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RockStar
03-24-2007, 02:54
Here is a website where people submit recipes based on what they believe is in the foods at restaurants. Like Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays etc. I have tried a few recipes and they are so yummy! I am thinking of dehydrating some for the trail. :-? ENJOY!


www.copykat.com (http://www.copykat.com) :banana

Cuffs
03-24-2007, 07:51
Here is a website where people submit recipes based on what they believe is in the foods at restaurants. Like Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays etc. I have tried a few recipes and they are so yummy! I am thinking of dehydrating some for the trail. :-? ENJOY!


www.copykat.com (http://www.copykat.com) :banana

Ive been making Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken at home ever since I found that site a few years ago. Thanks for reminding me!

RockStar
03-24-2007, 14:29
I use to make the Olive Garden italian dressing but, forgot about until last night. Now I can make that and the zuppa Tuscana!:banana

Mother's Finest
03-24-2007, 16:07
At La Croix here in philadelphia they make the greatest Foie Gras.....oh wait, I guess that will not be on that website.

needless to say no one should be eating that inhumane crap anyway (but boy did it taste good)

peace
mf

Jack Tarlin
03-24-2007, 16:44
Good thread....

And speaking of good restaurant meals, did any of you guys see that thing in the news yesterday, it was kind of an advisory about Chinese Food. It seems that a helping of General Tso's chicken by itself had has your sodium and ALL your recommended calories for an entire day.

Which got me thinking.

When I hit a Chinese AYCE on the Trail (The fabulous and fabled Ming Garden in Waynesboro comes to mind) I have around a pound of peel and eat shrip, about 20 fried dumplings, at least a helping of General Tso, boneless ribs, and that's pretty much just the first plate.

Has anyone figured out the total calorie intake when you hit a Chinese Buffet really hard? No kidding, it's gotta be around 10-12,000 calories, all at once, which is pretty disgusting if you think about it from a town perspective (In June it'll seem like a pretty good idea!).

Anyone ever figured this one out? I'm curious in a morbid sort of way.

Jack Tarlin
03-24-2007, 16:52
Good thread....I just checked out the copykat site and it has some great stuff. If you want to try something really good, go to the website and put "Houston's" in the search bar, then click on the "Artichoke/Spinach Dip Revised Version" I've been making this at Janet's for a couple of years now, and it is REALLY fine; for larger batches, just multiply all your ingredients. Really amazing with blue corn totilla chips.

Mags
03-24-2007, 17:09
Like Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays etc. I have tried a few recipes and they are so yummy! I am thinking of dehydrating some for the trail.


Maybe I am being a bit of a food snob (coming from a family where cooking and eating is a passion tends to do that!), but I can't fathom willingly copying a recipe from a chain restaurant. The food is rarely bad...but it is rarely good. :)

(Of course, hunger DOES make the best sauce. McDonald's can taste like mana from heaven after a hard hike. I know this fact first hand, too. :)

Jack Tarlin
03-24-2007, 17:14
You're 100% correct.

You're being a terrible snob. :D

Keep in mind these "chains" spend untold millions of dollars researching, developing, and testing everything they serve.

And some of what they serve is pretty damned good.

Mags
03-24-2007, 17:34
Keep in mind these "chains" spend untold millions of dollars researching, developing, and testing everything they serve.


Food and eating should not equated with "researching, developing and testing". Bleeech! That's for plastics, not food! :)



And some of what they serve is pretty damned good.

I forget not everyone was blessed with an Italian Grandma growing up who was a damn good cook. What can I say, I know real food. ;)

All in good fun,

Mags

(Now, if some one buys me a "bloomin' onion" from Outback after I've backpacked X amount of miles..it will indeed taste pretty damn good. I may be a food snob, but not a TOTAL idiot..only a partial one. :D)

Jack Tarlin
03-24-2007, 17:48
Geez, Mags....

Look at "The Joy of Cooking" or "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" or "The New York Times Cookbook."

Don't you think everything in these books was developed and researched and then tested, several times, before being included in these publications?

You really ARE a food snob! :D

RockStar
03-24-2007, 18:08
Good thread....

