thistle

1) eat more veggies 2) lose 30 lbs. 3) practice my knife sharpening skills 4) grow more food & take better care of my garden 5)brew some beer 6)cook more from my cookbooks 7) go to Dr.com picnic & cook something delcious

I'll be watching, too, but this season is not as interesting as past seasons to me. I'm watching the season 5 reruns today (Casey, Hung, Dale), & they're much better-quickfires beside a trout river in CO, w/ Eric Ripert as a guest judge-yum!...I hope this season improves...

sorry, dup post

Yesterday's dinner turned into today's yummy leftovers: beef chuck, cooked in slowcooker, w/ onions & St. Ann's jerk marinade Today, degreased & mixed with some rice & caribbean hellfire hotsauce

Rachael, thank you for all your interesting responses. I'm reading Eric Ripert's 'On the Line' & between both of you, I'm getting a fascinating look at behind the scenes at top restaurants. As for Top Chef, I also thought the paella was the best choice for the one pot dish & your tortellini sounds worlds better than Eugene's 5 golden rings-poisson cru w/ tiny pineapple rings. I think Jeff (who had 11 lords a-leaping) DID think of frogs' legs, but couldn't get them (or a sufficient quantity) at Whole Foods. This was an extremely difficult challenge, & I think they were all criticized for playing it too safe. It sounds like you get a great deal of pleasure from working in a demanding position at a premier establishment, I think being a chef must be a bit like being a pro athlete. Again, thank you for sharing with us your thoughts & experiences...Thistle

I think it would be great to see someone from Cityzen on Top Chef, I could also understand why a serious chef might not want to do it. What would you do for Wed.'s challenges?-the quickfire was a 45 minute one pot dish, guest-judged by Martha Stewart, & the elimination challenge was an hors d'ouevre or appetizer prepared for 250 guests at an Amfar benefit the next night. The cheftestants had 3 hours to prep the night before, not sure how much time the day of the event(edit-1 hour for prep& transport), I think there were budget constraints as well, & their theme was a verse of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. What would you do for that challenge for '5 golden rings' (just picking one at random, you could pick another one)?

I'm quite happy to be a guest this year-my SIL is taking over. I've been assigned bean dip (not very t'giving, but everyone likes it), pound cakes, & a veg dish (we have a new vegetarian in our midst). I think it will be very relaxing, I also have a small turkey breast for the smoker, so we have turkey for leftovers, a small ham, & an exceedingly large country ham, that I expect will last us the winter...

Is your apfelwein EdWort's recipe from HBT? The last time I made cider (quite a few years ago), I used a Champagne yeast, but the guy at the homebrew shop recommended Wyeast 4766, for cider, so I went with that. I have a few different supermarket apple ciders & juices to use, do you use the Campden tablets 24 hours before you pitch the yeast? I may heat some of the ciders w/ some spices & maybe a touch of honey before I add it to the fermentor. I'm also saving good bottles, because there are some things I would rather bottle than put in a keg, I think-like cider & specialty brews, easier to age them that way. I'm glad to see so many homebrewers out there, I have so many questions, since I've been out of the loop for awhile...

The last episode was bit disappointing-first, how can you expect them to improve the classic hot dog in 30 minutes?-almost anything they could have tried would have been too 'out there' or too simple & unimaginative. 2nd, the 'New American' at Craft was pretty vague, so they could have jumped on it & done the food they knew they could slam & adapted it to the dish-there wasn't alot of this going on. When you saw Jill pick the ostrich egg, did anyone think of the OE that ol ironstomach (Dave) ccoked at the picnic?-opened & fried on a griddle on a camp stove under a tent in the pouring rain, & much better received than Jill's boring quiche...From my favs from the 1st episode, only one, Jamie, did ok, but I thought Carla did much better this time-I love apple pie & cheddar cheese, but not together, so I applaud her decision to serve the cheese on the side.

The chicken noodle soup at Thirsty Bernie, for the DR dinner, was delicious! It was just perfect, following the butcher board. For some reason, I rarely order soup at restaurants, but yesterday I made a vegetable soup at home & I'm enjoying it as I type. It's a good lead-in to the invariable overconsumption during T'giving...

