annzeepark914

Two new things for me are: Whole Foods "Confetti Cake", the one with chocolate frosting. It has a light chocolate mousse filling and is divine! It's in the Gluten-Free refrigerator case. The other new dessert for me is Blue Bunny No Sugar Added vanilla ice cream. It's low in fat too and the best thing is it's hard as a rock. I loathe squishy ice cream (not talking about Dairy Queen which I love but that's a different texture). All the light ice creams are soft by the time I get them home and don't harden up in my freezer. But the Blue Bunny's no sugar added stays very firm...and the flavor is delicious, very vanilla-y.

@Blixie: Thanks for the big laugh of the morning!

Sounds good but I agree--wish Ina would get back to taping a series of shows. BC is the only cooking show on FN that I enjoy (and I don't watch much FN any more). I wonder if Ben will pop into the kitchen while Ina and Jen are cooking? ;>) Anyway...last night I made Ina's wonderful garlic ciabatta. It was worth putting the oven on 'cause I love her garlic bread (and only this one!). Love the crunchiness and the flavor and could easily eat way more than advisable.

Yummo! I'm getting inspired by both of these meals! I was so uninspired tonight that we ordered Chinese and for the first time ever, we got someone else's order & they got ours ;>( Eventually we got our order but my meal wasn't all that great. So, tomorrow, onward and upward and my own cooking.

We can't stand Quest and quickly switch channels if he appears. How in the world has he lasted so long on TV? His voice is so loud & irritating. Love Miles O'Brien!

Wow - thanks so much for this background on Al Yegeneh. I always wondered why he was so strict (based on that episode). Now I understand. But that is one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes. I made his mulligatawny soup a few times and it is fabulous (I think I found the recipe at the old copycat site).

What a nasty summer ;>( I decided to get smart and let Whole Foods make our dinner. I bought some baking potatoes (that I later nuked); and WF's cucumber, red onion & red bell pepper salad (yum) from their buffet; a ripe avocado, and a Peruvian rotisserie chicken. Voila! Fast dinner, no heat in the kitchen. Oh... and a cute little gluten free chocolate cake with divine filling/frosting (like a light chocolate mousse/buttercream) just in case I get put on a gluten free diet one of these days. I then went out for a walk and just about croaked from the oppressive humidity (72%)...the air was so heavy. Came home, took a refreshing shower and had another sliver of cake as my reward for braving the elements. Counting the days 'til September!

@ethalfrida: Your comment about desiring a recipe for preserved lemon w/o the excess salt reminded me of a recipe I've used that said this is a fast way to produce "preserved" lemons. Maybe it's specific for this recipe but I wonder if you could use it for some other recipes: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/lemony-moroccan-chicken-kebabs.aspx

My jaw dropped when I read that line about Chuck being "non-ideological". Yeah, right! Wish they could find the right person to moderate MTP 'cause Chuck ain't it. There has got to be someone in the news profession with the (hate this word) gravitas to handle that job. I'm surprised that li'l Luke wasn't given his own program in the new MSNBC schedule. Maybe Andy Lark isn't one of his worshippers? I'm not a liberal--just a good old moderate Democrat but I've always enjoyed Ed Schultz's show. No screeching, no snark. He's a good man. I hope there's room for him somewhere on that network. But Al Sharpton has GOT to go...now. He doesn't belong on any network news.

What??? Sheesh...I finally find comedians on TV whose skits make me laugh and now they're saying this is their last season together? IMO, these two need each other to play off of. Isn't Key the writer? To me, Peele is the funnier comic actor but if Key's the writer, Peele may end up like Jason Alexander and what's-his-name who played Kramer. Awwww gee.

Funny! I'd forgotten about that skit. Thanks for providing this great video from the good old days of SNL. But that's not the one. I believe Wax Lion remembered which show it was on (a skit from In Living Color). All I can remember is someone mentioning the name O'Brien with a very Irish accent.

Several years ago I saw a recipe in the Washington Post called Saucy Lo Mein that I've messed around with. I use low sodium chicken broth and begin to add stuff like sliced celery with minced celery leaves; minced Italian parsley; diced carrots; diced onion; diced scallions; some ground ginger, 2 tsps Better Than Boullion, sea salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, Mirin, and a dash of sesame oil. Then I add some cooked chicken breasts, simmer a few minutes and pour over cooked vermicelli or Chinese noodles. It's pretty good.

I made Ina Garten's fattoush for dinner tonight. It was really good and I bought pita that supposedly is made at a Middle Eastern bakery somewhere in our area. I baked them a little, then tore up pieces and tossed into the fattoush (per Ina's instructions). They picked up some of the good dressing. A keeper!

