lovebenton0
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jasmine jazz (republic of tea).
marco polo.
hibiscus.
an all time favorite for many years... tx passion fruit tea.
a nice assam.
fresh mint from the garden with a bit of assam.
chamomile, light and refreshing with summer honey and lots of ice.
i do like a bit of sweet in my iced tea. straight tea, herbal, fruity, all depends on my taste at the moment and what i'm eating with it (if anything).
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ah, susan, my dear friend, and always hardworking eg'er, it is with great joy and appreciation i bid you farewell as host and hello again to the posting forums. not only myself, but all of eg owe so much to your constant dedication and your love of food, people and adventure you've brought to us all, both in the forums and behind the scenes. i'll miss your special hand as czarina in the delivery of so many special foodblogs.
we first met while cranking out the "cooking for disabilities" course in egci, ummmm.... several years ago. since then we have shared years of meals and life through eg and beyond... and even a very cold, yet thoroughly warming eg soup foodblog together. i personally owe thanks to you, susan, for introducing me to larb and many other thai and se asian favorites. never again will i discard those precious and deliciously potent cilantro roots!
thank you for giving so completely of yourself, for sharing the depths of your energy and experience and keeping us all so well grounded in the realities of food in our too real lives. know that you truly deserve golden kudos
and the time and energy to spend with your quickly growing and changing family. looking forward to seeing you post again in the forums. it's cabin time again and thanks to you, those of us who don't have something comparable in our own lives will once again be able to live that pleasure through you.so, do you get a golden oven timer now?
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I can't help with the preservation question, but I did find the original article (three years young!) with the instructions in printable form. It also includes a recipe for a mousse to serve with it. If it's as good as it looks, I'm not going to have any concerns about storing it
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...753C1A9629C8B63
in the printable instructions at this link he specifies the orange confit will keep for several weeks refrigerated with their syrup.
i have an abundance of navel oranges and was planning to make marmalade. this is more more intriguing, as it will be a new process for me. so, tomorrow, i begin orange confit. i'll use my slow cooker, but it's temp settings are more varied than i believed some of yours appear to be. i can boil, simmer or barely heat. will report on the progress and final result.
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and turkey enchiladas...
and turkey carcass stock for turkey and sausage gumbo.
i think someone else mentioned turkey pot pie, another fav of mine.
for turkey carcass stock-based soup there is nothing like taking the time to roll out your own noodles while the stock cooks. a simple turkey soup on friday this year... turkey wings and drumstick bones (meat reserved), cooked to rich broth; add loads of carrots and corn, an onion, garlic and fresh rosemary, with the turkey leg meat thrown in at the end and served in the bowl alongside reheated mashed potatoes.
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i was gifted some lovely spanish smoked paprika recently. so, tonight i braised chicken thighs covered with smoked paprika and a bit of salt, a la ronnie_suburban's "chickeny chicken" in the paprika thread. thanks, ronnie. love the chicken!
on the side, baby carrot and chard stew from the new spanish table (which also utilizes smoked paprika), served with boiled new potatoes. simple and tasty, although the stew is not very stewish, more of a side veg.
and a cup of coffee and a reese's caramel p-nut butter cup for dessert. it's necessary to test that halloween candy, you know.
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with the weather turning cooler, a fresh baked loaf of sourdough rye bread, some cubed beef in the fridge, a tin of exquisite sweet pride of szeged paprika, ginormous yellow onions and potatoes from the farmers' market... what else could i cook today other than gulyas? nothing else, had to have it.
i was in the mood for traditional gulyas, yes, but with a little experiment. this is a great soup for the pressure cooker. i haven't prepared it this method before, and it's certainly not the traditional method. it is every bit as good as any goulash i've ever made. tender beef, rich red broth, potatoes with a bit of bite, silky onions. on the side, crisp toasted thin-sliced buttered rye bread and a simple take me back to childhood apple/raisin salad with sour cream/vinegar/allspice dressing.
i love fall, it's time for gulyas again!
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Lessons learned today:
The blade on an immersion blender does not stop the second you turn off the power.
Blood from an index finger can squirt 4', and yes, blood does stain walls.
It is really hard to type without one's index finger.
I pitched the mayo I was making and realized that Hellman's is much safer.
holy hellman's, susan! yeow! never cared much for that slightly orange mayo either. hope your finger is in repair. blood stains on newly washed walls? damn!
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Fresh ground peanut butter on my favorite whole wheat bread http://www.vitalvittles.com is a favorite sandwich. I'll sometimes add banana, or possibly shredded carrot, maybe even some thin fruit slices or orange zest, some nuts like sunflower seed. I may try some chile peppers later today. What other combinations can you think of? I'm looking for some new ideas to kick up a peanut butter on whole wheat sandwich.
