booter@lll-crg.ARpA (Elaine Richards) (11/17/85)
*Replace this line with your dinner* A long while ago, I was sitting with a group of bored people. We really had nothing to say until the messenger (naturally, the smartest person in the office) came in and asked, " Hey, if you wanted to impress a new lover, what would you cook for him ? " (It was a roomful of women.) We had a delightful conversation on food, love, recipes and aphrodisiacs. So, folks... I put the question to you. What would you cook for a new lover, date, honey or whatchamacallit ? E ****** The Cuisine Queen " The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money." - Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar S. Clemens
co175f@sdcc3.UUCP (Bruce Jones) (11/18/85)
My favorite is medium shrimp, boiled in beer on a coleman stove at the beach. bjones@sdcsvax.ARPA
mink@cfa.UUCP (Doug Mink) (11/18/85)
* If you're still hungry after eating this line... > A long while ago, I was sitting with a group of bored people. We really had > nothing to say until the messenger (naturally, the smartest person in > the office) came in and asked, " Hey, if you wanted to impress a new > lover, what would you cook for him ? " (It was a roomful of women.) > > We had a delightful conversation on food, love, recipes and aphrodisiacs. > So, folks... I put the question to you. What would you cook for a new > lover, date, honey or whatchamacallit ? I pull out the old Moosewood cookbook and thumb through it for something I haven't made lately or stir-fry up the most interesting vegetables I can find, adding a soup and/or salad, following up with ice cream for dessert at the original "Steve's", which is just around the corner from home. -Doug Mink Aging Hippy Astronomer (and part-time vegetarian gourmet)
becky@cylixd.UUCP (Becky Bates) (11/18/85)
> *Replace this line with your dinner* > > A long while ago, I was sitting with a group of bored people. We really had > nothing to say until the messenger (naturally, the smartest person in > the office) came in and asked, " Hey, if you wanted to impress a new > lover, what would you cook for him ? " (It was a roomful of women.) > > We had a delightful conversation on food, love, recipes and aphrodisiacs. > So, folks... I put the question to you. What would you cook for a new > lover, date, honey or whatchamacallit ? > > E > ****** > The Cuisine Queen > > " The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and > enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not > asked to lend money." - Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar > > S. Clemens I think this is a cute topic and I do not know if the dinner I made this past weekend would quilify as romantic but it was my friends favorite and he had about 3 plates full befoew he quit. He also ate an equivalent of about 1 half a pie before he left. He is not overweight he is underweight and it made me feel good that he was eating so much food. I had a simple meal: Roast beef, very tender with its own juice as gravy. English Peas Mashed potatoes rolls coffee and for dessert: A simple pie that was graham cracker crust with a lemon, cheesecake almot filling. You take 9 oz. cool whip, 1 small can pink lemonade, and 1 can eagle brand milk. Mix the ingredients and pour into the filling. Let it chill. I cannot say that this is a fancy dinner but we enjoyed it and I think it is because when you cook for a friend,lover, or whatever and fix their favorite dinner it makes it even more special. Another light dinner for the Summertime that I fixed was probably not a good combination but I fixed it for a friend that does not usually eat very much and this time he scaraffed it down. I had a chicken stir fry with brocolli, romaine lettuce (by the was romaine lettuce in a stir fry is wonderful, try it) and for dessert we had a wealth of fresh watermelon, grapes, etc. with no sugar or anything on it. all fresh was my main idea for that meal. I also enjoy the exotic like sword fish on a grill with a spinach and mushroom salad. I have fixed a Gingered chicken kabob that it excellant. I am hoping that this is correct it is from memory: Gingered Honey Chicken Kabobs Take chicken meat ( I prefer breast) Dice into 1 -2 inch chunks Prepare marinte (sp) 1 cup soy sauce 1 tsp. ginger root crushed 2 tlbs. honey Marinate the chicken pieces in the soysauce and ginger root, and honey mixture for a few hours, overnight if your prefer Remove the pieces. Cut up bell pepper, onion, and if you want cherry tomatoes on the scewer you can. Arrange the chicken and vegatables evenly on the scewers. You must prepare the grill before all this and have the coals nice and hot, like you would for steak. Then put the kabobs on the grill. The honey will come to the surface and create a glazed chicken with a soy sauce and ginger root flavor. Oh it is so good and simple. I try to arrange most of my summer cooking around the wok or grill so the heat is not in the house and its more fun and the meals are all light enough to bear in the Summer heat. Becky Bates !ihnp4!akgub!cylixd!becky
