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Trivial Pursuits => Sports & Leisure => Topic started by: jay-ell on March 16, 2008, 09:10:03 pm
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Three couples, three kids under 3. The guys are work associates of Pedro's. Meal needs to be vegetarian (eggs and dairy OK). Here's what I'm thinking:
Main dish: Penne pasta with sugar snap peas in a snap pea pesto sauce. Recipe here (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/231793); I'm going to add fresh basil to the sauce to give it a little more depth, and use whole wheat pasta as recommended by one of the reviewers.
Appetizer/side: Frittata rolls stuffed with ricotta and basil. Recipe here (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/109561); I'm planning to sub a blend of basil and parsley for the mint.
Now I'm just deciding on dessert. I want something simple and do-ahead, but a little more sophisticated than cookies or ice cream. I'm thinking granita? Check out these recipes and tell me which you think would go better with the menu above:
Root Beer Granita Float (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/232392)
or
Straw
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Are you sure you want basil as the primary flavoring in both courses?
Choose the dessert that does not require Cool Whip. It is nasty stuff.
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I'm thinking the basil will fade into the background of the sugar snap pesto. Should I leave it out?
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It really does not take long to whip cream.
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Basil in pesto-like quantities does not fade into the background. Why not stick with mint in the frittata?
As for whipped cream - true that it's not that big a deal to make. But the other thing is, the kind in the squirty can is not only fun, it's made of real cream. And it's light cream so it's not too unhealthy. I don't understand the existence of Cool Whip when you can get real cream in the canned kind.
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I personally would enjoy the flavour-nostalgia of the root-beer-based dessert, regardless of the meal it is paired with, m'self. Just me, tho.
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Basil in pesto-like quantities does not fade into the background. Why not stick with mint in the frittata?
I feel like the mint will make it too grassy, especially when paired with the sweet flavor of the sugar snaps in the main course. I want a savory frittata to balance the relatively light, sweet pasta dish.
As for the pesto, I wasn't considering adding much. Just a couple of sprigs along with the sugar snaps that get pureed into the sauce. If you think, however, that even a couple of sprigs of basil will make the sugar snap puree too pesto-y, I will defer to your wisdom. I was sort of uncertain about it myself to begin with.
As for whipped cream - true that it's not that big a deal to make. But the other thing is, the kind in the squirty can is not only fun, it's made of real cream. And it's light cream so it's not too unhealthy. I don't understand the existence of Cool Whip when you can get real cream in the canned kind.
Really? I like cool whip, personally. Much better than Reddi Whip. I thought most people preferred Cool Whip to canned stuff. Hm. Hm. I will have to look into this.
My mom suggests the root beer granita because it's more seasonal. She thinks it's not quite warm enough for something quite so fruity. That would eliminate the cool whip/reddi whip debate altogether, I suppose.
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Yeah, I, uh...
Yeah, you're like the one person who prefers Cool Whip.
The convenience factor is nice but it is like non-dairy-cremer-with-gelatin-mixed in.
Also: basil can be pretty overpowering, especially if you're using the fresh stuff and especially if all the other flavours involved are delicate... garlic can hold its own against basil, that's why basil works well in heavy southern Italian cooking but...
When it's the main note, yeah, I'd agree, less is more.
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Crap! Gelatin!
Not vegetarian-friendly, anyway. Thanks for that. Mark doesn't eat gelatin, so cool whip is anathema anyway.
Correction: there is actually no gelatin. But the fact that I believed there might be is probably an indication of what's wrong with America.
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I like Cool-Whip. I like real whipped cream too. In my mind they're two entirely different things. Sort of like the difference between a Whopper and an actual burger made at home on the grill. Sure, the real thing is much much better, but sometimes you just have a taste for the fake.
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straight up. That is my attitude towards Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. My sister is like "it tastes better if you cook it on the stove." fuck that! I don't want it to taste like it's trying really hard to be legit macaroni and cheese... I want it microwaved and I want the chemical-cheese to be like crack in my mouth.
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I dunno, though... everything tastes worse microwaved.
Even a mostly-ready-made food like Spaghettios or canned soup, you gotta at least reheat it on the stove and add some fresh herbs and stuff.
