes, Mig. My friend's mother used to make them and the two of us and his sister would eat the whole platter by ourselves.

Are you talking about fried apples or apple fritters?? Are they the same thing?

The fried apples I had were NOT fritters.... what I had was cubed pieces of apple fried and some sugar and other stuff added. My friend's parents were from the south, so I'm guessing it was a southern treat.

I did like them but I suspect something like that wouldn't be too healthy for me now.

I don't actually fry them. I peel them and cut them up and boil them in water add a little sugar and cinnamon. Yummy!!

Ooooh, sounds delicious Miggy

Try them with hot buttered biscuits.

It's that time of year again. I bought my 55 oz. pumpkin pie from Costco yesterday. One of the food pleasures of the fall.

They are very good pies.

Costco makes GREAT pies. Years ago, though, they also made pumpkin muffins at this time of year, which were packaged with orange/cranberry muffins, too. They haven't had them in a very long time, but I used to look forward to them every year. It was a Thanksgiving morning tradition for my husband and I to eat them while we got the turkey ready.

While I never had Costco's pumpkin muffins, I can attest as to the greatness of the pumpkin muffin from Panera. If you have not tried them, please do. They are indescribably good.

We have a Panera's near us, and for some reason, I always forget to go there. I'll have to pick some up the night before Thanskgiving!

SB-
You really should "test" the muffins first, prior to Thanksgiving. You may want to sample them, say on two or three different occasions, before Thanksgiving just to make sure they are satisfactory.

I ate at Panera's yesterday for lunch and saw the pumpkin muffins. I should try them next time.

I do enjoy going there on a Friday for their New England Clam Chowder in the sourdough bread bowl. It's the only place I know of to get it on the east coast.

Goombah, that sounds like an excellent idea! Maybe several taste tests will be necessary!

Btw, they make the BEST peach danish!

This is a staple in Boston. All around the Commons there were restaurants that boasted the best clam chowder bread bowls in the city. It's been a long time since I've had it. I may have to go to Panera's tomorrow for it as Boston is 6 1/2 hours away.

Boston has some really cool restaurants. Being a New Yorker, I can be a bit of a food snob, but I have to admit, Boston is a great bar and restaurant town.

How ironic that you say this. I have a friend who just loves New England Clam Chowder. Everytime we go out to eat, he orders it. Last week he and I went out to lunch. He told me that the week before he went into Manhattan to see a client of his and went to this place called The Oyster Bar Saloon. He raved about how great their New England Clam Chowder in a breadbowl was.

Okay PB, speaking as a snob, do you prefer thin or thick crust pizza and have you ever eaten chicken-fried steak with white gravy?

Thin crust, like Patsy's on 1st Avenue.



And yes, I LOVE chicken fried steak with white gravy. I love all southern food. Don't forget, I live in Florida about 3 months a year, and sometimes drive down from New York. Stopping at the diners on the way down is half the fun!

I'm an omeletmeister now, apparently.

Don't know how it happened, but I was totally incompetent forever making a good-looking, perfect omelet. Then 2 days ago I tried for the first time in years, and it was almost perfect, and I figured out how to fix it. The next day, perfection!

Fresh baby spinach, bacon and cheese with just a touch of EVOO, garlic and nutmeg like I make my sautéed spinach. Niiiice!! And perfectly formed for once!

New kitchen has inspired me apparently!

You're gonna end up saving a lot of money by cooking for yourself (now that you have your own real kitchen). Especially with the winter coming up.

Have fun, bro.

I don't know about that. Well, I SHOULD, of course, but now I have a family-owned homemade-everything Italian deli 2 minutes away. It's not cheap, but it's DAMN good! Plus they stock Pastosa pasta (ask Cardi about it) in the freezer case. OMG.

Geoff, I'm not kidding, but did you get a new pan by any chance?? I was awful at omelettes (still not as good as Mr. Babe) until I got a really decent pan. They were vastly improved after that.

Either way, sounds delicious. Now you need some home fries on the side.

It's not a new pan, but one I never tried making omelets with. It IS a decent Bialetti pan, though, despite some of the non-stick coating being a little scratched up. The pan seems to distribute heat pretty evenly which could help.

Anybody familiar with "Carlo's Bakery" in Hoboken, NJ? I see it on "Cake Boss" on TLC Monday nights. I love that show and the pastries all look great!

Renting THE FRENCH CHEF from Netlix (3 DVDs) -- 18 episodes of Julia Child's show which I haven't seen since I was a kid. Some funny stuff!! Watched the first 6 episodes, and #1 may've been #1 cuz she was soooo nervous and -- bad. Still funny as hell, tho. But I am learning good stuff, so that's good.