ins_aeas@jhunix.UUCP (Earle A .Sugar) (11/19/85)
> So, folks... I put the question to you. What would you cook for a new > lover, date, honey or whatchamacallit ? > > E > ****** > The Cuisine Queen > How does this sound: homemade deep dish Chicago style pizza, fresh garlic bread, and maybe tortellini for dessert. Or, stir fried cashew chicken in lemon and ginger sauce, served with egg rolls (from a deli, not frozen) with homemade hot mustard, with hot sake for a beverage. Dessert could be home made dark chocolate mousse, although it doesn't really fit the geographical origin of the main course (who cares; I love chocolate mousse:)). -- ______________________________________________________________________________ Earle A. Sugar Disclaimer:"I doubt anyone else here agrees with me." USENET: ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!aplcen!jhunix!ins_aeas CSNET:ins_aeas@jhunix.csnet ARPA:ins_aeas%jhunix.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa BITNET: INS_BEAS@JHUVMS (as a last resort) or call 301-889-0815 after 6 P.M. EST
ins_adlk@jhunix.UUCP (Darren Lee Kadish) (11/19/85)
> We had a delightful conversation on food, love, recipes and aphrodisiacs. > So, folks... I put the question to you. What would you cook for a new > lover, date, honey or whatchamacallit ? > First of all, I think Chinese food can be very romantic. A candlelit dinner, hot tea and GOOD chinese food can create a very sensual and romantic mood. On the other hand, some of you may not be good cooks of chinese food, or you might feel that a carryout candlelit dinner is too tacky. In that case, I have a suggestion that I often use when I want to have a romantic atmosphere. Again candles, rolled breast of chicken (not chicken roll, but a boned breast), flavored rice, a light salad (Italian dressing preferred, remember, keep it light!) and perhaps just a little wine. Use good dishes and silver, and use crystal glasses( if you have them) in which you serve ice cold water from a crystal pitcher. Serving just water allows you to enjoy the true flavor of the food. The chicken should be lightly sprinkled with paprika, and the rice should be cooked in chicken broth to make it flavorful. Fresh flowers on the table also make a nice touch. Soft music in the background is good too. -- Darren Kadish
ins_aeas@jhunix.UUCP (Earle A .Sugar) (11/20/85)
Darren Kardish @ jhunix writes: > Use good dishes > and silver, and use crystal glasses( if you have them) in which you serve You mean that the standard dinnerware purloined from the freshman dining hall years ago won't do? The 1/2 cup soup bowls and 4 ounce soda glasses are great for keeping meal costs down, and the spoons make nice pieces of modern sculpture if you try to use them with ice cream or pudding :-). > ice cold water from a crystal pitcher. Serving just water allows you to enjo > the true flavor of the food. > Fresh flowers on the table also make a nice touch. Soft music in the > background is good too. > -- > Darren Kadish Interesting, but out of the average student's budget. Until we graduate into $40k/yr jobs, plastic plants and Springsteen blaring from the clock radio will have to do.:-) Also, most of the guests that I have had over generally want something more interesting than water to drink (try this great dessert beverage: moderately strong coffe flavored with Hershey's Cocoa, cream, vanilla extract, and maybe a little liqueur, depending on to whom it is being served). -- ______________________________________________________________________________ Earle A. Sugar Disclaimer:"I doubt anyone else here agrees with me." USENET: ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!aplcen!jhunix!ins_aeas CSNET:ins_aeas@jhunix.csnet ARPA:ins_aeas%jhunix.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa BITNET: INS_BEAS@JHUVMS (as a last resort) or call 301-889-0815 after 6 P.M. EST
