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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / April 2006fondue dinner
We invited friends over for an oil fondue dinner. Such fun! They brought a spinach salad with strawberries, walnuts, and an herbed Greek cheese. To cook in the oil we had buffalo and beef cubes (from, as they call it around here, Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods), but man was it good), plus breaded mushrooms and cheeses (Edam and Haloumi). The dips were mango chutney, dijon mustard, sour cream + horseradish, cocktail sauce, and a thick teriyaki sauce with lots of ginger and garlic. To complete the travesty, we hit up Coldstone Creamery just as it was closing for some extra-fatty ice cream. Our friends have a massive collection of board games, so we played some of those until it got late enough that our brains couldn't interpret the instructions anymore (a lot of board games are in German, with hit or miss translations of the instructions). Fondue is such a great way to eat and hang out -- just the logistics of the skewers provide plenty of entertainment. It does get very easy to eat just as much food as is on the table, though.  Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca It sounds like a great evening! Joy > We invited friends over for an oil fondue dinner. Such fun! > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > of the skewers provide plenty of entertainment. It does get very easy > to eat just as much food as is on the table, though. > We invited friends over for an oil fondue dinner. Such fun! > > They brought a spinach salad with strawberries, walnuts, and an herbed > Greek cheese. Probably Feta :) Delicious! Makes a great addition to spinach quiche. > To cook in the oil we had buffalo and beef cubes (from, as they call > it around here, Whole Paycheck (Whole Foods), but man was it good), > plus breaded mushrooms and cheeses (Edam and Haloumi). I've heard Whole Foods called that before. There are none around here. > The dips were mango chutney, dijon mustard, sour cream + horseradish, > cocktail sauce, and a thick teriyaki sauce with lots of ginger and > garlic. Yum! and Yummer! > Fondue is such a great way to eat and hang out -- just the logistics > of the skewers provide plenty of entertainment. It does get very easy > to eat just as much food as is on the table, though. I love a good fondue! I've never tried doing the meat in oil fondue but the traditional Swiss cheese fondue with veggies and bread cubes is just as much fun. Years ago (that is, before Y2K) I found a fondue pot on sale at Bed Bath & Beyond and my friend sent me to pick one up for her. We wound up doing fondue at the office but she did a chocolate fondue and brought in fresh strawberries, bananas and pineapple chunks to dunk in the chocolate. Oh mine isn't an electric fondue pot. Sterno is your friend :) Denatured alcohol burners can be dangerous. I can attest to this! Glad you had a great time! Jill >> They brought a spinach salad with strawberries, walnuts, and an >> herbed Greek cheese. >> > Probably Feta :) Delicious! Makes a great addition to spinach > quiche. It definitely wasn't feta. Some kind of goat cheese (maybe it wasn't Greek at all; are there non-Greek goat cheeses?). Herby, but not pungent in the same way as feta. I do love feta, though. > I've heard Whole Foods called that before. There are none around > here. The meat was very good, but I don't want to say what we paid for those two pounds. One of the topics of discussion was organic meat, as one friend's parents raise cattle. He said they don't qualify as organic because they use antibiotics on sick animals. They liken completely non-antibiotic meat to never going to the doctor, say there can be all sorts of worms and who knows what. I would imagine it's more likely that those cows aren't used for beef (which would explain a lot about the prices). > I love a good fondue! I've never tried doing the meat in oil fondue > but the traditional Swiss cheese fondue with veggies and bread cubes [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > did a chocolate fondue and brought in fresh strawberries, bananas > and pineapple chunks to dunk in the chocolate. I worry about burning the chocolate or cheese -- it seems much more involved. But maybe I'll try it eventually. There's a place called The Melting Pot around here where you can do all sorts of fondue, but I've never been there. > Oh mine isn't an electric fondue pot. Sterno is your friend :) > Denatured alcohol burners can be dangerous. I can attest to this! My parents have a sterno one. I really like the electric one we got (got it from Amazon about a month ago). It maintains an even temp, and it's non-stick, so it's really easy to clean. One interesting (weird) thing is that the cable is magnetic, so it can detach really easily. I'd never seen anything like that before. It means that if someone accidentally yanks on the cord, it just detaches rather than pouring a liter of hot oil on everyone. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> I love a good fondue! I've never tried doing the meat in oil fondue >> but the traditional Swiss cheese fondue with veggies and bread cubes [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > The Melting Pot around here where you can do all sorts of fondue, but > I've never been there. We have The Melting Pot here, too. I've never been there. I remember a couple of years back they advertised New Years Eve dinner "*only* $99 per person including a complimentary glass of champagne at midnight!" I thought to myself, heh, I can do fondue at home for a heck of a lot less than that and have all the champagne I want, too! >> Oh mine isn't an electric fondue pot. Sterno is your friend :) >> Denatured alcohol burners can be dangerous. I can attest to this! [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > someone accidentally yanks on the cord, it just detaches rather than > pouring a liter of hot oil on everyone. That's a nifty feature if you have an electric one. A lap full of hot cheese sauce wouldn't be much fun, either ;) Jill > We have The Melting Pot here, too. I've never been there. I > remember a couple of years back they advertised New Years Eve dinner > "*only* $99 per person including a complimentary glass of champagne > at midnight!" I thought to myself, heh, I can do fondue at home for > a heck of a lot less than that and have all the champagne I want, > too! Ouch! I'd have to agree with you. Even after the cost of the meat, the four of us ate for a lot less than that. Then again, there would have been a lot of in-progress cleanup or several fondue pots necessary if we wanted to also do chocolate fondue for dessert. > That's a nifty feature if you have an electric one. A lap full of > hot cheese sauce wouldn't be much fun, either ;) Not at all! Some people gave this fondue set negative reviews for having this style of cord attachment, which granted can come loose pretty easily. I think they must have a screw loose. The power cord *is* awfully short, but it's easy enough to add an extension cord. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> We have The Melting Pot here, too. I've never been there. I >> remember a couple of years back they advertised New Years Eve dinner [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > have been a lot of in-progress cleanup or several fondue pots > necessary if we wanted to also do chocolate fondue for dessert. But to my way of thinking, you are "cooking" your own food. Doesn't make sense to me to go somewhere and pay to cook your own food. There is a steakhouse here where you grill your own steaks on a braii that is wheeled to your table. It's a top dollar restaurant. Why go to a restaurant and cook your own steak at $40 a pop? Okay, so they'll bring you a baked potato and some fries and a salad. Big whup! >> That's a nifty feature if you have an electric one. A lap full of >> hot cheese sauce wouldn't be much fun, either ;) [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > pretty easily. I think they must have a screw loose. The power cord > *is* awfully short, but it's easy enough to add an extension cord. Now that's funny. Do they think you're going to be eating standing in the kitchen where there is an electric outlet right on the wall next to the stove or at the table in the dining room where the nearest outlet is probably a good 4-6 feet away from the table? Jill >>> We have The Melting Pot here, too. I've never been there. I >>> remember a couple of years back they advertised New Years Eve dinner [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Jill Its a legal thing. They don't want to provide a cord long enough to touch the floor and get tripped over. If you add your own longer cord, then its your own fault if you get hurt so you can't sue them. Jo > Its a legal thing. They don't want to provide a cord long enough to > touch the floor and get tripped over. If you add your own longer > cord, then its your own fault if you get hurt so you can't sue them. Ah. That makes a sad sense. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> Ouch! I'd have to agree with you. Even after the cost of the >> meat, the four of us ate for a lot less than that. Then again, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > so they'll bring you a baked potato and some fries and a salad. Big > whup! Well, I for one don't own a braii (what's a braii?) > Now that's funny. Do they think you're going to be eating standing > in the kitchen where there is an electric outlet right on the wall > next to the stove or at the table in the dining room where the > nearest outlet is probably a good 4-6 feet away from the table? Indeed. Actually, we have been doing this at the kitchen table, but the cord is only about 3 feet long, if that, and about the only way that could be sufficient is if the table itself somehow has an outlet! Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >>> Ouch! I'd have to agree with you. Even after the cost of the >>> meat, the four of us ate for a lot less than that. Then again, [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >Well, I for one don't own a braii (what's a braii?) Judging from the results of a Google search, braii is the South African term for a barbecue grill. In the situation described above, a gas grill seems more likely than a charcoal or electric grill. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria >Well, I for one don't own a braii (what's a braii?) another word for a BBQ. It is what BBQs are called in South Africa, so now I'm interested in why Jill uses that term :^) Tish, who now has a hankerin' for boerewors (a kind of beef and pork farmer's sausage spiced with cumin, corriander and a touch of cloves) >> Well, I for one don't own a braii (what's a braii?) >> > another word for a BBQ. It is what BBQs are called in South Africa, > so now I'm interested in why Jill uses that term :^) I chat with a woman who lives in South Africa and that's what she calls them; guess it just rubbed off on me :) Sounds better than saying someone wheels a BBQ grill up to your table in a restaurant! > Tish, who now has a hankerin' for boerewors (a kind of beef and pork > farmer's sausage spiced with cumin, corriander and a touch of cloves) Sounds good; I'll have to ask her about that! >>> Well, I for one don't own a braii (what's a braii?) >>> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Sounds good; I'll have to ask her about that! it's basically a heart attack on a plate (a good sausage is a fatty and somewhat salty sausage), but it taste's *so* good! It's difficult to limit ones-self to just a small portion. Tish > I chat with a woman who lives in South Africa and that's what she > calls them; guess it just rubbed off on me :) Sounds better than > saying someone wheels a BBQ grill up to your table in a restaurant! Ahh! We had a great grilled dinner tonight with the leftovers from yesterday's fondue. Grilled the rest of the sinfully thick steak, grilled the hadoumi (sp?) on some foil (I don't recommend this -- the cheese is soft enough to stick to the foil. Would a cookie sheet survive grilling?), and grilled the mushrooms in foil pouches with butter and garlic. [Warning to vegetarians -- possibly gross meat description ahead] Something about either living in Colorado or living with a "rare" kind of meat-eater has significantly changed my steak eating habits. I used to go for well-done. Then for a while I was doing medium-well. I couldn't stand the "bloody" meat DH ate. Something's changed, though. I'm finding that the steak tastes best to me when the center is rare enough to be red and stretchy. It's crazy! And when DH and I split the steak this evening, we *both* thought it was perfect. I probably would have retched a couple of years ago. It may have something to do with having such amazingly high quality beef so readily available here. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > I chat with a woman who lives in South Africa and that's what she calls > them; guess it just rubbed off on me :) Sounds better than saying someone > wheels a BBQ grill up to your table in a restaurant! Hey, I wouldn't mind that! Guess it would have to be out on the patio, though. > > Tish, who now has a hankerin' for boerewors (a kind of beef and pork > > farmer's sausage spiced with cumin, corriander and a touch of cloves) > Sounds good; I'll have to ask her about that! That does sound extremely yummy. Joyce > The meat was very good, but I don't want to say what we paid for those > two pounds. One of the topics of discussion was organic meat, as one [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > that those cows aren't used for beef (which would explain a lot about > the prices). The organic beef vendor at our local market says that they use antibiotics on cows if necessary but that they then receive a different ear tag. They go to the slaughterhouse on a different day and are sold as regular beef. They do not deny the animals medical treatment. Susan M Otis and Chester > The organic beef vendor at our local market says that they use > antibiotics on cows if necessary but that they then receive a > different ear tag. They go to the slaughterhouse on a different day > and are sold as regular beef. They do not deny the animals medical > treatment. That makes a lot of sense. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >It definitely wasn't feta. Some kind of goat cheese (maybe it wasn't >Greek at all; are there non-Greek goat cheeses?). Herby, but not >pungent in the same way as feta. I do love feta, though. I've had really fresh non-pungent feta. It's really delicious. >I worry about burning the chocolate or cheese -- it seems much more >involved. But maybe I'll try it eventually. There's a place called >The Melting Pot around here where you can do all sorts of fondue, but >I've never been there. Definitely worth the trip! I've been many times, with friends and family. Go with someone whose conversation you enjoy,though, cause you're going to have lots and lots of time to talk. It's not a place for a first date. If the date turns out to be a dud, you're stuck there for 3 and a half hours with him. lol So far I've been very lucky in my choice of dinner companions, and lots of fun was had by all. Bring lots of money, though. It can get pricey. Jane - owned and operated by Princess Rita > Definitely worth the trip! I've been many times, with friends and > family. Go with someone whose conversation you enjoy,though, cause [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Bring lots of money, though. It can get pricey. Is it really worth it if you hae all the fondue equipment yourself? Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> Definitely worth the trip! I've been many times, with friends and >> family. Go with someone whose conversation you enjoy,though, cause [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >Is it really worth it if you hae all the fondue equipment yourself? It is to me. I live alone, so a huge treat for me is ANY meal that I don't have to cook or clean up after. I don't know about that 'special', but I've never spent more than $40 for a meal. Jane > It is to me. I live alone, so a huge treat for me is ANY meal that > I don't have to cook or clean up after. Same here. I like eating with out with friends. Winnie > I don't know about that 'special', but I've never spent more than > $40 for a meal. > > Jane > It is to me. I live alone, so a huge treat for me is ANY meal that > I don't have to cook or clean up after. Interesting how people do things differently. I eat at home much more (still fairly infrequently) now that I share a house with my husband. When I lived alone I ate out for just about every meal (or ordered in). > I don't know about that 'special', but I've never spent more than > $40 for a meal. I'm not sure what comment you're responding to with this. Are you saying the melting pot is definitely no more than $40 per person? Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> It is to me. I live alone, so a huge treat for me is ANY meal that >> I don't have to cook or clean up after. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > I'm not sure what comment you're responding to with this. Are you > saying the melting pot is definitely no more than $40 per person? I think she's responding to my reply to you about the $40 for a steak dinner at the place where you grill your own steak at the table. I live alone and I rarely eat out. Even when I'm on the road with John I try to find us a place with a kitchenette so we can cook up our own meals and go out only a couple of times in a week. It's much less expensive but of course, you have to enjoy cooking, which I do :) Jill >> I don't know about that 'special', but I've never spent more than >> $40 for a meal. > >I'm not sure what comment you're responding to with this. Are you >saying the melting pot is definitely no more than $40 per person? Someone mentioned a holiday special that was 'only' $99 per person. Eek. Jane - owned and operated by Princess Rita >>> I don't know about that 'special', but I've never spent more than >>> $40 for a meal. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Jane > - owned and operated by Princess Rita Yes. that was me. With a complimentary glass of champagne at midnight! Oh boy! You get to cook your own food and then we'll give you a free glass of cheap champagne for only $99 a person! LOL Jill > Yes. that was me. With a complimentary glass of champagne at > midnight! Oh boy! You get to cook your own food and then we'll > give you a free glass of cheap champagne for only $99 a person! LOL Someone told me the other day that she took her two kids to the melting pot around here and it was $120 for the three of them, including two $9 glasses of wine (she hadn't realized how much they'd be). Which sounds a bit more reasonable than $99! Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >>>> I don't know about that 'special', but I've never spent more than >>>> $40 for a meal. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Jill Sounds better than the latest promotion here. Several of our "better" restaurants are owned by the same man. They are only just OK. Now there is an ad in the paper for a progressive dinner. You have appetizers at one of his restaurants, take a bus to another for the main course, the bus again to a third for desert and then back to the first where you can stay for drinks and dancing. I cannot fathom why anyone would want to do this, at any price. Jo > Sounds better than the latest promotion here. Several of our > "better" restaurants are owned by the same man. They are only just [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > I cannot fathom why anyone would want to do this, at any price. Really. Sounds like a lot of work. I go out to eat to *relax*. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >Sounds better than the latest promotion here. Several of our "better" >restaurants are owned by the same man. They are only just OK. Now there is [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >I cannot fathom why anyone would want to do this, at any price. How weird. WIth today's gas prices, why would anyone want to do that? Oh yeah, it's fun when you're going to a bunch of friends' houses, but restaurants? Hmm..maybe he's trying to start the foodie version of clubbing? Nah..I still can't fathom it, at TODAY's gas prices! (Yeah, I know it's higher overseas, folks, but $3 a gallon is still a big shock for us over here.) Jane - owned and operated by Princess Rita > Our friends have a massive collection of board games, so we played > some of those until it got late enough that our brains couldn't > interpret the instructions anymore (a lot of board games are in > German, with hit or miss translations of the instructions). Oh, are these games similar to Settlers of Catan and that type? Your dinner sounded fabulous! Joyce > > Our friends have a massive collection of board games, so we played > > some of those until it got late enough that our brains couldn't > > interpret the