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Archive through January 03, 2007

The TVClubHouse: Other Reality Shows ARCHIVES: Archives for 2008 - 1: Top Chef - Prior Seasons: ARCHIVES: Archive through January 03, 2007 users admin

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Watching2
Member

07-07-2001

Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 2:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Watching2 a private message Print Post    
Well, I got into this show through the "repeat marathons" and now that I WANT to see it, no new shows! Got all excited thinking there was a new show this week and then it comes on and I'm thinking, "I don't recognize a single person!" LOL From what they showed, I'm glad the red-headed girl didn't win and the guy did. She acted pretty nasty from the little I saw and had a big attitude. Now.... I hope I remember the seven left when they actually get around to a new show! Sheeesh!

Gemma120in2002
Member

07-05-2003

Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 6:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gemma120in2002 a private message Print Post    
Lizziedi, I'm glad you tried the pepper flakes. The butter and the orange peel sound very good! It added a whole new dimention to the flavor of the jam didn't it?

I am so happy! Yesterday I went to Tuesday Morning and they were having a silent sale on clearance items. I've been waiting to buy a set of sea salts that were originally $40. The price was reduced to $19.99. I also got a separate salt grinder full of pink sea salt. It was originally $20, and they reduced the price to $9.99 I paid $8.90 for both of them!They were clearanced at 30% off, then they were on silent coupon sale for 50% off of the clearance price. I am also a part time employee there so I get a 20% discount too. I LOVE getting a good sale on expensive items! $60 worth of ingredients for less than $10!

I went to Williams & Sonoma today and found white truffle oil for $21. I paid $11 for it at Trader Joe's!

Tomorrow morning starts the first day of our two-week restaurant shut-down. They are having their food giveaway starting at 11:00. I'm going to go see if I can get my hands on some good cheese and maybe a pomegranate or two and some of the marinated dinner olives I make. Maybe we'll have some left over food from the new-years dinner that's going on as I type this!

Here, I'll let you all drool over the menu! This is where I work. Click on the New Year's Eve Eve Celebration for tonight's menu.
http://www.windscafe.com/

There used to be a picture of me at work, but that has been replaced with a picture of strawberries and pine nut cookies before being drizzled with Saba and topped with a quenelle of mascarpone cheese and a mint leaf.

Gemma120in2002
Member

07-05-2003

Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 7:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gemma120in2002 a private message Print Post    
At the end of the menu you see the celebration cake and Jeni's Ice Cream. Jeni makes the most AMAZING ice cream I have ever had. Imagine fresh sweet corn and blackberry ice cream. I know, at first the idea of eating sweet corn as a dessert is completely foreign. Just think for a moment about sweet corn bread, then think about it piled high with sweet berries and whipped cream. Not such a strange thought is it? I have been enjoying her ice creams for a year now and I can honestly say that she is definately an artist. One day I met her when she personally delivered her ice cream to us. She likes to get out to see her restaurant customers at least once a year. She was so cute in her little pink chef's jacket!

Anyway, if you want to try an amazing line of ice creams, this is absolutely a must. Yes, they are pricey, but they are wonderful.

http://www.jenisicecreams.com/index.html

Alisons
Member

01-10-2003

Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 8:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Alisons a private message Print Post    
I am sitting here giggling thinking about how quickly I can get all of Jeni's ice cream flavors delivered here!

I looked at the (windscafe) menu and found many things I would want to eat. I am really interested in the Tuscan Bread Salad. Are those peppers roasted or fresh to begin with? I also have to say that Blue Christmas and the Organic sandwich are 'must tries' for me. I do not get to Ohio very often, but I will make a point of it! I have not really looked at the dinner menu yet because I just ate a very large meal at a Turkish restaurant with friends this evening and feel a little too full to look at heavier fare. (I have no idea what I am eating when I go Turkish so I always get a sampler plate that contains way too much food.)

Sounds like you found some great bargains, Gemma! Way to go! I love white truffle oil. One time I was eating at the Market Street Bar and Grill (a top 100 Washington area restaurant that is right across the street from me) and they had these WONDERFUL mashed potatoes. I BEGGED the chef to tell me what he did to make them so good and he told me he added white truffle oil. That was my intro to that magic elixir!