broder@magic.ARPA (11/20/85)
In article <993@lll-crg.ARpA> booter@lll-crg.ARpA (Elaine Richards) writes: >So, folks... I put the question to you. What would you cook for a new >lover, date, honey or whatchamacallit ? I don't think the *same* dinner can be used for all the above classifications. (They are different, aren't they?) Different circumstances require different menus. For more on this topic, anyone seriously interested in both culinary and amorous pursuits should carefully read "The Seducer's Cookbook" by Mimi Sheraton, the former New York Times restaurant critic. - It is a delightful book, very amusing and quite daring even for today, but unfortunately out of print (last published by Random House in 1962 ?). The recipes in it are the least interesting part. Here is a quote: "Ever since I was fifteen and was persuaded to neck with a boy who gave me a frozen Milky Way, I have been aware of the seductive powers of food. It was, of course, too heady a combination to resist - a double portion of forbidden fruit - since my mother had forbidden candy because it would ruin my teeth, and necking because it would, sooner or later, ruin everything else." Back to the challenge. Here is a French autumn dinner to convince someone that she made the right choice three weeks ago (i.e. this is a trifle too heavy for what Mimi Sheraton calls "the seduction dinner," and also involves too much work for uncertain results :-) Mushroom tartlets (Croutes de Champignons) Roast Duck with Caramel and Vinegared Currants (Canard au Caramel Vinaigre) Sauteed Pears (Poires-legumes) Cardamom and Bourbon Ice Cream (Cr`eme glac'ee a la cardamome) For wine, if just drunk your last 1919 La Tache, a nice California Pinot Noir (say, Trefethen) will go pretty well with both the mushrooms and the duck. You might want to have maybe some goat cheese after the duck to finish the wine, or a small but fairly flagrant salad (suitable are any of spinach, dandelion greens, or rockette) in which case you must finish the wine before the salad. Serve the ice cream by itself and have some thin cookies and calvados with the coffee if you decide to have coffee. The mushroom recipe is a based on an idea from the Chez Panisse cookbook. All the other are based on Madeleine Kamman's cookbook "In Madeleine's Kitchen". Recipes ------- Mushroom tartlets (Croutes de Champignons) (Adapted from the Chez Panisse cookbook) 1/2 oz dried wild mushrooms (cepes, chanterelles, or morels) 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms 1 shallot 2T unsalted butter 4 2in or 2 4in baked tart shells or 4 slices of French bread, crust removed Soak the wild mushrooms in 1/4 cup hot water for 1/2 hour. Strain (triple cheesecloth) and keep the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms well. Mince the fresh mushrooms, the wild mushrooms, and the shallot. Season them with salt and pepper and saute them in butter for 20 min on medium heat. Add all the mushrooms liqour in small amounts during the cooking. The mixture should not be too juicy when done. Brush the shell (or the bread) with melted butter. Fill them and bake in a 350 oven for about 10 min. (Your oven will be on anyway for the duck.) Roast Duck with Caramel and Vinegared Currants (Canard au Caramel Vinaigre) 2T currants 1T Aceto Balsamico 1 5 lbs. duck, preferably fresh, or defrosted Salt, pepper, Szechuan pepper (optional) 1 strip of orange rind (1in by 2in) 1t honey 1T dark soy sauce 1T olive oil 1 1/4 cups stock. 2T sugar 1T toasted pignoli nuts Chopped parsley Macerate the currants overnight in the vinegar. Remove the neck and wing tips of the duck and chop them into 1in chunks. Season the cavity with the salt and the peppers, and put the rind inside. Truss the bird. Mix the honey with the soy sauce and brush the bird with it. Roast the duck for 2 1/2 hours at 325F. After 45 min prick the skin below the breast to release the fat. Remove fat regularly (with a baster) and evry time you do it, tilt the duck to get the juices out of the cavity in the roasting pan. Brown the wings and necks in olive oil. Discard oil. Build an essence by adding the stock in four addition. Reduce well to about 1/4 cup. Strain into a clean saucepan and add the currants and their vinegar. Cook the sugar to the dark (almost bitter) stage and disolve it with the remaining 1/4 cup stock. Discard half of the