redfox

So will I. (But presumably you enjoy other things about the travel, too.) But what if it isn't an incredible dinner, after all? I think the problem is what happens when I spend a lot of money on food that then turns out to be insufficiently incredible/sublime/elevating. That makes me feel really crummy. And the food doesn't have to be bad for that to happen, just not commensurate with the high price. I guess I feel guilty because I know I don't have much money, and that when I spend a lot on any one thing, it does feel like an extravagance. So when I do it and then feel I might have liked my own cooking better, I kick myself. That still doesn't explain why it seems to be especially so for food, though...

To me the stereotype of Venice is a Renaissance carnivale: decadent and show-offy in that way of towering piles of sugary, glossy food. Traditional sweets include sugared fruits (in giant, decadent piles); fregolata (a cornmeal shortbread); rich pastries filled with fruits and nuts; shaped breads in fantasies of flowers, vines, animals.

I'm torn. In general, I am delighted to spend what lots of people would consider a shocking proportion of my paltry income on food. I certainly buy extravagant ingredients all the time. And I've been very happy to dine out extravagantly, and I think it makes perfect sense to choose the luxuries one likes best. But the other night, my husband and I went out to dinner with a few friends. It was a celebration dinner for various things, and we were intending to be splurge-y. We had a tasting menu, with accompanying wines. It was good! Very good, even. But it didn't blow my mind, and when the bill came, I was just depressed. I didn't feel ripped off, but it felt like a waste somehow, and I wished I'd just eaten at home. I think maybe the trouble for me could be that I tend to prefer simpler food, except in cases where the food is truly staggeringly good. And so when I eat out and find it merely very good, and it's also expensive, I do feel guilty. I think, oh, for so much less money I could have enjoyed myself just as much (if differently). And that makes me feel guilty, or sad, or something, in a way that going to a sub-par play or some such other expensive activity would not. I don't know why. The whole experience reminded me of regrettable sex, somehow.

Homemade hummus Romaine lettuce (for scooping) Two cheeses: Saint Nectaire, Idiazabal Oil-cured olives Assortment of fresh herbs: genovese basil, oregano, flat-leaf parsley, Greek basil Olive oil with za'atar Smoked almonds Lillet cocktails

Has anyone else ever tried "ochazuke" with barley rather than rice? This morning I had an ochazuke craving, but had made pearled barley rather than rice. Had it with a wasabi-flavor packet of ochazuke seasoning and deem it very good.

Chopped cherry tomatoes, to leaven it ever so slightly. Otherwise, 100% classic guacamole. A Salvedorean restaurant around the corner from us makes a supper platter that includes one of these, and I am always wishing that the whole platter were all guac tacos! So we took matters into our own hands. Edited to add: Oh, by the way -- I had a great experience regarding tonight's salad. There'd been some confusion regarding which CSA pickup site I was signed up for, and the following email exchange came out of it: Farmer: I see you are still down for "TAKOMA PARK", a drop that does not exist currently. There were extra shares at Silver Spring. If you can get back by there tonight, there should still be one there for you. Me: Thanks very much -- we went back and picked it up, and have already consumed the delicious salad greens. Pea shoots! Mmm. Farmer: You are making me happy!!! ;-) Is it not an amazing world in which one emails one's farmer to tell him one enjoyed the pea shoots?

Guacamole tacos which were a hit -- I can hardly wait to try it with better avocados -- and (not pictured) a really delicious salad featuring the very very fresh salad greens that came in our first sack of vegetables from our CSA. There were pea shoots! That made me happy.

Coffee for you! I must say that the prospect of having my coffee taken away from me is one of the many things that makes pregnancy and nursing sound like a less-than-enticing state of affairs. I would like to be much better about the waking up at the crack of dawn. Following up by going out for a walk would be even better! I will now fantasize about a world in which my husband were suddenly motivated to rouse me to do such a thing. Alas, I am the better-at-rousing one in this house, which is not promising. Unless I have some sort of work-terror to drive me out of bed ("Oh no, must prep for morning class!") it's quite hopeless. A fine ripe nectarine would probably help, though.

