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From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Bite-Size Desserts'

Amaretti cookies, the kind you buy in the red tin.

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 81: A Frank Chat with Frank Bruni on Being 'Born Round'

I have mild gastroparesis, so eating too much—of ANYTHING—makes me feel really, really sick. The last time I seriously overate was back in March when my boyfriend took me out for fondue for my birthday. We were sharing and we only ate half our entree, but even so, I felt so terrible the next day that I now approach the very idea of fondue with some measure of trepidation. So if the definition of binging is eating too much, for me it's right out.

On the other hand, if you define binging as eating too many calories, I definitely have those days. The other night I was in the middle of eating a clam roll when I realized that I had been up a couple of pounds and really should have picked a healthier dinner. But the clam roll was ordered and sitting in front of me, so I merrily proceeded and just watched my calories especially carefully the next day. Some days... you just have to eat the clam roll. So to speak.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'What We Eat When We Eat Alone'

I eat scrambled eggs with American cheese on toast constantly. I also love to slice a Gala apple and eat it with peanut butter. And occasionally I'll make ham or turkey sandwiches with Seville orange marmalade or lingonberry preserves rather than mayo.

From Recipes

Sunday Brunch: Louisville Hot Brown Sandwich

Does the onion go into the cheese sauce? It's in the ingredient list, but I don't see it in the recipe.

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From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Bite-Size Desserts'

Amaretti cookies, the kind you buy in the red tin.

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 81: A Frank Chat with Frank Bruni on Being 'Born Round'

I have mild gastroparesis, so eating too much—of ANYTHING—makes me feel really, really sick. The last time I seriously overate was back in March when my boyfriend took me out for fondue for my birthday. We were sharing and we only ate half our entree, but even so, I felt so terrible the next day that I now approach the very idea of fondue with some measure of trepidation. So if the definition of binging is eating too much, for me it's right out.

On the other hand, if you define binging as eating too many calories, I definitely have those days. The other night I was in the middle of eating a clam roll when I realized that I had been up a couple of pounds and really should have picked a healthier dinner. But the clam roll was ordered and sitting in front of me, so I merrily proceeded and just watched my calories especially carefully the next day. Some days... you just have to eat the clam roll. So to speak.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'What We Eat When We Eat Alone'

I eat scrambled eggs with American cheese on toast constantly. I also love to slice a Gala apple and eat it with peanut butter. And occasionally I'll make ham or turkey sandwiches with Seville orange marmalade or lingonberry preserves rather than mayo.

From Recipes

Sunday Brunch: Louisville Hot Brown Sandwich

Does the onion go into the cheese sauce? It's in the ingredient list, but I don't see it in the recipe.

From Talk

What makes you feel better?

@lemonfair Spanakopita for me too!

Also egg noodles with butter and salt, Italian bread with butter or roasted garlic, rice pudding, peanut butter and honey on toast, strawberries sliced and tossed with a little sugar, or Dannon coffee yogurt (there can be only one).

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 75: Can (and Should) I Give Up the Flavored Liquid Habit?

I think the answer to the flavored drink question depends on what you're substituting the flavored drinks for. If you're having one when you're craving something sweet, and drinking it makes it easier for you to avoid a higher-calorie dessert, I don't see the harm. But if you're drinking them instead of water, that's not as good. It's all about what they do to your net calorie intake.

I'm not that worried about the possibly carcinogenic qualities of artificial sweeteners, but to me they just taste icky and are a little creepy (I'm not a big fan of artificial flavors in general). If you're having a beverage instead of a brownie, you can afford to have half seltzer and half juice, or maybe an Izze or one of the flavored Pellegrinos (mmm, Aranciata on a hot day). I always pour my carbonated beverages over a giant cup of ice. Makes 'em feel more satisfying.

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 74: Can My All-Pie Fourth of July Diet Work?

I'm afraid you're going to end up with the sugar crash to end all sugar crashes if you pursue the all-pie plan. Forget weight gain—if I did that I would feel absolutely awful the next morning, if not by the end of the day. I'm hypoglycemic, so I watch sugar particularly carefully, but I think insulin is too touchy a thing to mess with that much. I would think even a mostly-pie day would be fine, but make sure you eat some protein at some point.

From Talk

How do YOU make a tomato sandwich?

Mine's like an Italian hoagie without the meat and cheese: a good crusty sub roll with mayo, lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced onion, oil and vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano. It was back in my vegetarian days that I discovered that I like this sandwich just as well as the meat and cheese version.

I also like an everything bagel with cream cheese, tomato and red onion, but I don't think of that so much as a "tomato sandwich." Delicious, though.