Shel
right now i'm eating a peanut butter sandwich on home made whole wheat/rye sourdough toast... with the strawberry/green fig jam i made this afternoon. the added orange peel and crysallized ginger really kick up the jam. all o' that and the crisp romaine lettuce elevate the pbj beyond the mundane.
i like your idea of the chiles. about any variety of roasted peppers would be my suggestion. i may have to try that with some anaheim's i roasted recently.
fruit chutneys are really good paired with peanut butter and whole wheat/whole grain breads also.
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cherry tomato vinaigrette
oh so simple, and as they say, better than the sum of its humble parts.
quarter cherry tomatoes.
pour balsamic vinegar over them, add warmish water to taste, so they are just a bit afloat.
let rest for at least an hour at room temp.
add evoo, salt and fresh ground mixed peppercorns to taste.
toss in minced garlic, chopped flat leaf parsley and chiffonade basil of your choice. (i especially like genoa basil with this.)
allow the vinaigrette to languish in the fridge at least a few hours before using to make a fabulous green/veg (or bread, or pasta) salad.
it's even better the next day, if you can wait that long. i make enough to enjoy it for about three days at once and by the third day it's just that much better.
and, of course, nothing wrong with throwing together a tasty pico de gallo with your cherry tomatoes too. just halve them and go.
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my favorite dinners over the last week... sorry, no pics.
from monica bhide's everything indian cookbook, two starters (perfect for a single person's dinner)...
fenugreek flavored meatballs (lamb) and cucumber cups with yogurt sauce. since this was dinner for me i rounded it out with lemon rice from the same cookbook.
a light and fruity bread salad, made with sourdough banana nut bread as a base. with lots of torn romaine heart, strawberries macerated in raspberry vinegar with a touch of sugar, one perfect fresh sliced nectarine, handful of dried red flame grapes, sliced scallion and bleu cheese, sloshed with a bit more ras vinegar stirred into a tad of fruity evoo and a crack of pepper. i love salads and this was probably one of the best this season... no offense to my lovely tomatoes.
roasted red pepper risotto, roasted garlicky chicky thigh and lightly steamed then sauteed broccoli.
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salads! bread salads, if you want something a bit heartier without cooking even the rice or noodles. think quick and seasonal... asian inspired quick pickles, berries macerated in balsamic vinegar, pineapple, grapes, peaches, etc., avocado, tomatoes... an excellent time to make use of good canned beans or cheeses for protein in your salads.
also, no shame in letting the butcher quick steam the shrimp or other seafood for you if want it cooked and you can't stand even a few minutes of stove heat. and yes, ceviche, or "citrus-cooked" salmon, or other seafood is perfect in a heat wave. let your fridge do your "cooking" for you. spice heat and cool ingredients are a great combo in the heat.
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delightful blog. great way to start the day. thoroughly enjoying madrid vicariously.
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one summer we visited grandma's corn farm in ohio when i was about nine yrs old. she taught me that fresh and hot off the stalk her corn was delicious without anything. when i was growing my own white sweet corn i'd pluck it under the hot tx sun and eat it right there.
if i'm roasting/grilling it, before soaking in water several hours, i usually remove silk first, probably more of a habit because kids don't like that stringy mess. whenever possible we'd stick the ears right down in the ash covered coals and roast peppers (plain or stuffed with a wide variety of whatever's available goodies) on the metal grill above. turn the corn, turn the peppers. the roasted char aroma from the peppers and corn mingle into a richly delicious flavor.
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hi, kent.
enjoying the blog tremendously. now i'm really missing the asian/se asian markets and restaurants in austin and on the gulf coast. miss the fresh seafood on the coast. one thing about living where i do on lake michigan, our asian population is so small that people have to trek 70 miles south to chicago or 40 miles north to milwaukee to find an asian market. i'm working on them at the local grocery store and they are getting better about at least stocking some basics. although i'm much happier with the weather and enjoying exploring regional food here that is different than what was readily available around austin/houston/corpus... i desperately miss asian food markets and restaurants.
nice pics. i'll have to check out your website too. looking forward to some vicarious bbq soon.
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it's hot, or at least it's summer. freezer pops are my quickie answer to i want ice cream or a cold stick of ice in my mouth. fruit juices are always good, plenty of variety and ultimately easy. but my fav pop currently is equal portions of strong coffee and evap milk, touch of vanilla, sweetened to taste and spiked with a bit of cinnamon or cocoa powder. chai tea is also fantastic, or any tea you like, creamed or not, with mint or ginger, etc., thrown in.
if you don't have freezer pop forms check out your local grocery store. i got mine for $2, way cheaper than the tupper pops many of had growing up.
do you freezer pop? what's your favorite?
