Priscilla

Last evening, tenderloin steaks (grass-fed; first try; very good) and Romaine salad with homemade blue-cheese dressing, baguette.

As SuzySushi said up there, Rouge et Noir cheese can be very good. Years ago we even trekked out to the factory site when traveling up north and the imperfect "seconds" of varying age in the shop were a great find, esp. the large-scale Brie type with some age on it. An impression influenced only a little by the idyllic setting and our then-toddler capering with geese and ducks next to the beautiful pond. Distribution, even just down south here, seems spotty, although I did notice them at Trader Joe's at holiday time. Benefit from benign neglect in the home fridge, I have found; useful to bung into the old cheese drawer without a plan and pulling out as problem solver later. Edit due to misbehaving keyboard.

So glad it's finished, and it is gorgeous, Jennifer. Excellent materials choice. But what about pix of New Kitty?

Wait, so no vanilla-scented candles? Oh all right, I've been 100% beeswax for a few years now, haven't I. But I know what you mean.

Last evening, late, pasta -- farfalle -- w/bacon and rosemary sauce after a recipe in Marcella Hazan's 3rd book, rosemary minced exceeding fine to avoid pine-needle effect. Healthy hit of parmesan. Nice romaine salad, bracingly dressed. La Brea Bakery seedy baguette.

Hiroyuki, I hope your son recovers quickly. The meals you make for your famly every night are fabulous and inspiring. You paid proper respect to those hard-won trout. And on one of my favorite subjects, rice: How do you choose which local rice to buy? Have you patronized the same farmer for years or do you change? Do you buy a large amount at one time or replenish frequently? In re curry roux, I recognized the S&B Tasty Curry even without the English labeling on the packages sold here! For a long time House Java medium was the favorite, but, a couple of years ago, we tried S&B Tasty medium when a nice lady was demostrating it at our local 99 Ranch (big pan-Asian supermarket) and now it is our habitual choice. Those mushroom-shaped chocolates (Meiji product?) are a favorite of my husband and son, when they appear at the Japanese supermarket. No crisped rice in the ones we can buy, though, I don't think.

Hiroyuki, I have long valued your input and look forward to your blog. Your children are adorable. Whatever small help it may be, you and your wife certainly have a whole slew of people around the globe sending good thoughts your way, to which I add mine.

Great run of meals & pix. Last evening, asparagus soup finished with cream and a garni of the tender tips blanched, panko'd, fried, floated atop. With the Bulgarian bread tutmanik, which has layers of butter and filling of eggs and feta, in this case actual Bulgarian feta. A meal designed for catching up on Tivo'd Bad Luck Bride, the current Japanese Sunday drama.

The LA Times had a little story about the winding down of local international station KSCI's showing New Dotch Cooking Show. There will be a big hole in our Tivo schedule, and in our hearts, when it ends.

Also wishing for a speedy recovery for Kim and Doddie. Bruce, I just bunged that recipe into the old Epicurious recipe box; thank you for providing the link. Very inspiring, esp. as coconut rice had already come up for consideration in what's-for-dinner discussion. Last evening, lasagne Bolognese, salade, additional Stargate due diligence. #1 for takeoff tonight, mid-season cliffhangers.

Last evening the last of the Easter ham in soup, has to be some kind of record, it was only Tuesday. All on-hand veg dispensed with, everything cut into 3/8" dice before simmering. (Onion/shallot sauteed 1st.) Handful of chopped parsley from the garden at the end. Pretzel knot rolls topped with crunchy Maldon salt. A tonic as we continue re-viewings in anticipation of Friday's Stargate return.

Oh my goodness that is cute. There are getting to be as many 99 Ranch references in eG foodblogs as kitties -- good crossover! Blog on!

The Out Basket is a vital part of the system. I take great pleasure in chucking a towel into its pre-staged basket, three steps down there on the laundry porch.

I also work with a stack of easily-accessible towels in the kitchen... as JAZ points out, accessibility is the key. That and keeping the stack stocked. But among laundry tasks kitchen towels are the easiest -- all together, hot, bleach, quick to fold. Mine are all linen and linen-cotton, a few terries for major liquidy spills, a couple oversized that are landing pads for freshly-spun greens. The collection is disparate, not to say motley; vintage ones I pick up up at antique fairs and so forth. My secret price point is <$1, but I will go higher for pink or striped or other value-added. But I am ecumenical beyond insisting upon 100% natural fiber. Ikea's got cheap kitchen towels, if disparate and/or motley is not one's thing. My motivation has always been primarily environmental. But kitchen textiles add a lot to the cooking experience, too, and that sort of satisfaction is where it's at, for me.