I wish they'd ditch the car chats and return to having a small audience. IMO they were funny when they had the audience (not so in the car...boring!) Loved the a capella & the flight turbulence skits. That Jordan Peele can get a real mean eye look when his character is not a happy camper--he cracks me up.

Has anyone made Ina's recipe for fattoush? It looks great so I think I'm going to try it. It was in her email today. I've got half a package of frozen naan that I think I'll bake (instead of buying pita) for this "experiment".

Interesting. Thanks, ALenore for this tip! I think I read somewhere, not too long ago, that adding white wine vinegar to chicken broth is a good substitute for wine in a recipe (if you don't have any wine on hand or, don't want to use wine in preparing food). Vinegar usage continues to amaze me.

Lawdy! Could Keithie be returning to MSNBC? I just read this somewhere online. I remember in his early days on MSNBC when he'd show his Worst Person in the World segment...it always was hilarious, especially when he'd go after Bill O'Realllly. Unfortunately, this schtick quickly darkened and became ugly and no longer funny. What's the problem with Keith? I wonder if he's pondered why he keeps getting fired.

I used to like Curb Appeal (and there also was another show very similar) except for putting an entertainment area in the front of the house. What's that all about? When I entertain I'd like some privacy from cars going past my home. But I loved how they'd do just a few things to perk up other houses nearby. Where the heck did these shows go?

@ALenore: Here's my recipe for summer spaghetti. It says to leave in refrigerator for 5-6 hours but you can do less (the other night I made the "sauce" in the afternoon so it only was in the fridge for a couple hours--still delicious). It's supposed to be the cold sauce hitting the hot pasta that brings out the flavors. SUMMER SPAGHETTI 1 lb ripe tomatoes, seeded 1/2 medium Vidalia onion 6 green olives (w/o pimientos) 2 medium garlic cloves –or less 1/3 cup Italian parsley 2 Tablespoons fresh basil sliced 2 Teaspoons rinsed & drained capers 1/2 Teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional) 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar 1/2 cup light olive oil Salt & Pepper 1/2 Teaspoon oregano or marjoram 1 lb spaghetti Parmesan Cheese (if desired) Chop tomatoes coarsely. Chop onion and olives. Mince the garlic. Combine tomatoes, onion, olives, garlic, parsley, basil, capers, pepper flakes & oregano. Drizzle vinegar over tomato mixture, then pour over oil. Mix well and refrigerate at least 5-6 hours. Just before serving, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and mix immediately with the chilled sauce. Serve at once, offering cheese if desired. Serves 4. My note: I use Roma tomatoes & a few Campari tomatoes, & make this “sauce” year-round. I use small garlic cloves; otherwise it can get quite garlicky. You really end up making this your own sauce by omitting or adding ingredients you think would be good and the only thing heating up the kitchen is the pasta water.

If I'm sitting in a dr's waiting room, that's because I'm not feeling very well so I don't want to listen to some jerk conducting business on a cellphone. Go out in the hall, go out to the parking lot to do your cellphone calls and let us feelin' poorly folks try to catch up with People magazine gossip as we patiently await our turn.

Thanks, stacey. Looks like I've missed 2 episodes - will have to remember to watch this Wednesday night. I've been looking at videos that I think are from the new season and it's good to see that K&P are back to their wacko humor. Whenever Jordan Peele, in character, rolls his eyes back I start laughing because I know something bizarre is on its way. He really cracks me up.

I'm confused...I thought the new season starts in September. Has it already begun (and I'm missed an episode or two)?

Thank goodness they're back to their off the wall characters and skits (last season got a bit too angsty for me).

@Quof: I've seen comments similar to yours at other forums from Canadians--especially about customer service/public relations from corporations & the comparison with American companies. Is this for real? Also, before we went to Paris for a brief vacation, we kept seeing over & over again warnings to Americans re: customer service in France (vs customer service in the USA). Fortunately, we didn't have any problems while in Paris. So, are Americans spoiled (PR/customer service-wise)?

Oh my...after all these wonderful posts about great meals, all I have to offer is that tonight I served Summer Spaghetti + some shrimp grilled in my brand new Cuisinart Griddler (first thing I tried with this new gizmo...hmmm...I think shrimp are better grilled on a regular grill). But we love Summer Spaghetti...so easy to prepare early in the day and then just ladle over hot spaghetti. And, fyi--I'm first in line at the door of ALenore for take-out of her leftovers ;>)