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 10:27 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Gemma - isn't Yellow Springs also the location of Young's Dairy? I spent a year in school at Cedarville, and I seem to recall many a yummy cone from Young's. The Winds looks PHENOMENAL! I have very few relatives left in Ohio, but I'm thinking it's time for a visit! :-)

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Sunday, December 31, 2006 - 7:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
I love how well written the biographies are! The food looks incredible too. ;)

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Sunday, December 31, 2006 - 9:09 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
FYI... The white truffle oil from W&S is much better than that from TJ's. Sometimes you do get what you pay for (Two Buck Chuck has never been a fav of mine).

ETA: Not much on that NYE menu that I can eat. Not a single vegetarian main dish? Is that "normal" there?

Hukdonreality
Member

09-29-2003

Sunday, December 31, 2006 - 11:55 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hukdonreality a private message Print Post    
Does truffle oil taste like mushrooms or is it more "musky"? I love to experiment with new things, and I sure love mashed potatoes. I'd be willing to try the oil in them if you say it's that good!

Alisons
Member

01-10-2003

Sunday, December 31, 2006 - 12:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Alisons a private message Print Post    
TRY THE OIL. I don't know how to describe the flavor, except to say, "delicious"!

Gemma120in2002
Member

07-05-2003

Sunday, December 31, 2006 - 6:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gemma120in2002 a private message Print Post    
Look at the standard menus and you'll see many vegetarian options. If a customer contacted the restaurant and requested a vegetarian option, I'm certain that the customer would have been given several options for an entree. This restaurant has been featured in Vegetarian Times in the past, and is vegetarian friendsly. At the moment on our evening menu we have a portabella picatta. Our menu changes every month, but there are several items such as the tuscan bread salad and the organic sandwich which are vegetarian, but not vegan. They both have cheese.

Hukdonreality
Member

09-29-2003

Monday, January 01, 2007 - 8:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hukdonreality a private message Print Post    
Wahhh...Alison yelled at me! Ha ha ha. O.k., so where would I find white (are there other varieties?) truffle oil? I'm not sure if there is a gourmet section in my local grocery store. Is it possible it will be in the cooking oil section?

Gemma120in2002
Member

07-05-2003

Monday, January 01, 2007 - 9:53 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gemma120in2002 a private message Print Post    
LOL! They would be in specialty food stores or very upscale grocery stores. There is white and black truffle oil. As Costacat pointed out there are the inexpensive and the expensive brands of truffle oil, just as there are inexpensive and expensive brands of balsamic vinegar. The difference is in aging and in quality of ingredients.

Black truffles are less pungent and smell like fresh earth and mushrooms. It is a strong aroma, but not as sharp and pungent as the white truffle, which has more of a garlicy aroma and flavor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle

You can buy it on line, go to Trader Joe's, or go to Williams & Sonoma. In about two weeks, check out Tuesday Morning and they might have some more of the Williams and Sonoma products in there. Check Marshalls or TJ Maxx too, they get very high quality items in there but you have to really look for them.

Here's a link from Whole Foods market for recipes with truffle oil:
Recipes with Truffle Oil

<fixed link>

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, January 01, 2007 - 5:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Go to Williams Sonoma, if you plan to buy any truffle oil. It's a lovely ingredient. It's a pretty strong flavor, and can be an acquired taste, so I'd start out with the better brands. You can sometimes go to WS when they are having cooking classes, and see if anyone has any you can sample. I think the white truffle is the best, but Gemma's right in that the black is more mushroomy. Both are great additions used sparingly. (Note that, like most other oils, they can go rancid.)

And oh yeah, I think Whole Foods has some smaller (and therefore cheaper) bottles of white truffle oil. Might we worth checking out.

I usually drizzle a little truffle oil on risotto. And for mashed potatoes? Make your mashers as usual, and when you serve, make a small well in the mound of mashers and pour in the truffle oil. And OMG... for a truly luxurious brunch, drizzle truffle oil over scrambled eggs!!!!

Alisons
Member

01-10-2003

Monday, January 01, 2007 - 8:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Alisons a private message Print Post    
Hukd, sorry, I was urging not yelling! You will love it, promise!