Just saw L&B Spumoni Gardens on Man V. Food on the Travel Channel. It certainly looked tasty.

Love, Man V Food...cool show.

Heavy snow coming to New York City this weekend. My Mom loved to make fresh pasta during snow storms.

There would be pasta sheets everywhere and different pastas drying all over the place, on clean bedsheets layed out all over the apartment. Not just the kitchen, either. You might find linguini drying over the radiators in the hallways .

I miss my Mom .

I'm making lasagna tomorrow ~ great for a snow day. I just got back from the supermarket... it was PACKED! I guess the words "Blizzard Watch" scare a lot of people.

How long has it been that your mom died?

7 years, 3 months and 2 days.

But who remembers such things?

I know what you mean.

Make some pasta today or tomorrow.... it'll bring back some good memories.

Thanks, man. Good idea. I think we'll do homemade ravioli .

Stuffed shells for me tonight.

I haven't made homemade ravioli in years. My grandmother used to make it almost every Sunday morning. I would often sleep there on Saturday nights if my parents had plans, and then we'd make them together on Sunday. She had this big wooden board and that little wheel like a mini pizza cutter. My job was to pinch the ends together with a fork and then pierce the top.

I never thought it'd be possible, but I guess it is. I actually got sick and tired of tomato-sauce-based Italian food!

Okay, well, tonight was Day 6 in a row.

Thurs: Stuffed Shells & Meatballs;
Fri: Lasagna, Eggplant Rollatini, more Meatballs, Chicken Marsala;
Sat: Leftovers from Thurs;
Sun: Leftovers from Fri;
Mon: The last of the leftovers from Fri;
Tue: Leftovers from Thurs that I just couldn't finish and tossed -- I didn't wanna see it any more!

I think I'm gonna go to the Chinese buffet tomorrow and get my Mongolian Grill

Ooh, I love Chinese. We got together with friends on Saturday night and both agreed that we were sick of cooking and would get some takeout. Because we couldn't decide between Chinese and pizza, we had both delivered. Now I wish I had more of the fried wontons! They were so good!

Geoff,

When I have leftover pasta, I usually will eat it twice as leftovers. It's not that I don't love pasta, but, 3 nights is plenty for me too,of just about anything. However.....steak I swear I could have 5 days in a row and not get sick of it.


TIS

On "Big Bang Theory" tonight, the geeks went to a Chinese restaurant and one of them was upset because there was "shrimp with mobster sauce" was on the menu. Was it a typo? Were there actual chunks of mobsters in the sauce? Was the restaurant a mobster front?

Instead, they to go to a place named Corleone's for pizza. They decide that there couldn't have been actual mobsters in the sauce because it was listed under seafood, and then one says, "Unless they slept with the fishes."

Thanks SB,

It hasn't aired yet here, but it sounds good. I always look forward to that show, but since there's GF references, I'll be sure to pay extra attention.


TIS

I've never heard of that show. What channel is it on?

Mig, it's on every Monday night after Two and A Half Men on CBS.


TIS

I don't think I've ever seen Two and A Half Men.

Really? The comedy with Charlie Sheen??????
I never watch comedies (at least not regularly)except for that and Big Bang Theory.
Check it out, you may like it.




TIS

"Big Bang Theory" is one of the smartest comedies on TV. It's hilarious.

I LOVE THE "BIG BANG THEORY"! It is awesome! "Sheldon Cooper" is one of the best television characters ever created. That show makes me laugh so much it hurts.

I just got back from the store where I bought a ton of green, red, and yellow peppers. I'm frying up some of them with onion to make a sandwich. Can't wait.

By the way, Two and a Half Men and Big Bang are the best comedies on TV.

Best hour on network television.

And throw a few eggs in with those peppers!

Nah. It's gonna be a sloppy sandwich.

Just like Sonny, in the novel .

More like Fredo with the two waitresses.

You're on a roll, SC.

Now THAT'S a sloppy sandwich!!

I'm eating my second one. God, this is almost heaven - even without the waitresses.

We, I just did that. It is sooooo good.

Ten Worst Sandwiches in America

Oh, you're such a killjoy, Lilo!

Actually, I found this list even scarier, especially the pasta dish from Cheesecake Factory! They said that you could eat three Big Macs with fries and it would be better for you!! Actually, I noticed that Cheesecake Factory made the list several times.

After seeing this, we wonder why we are a nation of obese people!

20 Worst Restaurant Foods

Did anybody go to Denny's on Tuesday for the free Grand Slam breakfast? We went with my inlaws and my Father-in-Law got interviewed for their local paper.

