adoxograph

Up the street from our house in CT lived the Nahoms - a wonderful Lebanese-Italian family who, I firmly believed at a wizened 8 years old, ate much better than we ever did. If I was very lucky and very good (this took more effort than Santa Claus ever required) I would be able to stay for dinner when they had stuffed grape leaves. What I've managed to piece together over the years is that they were always lamb and rice, served warm, with allspice, cinnamon, lemon to season. Lemon slices and lamb bones were in the pot. There was a variation that involved the addition of a bit of tomotoes to the filling, and this mixture was stuffed in yellow squash, and I loved this just as much. A vegetarian version used lentils and rice. However, I've never been able to absolutely replicate her dish. The closest, and yet still not exactly right, that I have found were at Marrakesh in Philadelphia. I'd test more from them but I live in Chicago, and that's a rough commute. If anyone here wants to send samples of theirs, I'll happily compare.

concord grapes ramps soft shell crabs morels most berries, I'm not picky, but they taste best at sun temp and I know we're all about the spring here, but I totally love the fall squashes.

Please, please, please do not buy your microplane zester from the kitchen supply store. Go to wherever is your nearest supply store/catalog for woodworkers. Mine came with a metal sheath for catching "shavings" (Ok, so my shavings are made of cheese or fruit) for 8 dollars. My SO's dad picked it up for me with his new planer or something like that. I saw one like it later for more than twice that at a kitchen store. I second the nomination of the dough scraper from up thread. I also have some 3 for $1 metal tins that I throw spices in and stick to my magnetic knife board for easy access, no counterspace storage. And, of course, there is always the free dishwashing services of friends over the expense of a dishwasher, but that's not every night.

Pizza crusts - the part where there is still tomato sauce, but no longer cheese, before it becomes just crust. Any lobster claw that has been successfully removed intact from its shell. Intact is key. The cheese and crouton part of onion soup. Bottom homemade pie crusts from a properly seasoned apple pie. First sip of a glass of good scotch.

Superior Coffee is not, and the big chain bookstores should stick to books. Back when Borders cafes used to be able to use local roasters, it may have been inconsistent, but it was often good. Switching to Superior for "consistency" well, needless to say, it wasn't my favorite decision. Also, don't make coffee with caffeinated water. Painful from the moment of brewing.

I'm so glad someone mentioned the gummi Venus de Milo. I also liked when Homer and Lisa become restaurant critics and he starts reviewing Marge's cooking. Did anyone catch last week what was the only wine available at Moe's? What is it worth, anyway? And of course, there is the Pulp Fiction riff between the policemen - a Krustyburger with cheese is called a quarter pounder with cheese. "Quarter pounder with cheese? Well, I can picture the cheese..."

I feel the need to chime in here out of a sense of scientific obligation drummed in to me by my coworkers. We cannot talk about "evolution" in terms of an individual person. Evolution, by definition, is something that happens over generations. We can discuss the evolution of cuisine (why we don't eat what the cavemen do) or we can discuss the development of a chef. I think the discussion is getting a little muddied between these points. Evolution is going to happen with or without individual impetus. An individual may be revolutionary in his cuisine, but unless that creates a lasting change in the nature of cuisine over time, it's not evolutionary. So, until we can turn around in 50 years and see foams as part of the general diet, something that we all do, I'm not willing to call that an evolution. As for development of individual chefs, I do think that for the revolutionaries, change is necessary for progress. I'm not going to limit that to our highest chefs, although they would have the greatest opportunity to be experimental. However, outside influence (like technology) can offer opportunities for revolutionary change to even the short order cook. In short, change is going to happen intentionally or otherwise (why else would Chef Bourdain need help finding old-school French cuisine?). The best chefs, I believe, may not always be the revolutionary ones, but instead those that can find a balance between new ideas and the comfortable old.

Oh, I'm so glad I am not the only one with a culinary nemesis. Pie crusts, fine, rice, no problem, biscuits are great thanks to my sister, breads, garlic.... I can't make Nestle's Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies. I mean it, it's completely ridiculous. My coworkers love my cakes, my experiments in tarts, my SO gets excited when I tell him "I don't know" is for dinner. Chocolate chip cookies? Bad news - too hard, way undercooked, burnt yet raw, you name it. The SO, who cannot cook, of course makes them perfectly. Interestingly enough, if I vary from the recipe far enough that it becomes a cookie with chocolate chips, rather than a chocolate chip cookie, I'm usually OK. So, Doctor, can you help me? :)

A quick dinner of nachos last night (wasn't hungry, but was still hungry) reminded me that I really like Del-Rey chips - local to Chicago, don't know how far they are distributed. I'm mostly in favor of the homemade salsa, but if I buy, I buy Hair of the Ferret from our farmer's market. Nice fresh flavor, and I have yet to find ferret hair in the salsa.

Ah yes, cat hair. One of mine has hair as long as my SO's, so I remember a particularly memorable evening when he tried to blame a hair on the cat.... wrong color, but he insisted. My hair is unmistakable, more's the pity. Maybe if we get a miniature horse :) I do try and keep things sanitary, but I realize that the occasional bit of humanity is inevitable, and personally I'd rather have some sense that a person made the food than the random bits of things that can end up in processed foods. How many bugs are we allowed per can?