And speaking of good restaurant meals, did any of you guys see that thing in the news yesterday, it was kind of an advisory about Chinese Food. It seems that a helping of General Tso's chicken by itself had has your sodium and ALL your recommended calories for an entire day.

Which got me thinking.

When I hit a Chinese AYCE on the Trail (The fabulous and fabled Ming Garden in Waynesboro comes to mind) I have around a pound of peel and eat shrip, about 20 fried dumplings, at least a helping of General Tso, boneless ribs, and that's pretty much just the first plate.

Has anyone figured out the total calorie intake when you hit a Chinese Buffet really hard? No kidding, it's gotta be around 10-12,000 calories, all at once, which is pretty disgusting if you think about it from a town perspective (In June it'll seem like a pretty good idea!).

Anyone ever figured this one out? I'm curious in a morbid sort of way.



:eek: You know...I have avoided thinking about how many calories are in my chinese food. I tell myself that b/c I get the Kung Po chicken, its hot and not breaded, that its good for me. And ignore the lo mein.;) And the only other thing I get is usually a beef n brocoli or shrimp with snowpeas...:-?

Now I have to face the realization that it contributes to the fat on my arse!:(


I did see the news story but, avoided it saying "its probably nothing".

Mags
03-24-2007, 18:14
Look at "The Joy of Cooking" or "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" or "The New York Times Cookbook."


Dirty little secret about cookbooks: They are often wrong.

The chefs who give the recipes have someone shadowing them to TRY to approximate in "real world mesaurements" what the cook is doing. And many chef's purposely give recipes that aren't quite the real thing. (Read the book HEAT for an interesting look. There is the new classic KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL by Bourdain. Nothing to do with cook books..but damn, it is a a good book) That is why cook book recipes rarely taste like what you had in the restaurant or Auntie Lucie's sauce.

Most cooks go by gut and instinct.

No market research, no testing, no developing will ever replace the art (not science) of cooking. Recipes are merely framework to build upon. A real cook improvises.

Chain restaurants are about serving the exact same meal the exact same way. That is why it is rarely bad..but rarely good.

Give me a burrito from a Mom and Pop Mexican restaurant. Some jambalaya froma small, non-descript shack in Louisiana. Some pho from recent Vietmanese immigrants. Give me an excellent bar and grill burger oozing with onions, bacon and Swiss cheese at the sports bar around the corner.

Where food is done from the gut, the soul and the heart.

Not because of market research or what is more cost effective or what has been "developed". Where each portion is doled out based on what a bean counter says is best.

The Outback, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday's et al is done like Walmart: tuning dining and food into a commodity just like detergent. Done for maximum profit and able to placate the most consumers. Rarely bad....rarely good.


[/quote]
You really ARE a food snob! :D [/quote]

Perhaps. :) But I am passionate about food. Why? Because food is more than just filling the belly. It should be an expression of the cook.

Food is comfort, food is an experience. It brings people together, it is something to share. It is an expression of joy, happiness..and love.

The sterile restaurants have turned food into just sustenance. Fuel. A commodity.

If having tasted what real food tastes like and not enjoying their bland couins makes me a food snob, so be it. I am one.

But I know in my heart (and stomach!), that food is not meant to be Red Lobster or Benningans. Bland, sterile, soul-less.

The chains have put places that serve really good food out of business.

So we are left with food that is not bad..but not good.

Yeah, I'm a snob. :)

Anyway...I really meant this to be lighthearted. But next to the outdoors, food is my next favorite passion.

OK..enough from me. Honest. ;)

rafe
03-24-2007, 19:31
Keep in mind these "chains" spend untold millions of dollars researching, developing, and testing everything they serve.

Untold millions? I'll bet the IRS knows just how many millions. If they're publicly owned, the SEC knows, too.

Anyway, that research isn't (necessarily) directed toward making their menu nutritious. It's directed at making it appealing to the widest market. And that's often done via lots of sodium, carbs, and fat. :D The rest of their "research" is directed at procuring, storing, producing and serving it as cheaply and efficiently as possible, with minimal waste, spoilage, or labor.

