daniellewiley

Maybe some mashed sweet potatoes? Or, a potato gratin? Green beans with almonds would also be tasty with that. I think eG favorite roasted cauliflower, or even a roasted cauliflower/brussel mix would be good too.

OOOHHHH! This is the PERFECT gift for my brother. Thank you thank you thank you.

I got my mother and step father the bread of the month club from Zingerman's and they loved it. They were able to freeze some of the breads, and they had them for a while. They still talk about it, and actually gave it as a gift to my cousin, so I know it was appreciated. I also gave my father and stepmother wine of the month one year. That was also great, as the gift included a special binder, and each wine came with hole punched sheets to place in the binder, complete with information about that month's wine. This was from the now-defunct Virtual Vineyards, which turned into Wine.com - I'm not sure if they still do it the same way. Cheese of the month would be the gift that would really float my boat. Zingerman's offers that, as does Artisanal.

My art skills are mediocre at best, but my mom, a retired art teacher will be visiting for the party. She could definitely do that! Here's Dylan's first birthday cake, courtesy of Nana:

I hope this is the right forum for this inquiry - I've never posted here before! My daughter is turning three on November 12, and we are having a big party on the 14th. The party will be for both adult family and all of her friends. The theme is Halloween Redux, and everyone will be in costumes. All of the decor will be Halloween, and the activities will be Halloween-related as well (painting mini-pumpkins, etc.). When I asked Dylan what kind of cake she wanted, she said she wants a hot pink chocolate cake. She has clarified that the hot pink is referring to the frosting (or crossing, as she says). Here is what I'm wondering: What is the best chocolate cake recipe for 3 year olds? I want something moist but not fudgy. They are all likely used to cake mix cakes, which I refuse to do, but I don't want to fall on my sword - I want them to actually eat it. How can I decorate it? Hot pink isn't exactly "Halloween'y". Luckily, Dyl's costume is a hot pink (see a theme here?) butterfly, so I'm thinking I can coordinate? What shape is best? My friend offered to lend me her round cake pan, which makes a giant half dome. I think that might be hard to cut. I am leaning towards a sheet cake, as that will be easy to cut and serve out to the little ones. A layer cake seems too large for 3 year olds. We'll probably have about 10 kids and 10 - 15 adults. Thanks all!

What are the ingredients? I'd love to try it, but I'm allergic to fish, and I worry that I wouldn't be able to read the label well enough to discern any fish ingredients such as bonito, etc. Great blog, by the way - I'm loving it! My husband would love one of those bento boxes with the carrying case. He'd probably use it for cereal, milk, and fruit, but he'd be so excited to have it. Does it keep food hot/cold?

While working on an article, I asked Patrick Martins, the former President of Slow Food USA about this same issue. I am a working mom with limited time to cook, and I was feeling guilty about not spending hours at the stove, etc. He expressed frustration with the fact that people like me are feeling guilty as a result of the Slow Food Movement, and explained that Slow Food is not about rigid dogma. It is about thinking a little bit more about where food comes from, and about making better choices when possible.

Thanks for the response. Luckily, I can refuse to review any place that does not deserve to be recommended.

Thanks for being here - I am a big fan. I am sitting here over lunch, reading over your Q&A, and I was pleased to see the following: I agree with you wholeheartedly, and when I reviewed restaurants in Ann Arbor, I did publish a few negative reviews. Now, I have started writing for a Toledo paper, and my editor has directed me to write recommendations, not reviews. Any criticisms get edited out of my pieces. I have decided to swallow my pride and keep on with my articles for this paper because I want to write more and because it is somewhat of a challenge to be peppy all of the time. I like challenges! My husband is devastated. He thinks I'm ruining my reputation. What do you think?

I'll need to get me some of those!! I used to rely on the contact lens trick, but got lasik in January. Better eyesight, but lots of tears!

Thank you!! Luckily, Michael had to run up to Ann Arbor today on business, so he is going to Zingermans' and bringing home a Rosh Hashana feast. Dylan has croup and is not letting me cook. I can only use the computer b/c she's napping!!

