Trivial Kate Redux.

"I made this last nite & my boyfriend would not stop talking about it..I could not find short..."

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:05:37 -0800

“I made this last nite & my boyfriend would not stop talking about it..I could not find short ribs so i used beef back ribs.less fat and inexpensive.(1.99 lb) I also used bacon just a few slices. cut off fat of ribs which was not much. browned with no flour. I followed the recipe to the “T”. I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes store brand. I am on a budget. I used a large skillet all oven proof with a lid, I don’t have a dutch oven and set at 350 for 2 hrs. turned oven off let ribs just sit in oven cause it is still cooking and started my pasta, I used bow tie all i had. removed from oven took out ribs which were falling off the bone. used cornstarch and h2o to thicken with veggies and tomatoes until thick enough. took meat off the bone and put sauce over my pasta and meat. Oh MY how delicous. Froze the rest of the sauce and will make with ribs again without having to do any work. Great job Giada!! And you are beautiful your smile is to die for.”

- Many recipe reviews make me very angry.

Can someone PLEASE tell me how she possibly followed this recipe to “the ‘T’” if she changed the pancetta to bacon, short ribs to back ribs, flour to no flour, 1 can of tomatoes to 2 cans, and using a dutch oven and stovetop cooking to a large skillet and oven cooking?

[Also, if anyone’s still reading here, I’ve pretty much switched to Twitter…although this gem deserved way more than 140 characters.]

Regretsy - Handmade? It looks like you made it with your feet

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:17:07 -0700

Regretsy - Handmade? It looks like you made it with your feet:

You guys are already reading this site, right?

"Making a recipe 75 times in a test kitchen under controlled circumstances (yes, this is deeply..."

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:57:00 -0700

“Making a recipe 75 times in a test kitchen under controlled circumstances (yes, this is deeply self-serving) is vastly better than the voices of millions under less the ideal circumstances, with kitchens with a host of different problems/equipment/etc. Go ahead and make that broccoli casserole off your Google search and see how you like it! In cooking, as in all things, there is a right way and a wrong way. Very little in life is truly relative.”

- Ship of Fools? « Christopher Kimball Blog

I agree that a wiki recipe site is not great. But what about the fact that the broccoli casserole might be perfect in the test kitchen, but won’t translate as *perfect* to my kitchen, because I have a different stove, or a fridge drawer that stores my cheese at a slightly lower temperature, or whatever?

And does he really believe that there is a “right” and “wrong” way in cooking? This statement seems so ridiculous I don’t even know where to begin addressing it. What about creativity (if everyone followed the “right” way to cook, we’d still all be eating the same 10 things, right?), and different taste buds (supertasters!), and people who can’t eat gluten so have to make their chocolate chip cookies with rice flour, and so on and so forth?

(Here’s Kimball’s original op-ed, and here’s the Amateur Gourmet’s great response to it.)

An Eggplant Confession: Food + Cooking : gourmet.com

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:32:49 -0700

An Eggplant Confession: Food + Cooking : gourmet.com:

Pretty much the best recipe I’ve ever read.

Joanna emailed me this photo from her wedding with the text:...

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:42:54 -0700

Joanna emailed me this photo from her wedding with the text: Kate thinks to herself “If I slink very slowly no one will notice me.”

Um, yes, yes I do think that.

(Also, there’s like Photoshop or something to erase me, right? Because this is a great picture minus slinking Kate.)

Good Night and Tough Luck - Abstract City Blog -...

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:37:37 -0700

Good Night and Tough Luck - Abstract City Blog - NYTimes.com

“The second most wonderful thing about sleeping is the sensation of your cheek meeting the cool half of the pillow after you’ve turned from one side to the other. I found that it takes about 45 minutes for the other end to completely cool down again so the procedure can be repeated.”

I flip my pillow probably 4-5 times per night. I NEED a self-cooling pillow.

"Learn how to parallel park. It is not scary. Practice until you can do it successfully, because if..."

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:09:28 -0700

“Learn how to parallel park. It is not scary. Practice until you can do it successfully, because if you can’t do it successfully, you fail at life.”

- How to Be a Person: General Knowledge - Pullout - The Stranger, Seattle’s Only Newspaper

Yeah, I guess I do fail at life. Does it make any difference that I don’t own a car?

Packing Light: Greece Edition | Mighty Girl

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:31:20 -0700

Packing Light: Greece Edition | Mighty Girl:

I think I posted something from Maggie’s packing light series before, but it deserves repeating: I wish I could do this.

Great Lake Is Great Shakes: The Windy City Finally Has Great...

