bavila

It makes me happy to know that there is someone in France eating brownies.

Sucrose=sucrose. The difference is believing the marketing trying to make you think one is better than the other. ← Ha, we might have to move this one to its own thread! I agree that sucrose = sucrose, but what about the trace compounds present with it? And no, I don't know if I can tell the difference; I haven't tried them side by side. But couldn't there be a difference, just as there's a difference between, oh, corn syrup and maple syrup? Or honeys from different flowers? (...shuffles off, mumbling, to consult McGee...) ← Yes. I don't think the fleur de sel proprietors of the world would go about saying NaCl=NaCl.

Ok, I'll bite. For what purpose would one blanch spinach?

No cast iron on a glass cooktop? Oops... I don't remember reading that in my stove's booklet. No problems...yet.

It may be a little late for this suggestion, but could you use a cool mist humidifier with a hygrastat? We use these all winter for respiratory comfort. This is basically it. Seems like it would work for your purposes as well.

Can I come?

This thread got me paying more attention to how I feel during a workout. The my last couple of interval classes (think lacrosse practice but with suburban moms), I've had more energy and stamina. One morning I had eggs, the other I had a bran muffin with almond butter. So I'm thinking the protein was a real bonus there. Here's my problem. I've started running, and I'm getting stitches (my term for that sharp cramp in your side that causes you to slow down enough to breathe). I know part of the issue is that I don't have that much time between breakfast (generally 7am) and getting on the treadmill around 9:30. I also do a pilates class at 8:30, so I don't want to go completely without morning sustenance. I think I've probably had steel-cut oats on those days. Should I opt for something else? Maybe a banana to avoid the cramping?

Was that the plastic wrap or the new Press-n-seal freezer wrap? I just saw it advertised for the first time this week.

Cool. Thanks, Rachel. I actually think fish is a great baby food, once they can handle the texture and the protein (9 mos is the going recommendation, I think). It's generally soft and mildly flavored. Great for teeny mouths. I didn't see any butternut at the grocery store today, but I did pick up some sweet potatoes for Dax. I also got jars of plums to try out. As for the FoodSaver idea, I wonder how the new Press-n-Seal stuff would work for such a thing. Anyone have any experience using this in the freezer?

Ugh. Went for Dax's 6 month check up today. These days the AAP is now recommending waiting until age 2 before introducing shellfish and nuts!!! Our pediatrician, who is also a friend of ours, was giving me this look like "oh god, don't hurt me, I have to tell you this even though my kids were eating pb&j as soon as the could pick it up". As much as I'd like to blow that off, Dax is already showing signs of being allergy-prone -- hives a month or so ago and mild eczema. Guess I might have to wean Madi off the pb a bit.

Let's see... Crawfish boil -- awesome, but I cut out the 1/2 pound of cayenne called for in addition to the packaged boil spices. Though this was for a Yankee crowd. I still found it plenty spicy. And the best damn boiled crawfish I ever had. Crawfish pasta salad -- simple, yummy Basic slaw -- ditto Jambalaya -- either I did something wrong or he calls for cooking the meat way too long I know I've done more than this, but will have to look it up...

Second the Nawlins vote. Am happy to have excuses to go there on a semi-regular basis. Martinique is top of my list right now. Combine French influence with Carribean flavors, and lots of seafood. Yum.

Well, of course there's a thread! I usually don't follow a recipe. Duck and andouille are probably my favorite meats for it though.

We tried Cheerios recently, but he couldn't really pick them up well. I think he just dropped them all, and didn't manage to get any in his mouth. He has 2 teeth (one just erupted in the last few days), but they can't really do much. There's also those teething biscuit things. I seem to remember someone posting about English rusk biscuits.... Must look for this...

Another thought re: going to Washington (did you say where exactly, or is that still up in the air?). We lived in Bremerton about 8 years ago, and we liked to go up to Poulsbo (up Abra's way). There was this restaurant on the water there that had the best crab cakes I've ever had. And that means a lot coming from someone whose lived most of her life in either Louisiana or Maryland. Dungeness crabs rock! There was also a great market I loved in Poulsbo too. I'm sure Abra could tell you the name. And if it's still there!

