Lists - - Page 23

by BS

Stuff This! Top 10 Most Creative Stuffing Recipes

As you may have gathered by now, we’re not exactly Thanksgiving traditionalists here at Endless Simmer. But stuffing is one thing we simply will not go without. (You gotta have something to soak up all those pumpkin martinis, right?) Of course, we’re not talkin’ bout plain old sausage-spiked bread stuffing. These 10 creative recipes get crazy with the size, shape and flavor of Thanksgiving stuffing.

10. Stuffing Muffins

We’ve seen this one quite a bit lately and think it is just cute as all hell. Bake your stuffing in a muffin tin and then serve it in place of rolls. Genius.
Recipe: Cooking on the Side

9. Mofongo Stuffing

It doesn’t get much tastier than mofongo — a Puerto Rican specialty of fried green plantains mashed up with bacon, sofrito and olive oil. Oh wait, it does get better. You can stuff that baby in a turkey. Yum.
Recipe: Always Order Dessert

8. “Meatloaf” Stuffing

Cranberry sauce isn’t the only thing that’s allowed to bring a weird pre-packaged shape to the T-day table. Bake your stuffing in a loaf pan and serve everyone a hearty slice of meatloaf stuffing.
Recipe: Bread et Butter

7. Fried Stuffing Croquettes

This one’s intended for leftover stuffing, but if you’re ambitious you can make it the day of. Rolled-up balls of stuffing are coated in panko (love that bread-on-bread action), then deep-fried. For a special surprise, toss your other leftovers (turkey, gravy) in the center so they ooze out when you take a bite.
Recipe: Menu in Progress

Ten Worst (Foodie) Things About Being Knocked Up

(Actual TVFF Jr. ultrasound…the embellishments are artistic license)

No, I’m not pregnant. But Mrs. TVFF is, so I’ve become hyper-aware of dietary restrictions placed on women when they’re expecting. It’s amazing how much you can’t/shouldn’t eat. God forbid that something on the no-fly list make its way into your diet, and don’t even try to talk about it on those baby discussion boards, where you’ll be immediately branded an unfit mother if you so much as suggest that “sunny side up” is a valid option for your breakfast table.

So, since I’m at least somewhat responsible for Mrs. TVFF’s current condition, I thought it would be a good idea to solicit her thoughts on what she’s been missing the most during the first 36 weeks and share it with you. Obvious disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, so please don’t take this as medical advice.

10. Booze

Who doesn’t like a good stiff drink at the end of a hard day’s work? Well, let me tell you this: Nobody could use a double martini more than a woman who has been dragging around an extra 25 pounds all day. Later in the pregnancy, it’s apparently kosher for you to have a half glass of wine with dinner, but that’s cold comfort for someone who would benefit from a bender.

9. Undercooked eggs

This one should come as no surprise to ES-ers, but we like a nice runny egg once in a while in the TVFF household. And we both love spaghetti carbonara (even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly), so it’s a minor tragedy that this one has been off the menu since May. Also, having to portion the scrambled eggs in the pan and scoop out my share invariably leads to a messy countertop and overcooked eggs in the end. Can’t wait until we can go back to playing salmonella roulette on a regular basis!

8. Sushi

This is the one area where I’ve decided to show some solidarity with the wife. I’ve gone 36 weeks without raw fish, and it’s starting to get really annoying. She knew better than to ask me to give up drinking for nine months. I love her and all, but let’s be real. To tide us over, she opts for the California roll from the her usual NYC lunch spot and I’ve relegated myself to a somewhat palatable Trader Joe’s faux-sushi, but it only makes us want the real stuff that much more.

7. Rare Meat

Some women profess a craving for meat during pregnancy, though Mrs. TVFF was much more interested in fresh fruit. Regardless, the done-ness of the meat that we are eating has proven to be an issue. She has steered (no pun intended) away from overly rare steaks and burgers, but the big headache has been chicken. Look, I’m not suggesting you eat your chicken at anything less than “done,” but I don’t like that I’ve been turned into an obsessive food safety inspector due to my zeal to prevent any kind of infection.

6. Caffeine

This poor woman can hardly keep her eyes open past 10:00 p.m. and yet she’s forced to studiously consult Starbucks’ Web site to make sure she isn’t going a few milligrams above her daily allotment.

