If Indiana is right in the heart of the Midwest, then I must be living on the west coast. Better start learning the language. "Gag me with a spoon"? And why go crazy because someone uses more salt that you want? Don't you think you could, let's see. hmmm, maybe use less?? Recipes are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Recipes will often vary, even when followed to the letter depending on a number of variables. I seldom follow a recipe to the letter since I might not happen to have the free range grapes, cage free milk or organic Vanilla Wafers that Marco Pierre White's recipe might call for. I often will add spice I like and tone down or eliminate what I don't like. Amish/Mennonite, etc cooking has a lot of crossover with what some people term "Midwest" cooking. If you consider Indiana "midwest" then I exempt this from consideration. However the midwest of the United States are generally or at least were, big farming areas and Amish/Mennonite, etc were also big farmers. Meat, potatoes, bread, coffee, milk, dessert was your typical farm fare. The midwest didn't use much in the way of rice however certain areas, including the upper midwest would have wild rice available and that could be included in the later menus. Native Americans of course used wild rice much more heavily than many others until others found out how great it is. Actually you'll find a lot of crossover in German, even Russian and certain other ethnic types of foods when they're living in a colder climate and doing a lot of hard work, but then again considering the number of Scandinavians. Germans, etc who populated the area, it shouldn't be a surprise. But the food changed to adapt to what's around. You won't go to Norway, Sweden, Germany, Russia, etc and find the same things. Just as "cajun" or "creole" won't be found in France, and probably not much in the French areas of Canada. As Annie said, hearty meals were needed for the heavy workload on a typical farm. You'd rise early and work late and burn a lot of calories. Actually what many people term "comfort foods" is quite common among both the A/M/etc and midwest farmers. You won't find finger sandwiches, consumme or sushi on these menus. You will find hearty soup, stew, roast, meatloaf, pasta and much much more. You'll also find a lot of pies, cakes, cookies and rolls. You'll find great breads, rolls, etc. Around here, mac & cheese is essentially baby food. A blue box and a package of Corn King hotdogs fed many a toddler by a new mother. Never could stomach mac & cheese. No meat, why bother. Watching Cookin' Cheap is different. Two gay guys doing their "cooking" and then dressing in drag to show a gadget of some sort. A pickle slicer, nut cracker or whatever. The "Cook Sisters". Initially it was to show people you could cook cheap. They'd figure out the cost of something and figure per portion. Although if they had a leftover from something before, they didn't include it in the price and would come out with 58¢ per person "meals". One thought he knew how to cook and the other admitted he knew nothing but would try anything. They both fancied themselves far better standup comedians that I would. Watch it sometime, it's, well, different. I wouldn't say it's funny very often, but entertaining usually. Actually hotdish for the food, (and go ahead and debate "food" if you're a Miracle Whip snob) and "hot dish" describes the ladies cooking or the temperature of the plate. Scalloped potatoes and ham is a type of hotdish. Marilyn's Party Potatoes, sometimes called "funeral potatoes" is a hotdish, etc. People stick out their tongues and stick their noses in the air over foods. Yes, some will be a can of cream soup with a can of something and a package of onion soup mix. But then again, people buy "blue box", TV dinners and produce from Walmart for cryin out loud! LOL Contrary to what a couple of you believe, not one of the terms hotdishes, A/M/etc or midwest cooking mean all from a can or a pouch. It can and often is made from scratch. The shortcuts are more publicized since it's a timesaver and many people who hit the net want to save time. I would defy most anyone to have tasted and claim they didn't like the scalloped potatoes and ham that was served at my aunt's funeral, or for that matter the roast beef and mashed potatoes served at my cousin's funeral or any of my mother's holiday meals, all made from scratch. I'll take that any day over foo-foo food! Or for that matter the Tex-Mex you get at Taco Bell, or the seafood from Long John Silver, or should I continue... Back to topic, a couple other shows I enjoyed watching included the Galloping drunk, er, Gourmet though never really learned much from his shows. When Andrew Zimmern was a local cook he was interesting to see on the local channels before he decided to concentrate on bugs and exotic roadkill.

Ok, so we're already going to go to Katz's and to Nathan's (although, of course Nathan has been to Nathan's multiple times before but I wanted to go again). He's been to Bobby Flay's which I wanted to go to but I also wanted to take him someplace he hasn't been yet. We're planning on going to Eataly during the day so we might do lunch there if we can easily get into one of the places without waiting in long lines. And we're going to Jeng Fung (recommended by a native New Yorker) for dim sum. Also, planning to hit wichcraft, although not Tom Colicchio's prime restaurant, I know that a lot of it is hype and I know that celeb places aren't necessarily the best places to eat in the world. But we live in Houston. We have TONS of restaurants here. I mean tons. And tons of nice places too. So I have a sort of different perspective on the whole thing. I mean, we're not going to go to NY with our eyes popping out and our jaws dropping at the sight of nice restaurants. But it would be nice to eat something we can't get in Houston. Really good Italian and really good Chinese food (we have tons of both Italian and Chinese but not REALLY GOOD of either) are about the only thing we don't have an overabundance of here. And celebrity spots. So what the heck. Honestly, I'm not going in hopes of seeing someone, I probably wouldn't recognize them anyway!! LOL But just for something in the way of a different experience. I do like the idea of the circle line tour at sunset, that sounds pretty cool. I tried to talk Nathan into the seaport museum but he's not interested. And we've been to the Ground Zero display which I think is there till they build the permanent one. Very moving. And we're pretty much going to have to find a place that serves vegetarian. I don't think Ben is impressed enough with any of these "names" to eat any kind of meat, especially fish which he never liked. Which is too bad because some of these seafood places sound to die for! Currently leaning toward Lidia's place. At least I've seen her on TV (dvd) and know who she is! :)

