I'm sure this is something very obvious and easy to figure out, but I can't seem to duplicate their fried rice. I have food allergies, and PF Chang's is the first place who I've trusted (success!) to make me gluten free and egg free fried rice, so before this, I've never had it before, nor do I know what makes a classically good or bad fried rice.
I've found and tried several recipes, using my gluten free soy sauce and omitting egg, but they don't taste like the PF Chang's version at all. The few recipes I've tried all ended up pretty plain. This recipe was the only one that came out very good, but it still wasn't what I want!
This year I noticed that meat has gone up about 15% around me and Olive oil by 25% while I havent seen it in my mothers area milk has gone up by 20%. I live in the bronx NYC
I have tried to cut meat out one meal a week, and I buy store brand prepackaged cold cuts rather than deli cut. (Sweetie prefers cold cuts for lunch and since he is eating them I do it)
So what have you noticed going up in price or down?
Is there anything your buying now that you weren't to save money, or that you have given up?
could you give me some ideas to make my instant mashed potatoes taste less.. instant? i have lots of spices, butter, and shredded cheddar cheese. i also have some parmesan cheese. estimates of measurements would be greatly appreciated.
I need a really yummy recipe for red beans and rice! I haven't had it in years, and I'm craving a big bowl full. Only thing is, no one in my family knows how to make it. I only ever had it when a friend's mom made it when I was younger. :(
Please, nothing with green/bell peppers, though I'm not adverse to a little spice. Mmmmm, can't wait to see what you guys/gals hit me with - there are just so many recipes out there that I'm depending on you to save me from trying 3 or 4 before I find one that works!
I made a delicious (and healthy) chicken potpie on the eve of the first snowfall here in the middle of Illinois. It seemed like a very appropriate meal to share with all of you as you settle in for the winter.
11 days of work before vacation 2 weeks and 2 days before I leave for MI!
We are going to see Oklahoma at the dinner theater this coming Saturday. Should be fun, it is nice to get dressed up and go out.
Have to mail Omi and Opa their holiday package prior to leaving. That's about it. Charlie will go to Patti's and I hope she doesn't have a lot of trouble with him, although there is nothing I can guarantee there...
An employee at my office approached me with two broken staplers today. I put them on my desk to fix later and directed her to the box of orphaned staplers that have accumulated over the years. She went back to her office, and returned a few minutes later, saying the third stapler was broken too. I wasn't surprised; they're all old. She said the fourth one worked.
Near the end of the day, I decided to check the staplers for jams, opened each up, and stared unbelievingly. They ran out of staples. I refilled them, thinking it couldn't be that easy. It was.
I told the employee, "They work now," and put them all back, having decided against teaching the employee about refilling a stapler. Honestly, I'm hoping to see if she ever figures it out, or if there will be another stapler to "fix" soon. This is just too amusing; I must watch it run its course. Train wrecks like this can be fascinating.
I had the most fantastic (self-made, self-created) pasta tonight. Dreamfields rotini with feta cheese, chopped plum tomatoes, chopped walnuts, oregano, a drizzle of olive oil, and chopped parsley on top. I think it would have been good with some sausage and fennel, too. Even though I'm Italian, and love my mother's sauce to death (and vodka sauce is my onetruluv), I always love a good sauceless pasta. Share with me your favorite recipes/combinations, if you have them! I'd love the inspiration!
Hey y'all, I have a question for any chili pepper connoisseurs or Asian food lovers out there. In a few hours I am going to attempt this, even though I don't have the fresh ginger or green onions. I will also be substituting baked tofu for the chicken, but that's not the issue.
My problem is that I have four red peppers that I find both tempting and terrifying. A relative who works at a farmer's market here in Austin gave them to me at Thanksgiving with a bunch of other veggies. I don't know what on earth to do with them because I don't know what they are. Still, one whiff reminded me of a spicy orange chili sauce I like from a local Chinese restaurant. Any guess what they might be, or if I will need gloves to handle them? Will I die trying to consume one?
Here's a Flickr set of some photos I've taken of them. I didn't touch them, except to put a quarter in the bag to give a size reference. (Guess this is why we really should be careful when handling money, huh? lol)
Any advice on how to cook with them? Like any good little Texan, I've worked extensively with jalapeños and a few times with hatch green chiles during the annual festival here. But I also know enough to respect the unknown chili pepper. This particular recipe calls for a dried pepper. I know that changes the flavor. If I do in fact have a pepper that I can use in this recipe, how many should I use? And if I'm only used to doing medium to hot spicy (not too crazy about the painful spicy) then how should I proceed?
EDIT:
Sorry for not fixing the pictures yesterday or replying to any of your comments. I had a bit of an... adventure. You can go take a look now, they should be open to the public.
See, the moderation queue here took longer than I thought it would, so I went ahead and started cooking. (In my defense, I did have plenty of high quality powdered ginger, and some shallots. So yeah, the recipe wasn't quite the same but it would have been fine if I could have tasted any of it. But I'm getting ahead of myself.) I decided to try one of the smaller peppers. A few seconds after cutting into it, I noticed the back of my throat was feeling hot and raw. By the time I'd carefully removed the seeds and other insides, my eyes were burning. I thought, maybe I won't mince this thing up, maybe I'll just add a portion of it it whole to the stir-fry and remove, like a bay leaf.