RockStar
03-24-2007, 19:36
I don't care...I like my olive garden dressing recipe and use less mayo b/c its yummier. :D

I am no artist in the kitchen adn I appreciate the recipes being there to give me a starting point. I leave out what I don't like and add what I do. I thought a thread in the cooking/food area would be "safe"...my bad. :(

Maybe we need a "straight forward food/cooking" area? lol

Topcat
03-24-2007, 19:45
http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/home.asp

here is another site that figures out the recipes for chain restaurant foods and others...including, homemade reeses cups and snickers bars..check it out. I have made several of the recipes and they are good.

ImkerVS
03-24-2007, 20:41
My wife is Italian, great cook, her sisters run successful restaurants in Pennsylvania.

They all say there is one ingredient that is often left out, and it keeps the food from being superb.

It is "love".

If you're eating at a chain restaurant and it's superb, somebody cared about it, somebody put love into the food. When the food isn't so good at a once great restaurant, well guess what's missing.

Makes sense to me.

peanuts
03-24-2007, 20:46
My wife is Italian, great cook, her sisters run successful restaurants in Pennsylvania.

They all say there is one ingredient that is often left out, and it keeps the food from being superb.

It is "love".

If you're eating at a chain restaurant and it's superb, somebody cared about it, somebody put love into the food. When the food isn't so good at a once great restaurant, well guess what's missing.

Makes sense to me.
yes, amen. i totally agree with your wife and her sisters!! love is the key to superb food:sun:)

Skidsteer
03-24-2007, 21:17
Dirty little secret about cookbooks: They are often wrong.



My Wife is a great cook. Both of her Grandmothers were great cooks.

My Mother is a great cook.

Both of my grand mothers were great cooks.....


Nary a one of these otherwise honest, upright women can be trusted to give a straight answer when asked for a recipe.

MOWGLI
03-24-2007, 21:33
Yeah, I'm a snob. :)



But you know a good calzone when you see one, don't you Mags! ;)

MOWGLI
03-24-2007, 21:45
Speaking of food snobbery, I am not a big fan of buffets. I like my food cooked to order. Always have.

Probably my favorite restaurant meal is Chicken Marsala - if it's done right. The chicken has to be tender, and the sauce has to be perfect. There's a little Italian joint in Monroe, NY that does Chicken Marsala to perfection. The place is called Rainbow (http://www.neofill-dining.com/restaurant_90489.html), and it's about 5 miles west where the trail crosses RTE 17.

Yup! I'm a food snob. And a bit of a movie snob too. Good food followed by a good movie! What a combo!

PS: I saw The Lives of Others (http://www.sonyclassics.com/thelivesofothers/) today here in Chattanooga. I give it 4 Stars and two thumbs up. Way up! Awesome flick!

Mags
03-25-2007, 01:27
But you know a good calzone when you see one, don't you Mags!

And when I taste one too. :)

Good seeing you and the family in Boulder! If Martha goes to CU, I'll have to tell her about other good places to eat. (Hint: It WILL NOT be the Cheesecake Factory. :D)

re: "safe to post". Oh come on! Nothing wrong with a difference of opinion. Even a passionate difference of opinion.

Jack and I know each other. I don't think he is taking the conversation personally. I know I'm not. :)

Finally.... the Olive Garden? With a last name like mine, it is just one place I can't patronize. ;)

Anyway if I hike 20+ miles, $5 worth of food from McDonald's will do just fine. It was the only place open at midnight after a rigorous, mainly off trail hike in Rocky Mountation National Park. I was STARVING.

The big mac, fries and shake (and hot chocolate "to go") was one of the best meals I've had.

Hunger really does make the best sauce!

Mags
03-25-2007, 01:41
Nary a one of these otherwise honest, upright women can be trusted to give a straight answer when asked for a recipe.


Everytime I see my Grandma Magnanti, I ask her for a treasured recipe. Her answer is always.. "Oh a little of this and a bit of that...".

What is a "little"??!?! What is a "bit"?!?!?!

