petite tête de chou

Without question my favorite crab is the Dungeness. A simple boil or steaming, sweet butter and lots of white wine...to drink, that is. When I was young(er) I actually plowed my way through three of 'em. God, the butter made me ill in the end, but what a luxury! I had a T-shirt that said "I caught crabs in Garibaldi, Oregon"... never did wear it!

Wallace: Cracking toast Gromit! Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers and Wallace: Everybody knows the moons made of cheese. Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out

Blackberries are one of my all time favorite foods! Blackberry cheese blintzes, Sweet/spicy BBQ sauce (especially good on pork chops and meatballs!), blackberry dumplings (basic dumpling recipe- add to simmering apple juice and blackberries- crushed nuts on top), blackberry cinnamon rolls, creme brulee w/ blackberries, blackberry fudge, truffles, milkshakes or daiquiris.

Hiroyuki, I'm shocked! I'm actually more shocked by that than by the idea of making a hole in an anpan and squeezing mayonnaise into it, but that's a whole nother story. I'm really here to say that, just for you petite tete de chou, I bought some loose mugicha. Here's a cup of it waiting to go into about 2 liters of boiling water. According to the packet, I'm to let it boil 3 mins, turn off, stand 30 mins, strain and chill. At the shop I also saw a VERY dark roast of mugicha called "Black Gold". But actually, I'm looking forward to getting my roasted buckwheat out and making soba-cha! Okey-doke. After roasting my barley the color was very similar to your mugicha. I boiled mine for a bit less than five minutes and soaked it for forty-five minutes. I went a bit longer on the times with the hope that I might acheive a good dose of that roasted barley flavor. I certainly did that! Husband complained during the roasting process- "Cant you do that outside?" The smell was less intense than roasting coffee. Less of the "burnt" scent. Nice, to my nostrils, at least. After straining through cheesecloth (wanted a clear-as-possible tea) the color was lighter than weak coffee and a black tea. It had QUITE the toasty aroma and a lingering but mild bitterness. It seems nearly fortifying? Next time I will purchase the real deal and see how the tastes compare. BTY- no sweetener and no salt...oh lord, no salt.

The windows dripping and fogged are integral to my comfort food memories, too! I think it was a combination of waiting hours in anticipation for the food, the cold weather and that special spice- Mom-love. The steaming pot would either contain green split-pea stew with ham or white bean soup with ham. MMMM...Mom n- oinky goodness.

“An artist is never poor.” Babettes Feast

My husband is of the mind that whatever meat he eats must 1) have no bones 2) not be considered "guts" and is preferably white e.g chicken breast, pork loin and turkey breast. Now, aside from myself he is the only other human I cook for. So, so sad for me. I love all kinds of....well, "stuff." Livers, tripe, anything WITH bones (more flavor, as we folks know), feet, hearts, gizzards etc. "Curried livers?!" Heaven. Husband is not fond of curries, but Im working on it! He doesnt know that my "fantastic" turkey stuffing/dressing includes the "guts!"

I can certainly understand these rules of etiquette but why NOT stab at a particularly slippery dumpling- for example. Seems like it would make the dining experience easier if a bit more heathenish.

Cooper: Diane, I'm holding in my hand a box of small chocolate bunnies. and Cooper: Harry, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just...let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Both are from "Twin Peaks."

Excellent! Thanks again, Helen. Im excited to get a whiff of the barley while it roasts...it will be a new one for me.

If the tea contains starch should I expect some viscosity? Also, is there a preferred/traditional sweetener? Although I usually prefer my teas unsweetened I would like to try my reasonable-facsimile-to-barley-tea in as many ways as possible.

Pictures of the tea(s) help give me an idea of the coloration I can expect to see. Ive seen the lighter colored teas as well as brews that look like weak coffee. I am imagining that this has something to do with the length of the roasting process as well as steeping time.

I think its a great idea to allow the tea to cool before straining. It seems like that would intensify the flavor. I wonder if a fine seive would suffice or should I line it with cheesecloth? Either way, its barley tea tonight!

"Eat, drink, man, woman. Food and sex. Basic human desires. Can't avoid them! All my life, everyday, all I do. It pisses me off."--Chu to Old Wen "Eat Drink Man Woman"

Thank you Helen and Shiozawa for your replies. I think that I will try roasting them like a coffee bean (as suggested) but then? Boil in water for 5 minutes? Maybe a low simmer for another 5-10 minutes and strain? I think that I would prefer to drink it iced. I will add that I love strong, black coffees and willfull teas so my palate is a receptive one.

I have a bag of barley in my cupboard. Could I roast it and use it to make this tea? It sounds wonderful!

A variety of olives is usually welcome fare. Garlic, jalapeno or almond stuffed. Hummus, baba ganoush, tapenade and spiced pitas travel well. Mmmm, mediterranean.

Hello Boris. What is your favourite dish to cook? The most joy?

If a loved one was sick I would have a real problem on my hands. I believe that a Chinese elixir of various herbs, usually in the form of a 'tea' or soup is hands down the best way to care for them. But..I KNOW my loved ones and this would be amongst the last items on their list of sick foods. They would probably think that Im a kook! What a shame...that Im RIGHT!

Chinese restaurant in Portland, Oregon "Hung Far Low." As a little girl I was very curious to know what they served there.

Pho, pho and more pho!

Being a bit tired of cooking meat nearly every night, I made veg-head fried rice. Peas, carrots, green onion, cilantro, peanuts, fried tofu, thai dragon chilis, bean sprouts, garlic/ginger, oyster sauce, hoisin, sesame oil/seeds, soy, sriracha and lots of lime chunks on the side. Husband had beers and I had iced tea. Its actually good cold, too. Go figure.

So did she lick the rose clean or did she make you?

I adore both. I prefer many of my foods mind-searingly hot, but when Im sick (thankfully a rare occurance- due to the spicy foods, perhaps?) Japanese soups are the BEST! And if my husband had his say, I wouldnt be 'allowed' to eat too much curry. It tends to have, ah, after-aromatics that he finds unbearable.

A package of whole wheat tortillas, beans(dried), cabbage or lettuce or spinach, salsa. Maybe cheese if money allows? Burritos, quesadillas, chips (bake the tortillas or fry) with refried beans. Yum.