I was raised on buttery spread because we weren't wealthy, but I still buy it now because I prefer the taste. I don't like regular butter on bread - it doesn't taste "buttery" enough. These days they are sold as "plant butter" to cash in on the plant-based milk alternative wave, but it's the pretty much the same thing as it's always been The secret ingredient in buttery spread is... water. Oil, water, salt, and something to make the oil and water hug each other and never let each other go. Buttery spread is the food of romance.
That does sound like a typical night in Dublin for many, but for me it was midday in Rarotonga. There's a cafe that has fantastic gluten free brownies, so in preparation for my arrival my friends bought one for me and put it in my fridge. It turns out the person at the cafe who normally makes the brownies, whose family member is celiac, was in New Zealand and a new hire had made that bunch (one of my friend's sons works at the cafe and so we learned that after the incident). The new hire apparently used regular flour instead of gluten free flour. The result is history. I will say the locals there were fantastic after the fact - a friend who is a cook regularly brought traditional Polynesian food for me that she prepared herself, while others regularly brought fruits, coconuts, etc for me to eat. They are normally horrified that I'm not "plump enough", so when this happened they were all on high alert to do their part to fatten me up as much as possible. (Normally when the women first see me, they will give me a hug and feel for my "love handles" - given I am fairly slim, they will immediately express their dismay at how underfed I am and make it their mission to make me more appealing, given "bigger is better" - skinny people are considered quite unattractive as we look too much like geckos). edit: I'll also mention another friend works at CITTI, the training institute that includes culinary. She now uses me as an example for why it's important to be careful when preparing food. She and another friend were the ones who effectively found me after the incident.
Lesson 1 - If you want great gluten-free brownies, you have to go to the South Pacific. Lesson 2 - If you are "skinny" and want an entire island to be your mom, go to Rarotonga.
Yes on both counts. I really recommend it as a holiday destination even without those considerations. Much more beautiful than either Hawai'i or Tahiti, and at a fraction of the cost. I get a room at a 3.5 star hotel directly on the beach for less than $150 a night. (Granted, it's not as easy to get to as it was pre-pandemic when Air NZ had direct flights from LA. Now you have to fly through either Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines, Tahiti on Air Tahiti Nui/Air Tahiti, or Auckland on Air NZ to get there). One time I was there a young guy, probably anorexic in all honesty, was walking on the beach. I audibly heard multiple women express how much they wanted to cook for him. They were simply traumatized.
Good, from what I've heard. Certainly the snorkeling is excellent, depending on which part of the island you are on. Here's some info. Not related to diving, but being able to watch whales breaching on a daily basis while sitting on my hotel balcony during July through September is a treat. It does get boring after a while, but it's a good kind of boring.
This was ballsy move Eleven Madison Park is the kind of restaurant that's sometimes called a temple of fine dining. In early 2020, Vanity Fair described its duck as "life-changing." The following year, however, chef and owner Daniel Humm transitioned the Michelin-starred New York City restaurant to an entirely plant-based menu. Switching to vegan dishes meant blowing up the very foundation of his business. Humm believed his restaurant could be an example of how the industry could become more sustainable. But would people pay $400 a head for a vegan dinner? https://www.inc.com/jennifer-conrad...t-based-menu-then-it-blew-up-in-his-face.html
Maybe as opposed to frying it, but chicken in an air fryer is pretty damn good. That’s how I do chicken breasts when weather is too crappy to grill.
My mom uses one now to fry chicken, as she doesn't need it fried in oil anymore. It's not bad, but there is a difference. What I do with chicken breasts is leave them in the restaurant. Even when I get a 10-pece wing dinner I ask for flats. I've been to too many banquets and events where chicken breasts were served. Chicken fingers, nuggets, Caesar salad, whatever it is seems to be made of that not as tender as a thigh breast. What are they doing with the parts of the bird that I like?
I only buy breasts because my family prefers them, I’m a dark meat man myself. Which is great when we do a whole chicken because I get the best parts.
Like putting a giant umbrella over the grill? I suppose that’s a method. Though grilling in cold and wind is also pretty unpleasant, and we don’t get rain when it’s warm around here.
Had a free supermarket Thanksgiving turkey that I deep fried under a home made plastic shelter I slapped together. Was a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving on a raw, sleety December day. When meat must be cooked we'll always find a way