When my cousin finally returned my call, it was too late. "Habañero," he said casually, like he'd given us a carton of ice cream without telling us the flavor. (I think it was a miracle of human interaction that I managed to not scream at him.) Not that it matters any more, but I think he's wrong. The pictures of habañero peppers on wikipedia make them look fat and short. As you can see, the little monster that got me last night does not resemble a habañero. Maybe a serrano? Those aren't supposed to be that hot, but who knows? I am probably a much bigger wimp than I thought I was.
At any rate. I don't know what the peppers were, but the amount of pain I was in definitely serves me right. I should have posted my question earlier in the day, or waited to find out what the cursed thing was. I should never eat anything unknown that my cousin gives me. Also--one more lesson learned. If you are for some reason in a panic because your mouth is dissolving molecule by molecule in liquid fire, then be reasonable. Bag the offending horror and throw it away. Don't put the rest of the sliced pepper down the disposal. No. Not a good idea.
So, thanks for everyone who replied and tried to assist in my conundrum. I am apparently beyond help. ;)
After a long day, I was desperately in need of a) a tasty dinner that would use something from our already stuffed chest freezer & pantry and b) something that would basically cook itself. This satisfies both conditions!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2lb round [eye] steak, cut in quarters or serving size pieces* 2 pints home canned or 1 28 ounce can tomatoes, whole or in pieces 1 small jar of roasted red peppers, sliced 1/2 bell pepper, sliced 1 whole onion, sliced jalapenos, optional minced garlic, 2 cloves or to taste
Saute onion, garlic and peppers in a small pan until soft. Add tomatoes and simmer until warmed.
Season the steak with salt and pepper. In a large skillet or dutch oven, brown the pieces on both sides.
Using a roasting pan or the dutch oven, add the round steak and cover with the tomato, onion and pepper mixture. There should be some liquid in the dish; if your tomatoes were unusually dry or they were simmered too long, add 1 cup water or beef stock.
Cover tightly and cook at 325*F for 2 hours. Serve with roasted potatoes and a green salad.
* Reasoning: it will be a pain to cut it after it's done. Plus, more surface area and all that.
It was really quite flavorful, and fork-tender. This was a great way to cook an otherwise tough cut of meat!
And down go the Dallas Cowboys, for a season sweep.
Only a SuperBowl tastes sweeter than a victory over the hated Cowboys. Once again, as in the playoff game at Dallas two years ago, all the talking heads picked Dallas, and once again all the so-called experts were wrong. If anyone had told me yesterday that Tony Romo would complete 41 passes and Eli Manning would complete 11, I would have figured the game for a Dallas blowout... but if anything, the final score should have been more lopsided in favor of the G-Men. The last Cowboys TD was a gimme in garbage time, and earlier in the game our Steve Smith let a sure TD catch go skipping off his hands. The keys to the victory were a pair of amazing plays, a catch-and-run by Brandon Jacobs, and a punt return for a TD by Domenick Hixon. You'll see them on the highlight reels this evening.
Will the G-Men make the playoffs? Well, they have a chance now... but the road ahead still looks pretty damn rough, with the Iggles next week and the Vikings at season's end. But for this one week, at least, life is magical and full of joy.
Pretty amazing week in the NFL all round. Evil Little Bill and his P-men were upset as well, the Saints had a close call and an amazing win (has Dan Snyder fired that kicker yet?), and the Raiders knocked off the Steelers with Bruce Gradkowski doing his best Kenny Stabler imitation. Things are getting really interesting.
And Dallas faces the Chargers next week. Maybe I won't need to kill Pat after all.
(P.S. Flozell Adams is a thug, and may be the dirtiest player in the NFL).
When I announced that I had sold a short story, someone guessed the editor and the anthology correctly, so there is no point in keeping it secret longer.
Here is the tentative line-up
"Tomorrow Is Saint Valentine's Day," Tori Truslow "Lucyna's Gaze," Gregory Frost "Crow Voodoo," Georgina Bruce "Lineage," Kenneth Schneyer "Eyes of Carven Emerald," Shweta Narayan "Hell Friend," Gemma Files "Your Name is Eve," Michael M. Jones "Dragons of America," Stacey Hirons "The Gospel of Nachash," Marie Brennan "Braiding the Ghosts," C.S.E. Cooney "Murder in Metachronopolis," John C. Wright "Fold," Tanith Lee "Where Shadows Go at Low Midnight," John Grant
Jimmieny Christmas! I am going to be in a SECOND anthology with Tanith Lee! w00+! I am sure she is ashamed of being seen with me, as I am pleased with being seen with her.
So, my brother tells me that black beans can be a substitute for oil and eggs in things like brownies. I've heard of (and used) applesauce as a substitution, but black beans? Really? He says he just uses a whole can, drained, rinsed, and pureed, and just has to add a bit of water to the batter. Unfortunately, he's across the state from me and I can't try his concoction myself. Has anyone here done this? How does it taste? What's the texture like? I'd love to try it, but I'm picky about my chocolate (my brother is less so, which is what makes me hesitate) and don't want to waste good brownies if they're not going to turn out.