mixture. (It's very difficult to make less caramel than that without burning it.) When the duck is done, set it aside and keep it hot. Discard all fat from roasting pan and deglaze well with the caramel-stock mixture. Strain the deglazing into the currant-vinegar-essence mixture and simmer together 5 min to mix flavors. Present the whole duck to the table, then go back and cut it in two portions of one breast and one leg each topped with the sauce, toasted pignoli nuts, and chopped parsley. Serve with the pears on the same plate. Sauteed Pears (Poires-legumes) 2 firm Bosc pears 1 T butter ground ginger or ground cloves salt and pepper scallion rings Peel, halve and core the pears. (It doesn't matter if they brown) Brown well the pears in butter first the flat side and then the round one. Remove from heat and season with ginger or cloves, salt, and pepper and let stand covered for 5 min. To serve cut each half on the in 1/4 in slices almost to the top and flatten each half to fan out the slices. Dot with scallion rings. Cardamom and Bourbon Ice Cream (Cr`eme glac'ee a la cardamome) (Serves up to 6) This must be started four days in advance!! 1 slice dried pineapple with no artificial anything (get it from a helath food store) cut in small bits. 3T Jack Daniels 6 egg yolks 1/4 cup sugar half pinch salt 1T pure vanilla extract 3/4 T cardamom powder 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup light cream or half and half. 2T sour cream. Macerate the pineapple bits in bourbon for two days. Mix well the yolks, the sugar and and the salt, but without making much foam. Add the vanilla and the cardamom. Scald the heavy and light cream together and gradually stir them into the yolk mixture. Thicken over medium heat, whisk well till cool, add the sour cream, mix well, and strain over the pineapple. Chill overnight. Process in an ice cream maker and let ripen for 24 hours. Serve in nice glasses by itself. (It is very soft!) - Andrei
todd@ur-helheim.UUCP (Mr. Todd A. Jackson) (11/20/85)
In article <993@lll-crg.ARpA> booter@lll-crg.ARpA (Elaine Richards) writes: > >So, folks... I put the question to you. What would you cook for a new >lover, date, honey or whatchamacallit ? ***ROCKY MOUNTAIN FLOAT*** 1) Put 5 Rocky Mountain Oysters in a blender. 2) Blend until appearance is smooth and inviting. 3) Add Milk and blend until creamy. 4) Add Sweetmeats to taste. 5) Beaming with pride, pour mixture into a fountain glass. 6) Chicken out and pour contents of glass down sink. 7) Make some Spaghetti. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I'm so miserable without you, it's like having you around." {seismo,allegra,decvax}!rochester!ur-valhalla!todd -------------------------------------------------------------------------
swc@cbsck.UUCP (Scott W. Collins) (11/20/85)
~ What to cook for your SO: Why.... one, long string of spaghetti, of course. [Not too long, though. Perhaps some sauce with it]. Scott
pooh@unirot.UUCP (Pooh) (11/21/85)
In article <1235@jhunix.UUCP>, ins_aeas@jhunix.UUCP (Earle A .Sugar) writes: > You mean that the standard dinnerware purloined from the freshman dining hall > years ago won't do? The 1/2 cup soup bowls and 4 ounce soda glasses are > great for keeping meal costs down, and the spoons make nice pieces of modern > sculpture if you try to use them with ice cream or pudding :-). I think we're getting too far into the form region and not enough into the content, guys. . . China and crystal are romantic, but not necessary and can become intimidating. It's WHAT you cook, and in what spirit you do it, that makes all the difference. Some of the most romantic meals I've had have been a cheese omelette (great for those student budgets), spaghetti (with the sauce made from scratch and fussed over unto death), and a beef jerky stew, cooked under a picnic table as heavy rains washed away half the downstream camping grounds. I seem to recall advising someone on this net to cook his best chili for someone, and now they're living together. . . But I have an especial weakness for anyone who makes anything with chocolate. . . > Disclaimer:"I doubt anyone else here agrees with me." Oh, I don't think that's true. I do. :-) Pooh topaz!unipress!pooh topaz!unirot!pooh I'll get down and play in the mud To be wit' you, my spud. . .
amc@whuts.UUCP (Andy Cohill) (11/25/85)
All I can say is, these people obsessed with what to have for dinner
must not have very good sex lives...