Next: Top 5 Worst (Foodie) Things About Being Knocked Up

in Breakfast / Cheese / Eggs / Featured / Lists / Personal 14 comments

by forkitude

The Sound of Food: A Top 10

The professional kitchen is a noisy place. Besides constant yelling (and cursing), sizzles, crashes, bangs, flare-ups, and the occasional breakage of glassware by clumsy servers, there is the quiet sound of defeat when food gets dropped on the floor. Yikes. The drawback to an open kitchen is that you are part of the restaurant. Diners are treated to a cooking display and the vibe of a busy kitchen as they enjoy their scrumptious food and drink. But thanks to the noisy hoods that suck up the smoke and some of the sound, they shouldn’t be able to hear all of the f-bombs flying around during service. “Don’t fuck the fish!!” is one of my favorites.

With my ears still ringing from a Helmet concert plus the very unfortunate thievery of my beloved ipod this week (how am I supposed to live?), I thought I would pay a tribute to sound. So here it is ESers: The Top 10 Sounds of Food.

10. The whirl of the Robot Coupe food processor when your emulsion has set.

Nothing better than not breaking your aioli.

9. The crack of an egg.

It sounds like breakfast, one of my three favorite meals of the day.

8. The lighting of a gas burner.

Nothing quite like that whoosh sound.

7. Chopping onions.

There is something calming about the repetitive chop, chop, chop.

6. Whisking in a metal bowl.

It just sounds like you’re making something delicious.

Next: Top 5 Food Sounds

in Lists / Restaurants 0 comments

by Borracho

Top 10 Worst Halloween Food Costumes

I cannot think of a worse Halloween costume than dressing up entirely in different cuts of meat. If the prospect of spreading salmonella, e. coli and other diseases around you isn’t enough, try fending off all the small critters. Wait a second…this isn’t a costume? Someone actually wore this for real? And to top it off, a group of butchers has actually warned the public about trying to duplicate it this Halloween? OK, so maybe pass on the GaGa-influenced meat outfits. But in that spirit, here are 10 more foodie Halloween costumes we hope no one will duplicate this year.

10. Bacon Tuxedo

“We’ll force a half-smile as long as your promise not to show these to anyone, Mom.”

9. Sandwich Girl

“I said I wanted to be a princess, a ballerina or a witch but a sandwich? Seriously Mom, WTF?

8. Vanilla Bean

Who doesn’t want to pay $109 to look like a decayed banana?

Top 10 Halloween Cocktails

It’s not really the costumes. It’s not even the candy. The real reason we love Halloween—it’s another excuse to get drunk. Here are some ideas for scary, beautiful and tasty libations.

10. Brain Hemorrhage

Who knew Bailey’s actually had a purpose in life? [TangoPango]

9. Bloody Apple Cranberry Cocktail

Apple cider and apple vodka up the seasonal quotient. [The Cooking Photographer]

8. Blood Drip Vampire Style Martini

Making this blood is as easy as candy. Wait, that’s not the saying. [Hostess with the Mostess]

7. Witches Brew

Although it’s a virgin drink, it still contains a beating heart (red heart-shaped Runts). [Fahrenheit350]

Top 10 Food and Drink Words You’ve Never Heard

Because I’m a closet book nerd, I spend a lot of time reading books about books and books about words. No, don’t laugh. And yes, they exist. Much to my surprise, there are a plethora of food words other than “delicious” to describe this food concept we all love so much. Here are my top 10 new favorites:

10. Bedinner

He better bedinner me after making me sleep with his cat.

9. Semese

We probably don’t use this word because Americans would never leave something half eaten. Seconds, please.

8. Surfeited

This happens to me daily. We all know what it feels like.

7. Deipnosophist

Is this the word that will replace “foodie”? Maybe.

6. Moreish

There’s no surprise that this word also resembles Mother.

Next: Top 5 Food and Drink Words You’ve Never Heard

in Featured / Lists 6 comments

by BS

100 Ways to Cook a Pumpkin

Pumpkin season is here! Now let’s be honest — for most of us, that means leftover pumpkin season is here, too — because how many times can you make boring old pumpkin pie? Never fear, Endless Simmer is here. Whether you’ve got half-a-can of pumpkin puree sitting around, a cupboard full of pumpkin pie filling, the stringy insides of a Jack-o-Lantern or just a few stray pumpkin seeds, we scoured the web for 100 creative recipes that will help you use up all that beautiful orange goodness.

Click on the photos for full recipes…