We're not doing anything here either. My family is all in NY/CA and FL, and I didn't have the heart to do it on my own. We're going to FL though to meet up with nearly everyone in 2 weeks for my grandfather's 90th, so maybe we'll do a belated celebration. Happy New Year everyone!

Depends on the ice cream. Sugar cones for hard, cake cones for soft serve. I do like freshly-made waffle cones, but it's hard for me to eat that much ice cream.

Just tried to, and they didn't have my allergy!! The only seafood listed were shellfish.

That's similar to what I do. I have a severe allergy to fish (not shellfish), and do carry an epi-pen. If I think the server doesn't believe me or is acting glib, I make sure to state that fish makes my throat close up, and that they don't want me laying on the floor of the restaurant. My husband winces whenever I do this, but what the hell. edited to add: I love the card idea, by the way. I think it would be great to have these available in multiple languages. Whenever we travel, I spend a lot of time learning words for various types of fish so that I can be prepared. It would be helpful to also have the card, in case I forget something.

I'm very excited for your blog Susan! I love Thai food, but don't eat it often, as I'm allergic to fish, and am afraid of errant fish sauce. Again, looking forward to reading more!

Basically, we eat what we bring. If we run into friends, we might snack on their food, and when people get tipsy, they do start offering things around. And, everyone seems like a friend, at that point as well.

1. Yes, in my experience they are. Quite frankly, that's the easiest way to prepare fresh food outdoors. People bring sandwich fixings and salads in coolers as well, but not to the extent that they do at a fancy outdoor eating event such as Tanglewood. 2. mmmm hmmmm. Absolutely. And, at college games like this one, it takes on a feverish pitch, b/c alcohol is not sold inside. I think people are desperate to get wasted before entering the stadium. 3. Tana answered that one perfectly. Some other things to say. Parking is really expensive at the games. We buy a season pass from a local realtor. We used to tailgate in the lot of a gourmet food store called Produce Station, but the owner uses the money to take a personal vacation, and the bathroom is kind of scuzzy. The real estate office donates the money to the Children's Miracle Network, and we get to use the nice realtor bathroom inside. Bathrooms are very important when you are drinking mass quantities of Bloody Mary's or beer. People usually park together in groups, and plan to tailgate together. Often, we will bring food, and Michael's boss will bring dessert and drinks, or vice versa. Dessert is usually cookies. I like to save my dessert for the game. When the cooler days hit, I get a caramel apple or a cinnamon donut with a little jug of apple cider. Unfortunately, the cider is pasteurized, but I still enjoy cider on a fall day. My favorite part of tailgating is actually after the game. The traffic leaving the area is horrid, so we sit and relax in our canvas chairs, drinking a little and eating leftovers until the roads have cleared up a bit. This is more fun when we were victorious, obviously, but it is always a really calm and relaxing time.

OK, here are my pictures of the tailgating: Here is the kielbasa in the crockpot pre-cooking: Here is the cute little grill that Michael used: Some other tailgates at the UM game. Here is an example of the lengths people go to to show their school spirit: The grills are UM colors - maize and blue: Here you can see a row of tailgaters: Here are crazy opponents. We played Miami of Ohio: These are civilized tailgaters. They are sitting nicely at a table with a tablecloth: Here is a really fancy set-up. This is in the exclusive VIP parking lot for alumni who donate a ton of money: More tailgaters in the VIP lot: And, finally, the game. The real (ostensibly) reason to tailgate: The UM Big House is the largest college stadium, seating almost 112,000.

Hey guys!! I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish my blog in a timely manner!! In deference to everyone, I made sure that I ate very boring food on Friday. For the Saturday tailgate, we bought some fresh kielbasa from Stanley's, the Polish market on Friday afternoon. This kielbasa is famous in Toledo. It is especially popular around the holidays. We always eat it Christmas morning (yes, I'm Jewish, but Michael isn't, so we get to eat great food for lots and lots of holidays), and on Easter. On December 23, there is typically a three-hour wait to get kielbasa. Stanley's usually has a Santa on hand to entertain those on line. Friday night, I put the whole links of kielbasa in the crockpot with a bottle of beer. For holidays, we cut up the kielbasa first, but for tailgates, we do it whole. That morning, Michael pulled out the links and put them in a tupperware for the game. He also whipped up some eggs with salt and pepper and got all of his cast iron gear ready (small grill, and 10-inch pan). And off he went (I stayed home with Dylan). Now, due to all of the beer that was consumed along with the food, his pictures aren't terrific. I'll upload them this afternoon though, as soon as Dylan takes her nap. He grilled the pre-cooked kielbasa and prepared the scrambled eggs with some chopped tomato and scallion. He brought along tortillas for those wishing to eat the eggs as a wrap. Had I joined the party, we would have had a pitcher of Bloody Mary's. As it was, they just had the aforementioned beer. I'll post the pictures and a little more information about tailgating in a few hours. Stay tuned!