I didn't know about free GS's on Tuesdays... I thought it was a birthday thing. Alas, our Denny's went away years ago; when I was younger I'd spend MANY hours per week there for GS's and coffee. That's before I started drinking, mind you lol.

There's nothing better than a GS and coffee AFTER a night of drinking.

We haven't had a Denny's around here for years, too. Plus, the one we had was gross. I only went there once, and it was enough to put me off any Denny's for years.

The Dennys' in Florida are about a hundred times better than the ones up here.

The nearest Denny's to me is about 1/2 hr away. So I don't go too often but they have good food.

Anyone ever eat at BUFFALO WILD WINGS ?

I've been away on business and found this place. Really good wings. 14 different sauces to choose from. My favorites are the garlic parm, medium classic buffalo and the spicy garlic.

I've never been to one. I see they have one in Brooklyn for ya.

I'm cookin' my first prime rib, and making my first homemade roasted-garlic-smashed potatoes, when I wake up. And I may have to balance a pasta dish in the mix, but I'm leaving the asparagus to my mom cuz she likes them pealed and I'll have no effort left for that lol. And pre-made garlic bread to round it out.

Grilled Nathan's franks are just as good (if not better)... why all this work? lol

This is a recipe that my wife took from the cooking channel and it's just outrageously delicious.

Roast Prime Rib of Beef with Horseradish Crust

(Adjust measurements of ingredients and cooking time according to size of prime rib roast)

1 bone in prime rib beef roast, 3 ribs, about 6 pounds
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup grated fresh or prepared horseradish
Leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups canned chicken or beef broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay the beef in a large roasting pan with the bone side down. (The ribs act as a natural roasting rack.) In a small bowl mash together the garlic, horseradish, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast. Put the pan in the oven and roast the beef until the internal temperature of the meat registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer (medium-rare), 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the beef to a carving board and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Pour off some of the pan drippings and place pan on stovetop over medium-high heat.
Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by half. Whisk in the flour, then add the broth and continue to cook, whisking until sauce thickens into a gravy, about 10 minutes.

Geoff, you're a wild man in the kitchen since you moved into this house!!

IMO, the best way to cook a prime rib is simple: salt, pepper, and a hot oven (400). After about 20 minutes, lower the oven to 350, add water to the pan to make gravy later, and continue cooking it to the preferred temp.

I looked up a few prime rib recipes then winged it on my own as usual. THESE TIPS were extremely helpful! 450 degs first 15 mins, then 325 degs. I should've added more liquid to the pan because the 450 dried the pan out: I put a little Madeira on the bottom of the pan, rubbed butter on the exposed sides of the meat, and the top/bottom got worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning from a grinder, a little roasted garlic, and fresh rosemary sprigs tied on. Delish!

DC, that recipe looks good, too! I didn't want to start encrusting anything my first time out: next time!

My garlic-smashed pots were awesome, too. My dad said I should be a chef.

That's a great site. You definitely want to cook it high at first to sear it. Add the liquids AFTER you lower the temperature (I just put water, but a little wine sounds good). Add a bit more every so often during the baking. The searing is what makes the juices, so not adding the liquid until after it's browned is important.

It sounds like you made a delicious meal. Your parents must have loved it. How's Mom feeling??

Thanks for the tip; I had no idea. Next time will be better.

Mom's doing well, thanks -- still recuping and wishes it'd be over already. I think she forgets it hasn't even been 3 weeks yet.

And that attitude will serve her well!

Better? Seems like you impressed the hell out of your dad. How much better can you do than that?

By impressing us BBer's at the next BB weekend.

It really is. I am usually not one to "spice up" a good cut of meat. Usually take the simple salt, pepper, olive oil, etc. route. But this recipe is just unbelievable! The encrusting not only adds a fantastic taste, but it also helps to tenderize the meat that much more.

I believe that TIS tried this recipe and really enjoyed it.

I don't think people will be lining up for this one..
Stew

Strange. I thought cats were revered in Italy because of their help in fighting the plague.

I'll pass on cat's stew.

Not in Paulie Walnuts' town .

Cat Stew?!?!

You know it must be bad if Mig passes!

We went to see the broadway play 'Jersey Boys' the other night. It was F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C!!!!!!!

Before the play 13 of us had dinner at Carmine's on 44th street. We had Fried Calamari & Fried Zucchini, a Carmine's salad and a Casear's salad, Ziti with broccoli and sausage, linguini with clams, chicken parm, veal marsala and veal lemon butter. For those not familiar everything is served family style.







Carmine's clam sauce may be the best that I've ever had. Just give me a loaf of Italian bread and a plate of Carmine's linguini and clams, and I'm set!