instructions anymore (a lot of board games are in > > German, with hit or miss translations of the instructions). > > Oh, are these games similar to Settlers of Catan and that type? They do have that, and in fact one of the rule sets said that it was based on settlers of catan. We played my personal favorite game, which is sort of like Uno with farm animals and buckets. Each of the five colors is associated to a different animal, and you get three buckets of each color and a bunch of cards. Someone plays a card -- say "2 chickens" -- and the next person has to be able to play at least 3 chickens. You can play up to three cards in one turn. If you can't beat the cards, you have to remove the bucket of the appropriate color (oh yeah, you have a pyramid of your 15 buckets), and all the buckets supported by that one have to go, too. Ah. It's called The Bucket King: http://www.boardgamesusa.com/cgi-bin/item/111283&source=froogle&kw=bgusa That game has just the right mix, for me, of smack talk and silliness. We added a "house rule" that the loser had to make the sound of the animal they'd just lost to. We played a few other games, too. One in which every player is trying to be the first to connect their five cities via Railroad. Another really odd one in which you're trying to seat people in a cafe, matching nationalities and pairing male/female (that one had some pretty disturbingly stereotypical pictures). > Your dinner sounded fabulous! Very yummy, very fun! Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > We played my personal favorite game, which > is sort of like Uno with farm animals and buckets. That sounds hilarious! > That game has just the right mix, for me, of smack talk and silliness. What is "smack talk"? I've never heard that expression before. But I know what you mean about enjoying silly games. I usually prefer games that emphasize socializing over ones that are more competitive. I get very tense in competitive games and don't find it fun. But social games, such as "Pictionary" (or Charades, which Pictionary was based on, essentially), are very relaxing and enjoyable to me. > We added a "house rule" that the loser had to make the sound of the > animal they'd just lost to. LOL!!! Joyce > What is "smack talk"? I've never heard that expression before. around here, "talking smack" usually means (good natured) insults. >> What is "smack talk"? I've never heard that expression before. > > around here, "talking smack" usually means (good natured) insults. Weird, my news server doesn't have Joyce's post. Anyway, yup, that's what I meant. The farm animal theme makes it hard to take anything seriously, which makes it more fun to razz people, I think. "13 chickens! Beat that!" "No bull!" "One piggy. One little piggy went to the market ..." Okay, it's a silly game. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > Anyway, yup, that's what I meant. The farm animal theme makes it hard > to take anything seriously, which makes it more fun to razz people, I > think. > "13 chickens! Beat that!" > "No bull!" > "One piggy. One little piggy went to the market ..." > Okay, it's a silly game. Sounds as though certain substances might enhance the experience. :) Joyce > > Anyway, yup, that's what I meant. The farm animal theme makes it > > hard to take anything seriously, which makes it more fun to razz [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Sounds as though certain substances might enhance the experience. :) They probably would, but we were all mostly lucid. A couple of drinks, but no one was sloshed. This time =) Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> > Anyway, yup, that's what I meant. The farm animal theme makes it >> > hard to take anything seriously, which makes it more fun to razz [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >They probably would, but we were all mostly lucid. A couple of >drinks, but no one was sloshed. This time =) It sounds like lots of fun! >>They probably would, but we were all mostly lucid. A couple of >>drinks, but no one was sloshed. This time =) > > It sounds like lots of fun! Definitely! Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca > Fondue is such a great way to eat and hang out -- just the logistics > of the skewers provide plenty of entertainment. It does get very easy > to eat just as much food as is on the table, though. I once tried a fondue party but didn't take into account the logistics - I invited a dozen people. Think of a dozen people all trying to get at the pot, and you'll see the problem. :-( Chak SignatureIn a rational society we would want our presidents to be teachers. In our actual society, we insist they be cheerleaders. --Steve Allen >> Fondue is such a great way to eat and hang out -- just the >> logistics of the skewers provide plenty of entertainment. It does [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > logistics - I invited a dozen people. Think of a dozen people all > trying to get at the pot, and you'll see the problem. :-( Eep! Yeah, I think you need one pot per four people, which would take up an awful lot of room. I like the idea of four people because it's nice and cozy, lots of opportunity to gab =) Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca |
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