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no, no. Because when you cook Kraft on the stove, it tastes like shitty velveeta.
If I want that, I'll eat velveeta. Kraft cooked in the microwave... I don't know. Something doesn't break down or does break down or something, it tastes much more chemical or something. Maybe I over-microwave it and so there isn't enough water to dissolve the cheese powder? Whatever it is, it is very different.
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I am with LFM. I boil water for instant coffee on the stove because it tastes better than microwaved-to-near-boiling water.
Pedro thinks I am nuts.
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There are several keys to the proper Kraft Dinner:
One, use the minimum amount of milk possible.
Two, use real fuck*ng butter, people, margarine tastes like canola oil with batteries ground up in it.
Three, garlic powder. Four, garlic powder. Five, garlic powder.
Six, cracked black pepper. Seven, top with ketchup.
Eight, do not microwave that shit. The Malliard Effect is go.
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savory frittata.
I am unable to hear or see that word without thinking of this strip (http://achewood.com/index.php?date=05162002).
LFM. I'm totally with you on the Mac and Cheese Manifesto.
Seven, top with ketchup.
Wait, what?
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C'mon, now.
Mac and cheese without ketchup is like... scrambled eggs without ketchup or potato chips without ketchup.
Ketchup is the Torgo's Executive Powder of condiments.
It slices, it dices, its a floor wax, its a dessert topping.
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you just have a taste for the fake.
I totally feel that. When I worked for Micky D's back in the day I used to really love quarter pounders after my shift but the bits I would love are all the wrong things like when the bun was burned and too crispy on the edges and how incredibly greasy the whole thing was. 2 minute noodles are the same.
Easy trick for getting whipped cream that my mother worked out:
1. Pour your cream into a tupperware bowl (or any container really) so it fills about a third of it.
2. Seal tightly. Like, really tightly.
3. Give to your kid to shake up and down really hard until they get bored.
4. Whipped cream.
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That's how we made butter as kids. From the milk we got from the cow ourselves. Except we used canning jars.
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canning jars.
I hate to google that to convince myself you hadn't just decided to make up a word.
What has english done?
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Mason jars, Bell jars, jars for canning. They look like this (http://dcist.com/attachments/dcist_april/canning_pics_6.JPG).
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I like Cool-Whip. I like real whipped cream too. In my mind they're two entirely different things. Sort of like the difference between a Whopper and an actual burger made at home on the grill. Sure, the real thing is much much better, but sometimes you just have a taste for the fake.
Interesting. I think I always assumed that the only people who liked Cool Whip were ones who had never had real whipped cream. I do understand the having a taste for a fake thing, but never in the case of Cool Whip. When I taste a nice looking dessert and it turns out to be Cool Whip I want to cry. White whipped chemicals when I expected cream - the saddest thing.
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I thought I hated whipped cream until I was in my mid-20's. I always asked for things without it or just scraped it off. It turns out I had just never had actual cream what had been whipped. Just reddi whip and cool whip and whatnot.
I ate so much Easy Mac in college it's a wonder my skin isn't orange. I didn't even have a measuring cup though, so I had to figure out through trial-and-error how many dixie cups of water to add. But whoever invented just-add-water Kraft mac-and-cheese deserves a medal.
LFM, you sound like my aunt. Her husband is one of the world's great steak grillers and also makes some mean burgers and chicken, but she pours ketchup on everything. She probably hasn't tasted actual food in years. I think ketchup is basically for fries, fast-food hamburgers, and making sloppy joes. That's about it.
Which reminds me, I just watched Red Dwarf again and still can't figure out what the hell "brown ketchup" is.
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Ketchup on mac 'n' cheese? Bah. Everyone knows you put Frank's (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/83/FranksBottleShot1.jpg) on mac 'n' cheese.
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All this is well and good, but the question remains...
Root Beer or straw
I will promise to make real whipped cream if it will make you feel better, womb@.
But I need to know. I have to go to the grocery store today.
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Root Boozles!
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If it's not too late, I vote for root beer, it's a fun idea.
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Which reminds me, I just watched Red Dwarf again and still can't figure out what the hell "brown ketchup" is.
