Ovenfrenzy

I don't know what to call the dish I made for dinner, but it was tasty. Medium-grained rice cooked in chicken broth with green beans, cubes of lamb loin sauteed with garlic, onions, mushroom duxelles, seasoned with lots of Penzey's Lamb Seasoning and Turkish Blend...all tossed together and drizzled with fresh lemon juice.

Breakfast food is the best...I love Thomas's sourdough English muffins, split toasted and generously buttered, topped with some seedless black-raspberry jam with a perfectly ripe slice of honeydew or cantelope on the side. Mmm. Also fond of simple poached eggs on toast, cooked so the yolk is still "runny" and it mixes in with the butter on the toast. On weekends I make buttermilk biscuits or pancakes and veggie sausage. Sometimes "real" sausage, or bacon. It's all good, that breakfast food.

It is a loathing of raisins that has kept me suspicious of Morroccan cuisine- how could you even think of eating meat and raisins together? Then they put the two together in a pie and dust powdered sugar on the whole thing. Gag. In general, raisins just strike me wrong with their dry chewy texture and cloying flavor. The only time I enjoyed eating them was in a slice of Sour Cream Raisin Pie made by my mother-in-law. It was so so good- quivering rich gentle custard dotted with plump raisins, fluffy meringue on top...It was good enough for a die-hard raisin hater to try it and love it. But I still can't stand 'em any other way!

When I was visiting San Francisco a couple of years ago my husband and I came across an Indian ice cream shop in the Mission District. We had saffron, cardemom, and rose flavors. They were all very good, with such beautiful colors. I found some rose flavoring in an Indian grocery this weekend- now if I could only find all the parts to my ice cream mixer I'd be set to try making some of my own. Wish me luck- the mixer has only been used twice in 12 years.

Oh, the Bonbonnerie! It was a bit beyond my means when I lived in Cinci, but sometimes a friend and I would splurge. I'd get coffee and one slice of something, or a scone. They had amazing apricot scones, served with clotted cream. Mmm, clotted cream. I have some in my fridge spiked with brandy- maybe I need to bake up some scones...

As I may have mentioned, I have a deep afinity for cheese pastries. A Wisconsin cheese danish is my absolute favorite. Would you please describe the cheese crowns for me? I am curious to know how they are different. Do they have icing or any other type of topping? Among the Cincinnati contingent (including those who no longer live there), does anyone attempt to create these items in their own kitchen? Cheese crowns: danish pastry baked in a deep muffin or brioche tin, center filled with sweetened cream cheese, then topped with a bit of brown sugar struedle, drizzled with powdered sugar icing. I want one NOW!! And no I've never tried to recreate one in my kitchen. I mean, I doubt I could do it justice anyway, and do I really need a kitchen full of cheese crowns?

Yes, actually equal amounts olive oil & butter are best...and I do put just a sprinkle of sugar to help out the sweetness a bit. Once you have the onions properly carmelized, try mixing a portion with some blue cheese(Stilton is good in this) and smearing it on a bagette.

In Cincinnati,I lived in Gaslight Clifton for around 8 years. So many good places to eat in that neighborhood! I still miss it, all of it!

Onion confit=pork chop's best friend. Well, do you prefer to cook the onions in butter or olive oil?

This happens to me a lot, because I seldom use recipes. I think perhaps you just need to make your lasagna or whatever it may be and say "This is perfect, this time, for this batch." Culinarily, you'll never step in the same stream twice. Not a bad thing!

Indianapolis has improved its restaurant offerings in the seven years I've lived here. There are several restaurants downtown that may not fit the bill as "trendy"(and what exactly does that mean?) but their menus reflect a progressive step for this city. Scholar's Inn on Massachusettes Ave. Elements- also on Mass Ave. But wait, there's more on Mass Ave alone- R Bistro(local & seasonal offerings), and Agio(Italian-influenced). These are all worth a trip, and it's important to patronize independent restaurants, because Indy is choking on chains.

I used to live in Cincinnati, and every morning on my way to work I'd walk by Virginia Bakery and Skyline. What an olfactory overload! Virginia Bakery's schnekken(sp?) were so rich and buttery, and I miss them still. But Graeter's Ice Cream also has a bakery and their pastries and doughnuts are quite good. Their chess pie is one of the best I've ever sampled, and they have these pastries called "cheese crowns" that were a regular breakfast treat.

I can recall being fascinated with eating apples after getting high. Something about the way they crunch, and the juice drips all over your lips, and they're so cold when your mouth is all hot and dry...Hmmm.

Pink Screwdriver Came up with this last Friday when I found the blood oranges at the market juice of 3 blood red oranges 5 oz vodka 1 oz rum Add juice to shaker full of ice, add vodka and rum. Shake and pour 4 intriging pink screwdrivers. . Keywords: Cocktail ( RG862 )

Pink Screwdriver Came up with this last Friday when I found the blood oranges at the market juice of 3 blood red oranges 5 oz vodka 1 oz rum Add juice to shaker full of ice, add vodka and rum. Shake and pour 4 intriging pink screwdrivers. . Keywords: Cocktail ( RG862 )

My favorite is Cashel Blue. It's an Irish cheese and has a very rich creamy texture with a nice stinky bite. Perfect for breakfast with some ripe fruit or smeared on toast.

I like to pull the wads of fat from a chicken I'm intending to cook and freeze them. When I get four of five "blobs" saved up, it's time to thaw them and render them and fry up some potato pancakes in that great fat!

I used to be a white bread/American cheese kinda person until a friend made the most astonishingly good grilled ham & cheese I've ever eaten. I had to change my ways immediately! Now it's the best bread I can find- whole wheat, French boule, doesn't matter as long as it's superior quality. Thinnly sliced sharp Cheddar. Lots of softened butter on the bread and a non-stick or cast iron skillet on low heat. patience is a virtue here- waiting a good while will result in completely melted cheese and a good golden crunch in the bread.