petite tête de chou

I have the bag under my nose as I type. The brown jasmine rice doesn't have that strong, flowery fragrance. If it's toasted a bit before adding the boiling water it develops a stronger scent but it's really the texture that pleases me. Long, sort of delicate grains that remain separate when cooked. Really nice stuff. I found it at a food co-op in Portland. Of course, I just *had* to have it.

"Everything you always wanted in a beer. And less." Miller Lite Silly. Also, I've never liked "Pork: The other white meat." I guess that I'm supposed to think of chicken. Then perhaps I'll think how "healthy" and low-fat chicken is and transfer those happy-healthy thoughts to pork. Silly.

In my food-fantasy world I would snack on all forms of fresh caneberries (blackberries, raspberries, loganberries, tayberries, salmonberries and boysenberries) every day, every season. BUT that isn't going to happen so I munch my sorrows away on tortilla chips and salsa (another salty/crunchy snacker), wasabi peas, hot peppers n- cheese in soy sauce, pickles (cucumbers, cauliflower, etc.), salmon and beef jerkys, cherries and plums (when in season), a couple squares of quality bittersweet chocolate, tins of smoked or teriyaki oysters and black licorice. eta- During the fall and winter I also snack on lots of nuts- walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, almonds. I prefer nuts in the shell for snacking as it keeps my hands busy- it's been many, many months since I quit smoking but I'll be damned if I still don't crave them.

I love brown jasmine rice. I've tried rinsing it and found that it really makes no difference at all in the final product. I treat it like your standard brown rice. Bring two cups of water (or stock, if you prefer) to a boil, add 1.5 cups of rice, bring back to boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45-50 minutes. Leave the lid on after cooking for about five minutes, then fluff with fork. This works for me every time.

Perhaps an applesauce and gingerbread trifle? Or an apple trifle with Calvados soaked ladyfingers?

Apple-fennel soup or horseradish-apple soup.

Tonight I made bacon/cheddar and green onion cornbread in my cast iron skillet using the kernals from both ears of corn. A good way to use end-of-the-season corn. I then roasted some brussel sprouts and cauliflower with lots of unpeeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, thyme, red pepper flakes and a dash of apple cider vinegar. Next time I'll do half cider vinegar and half apple cider. I'd like a bit of sweetness. Served with a bowl of spicy pork and red bean chili (recipe included coffee) topped with sharp cheddar and red onions. What a tasty supper!

Last weekend my mother and I went to one of our favorite places- Sauvies Island Pumpkin Patch Market. It was an early Friday afternoon and the crowds were minimal. As you can see the weather was an incredibly kind mistress. Fun with colored chalk... Alas for us, no chicken-dinner... Winter squash is in my "top ten" favorite foods, never met one I didn't like. I didn't buy any peppers but they sure look neat, huh? These are new to the market. Honey bears waiting for a hot cup of tea. On our way home the weather mistress got a bit frisky... My bounty. Yikes- what a dark picture! Ah well. We have cauliflower, two ears of corn, a couple yellow onions, a couple stalks of brussel sprouts, a five pound bag of frozen blueberries, one asian pear, ten pound bag of yukon gold potay-toes, golden kuri squash, hazelnuts and chestnuts. I have visions of baked squash stuffed with meat, rice and nuts. Many soups. Roasted cauliflower and sprouts (I adore brussels!). I intend to eat the pear today after tidying up our garden. The blueberries? I don't care much for muffins and I make enough blueberry cheesecake. Any ideas? Is five pounds enough to make wine? Perhaps a cordial? Of course, I'll post pictures of whatever I end up making.

Hi eje. It looks like Birchboy carries red currant syrup (half-way down the page).

Hot, crackling strips of turkey skin eaten in my steamy kitchen with an cold glass of gewürztraminer. Drinking hot chocolate and eating a large candy cane while sitting outside on a freezing day after Christmas. I wish that my grandmother was still around to play blackjack with, drink bourbon and use the rest of the bottle to make bourbon balls. Those wonderful, boozy balls.

Not sure how to put this, but I really love the fact that this blog includes marijuana-laced foodstuffs. How neat. How...European. Jealous!! What are "toaties?" Do you mean toasties? I love toasted bread dipped in tangy, sweet ketchup! Bread is absolutely not boring. Folks from nearly all the continents can recognize and love it. "Staff of Life" and all that.