I think they're either referring to brown sauce, like HP sauce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Sauce) or given that it's Red Dwarf, really old ketchup.
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I think they're either referring to brown sauce, like HP sauce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Sauce) or given that it's Red Dwarf, really old ketchup.
It must be that, because Lister asks for some ketchup to pep up his lobster, then says "brown, not tomato" when he gets a dirty look from Kryten.
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So, as far as microwaves go, I'm convinced leftover pasta heated up in the nuker tastes better than fresh from the stove. I don't know why it is. I think maybe because the sauce has time to "set" into the noodles while it's sitting in the fridge overnight? And the microwave sort of cooks the flavor even more into the noodles? I really don't know, but that's basically the only food I prefer from the microwave.
Then again, that's probably just a testament to my incompetence with Italian cooking.
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It must be that, because Lister asks for some ketchup to pep up his lobster, then says "brown, not tomato" when he gets a dirty look from Kryten.
I was briefly amused while reading this post thinking, Lister? Not that one (http://touamb.com/index.php?action=profile;u=377). The other one (http://www.ladyofthecake.com/reddwarf/html/lister.html).
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For those of you who are still on-topic, I went with the root beer, and skipped the basil.
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For those of you who are still on-topic, I went with the root beer, and skipped the basil.
For those of us who are off-topic: BOOBIES!
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For those of us who are off-topic: BOOBIES!
That's always on-topic.
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Mods: please resist the urge to spinoff this thread with the Pretend Sports thread to create a Pretend BOOBIES thread. It's just... not worth it.
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I was briefly amused while reading this post thinking, Lister? Not that one (http://touamb.com/index.php?action=profile;u=377). The other one (http://www.ladyofthecake.com/reddwarf/html/lister.html).
I don't put ketchup on lobster.
Burgers? Hell yeah.
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Ok, I need to get my eyes checked. I read this thread title as 'Dinner Party Menses.' I'm actually happy that this was not the actual title.
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I doubt that would be a kosher meal.
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(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2295/2393701253_862677ecb3_m.jpg)
PULLED PORK, MOFOS
I MADE THIS
on account of I am AWESOME.
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Oh, yes. The verdict on the menu ranged from "yeah, it's...good" to "most excellent, may I have seconds please?" I think, in retrospect, that the pasta *could* have used a stronger note like basil or something. Maybe some ground pinoli or even walnuts? It just lacked "bite."
The frittata rolls, however, were awesome. I very nearly pulled my head off my neck through the sheer joy of it all.
Next question:
We are having a friend (single, male, recently broken-up-with) for dinner Sunday, and my brother-in-law sent Pedro an enormous box of sausage (bratwurst, applewurst, smoked cheddar, jalepeno, and hickory smoked). How do I turn five flavors of fine sausage into a delicious, hearty, unique meal for three? I have about 2 lbs of each except the applewurst and the smoked cheddar sausage, of which we have already eaten half a pound each. (I grilled it & we put it on buns the night we got it.)
I am open to suggestions for one-dish, casserole types of meals as well as side dishes to serve alongside the sausages all grilled up and smoky. But I prefer something that showcases the unique flavors of each variety.
Left to my own devices I will probably just grill the sausages and serve mashed potatoes and a green vegetable on the side. So you can see I am in need of help here.
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(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2295/2393701253_862677ecb3_m.jpg)
PULLED PORK, MOFOS
I MADE THIS
on account of I am AWESOME.
I looked at your picture. It made me hungry. You are awesome.
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BA had a menu a couple years back in which they served grilled sausages with a variety of condiments (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108299) that could be switched out as one prefers to fit each sausage's strenghts and weaknesses.
I would think potato salad (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/106834) would be much better with grilled snausages than mashers, but that's just me. I like this here macaroni salad (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/101849) for grillin' times as well.
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I looked at your picture. It made me hungry. You are awesome.
Me, too.
Hey Pedro, wanna get some pulled pork on your way home from work tonight?
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Brats + Peppers&Onions + hossradish = AWESOME ON A PLATE.
My friend is of Polish/German extraction and has a big, warm, greasy soft spot for brats, and that is exactly the way to do it up right.