Today, being New Year's Day, I had the traditional sauerkraut. My mom cooks it all day but I think it is fine after an hour. I cook it with pork and dumplings, she cooks it with the same plus either hot dogs or some kind of wurst. And of course mashed potatoes on the side.

What other New Year's traditions do you observe? I know that in the south people eat black eyed peas, but that is the only other tradition I know of.

A very Happy New Year to all!

Gemma120in2002
Member

07-05-2003

Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 5:53 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gemma120in2002 a private message Print Post    
I'm a Belgian American and the tradition my family brought from Liege is to make the sweet buttery crunchy waffles which require no syrup and are eaten like cookies. You give them to friends on new year's day to wish them prosperity and luck. The shape and color of the waffle represents a gold coin. These waffles are thick and crunchy and soft at the same time.

Here's a good picture of what they look like. This isn't mine, but it is exactly what mine look like.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shewhoeats/226077585/in/set-72157594253329785/

Gemma120in2002
Member

07-05-2003

Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 6:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gemma120in2002 a private message Print Post    
Teachmichigan, yes, Young's is just about a mile north of The Winds Cafe. We're on our two-week shutdown right now. I can't wait to find out what our new menu will be when we go back to work. We change our menu every month. We keep the lunch favorites, such as the slow boat to Sicily salad, the brown bag, the organic sandwich, the tuscan bread salad, the stir-fried tofu with scallians and cashews, and the black bean chili.

Alisons
Member

01-10-2003

Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 6:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Alisons a private message Print Post    
Do you have a recipe for the waffles, Gemma? Or have a name for them so they can be googled??

What does the Winds put in its chili? I am a chili fanatic. I really like chili that has whole corn in it.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 8:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Alisons, I think they are called Nieuwjaar's Wafeltjes.

INGREDIENTS:
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
4 cups all-purpose flour

Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla until the mixture turns fluffy and very pale, and forms a ribbon that holds its shape. Add the melted butter and mix well. Sift in the flour, a little at a time, and mix well to form a smooth dough.

Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 2 hours at room temperature.

Roll the dough into about 45 balls, 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Bake in a hot waffle iron with the smallest grids until the cookies are golden brown and crisp. Let the cookies cool on a rack and store in airtight containers.

Lizziedi
Member

10-05-2005

Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 12:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lizziedi a private message Print Post    
I had never heard of the sauerkraut New Years tradition! I know it was originally from Europe. Sauerkraut is an eastern or midwest tradition (I think?), and I've never once met anyone in our area who actually makes it. I like it, but have only had it out of cans. Sounds good!

Here we have posole for good luck, and I feel very lucky because my DIL makes the best posole in the southwest. She cooks the corn (hominy) & beef, until it's like a thick soup & the meat is falling apart in luscious strings. For her chile, she gets local red ristras and grinds it herself. Simmers it and adds spices and it's satin smooth and mouth-surprising hot.


Gemma, I also went to the restaurant's sites. I loved the history and the spirit & the culinary dedication of the place. Wish I lived closeby!

Gemma120in2002
Member

07-05-2003

Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 2:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gemma120in2002 a private message Print Post    
Costacat's waffles look good. They sound Scandanavian. Mine are Belgian and they are a bit different.

Here's the Wikipedia info on waffles if you're a food geek like me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffles

Here's the visit Belgium site recipe page. You can get more than just the Belgian waffles from this site. The recipes here are not the same as my great grandmother's recipes, but they are very good.

They are the Waffles from Liege.

http://www.visitbelgium.com/recipes.htm

Watching2
Member

07-07-2001

Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 4:44 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Watching2 a private message Print Post    
Ok, so is the NEW show at 10 pm tonight?!!

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 5:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
I doubt it!

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 5:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
FWIW, I think the waffles from Liege are the same recipe. I'm not sitting down to do the conversions but the ingredients are the same. (from the visitbelgium site)

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 5:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
Yes, there is a new one at 10 eastern, and it runs 75 minutes, instead of 60

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 5:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
OK, someone has to spoil the show! And heck, it's been so long, I may have to head to the site to brush up on who's who! :-)