hwilson41

My dad's Scotch Raisin Bread is one of those recipes. We also have a recipe for Pickled Shrimp that came from my dad's oldest sister.... We don't know how old the recipe is but we still wonder where she found capers back then (the 30s maybe) or even where the idea came from. I mean, isn't escabeche one of those new exciting trends? It is a fabulous recipe and a family tradition that I will share by posting it in RecipeGullet when I get a chance. Fifi, I really like this thread. I'm hoping it will attract more attention as folks discover it. Many 'modern' cooks don't realize what they're missing in the good old recipes. Looking forward to the recipe for pickled shrimp, and thanks so much for sharing. THW

The place I think you're talking about is Johnny Boy's Ribs, on Rt 301 just south of the Rt 6 crossroads at La Plata. It used to be great. Results lately have been very uneven from what I hear. The old man retired (died?) and his niece took over. Since then, all the wood ovens have been replaced by gas ovens. The last time I was by there about three months ago, I owned more hickory than they did. It might be worth a trip, but prepare yourself for the possibility of being disappointed. I'd sure love to hear a report from anybody that makes it down that way. THW

I dread VD. I'm not taking anyone on a date on the 14th because of VD.... This year, I'll be cooking at home too. Or at some lucky lady's place. No needless VD suffering this year! Uh...Al...after looking at some of your preparations, I'm prepared to offer an opening at Chez Wilson . Tell me what you want on hand, and I'll make sure it's here by the time you arrive on VD. We already have the wine, and also some pretty good Champagne left over from the New Year's Eve party. We're not picky eaters, and if it's as good as I'm sure it will be if you prepare it, you'll get a kiss from my lovely wife . THW

Very well said. Much of this debate is almost so silly it's beneath discussion, except for the fact that some otherwise very bright people are saying some of it. How many vegetarians were there 100 years ago? 200 years ago? 500 years ago? The further back you go, the less sense it makes. If you're hungry, you eat what is at hand or you die. That's not a very complicated concept. To say that you shouldn't eat what folks used to eat because now you can get by without it is at best very questionable logic. Yeah, I could get by without it. I could also get by without beer...but I don't want to . Does that make me bad? Actually, that one is probably OK because beer is made from vegetable extracts (I think). Anyway, it is the height of intellectual arrogance to think that you are so wise, so well informed, and so thoroughly educated on an issue (any issue) that not only are you allowed to make your own choices, you should also be empowered to make others' choices for them. Balderdash! THW

Yet another Wegman's virgin. I didn't even know Wegman's existed until I started reading this thread. But I'm in Fairfax, so it won't be too bad a trip. The key of course will be to plan ahead, so you can load up on the stuff you don't want to (or can't) buy at the 'regular' grocery chains. If these guys live up to their reputation, I'd say they're going to do very, very well. THW

Absolutely!! I had forgotten all about that aspect. Did you also get the soft boiled eggs on toast ? THW

I don't know about elsewhere, but I grew up in Texas and my dad taught me about rice with sugar, cinnamon and milk or cream (dad grew up in Texas also, as did his father, etc.). It was a dessert dish or a midnight snack in our house. After I learned a bit more about food, I always thought of it as a quick and dirty version of rice pudding. THW

FoodMan; Another option if you're interested. I had a boned quail (leg bones in) with albufera sauce a couple of years ago that was absolutely superb. I think it was pan fried (skin on breast was delightfully crispy), then sauced just prior to serving. I'm salivating just thinking about it . At that time, I didn't even know what albufera sauce was, but was told by the restaurant that it was a white sauce (veloute) with foie gras whipped in. I asked the same question here on eGullet, and there was some difference of opinion as to exactly how the sauce is made, which we discussed here. Let us know how this adventure (espeically the boning) turns out. THW

Blov, dear, I suggest there is no antidote for this damned snow except some warm weather, which per the weatherman isn't in the offing yet . I'm about three hours south of you, and we're sick of it. But this certainly is an absolutely superb blog. Compared to the visual feasts gsquared has been providing, my plating looks like the stuff my grandfather used to slop the hogs with in west Texas . THW

Pan; Dunno where you are, but at the Whole Foods in Annandale (northern VA), I think you'll pay a lot closer to $20 than to $10 for parmreg (doing this from memory, but I recall that I always do a double take - and then pay the price anyway ). Maybe I should look around for a cheaper supplier. THW Edited to remove dumb grammar.

It also makes wonderful hush puppies. Malawry posted a superb recipe a while back, after Varmint's pig pickin' I think. You might want to run that down. Or if you or a friend of yours bakes a lot of bread, many bakers use coarse corn meal to dust sheet pans, etc., to keep the dough from sticking. THW

Gsquared, what splendid pictures. A visual feast almost equivalent to the culinary feasts you present. Recipes please, and keep the pictures coming. This blog will be a very hard act to follow (no, I'm not in the least interested ). Thanks again. THW

Precisely. It strikes me that this is a "north meets south" issue, and north doesn't bother to try to understand the cultural background of the south (notwithstanding the fact that everybody is paying tribute to a Southerner). Perhaps the late Bill Neal said it as succinctly as anybody could. Writing about dried beans in general and pintos in particular, he wrote Note that race is totally irrelevant in the above statement. What color your skin is doesn't matter a whit (isn't it a pity we can't say the same in general?). Southern food is southern food, period. And it transcends race in a way that many not from the South obviously don't comprehend. THW

