erin79's Profile

I have this simplehuman trash can from Amazon.

http://tiny.cc/8j4T4

Only $39.95, and just as sleek and practical as some of the really pricey trash cans.

I just had my first fresh gooseberries recently--so good! Here's a picture of some red gooseberries from the DC area.

http://newatthemarket.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-new-favorite-snack.html

I never liked oatmeal but I had always tried the instant oatmeal with the flavor packets. Steel cut oats with blueberries and dried cranberries have become my new favorite breakfast.

Brown rice has definitely grown on me over the past couple of years, but if you wanted to try another whole grain, I recommend farro. I haven't been able to find it for a good price yet, but it's worth the splurge every once in a while--it is so good and I find it much easier to cook than rice on a stovetop.

Just a bit too much, I think

Neither Leah nor Radhika showed leadership skills on their team, and they both failed at their specific task (the fish/front of house). When you compare them that way, I think Leah certainly should have gone, since this competition is about cooking, not hostessing.

But Radhika did make a mistake, as she said, in not making Jeff do front of house. He would have done a good job--he's very personable. And she knew she was not a natural leader, so she could have tried abdicating more of her power to Jamie, who obviously is a strong leader. She said she did sort of put Jamie in charge of the kitchen, and I think she kept coming back there not because she didn't trust Jamie and her team but because she is shy and that's where she feels most comfortable.

I can see why she picked Carla second, because she is normally easy to work with and has made some standout desserts. But my impression of her completely changed during this episode with her crazy defense of herself. And actually, I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time she has been called out for sending out a dish she knows is bad. Stefan really showed his strength when he handled the exact same freezing problem she had calmly and professionally. It's a shame he is so annoying.

Leftover black beans and brown rice (a side dish for last night's huevos rancheros, a la smitten kitchen), topped with fresh salsa and cheddar cheese.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/huevos-rancheros/

PS: Thanks for the tip about the LA Times, chusmabilly--this looks like a great article. Here's the link for anyone else who is interested.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-lunchbox7-2009jan07,0,5320210,print.story

Leftover black beans and rice (a side dish for last night's huevos rancheros, a la smitten kitchen), topped with fresh salsa and cheddar cheese.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/huevos-rancheros/

Certainly I would want to keep How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and Madhur Jaffrey's book on global vegetarian cooking (I forget the name). But I get a lot of my recipes online (from blogs like this, Food Network, etc.) and from magazines, so I would definitely need to include my two binders: one is recipes to try, and the other is tried and loved.

I thought Padma said he unwittingly made curd rice, a la this recipe:

http://www.quickindiancooking.com/2008/07/17/cold-comfort-for-fiery-fiends/