I was going to make this brisket recipe (recipe under the cut) for dinner tonight. I just got back from the grocery store, and guess what? No brisket. Instead, I got a "boneless chuck roast." Can I substitute it in place of brisket, or is that a bad idea? Is brisket a seasonal item (I feel like I can always find it during the summer) or sometimes kept in a special place? What cuts of meat can be "subbed in" for other cuts? Thanks in advance!
I think people use swearwords more these days in part because we are a cruder, most blasphemous, uglier-soul people than our forefathers.
On the other hand, some things that happen these days cannot but provoke exclamations related to copulation, divinities, and the evacuation of the bowels, and the other things we hold sacred.
This is the national debt of the United States. twelve TRILLION and climbing. This is more debt than all previous debt in history combined.
When I posted this debt clock on 11/20, only a fortnight ago, it was eleven trillion.
That means your elected representatives, O ye generation of profligates, just ran up on the credit card the amount of money it would take to fight a five or ten wars the cost of World War II, $2091.3 billion (adjusted for 1990 dollar values) or run fifty or one hundred space programs the cost of the Apollo program, which was $25.4 billion. In two weeks, that is how much they spent of the money of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
I had something like this happen in my roleplaying game once, where the Slayer and the HIghlanders were asked or coerced by the Watchers Council (in my game, the Watchers of BUFFY and the Watchers of HIGHLANDER were one and the same, secretly run by angels called Grigari) to investigate the strange goings-on in Smallville, Kansas. The Watchers naturally thought a hellmouth was forming in Smallville. What else would explain the oddities?
But I also post it because I want to draw your attention to how easy it is, with clever editing, to make something look real.
I read a transcript of the Sarah Palin new interview that bought her so much criticism, for example. My impression was positive. People who saw the interview as televised, who saw the things I did not (the timing, the emphasis, the facial expression of the interviewer -- in other words, all the elements clever editing can slant) came away with a negative interpretation.
Likewise, people who heard the Nixon-Kennedy debates on radio back in the day thought Nixon won the debate, whereas people who saw it televised thought Kennedy won -- there was no difference in what they heard, only in what they saw.
Once I was interviewed on television, and was asked a question I could not answer without some pains-taking lawyerly qualification. The editor left out the (to him, boring, to me, crucial) qualification, making my judicious answer sound simplistic. There is a difference between saying "to a degree, in certain limited circumstances, I believe that" and saying "I believe that."
Seeing is not believing, folks, not when someone else decides what to leave in and what to leave out.
* * *
FOLLOW UP COMMENT (added 12/7/09): Speaking of what to leave out, I read here that the major news broadcast networks, ABC, CBS and NBC have simply not mentioned, not at all, not once, the news that global warming is a fraud based on doctored data. Oddly, I would have thought that this was the biggest news story of the last ten years. They are just humming and putting their fingers in their ears.
I don't own a telly, so I don't watch broadcast news, so I have no idea how bad it is. Let me tell you how bad it is. ABC, CBS and NBC have just been scooped by Comedy Central.
I take conversational French in high school, and our ongoing theme for the year is 'study abroad'. The class has been divided up into three groups, and my group has been 'sent to Montreal' for a year of 'study'. Our next project is cooking--finding recipes from wherever we are 'studying' and making them for the class. This might be a long shot, but I was wondering if anyone has any popular recipes native to Montreal (or the province of Quebec) that are both simple and vegetarian friendly (I'm a vegetarian, but if there's a recipe you want to share, go for it!). Thanks in advance (:
For some reason my husband decided we needed to have 20lbs (not a typo...) of chicken in the house. To use some of it up, I want to try and make a chicken chili, but have no idea what I'm doing here. :(
I've made chicken SOUP before, and roasted the chicken first, then dumped it in water with noodles.
Could I do that, only instead dump the chicken into a pile of beans and spices? Would it be better to let the raw chicken go into the crock pot with the beans and shred it then cook it longer?
I've only really started to get into cooking (outside of my microwave!) the past 2 years, so anything like this perplexes my mind. I'm sure it sounds simple enough to someone out there though, so... please help? :)
I would prefer the end result to come out of a crock pot... just not sure how to get it INTO it.
I'm trying to do this recipe but not use a slow cooker. My only reasoning is because I just broke the last crockpot we have. Yes, I'm a klutz and broke both the smaller and larger ones that we had : ( Any help in how to transform it would be greatly appreciated. I just want the chicken to be extremely moist, however I cook it.
Herbed Chicken With Wild Rice Ingredients 1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice mix 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each) 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 teaspoon butter 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted 1 cup water 3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon Directions •Place rice in a 5-qt. slow cooker; set aside seasoning packet. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil and butter. Add to slow cooker. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms until tender; place over chicken.
•In a small bowl, combine the soup, water, bacon, herbs and contents of seasoning packet. Pour over top. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken juices run clear. Yield: 6 servings.
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