It is only as I started to cook more and more (and truth be told, my brothers and I are good in the kitchen. ), and then give recipes in turn to other people (Mags..how did you make that veggie lasagna?), how hard it is to give exact measurements.


"A little of this....a smidge of this...a bit of that".....

Just about every recipe it seems. :)

Almost There
03-25-2007, 01:47
Gotta agree with you Mags, with an Italian Grandmother and German Grandmother I was spoiled with good food, the Olive Garden is one place you will not find me, I like my Italian food cooked by Grandma in the back of the restaurant. Living in Atlanta now, the restaurant scene sucks!!! Then again, when I lived in Chicago I was 30lbs heavier but the old neigborhood restaurants with the red checkered table cloths and homemade chianti...that I miss!!! Finally found a decent family owned restaurant down here. Southerners don't understand that a good sausage pizza is made with broken sausage from a casing, not that balled up dried krap!!! I used to have a motto when it came to my hot dog and sub joints, if it looks like the health inspector would close it down...then you know the food's gotta be good!!!

As for Olive Garden dressing...mayonaisse in Italian Dressing???? Eck!!!

RockStar
03-25-2007, 05:50
We cubans arent so picky about Italian food. Its olive Garden in Alabama or the Wal-Mart freezer section.

Unfortunately I don't know either of your grandmothers. Lemme know next time they are in town and I'll try to pry myself away from my Unlimited Soup and Salad for "Authentic" Soup and Salad.

I am not a huge fan of Pasta in the first place. So do let me know when one of the lovely ladies comes to town and I'll gladly broaden my horizons. Until then...I'll be in my kitchen making Italian dressing with mayo in it.

rickb
03-25-2007, 07:46
Yup! I'm a food snob. And a bit of a movie snob too. Good food followed by a good movie! What a combo!



My guess is that you and Mags liked this one:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960927/REVIEWS/609270302/1023



:D

Topcat
03-25-2007, 08:39
Want to learn a recipe from grandma? Get in the kitchen with her and start cooking before it is too late. I did that and my sausage gravy shows it as does my biscuits. She even would critique how i shaked my butt as i stirred the gravy. It is amazing what spending a little time with an older loved one will get you.

Some days i think back on the kitchen time and wish i had had more of it

NICKTHEGREEK
03-25-2007, 09:34
Dirty little secret about cookbooks: They are often wrong.

The chefs who give the recipes have someone shadowing them to TRY to approximate in "real world mesaurements" what the cook is doing. And many chef's purposely give recipes that aren't quite the real thing. (Read the book HEAT for an interesting look. There is the new classic KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL by Bourdain. Nothing to do with cook books..but damn, it is a a good book) That is why cook book recipes rarely taste like what you had in the restaurant or Auntie Lucie's sauce.

Most cooks go by gut and instinct.

No market research, no testing, no developing will ever replace the art (not science) of cooking. Recipes are merely framework to build upon. A real cook improvises.

Chain restaurants are about serving the exact same meal the exact same way. That is why it is rarely bad..but rarely good.

Give me a burrito from a Mom and Pop Mexican restaurant. Some jambalaya froma small, non-descript shack in Louisiana. Some pho from recent Vietmanese immigrants. Give me an excellent bar and grill burger oozing with onions, bacon and Swiss cheese at the sports bar around the corner.

Where food is done from the gut, the soul and the heart.

Not because of market research or what is more cost effective or what has been "developed". Where each portion is doled out based on what a bean counter says is best.

The Outback, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday's et al is done like Walmart: tuning dining and food into a commodity just like detergent. Done for maximum profit and able to placate the most consumers. Rarely bad....rarely good.



You really ARE a food snob! :D [/quote]

Perhaps. :) But I am passionate about food. Why? Because food is more than just filling the belly. It should be an expression of the cook.

Food is comfort, food is an experience. It brings people together, it is something to share. It is an expression of joy, happiness..and love.

The sterile restaurants have turned food into just sustenance. Fuel. A commodity.

If having tasted what real food tastes like and not enjoying their bland couins makes me a food snob, so be it. I am one.

