bavila

If you can find Susan Tucker from Tulane's Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, she may be able to point you in the direction of some good oral histories and/or living sources. Susan is the the archivist and librarian at NCCROW, but I'm not sure where she went upon evacuation.

While my sister, who lives about a 5-hour drive away, was here last weekend helping me gear up for baby's arrival, she broached the subject of Thanksgiving. "I know you probably won't be up for hosting Thanksgiving with the baby, so I wanted to offer for you to come to our place. But I want you to know that I'm not going to do turkey AND mashed potatoes AND stuffing AND all this other stuff. In fact, I was thinking of even ordering a turkey. Or maybe we could go out." Now, I appreciate her offer to play host. BUT, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, AND a huge part of that is the food. I could live without the seven-course haute version or a buffet spread with 20 side dishes. However comma....I know my sister and her peevishly picky husband. "Ordering a turkey" would mean something along the lines of Boston Market. And after the horrendous hotel brunch we had while visiting her for Easter, I had to work not to visibly wince at her suggestion. How hard is it to roast a turkey? Sheesh... Stick it in the oven and polish off a couple of bottles of wine while you wait. Oh that's right. They don't drink. Right now I'm thinking of staying in Annapolis and feast-hopping amongst the homes of my friends who are Damned Good Cooks. But is this an unfair snub to my family? Have you ever had to choose between spending time with loved ones and celebrating a holiday or event the way you really want to?

Any connection to him becoming the ex? So here I am, counting down the dwindling moments til c-section on Friday. First trimester seems a long time ago! I thought I'd note that hubby started the low carb thing somewhere in my first trimester. I sort-of joined him -- still ate fruit and an occasional bagel, but cut way back on refined carbs (bread, crackers, pasta, rice). I actually felt better after doing this -- energy levels seem to be more even, less roller-coasterish. May be worth trying for those of you in the early weeks. Of course, somewhere into third trimester I shifted into dessert mode. Ate healthfully for meals in general, but have had plenty of ice cream and cookies and such. Trying to ignore the number on the scale...ugh. Good luck to everyone!

A few summers ago at a friend's lake house in Wisconsin, I was one of about 10 people lead by a native of Colombia in a mass empanada production, including making our own fresh masa. Talk about labor intensive! I hope you are committed Chris. Afterward, I calculated that the empanadas had to have been the most "expensive" thing we ate that week given the labor hours that went into it. I regret to report that the empanadas did not seem worth the trouble. Perhaps in the hands of a better cook they would have been something to write home about. That said, Chris, I'm sure you can do a better job with seasoning, etc. And although I can't tell you where exactly he got the corn, it had to have been somewhere in Wisconsin, or more likely Miami --- where this guy lived.

We call these "turkey wands" (or ham or whatever). Glad to see the topic as preschool (with optional lunch) starts for us soon as well. Other items my daughter likes that travel well: beans and rice nuts and/or seeds egg salad/boiled eggs dry cereal (so far her repertoire includes only Cheerios and Kashi) dried fruits A foodie friend sends her son with whatever leftovers they have. I think proscuitto and melon is a big one for him. Also, in case you haven't seen them, Horizon (organic dairy) makes milk boxes. The serving size is probably still a bit large for a 3-year-old, but I'd rather that than Capri Sun. Suzy--a friend who was recently diagnosed with diabetes relies heavily on cut veggies and cottage cheese. And I'm sure sushi would still work, right? Good luck with all of that! I'm inspired to start making pizzas again. Must get a new stone.

MCH, It's nice to see another Magna-lite pot in the state of Maryland. How can you stand making gumbo in this Louisiana-esque weather? Oh, and since I have not voted yet... YES. Stewed with toms. Don't see what the big deal over the slime is. Malvacaeae family -- think marshmallows.

Every sandwich I've seen turned out at the Carnegie Deli is stacked entirely too high for 99% of human mouths to get around. I recently ordered my 2.5 yo daughter a pb&j kids meal at Atlanta Bread Co. The portions were entirely adult-sized (I suppose this presents some amount of convenience to the kitchen) -- two large slices of white bread with (I swear) an inch-thick smear of pb and an inch-thick slab of jelly. Then there was the bag of chips, a 12 oz. drink (I usually give her 2-4 oz at a time at home). We were told to pick up her cookie at the pastry end of the counter. I assumed there would be some smaller cookies for kids, but no, she had her pick of any of their 4-inch diameter cookies. Talk about obscene.

