If you get 2 litres of water/day 1/2 litre zero sugar soda is absolutely no problem healthwise.

If its really worth discusing, we should probably make another thread.

I remembered that the thyme on steak is from a Michelin 1 star chefs cookbook, if it matters.

I just made some beautiful filets (they came out PERFECTLY), and I sort of borrowed your thyme thing.

Before I put the steaks in the cast iron to put my crazy crust on, I put a bunch of thyme in with the oil as it heated. It was a very nice result, with a nicely subtle herb flavor behind the awesomeness of the taste of the properly-cooked top-grade meat. Thanks for the idea.

Another thing I did was when I rested the steaks, I did so on top of a piece of marbled rye. When they were ready, I plated it all, rye and all, then put my red wine mushroom reduction (a little sour cream at the end finished that really well) over the top of the whole thing. The rye at the bottom of all of that is a really nice bonus; it becomes very delicious.

Steamed asparagus and some roasted duck fat redskin potatoes with rosemary...

I killed it today. I am Mr. Popularity right now.

I think I just graduated a little bit, so now I will start taking pics.

Sounds delicious, would have liked some pics :-(

Lunch

Cod roe fried in butter with lemon, salt, peber.


Dinner
Salad is mixed italian leaves + parsley + basil + fresh mozzaralla, I had some ceaser salad dressing I used

I am all for letting the steaks rest, but 10 minutes seems like overkill. Won't the steaks get cold?

You could cover it.

Loosely covered with foil, as long as you are not dealing with thin steaks, 10 min should be fine.

Cookie,

How did you do that? I never heard of or thought of doing that before. Did a quick google and all the recipes use some type of batter. It doesn't look like you used flour/batter. Looks delicious anyway.

I am looking for suggestions: Basa fish is cheap and tastes ok, but quite light. I would like to jazz it up, and was thinking of going Spanish with it, maybe baking it with some garlic, paprika, peppers, etc. Anyone have a recipe for an exciting way to prepare this otherwise kinda boring fish?

Yeah, six to ten minutes is pretty standard, and covered with foil, they definitely do not get cold.

Meanwhile, the only "thin steaks" I eat are flank steak and skirt steak. If you guys have never worked with these steaks cut from the diaphragm, give 'em a try (and no, not just for fajitas!).

I guess tri-tip qualifies, too.

Either way, I'll take these cuts over a strip or a sirloin any day.

I found this, which I think I will try:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu_KkhsbWZU

By the way, anyone know were I can find Mario Batali's early shows, like Malto Mario and that one where he goes to Italy? Can't find them anywhere...

The cod roe is out of a can, maybe canned cod roe is a dansih thing.

Cod roe was cut in slices from the block. Fried in butter, salt, peber, lemon added on the pan. A little more lemon juice on when its on the bread, topped with remoulade and chives.

Want to go broke really fast? Invest in a company trying to sell canned cod roe to American citizens.

dinner

chicken curry with asparagus tempura ....oh yeah thats KETCHUP!!

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Roe!!! Yum!!!!!!!!
It is actually sold in toothpaste-like tubes in Scandinavia.
Scandies love roe on soft boiled eggs, as well!!!Breakfast fit for a king or a viking!
My father's first-cousin, a retired WWII era Swedish colonel, used to wash his breakfast of cheese, toast, and soft boiled eggs with roe, down with a morning glass of beer.
He used to chide me for being an adult and drinking milk for breakfast, "Vikings don't drink milk, but I guess Americans do..." <ouch>

Ikea sells the toothpaste like tubes of creamed cod roe. It is delicious on crackers.

Awesome.

Being Americans, sometimes we forget that what we eat for breakfast is the exception, rather than the standard.

As much as I love breakfast foods, they tend to make me feel bogged down, rather than energized.

I could eat smoked or raw fish all day every day though. Give me some smoked bluefish, some raw tuna, or some pickled herring anyday! Roe? Absolutely. Bring it on.

With all this talk of fish, I want to ask this of you all:

I LOVE anchovies, and I LOVE sardines. These are not the most popular items here in the US, of course.

What can I do with the little bastards when I am cooking? I know Italians use a lot of anchovies, but I don't really know how they do so. Sauces? I know they're great in salads, of course.

As for sardines, on the very rare occasion I see them on a menu, it is invariably an appetizer of grilled sardines with a red sauce. While I love this, I am wondering if you guys have any solid suggestions, anchovy or sardine-wise.

For those who haven't explored these critters just because they're "weird" or too salty, give 'em another try.

gf cooked dinner tonight, I helped a little.

So I have some skinless chicken breasts I want to marinate overnight. Suggestions is very welcome.

anchovies work pretty good as an ingredient for pasta.

cook at low heat some anchovies, crushed garlic, parsley, a tiny bit of lemon juice, crushed red pepper flakes in good olive oil, toss with pasta with a little bit of pasta water to help coat.

IMO, Smoked mackerel is DA BOMB!!!! Lovely summer lunch with new potatoes!
And of course, any kind of herring is imprinted in capital letters on my DNA.

This dish is called puttanesca. It was invented by the prostitutes of Naples as a quick and filling meal on the run, (between tricks?). Awesome flavors! Great side dish, as well!

BTW, Sometimes, Scandies throw a couple anchovy filets into the brasing liquid of pot roast for an interesting layer of back flavor. Most people would not be able to identify the source of this intriguing taste.

nah, puttanesca has a lot of olives and capers and tomatoes as well.

originally I had capers listed but I took them out because I didn't want it to resemble a puttanesca, which is just as good, but a bit heavier.

This is more a simple aglio olio with some anchovies.

speaking of salty seafood based pasta dishes, I really want to get my hands on some botarga

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botargo