Gotta disagree on the broccoli, though. I don't eat miniature trees. I was thinking of a mac and cheese variation, I could do it in the slow cooker for the sake of simplicity. Also, I like the suggestion for the apple sausage/bacon string bean infusion.
Now this is starting to sound like an Iron Chef competition. Who has a good sausage dessert?
I totally did not mean that the way it sounded.
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Mac and cheese or potatoes and cheese is too heavy to go with sausage, for me. But maybe I am a wimp.
I would also want a light and fruity sort of dessert, though.
But back up a minute, shouldn't you share that recipe for fritatta rolls so the rest of us can pull our heads off too?
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But back up a minute, shouldn't you share that recipe for fritatta rolls so the rest of us can pull our heads off too?
Second link, first post.
Hm, is there some way I can make simulated sausage-shaped dessert items that will still taste light and fruity?
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Phyllo?
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Why not fry up some bananas and serve with cream or ice-cream? It's sausage-sque anyway.
Also, goddamn I'm hungry now, I can't have lunch for like another 3 hours people, what the hell!
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A little cinnamon and brown sugar
This is exactly right.
I'm going to have to have something crazy for lunch after all this.
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Bananas: Nature's Fruit Sausage.
You guys are so cool. Man. So cool.
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Just to complete the circle lunch ended up being a sausage sizzle to raise money for one of the university societies.
Not quite as filling as the grand feast I had envisioned but cheap and thematically appropriate.
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bratwurst are always best when boiled in dark german beer and white onions on the grill, then seared over the coals. top with spicy whole-grain mustard and some of those onions and you have both a delicious cookout and a television commercial.
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Mmm. Sounds delish.
Dinner's been postponed 'til Tuesday; I should also have said that these brats are smoked and therefore fully cooked. As are all the other sausages. Basically they are "heat and eat," so doneness is a non-issue. So boiling them, I think, would be somewhat silly. (Unless it were in a dark German beer, such as to impart flavour.)
Keep these ideas flowing. I'm seriously considering fried bananas, but I've never done them. Can somebody describe, or link to a recipe?
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yes, the boiling is for flavor; also to warm the sausage and soften the casing. the mustard is for WIN!
regarding fried bananas: what i'm imagining is "bananas foster" adapted to your own liking and presentation
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/283166114/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/281076375/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/281076374/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcd9/273383939/
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Fried bananas is exactly what it sounds like JL. Just grab a ripe banana, halve it if you like and chuck on a frying pan or similar. I generally keep them going until the outside is lightish brown and then, as you say sprinkle with brown cinnamon and sugar while they're still hot so the sugar melts a little and makes a crispy shell.
They generally taste something like banana custard.
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Should have said a medium heat there too, you want to kind of caramelize the outside of the banana so some burning isn't too bad but you don't want to burn it before it gets all warm and gooey all the way through either.
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Do you use any kind of oil or butter? Seems like no, but I want to do it up right...
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BUTTER.
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Holy hell I do not want to taste a banana that's been cooked in oil. Butter all the way.
Just got the May issue of Bon Appetit, and while I miss the old format of taking one location and exploring it in depth (now it's the "travel issue" that tries to go everywhere in the world at once), there is a phenomenal Stephen Raiclen article on the barbecue culture of the Yucatan. I swear I will make every single recipe in the article before the summer is out. I am making tacos al pastor this weekend, come hell or high water.
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High water (http://www.keyetv.com/content/news/topnews/story.aspx?content_id=0127bc08-c5c1-4396-beb1-086d12087d22)
Hell (http://www.dose.ca/music/story.html?id=7a365210-64f2-4e54-959e-7340d7ffac0f&k=74080) (with apologies to LFM)
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I want a Zombie Dinosaur! An Axl Rose album? Not so much.
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I'll believe it when it is in my CD player.
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Does this mean Duke Nukem Forever might be released in my lifetime?
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I think this is actually it's official soundtrack.
They're basically from the same era.
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You totally made me chuckle, so you get a can.
Duke Nukem: Chinese Democracy Forever - Only on Microsoft Brainchip
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lprcn'd!