bavila

My mom stores her quilts in cotton or muslin bags. Pillow cases work nicely. Also lots of lavendar, and no icky mothballs.

Damn. I'm feeling motivated. Am doing well with my list here, and am ready to add on! Well, at least to start making my own breads. -Hold a crawfish boil (to double as a fundraiser for Katrina relief) in the Spring, and a tamalada in the Fall........12 days and counting to the boil! -Join a CSA......done. -Corollary to above: bring kids to work on CSA's farm.....soon. Definitely by Summer. -Grow some kickass tomatoes....Yeah, I may nix this one entirely, since we're doing so well with the CSA so far. And we just don't have any spots of full sun in our yard! -Do some anthropological or historical food reading....Not yet, but I have been reading Vegetables by Patterson and Mediterannean Greens and Grains by Wolfert. Good stuff, and sort of anthropological. -Try salsifry.....Well, maybe if I spelled it correctly, I'd have an easier time finding it! Will ask CSA farmer for salsiFY. -Eat and learn to better prepare loads of veggies....Yes! An ongoing process. -Raise the bar on my home cooking/ingredient purchasing across the bar....I can't think of specifics here, but the CSA has exponentially raised my standard for produce quality. I'm also losing patience with the breads available to me around here. -Get a stand mixer!!!!!!!!!!!!......No money!!!! But the more impatient I get about the bread, the more likely this will happen. -In highchef's words, go "full circle". Visit New Orleans and inject a bit of cash into the economy. Get fed well in the meantime......Done.

Wisdom is the cake of life. So sit down and eat your cake! --random high school memory

Au contraire, mon frere (well, ma soeur, I suppose). Madi and I baked a beautiful lemon pound cake in a bundt pan for her school's teacher appreciation lunch, and we cut off the puffed up ridge so the cake would sit flat on the stand. Daddy, Madi, and I each had a yummy sampling. Note: there were two other cakes at the luncheon, but not pie! I also love all the moist crumbly stuff that accumulates in the baking pans, underneath the cake on the plate, and on the knife when cutting. I'd be happy just eating that!

mmmm... cochon de lait poboys. My favorite last year. Wish I could be there...

This may not be what you’re thinking of, but it was my sig line for awhile (I don't think it covers all occasions, but I liked the ring of it): Cakes are fancy-ass, honey. Pie is home." -- Idella Johnson, Veteran Pie Baker, as quoted in Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax ← YES, Thank you!

Chris -- a quick glance at Google makes it seem as though hibiscus tea is also called sorrel tea or Jamaican sorrel tea. So I made the carrot dish. The sorrel lost color immediately on blanching ! Bugger. Should I have blanched the carrots and sauteed the sorrel?

Cake. Hands down. Cake in the mornin' Cake in the evenin' Cake at noontime. And in between. I'm generally not a fan of excessive sauce, goo, gravy, whatever. For me, it's a texture thing. Pie, even custard pie, just feels a little sloppy on my tongue. And don't be mounding a bunch of sauce on top of my cake! Whipped cream is acceptable though. Plus, cake's just really a type of bread, which is also one of my favorite things. What the hell is that quote about cake being high-falluttin' and pie being homey? It's driving me crazy. Was it from Michael Lee West or Edna Lewis? My neighbor and I have an ongoing friendly cooking/baking competition. She definitely wins on the baking side. Here's what she baked me for my birthday (as previously pictured in the PMS thread). A chocolate stout (as in Guinness) cake.

And Wawa too! Love it. There's a Wawa convenience store and gas station just outside our community. I love that we can by milk (or half-and-half) there 24 hours a day. That can come in quite handy with small children. And an ATM with no surcharge! They must make a killing -- the store is always busy.

Wow. The pics of RTM alone make me want to visit Philly -- I've never been! We've got an Amish market in Annapolis too. Something I've wondered about their meats and produce but have never asked -- do they use sustainable agriculture methods or otherwise strive for organic products? I haven't seen USDA Organic labels on their goods, but it seems like the whole slow-food thing would fit in well with some of their religious practices. I also like the cross-culture appeal of H-Mart. Our Shoppers Food Warehouse approaches this crossroads feeling, though I don't think it's a stated objective anywhere. They've got a nice produce department with LOTS of items for the largely Latino clientele. I like when I see people from different cultures there interacting about the food, like the elderly black man who held up a yucca and asked a group of young Latino men, "What do you do with this? How do you cook it?" Of course, there's also the less enlightened end of the spectrum, like the women in line behind me the other day. Their cart was loaded up with sugary character cereals and large packs of ramen noodles. One of them said "They've got all kind of freaky food here. Like that," pointing to a butternut squash in my cart. Good thing she hadn't seen the celeriac and jicama.

Wow. Thanks for all the great ideas. Not sure what I'll do with it yet, though I'm leaning toward the carrot dish as I'll be stuffing and grilling pork tenderloin this week. Or maybe the egg salad "log". My daughter and I eat egg salad for lunch often. This would be a novelty and a way to sneak some greens into her diet! My impression was definitely that it could be used similarly to spinach, but the note that accompanied the CSA box listed as an herb rather than a green for salad or cooking. All a matter of semantics, I suppose...