My only beef with Evanston is that it seems much better when I can spend money there - not my favorite place when I'm not looking to shop. However, if you have access to a vehicle and want to spend a bit of time outside (provided, of course, there is nice weather) you may want to consider grabbing food to go and heading out of Evanston to the Skokie Sculpture Park. It's a nice snack outside spot.

If I could pick any theme ingredient it would be Battle Alcohol. But only if I got to be a judge. I have at least two co-workers who are planning Iron Chef events among their friends - secret ingredients, battling cooks and all that. Anyone else seeing this phenomenon as a result of the new show?

In this day and age so many things we do come preassembled, shrinkwrapped and sanitized. Cook because it's dirty, messy, and unpredictable. Cook because it shows you where things come from, and there is no question of what the is the underlying purpose. Cook so that you can eat, eat well, eat fully. There is a difference between satisfaction and joy. Mostly, though, it's creation. Feel the power mwah hahahahaha. :)

At work we do a Mars crater activity that involves a pan of flour, topped with a layer of paprika (it is Mars, after all) that we drop rocks in to simulate crater formation. My coworkers couldn't understand my surprise and distress at seeing the Pride of Szeged as our martian dust. Someone actually said "Well, you don't use it much for cooking, do you?" The package disappeared not too long ago and was replaced by some bulk red powder stuff. No, I haven't seen the paprika. Have you? :)

My recently re-tested three step system: Step 1) find cartoon marathon on tv or put in cartoon dvd. Cartoons for whatever reason prevent head from spinning. Old Ren & Stimpy works best. Step 2) determine if one cold can of Coke exists in fridge, without moving from current location. If yes, determine if movement is wise. If movement is wise, retrieve soda. Nurse slowly, possibly supplemented with bread. If Coke does not exist in fridge, determine when it will be wise to move to location that Coke can be procured. Doze until then, then continue with above instructions. Step 3) When Coke is completed, heave self off to nearest available fish and chips. Eat with malt vinegar and salt in copious quantites. Resist urge to consume Guinness with fish and chips unless stomach proves worthy. Am I really the only one who needs the perfect symmetry of grease, carb and protien that is fish and chips?

This week's loaf. And my coworkers asked me if I could try making marshmallows with Splenda. Which would you choose?

I'm a New England transplant in Illinois drinking soda, with my native SO who also prefers soda, while his parents and grandparents have pop. However, at home when I was a kid, if soda had something extra added to it, preferably before a day of fishing, it became "(insert color here) lightning" as in orange lightning, purple lightning, white lightning. I always liked that.

a yankee a-yeah

I vote Chowder for Boston, because that needs to get in somewhere. Hartford? Um, something imported from Boston or New York. Is Barbeque for Kansas City going to drum up too much controversy?

Phae - had a business teacher who offhandedly mentioned Cooperstown. As a fourth gen summer resident (my dad is now full time there) I felt the need to test if this teacher was a true fan, or just a baseball tourist. I mentioned the word bakery, he mentioned Schnieder's by name, and raved about the onion rolls. I brought him some a few weeks later after a weekend trip to close up the Camp. I got an award at the end of the year for my academic achievment in the Business department. I know how payola works. :)

I'd say visit my dad, but he's in Hawaii right now.... Since most restaurants in the area cater to a tourist crowd, family friendly isn't an issue, but watch out for prices. Vegetarian might be more of a trick, but the food downtown is standard American small town fare minus all the chains (zoning regulations haven't allowed any chain restaurants into downtown Cooperstown - Pizza Hut fought for years and lost.) so you can find Italian places that will have pasta (Coachman's on 80), diners, salads at most places. The local grocery store actually has a small selection of vegetarian items now. Boca comes to the Leatherstocking Region. As for fine dining, I haven't been to the O-Te-Sa-Ga in years so can't say much about the selection there, but they have a website now, I believe. One thing I highly recommend is getting to Schnieder's bakery on the corner of Main Street. They have the best cinnamon doughnuts of anywhere in the world, IMO, and their onion rolls got me extra credit in high school. If you go around the corner past the real estate place, there's a window into the bakery where you can watch. If you're willing to drive a bit I've heard good things about the Autumn Cafe in Oneonta in terms of vegetarian items, but I haven't been there myself, so I can't vouch for it personally. If you do get there, let me know how it is! Enjoy the snow.

Shrimp Gumbo (roux, file) on rice, with a crust of sourdough for mopping up. I'm starting to notice distinct correlations between "Today's active topics" and my dinner plans. Although I'd love to have your leftovers for dinner tomorrow, Jinmyo. :)

You can have your colas, more Vernor's for me.

Butternut squash with ginger is my favorite risotto, but I also love roasted beet risotto for its color shock value.

Whatever bread is handy - but bread type does determine sandwich variations (rye bread gets brown mustard and swiss, white/wheat bread gets cheddar and nothing but butter). Omlette pan gets butter in it, sandwich goes in, and top slice is buttered on the outside while in the pan - I never remember to take the butter out of the fridge to soften it, so this helps spreadability. Flip, brown, and cover briefly to ensure full meltability. No smooshing. Interesting test taste - the SO insisted forever that proper grilled cheese (which he calls toasted cheese) should be prepared with I Can't Believe Anyone Buys This Stuff. So, one day, I made mine, and then made his with the last dregs of his tub from his old apartment. He took a few bites and said, "This doesn't taste as good as usual. What did you do to it?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Serves him and his hydrogenated oils right. Grilled Cheese, regardless of any other accessories, should be served with a good beer or hard cider. How long until dinner?