Lovely to see and read about your lovely meals! The diet looks nice and sensible (only the part about separating carbohydrates and fats into separate meals is a bit mystifying; I wonder, does it just work as a handy way of preventing one from eating too much bread and too many sugars without realizing it?) and your groceries look delectable. Your kitchen must have gorgeous light!

We are going to a little cookout. I have no say in the main dish items, but am queen of side dishes. I'm bringing my X-tra special potato salad with mustard seeds and preserved lemon, my favorite cole slaw (which is also the most basic cole slaw known to man), and an imporvised rice salad to ensure that the vegans do not starve. The latter features onions, garlic, carrots, and summer squash sauteed in olive oil, plus romaine, basil, slivered almonds, and lemon juice.

I see that the pickle recipe is in Recipe Gullet (yay!) -- about how many jars' worth of cucumber pickles does that amount of brine make?

Hm. I just wanted to say that this really truly happens to me even without eating any dough, and when we're talking about number of cookies, not "servings". It never, ever happens that I wind up with more cookies than advertised, even when I make them smaller than the recipe seems to call for. I don't usually work with recipes that tell you how much the final cookies are supposed to weigh, which obviously puts a wrinkle in things, but honestly, there are so many recipes that say "Makes six dozen 2" cookies" and I wind up with four dozen 1 1/2" cookies -- what on earth is going on there?

Yes! This happens to me all the time.

Oops, I've posted about potatoes in your other thread when I see the discussion about them seems to have been taking place more over here. Oh well. Anyway, this doesn't sound too far off from the way we eat / have to eat at my house for various other reasons, so here are some thoughts for things to make: - Indian food. Lots and lots of recipes would easily work with your restrictions, especially vegetarian ones, and though one's used to having them with rice, chapatis are easily (and traditionally) made with whole flour. - Sandwiches on wholemeal pita (better, in my view, than white commercial pita bread, and not too much bread in sum as compared to other sandwich-cradling options) with things like nice cheeses, roast chicken, garlicky white bean puree, roasted veggies, eggplant peeled and baked with garlic and capers and balsamic vinegar... - Various things with barley. People elsewhere have mentioned barley risotto, but it's also lovely in soup and makes a good pilaf. - I would just skip pasta, really. Anything other than white flour seems like a cruel joke. - Cauliflower in many guises. It seems to fill that "starch" niche without actually being a starch. I don't much like it in the classic steamed (with or without cheese) mode, but there are many other options. You've seen the endless roasted cauliflower thread, no doubt; it's also good in soup, or as a puree with oodles of cheese and/or cream. I've also recently had it grated in the food processor, which results in a sort of couscous-ish texture. Then it's steamed for about 10-15 minutes and dressed in butter, something somewhat acidic (a vinagrette of some sort, or a white wine reduction -- mine had preserved lemon in) and mixed with fresh herbs. Lovely! Good at room temperature, warm or cold, by itself or for soaking up juices from something. I don't think this regime has to be a hardship! Finding nice organic things can be a pain, but the range of actual foods available to you sounds well within the bounds of permitting for happy eating.

At my house we have to pay attention to all that stuff about slow-releasing carbohydrates because my husband is diabetic. I hate to tell you this, but potatoes are in fact particularly awful in that regard. (I say this, cruelly, as I eat a little bowl of potato chips/crisps in full sight of my husband and now of you, too.) But according to his doctor, having a little bit of a "bad" carbohydrate in the same sitting with other foods, especially proteins or foods with lots of fiber, makes it hit your bloodstream more slowly, which I suppose makes sense. So I will sometimes make a very thin-crusted pizza with white flour (gasp!), for example, and we will not have too much of it, and accompany it with an enormous hearty salad with all kinds of stuff in it. That seems to work perfectly well. I think barley in general is delicious. A very nice thing to have is a sort of grain melange -- I make mine in the rice cooker with a combination of brown rice, barley, and wheat berries with broth rather than water, a bit of cardamom, and a knob of butter. Of course really good butter makes it really better. (Edited because I cnt typpe.)