More questions-what did you use as a fermenter for large batches before you got the conical?-just split it between smaller carboys? Also, how are you using the pump w/ the immersion chiller? Since I've been out of the loop for awhile, I'm trying to catch up-I do have a 10 gallon Rubbermaid cooler, that I bought to use as a mash tun, w/ Phil's false bottom & sparge arm, but never set it up, I did my mashes in a spaghetti pot in the oven, then added it to the wort. What do you think is the most important thing to get, if you're thinking about brewing 10 gallons? I think my biggest need right now is a large brewpot, I've done partial boils w/ a 5 gallon pot, then topped it off w/ water. The turkey fryer kit I saw at the store had a 7 gallon pot & a burner for $59. I saw the Blichman Boilermaker at the store today & was lusting after it, but don't think it's in the budget right now...

Thanks for the tips-I went out today & picked up a basic kegging setup at My LHBS , a weizen kit (this is the first kit I've ever used, but it'll be a quick jumpstart, I hope), some yeast for the cider, & a few odds & ends. This weekend, I'll be cleaning & organizing the garage, cleaning all my gear, & with any luck, brewing! Maybe after T'giving, I'll pick up a turkey fryer, for another burner & a lg. pot.

OK, I have not ventured into charcuterie yet, but saw these items on another site, -meat grinder, mixer, & sausage stuffer-I have no experience w/ them, but I have a Camp Chef gas stove/grill, & it's very solid...

I know, I'm excited about making the switch, I've soaked lots of beer bottles in a bathtub w/ bleach, then ran them through the dishwasher on heat dry, but bottling was a tedious sticky process. Let me ask you, how do you like the plate chiller? I still haven't moved up to anything larger than 5 gallon batches, extract plus partial grain mashes, & I'm wondering if it's better than the immersion chiller-hard to clean? I'd also like to hear your opinion on the conical fermenter-are the advantages enough to get a small batch, 'pseudo' version like the Fermentap? Right now I have 5g & 6g glass carboys, a plastic 5g & 7g (which is also the bottling bucket)-I'd like to start a cider in the smaller glass one...

Congratulations to both of you!-I can't think of anything more harmonious than finding someone else who enjoys good food & good company...

What a coincidence, I'm a 'born-again' homebrewer, took a few years off, but started pulling out my gear the other day, now that I have alot more space to work with (a garage! an extra fridge!). I hope to brew this weekend, if I can get organized. The one thing I would like to do is switch to kegging, rather than bottling, because it seems so much easier. I'm ready to jump in on any homebrew discussion...

I love this show, I just wish it were on earlier, it's past the kids' bedtime, & they're big fans, too. I agree, the large number of cheftestants makes it hard to sort them out, especially after just one episode, but I think my early favorites are Eugene, Stefan, Jamie, & Josea. There are a few more that I'll reserve judgment on, until I see more from them. Looking forward to another fun season...

Can you guys tell that Fridays are my day off?-I seem to have something to say about everything. Anyway, regarding fall gardening, I've been extremely lazy, thanks to the fortunate weather-mild temps, lots of rain, & I've procrastinated about trying to get everything ready for winter-lots of elephant ears (alocasias/colocasias) to dig up, palms to put in the garage (washingtonia, butia, chamaerops. oddballs), & things to clean up-the last of the tomatoes & peppers, perennials to plant-hostas, end of season bargains, & today, I got a big shipment from Camellia Forest -3 camellias, 3 cryptomerias, & an osmanthus. We also have alot of leaf removal to do this weekend. We have lots of mature maples & oaks, as well as backing to neighbors & a park, w/ huge oaks & maples. All the leaves need to be shredded & added to the compost pile, along w/ the H'ween pumpkins, which are great compost activators. It's time to move my lazy bum out from in front of the computer & out in the yard, I should be grateful that we still have Indian summer temps...I have pansies, cabbages/kale to get in the ground, too...Thistle

No recent experience here, we have a 5+ yr. old Kitchenaid that came w/ the house-no problems, moderately quiet. I have to say, though, that the Whirlpool generic dishwasher that we had onpost at Ft. Belvoir was the MOST quiet DW ever-I kept having to check if I turned it on, & it performed wonderfully for the 4 years we were there...an anamoly, maybe?