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pille..........It is so fascinating to see the differences and similarities of wild food across the world. Thank you! I will have to see if wild garlic grows here. And yes, maple syrup counts! Realy counts!!! Anything gathered from the wild with your own two hands and keen eyes, then eaten with pleasure, would qualify as foraging in my book. Yes Annecros........I would Never leave out fish of any sort!
you probably have wild onions also. and keep an eye out for wild grapes. they make the best and prettiest jelly ever.
since i have relocated to lake michigan area, from west of austin tx, my foraging radar has had to make some real adjustments. am digging back into childhood memories myself, when i lived up here. rhubarb [which is everywhere, as well as in my garden], juniper berries, tiny apples, nettles, dandelion greens [aren't they ubiquitous no matter where one lives?], some kind of nut-like thing i haven't figured out yet.
i'm sure there will be much more to discover here too.could someone tell me more about foraging for pinenuts? with all the pines up here, certainly there should be some producing edibles...
just found a lovely, interesting book, the fancy pantry, in a used bookstore for a buck. it's all about preserving everything in a variety of ways.
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i have fabulous results with my food processor. i haven't bought ''ground'' meat of any variety since i tried using the fp to grind/chop some lamb for larb a few years ago. cold meat, cubed to about one inch or so. i toss in five to seven hunks at once; never more than one layer in container. quick pulse until i achieve the results i want. occasionally i need to move it around a bit if it seems to be hung up in one place. maybe it's all psych, but i swear nothing i've bought ground tastes as good as the results i get with my fp.
i've never had a problem with getting a hunks/meat paste combo.
of course, next time i do it...
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Linda was a big part of my daily life when i lived in the tx forum and i returned to it after moving to another region mostly to continue that contact. but she was soon mia and it's hard to know she is gone. her posts, emails and pm are all more treasured now for me, as i will never see a new insight or laugh freshly with her again. as much as her knowledge, joy and love of life, food and cooking gladdened me, her passing saddens me.
condolences and many wonderful memories to her family and friends.
i'll bake biscuits for you, fifi.
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if i understand that we are counting all sorts of ''pickled preserves'' there may be others not named strictly pickles lurking in recipegullet also... perhaps relishes, chow chows, or chutneys.
while scoping out existing recipes you might want to consider these two:peppery green tomato corn relish and spicy pineapple/rhubarb chutney.
i love pickles of all sorts. so, yes, do count me in. i may not be very active for the next couple of weeks as i'll be away from home, but i'll try to get something pickled before i leave on wednesday. hmmm... maybe this afternoon for dinner tomorrow... shaved carrot and thinly sliced onion pickled with a serrano pepper and garlic clove or two is a nice quickie to serve with hot weather grilled chicky and arugula sandwich. the rhubard/apricot/serrano chutney i made last week is fantastic with chicken also, but in honor of this cook-off i'll try something else this week.
when i had a big garden in central tx i could pickle loads of goods from my own plants and trees. now i'm living on lake michigan with a small plot in the yard, gifted to me by my garden-loving landlady. i'm limited in space, variety and length of growing season. so some pickles will come from my homegrown food and some will come from vegs/fruits purchased at one of the numerous farmer's markets close to me. this is new for me; i always pickled/preserved what i grew myself. but there's no shame in taking advantage of good produce from a good source.
pickled watermelon was always the sweet pickle treat on our table for thanksgiving when i was a kid. i continued that tradition with my own family, pickling my own watermelon rind late in the summer. probably my favorite sweet pickle ever. and there's just something wonderful about using what most people consider garbage or compost material to make a fabulous sweet treat that shines like amber/green glass.
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i'm a fairly new resident living in kenosha, wi, south of milwaukee. there are no asian markets here.
anyone have suggestions/locations for asian markets in the greater milwaukee area? -
Liuyang black bean chicken [variation using fermented black bean sauce instead of rinsed fermented black beans] and steamed peas with ginger, both from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook. Served with ginger scented coconut rice from Cradle of Flavor. So a bit of mixing Chinese with SE Asian, but the result was delicious.
