Is anyone watching Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares? I saw a few episodes of this in England this past summer, and now he is doing an American version. I know he has a foul mouth and a violent temper. I've never watched Hell's Kitchen cause watching a grown man yell at and demean people and throw pots and pans isn't my idea of entertainment. But so far he has been absolutely spot on with his observations and criticisms of some of the American eating establishments he has visited and turned around. He seems very perceptive about the weak spots at each restaurant and knows exactly who to point the finger at!

Not really. If you're in a circumstance where you will seriously have to go hungry if you don't eat food that isn't kosher, it's permissible to eat anything you can obtain that will contribute to your good health. In practice, that doesn't really come into play in a modern life of plenty. There is a very very strong prohibition against embarrassing someone. Some people who keep kosher will eat whatever is put in front of them when they're a guest in someone's home (assuming it is not immediately injurious to health (e.g., rotten) which is the highest standard) on the basis that it's more important not to embarrass the host than to not eat the traif (not kosher) food. Little children aren't responsible for keeping kosher, but they are responsible for minding their parents and learning. Sometimes they'll be given milk after meat without waiting the customary period, but they are generally given only kosher food to eat and told not to take food from people they don't know and trust. The meaning of "becoming a man" at a Bar Mitzvah is becoming responsible for following the laws, not ending childhood completely. Anything that you really need to do for your health is acceptable. If you can find something as good for you that allows you to keep kosher that's better, but invalids aren't required to maintain kashrut. Neither are pregnant or nursing women who are in distress. That doesn't mean these people are going to be eating lobster, but they might eat a (kosher) butter biscuit after becoming nauseous eating meat, or might eat a gelatin in the hospital that isn't kosher. I'm no Catholic scholar, but I believe not eating meat is considered a "penance" and that there are other penances that may be substituted for it that are of equal weight. There is no "free pass" on kashrut because either something is fit to eat or it isn't.

I read recently that Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala were really the same dish, although the former name is more popular here in Canada and the latter is used in Britain. Hmmmm, my Madhur Jaffrey cookbook has recipes for both, and they are different. I often make Butter Chicken for a fairly splashy dinner party meal. Sorry, but it was Patek's jarred sauces that induced me to go back to making it from scratch. Chicken Makkhani (Butter Chicken) 1 recipe of tandoori chicken as below 4 Tbsp tomato paste + water to make 1 c. 1 cubic inch of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated 1 1/4 c. 10% cream 1 tsp garam masala (or curry powder) 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sugar 1 fresh hot green chilli, finely chopped 1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste) 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh green coriander 4 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp ground roasted cumin seeds 1/2 cup unsalted butter Combine tomato paste, water, ginger, cream, garam masala, salt, sugar, green chilli, cayenne, green coriander, lemon juice and ground cumin. Mix well. (These can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until needed) Prepare tandoori chicken. Heat butter in wide sauté pan or large frying pan. When melted, add combined liquid ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook on medium heat for a minute, whisking in the butter as you do so. Add the chicken pieces (but not any accumulated juices), Stir once and put chicken pieces on a warm serving platter. Spoon sauce over top and serve immediately. Tandoori Chicken Combine 2 Tbsp tandoori masala (recipe below, or use a commercial mix) with 2 Tbsp plain yogurt, 2 Tbsp lemon juice & 2 Tbsp veg oil. Marinate 1 kg skinless chicken parts (or use somewhat less boneless chicken) for 6-8 hrs minimum. Make a few gashes into the flesh of the chicken and rub the marinade into these for maximum infused flavour. Grill over HOT coals until done OR bake on a rack in 450F oven for about 30 min. Tandoori Masala 1 tsp Garlic (Lasun) Powder 1 tsp ground Ginger (Adrak) 1 tsp Cloves (Lavang) Powder 1/2 tsp grated Nutmeg (Jaiphal) 1 tsp Mace Powder (Javitri) 11/2 tblsp Cumin (Jeera) Powder 2 tblsp ground Corriander (Dhania) 1 tsp Fenugreek (Methi) Powder 1 tsp ground Cinnamon (Tuj/Dalchini) 1 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper (Kalimirchi) 1 tsp ground brown Cardamom (Elaichi) Seeds 2 tsp Red Food colouring

I normally prefer the blondies. I'm not a big chocolate fan normally. Occasional chocolate is fine.... except I have a weakness for my variation of Nathalie Dupree's "Mississippi Mud Bars" when I make the "Big Mistake" fudge frosting. I misread the recipe and it makes a great crumbly fudge frosting. Like a friend said one time "what is it? a piece of fudge on top of a brownie???" Well, yeah that's it exactly! The blondies I make are Franco Palumbo's Butterscotch Brownie recipe which is the same as above except he said to add 1/2 tsp of salt. Sometimes I'll put in butterscotch chips, vanilla chips or even chocolate chips. And I do gild the lily occasionally and top them with cashews when I want to reward myself for something... like being me?!