Smithy

JohnT, that looks worth trying to me! What kind of "firm fish" would you recommend? Saltwater fish of some sort? Oily, mild, strong? Red, white? Tuna? Cod? Mackerel?

Another barefoot cook here. First of all, consider floor covers that don't conduct heat easily, because they'll feel warmer from the outset. Cork, linoleum, vinyl and wood - in that order, I think - all "feel" warmer to the foot than tile. I looked hard at cork because of its flexibility and claimed durability, but couldn't make it fit the budget or pass the spousal approval test. You're looking at a small space, you say, so it may work for you. An additional advantage is that cork, linoleum, vinyl and wood are all softer landing spots for dropped objects. Wood can dent. Vinyl may dent or puncture. Cork and linoleum can be torn or punctured, but they tend not to show it as easily. I'm pretty sure that a heated underlayer is designed not to electrocute you if you puncture it. However, I wonder whether the same heat-insulating value I mention above may be counterproductive. Heat will pass through tile, for instance, more easily than through a layer of cork of the same thickness. How exciting for you!

Oh, please excuse my lapse, and thank you for asking! IowaDee has the right of it. The Civilian Conservation Corps was a government-funded Public Works program during the Great Depression in this country. From 1933 to 1942 young men (unemployed, unmarried, needing financial relief) were hired to work on conservation and preservation projects on public land. They built parks, campgrounds, roads and bridges; they strung telephone line; they did forestry work and flood-control work. They did this work in exchange for food, shelter, clothing, a small wage and the development of job skills. Many of their structures are still in use, not only in parks but in rural areas of this country. There are beautifully-constructed stone buildings and bridges (prominent in northeastern Minnesota, where I used to work) and their timber-frame lodges are permanently associated in my mind with forests and national parks. For more information, here are some good web sites: Wikipedia (of course) Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy Parks An article in Minnesota History featuring a firsthand account of being in the C.C.C. I think I have some photos rattling around in my files from park stays elsewhere. If I can find them - there's one particularly beautiful pond and dam - I'll add them. We've picnicked there many a time.

The Davis Mountains in southwest Texas rise from the dry flat grasslands and Chihuahuan desert, up into beautiful hills with peaks nearly 7000' above sea level. The McDonald Observatory is there; one "star party" night their speaker illustrated their dark skies with this boast: "The nearest Walmart is 50 miles away". Javelina, deer and wild turkey abound, flowers are blooming, and the songbirds are in full mating cry. We spent time at a picnic area, then moved on to Davis Mountains State Park. The downside of this wonderful isolation is an almost complete lack of internet communication; I managed to pay bills on April Fools' Day by driving to a mountaintop lookout point. Although flowers are blooming, the only deciduous trees beginning to leaf out are the cottonwoods tracing out dry creek beds. If you saw a painting of this canyon, you'd say the green looked phony. I promise that it looked like this...except even more vividly, brilliantly green. We grilled sometimes and cooked inside otherwise, rode bicycles, fixed flat tires, and hiked. The only noteworthy meal was one of our rare breakfasts eaten out. Some years ago we discovered the Indian Lodge at Davis Mountains State Park; a CCC-built building that has been renovated and/or rebuilt due to a fire some years ago. Its restaurant, the Black Bear Grill (named for a bear that 'treed' several CCC workers up a windmill tower back in the day) has nice woodwork, interesting old photos, a beautiful mural depicting the history of the area, and good food. The window blinds are wood slats. When was the last time you saw that? We ordered our usual favorites: two eggs, potatoes and meat for him, and a breakfast burrito with all the trimmings for me. We shared the sausage and bacon, since we can never remember which we prefer. The bacon is smoky and full-flavored. The sausage has some nice seasonings that neither of us could identify. I wish I could, so I could try to duplicate it. We ate and looked out the window at the swallows in the near ground and the valley and campground farther away. The burrito was huge. It always is. At some point I conceded the match, and brought the rest home for a late-afternoon meal. Up next: Easter in Del Rio.

Thanks for that, btbyrd. I haven't taken the plunge yet on this gear and method of cookery, but I suspect it's just a matter of time. For shorter trips this would be a great way to have food ready for the gang. Once you had proteins sealed and sterilized, how long would you consider it safe to keep in only a cooler, as opposed to the freezer? I'll be posting soon about a beautiful salmon filet, my second-to-last. How I would love to have been able to bring more with us on this trip!

That's a lot of fun! Somebody had fun - and they were even good enough to sign their names. :-D

You bet! I too love the source of Norm's recipe, as well as its sound. My main point was that you aren't all that far from some places you can try it, if you wish to and if you wander south of the border. Check out Zup's sometime if you're in one of their towns (Tower, Cook, Aurora, Ely, Silver Bay, Babbitt). The Italian Bakery in Virginia also used to make it, but I don't know whether they're still in business.