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may 26 was the first saturday for the harborside farmer's market on lake michigan in kenosha, wi. the other four kenosha markets open the first week of june. i'm aching for those... better prices and more vendors/produce. harborside f/m is a bit chi-chi with herbal lotions and whatever, but still some good produce and even a few delicious treats can be found there. ready mades such as italian beef and sausages, weekend treat pastries, artisan breads and wonderful coffee from my fav coffee house downtown. also farm eggs, free range chickens, locally produced cheese and fresh pasta. ok, a little bit of chi-chi can be a good thing sometimes.
it is early even for southeast wisconsin, so produce was limited. but i had to go and evidently lots of people shared my desire for fresh, local produce no matter how limited the early selection.
while there i picked up some lovely asparagus, early spinach [the real thing], cilantro with roots
and local wildflower honey. more in the treat department i couldn't resist the armenian vendor who had grapeleaves stuffed w/rice/dill/lemon for 50 cents each. it is spring and the markets are here once again. along the lake and in our parks vendors are setting their tables and opening their tailgates. as my garden space is very limited here on lake michigan compared to the big plot i had in central tx i will be depending on our good local farmers more than ever to bring to me the headiness of fresh produce with the warm aroma of local earth.
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Are we going to factor the length of the growing season into this equation? My tomato plants still aren't in because the nights are barely into the 50's yet.
that is true here in wisconsin also. although we've had some unusually warm days already this spring it only lasts a day or two then we are back into the 60s for days and 40s or 50s at night. quite an adjustment after living in central tx for so many years where i could count on three harvests a year. there i could start first planting in february and do the last harvest about thanksgiving. so if we don't take growing season into account southern/southeastern states will have a tremndous leg up over other notable agra states.
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I think the lack of an official certification system is unsustainable, especially in light of all the psychological disabilities out there. For example, in New York City there have been several successful ADA claims by owners of "emotional support assistance animals," (none that I know of in restaurants, but in other public accommodation situations so it's just a matter of time) in other words animals where the function is to help ease the effects of the disability of depression. I mean, the regulations as written are so easy to abuse: restaurants have to admit anybody who makes a claim that an animal is a service animal, or they risk fines and bad publicity. A standardized certification and identification system, where you're committing a crime if you fake an ID, seems like the only rational solution.
clarification of a few points here...
there is a huge difference between a psych service dog/animal and an emotional support animal. emotional support animals have no public access rights, with the exception of airline flight cabins with a doctor's prescription. they are not trained service animals. a person with disabilities [whatever their disabilities may be: blind, deaf, mobility or psych], using a service animal specifically trained for them is allowed public access almost anywhere, with very few exceptions [such as certain areas of a hospital like the operating room]. however, any employee may inquire: are you disabled? is that your service dog? what tasks does the service animal performs for you? but they cannot require one to state what their disabilities are, specifically. privacy... like any of you would want to tell everyone your medical history just because they ask. a psych service animal has tasks that go far beyond ''comfort'' for the person to function in public because they are ''depressed''.
the logistics of a national certification system are so complex it would boggle your mind if you took time to consider that. the tasks a service animal performs are widely varied, based on what the person with disabilities [pwd] needs. the ada was written to accomodate people who receive service animals from an org or trainer, or who train a service animal for themselves. there is no system or certification for trainers, thus no certification is required for a trained service animal. who would be responsible for this certification? the additional cost of a national certification program would be prohibitive for many people who need the service animals. any service animal that is misbehaving or interfering in some way with the basic functionality of an establishment can be asked to leave the premises. i have to comment here that i wish a lot of parents would expect their children to be as well-behaved as service animals are.
since i started this reply i see others have said much of what i have said. i have been fortunate to not have to put up with a lot of hassle about public access with quinn, my service dog pictured in my avatar. without him i could not live independently, walk down the street, buy my own groceries, cook for myself on a regular basis, be responsible for my own health maintainence, or enjoy life as i do today. invisible disabilities, such as deafness, tend to raise more questions. people want to know why one ''gets''' to take their dog everywhere. believe me, i love my service dog, quinn... but if you think we wouldn't trade that for not having to rely on a service animal, think again.
it is true that many people do not know what is proper conduct around a service animal, but more are learning all the time. in my experience the majority of us who rely on a service animal, most frequently a service dog [sd], are more than pleased to try to educate others when we have the chance. when we're trying to get to a dinner reservation or other appointment on time it may not be the best opportunity for that. and yeah, we just love it when whole families and groups of people gather around and point us out to each other.
I once went a buffet with a dog in training and it was remarkable how well-behaved it was as it guided its owner around all the food. It was a collie, pretty tall, and all the food was at about its eye level, yet it was not tempted.
and that was a fantastic buffet wasn't it, kent? tempted?
oh i'm sure quinn was tempted, but then we are all tempted at times. it's how we act on it that matters and he was so perfect that day. you should see him in action now.
What Tea Are You Drinking Today? (Part 1)
in Coffee & Tea
Posted
I started the day with a loose leaf assam (Irish Breakfast) from culturedcup.com; strong, hot, milky and sweet.
Ending my night with a white tea blended with chamomile and pomegranate (White Sunshine) from the teasource.com, which is lightly sweet and very slightly fruity.