Wow, that looks and sounds great! Do they deliver?

For lunch I had a cold meatloaf sandwich. My stomach is very happy.

Yum - a cold meatloaf sandwich with mustard is really good!

I used ketchup.

We're hunting wabbits....shhhh



Rabbit for Dinner

I always think of Plaw when I order the fried zucchini at Carmine's. He loved fried zucchini, and they make it so well.

I have just had 2 Hot Cross Buns with jam on. Deelishus

Salami, the mystery meat: Is it cow? Is it pig? Well, if you’re talking Genoa salami, like you’d get at Subway, then it’s both. Most salami is made from slaughterhouse leftovers that are gathered using “advanced meat recovery,” which sounds like a rehab center for vegans but is actually a mechanical process that strips the last remaining bits of muscle off the bone so nothing is wasted. It’s then processed using lactic acid, the waste product produced by bacteria in the meat. It both gives the salami its tangy flavor and cures it as well, making it an inhospitable place for other bacteria to grow. Add in a bunch of salt and spices—for a total of 15 ingredients in all—and you’ve got salami. But now that you know what’s in there, you might need to check yourself into an advanced meat recovery center.

Why would you feel compelled to share this? Do you not know that "ignorance is bliss"??

And AFTER all that, you get delicious Scrapple. What's your point?

I can honestly say that the DiGiorno thin crust deluxe frozen pizza is deelisshh!

I made pizzas the other night using Thin Crust Boboli, some leftover sauce and mozzarella. They were great. We had some meatballs and sausage in the sauce, plus leftover eggplant parm. We made one meatball pizza, one half sausage/half eggplant, and two plain. They were great. I got the Boboli at a Freihofer's factory outlet for $2 each, the sauce would have been tossed and I got the mozzarella on sale for $2. Four pizzas ended up costing me about $12. And the thin crust is really tasty.

Bobolis are great when you don't want to make the crust. Eggplant, onion, and peppers will do it for me. I never use meat anymore. I make my sauce from crushed tomatos and garlic, use real sliced mozzarella, and tons of oregano - the real stuff.

If Jesus is coming back, it's probably to try some homemade pizza.

Pizza and Burgers for my cheat meal. Tuna most of the time for protein and to help with my lifting.

Ibarr, over the last few years, I've become very conscious of eating lean protein and upping my omega 3 intake at the same time. They're both great for the heart and the omega 3s reduce inflammation better than any drug ever will. I suffered colitis a few years ago and getting enough omega 3 fish oil is essential to combating the inflammation.

Anyway, I find that good quality canned tuna and salmon are the best way. Especially the salmon. It's loaded lean protein and fish oil.

If there's no way to beat men at the dieting game, women might as well join them. Here are seven guy habits that can help you slim down, get strong, and be healthier, too.

1. He doesn't crave sweets

Both men and women have cravings—but his work to his advantage.

While your comfort food is more likely to be sour gummy bears or double-chocolate chip bars, his is a thick, juicy steak. A Cornell University study found that women seek out sweets to ward off the blues but men turn to meat when they want to indulge. Why this gives him a weight-loss advantage: He's eating protein, which will help fill him up (and curb overeating later) far better than your coffee cake will.

Where are the other 6? I'm kinda interested...

And as always: Gotta link??

http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100254483

If anyone is in the kearny nj area i suggest u stop by Stashs Sub SHop. Yummy... Its located half block from where the pork store on the Sopranos was located.

Big Stash's Sub House in Kearny :




You know something Smitty, when I read your post the name Stash's sounded very familiar to me. Then I remembered that when I was a kid we used to go to a place in Linden New Jersey called "BIG STASH'S RESTAURANT" I did a search and found that the it's still there and is as popular as ever.

They had the greatest roast beef, fries and burgers.

Wonder if they are the same owners.

We were in KY this weekend to do some 4-wheeling and to do some work on the Col's late Mamaw's house. I was wanting to take a walk in the mountains to pick some tangle guts but I never got a chance. I was gonna take a pic and post it here.

Lent's over. Going out for a big steak tonight.

Real Catholics abstain from eating meat every Friday of the year! (I guess I'm not a "real" Catholic either )

Those are the fringe/loony/Mel Gibson Catholics, who still won't recognize Vatican II. Heck, they hardly recognize The Pope.

But hey, Monsignor Ruvo, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, here in the Bronx, says it's okay, so I'm okay with it .

Like George Carlin, I wonder though if any Catholics are still doing time in Hell on a friday meat rap.

We decided to go for total junk food takeout tonight - Pizza Hut, White Castle and KFC and have a total pig-out cholesterol buffet.