But I know in my heart (and stomach!), that food is not meant to be Red Lobster or Benningans. Bland, sterile, soul-less.

The chains have put places that serve really good food out of business.

So we are left with food that is not bad..but not good.

Yeah, I'm a snob. :)

Anyway...I really meant this to be lighthearted. But next to the outdoors, food is my next favorite passion.

OK..enough from me. Honest. ;)[/quote]

Right you are, on all points but one. The American consumer has learned to equate the drive thru window with food, quantity as quality, and getting in and out quickly as a virtue. I imagine there are some places where only chains remain, and that's sad, but they serve the demands and low expectations of the local marketplace. In the more urban areas there's an unlimited supply of small places, many in the second or third generation of operation, who provide excellent dining at every price point.

peanuts
03-25-2007, 09:41
almost there, i do agree with you regarding the atl restaurant scene...it does suck!!!! (am from chicago, northside):) miss the pizzas.

saimyoji
03-25-2007, 09:50
I must admit, when I opened this thread I thought it would be about rat droppings in the meat sauce, or some disgruntled busboy's "revenge" in the "special cream marinade." :eek:

Great stuff.

rafe
03-25-2007, 09:52
Anyway if I hike 20+ miles, $5 worth of food from McDonald's will do just fine. It was the only place open at midnight after a rigorous, mainly off trail hike in Rocky Mountation National Park. I was STARVING.

The big mac, fries and shake (and hot chocolate "to go") was one of the best meals I've had.

There's a fun book called "Weird Hikes" by Art Bernstein. You account brings to mind a story from Art's book, where he hikes with his young daughter to the summit of Black Butte. The daughter's having a hard time of it and at some point, on the descent, she sits down and refuses to move further. I can't tell more of the story without ruining it... but you might guess.

Mags
03-26-2007, 02:00
We cubans arent so picky about Italian food.


Egads! Cubans have awesome food...and you go to Olive Garden?!?!? Quick..have some Cuban grandma send that boy a Cuban pork sandwich! :) I ain't Cuban..but if there was an equivalent of Olive Gardern for Cuban food, I'd avoid it like the plague.

I don't care what ethnic group you are..we all had mom/grandma/aunts/whatever who made good food. (I hope anyway!) And, having had wonderful food made with the gut, heart and soul, I want it as much as possible.

I won't eat at Cracker Barrel...I'll eat Lucille's (owned by southern transplants).


Finally: There ain't no such thing as "Italian" dressing (A valid arguement could be made that there is no such thing as "Italian food" as well, but that's another discussion). Oil and vinegar is the dressing served in Italian enclaves. Be it Rome, Naples..or with their Italian-American cousings in Brooklyn. Mayo? Egads.. :)

Mags
03-26-2007, 02:08
My guess is that you and Mags liked this one:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960927/REVIEWS/609270302/1023



:D


I did indeed. The restaurant in the movie was put out of business by an "Olive Garden" type place, too! :)

Johnny Thunder
03-26-2007, 11:38
[quote=Mags;344496]Food and eating should not equated with "researching, developing and testing". Bleeech! That's for plastics, not food! :)quote]

All joking aside...there is a HUGE amount or R and D that goes into commercial food products. Both of my parents are food scientists at Lipton. Specifically, my mother spends all day working out the infinite variations of those "suggested" recipes you find on the backs/sides of retail food packages. 40 hours a week making sour cream dips...haha...not my gig.

Ok, so most family restaurants aren't doing R and D in the traditional sense but I would be willing to bet that more hours of R and D went into the Mac and Cheese than into the plastic baggie it comes in.

MOWGLI
03-26-2007, 11:50
I did indeed. The restaurant in the movie was put out of business by an "Olive Garden" type place, too! :)

The last Olive Garden I ate at was filthy. The service was lacking too. Since the food was never very good there (other than the bottomless salad), I've seen my last visit to that chain.

weary
03-26-2007, 12:24
Dirty little secret about cookbooks: They are often wrong. .....;)
Absolutely true. I do much of the cooking in my house. I'm a reader of cookbooks, but almost never follow a recipe. Cookbooks are good for ideas about what is possible. But I'm continually amazed by the obvious errors I find.