I really enjoyed Walter Scheib's book-White House Chef (11 years, 2 presidents, 1 kitchen) for the behind-the-scenes look at dining at the White House-logistics, politics, drama-it's a great read. Judging by the last chapters of the book, I think the current White House chef, Cristeta Comerford, might be staying, she sounds like she's got a handle on the job, as well as being flexible enough to adapt to a new regime.

Feedback from the ventworm gallery-we hit our first DR dinner last night at Thirsty Bernie, whole family in tow. We've attended a couple of picnics(which have been super), & have visited other places, thanks to info from the group. I wish we could go to more events & I sincerely thank those of you who plan these outings & those who attend, & write about it afterwards, so I can be there vicariously. I think everyone has problems w/ scheduling, commute/traffic issues, & disposable income to indulge in our love of good food & good company...I just hope that the organizers of events & the restauranteurs don't feel badly when a huge crowd doesn't show up-alot of us would, if the fates permit it... I think y'all are doing a great job & I look forward to more DR events...

Well, I may not be eating again for a day or two-everything was scrumptious! Thank you, Daniel K. for orchestrating this outing & Chef Jamie for setting out a spread that had everyone in my family happy & stuffed by the end of the evening. Yes, I was the one who brought the kids-once my teenage son (who was going to babysit his sister) heard me talking about the menu, he decided he'd get a better deal, if he went along. Lizzy had the mild wings, which she loved, & said they had a spicy 'afterkick', Tom had the chicken noodle soup & panini, & poached off his parents' plates, & they shared a cone of fries ( I couldn't resist snagging a couple-OMG, so good!). His favorites were the charcuterie & the chicken noodle soup, which were also the highlights of the dinner for me, too. Not that everything else wasn't wonderful, but by the time my veal schnitzel arrived, I was pleasantly stuffed & had to take half of it home. Josh & Tom also both loved the untraditional goulash & polished it off. The pear strudel was the perfect ending, not too sweet (which I like) & cinnamon scented, I let the kids hoover the ice cream, while I took the huge berries (were they tayberries?). Our waiter did a super job, keeping the drinks topped off, & letting us order off the menu for the kids. The place was packed, but service certainly didn't suffer. It was nice to see some familiar faces from past picnics, although I still can't connect names w/ faces, only onscreen handles. I think this is the first organized DR dinner we've been to (aside from the picnics), although we've had great meals at restaurants we wouldn't have discovered, if it weren't for this group (I'm thinking of a memorable anniversary dinner at Ray's). Thank you all...Linda/Thistle

Unfortunately, my family will not make it to the picnic, we have kids' sporting activities from 1-6-I hope that the weather holds & I look forward to reading accounts (not as good as being there)...Thistle

I have 8 varieties of figs, most of them have been in the ground 2 years-this year, the only ones that produced any ripe fruit were Sandy's Strawberry Verte ( Battaglia Green) & Violette de Negronne. I grow them because I like the way they look, sort of tropical, & I was thrilled when I ate a Strawberry Verte this year & loved it! This tree, after light pruning in the spring, has grown like it's on steroids & may have to be moved (it's shading out my palms). The Violette de Negronne is a compact tree, w/ dark, luscious fruit. Figs are pretty easy to grow from cuttings, many people take cuttings now, & store them, wrapped in moist paper towels & ziploc bags over the winter & try to root them in spring, starting them either in perlite, water, or soil. They like a sunny, protected spot, don't need much water, once they're established, & even if they don't bear, are very nice looking plants...

My friend & I have been meeting at this place for lunch several times a month for a few years now. It changed hands about a month ago, I was surprised because it always seemed busy when we were there, it reopened after a short time w/ a new name, the only other change seemed to be that you now pay for your buffet meal before you eat. We met there on Friday & the parking lot was full & the place was packed! We actually had to wait a short time for a table & this is a fairly large place. For a Chinese buffet lunch, it's a safe bet-still a large variety of seafood-fish, crabs, squid, & my favorite, fried whole shrimp. It's also got a few 'western' dishes (fries, pizza, chicken nuggets) for kids & picky eaters (we always dine w/ her 5 yr. old, but she eats the good stuff). There are 4 buffet tables -lots of salads, including kimchee, & fruit, & a good selection of dumplings (also chicken feet, but I haven't been brave enough to try them). For an inexpensive lunch, w/ good variety & service, it's worth a try, if you're in the area...