So the orthodox (classic, like, His original followers) Catholics are "loony" as opposed to Catholicism 2.0 ? You ARE liberal!

Oh, my friend... pick a side! lol

(As for me, I'm not for "the Church" so much as I have my own personal relationship with The Big Guy that I feel supersedes it all. You may, too, I don't know. But to pick and choose the "rules" of your own religion? )

12 years of Catholic school, topped off by 4 years at Fordham University with the Jesuits. Yeah, they tend to be a liberal bunch .


You say potato, I say fundamentalist. So if you mean, like, the early conservative fundamentalists, who opened the door for the Crusades, the Inquisition and the murders of millions of "heretics" and Jews, yeah, they're, like, a little bit loony (and Mel Gibson is almost as dangerous).



But I'm not. From Catholic Online:

On the Fridays outside of Lent the U.S. bishops conference obtained the permission of the Holy See for Catholics in the US to substitute a penitential, or even a charitable, practice of their own choosing. They must do some penitential/charitable practice on these Fridays. For most people the easiest practice to consistently fulfill will be the traditional one, to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year. During Lent abstinence from meat on Fridays is obligatory in the United States as elsewhere.

See, I just choose to do Good Works on Fridays, this way I can eats me some steak .



Ironically, the very fundamentalists who you're sticking up for, would tell you that that personal relationship is not enough; that salvation comes through Jesus Christ AND the Church. But I'm not of of those loony fundamentalists .


I love ya, Geoff, but let's leave religion alone. It's too personal and it leads to bruised feelings.

Does a White Castle Cheeseburger count as eating meat? I mean, they're so LITTLE.

Nah, especially if you get them at the White Castle on Fordham Road and Hoffman Street. If you can make it Mount Carmel in less than 7 minutes to light a candle, you get a pass .

Since I started taking Coumadin, my doctor told me that I'm excused and can eat steaks on Fridays. Of course, he's Jewish, so what does he know??

Hey, that's one of the many perks of Judaism . But if I were you, I'd taunt him with a ham and cheese sandwich for spite .

I forgot to add that we ate all this while watching "The Biggest Loser" on the DVR.

NICOLA DE THOMASIS, a round-bellied, bearded, bespectacled man from the rough-hewn hills of Abruzzo, stood near the head of his dinner table, holding a pair of tongs — and my fate — in his hand. He had already placed on my plate an almost lethally large portion of spaghetti alla chitarra, dressed with the region’s traditional tomato-and-lamb ragù, and his tong-bearing hand kept inching closer and closer to the communal pasta platter until, at last, he dove in with the instrument, scooped up a final, fatal tangle of noodles and added them to my dish. I was done for.

Continued at Mangia Mangia!!!

I think this is lunch today. It's one of my favorite places.
La Cariera's

Is it true that NYC has a salt ban at the restaurants there?

Lilo, that place looks great. Do they deliver?

Yes, they deliver within Dearborn. They also do catering.

UGH! So delivering to NY is out of the question??

I picked up my daughter after a chemistry study session yesterday. It was a such a beautiful day that we stopped at the local pizza place for a chocolate gelato (her) and a lemon ice (me). This is the first pizza place in the suburbs that I've ever had authentic gelato and Italian ice.

Probably so...
On the other hand you are much closer to this place than I am. They do mail orders, which is how I found out about it. I can't speak to everything they have to offer but I do like their bread and cheese selections. They also do catering and I believe there is a restaurant attached as well.

http://www.arthuravenue.com/

You see that guy in the video link, Lilo?

That's Mike, from Mike's Deli in the Arthur Avenue Market. I've known him all my life. I'll be seeing him tomorrow morning at 7am, as usual, for my weekly cold cuts and cheeses.

The market is on Arthur Avnue, between 186th and 184th Streets. The back side is on Hughes Avenue, between 186th and Crescent Avenue. I grew up just around the corner, on the corner of 187th and Hoffman Streets, right above an Italian restaurant. It used to be called Amici's, and boy, was that place a hangout .

Was the place "owned" by a guy named Sonny?

Small world!

No, that's a movie . But Chazz lived about 3 blocks from there.

A guy named Vinnie owned Amici's. That's all I'm sayin .

Ahhh, that's just another Bronx tale.

Lilo, I grew up in the Bronx, and my aunt lived on Lorillard and 187th, which is where Dion and the Belmonts used to harmonize (and she used to throw water on them to make them shut up on Sunday nights). It's still a wonderful area to shop and dine. Mike's has some great stuff, but I prefer Teitel Brothers. They have excellent imported mortadella and prosciutto di parma - and the best prices, too. However, Mike's has this Argentinian cheese that is out of this world. And then there's Randazzo's for seafood, Egidio's for pastry and ices (or DeLillo's which is also a great bakery), Borgatti's for pasta, and Addeo's for bread. We also can't forget Vincent's for meat. Now I'm dying for a trip down there!

http://www.teitelbros.com/

http://borgattis.com/ravioli/index.php

Teitel Brothers, a Jewish family, with some of the best Italian imports you'll ever find. And they've only been there for about 100 years. So much for silly stereotypes.