I thought I'd add to this thread my own recs after the trip. Because of where we were staying compared to West Point, all of the recs above seemed out of the way. But here's my two cents for anyone who can use them. Painter's (266 Hudson St. (bet. Ave. A & Idlewild Ave.) Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY 845-534-2109) was the best restaurant we patronized on the trip -- funky, eclectic, yet home-style food. Artwork all over the place. Nice looking bar with comfy stools. I had fried chicken (I think it was a special) and mashed potatoes that had an intriguing coffee gravy served with them. Daughter had a monkey bowl of fruit from the kids menu. A good find for baked goods (including granola that was baking as I walked in --- heavenly!) and entertaining a toddler for a while was Jones Farm & Country Store (190 Angola Rd Cornwall, NY - (845) 534-4445). The "farm" was basically a 100' long barn and barnyard that housed a smattering of ducks and chickens, two miniature horses, two goats, and a 1000 lb pig who's sort of the mascot of the place. Little ones are encourage to visit the animals but not feed them. Proprietor "Grandma" is happy to show you around and serve up a plate of cookies for a snack. Bella Luna Ristorante (see review), 2877 Route 94, Blooming Grove, NY (845) 496-3747, was a surprisiningly solid Italian restaurant in a non-descript strip mall. We ate there at least twice and were satisfied all around. One disappointment was (I think -- can't remember the name, and can't find it on the web) the In and Out Cafe in Washingtonville. One of the worst burgers I've ever had outside of a corporate fast food store. Looked like nothing was truly prepared on site. Should have tried Joey's Cafe across the street.

Just wanted to add to the ongoing list here. I've been to Paul's Homewood Cafe on West Street about 3 times in the past month for lunch, and have had great quality food (steak salad, lamb souvlaki, and a reuben) and friendly service everytime. The last time I'd been there before this month was probably about 3 years ago for dinner. It was good then, but for some reason it fell off my radar for a while. It's a small place, so you might have to wait a bit, or sit at the counter and watch the sandwich and salad prep going on. Next time I think I'll try the fried calamari salad. They're also one of the few Zagat listed establishments in town.

I have not been to either Lemongrass or Metropolitan --- yet. But I think I might have to hit the desserts at Metropolitan soon as sweets have been my major indulgence with this pregnancy. What I loved about the review was the description of the location of the restaurant, "uptown" on West Street. As if Annapolis were a bonafide city with an uptown and a downtown! (oh, there goes that exclamation point again!)

Capital review of Metropolitan Perhaps eGulleter simdelish would like to add a word about her desserts?

thank you, thank you Forgot to mention that I tried a couple of ideas from CaliPoutine -- turkey tacos (I used a Cooking Light version with a chiptole sauce that was YUMMY), of which there were no leftovers to freeze, and pork over cheese grits (only one serving made it to the freezer -- which I plan to eat soon to test the idea of freezing grits). I like the slow cooker overnight idea. Will look deeper into that.

I'm bumping this up as both daniellewiley and I are still looking for recipes. Babies coming in a a few weeks! Come to our aid eGulleters! In another thread, we are lamenting how difficult it is to cook when it's SOOOO hot. We got a break (finally) here in Annapolis last night, and temps should be reasonable for the next week at least. And I expect high temps to be in the mid 80's when baby is born end of August. So, here's what I've frozen so far: -2 quarts of ragu -a few homemade veggie burgers -raw chicken breasts with onions, lemon, herbs for marinade -raw lamb (for kabobs) in marinade As soon as I can get field peas at the farmers' market, they'll go in too. And I suppose I could make some ratatouille. I also plan to hit the frozen food section of Trader Joe's. Other than that, I can only think of salads.

So I'm not the only one having cook's block. I've been trying to come up with things to cook and freeze in preparation of baby's arrival (didn't you do this recently, Chris?), and the things I think of as doing well in the freezer are more cool weather foods. Specifically I've been thinking about seafood and andouille gumbo. A friend of mine is starting cooking classes in her home and asked me to be one of her guest instructors to do a gumbo lesson, so I've be mentally processing the logistics of such a lesson and therefore mulling over the ingredients -- some nice spicy andouille, sweet crabmeat, succulent oysters. Otherwise, I'm pretty much good consuming ice cream tight now. Did I mention that the temp reading in my car today was 103? That's hot even for a Louisiana native.

Even simpler: If you want to lose weight, BURN more calories than you CONSUME. If there's such a thing as a panacea, exercise is it. One of my best foodie friends is also a fitness instructor, so even with the non-stop of butter laden dishes she turns out (and eats), she is still pure muscle. Exercise will also help ward off loads of ailments and other indignities that otherwise come with age. The trick is to get to the point where you feel worse on days you don't work out than when you do. It also helps to learn to enjoy (if you don't already) foods that are big on flavor but light on fat and calories -- herbs, roasted red peppers, etc. Patricia Yeo has cookbooks to this end. Take heart, mizducky, and keep trying!