Laksa, Raw kibbe: the meat is raw ground lamb. The bulgar is also raw, in the sense that all you really ever need to do to fine (#1) bulgar is soak it for about 15 minutes to get it soft. About 2 parts lamb to one part bulgar, and I think there is some onion in there too, very finely minced. If you need a more precise recipe I can try to dig one up (aka call the parents). You spread the mixture on a plate, pour a thin layer of the absolute best olive oil you can get on top, then scoop it up in pita bread with a basil leaf or two on top and cram the whole thing in your mouth. It is really really good, especially with arak and some pickles on the side. Perfect timing - we had some tonight!! We were saving The Beirut for tomorrow night, but I wasn't up for cooking, and we were both hungry at an early hour. I can't believe we had never had the kibbe, considering we both love steak tartare so much. After this week's discussions, I knew we had to try it! They offer both lamb and beef ($10 and $7 respectively), and it is served as an appetizer. We got lamb. The serving is HUGE: We couldn't even get through half. It is served a little bit differently from the above description. The olive oil isn't the best (unfortunately), and is served in a bottle alongside the platter. Also, I didn't see any basil leaves, just a plate of onion, cucumber and radish. The texture was much smoother than I expected - almost as smooth as a mousse or pate. The flavor was incredibly mild. I loved it. We are excited to have tried this dish. Thank you all for the inspiration to do so, finally! Dylan really wanted to try some. We were reluctant, as I don't think small children are supposed to eat raw meat, but she was begging, and I hate to turn her down when she is being an adventurous eater. We gave her a small bit which she liked very much. Mostly, though, she ate olives and pita. They used to get pita from some other bakery, but the Beirut recently started making their own! So exciting, as it is very delicious, and 100x better than the previous bread. Here is a snapshot: I got my usual dish, the unfortunately named Roast Shank-O-Lamb. It sounds like some kind of weird Irish fare. It's awesome, though, complete with a whole roasted carrot, celery, a potato, rice, and the shank itself, which falls off the bone. I could barely get through half of it: Michael got the Kabob Combo. It is Shish Kabob, Kafta, Hummos (spelled Homos on this listing on the menu ) served on a bed of rice. He loved it. The kabob was incredible: The wine we drank was a great Lebanese wine that we get every time we go. It is a Chateau Kefraya, Lef Breteches 2003 from the Bekaa Valley. It is a blend of Cinsaut, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Grenache.

The only thing I can eat there is the smoked turkey sandwich. It's passable. Not great, but it doesn't induce vomiting like the chicken bourbon sandwich they gave me once by accident (I ordered chicken salad).

Well, first, here's the picture of my dessert from last night: Breakfast today was just some of those good 'ol Heritage O's with the soy milk and some blueberries. For lunch, my friend Mike (the blog doubter) came home with me, and we had leftover eggplant. Then, he watched me make chicken salad with the leftover smoked chicken, and tasted it. He thought it was tasty. Regarding the eggplant, he says: "I was really surprised by how good this was. I've had some really bad eggplant lately, even at really fancy restaurants. I could eat this version every day."

Nope - I'm of Eastern European Jewish descent (Russia, Poland). I was also surprised about the Lebanese population in Toledo, but turns out that many of our well-known Toledo celebrities (Jamie Farr, Danny Thomas) are of Lebanese descent, so maybe I shouldn't have been.

Not a dramatic one, in my opinion. These were excellent, but that's probably due to the fact that they were organic, and well cared for. The purple potatoes are much like other waxy potatoes, but certainly look more fun!