What new dishes have you made recently, and how did it go?

Piff, I agree. Sweet onions don't cook well, I only use them in ensaladas, tacos and such. The good old yellow is best for cooking.

More poop on fennel (I was trying to find where I saw that fennel and dill are related..)
http://www.gardenguides.com/herbs/fennel.htm
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=23

That's what my mom used for her very, very good onion soups.

I am also a sucker for a purple onion... Bermuda, red... whatever you want to call 'em. I gravitate to the purple onions bins at the grocery.

One of my favorite salads -- greens w/ vinagrette, fresh oranges slices & slivers of Bermuda onion. What a great taste combo and it works well with other additions, too... nuts, dried cherries, sharp cheese.

Yummy salad...got a recipe for Nicoise?...my favorite.

double post

I have such difficulties since yesterday, submitting my
postings. It seems to get stuck and then I re-submit and re-submit.....

Thank God I had breakfast, otherwise I'd get hungry again.

Back to the onions: In Europe onions are much stronger
tasting than in the US. Cutting an onion there, always ment
crying your heart out, whereas here the regular white/yellow/purple onions are quite mild tasting. Same goes for garlic by the way.

ossobuco, fennel may never be the same from now on
let's settle that fennel/anise/dill are from the same family.

piff, i find that the trick to caramelizing a sweet onion without creating mush is ... slow slow slow cooking and observation. they'll still look like onion sections/rings whatever - but small and dark


hmmm, san diego. the hamburgers will be there in early December for a few days - waiting for their cruise to Hawaii to start. Any recommendations for must see places/things - must eat restos?

One of my longest recipes is for Nicoise, do you really, really want it? I don't follow recipes so much (they're more of a suggestion to me) so I just try to make sure the tuna and olives are good, hmm, and I am fussy about the hard-cooked eggs & the red (must be red) potatoes.

CalamityJane - I am having the same problem. Grrrrrrrr


Thanks, Beth. I know the technique, I am so not good at staying in that slow-cooking mode. Have you ever tried the OSO Sweets?

Have your parents ever gone to that hotel we were talking about in San Diego, the Del? I think it is worth visiting for a lunch on the deck (I assume the deck is still there) or the more spendy dinner inside. There's also a little passenger-only ferry from that island to a waterfront park in the downtown area that we liked.

Yeah, there is so much to see in San Diego, they might
miss their ship to Hawaii

The Hotel Del in Coronado is a good place to visite - as Piffka said. The Zoo is just wonderful as well as Balboa Park.
Restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter are plenty and all
of them are good. Driving along the coast is always
pleasurable and eating a Fish Taco at Rubio's is a must.
Seaport Village downtown is a stroll away from the cruise
ships and always nice to visite. They could go on a carriage ride through downtown, or take one of these old trolley rides to Old Town.

Right now, there is the biggest Neuro-Science Convention
downtown and around 25,000 nerds have embarked upon
us, so we can handle anything

I really really do with tips on the eggs...my biggest challenge.

Well my usual way is to cover cold eggs with plenty of cold water & a couple grains of salt, literally... not even a smidge. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand until the eggs are cool & refrigerate or peel & refrigerate.

Julia Child says to leave them exactly 17 minutes, then put in cold water, then back in hot water and then peel. I've tried that and sometimes the eggs aren't completely done, which is sort of disastrous.

I don't like the green ring that sometimes shows up, but sometimes it doesn't. Stupid eggs.

thanks...

Here's a link to Cav's Want a perfect boiled egg? thread. It works!

thanks...

I was trying to post that link earlier for panzade, but A2K had an egg fart...

I love the aviary at the zoo....

OK platypus, the casserole went in the oven...no idea how long for...anyways, we'll see.

Which one, panzade? Did you get a complete recipe from somewhere? I got the "breakfast casserole" one straight off the Jimmy Dean website. I just made it Monday night with mushrooms for one half and tomato for the other, and I'm still enjoying it. The other one came from cooks.com but I searched for a while and couldn't find that specific one but there seem to be many variants on the same theme. Oddly, most of them seem to have the tater tots on top. I kind of prefer having them on the bottom where they're moister, but I'm sure either works out fine. I think the original also called for crushed cornflakes or something on top, but I like the fried onions much better. I also like to do a double-size recipe with half sausage and half ground beef to strike the right flavor balance and leave lots of leftovers.

I put the tots on the bottom...but there were many inherent problems. As a matter of fact I came into the kitchen at 11 pm and not much had been eaten.
It was one of those "Back to the drawing board" dishes.

The can of mushroom soup. Dilute with water? Or not?
What is the order of layers?

I used Durkees on top which worked pretty well for fried onions

Recipe for Egg Casserole Breakfast or Brunch by BBB
I posted this recipe in the food and beverage forum.---BBB

Recipe for Egg Casserole Breakfast or Brunch by BumbleBeeBoogie.

Egg casserole breakfast would be great for New Year's party late lingerers.

6 large eggs
2 cups whole or low fat milk
1 pound ground sausage (I like Jimmy Dean's sausage with sage)
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 slices white bread, cubed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Tabasco Sauce, number of drops to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-1/2 cups of cheddar cheese or smoky gouda cheese, or a mixture of both, shredded
1 small can black olives, sliced or chopped (optional)

Saute the ground sausage and chopped onion in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring frequently to break the sausage into crumb-size pieces, until the sausage is done and the onion is translucent; drain the fat. (Note: if the sausage you use does not contain lots of sage, you may want to add ground sage to the ingredients.)

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy; add the dry seasoning ingredients and beat until blended. Add the milk, sausage/onion mixture, bread, cheeses and olives; stir until well mixed.

Butter the inside of a 9" x 13" baking pan or dish. Pour the mixture into the dish; cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight.

An hour before serving, preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap from the baking dish and stir the ingredients. Place the dish on the center shelf of the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

This wonderful brunch dish may be garnished on serving plates with sour cream sprinkled with snipped fresh green chives.

It is wonderful for a brunch or late dinner. Because it is prepared the day before, it is ideal for New Year's Day breakfast for guests lingering after the midnight celebration. Enjoy!