The original Joy of Cooking was pretty good. The editon that came out a few years ago was terrible. Now I see a new version in the stores, which I haven't looked at yet.

The pages are falling out of my 1970s version. My most recent version rarely gets opened. It was a total waste of money.

Weary

weary
03-26-2007, 12:32
I must admit, when I opened this thread I thought it would be about rat droppings in the meat sauce, or some disgruntled busboy's "revenge" in the "special cream marinade." :eek:

Great stuff.
One of George Orwell's great essays reports on the time he spent working in a french restaurant. The story I remember best was about the chef that routinely spit on his steaks before allowing them to be served. Spit spread around gives a steak a nice juicy look.

Now that I've spoiled everyones enjoyment of restaurant steak, I'll shut up.

Weary

Mags
03-26-2007, 14:08
al food products. Both of my parents are food scientists at Lipton.
.


hmm..I am going to take a stab and say that Lipton's noodles is a bit different than the food some of us are passionately discussing. :)

Mags
03-26-2007, 14:16
One of George Orwell's great essays reports on the time he spent working in a french restaurant. The story I remember best was about the chef that routinely spit on his steaks before allowing them to be served. Spit spread around gives a steak a nice juicy look.

Now that I've spoiled everyones enjoyment of restaurant steak, I'll shut up.

Weary


I've read excerpts before from them..and what was true 80+ yrs ago is true now. Overworkerd, tempermental staff. Practices best left unsaid. Etc.

I've worked as a dishwasher/busboy. My brother has been a runner. My other brother has cooked in restaurants. My cousin is a waitress. My uncle and another cousin are both professional cooks. (Actually, the cousin has that title of "executive chef" now. :O).

One of the reasons why I enjoyed Kitchen Confidential (http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Confidential-Updated-Adventures-Underbelly/dp/0060899220/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-3169278-3944160?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174932889&sr=8-1) is that between my own tenure in kitchens and the rest of the family's, I recongnized some of the characters.

To be honest, almost anything by Bourdain is good stuff. Rude, sarcastic Northeasterner...who is very observant, writes well and is passionate about food. Give the book a read...good stuff, too.

1Pint
03-26-2007, 14:49
First, I have to disclose that my friends & I ate lunch at Olive Garden today. Yep, Olive Garden. Am I still allowed to post in this thread? If not, please read no farther.


I'm a reader of cookbooks, but almost never follow a recipe. Cookbooks are good for ideas about what is possible.
Weary

My father is a good cook but he'll peruse the cookbooks, land on a recipe.... say "Pineapple Upside Down Cake" for example.... then, he'll start pulling the ingredients out of the fridge/pantry while rethinking the entire recipe and substitute applesauce for shortening and 1/2 the sugar but add banana and pecans, change it from a cake into muffins .... and in the end he's made a completely different dish that tastes great but is only a vague cousin of whatever he started with. Sometimes he even bothers to write some of his changes on the recipe and it's a hoot. Of 12 listed ingredients, 7 will have changes. Minimum.

If you like reading about love and cooking, you might try a book called "Like Water For Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel. Tasty reading.

RockStar
03-26-2007, 18:45
Egads! Cubans have awesome food...and you go to Olive Garden?!?!? Quick..have some Cuban grandma send that boy a Cuban pork sandwich! I ain't Cuban..but if there was an equivalent of Olive Gardern for Cuban food, I'd avoid it like the plague.

I don't care what ethnic group you are..we all had mom/grandma/aunts/whatever who made good food. (I hope anyway!) And, having had wonderful food made with the gut, heart and soul, I want it as much as possible.

I won't eat at Cracker Barrel...I'll eat Lucille's (owned by southern transplants).


Finally: There ain't no such thing as "Italian" dressing (A valid arguement could be made that there is no such thing as "Italian food" as well, but that's another discussion). Oil and vinegar is the dressing served in Italian enclaves. Be it Rome, Naples..or with their Italian-American cousings in Brooklyn. Mayo? Egads..