Barbara Wagner (a friend of Andy's)
(just on the net for the day...)
guy@slu70.UUCP (Guy M. Smith) (11/25/85)
Also, most of the guests that I have had over > generally want something more interesting than water to drink (try this > great dessert beverage: moderately strong coffe flavored with Hershey's > Cocoa, cream, vanilla extract, and maybe a little liqueur, depending > on to whom it is being served). > -- An alternative dessert coffee is to simply add a cardomom pod (or a few seeds, I don't know about powdered) to your coffee before you grind it (you mean you don't grind your coffee yourself-:)?). It gives the coffee a subtle and slightly exotic flavor that I find just right. I should note that I also drink black french roast coffee that is dark enough to obscure all but about the top half inch of a spoon so experiment if you prefer a lesser brew-:).
booter@lll-crg.ARpA (Elaine Richards) (11/27/85)
In article <395@whuts.UUCP> amc@whuts.UUCP (Andy Cohill) writes: >All I can say is, these people obsessed with what to have for dinner >must not have very good sex lives... > >Barbara Wagner (a friend of Andy's) > (just on the net for the day...) Not if you have dinner in the nude.... E *****
broder@magic.ARPA (11/28/85)
In article <395@whuts.UUCP> amc@whuts.UUCP (Andy Cohill's friend) writes: >All I can say is, these people obsessed with what to have for dinner >must not have very good sex lives... > >Barbara Wagner (a friend of Andy's) > (just on the net for the day...) > On the contrary, I claim that anyone who doesn't enjoy the pleasures, the variety and the refinements of good dining (which mostly involves taste and smell, but also touch, sight, and imagination) will probably not show much interest and sophistication in the pursuit of sensuous pleasures of any sort. For a well known counter example to B.W.'s statement, Casanova's memoirs contain a great deal of gastronomical reminiscences. Mimi Sheraton says ``According to my rough calculations, it took an average of four meals to bed down any wench he [Casanova] fancied, and every campaign included an assortment of big dinners and little suppers (Roquefort and Chambertin were his favorites after midnight), intimate luncheons and carefully planned breakfasts, these last served usually in the lady's bedroom, with the lady herself popped up in bed.'' - Andrei
tron@fluke.UUCP (Peter Barbee) (12/04/85)
>> So, folks... I put the question to you. What would you cook for a new >> lover, date, honey or whatchamacallit ? > > How does this sound: homemade deep dish Chicago style pizza, fresh >garlic bread, and maybe tortellini for dessert. > > Or, stir fried cashew chicken in lemon and ginger sauce, served with >egg rolls (from a deli, not frozen) with homemade hot mustard, with >hot sake for a beverage. Dessert could be home made dark chocolate mousse, >although it doesn't really fit the geographical origin of the main course >(who cares; I love chocolate mousse:)). I dunno Earl, sounds kinda yuppie to me. :-) Peter B
tron@fluke.UUCP (Peter Barbee) (12/04/85)
Cooking for that special someone (especially the first time); To me the mood is as important as the meal, things like candles, flowers, a nicely done table, and ,of course, good tunes. It's a lot of fun to do the shopping *with* the person if that works out, I'm recalling (quite fondly) an episode several months ago that revolved around most of a day spent noodling around our farmers market looking at this and that, eventually buying ingredients for a elegantly simple meal. As far as people "being obsessed with what to have not having a very good sex life" (excuse the paraphrase) you can most kindly shove off. If you think so little of a discussion is it necessary to insult it? Or did you just want to make sure we knew what you thought? Gosh thanks, I'll ask you before I post again. Peter B
mogul@Shasta.ARPA (12/12/85)
From Andrei Broder: > For a well known counter example to B.W.'s statement, Casanova's > memoirs contain a great deal of gastronomical reminiscences. Mimi > Sheraton says ``According to my rough calculations, it took an > average of four meals to bed down any wench he [Casanova] fancied, > and every campaign included an assortment of big dinners and little > suppers (Roquefort and Chambertin were his favorites after midnight), > intimate luncheons and carefully planned breakfasts, these last > served usually in the lady's bedroom, with the lady herself popped up > in bed.'' Hence the term "pop-up menus".