Tri2Cook, in northern Minnesota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula it's called "Potica" instead of "Povitica". You may be able to find it under that name. By the way - the locals pronounce it "poTEETsa", despite the way it's spelled. Norm Matthews' recipe looks very good.

Ranz, thanks for this additional information. It's given me an idea for the pork chops languishing in my freezer.

I agree that eggs keep well past their 'expiration date', as others have noted; I take weeks to go through a dozen. I don't have a definitive "good/bad" test for you, but here are three more ways to avoid the problem:* Buy only half a dozen at a time, if your stores offer that option (many do on this side of the border); * Split a purchase with a friend; * Separate the eggs and freeze the yolks and whites, to be thawed as you need them. This last idea is the most work, but for washes and bindings you should be able to keep excess eggs indefinitely. (It may be just as practical to freeze whole eggs after shelling them, but I haven't deliberately done it. Eggs that I've accidentally frozen have split their shells but been fine except for possible textural changes.)

Here is an excellent tutorial, with an in-depth consideration of the pros and cons of each type: Understanding Stovetop Cookware ...and quite a bit of recent discussion here: Copper vs Stainless Steel Clad Cookware: Is it worth the $$$?

Thanks, everyone! Rob, I'm sorry I didn't know to yell the secret password. I was tempted to burst through into the kitchen, but didn't want to be presumptuous. Besides, your waitstaff, though polite, looked like they could take me. We did enjoy the rest of the visit...and I still have 3 special confections remaining. We had planned to leave this morning, but it was too beautiful a day for driving (when one could be walking, loafing and spying on birds' nests instead) and tomorrow should provide a good tailwind. We went to the Depot Museum, where - true to form - I came away with another irresistible cookbook. I blame this museum for the unwarranted expansion of my cookbook library. Whenever I look at their offerings and my good sense tries to assert itself, I remind myself that The Proceeds Go To A Good Cause. It's our last chance at campfire cooking for a while. I made pita bread (thanks both to Ann_T and bethesdabakers for their tips), merguez-flavored burgers and a grilled salad. The bread was made in our oven; the rest was made over the campfire. We made serious inroads on the garlic sauce purchased at Babylon Market, and opened up the jar of Arabic Pickle purchased at the same place. There's something elusive...we can't identify it yet...but the aggregate of those condiments, the seasonings in the burgers and the pita, reminded us of something...they just...took us back somewhere...ahhh.

Hi, carlieskitchen - Tell us a little more about yourself. Do you cook for yourself, for a family? What sort of food do you like to cook?

I suddenly remembered this topic yesterday. Has the note helped?

I saw a neat trick for this in a bread-baking course that I'm taking: if the sheet pan is rimmed, turn it over and use the bottom for the flat surface. No rims to interfere with sliding parchment on and off. I slapped my head. Why hadn't I thought of that? (My thanks to Peter Reinhart!)

Well, the stars aligned properly and we got our logistics worked out for a trip to Silver City! We made a couple of stops in Deming, then drove north another hour as the terrain slowly rose into the hills and mining country. Somehow I missed getting an exterior photo of The Curious Kumquat. There's a courtyard in front with tables, chairs and a choice of shady or sunny spots. Some people sat outside, including a couple with three large dogs placidly enjoying the sunshine. We considered sitting out there, until we went in and were greeted by gentle, savory aromas. I was hooked. Once indoors, you're greeted with a display case of confections. There are several small dining rooms, each with its own decor. Our room had nice artwork and a ceiling full of Japanese lanterns. I'll bet it's even prettier at night. (The drunken perspective is because I was shooting over the heads of other diners.) The place had a relaxed, happy, uncrowded atmosphere. Here sat two women lingering long over the meal and possibly discussing college courses. There sat four people, apparently out-of-towners like us, enjoying the food and the room. We sat next to a bay window overlooking the courtyard, so we enjoyed the sunlight and spring-green tree... ...and the antics of the dogs outside as they became restive. Is it possible for 3 dogs to actually braid their leashes together? It looked as though they were trying. Cheerful wait staff helps set the tone. Justin, our server, was happy to let me snap photos of the bar. Check out those hanging meats! And the wine cooler! The beer and wine selection looked good, but we had much too long a drive home and errands still to run. The lunch menu is diverse enough that we had a difficult time choosing. My darling settled on an African Pork Wrap: large whole-wheat burrito with slow-cooked pork, a peppery peanut sauce, cucumber and greens. It was huge! He grudgingly allowed me a bite. The balance of savory meat and spicy peanut was excellent. I chose the Duck Confit salad with goat cheese, raspberries and tender greens. It was also a generous portion... ...and the duck was so tender that the provided sharp knife was unnecessary. I grudgingly gave him a bite. If I had to pick a last meal, I could die happy after that one. By the time we'd finished, no dessert that appealed to us remained. (I was intrigued by the "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie - No, Really!" but the supply had been exhausted before we arrived, so I can't describe it.) I bought a small box of confections, to be savored later. I must remember not to hoard them. The lone fly in my ointment was that I couldn't meet Chef Rob. I was told that he comes out to greet guests in the evening, but is too busy during the afternoon. I would like to have been able to tell him in person how much we'd enjoyed the place. We finished up our errands (Silver City has a better bicycle shop and grocery store than Deming) and headed home.