We always shopped at Cosenza's, but I grew up with and went to school the Randazzo boys, from Our Lady of Mount Carmel through Mount Saint Michael. Frankie Randazzo is a prosecutor with the Bronx DA now. Yeah, that went over real big in the neighborhood .

I love Borgatti's. One of the brothers, Larry, drove funeral cars for many years. We worked together all the time. He was a sweet old man. When he passed away back in 2002, I drove the flower car. Best raviolis in the world. Seriously.

Vincents? Didn't Ernest Borginine work there .

DeLillo's vs. Egidio's? Sore point in my family, which is why we usually went to Gino's or Artuso's . But if I'm in the neighborhood, and I just want a cup of coffee and to bullshit with the old timers, I always go to Egidio's. It's like stepping into a time warp. I'll most certainly be there tomorrow morning.

Remember the song, Babe?

A-D-D-E-O, that spells Addeo, best bakery in town.

There really is no BAD bakery in that neighborhood. But I don't care what anyone says, Egidio's has the best sfogliatelle in the world. And the best Italian ice, too. DeLillo's makes those custard cups with the fruit on top that are to die for, though.

But for cheese (except for the Argentinian from Mike's), I go to Calandra's. He's got the great fresh ricotta and mozzarella, ricotta salatta, and what my mother endearingly calls, "The cheese with the pepper, but without the pepper"!

And God forbid I go to Teitel Brothers and don't get a case of pear nectar for the girls. They drank that for breakfast every morning in Italy. When we were in Sicily, my aunt bought the girls these cookie things called Gioccole (not even sure I'm spelling that correctly). They used to put them in a bowl with milk and eat them for breakfast. I've searched high and low for them here, but no such luck. I told the girls that if they don't have them in the Arthur Avenue Market, then they aren't in the US.

Joe's Deli on 187th, across from Artuso's, has GREAT mozzarella. Next time you're down there, try it.


I can't believe you phrased it like that, Babe. My mother used to say about vegetables, "If they don't have it at the market, it doesn't grow."

Oops. Didn't see this before. No. The answer is there is no current salt ban. There is a proposed salt ban.
Felix Ortiz's Proposal

The next time I do a special order I will check out both places.

A ridiculous proposal. Trans fats are poison and that barely got passed. NYC is the restaurant capital of the world. Try cooking without salt entirely and see how long that lasts.

I don't even live there and it pisses me off. What's gonna be next?

My daughter bought us a coffee pod brewer today. Finding the pods wasn't easy, but we got some at Stop N Shop. The coffee's really good.

Paprika!

Good stuff. From what I've been seeing on the cooking shows lately, it's becoming more popular these days.

You can't have Chicken Paprikash without it.

I was hoping for a good squirrel paprikash recipe at this point

Processed meats linked to heart disease posted 03:17 PM ET

BOSTON, May 18, 2010 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Processed meats -- bacon, hot dogs or processed deli meats -- are linked to more than a 40 percent higher risk of heart disease, U.S. researchers found.

Lead author Renata Micha, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the researchers found no higher risk of heart disease or diabetes among people who ate unprocessed red meat -- beef, pork, or lamb.

Micha and colleagues Dariush Mozaffarian, assistant professor in the department of epidemiology and Sarah Wallace, a junior research fellow in the department of epidemiology, reviewed some 1,600 studies. Twenty studies involving more than 1.2 million people from 10 countries and four continents were found relevant for the review.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=113367686&source=Newsfeed

Oli, while I appreciate the source link, you really should quote the more relevant parts of your argument. Because if I only read what you quoted, I'd question it entirely.

You should've quoted this:



That said... I love processed meat too much and will never give it up, no matter what!

That might be good.

I broke down and got a squirrel feeder -- just one of those little cages that hold dried corn cobs. Maybe they'll keep all their attention on that rather than my plants.

I told you the Col. can take care of your squirrel problem for you.

But the squirrels are cute! lol Anyway, I read that if you "remove" the current ones, new ones will just move into the territory.

Yes the Redtail Family has been casting covetuous eyes on the Nutter Family's domains for quite some time. And if you thought the current squirrels were bad, the Redtail Crew makes them all look like a bunch of hamsters...

Best Supermarket Tomato Sauce

Classico has the best pesto sauce in the supermarket.