Two favorites: Q Tortas on Bradford in downtown Placentia, with carnitas so supernal that long ago "the Q Tortas of fill-in-the-blank" entered our personal lexicon to describe anything, food or not, that is the absolute avatar of its category. And Taqueria Guadalupana on Orange-Olive Road in Orange. I always get cabeza. SO good. They the men of the family get pastor, lengua, carnitas, sometimes also cabeza. Tortas, tacos, burritos -- we choose according to whim and current portability needs -- all excellent. The answer to "Everything?" is yes.

Thank you, Kerry. If this is that, its 26 mm diameter is very close to my Zerol #100, which I have used for truffles, too. But I seek something teensier. Dunno if it exists.

I have been searching for a scoop or disher that is smaller than the smallest one I already have, the Zeroll #100. I love the way Zeroll works but this is apparently the smallest size they make. I would like one that is 1/2" or smaller in diameter, to serve tuna tartare and similar in precise teensy servings. There are melon ballers in smaller sizes, which I will have to settle for in the end if I don't find something else, but would prefer a spring-loaded or gear-driven scoop. Any leads would be greatly appreciated!

6P2G, I have learned a lot a lot a lot from farmers at markets over the years. Never seen a loquat in a regular store, although they well may be there, canned, as Domestic Goddess indicated above, or fresh in season -- I just never look. What with my friend's tree right around the corner and all, they are more like a foraged fruit to me. But then I have also foraged for pomegranates from a forgotten tree on the grounds of a luxurious hilltop house that burned to the ground long before I was on the scene, and grape leaves from neighbors' vines, until I had my own. ETA in an i.

Miz D., what an inspiring trip you have taken us on. Many many thanks.

Cheeseburgers, last evening. Nice chuck roast run 2x through the old KitchenAid grinder, Moomie's hamburger buns, usual suspect garnis. Had every intention of blue cheese cheeseburgers, but then we all saw the Wednesday LA Times Food section full-page Tillamook cheese ad showing a big old cheeseburger with meltylicious cheddar and so. Alls I can say is, I'm glad we keep Tillamook on hand at all times.

Another thumbs up on the Applesauce Spice Bars mentioned in so many earlier posts. I added only the chopped apple, no raisins, no nuts, as per the preferences of the intended eaters. With a serrated knife we had no trouble making clean cuts. The bars were a few hours out of the oven, quite unwarm, when cut, which may have helped.

Thank you, Jason and Paul... Ronnie Suburban gave me his ideas too, here on the Heartland board. He did mention cornmeal representing one style. Pastrylike richness is certainly a hallmark, a difference from the fairly lean pizza dough I make habitually. We make pizza a lot, but thin-crust fairly austere affairs (OK, the 15-year-old's cheesalicious specials are not, austere) baked on a stone & c.

In re the World Peace cookies/salty brownie idea, from the same inspiration I had increased the salt (I use my regular flakey Pacific evaporated from Giusto's) quite a lot in the last 2 batches of brownies I've made, coincidentally in the past week, with excellent results. The reason for the 2 batches so close together was because the two male members of my household, WP cookie fans who also are the brownie consumers, said they were the Best Brownies Ever. Which is also their Richard Scarry-esque name, The Best Fudge Brownies Ever. The recipe was printed on my latest bag of King Arthur AP flour, espied while emptying the bag into the canister, which suited me and my 1/2-a-13x9"-pan at the time due to its ease. (I halved the recipe.) It's got chocolate chips in it, which I personally disappove of in brownies, but I am the lone voice in my household on this account.

IF one were interested in approximating something similar to, not hoping to replicate exactly, because one would never be so presumptuous as to seem to be suggesting this would even be possible, a Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, is there anything special one should know about the dough used for the crust? Opinions, experiences, descriptions, actual recipes, all appreciated.

Thank you very much, Ivy. While hoping you are safe and warm, I envy you your snow, here in the depths of a drought.