petite tête de chou

About a month. A deer took a nibble two weeks ago. I really must remember to move the pot away from the edge of the deck. Unfortunately the roses cannot be moved so half of each bush is gone. At least the venison-chops-on-legs don't like rosemary.

Well, my lettuce is coming along. Needless to say, my husband is *not* impressed with lettuce! But I am.

Nah. Nothing beats a sharp knife into their brain.

Potato Madeleines, "The Pleasures of Cooking" Very tasty!

Pappardelle, rigatoni and penne are my favorites. Spaghetti-type of noodles have never really done it for me. Not sure why, actually.

I agree with you about the heavy-handed editing. Not fair to the viewer or participants. But after seeing the attitude of the Cooke family I have to wonder if extensive training would've made much of a difference. The womens get-up-and-get-'er-done was really lacking. And Mr. Cooke, well, I have little respect for the gents decisions concerning the ranch and his hired hands. I wish that the family had to live on the ranch for a year. I think that their attitude towards the project would've been quite different. Hey, two months?! They aren't going to starve to death, they'll just get a bit uncomfortable. That garden, livestock and relationships with the Indians and cowboys would take on *quite* a bit more importance. I completely agree with you ingridsf. With that many ladies on the ranch the sewing, garden, livestock, meals, neighborly relations, religious observances, future family planning, endless laundry, record keeping and often, home schooling it should've been a successful ranch. But not with these women, apparently. They were not up to the task. Period. Can any of us ladies say and believe that we would do things differently? If so, what? First off, I would get rid of Mr. Cooke.

I noticed the same thing. I've watched all these type of shows on PBS and this family was the least motivated of them all.

True. But I doubt that the family agreed to do the show in a day. The ladies had time to acquire at least a few of the skills you mentioned. I saw little to no effort on their behalf to even attempt cheesemaking, preserving or even harvesting their plentiful garden- not much skill involved in that task. A shame really. The program could've been a lot more interesting if the "powers that be" had chosen a different family. edited to correct spelling.

I like snarkiness! Not only did they not maintain and harvest the garden but they didn't do the dishes for, like, a week! The fly infestation was their just desserts. And that extra weight could've been lost if they *did something* but they just layed around in their chemises... complaining. During the final episode I thought it was pretty cool that the young man who did most of the cooking made a pan of cornbread for his family and they seemed to really enjoy it. At least *that* was a positive experience.

Grilled avocado and banana sandwiches (sometimes with crushed macadamia nuts). Avocado and fresh rosemary pizza (no red sauce).

Oregon's Firesteed Pinot Noir has been a consistent deal ($8-10) for quite a few years now. It's a *very* light bodied Pinot that will pair nicely with some of the lighter dishes of summer.

Yum.

Salt *fish* before or after cooking? So far I've only read recommendations regarding red meat. Same "rules?"

I make it abundantly clear that unless the recipe is prepared to the letter the results will be different. Period. Hey, if they make substitutions or otherwise sneeze in the batter, it isn't my problem. The recipe is no longer mine. And woe to them that say their crap-on-a-cake-plate is from MY recipe. WOE!

Add a bit of your lavender syrup to a Lemon Drop. Really, really good. I've also had Lemon Drops where the glass was rimmed with lavender sugar (no syrup).

I think you're right. But either one can used for soup. Gosh, between lambs lettuce, lambs quarters, lambs tongue, lambs ear...what is gal to think?!

A chilled soup for summer is very nice. I prefer it without cream though most recipes call for it. There are some good ideas here.

I would simmer the trimmings with a bit of green onion, fresh ginger, star anise and garlic to make a simple broth for an asian noodle/vegetable soup or make rice with it. edited to add peppercorns, a few sprigs of cilantro and a couple hot chilis of choice to the broth.

I just don't see the need for msg. Chinese food already uses a multitude of meats, great vegetables and highly flavorful sauces. The ingredients stand on their own just fine.

Pie, without a doubt. When I was a little girl I didn't like birthday cakes (home-made or store-bought) so my mother would always make sure that I got a berry pie. Berry pies are my hands down favorite. I'm not fond of apple pie, though. Something about the texture. Smells good, though.

I would include it in either a ravioli or lasagna filling. Mix it with fresh herbs, lemon juice, s/p and smear it on the inside of pitas. Pound a chicken breast flat, spread the eggplant, a bit of cheese of choice, dust with seasoned flour, dip in egg, roll in seasoned crumb of choice and bake.

Yes! Yes! What ever happened to those???? I loved them both!! ← The Callard & Bowser soft licorice is no longer available but I'm not sure about their butterscotch.

Possibly off-topic, but human beings can have infestations of whipworms in their intestines for years without noticing anything. I happen to know this for a fact. ← Well, sir, I trust what you say to be true and I won't ask *how* you know this.

I left out the egg in my last batch of lasagna and it was fine. The ricotta was a bit looser but that wasn't a drawback at all. When I first started making lasagna I didn't add eggs to the ricotta then I saw quite a few recipes calling for them. So I tried it and while they didn't add any flavor they seemed to make it easier to cut the lasagna without the sauce running everywhere (I let the dish cool for about 20 minutes). In short, I could take 'em or leave 'em.

I've got to ask..do the worms cause the fish pain, do you think? I mean, if my flesh was riddled with worms I think I might feel *something.* And the worms you see are nothing compared to the parasites you can't see.