I can take a rational debate about the First Amendment, but as a proud Italian American, I draw the line at jarred tomato sauce. Now I have no choice but to challenge you to a duel.

En garde!

And so began the Pasta Sauce War of 2010

Chef Boyardee is a pimp. He never could have outfought Ragu. But I didn't know until this day that it was Prego all along.

I know there are a lot of people who buy jarred sauce. However, I just can't stand it. To me, it's like eating battery acid.

Well I am just a grocery-shopping heathen-- White bread me and as bleached of ethnicity as one may come...

Somebody... Anybody... EVERYBODY---

SCREEEEEEEAAM!!!

Wait-- That is a hip-hop chant.

What I MEANT to ask was:

"WHAT is a REAL Italian marinara sauce? Not a gravy or meat sauce... A GOOOD homemade meatless salsa marinara ? ? ?

Anybody?

YEEEAAHH Boy-Ar-Dee!!!

... He's still suffering over Clemenza's "heart attack"... Thinks he might have been the cause....

I just seen him drinking from a garden hose somewhere in Reno.

Buncha snobs we got here! Damn, wish I could eat gourmet/homemade every single night of the week!

Listen, I love the real deal as much as anyone (of course!). I don't always have 2+ hours nor all the ingredients to prepare real sauce on any given night. But in a pinch I find nothing wrong (nor offensive) about preparing pasta with (a decent) jarred sauce (doctored up a bit, of course). They don't ALL suck!

In fact... Ya know what one of my favorite snacks is? Chef Boyardee Mini Ravioli -- right out of the can! Yup, room temperature, right after the lid is snapped off, digging in with a tea spoon. Awesome!

(Shush, it's a lot better than Franco-American (Campbell's sucks!) )

Well I might know what you each mean.
I don't get folks that eat macaroni and cheese or stuffing out of a box..

What an utter crock. It's called planning ahead. I make a huge sauce on the weekends, and freeze it so we could have pasta during the week. I've been a working mom for almost 20 years and have never used a jar of sauce. If you like it, that's fine. But don't use lack of time as an excuse.

Lilo, I love homemade macaroni and cheese and stuffing. However, I really like Kraft mac and cheese and Stove Top, too. That orange paste is hard to resist, man.

When I don't do it from scratch, my "planning ahead" is buying a couple quarts of fresh sauce at the Italian deli down the street before they close at 6PM.

(Here I thought I was gonna get railed for eating ravioli out of a can )

Geoffy, no one is saying you have to make a big pot of gravy with all the meats and everything. But you can make a marinara sauce in almost as little time as it takes to boil the water for your pasta. Fry a little garlic in some olive oil, when it's getting nice and light brown add a can or two of good crushed tomatoes, season it with a little salt, pepper and oregano, and throw in some fresh basil if you can get your hands on it. It's done in half an hour. By the time the water comes to a boil, your sauce is done. And it beats the HELL out of anything you'll get out of a jar .

You use CANNED tomatoes??!!! J/K

I know, but I prefer a meat sauce (which, of course, in a pinch I could just add ground meat to it and be done with it) but for $7-8/qt it's just easier to pick it up from the deli (and cheaper then some of the "top" jarred sauces ) ... (unless, of course, I plan to spend the day making Bolognese, which is outstanding )

Hey, everyone has their guilty pleasures. Mine is Kraft Mac N Cheese. But NEVER jarred sauce.

As for PB's recipe above, be careful not to burn your garlic because it will get bitter. And add some onion to it, too. It's really delicious.

Kraft Mac N Cheese isn't bad, unlike the store/generic brands.

Since college I've been making Tuna Mac from a recipe I saw on the box years ago. It's pretty good, and slightly modified by myself:

To prepared Mac N Cheese, add (while simmering on low):
1 can condensed Campbells Cream of Mushroom (only thing Campbells is good for)
1 can or pouch of tuna (with its water; oil is gross!)
1/2-1 cup frozen peas (small can if you must); I boil the peas w/ the macaroni
Sometimes I'll add a sliced-into but whole clove of garlic into the boiling water, then crush it into the dish when mixing it together
Some additional milk to proper consistency (about 1/4 cup)
Sometimes I'll melt a slice or two of American cheese in there to make it cheesier

Season to taste
Heat and Eat!

I tried it with a can of salmon once, and it was interesting. A bit too much, though.

Funny that you mention frozen peas. Peas are the only canned vegetable I will eat. The frozen ones seem like BBs to me, no matter how long I cook them.