Well, the singular reply to MTC's original post leaves me somewhat discouraged. But it has been 3.5 years , so.... I have a big bag of lemon sorrel in my CSA box this week. Any suggestions? I tasted a bit of fresh leaf, and the lemon taste is pretty powerful.

Agreed. I saw abuot 5 minutes last night when the "judges" were oohing and ahing over Tom Arnold's creamed corn. Ew. Tom Arnold is about the last person I'd want in a kitchen. He just exudes food-borne-illness-waiting-to-happen.

I finally made it to Metropolitan last weekend for a little anniversary dinner. All in all, it was one of my best restaurant experiences in Annapolis. The decor was comfortably lush -- white leather arm chairs, lots of chic wood panelling, creamy silk curtains creating cozy nooks. Our server was knowledgeable and accomodating (though he could have been a little less "on" -- no big deal, really). The food was impeccable with only minor exception. What I liked most about the menu is that it strikes a great balance between providing the diner with new experiences (mushroom "latte", flavored foams, etc.) while still doing a beautiful job with standards. Here's what we had: canape: seviche (white tuna, maybe?) on yucca chips -- velvet texture to seviche app: proscuito wrapped scallops, ground pistachios, mango foam (superb!) main1: lobster and porcini risotto and butter poached lobster tail, parsnip puree, basil oil, parsnip chips -- just right, but I did have order envy for... main2: pink and black peppercorn tenderloin with mushrooms (porcini and cremini?) -- perfect side: fries with porcini ketchup -- fries were underwelming, but still good dessert1: chocolate "antipasto" (biscotti, ice cream, fudgy espresso cracker, "salami" of chocolate, dried fig and nuts) -- biscotti not to exciting, but I LOVED the chocolate salami dessert2: brioche bread pudding with maple bourbon walnut ice cream -- the ice cream was awesome, but the bread pudding was too plain and too dry (though admittedly I'm partial to the whole NO-style rum sauce soaked variety) This was from the winter menu. Spring menu should be out soon, along with a new wine list (which I'm not qualified to comment on!). Metropolitan moves to the top of my list of fine-dining recommendations for Annapolis.

Oh man. I freakin' miss the Grill! I used to work down the street, and we'd go there all the time. It always felt so...paternal to me. You'll find better/more interesting food in Washington, but this is a good place to go to people watch, and it's also good for bringing a group with tame palates.

Sounds good to me! Onions got me the first time around. Which basically meant staying out of any kitchen anywhere.

Thanks for the post Tammy! Having that cohousing kitchen goes a long way. And maybe a babysitter too? When you were posting your plans earlier, I kept thinking, "where will the baby be in all that cooking?"

Hmmm... kind of like looking in the mirror. Except I've got Dove chocolates. Cheetos and Coke yesterday. Should have known that meant the return of my little friend. Red meat should be just around the corner.

I like the idea of demanding replacement without the rest of the party knowing. I wish I could have done this once when I was in Costa Rica. My now in-laws were treating me and now hubby to dinner at what (they thought was a great restaurant). I ordered filet, and while I'm not sure what cut they brought me, it sure as hell was not filet, and it definitely was inferior. I was pissed. Especially because I thought the staff may have been trying to pass one over on the gringa. I didn't say anything to the in-laws, because I knew they'd be embarassed, and I still don't speak enough Spanish to have fixed the situation quietly. Incentive to learn...

Here's a link to the discussion I started when I was pregnant. Looking back (my son is now 7mo), I'd say I fared best on a low refined carb diet. For me, I think alot of the wooziness was from blood sugar levels cycling rapidly. Ironically, cutting back on many of the foods that are traditionally recommended (crackers, bread, etc.) worked for me. Also, careful with the vitamins on an empty stomach. That alone is enough to give you a big wallop of nausea. Congrats!

Amen. Some things are really difficult to grow without any pesticides. Like the aforementioned peaches and apples. I also am not so worried about the GMO thing. Plants do really whacky things on their own genetically, and we've messed with genotypes through selective pollination for millenia. Maybe it can cause harm, and maybe it can't. Just because it came from a lab doesn't mean it's bad.

bavila, I went to an Oscar party last month, and they served 'In Cold Bloody Marys' ← Doh! Of course! Thanks Teri319! And perfect for brunch. I just always have champagne on the brain.

This gets to the point of is it good because it's organic or is it good because it's local and therefore fresher? I lean toward the local/fresher argument. The only taste difference I've noticed in a grocery store purchased certified organic item and conventional is in dairy products. Local beats non-local for taste everytime for any product. You should consider WHY you care about something being "organic" or not. There's a Consumer Reports piece from the last year or so about whether you're getting your money's worth when buying organic. They measured pesticide residues on various organic and conventional produce. The organic benefit from that perspective was negligible on broccoli and asparagus (I think), but better for apples and peaches.

Search the DelMarVa forum for "Norfolk" which is about 45 minutes south of Williamsburg (going "east" on 64). My favorite in Norfolk is Wild Monkey on Colley Ave. It's funky and casual. For Kitty Hawk area you might want to try in the South East forum, or PM Varmint. Have fun!

Looking forward to my second Roedown. This year I'll be one of the tailgate judges, so hubby and kids may be left to fend for themselves food-wise. Anyone going? What food and/or drink will you bring?