Do you go to several different grocery stores? Oh yes. When I worked in Portland I went to at least five different stores, including Trader Joes for dried goods and cheap wine, Food Front for produce and organic goodies (waay expensive) and City Market (Viande Meats within) for oils, seafood, meat and specialty items. All shopping was done on foot with canvas bags and an occasional clove cigarette. Ah, the days when I smoked and ate organic, exclusively. Love the contrast! I now live in a pretty rural community and shop at three stores. Trust me...I'm not finding smoked paprika, more than five different species of fish or...well, you catch my drift? Do you clip coupons? Rarely. My mother was big on this. Perhaps times have changed? What do you usually buy at the grocery store? What I need. What I don't need but want. Y'know. Do you tend to buy more meat or more produce? Depends on what you mean. By volume? Or? I really eat a lot of vegetables so I'll go with produce. Vegetables are my manna. Are you too ashamed to make purchases from the "reject bin?" Lord no. Shame is for the uninformed. Do you make a list? Yes. I often include menu ideas for the week on the back of the list and adjust it according to what looks/smells/feels good. How many refridgerators and pantries do you have for food storage? One 'fridge n- freezer and your basic 1950's cupboard space. A lovely home but the space for food and all stuff related is quite limited. Do you enjoy grocery shopping as much as I do? It used to be one of my favorite activities. But that was when we had quite a bit more money, I worked in the city and had access to *incredible* foodstuffs. Now? It's sort of a sad ritual that must be accomplished. I compare it to having required reading for a class rather than reading what you truly, honestly desire to read. I've written about this on egullet before. Living where I want (less than 12,000, yet 11,500 too many for me ) requires sacrifices. No cool food shops and I don't (yet) own enough land to grow my own stuff- deck tomatoes barely count. eta clarification.

Nice cheese plate. Strong, intense offerings. Love it!! I like the bowl that the cheese knife is on. Green transferware?

Definitely green onion pancakes.

Sprinkle on popcorn.

In the interest of -ahem- research I'm trying out a few different ales this week to decide upon the best choice for my first attempt at Carbonnade a la Flamande, essentially a beer and beer stew. I was inspired by the Cooks Illustrated recipe and our very own RDCollins recipe. The Dead Guy Ale is out. Too sweet for my stew. The Twilight is a seasonal offering by Deschutes Brewery. Hoppy, very malty, definitely not a citrusy summer offering. It has a rather strong, bitter finish that might not work in a long simmered dish but I'll keep it in mind. I bet it would work very well with a sausage and cabbage (especially with a few sprinkles of caraway seed) meal but not my beefy-beer goodness stew.

Wisconsin. Check out the website rivervalleykitchens.com.

It's a childhood endearment and means "little cabbage head." So yes, you could certainly eat it, especially sauteed with bacon.

cafe con leche bleu d'auvergne "gooseberry" as said by an englishman

Lets bring back the victory gardens.

Today, in the slanting autumn sun, I ate the very last of my cherry tomatoes. About a month ago a deer actually got up on to my freakin' deck and munched about half of my tomato plant and all of my late blooming white roses. -sigh- A very pissed off Snow-White was I. There is still a bit of green fruit that I will pickle ala Jackal10 but still...grr.

When I was a child my father loved the Swansons (or Banquet?) frozen meatloaf meal that included a red sauce, mashed potatoes and corn (or peas? green beans?). Being a young snob I preferred the turkey meals and wrinkled my adolescent nose at him from across the table. He seemed quite unfazed by his daughters disapproval. And now, I would love to send the rarely seen man a case of his favorite frozen meal but it seems to have disappeared. Yes, there is still a frozen meatloaf meal but it doesn't include the must-have red sauce. It is now a brown sauce. Doesn't fly a kite, doesn't jump the rope, ain't gonna buy it. Unless I need a jump start on appreciating my childhood nostalgia I don't buy frozen meals. My gent likes some of the Marie Callender stuff but since we married, since I've retired (not permanently) and since I adore to plan and cook...he doesn't seem so excited or tolerant of frozen meals. A mixed blessing for this kitchen wench. Personally, I really miss the tin trays. No quickie micro-make-it-worse-meal-deal. Preheat your oven. Bake the meal. Eat on a TV tray in the living room with your family. Watch game shows, sit-coms and nature shows. Life was good and I never knew it.

Maybe a warm ginger lemonade?

Different varieties of apples for each kind of cheese maybe? My concern with this though is that apples might be *too* firm and when someone pulls a pick they take the whole apple.

All of my favorite cuts include a bone. Gnawing the bits from a bone simply extends my pleasure and induces a type of grateful meditation towards Sammy the Steer.