But unlike canned peas, frozen peas actually taste like PEAS

Speaking of Mac & Cheese, tuna and peas...that is one of my favorite concoctions. Make a box of mac & cheese, drain a can of Albacore tuna and drain a can of peas and mix all together. It may not sound too good but it is very yummy!

I agree. Frozen peas are much more flavorful than canned. They are a bit crunchy, though.

Andrew Cuomo and Sandra Lee.
NYT Article

Ms. Lee has her detractors. Her suggestion that homemade food is an overrated luxury, to be circumvented with can-openers and boxes of Duncan Hines, has predictably appalled some purists. In one episode of her show, she complained about having to chop mushrooms herself because the grocery store did not have them presliced.

“The woman makes Rachael Ray look artisanal,” one blogger quipped.

I know that she's received her fair amount of criticism, but the truth is, many families in the US have two working parents. That doesn't leave too much time for home-ccoked meals, and many people will end up at the drive-through window or having Domino's deliver. At least she offers some sort of solution to fat-, sodium- and calorie-laden fast food.

I've only caught her show a few times SB but it seems like she sure does like the cocktails.

It was like every commercial break the camera would come back and find her with some sort of alcoholic beverage..

Are you too young to remember Graham Kerr and his show "The Galloping Gourmet"?? Even as a kid, I loved to watch it because he would inevitably go through a significant amount of wine on each show and end up fairly well soused at times! I'm pretty sure that measuring that wine consumption was why many people tuned in!

How can she call homemade food a luxury, then complain when the store is out of pre-sliced mushrooms, when pre-sliced mushrooms cost almost twice what whole mushrooms cost?

Must be nice being a millionaire who's dating a millionaire, right?

And FYI: It takes me less than one minute to slice a basket of white mushrooms. If it takes her more than two, she's a friggin palsy.

Yup that was a bit before my time..

The 70s, Lilo?

Aah, you were too busy watching "Gilligan's Island" reruns .

In the early seventies it would have been Electric Company reruns..

How about ZOOM?

Z-double O-M
Boston Mass 0-2-1-3-4

"Send it to Zoom!"

OMG!!! I just seen this. Are you sure you want people to know this? Remember I got made fun of for eating Spaghettio's. LOL

Chef Boyardee is a chef, he knows what he's doing!

When I was in college and worked at a outdoor sporting goods store - everyday on my lunch break I would buy a can of mini-ravioi. I would open it up with my handy-dandy swiss army knife and eat it while sitting underneath a train trestle watching the trains go by.

Did somebody mention "Spaghetti-o's" AND "Chef Boyardee" in the same post?!?!
Where the heck is Don Cardi when we need him most?!? He would know how to handle this!

From NYDailynews

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has promised to take on the special interests if elected governor, but there's one fight he won't get involved with: The food fight between his mom and girlfriend over the best way to make lasagna.

"On this issue I'm going to be very, very careful," Cuomo told Albany's Talk 1300-AM Wednesday morning. "Since the campaign started for me...this is the toughest issue I've had to deal with."

Cuomo's mother, the state's former First Lady Matilda Cuomo, made headlines when she dismissed the lasagna recipe of her son's girlfriend, TV chef Sandra Lee. She uses cottage cheese and tomato soup.

Mama Cuomo insists lasagna must have fresh ricotta cheese and red sauce.
The AG refused take a side in the food fight.
"Lasagna is like politics, everybody gets an opinion," he said. "Everybody's right, nobody's wrong."

Still, he defended his sweetie's use of tomato soup, which he likened to "tomato sauce, but in a different form."

Using the soup, he added, has fewer calories.
"Sandy's cooking is very good cooking," he said. "My mother's cooking is very good cooking. As an independent Democrat, I eat everybody's lasagna. I eat conservative's lasagna, I eat liberal lasagna."

He wouldn't say directly if he actually eats his girlfriend's lasagna.

"Sandra makes a beautiful lasagna. My mother makes a beautiful lasagna."

Cuomo joked that Lee's upbringing in the Midwest may have made it hard to get her hands on good ricotta cheese.
"I thought she was very industrious, Sandy, coming with cottage cheese when she couldn't come up with ricotta cheese."
Asked whether he will serve his mom's recipe or his girlfriend's at his campaign fund-raisers, Cuomo played it right down the line, saying he'll serve both.

"50-50, right down the middle of the plate," Cuomo said.

Lasagne made with cottage cheese and tomato soup? There are parts of Italy where you would be flogged for such a suggestion. Still.

I'm actually offended as an Italian American, Lilo . But it's not my problem; I don't have to eat it .

After seeing the picture of that fat woman and reading about the tomato soup, I think that I threw up in my mouth a little.

Babe, I bet it taste better than that cottage cheese/tomato soup lasagna, eh?

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)