I made Japanese-style curry for the first time tonight, with 3 blocks (half a package) of Vermont medium-hot curry for - about 400 g. tofu - 1 large onion - about 1 1/2 c. chopped carrots (those baby carrots, cut in half) - 1/8 cabbage, chopped - 1 little block "snow-dried" tofu, cut into 15 cubes - 2 1/2 c. liquid Somewhat to my surprise, I found it very tasty. It did have a bit of that bullion kind of flavor, but really it was darn good. Would you say curry rice is the hamburger of Japan? It sounds like it is universally beloved of children in particular (but adults too) in a similar way.

Could you get little packets of silica gel and store the nuts in an airtight jar along with one or two of the packets?

Thanks for all the ideas. I bought some Lillet today, and it's chilling away -- I'm looking forward to playing with Sicilianesqueries.

I love seeing all these ideas for cabbage, an underappreciated vegetable if ever there was one. It is so gentle and sweet and versatile and plentiful and CHEAP. Good for you, too. *sniff* Yes, the pancakes I make are kind of like mini okonomiyaki, only thinner. They'd be good with okonomiyaki sauce and all that, to be sure. But they're really good in so many settings -- I actually specially love them with traditional antipasti, of all things. They work well at room temperature, too; just let them cool on cake racks before you pile them up, so they don't steam one another and get soggy.

Little crispy cabbage pancakes with v. finely shredded cabbage bound together with a thin and eggy batter. I also love "cabbage noodles" -- cabbage cut to about the size of egg noodles and steamed or simmered or braised, then buttered. That's extra good piled up with stew or something of the sort on top. Haluski! Boil up some egg noodles (fresh pasta cut 1" x 2" is even better, but not necessary); cut the cabbage to match; while the noodles drain and cool, take a large pan and saute a thinly sliced onion in butter or oil until soft, then add cabbage, salt, pepper, and paprika and cook until the cabbage is tender. Add the noodles, turn up the heat, and toss around until everything's heated through and the edges are crispy. A variation on the same method that's very good is to use chow fun type rice noodles and season with garlic and ginger instead of paprika.

Honestly, I'm at a loss for translating recipes calling for blood orange juice into recipes for my syrup. It's not concentrate; it doesn't turn into blood orange juice if you just add water. But the Sicilian Martini sounds great (though I have a suspicion I won't be running into blood orange vodka at my usual liquor hut). Also the nice basic Campari suggestion. I'll try that one tonight!

Russian sorrel soup. Oh man, that sounds good. I love sorrel anyhow, and, well, my word. Mm. And behemoth, I agree completely. If it's hard to digest, it makes my engine overheat.

I have in my possession some delicious thick blood orange syrup (really more the consistency of a puree). I love it just mixed with water from the syphon, but it seems like it would be fantastic in the right cocktail. But I am an inexperienced mixologist, so I'm looking for someone cleverer's bright ideas to get me on the right track. Any suggestions?

Salad, of course! Silly me. Tonight for dinner we had little bowls of the broth (indeed very tasty but not thick enough, I think, for Bloody Marys) and an enormous salad with romaine, lots of hothouse basil, cilantro, scallions, radishes, thinly sliced aburage, feta, and peanuts in a lemon vinaigrette. It was good, oh so good, though now I really want some Vietnamese summer rolls. (What's schtchav?)

Just to clarify, the original post requests places that would be amenable to having your pet with you. I specified that I didn't want a list of places with outdoor seating because that would be another topic. Outdoor seating PLUS nice to pets is cool and there have been several good suggestions. Oh, sorry, I misunderstood what you meant when you said you didn't want a list of places with outdoor seating.