Oh dear. Note to self: hold off on cruciferous vegetables. Mr. Dax (I get a kick out of the fact that Danielle and I have boys about a month apart with rhyming names) just had his first "finger" food. He doesn't really have the pincer grasp thing yet, but I was nibbling on some veggie chips (like Pirate Booty) while fixing lunch, and he was getting antsy, so I handed him a chip. I wanted to get the camera, but figured I'd stick close by in case he had any chance of choking. Though these little puffy chips probably melt away even quicker than cheerios. So that means he's had two new foods today, as he had pureed sweet potato this morning for the first time. I'll be making a sweet potato lentil curry dish later in the week and wanted to get him ready to try some of the real thing. Ironically, as much as I love food, the process of feeding a baby is probably my least favorite part of caring for an infant. Right now there's just food everywhere as he grabs for the spoon, sputters in contentment, and then pats his head with grubby little paw. The head patting would not be so bad if he didn't have so much hair (he's had 2 haircuts already, to give you an idea). The mess is cute, if annoying. Later there will be months of cutting everything into pea-size bits. Ugh. I'd rather change a dirty diaper. Must get DH into more feeding duties...

Hi Kathy, I love the brown bag idea too! Please put some containers full of water to freeze up in your freezer or you're going to fritter away all your Grocery Game savings on running that thing! Sorry, I'm a child of a child of the Depression. This is deeply ingrained. Speaking of the Grocery Game, I'm glad to see that someone who doesn't buy much processed foods still finds this a worthy endeavor. I just signed up for my trial membership. My husband used to be in the Navy, and up until about a year ago we still had commissary priveleges. Not anymore! Grocery store prices are painful still!

My 6mo son has just started on solids. We've mostly been trying out the store-bought ultra-pureed stuff so far, mainly because that's what I did with my 3yo daughter. I'm much more relaxed the second time around with the whole allergy concern thing (no family history of food allergies). And since I'm home with the kids these days (store-bought stuff was pretty convenient when my daughter was in day care), I thought I'd make my own baby food link. Now I'm thinking that I should basically skip the idea of making "baby" food and try to feed him mushed up stuff that the rest of the family is eating. I've read that baby food shouldn't have added salt or fat or sugar, which would therefore preclude table food. But this seems a bit overly cautious to me. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

Only because there's what looks like a hot dog in the soup. I definitely would not count that as salt pork.

The March 2006 issue of Food & Wine has a recipe for Chicken-and-Garlic Chowder. It does not, however, have either potatoes or salt pork and uses pre-cut butternut squash, purchased BBQ chicken, and purchased sofrito. Still, it looks interesting as 5 cloves of garlic are poached in milk and then pureed and added to the soup at the end. ← Hmmm... maybe the squash is supposed to be an alternative for potatoes? I've been thinking of an idea for another cook-off (is this the right place to suggest it?). I'll likely spend Easter with some non-foodies who like their green beans casserole and gelatin salads. Considering the discussion about green bean casserole and gelatin dishes, and the fact that Easter and Passover are approaching and therefore many of us will likely spend time with less food-friendly folk, how about a cook-off for dishes like these that make the best of our own skills while honoring our loved ones' desires?

Three more weeks and counting...

The Lafayette to New Orleans stretch is fine, though slow round NO.

Crap. Crap, crap, crap. ..... Dammit. I want my friggin' crawfish! Perhaps I'll look into selling my firstborn...

Thanks for this, Brooks. I always miss New Orleans this time of year. And this year was worse than most.

Two more thoughts. For a buffet/open house type party, or even and outdoor BBQ, (anything not seated and plated, I suppose) place food and drinks in multiple spots so guests don't clog one area. As for the paper plate thing, I suppose I should clarify. Real plates are always nicer than paper. I get annoyed when someone has a small gathering and uses paper plates. This doesn't even ease clean up, really! But for gatherings of more people than one can reasonably be expected to have place settings, I'm not so bothered by the disposables.