That really does sound like a great dinner, Laurie, LOL, and all leftovers from the frig! Haven't made the torte yet, I have quite a few recipes bookmarked in this book that I'd like to make. Haven't gotten to any yet. She's a little wordy on a lot of the recipes, and I've made recipes from her other books that all turned out really well. Here's the apple torte recipe, let me know how it turns out! Looks good! Apple Torte with Bread Crumb and Hazelnut Crust (Torta Di Mele Di Carnia) Lidia Bastianich (Lidias Italy) Apples grow well in the Carnic Mountains, in the northern part of Friuli, and are used in many desserts. This delicious double-crusted tart reflects the deep-rooted frugality of cooks in this tough mountainous terrain. The crust is made with bread crumbs taken from stale bread, probably because of the scarcity of white flour and the time it takes to make a refined pastry dough. But the results, in the Carnic spirit, are delicious. Makes a 9-inch tart, serving 8 or more For the bread crumb crust: 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted 1 1/2 cups fine dry bread crumbs 6 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest 3/4 cup milk 6 tablespoons butter, plus a bit for the tart pan flour for rolling out the dough For the apple filling: 2 pounds (or a bit more) tart, firm apples such as Granny Smith 1/2 cup sugar, or more to taste 1 cup hard (fermented) apple cider or dry white wine Whipped cream or sour cream or ice cream or powdered sugar (optional) Recommended Equipment: A wide, heavy-bottomed 3- or 4-quart saucepan, with a cover A 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom A pizza stone or oven tiles, if available To make the pastry dough, chop the toasted hazelnuts into small bits, about the size of barley or rice grains, using a chef's knife, or pulse in a food processor, in short bursts to avoid pulverizing. Mix the chopped nuts with the bread crumbs, sugar, and grated lemon zest in a big bowl. Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan just until the butter melts. Pour over the dry mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Let the very sticky dough sit in the bowl for about 15 minutes, so the liquids are absorbed by the crumbs. Scrape dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, enclose it, and press into a disk. Refrigerate the dough for an hour or more, until it is quite firm. To make the filling, peel, core, and slice the apples; you should have 6 to 7 cups of slices. Spread them in the saucepan; pour the sugar and the cider or wine on top; cover the pan, and set it over medium heat. Cook covered for about 10 minutes, gently turning the apples every few minutes, as they wilt and release their juices. Uncover the pan; adjust the heat to keep the liquid perking and slowly reducing. Turn the slices over frequently but carefully, so they stay intact. When the liquid has all evaporated and the apples are soft and nicely glazed, turn off the heat and let the apples cool. When you're ready to form the pastry and bake, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven (covered with a baking stone or tiles, preferably) and heat it to 375°. Lightly butter the tart ring and removable metal bottom. Cut off a third of the chilled disk of dough for the top crust, and set it aside. On a well-floured surface, roll the remaining two-thirds of the dough to a 12-inch-diameter circle, almost 1/4 inch thick, more like a cookie dough than a pie crust. Flour the rolling pin and work surface as needed to prevent sticking. Lift the round and lay it, centered, on the tart pan. Press the dough down so it lines the pan bottom and sides, and trim the edges so there's an even 1/2 inch of dough over the rim of the tart ring, all around. Spread the cooled apple slices on the bottom crust, in an even layer. Roll out the smaller piece of dough into a 9-inch round, the same thickness as the first. Lay it loosely over the filling, and trim the outside edges to fit snugly inside the bottom crust, covering the apples like a lid. Fold the overlapping bottom crust over the top piece, and pinch and smooth the dough layers together, sealing the apples inside. Place the torta in the oven, and bake for an hour or longer, until the top crust is deep golden brown and the outer crust has separated slightly from the side ring. The top crust may crack open, and you should be able to see the apple filling bubbling inside. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool. When the torta has cooled and the crust has firmed up, remove the side ring. If you wish, use a long metal spatula to separate the bottom crust from the metal disk, and slide the torta onto a board or cake plate. Serve cut in wedges, warm with ice cream, or completely cool with powdered sugar and some kind of cream.

*Update - Well, the four of us did make it to The Chew on Tuesday and the show they were taping will be shown in most of the country on Friday, May 24th. It was very interesting to see how they shot the segments so out of sequence of the finished product. The tasters were filmed tasting the food before the hosts even began to prepare it. We completed a fun day with a visit to the American Folk Art Museum, late lunch at an Irish pub, a stop at Zabar's and some general roaming around. We took advantage of a new senior rate at one of the local bus companies for $21.50 round trip, which was a great savings. The only downside was that the show gave us these huge insulated tote bags filled with product placement samples, including a microplane zester, boxes of pasta, and large glass jars of Hellman's mayo. I like to travel light and didn't plan on toting all that around. All five co-hosts were there and interacted with the audience in between takes. Carla Hall is my favorite. We couldn't take photos during the shooting but I took one just before it started. I am truly blessed to have friends with adventuresome spirits.