bavila

I second the Martha recommendation. Also, just because the guest of honor doesn't eat certain items, I don't think that precludes you from using those ingredients completely (unless she's violently allergic and will asphixiate if they're in the same room). Just make it blatant that's what they are (say, shrimp cocktail versus crab camouflaged in a dip) and she doesn't have to eat them. I would imagine she wouldn't expect the 29 other people there to be tied to her food restrictions.

You are all giving me great ideas for the next time we travel... My sister and BIL neither drink coffee NOR own any device with which to brew it . So the Bodum goes to their house. And next time I go to my parents' I will definitely bring my own knives. I developed tendonitis on the crappy ones they use! We always have something to snack on while in transit -- cheese, nuts, apples, bottled water. And with the baby, these days there's jarred food, formula, and cheerios .

Major BUMP! I got some JAs in my CSA box and came here to find ideas for preparing them, as I've never had them before. Looks like I won't be pureeing them and offering them to my 7mo in a hurry! I was thinking of slicing them up with some onions for a gratin, though I like docsconz's method also. Any others?

Today's pear and lamb look beautiful! Hooray for savory breakfasts! I am not a huge sweets for breakfast fan, so restaurant breakfasts in the States don't do much for me. One thing I liked about Costa Rican food habits was having pinto gaillo (sp?) for breakfast -- just the previous days rice and beans sauteed with aromatics. Come to think of it, the scenery and climate in your town calls to mind the Pacific coast towns of Costa Rica -- green mountains quite close to the beach. But your food looks much better than what I've had there (though next trip I vow to try the new Four Seasons resort ).

Oooh. Send to me too please, or better yet, post to Recipe Gullet. Merci. Question for G: What are prevalent grains/starches in SA cooking?

Well, yes, in morphology, but I've never eaten antelope either , so I'm trying to think of what might be similar. Though it's not as if chicken and duck are all that similar.

Out of all the dinners, lunches, breakfasts, dining-outs and ins, preparations, cooking, shopping and cruising markets ad infinitum, this has to be a first. Only on eG. ← And what about the impala? Am I the only one who caught that? Is it similar to deer at all?

Yay! Parties! Good job Marlene. What was the jelly in the cheddar thumbprints? At the end of April (when my yard will be at its peak -- azaleas and gladiolas galore) I'll be the hostess of my book club for a late Sunday brunch. I'd prefer to have an evening gathering with cocktails galore, but getting the kiddies to bed at the same time makes that difficult. I plan to repeat most of the menu we used for the baby's dedication in November, with modifications since I won't have hired help this time. chilled shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce and mustard tarragon sauce crudites with some kind of peppercorn herby dip smoked ham and biscuits (pancetta sage? cheddar?) champagne for mimosas, kir royales Not sure about dessert -- maybe a pound cake and some nice fruit? We may have local strawberries then. Any suggestions? Also, we're reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. If anyone has any theme oriented ideas for the menu, please suggest away!

Perfectly valid! Looking forward to your blog. If you could share info on indigenous foods and what culinary peculiarities the various peoples of South Africa bring to the table, that would be fabulous.

Tonight I made the sweet potato and spinach soup, and it was pretty damn good. I did play with the recipe a bit, though, as I wanted it to have a higher "stuff" to liquid ratio. I also added a bit of nutmeg -- thought the cream and spinach were just begging for it. Will definitely make it again, even though my husband walked through the kitchen at one point and declared the scent "pugnacious". To which I replied, "No soup for you!!!!"

Well aren't you all just too sweet! I'd say the cake was about 8-9" in height. Edit: Oops! That should be 5-6".

Check out the furry mound atop the cake... It seems someone is eyballing that dense, chocolatey goodness. Could we make him the newest PMS Cravings thread member? ← Actually, that's my 3yo daughter behind the cake with a gift bow on her head. Baby Dax is far too young (and toothless) for cake of any kind! Madeleine, however, was very into the whipped cream that didn't get photographed. Wonder what she'll crave when she comes of age...

Amen sister! Kim -- you have nothing to lose by trying. If it works for you, great. If not, c'est la vie. 47 will be coming either way, right?

Oh that kind of tribe...the ones who can order a bottle of wine that costs more than my monthly mortgage payment.

We're on deck to bring a main dish to the church potlock. Since we're discussing the encyclopedia, any suggestions for how I can share the love with a bunch of Marylanders? Brooks -- is that what all the buzz about formosan termites is about? Sheesh.