You don't have to be black, or poor, or anything else to love fried chicken and collards. I'm white, and Southern, and I grew up eating both and love them. We get so strung out about political correctness that we overlook the obvious - it's good food. And although I have no firsthand knowledge, I'd be astonished to learn that MLK Jr didn't like them. Assuming that's so, what on earth is wrong with serving foods the man liked? THW

When I was growing up in Texas, we called them calves' brains (no idea whether that was true or not), but yes, they were popular to some extent, and quite good IMHO. I've also eaten squirrel brains (on hunting trips), and they were also quite good with scrambled eggs. If you like the texture of one variety of brains, you'll probably like them all . THW

Boy, am I pissed. I thought your name was Al . Bless you for picking up the baton and keeping the rest of us entertained. My kind of "guest". Wanna come to my house ? The invitation's open, and if I'm correct about where you live, we're only about 10 miles apart. Looking forward to your blog Mike. THW

Jake; This sounds really good (big fan of duck in any shape, form or fashion). Do you smoke the duck breast yourself, or buy it already smoked? And the pesto is a basil one, I assume? THW

Malawry; You're at U of MD, right? That (dry campus) is borderline hysterical. But I love your sense of humor . Making stock for sorority girls? Blessings on you. Methinks these girls are going to be eating better than most of them have ever experienced up to now. We can only hope that the artificial pearls don't go unappreciated by the genuine swine . THW

Saturday night, White Bean Soup that I learned the year we lived in Richmond (VA - a variant on Senate Bean Soup, which I've never tasted, but it couldn't be better than this one )). Beans will go in to soak after tonight's supper. Sunday night, Texas Chili in Enchiladas, Cheese and Chili. The small bits of fog you notice on your screen are my vaporized drool. After supper pork roast goes into the crock pot (see next entry). Monday night, Pork Carnitas with salsa, frijoles refritos (homemade?), and guacamole. Nothing like some good Tex-Mex to make you forget you're freezing your ass off in northern Virginia. Why, oh why, did I ever leave Texas ? THW

Got it. Thanks very much. THW

I'm with you. I'm there, once I figure out where the hell Columbia Place in Dulles is (my Rand McNally Address Finder doesn't seem to know ). Wegman's sounds really cool. Does anybody have any info on when the Fairfax store is opening? TIA. THW

I'll third or fourth (or whatever) the Barboursville recommendation. The Cab Franc is superb, and I don't recall tasting a wine there that I didn't like. I even liked the Chardonnay, and I am not a Chardonnay fan. There will be another major attraction if either you or your SO is a history or architecture buff. The expanded mansion at Barboursville - now a ruin - was designed for Governor Barbour by Jefferson, with the typical octagonal structure, dome in the center, etc., and the ruins are a joy to behold. They also have the most astounding groves of English boxwood that date from colonial times. The plants have gone purposely unpruned and unshaped, and mostly allowed to do as they will, for at least a century, and many of the groves are over 10' tall!! Highly recommended. Unfortunately, I also share the opinion of others in this thread re Prince Michel. Avoid, because it's a waste of time...and taste. But Barboursville is a must see. THW

Torakris; I sympathize completely. Earlier in our lives, we had the same problem. I couldn't experiment because if I screwed something up, we might have nothing (edible) for supper. You can't really experiment to a great extent until you can afford to fail, which you will do occasionally (unless you're a lot smarter than I am ). I've been reading cookbooks for close to 35 years, and think I know "the basics" of cooking, but occasionally I get a harebrained idea and it turns out to be a disaster. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I just throw it out and we order in Chinese or pizza. Once your kids are older, a lot of this problem will go away, so hang in there . THW

What time is supper? I can be there in about 15 minutes . THW

Precisely. I suspect I'm older than most of the participants here, but FWIW here's my take. I was in high school at the end of the 50s and in college in the early 60s. In high school, I had a paper route and would come home around 5:30a every morning after delivering my papers and eat two or three slices of bacon, two fried eggs, and maybe some toast (if Mom was up too ), and this was virtually every day for about three years. Then later on, we found out about cholesterol and how terrible eggs were for you. Then, even later, the medical profession's posture had to be revised to something along the lines of "Well, dammit, eggs ought to be bad for you...but (whispered under breath) the evidence doesn't confirm that." Same thing with beef and e-coli. I've been eating raw hamburger since I was in my early teens, and to this day I still eat rare or at most medium rare beef. I've never been sick a day in my life from bad beef. There are probably some other "scares" I could list if I thought about it longer, but to me the message is clear. These guys who are researching food risks are paid to find "risks", just like the cancer researchers are paid to find things that cause cancer. And if they don't, well then they're liable to find themselves without a job next time the evaluations are done. Remember the scare about nitrates and nitrites? Yeah, bacon is dangerous as hell...provided you eat 11 pounds of it a day. And because of that, I make it a point never to eat more than 10 pounds of bacon in a single day . The bottom line, at least for me, is that common sense and empiricism are still the best weapons in your arsenal. Farmed salmon is bad due to PCBs, huh? How many people have died from it? How many have gotten sick because of it? And who paid for the study? IMHO a healthy skepticism is totally warranted given just the short history I've lived through. So the next time Tom Brokaw tells you that there's a new deadly something-or-other that's just been discovered, take it with a grain of salt...at best. THW