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:06:58 -0700

Great Lake Is Great Shakes: The Windy City Finally Has Great Pizza to Call Its Own | Slice Pizza Blog

Okay, I think I need to go to Chicago soon, if only for this pizza (and Chicago-style deep dish) and the duck-fat french fries at Hot Doug’s. Also, wow: “I spent three days there and I must tell serious eaters everywhere that it may have been the finest 72 hours of eating I have done in a long, long time. Chicago has become a remarkable food city from every vantage point: from ethnic regional hole-in-the-wall joints to temples of molecular gastronomy and chef-driven new American restaurants that celebrate local purveyors to just great old-fashioned iconic American foods like hamburgers and hot dogs.”

"On the same block as Salvatore’s, just north of Ravenna Boulevard in Roosevelt, sits this..."

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:07:57 -0700

“On the same block as Salvatore’s, just north of Ravenna Boulevard in Roosevelt, sits this super-cool, empty facade with just big enough of an interior for a bar and mini kitchen. I know what I’d selfishly like to see here: an all-day place that serves light breakfast and killer bar snacks à la Black Bottle. How bout you, neighbors?”

- Voracious - For Sale: High-end Downtown Tanker, Hot Property on Roosevelt - Seattle Weekly

YES!!!

Amazon.com: The 2007-2012 World Outlook for Frozen Lasagna

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:34:13 -0700

Amazon.com: The 2007-2012 World Outlook for Frozen Lasagna:

This is going on my birthday wishlist! (I mean, yes, it’s $795, but it’s eligible for free Super Saver Shipping!)

(I found this while searching for “frozen lasagna” for a project I’m working on [for which I am getting paid! Oh, paycheck, I’d forgotten all about you!].)

OMG cliche.

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:22:52 -0700

I am literally watching Say Yes to the Dress while drinking rose on a Friday night.

(Also cliche, I am waiting to cook dinner until Nate gets back from Home Depot, where he is purchasing nuts/bolts/I have no idea for his homebrewing equipment.)

(This bride-to-be on the show donated a KIDNEY to her fiance! What have I done lately?!?)

When neighbors "misuse" quote marks - MyNorthwest.com

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:39:22 -0700

When neighbors "misuse" quote marks - MyNorthwest.com:

The sign on our mailboxes made the TBTL blog!

"Food, I think, is my favorite thing. When I go somewhere I have no desire whatsoever to see a famous..."

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:52:10 -0700

“Food, I think, is my favorite thing. When I go somewhere I have no desire whatsoever to see a famous Renaissance painting. I only want to go to the market, and I only want to go to the restaurant. That’s all I care about.”

- Video: Jeffrey Steingarten Interviews Nora Ephron (Sort Of) | Serious Eats

As stated by Nora Ephron in an article by Jeffrey Steingarten. I travel FOR food. I honestly (and maybe this makes me a bad/uninteresting/uninformed person?) have no desire to go anywhere where I’m not interested in the food.

JK Wedding Entrance Dance (via TheKheinz) I LOVE THIS. LOVE!

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:27:13 -0700

JK Wedding Entrance Dance (via TheKheinz)

I LOVE THIS.

LOVE!

"Make a crisp grilled cheese sandwich, with good bread and not too much good cheese. Let it cool,..."

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:47:05 -0700

“Make a crisp grilled cheese sandwich, with good bread and not too much good cheese. Let it cool, then cut into croutons. Put them on anything, but especially tomato and basil salad. This you will do forever.”

- The Minimalist - Recipes for 101 Simple Salads for the Season - NYTimes.com

Why haven’t I thought of this before???

Black Eyed Peas Have Officially Written The Worst Song Ever -...

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:26:41 -0700

Black Eyed Peas Have Officially Written The Worst Song Ever - Funny Videos | Cracked.com

Embarrassing/awkward/uncomfortable/etc. feeling of the month: requiring someone (ie, Nate) to help...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:36:32 -0700

Embarrassing/awkward/uncomfortable/etc. feeling of the month: requiring someone (ie, Nate) to help you attempt to squeeze into a borrowed wetsuit (purchased by a person who weighs approximately 20 lbs less than you), only to find that even trying to zip the zipper will be an insurmountable task. Ugh.

Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus : NPR

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:38:21 -0700

Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus : NPR

Nate’s 30th Birthday Video - This Is Why I’m Hot...

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:59:08 -0700

Nate’s 30th Birthday Video - This Is Why I’m Hot (via jnaftolin)

That’s my boy! (Thanks to Jordan for the AMAZING video.)