Oh dear, Jamie, are you ready to be the culinary Freud? Here goes... As I read other members' posts on how many cookbooks they own or various (expensive!) kitchen gadgetry, I think of my sparely appointed kitchen and think that my parents are largely to blame -- or credit. My parents are extremely conservative with their money, and I find myself deliberating over the costs of just about everything. I have no food processor or stand mixer. I have few cookbooks and rely heavily on the library, the Internet, and food magazines abandoned at my gym for food reading and recipe inspiration. That said, I'm much more interested in true value rather than absolute cost. For example, I recently subscribed to a CSA. Getting over the $660 sticker shock was significant for me. Especially since $420 of this was paid out in February as deposits for Spring, Summer and Fall crops (first box this Friday!). The child of a child of the Depression in me balks at the upfront cost, but the food lover in me is dreaming of making baby beet ravioli and pureeing up local organic rutabaga for my infant. So what I am now is an ever-learning home cook working to get over my tightwad tendencies. But what will my food-loving friends say at my funeral? That I was fearless in the kitchen? That I explored cultures and lands through food? That I instilled the love and respect of cuisine in my children? I hope so.

Cake, Oreos, Cheetos. Must hide the from myself and/or my husband or I'll plow straight through.

coffee nuts and/or nut butter cheese chocolate (unless by some misfortune there's none in the house) tomatoes in season When I was growing up, I could have added rice to the list, often twice a day. It's amazing all Cajuns don't have rice-induced diabetes.

Tammy, I make this dish of roasted butternut squash, lentils, and walnuts quite often, and have also paired with greens (kale and spinach, I think, but chard would work). I think you could exchange your seasonings for the curry powder, throw in some cherry sauce and/or dried cherries and be good to go. I've also used sweet potatoes instead of the squash, which will cook a bit faster if that helps you out. Post pics later, please. Sounds delish.

Thanks to hormonal fallout from my 6mo son, I have been PMS free since December 2004! However, I anticipate this will change shortly as hormones readjust. In the meantime, here's something I crave all the time -- chocolate cake. My neighbor made me a killer chocolate cake, and I just had to post a little food porn for everyone here. Gratuitous shot of gorgeous baby near lovely birthday cake: Cutting into dense chocolatey goodness: Mmmmm on a plate: And in case you're inclined to bake it link.

This is true, but it seems there should be some amount of basic kitchen literacy for anyone. I think of it as a self-care issue. We should all know how to dress and bathe, get along with others, balance a checkbook, and feed ourselves. I don't like this "mom's working = generations without basic life skills". Hogwash. We all bought in as a society to convenience foods and microwaves, etc.

Re: who's gringo or not, with my dark hair and eyes, and Spanish surname, I'm often mistaken for a Latina. Pero, hablo muy poquito espanol. Y soy Cajun. It's all good... Shoppers Food Warehouse is a de facto latino mercado here in Annapolis. There are a few tiny tiendas, but I haven't investigated them. I love the produce, bean, spice, cheese, and meat selections. Oh yeah, and the prices rock. My favorite example is chayotes -- $2/ea at the local Giant, 4/$2 at Shoppers. Of course, mirlitons (as they're called in my native Louisiana) are the kind of thing I grew up getting for free because just about everyone grew them. Sigh...

Slice, batter, and fry. Delish.

I've always been fond of beans. Of course, I'm a fan of peasant food in general. Growing up in south Louisiana probably had a lot to do with that. There was almost always some fresh legume in season, so beans we had were either fresh or at least dried rather than canned. I can't say I've used exotic varieties, but I have haunted the one vendor at our farmers' market who sells fresh field peas the last two summers. The whole anti-bean thing has just never made sense to me. Like just about any other food, you get out of it what you put in. For those of you who were (or are) anti-bean, what did (do) you have against them?

Someone may have mentioned this upthread, but I've been doing lots of stuff-rolled-into-lettuce lately, since we're trying to cut carbs at home. Yesterday was a take on a South Beach recipe: VA ham, mayo, provolone, green pepper, green onion, rolled into a Boston lettuce leaf. You could cut the green onion in strips to tie up the rolls. Four of these make a light lunch. One I'd also like to try would be a Vietnamese beef and noodle type filling in green or red leaf lettuce. Or fajita chicken or beef with sauteed peppers and onions, guac and/or salsa. These would be more delicate, obviously, but might fill a niche for customers trying to consume less bread.