Im no BOY silly! Just a Lady that has been told "chop this and get out of the kitchen" All my life! My mother always says she can't "remember" whats all in her Cuban food or how much. Yet it tastes magically delicious everytime...:-? I suspect foul play with my head here. I know that even when I go to mom and pop Cuban restaurants...NONE of them make Black Beans and rice like my moms! NONE! They have great stuffed potatos, paella, cuban bread, cuban sandwiches but, never can touch my moms beans. It is my FAVORITE food in the WHOLE WORLD and she makes whenever I ask especially for my B-day. And YES most pork sandwiches or cuban sandwiches that are made in chain restaurants or by non cubans dont taste as good! Some dont even put Mustard on them OR USE CUBAN BREAD?!?!?!!!:eek: You cant have a cuban sandwich without cuban bread! French bread? Well thats just a fauxban sandwich isnt it now! ;)

Mags, you have your own candybar! And I have known 2 Italian women in my life that feel the same way about Italian food. One was a teacher and the other was a friend in college. So I UNDERSTAND Italians to be VERY PROUD of their cooking and rightfully so!

I'm just saying...I don't go to the Olive Garden for the pasta for sure...I basically just love the unlimited salad and zuppa. I have to drive an hour to GET to an Olive Garden. I love their dressing. Its not to say it is THE BEST or even ITALIAN at all. However, the Olive Garden is where I tasted it first and it's called Italian. So thats as Italian as it gets around here! probably better this way as my body is at maximum capacity when it comes to yummy food storage!

I am not culinarily inclined. I can chop the hell out of any veggie or fruit but...cooking is like an advanced math class I would NOT go to without a BOOK! So go easy on me...;)

Yahtzee
03-26-2007, 20:29
I never hike without a cook. It truly makes the experience so much more enjoyable. I mean, doing a twenty and arriving at camp to shrimp, linguini and red wine, what else can you ask for? Manuel, the cook I travelled with on my last hike, would always run the last 5 miles to camp so my food would be ready when I got there. You sound a lot like me. I suggest you consider bringing a cook along your trip. If you want I can get in touch with Manny and see if he's available.

Mags
03-26-2007, 22:13
Im no BOY silly!


Mea culpa! I shoulda looked at the journal. Doh! :)


>>NONE of them make Black Beans and rice like my >>moms! NONE! They have great stuffed potatos, paella, >>cuban bread, cuban sandwiches but, never can touch >>my moms beans. It is my FAVORITE food in the >>WHOLE WORLD and

See GOOD stuff. WONDERFUL stuff. Why settle for bland food?

(We have an equivalent of "beans and rice": pasta e fagiole..(pasta fazoo in dialect). Macroni and beans.. mmm.. And no restaurant makes it as good as the family stuff...

>>I am not culinarily inclined. I can chop the hell out of

As I said, I am a snob about food. (But not a "foodie". A foodie would not wax poetic about the joys of bar room burger. :D) Not that I won't go to a chain restaurant..but man...you had home made Cuban food. Food made with a proud culinary tradition..food that should be know more and enjoyed by all. I dunno...having tasted from the deep well of all that is good about family cooking..and then to swear by a Ruby Tuesday type place. Blasphemy. :)

Mags
03-26-2007, 22:23
I never hike without a cook. It truly makes the experience so much more enjoyable. I mean, doing a twenty and arriving at camp to shrimp, linguini and red wine, what else can you ask for?


Every year, my friends and I do a the "Triple Course Challenge". Three peaks in Boulder that total ~13 miles R/T and 5000' elev gain.

But the real joy is that we have a course on each peak! Appies on Green Mtn. Main course on Bear. Dessert on S. Boulder.

Good food. I did indeed make liguine with artichokes, roasted red peppers with a simple oil and balsamic vinegar sauce. Other people brought prosicutto and melon. Cheese. Home made chocolate cake.

Here's the menu:
http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=36&g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=10123

:)
Then there are hut trips. Full Moon fondues.

Hiking and food.What's not too like. ;)