petite tête de chou

Spaghetti and meatballs Garlic toast Green salad with blue cheese dressing Cabernet Sauvignon and iced green tea for beverage options

Anything that my mom makes tastes like home to me. Swear to god mom's add a special seasoning! Well, mine at least. White bean and ham soup Meatloaf with tomato sauce glaze Zucchini bread- warm or cold with butter Butter cookies Thankgiving- turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, et cetera Cold fried chicken with potato salad She makes the best iced tea, too!

If you're looking for tapas, I've always enjoyed Colosso. click

Lemongrass?! Oh boy, that would go wonderful with the Thai and Persian basils that I sowed. Did you grow the lemongrass and bay from seed? If not, where do you get your plants? I've found some unusual plants for sale at Food Front in N.W. Portland but Joy Creek, my main nursery supplier, doesn't have anything like that. Also, I would love to try my hand at a Kaffir lime tree but I have no room for it indoors (waaaay too many houseplants). Is this a plant that could overwinter in a warmish garage? Hmmm..perhaps the houseplant facing my sunny deck needs to find another home. Is it obvious that I would love to have a few basics for future Thai cooking?!

Great ideas! Since I use quite a bit of oregano and bay I think I'll try my hand at growing my own. Now to find room! I forgot that I have winter savory and a few mints- lemon, chocolate and apple. The winter savory is one powerful-strong herb and I've heard that summer savory is a bit milder. Has anyone found this to be true? I don't use them much for culinary purposes but I have quite a few lavenders- Spanish purple and 'Kew Red'- one of each 'Super'- three French- one (variety hardest hit by ice and snow, maybe because it blooms throughout winter?) 'Richard Grey'- (one) 'Provence'- (one) One unknown strain In regards to the pot size for tomatoes, I just grab the largest one I have. I'd guess it to be about five gallons. They always seem to want a bigger pot but I just don't have the room on my deck. And my roses aren't going ANYwhere to make room for ANYthing..unless it's to add more roses.

I like it toasted then smeared with hot pepper jelly and topped with a slice of toe-curling extra-sharp cheddar.

Hello fellow Pacific Northwest gardeners. I've been working on my garden for about four years now and am curious what other herbs grow well in our lovely climate. Thus far I have... Rosemary- Tuscan Blue, Logees Blue and two unknown strains. Thyme- Minus (not used for cooking), Wooly (also not used for cooking), Lemon, Silver, Nutmeg, Orange and three unknown strains. A huge Lovage plant and lots of comfrey (not recommended for internal use anymore) from my mothers garden. Onion and garlic chives. Just sowed some basils. Variegated sage (not the best for cooking) and garden sage. What else?

Yes. I planted one cherry-tomato (Sweet Million) plant in a pot on my deck. I used both a cage AND stakes since we have super windy summers. I also sowed Thai Basil and Persian Anise Basil seeds. Yum.

Last night was my first roasted chicken in my new oven. A spicy herb butter was rubbed under the skin and I roasted it with potatoes, garlic cloves, a bit of onion and celery. A green salad, toast and glazed carrots completed the meal.

A jar of dill pickle juice that I've stuffed with last years dried Thai Dragon chilis. Damn good in sandwiches.

Then you might find this site interesting. click

Well, all in all the chicken turned out pretty good. For the sauce I strained and de-fatted the pan juices and mashed some of the roasted garlic into it and added fresh thyme and chives from the garden. I could've been perfectly happy with a pan of the sauce and some bread!

Thank you so much davedemi. Okee doke. So I've put the chicken into a 400 ish oven with the potatoes, a bit of roughly chopped celery and onion and about, oh, I'd guess twenty unpeeled garlic cloves. Uncovered. No steaming action here, I hope. Incidentally, the chicken was rubbed with Tillamook unsalted butter and (deep breath), chili powder, roasted cayenne, cumin, dried oregano, fresh thyme, a bit of garlic, black pepper, sea salt and lemon juice. It sat in the 'fridge on a rack for about 5 hours and was brought to room temp. before roasting. I'll serve it with glazed carrots and a green salad. Husband will have a few glasses of either iced green tea or Black Swan's Cabernet Sauvignon and I'll have Hogue's Gewurztraminer. Here's to hoping my first roasted chicken in over four years is at least edible!

A not very good one, that's for sure. A non-stick, 18" x 12.5".

So I have a spatchcocked, 3 1/2 lb. chicken that has been rubbed with a spiced herb butter (under the skin, too). I want to roast it with potatoes and a ton of unpeeled garlic cloves. Questions galore... I probably shouldn't use a rack because of the potatoes, right? Should I cover it for awhile while it roasts? I adore crispy skin, so I'm thinking probably not. But will the potatoes and garlic be done at the same time? I've cut the Yukon's into decent sized chunks and the garlic cloves are pretty big. Also, I was thinking of roasting it at about 375 for, cheeze, about an hour? Less? I have a pizza stone on the bottom of my oven if that makes a difference. Please excuse the incredibly simplistic questions. I just bought a range with a working oven (always a good thing for a new appliance) after not having one for over four years. Thanks all.

My mom always stressed the importance of vegetables. All kinds except beets, which I now love anyway. Some of my strongest cravings are for vegetables and I found it very easy to be a vegetarian for over ten years (tho I'm not now). Thanks Ma.

Toys included with a meal purchase. Ingenious.

Throughout Sunday afternoon we had Alaskan Summer Ale, Widmer Widberry and Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Perfect for a warm but very wet day spent in the garden.

Loco-moco (click) and a green salad with blue cheese dressing. Chivas for the beverage.

Chicken and bean chili topped with cheddar cheese and chopped red onion. Toasted jalapeno/cheese corn muffins and a broccoli, zuccini, red bell pepper saute. Root beer.

I eat at least two tins of sardines a week as a tasty, non-dairy calcium source. Though I usually eat them right from the tin with lots of black pepper and mustard or sriracha, I've also enjoyed them stuffed into halved avocados or tomatoes and vinegar marinated onions. They're good mixed with cream cheese and spread on celery. I like them over rice with a sprinkle of curry, too. But I usually have them with some type of fresh vegetable and pickle.

My husband craves loco-moco about once a week. Doesn't do much for me, but, man, he loves the gravy, rice, meat patty and egg combo. Yikes! edited to get the name of the dish right!

A few interesting ideas can be found here click

Burritos- Sauteed onion, jalapeno, red bell pepper, garlic, dried oregano, salt and a pinch of sugar. After it gets kind of sticky I added a bit more oil and cumin, roasted cayenne, chili powder, roasted spanish paprika and black pepper. After about 5 minutes I added ground turkey breast. Correct seasonings- this type of meat needs LOTS of seasoning to make it yummy. Added chopped cilantro at the very end with a squeeze of lime. Whole wheat tortillas toasted over a hot burner, cheese, tomato, red onion, sour cream and hot sauce of choice- he usually prefers Cholula. A few lagers and Jeopardy...din-din is served!

Using up freezer stuff...split pea and ham soup, fresh cheddar/corn muffins, a green salad with blue cheese dressing and a few glasses of red wine.