I like the look of that food, especially the barbecued asparagus. That looks like something I could do! Did you come across anything new that you want to try making at home? I know you've been doing a lot of Japanese cooking of late.

Washington, DC! I can tell I've fallen for the usual stereotype of pavement and cherry trees there, with the only decent garden being at the White House. I'm glad to learn there's more arable land in that area than I'd thought...even if it is up on the roof. I like the idea of gardening but not the discipline, so I stick to herbs, flowers and the occasional potted tomato. At present I have a basil plant growing and traveling with us in our trailer. At home, once the snow melts, a few perennials will come up: sorrel, some bulb flowers. There are good ramp patches in the nearby woods. Fortunately I have friends who are excellent gardeners, so I can support their farmers' market enterprises. I'm with gfweb: pictures of your garden, please!

Today involved a mountain of chores: they don't go away when one travels. Late in the afternoon I contemplated the beautiful baby eggplants from our last grocery stop. I'd reserved some pineapple from the last fruit salad. I had ginger, garlic, celery and small Mexican onions that needed to be used up. The wind had been blustering all day, and a campfire was out of the question. It looked like a good curry was in order. Halfway through the prep work, and well after sundown, we realized that the wind had died. Change in dinner plans! A campfire was hastily assembled, and burgers came out. The vegetables altered course accordingly; somehow, a curry with eggplant, pineapple and ginger sounded clashy against burgers. (Can you say "cognitive dissonance"?) Back into the refrigerator went the pineapple. Out came several peppers. The resulting campfire salad was dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and garnished with fresh basil. Here's dinner, cooked over the campfire while we admired stars, played guitar and sang.

I'm hoping to do that! I'm still trying to work out the logistics. The drive is a 3-hour round trip from here....short compared to, say, coming from Minnesota, but maybe not in the cards for our current schedule.

Welcome, JanRed! What do you grow in your roof garden? Do you feel comfortable telling us your general location, so we have an idea of your growing conditions?

Thanks, SLB! I'm still working my way through the sweet lemons, but I can give a preliminary report at least. Here's a photo of 3 sweet lemons (left front), 2 standard lemons (right) and our last, pitifully aged Meyer lemon (rear). The Meyer is decidedly more orange than either of the others. Only part of that is due to age-intensified color. Note the difference in shape (length to diameter ratio) between the sweet and the standard lemons. I've had some Meyers that were roughly the color and shape of standard lemons, but never seen any as round - almost squat - as the sweet lemons. This Meyer was smallish compared to most I've seen. Cut in half, here's what they look like. Again, the Meyer is at the left rear, the sweet lemons are in the front row and the sour lemons are at the right rear. The color didn't come out as well in this photo, but the sweet and sour lemons are a pale lemon yellow whereas the Meyer has an orange cast to it. I juiced each, and was surprised to see that the juice is roughly the same color; a photo doesn't show any appreciable difference. The taste, however, is very different! The Meyer is, to be fair, a bit too far gone to have typical floral Meyer perfume, but it tastes like a lemon with a hint of sweeter citrus. The sour lemon tastes like a lemon, with a good powerful tartness. The sweet lemon - well, it tastes more like a lackluster commercial lemonade than like a lemon. I taste a lot of sugar, a hint of something bitter, and the barest hint of lemony citrus flavor. I wish my pH stick weren't broken! I suspect that the sweet lemons have much less citric acid than their kindred. No wonder they go off so quickly. I'll be able to use the sweet lemon (some juice is about to go into my salad dressing), but unless I find some truly wonderful use for them I won't be bothering to buy more. Edited to correct position description of the cut lemons.

rotuts, I'll give you vicarious visits, anyway. Irma's is in Columbus, about 2 blocks from our park/campground.

I've always heard it "tastes like chicken" :-D Yes or no?

Cape Malay Chicken Curry tonight, with many thanks to JohnT and ElsieD: I didn't have chicken breast, but I skinned and boned chicken thighs, then cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. The last photo looks for all the world like what happens when I try to adjust colors in a photo processing program. The more I magnify, the worse the finished dish looks. Take my word for it: this was wonderful, and I'm grateful for the instructions. It would have been even better with cilantro, but I quite lost track of time this evening and didn't take the extra time to deal with that herb. One of the interesting things about dinner tonight was the results of comparing lemons (sour vs. sweet) squeezed over the curry. I noted in an earlier post that the sweet lemon was indeed sweeter than a standard lemon. Tonight the differences were striking: the regular 'sour' lemon set off the curry nicely; the sweet lemon tasted as though I'd put sugar on the curry!