hathor

Incredible. I was away in Europe for awhile and it was a treat to come back and catch up on your amazing blog. From my window, there are no leaves on the trees, its rainy, a tomato is a dimly remembered object, and roses? I'd settle for some daffodils. Actually I was thinking of you while I was in London and had the most amazing deep fried, spicy, slivered okra 'chips'. Looking forward to okra day tommorow. And I love the gumbo pot. I have a fry pan/splatter cover lid from my grandmother that is magical. Amazing what we get attached to. Thanks for taking the time for the blog and the town tour and the book reveiw!

White: if the sun is still shining Red: for all the rest of the time, including stormy Sunday lunches. (which might sound silly, but lunches are usually lighter, not as serious as dinners. And if its gloomy and cold out, you can't drink a chilled pinot gris can you?)

I've become completely addicted to Crystal Wing Sauce..thanks to you! My husband is getting a bit worried.....

We had the left overs last night..just a few pieces, but still good!

Brown butter and sage on just about anything...ravioli, veal cutlets, chicken..it might even be good on Cheerios....

You haven't seen disgusting until you've seen a skin form on top of mayonnaise that's been sitting in a tub filled with ice cubes for at least 30 minutes to an hour. It was part of the routine we had when I worked in a BK. You had to change the ice cube tray on a regular basis because god forbid the ice cubes melted -- that meant the mayo would warm up and then we'd have to ditch the tub. If a skin formed, we had to remove it and stir the mayo around to get it all mixed up again. As for onions and tomatoes, we used an industrial mandoline. (Metal with a blade sharper than Zorro's sword.) Oh, cleanliness?!?! Let me show you icky cleanliness. Let's talk about changing the oil at least once every two or three days because the fry station was uber-greasy. Let's talk about melting a block of vegetable shortening in the fry station. Let's talk about the walk-in freezer which was probably cleaned about once a month, if that. Let's talk about the sinks in the back with all the gunky salad bar station trays, jars and containers. Let's talk about the grody crap on the red-tiled floors that we'd have to scrape up after sweeping and before mopping. Let's talk about the grease covered pit in the parking lot in the rear of the BK I used to work at whilst in high school, where we dumped the daily garbage. Let's talk about the eternal overhanging odiferous cloud that seemed to follow me whenever I entered the restaurant -- that strangely pungent smell of burger grease and stale lettuce that never seemed to go away even when the uniforms were washed. I have bad memories. Calgon, take me away! Soba

Thank you for taking the time and making the effort. Its heartening to hear that this sort of sustainable 'mariculture' is going on.

Voila! Pan Fried Chicken: soaked in buttermilk and Crystal wing sauce. It was a hit at last night's Soprano Sunday Supper. Thanks for the input! Edited: took out the URL as I just can seem to get the picture to post properly.

Would anyone mind posting some recipes using rose petals? "oses, how womantic...." Lily von Schtup. Seriously, what can be done with rose petals? I've heard of sauces, but never tasted them. Thanks.

I'm reading the whole thread and it took a long time to get to "Marge you found me a turkey..." song! We find many reasons to sing that around our house.

Congratulations and best of luck!! Actually wondered where you were, as after the fabulous foodblog, I didn't see your posts anywhere. Seems you've been very busy! If you feed your guests the same way you did on the foodblog, you'll have no trouble renting rooms!!

Thanks! For the reply and the blog. It makes total sense what you are saying, when there are just so many factors involved, you may as well just go with the flow! And deal with the flow as it occurs. One of the lessons in life you learn as you get older!

Is fresh wasabi the same as wasabi leaves? They've been in my market lately (Gourmet Garage). I've been looking at the leaves but had no idea what to do with them.

Grazie Divinia! We may be in that 'neck of the woods' in a week or so, it would be fun to check it out.

I never understood the appeal. It was always an over priced, over rated, expense account restaurant...with a good wine list.

I used to spend a lot of time in Hong Kong and I always made it a point to wander around the markets. I finally broke down and bought one and then brought it back to the 5 star hotel where I was staying. Being friendly with the concierge, I proudly opened my sack with the durian and asked him what I should do with it. He backed up against the wall, beyond horrified, as if I'd had a human head in the bag, and yelled, "It smells like shit!". Now if you know Hong Kong and hotel service, these guys are the ultimate professionals, it was really funny to see him as well as the looks on his co-workers faces. I brought it up to the room, but was too intimidated by the concierge to actually eat it,and as it did pretty much smell like shit, I hung the bag on the outside of my door, and hoped someone would make it vanish. On another trip, my Hong Kongese co-workers insisted that I try some durian. It was...OK. I mean I could swallow it without gagging. They insisted that no one likes it on the first try, but on the second try I would love it. Somehow, I've managed to avoid that second taste test!

Is Panzano a town outside of Florence? Or an area within Florence? Thanks!

mmm....how did you know I was a poker??? I'll have to acquire the ingredients and give it a whirl this weekend. My mother would just die laughing if she knew I was buying Crisco! Are your cows for milk or slaughter? I grew up around dairy cows, but that was a long time ago!

The Crystal sauce just showed up in my office... a whole lot of it!! Can't wait to try it out! Mabelline: good luck with the new babies!

The fine art of cole slaw has nearly become a lost art. It should be crunchy and a bit tart and with the magical earthiness of celery seed just peeking thru. A refreshing treat with character, not that mushy, acidic diner slaw that comes in gigantic pails.

What a wonderful blog and a way for those of us who are computer and office bound to share in the process. Many thanks for making the effort! I have a question/concern about this very early spring: are the vintners worried about such early budding? What issues could arise from such early sprouting? Will the grapes mature earlier, will the fruit be on the vine longer? Ok, so it wasn't one question.

No, I cut the tip off, cored it with a small spoon and then filled the core with the gorgonzola. The trick is to find good pears. Enjoy!

ANY groceries in Westchester NY. We refer to the vegetable market in Mt. Kisco as the "60 Dollar Store". No matter what you buy, it costs $60. Always. Prices are at the very least double what they are in NYC.

I just hate it when the French write their labels in French.....