While zoning out at Nordstrom Cafe the other day with my server's tidy bundle of cellophane-wrapped straws tucked in her apron in my line of sight, I thought, "Why in the world do so many adults use straws in restaurants?" I can see the utility of straws for to-go beverages with lids ala the fast food world. And something like a milk shake might just move faster with suction applied. And of course kids -- well -- we're lucky if somehow, anyhow, most of the beverage winds up in their mouths rather than the table or floor. But for grown ups? Some might argue that straws seem a more sanitary means to drinking from glassware used by many, but a server's grubby paws could easily make that point moot. Another reason might be to facilitate tidiness. But if I'm old enough to be trusted with a glass of red wine and a white linen tablecloth, I hope I can handle a glass of iced tea. And speaking of iced tea, sometimes the straw may be the most suitable stirring implement provided a diner for sweetening tea -- truly a lack of civility not to serve iced tea with iced tea spoons. So eGulleters, on yet another extraordinarily hot summer day in the mid-Atlantic, I ask you -- do you straw or don't you?

Because when I've been in New York and Chicago I haven't bothered with hot dogs (yet) -- in Norfolk, Virginia, Dog-n-Burger -- Hebrew National well-done with chili and mayo, served with crinkle cut fries, all in a brown paper bag. Mmm... two please.

I'm pretty sure this was Chi-chi's, not Chili's, and they were green onions, so not pre-sliced, and never cooked (served as garnish or in salsa), therefore the higher likelihood of disease spreading. While a home cook might have more leeway (I say "might" because homecooks still serve immuno-compromised individuals -- pregnant women, infants, elderly, etc. -- all of whom might have had dire consequences from whatever bug got NulloModo), anyone in the restaurant industry should have safety as their top priority because getting customers sick means losing business -- more than just the person who got sick. As an anecdote, in my (Tulane U) alumni magazine a few months ago, there was an article on alums who were in the food biz. Most had businesses in New Orleans, and every single one of them, when asked what their biggest fear was, was getting someone sick. Yay them.

I'm surprised Mayhaw Man hasn't weighed in here. Where y'at, Brooks? I grew up in Lafayette, LA (I think the population then was around 40k, now closer to 80k), which can't really be considered rural itself, but is really close to rural areas (at least it was when I grew up), and full of folks who grew up in the country. A salient point in this thread is, as Carrot Top put it, romanticism is what you make of it. I would add that anyone with ties to rural life is just more likely than an urban dweller to be in tune with things like picking there own figs or catching their own fish -- not so much because it's necessarily special to them but because that is what is there. A passion for making the best of all the local land and water has to offer is certainly not a given. Which reminds me, I need to check on the blackberry bush on my property that I noticed a few weeks ago for the first time in the four years I've lived here. Oh the shame!

I'm glad to have found this thread after Varmint's reference to summer pudding in his blog (with no link!). When I've made summer pudding in the past I've used a loaf pan which gives quite an inferior presentation. I'd been wondering how to remedy that, so jackal10 and abra have given me great ideas. Thanks!

This blog may have started as one about Southern food, but I think it morphed into something more about how we raise our children. I'm excited about the prospect of sharing my own joy of food with my (soon to be) two children, and I almost cried last night as I watched my 2.5 year old climb onto a stool at the kitchen counter and eat her first ever piece of red velvet cake. Thanks for the inspiration, Varmint family!

I suggest you ask (or just watch closely) if he tares the paper (as described by Jujubee). I'd give the benefit of the doubt.

Your close-up of the chicken tag reminds me of a thought I had in Whole Foods the other day. If these poultry/meat producers can really say that their animals are never administered antibiotics, then what happens to the occasional critter that gets a nasty bug? Is it slaughtered? Sold off to someone who will give it antibiotics? Anyone know?

Well, I am majorly bummed that I won't be able to make the pig pickin' after reading this blog and the News Observer write upof the last one. Of course I'll have a newborn by that point, and probably won't be bummed at the time! The fried shrimp salad reminds me of a similar one served at a restaurant where I worked in NO. Another waitress and I called it the "fry ball salad" -- basically a ball of "popcorn" shrimp on a salad. It was wildly popular, but one of those dishes you get sick of even laying eyes on, especially considering it added to the fry ball smell of your uniform. Good thing you have a magnificent hood in that new kitchen, Varmint! Keep it coming!

Every restaurant breakfast I've had in Costa Rica has included pinto gallo, or just pinto, which I understand is common throughout Latin America. It's basically the beans and rice leftover from the day before sauteed with peppers, onions garlic. I always had it with scrambled eggs and a bit of bread. And cafe con leche, of course. Home breakfasts (at my in-laws) were generally just fresh bread and coffee, maybe with a little bit of cheese (like a queso fresco) or jam.