fou de Bassan

Melissa, you mention that your reno is still a bit away. Have you thought of using that Sawzall to take off those rounded shelves and then getting a rolling kitchen cart to increase storage in the meanwhile? You could put your stand mixer on it. We took that route and find that cart still useful. Ikea has a few models, unfortunately I haven't figured out the link thingy yet.

Shinboners, Thanks for this thread, I have been following closely and will be referring back to it in a few months when we complete our move, Kathryn

WOW!! You have done a really marvellous job. I would have wept too, had that been made for me. What time and attention and care you've put into this! I love all of the colors you used for the flowers. Just Edenic.

zilla, thanks for blogging this week! I wish you much sleep in the nights to come. I can't say about the sweet potato paste but we eat quince paste with slices of queso fresco and a bit of honey. This makes a great snack in warm weather.

Does burnt Lipton Onion soup mix count? If not, then I got nothin'.

Thanks for the site! It seems to have everything we could need. A friend is giving us her Australian language dictionary so we'll be brushing up on our idioms. Good luck with your move. Kathryn

We recently had a bottle of Penfolds (Grange) 1995. It was wonderful. I always assume I am the least knowledgeable poster on a forum and in this case I look forward to expanding my knowledge base.

I feel like I should start with a disclaimer. I have never seen Rachel Ray and can't comment specifically. BUT... she seems to be a very savvy marketer who has embraced MIddle America, and Middle America seems to have embraced her right back with a big MWAH right on the cheek. If she gets one person to start cooking from scratch(which is an intimidating thing for noncooks) and thinking about food in a positive way then I can't see the harm. Maybe that soccer mom( or dad) will eventually make their way from Rachel Ray to Richard Olney. Then on to the hallowed halls of eGullet. Knowlege of food has to start somewhere. Granted there are better places but maybe more intimidating. It reminds me of Oprah's book club, in a way. Most people probably read the books and carried on, but maybe a few became critical readers and branched out. I hope this happens in this instance. You may now commence throwing tomatoes at the idealist

Warm Fluffernutters, that childhood summercamp food.

Pam, Thanks for opening a window into an amazing world! I followed your blog religiously.

Hi all, My son's birthday is next week and he loves Japanese food! I'd like to get a bento box and let him take that to school for his lunch. As next weekend will be full of japanese food per his request, what can I make that would start the weekend off well and yet be just an opener for the weekend? I should tell you that he's pretty adventurous and can and will eat anything(except shrimp). Also, forget decent seafood as it isn't really an option here. I can get frozen fish however. Thanks in advance

I agree with everyone about the herbs. Specifically, Rosemary and Basil will be annuals in the ground but you can dig them up and pot them for year-round enjoyment. If you really want mint in the ground, go to the hardware store and buy a terracotta chimney flue. Bury the flue and plant the mint in the hole. Mine hasn't escaped yet! If you plant Parsley, plant Italian Parsley, curly parsley is very hard to get clean. I gardened in Montréal for 8 years and recommend 2 things---buy started plants, (don't set yourself up for disappointment) and go buy 'The Reluctant Gardener--A Beginner's Guide to Gardening in Canada' by Dinah Shields and Edwinna von Baeyer. Although the book doesn't cover culinary herbs as a separate topic it does give information in an easy to understand format. My copy is bound with layers of tape. Good luck!

Andie, You never cease to amaze me. What a wealth of information! I wasn't able to make the rice this weekend, just too hectic. Soon, maybe.

Wendy, I have no questions because I, like so many other readers, am so impressed. Not only the design but the quantity! My 8 year old son is a devoted reader of your blog now and has asked me to put it in his 'favorites' list. So, you have two fans in this household. Thanks for the time and effort you've put into this.

My husband gave me the fou de Bassan moniker because I typically cook in blue clogs that are the same color as the feet of the Northern Gannet. As to yabby mousse, just for the name alone I'll have to make it! Anybody want a blender? (Stateside only)

Thanks Adam, Something more to scare my children with. About the yabbies... yabby étouffée? Sounds really good. Thanks for the links.

OOps, forgot to say thanks for the coles site which I may rely heavily on.

Dim sim, I saw the pumpkin! That's weight off my luggage I can put toward maple syrup. Actually, I'm really looking forward to working with lots of local ingredients especially as I gather that Melbourne has wonderful seafood and fruit. (And venomous squid!)

Syrah, Yeah, it is a big deal. It was just such a thought that motivated this topic. But now that I know we can bring chocolate I'll be OK. Chocolate and Annie's mac-n-cheese since that's my daughter's major comfort food.

Thanks all. Persian rice is on the menu for this weekend. I'll try to remember to take pictures and post on this thread for the sake of interest. Andie, I'll try them in salads. That sounds really good! Kathryn

PCL, . I'll include a request for the roo but is the joey extra? My kids might be packin' pretty big lunches. Yep. Not too worried about venomous critters when in Melbourne, my daughter is an alarmist

Regarding the grill, we'll be bringing our Weber with us. It runs on propane. I'm assuming propane tanks are standard the world round? I'll check that out on the Weber site. This is quite an adventure although my 5 year old is terrified since we watched the Nature program on venom. Australia is now venomworld for her . We'll get around it.

Thanks Suzy! That helps me in the ingredient learning curve. Although the results of my future mistakes will be good for a laugh, I'm sure. Any other culinary terms that are different? And should I abandon my baking sheets in favor of buying smaller sheets once I'm there? We will be in Clayton for the first few months. Once there, I'm certain I'll have newbie questions. Thanks for the help everyone.

Thanks Portia for the link. I found it very helpful. So I can bring chocolate( yay!) but not livestock. Got it. We will be bringing our grill with us and I'm not sure I can separate from the KA mixer. Thanks for the tip on luggage weight, I'll try not to overpack. We are excited about living in Melbourne and look forward to discovering the food and life of Australia. Thanks again everyone! If you think of anything else I'll be here. Kathryn

Thanks for that. When I typed in the address nothing was found. Am I missing something. I also tried adding the www preface but to no avail. So, no sneaking in chocolate, eh? Oh well. I also remember reading somewhere that aussie ovens are a bit smaller. Is this so?