If I had to get all minimalist, I'd just do white toast, mayo and tomato.

From Serious Eats

Who Makes the Best Vanilla Ice Cream?

I've always loved Breyers specifically because of the icy, light texture. It's suffered a bit since they started using some kind of gum (all natural, I'm sure) to make the texture creamier. The super-premium ice creams taste like butter to me. I find Haagen-Dazs vanilla tasty, but suitable only for topping, like whipped cream—I can't eat it straight.

From A Hamburger Today

My Baby Blues BBQ in West Hollywood

Google doesn't think lincolnberries exist. I don't either. Also, the combination of what are presumably lingonberries with mustard and bleu cheese sounds just awful.

From Talk

What Do You Put on Your Biscuit?

Blackcurrant or elderberry jam on a hot biscuit, or a sliver of Smithfield ham and a smear of sweet butter on a cold one.

From Talk

Guilty Food Pleasures

Food Lion brand marshmallows straight out of the bag. That powdered Suisse Mocha coffee stuff that comes in a tin. Grilled cheese sandwiches with Kraft American cheese (NOT singles, those are gross) on white bread, dipped in ketchup.

From Serious Eats

'Top Chef Masters' Contestant Line-Up Announced

I had no idea they were doing this, but it sounds like a great idea to me. I'm really excited for the new season—now I just wish I didn't have to wait two months for it.

From Talk

Good food in Western Mass?

I haven't been there in ten years, since I left Mt. Holyoke, but back then my favorite places to eat were Amanouz Café in Northampton (which taught me that iced green tea with honey, lemon and mint was not, in fact, too many flavors in one glass), Tailgate Picnic in South Hadley (great sandwiches), and a brunch spot in Northampton that is now called Sylvester's (I can't remember what the name was back then). I'm going to be back in the area visiting this weekend and am looking forward to hitting all three! Also, the Haymarket Café in Northampton has an awesome juice bar, though I've never had the food.

From Serious Eats: New York

New Starbucks Breakfast 'Pairings' for $3.95: Better Than Airplane Food?

Nicola, I agree. I'm also from Pittsburgh, and I've always found the reduced-fat coffeecakes to be the better ones (and I'm really not a fan of reduced-fat stuff generally). The cinnamon one is very cinnamon-y. I miss the old blueberry one that they got rid of back in 2004-2005 sometime, with actual blueberries throughout as opposed to a weird blueberry jam swirl. The orange one was pretty good too.

From Talk

How Does the FDA Warning Against Peanut Butter Affect You?

I'm taking their word for it that jarred peanut butter is fine. I'm also assuming that the peanut butter crackers I've had for over a year are okay. Does anyone know how far back the supposed contamination goes?

From Serious Eats

Recession Grocery Shopping: What Are You Doing Differently?

I live alone and have a very small appetite, so overbuying has always been a concern for me. I've been drawing down my stores of nonperishables as much as I can (not quickly enough for my taste, though) and buying perishables more carefully and in smaller amounts. It takes way longer to grocery shop because I have to put a lot more thought into it, but I actually enjoy cooking more because it's all part of my plan, and I don't have to worry about what I'm going to do with the product. And I invested in some extra tupperware so I can freeze leftovers and avoid waste.

I've also cut out the daily coffee as well as casual lunches and dinners out. I try only to go to restaurants that I know will be really fantastic or ones I haven't tried before. I make sure to carry a Luna bar or some peanut butter crackers with me all the time to avoid "emergency" stops for food. I find I actually eat more (which is a good thing for me) if I prepare the food myself. And of course I pay substantially less.

From Serious Eats

Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 38: Embracing My Inner Bok Choy

What are your thoughts on napa? I actually have to stay away from cabbage most of the time because of a stomach condition, but I can't control myself around napa stir-fried in garlic sauce.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'The Cook's Country Cookbook'

Pea and beet salad. I actually don't know quite what's in it (other than frozen peas and pickled beets), but it's delicious, and since I've only had it in western PA, it says "home" to me.

From Talk

In desperate need of a strawberry buttercream recipe!!

I've made insanely delicious strawberry buttercream by mixing one part softened butter and one part strawberry puree (just berries in the Cuisinart), and then whisking in powdered sugar until it's the right consistency. It's strawberry-licious and there's no mystery to it.

From Recipes

Time for a Drink: Tom Collins

The Tom Collins in second only to the gimlet in my book of summer cocktails. I like mine with Bombay (Dry, not Sapphire). And if collins mix gets anywhere near my drink I'm going to be cranky.

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