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debbiemoose

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Everything posted by debbiemoose

  1. I'm a fan of Kingsolver's fiction and agree with her sentiments about eating locally. But I could not finish this book. I became weary of being preached at. The actual mechanics of what her family did was interesting, but the other stuff, I just tired of. Maybe it was because I'm already aware of most of the issues she was writing about.
  2. "Choice Cuts" by Kurlansky is not a collection of his works alone. It's a selection of food writing from throughout history and from around the world, from ancient Greece through the present. Might be that historical perspective some are looking for. He edited it.
  3. If I can toot Thomas' horn a little, he comes up with great recipes and is serious about his tailgating (my Tar Heels could take some lessons). And in a little more horn tooting...some of Thomas' recipes are in my brand-new tailgate cookbook, "Fan Fare: A Playbook of Great Recipes for Tailgating or Enjoying the Game at Home," published by Harvard Common Press. Many fans were kind enough to share their food, tips and experiences with me. Debbie
  4. Enoteca Vin is great. I also enjoy Duck & Dumpling in downtown Raleigh, which is Asian style food. What part of Raleigh will you be in? If you're more near downtown, Frazier's on Hillsborough Street is good, but parking there makes me crazy. Also in North Hills, Vivace is Italian food, quite good.
  5. Thanks for all the advice! I'm intrigued by the non-single use appliance options - my stove has a warming oven with a bread proof feature and I wonder if that might be suitable. But the ease of a Salton maker is appealing. Homemade yogurt tastes so much better and I can control what flavorings I may want to put in it. I don't want to make a lot - I'm the sole yogurt eater in my house. My husband is allergic to milk products, and tried the commercial soy yogurt and it was simply hideous. Anyone ever tried homemade soy yogurt, either in the machine or otherwise?
  6. So it's really that easy? Does it matter what kind of pot?
  7. Thanks for the info. And I love farm stands - I will have some time to drive around, maybe find some Vermont maple syrup...
  8. I am thinking about getting a machine to make my own yogurt and I was wondering if anyone else has done this, and does it seem to be worth it - from either a flavor or cost standpoint. I'd want one of the small ones with cups, since I'm the only yogurt eater in my house. How long, in y'all's experience, does the homemade yogurt keep? Thanks!
  9. I'm headed for Hatfield, MA for business in July and am looking for good dinner spots. I'm from NC and don't know the area and driving distances, but I will have a car and it appears Northhampton is nearby. Suggestions? Thanks! Debbie
  10. I haven't been yet this year, but loved going last season. Two gripes. I don't work downtown, so I have to find parking and pay - I realize this isn't an issue for most folks they intend to serve. The other was that if I didn't get there right when the market opened, the farmers ran out of stuff. Maybe that was first-year planning problems. There were tons of people out there every time I went (even on scorching days). I had to wait in a line 5 deep for bread. Maybe it's "sophomore slump" - the newness, and attendent publicity, is off. I feel guilty now because it's a great thing for local items and it should stay with that restriction - it's hard to find similiar items at the big FM. Are they promoting the market to residents moving into all the new downtown housing being constructed?
  11. How about peanut butter, if she can eat that? That can be the basis of a lot of good sauces and dressings.
  12. You should also plan a road trip soon to East of Raleigh, the heart of BBQ bliss. In Wilson, try Parker's (good fried chicken, too) or in Goldsboro, Wilber's.
  13. Ooh, I had that soup for lunch there about a year ago. It was quite embarassing to be caught making those sound effects when dining alone.
  14. I received today, in North Carolina, a shipment of smoked salmon and sable from Zabar's. Yes, nothing says lovin' on Valentine's Day like a box of stinky fish. The salmon is prepackaged and the package says it can be frozen. The sable looks like it came off the deli, slices wrapped loosely in wax paper and foil. I put the sable in a plastic bag and put both in the refrigerator. Does anyone know if the sable can be frozen? And any serving suggestions besides slapping it on a bagel? I know a lot I can do with smoked salmon but I'm not as familiar with sable. (Down here, we smoke pig, not fish.) Thanks!
  15. Being a pitiful freelance writer, I'm afraid I'm out on the comparison tasting. But I did an article, oh, 10 years or so ago on someone growing truffles in Hillsborough. I don't know if they were as good as European truffles, but they were pretty darn good, as I recall. And if NC truffles are more reasonably priced and therefore more accessible to food fans, that seems like a good thing to me. And I'm in favor of anything that local farmers could grow (legally) that might help them make a decent living, especially as the state is looking for good-paying alternatives to tobacco. If truffles save a family farm from development, YAY!
  16. I'm dying to try this! Has anyone used a metal pot rather than cast iron? I have a heavy, 8-quart KitchenAid five-ply stainless steel clad pot.
  17. Some friends and I spend the summer making jams, jellies and relish, which we divide up and give away for Christmas gifts. I tried a new jelly this year, that you could still make now. Steep the fine zest of 1 large lemon and 1 teaspoon of dried lavender in 2 cups boiling water for 1 hour (tightly cover the bowl). Strain and combine with 3 1/2 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and some white vinegar, I think it was 2 or 3 tablespoons. Bring to a boil and add 1 package of liquid pectin, boil hard for 1 minute. Put in jars in the fridge or process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes. I also tried roasting pecans with chopped fresh rosemary, butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder - yum!
  18. There was no explanation of the kid sous-chef, except a passing remark that he's part of a "mentoring program" that Royal does. He left after just a few minutes, before things got too hectic.
  19. Angus Barn chef Walter Royal will be in a throwdown with Cat Cora on Sunday's Iron Chef America, just wanted to let y'all know.
  20. My best gal pal and I are tripping to Graceland for my 50th birthday November 2-5 (it's actually two weeks before my real birthday, but I figure I'll need that much time to ease the pain of turning 50). This dining advice has been great. Can't afford Peabody rates, but we are staying near there and will have a car. Any party/bar/music advice, also any places to eat (other than the interesting place Brooks mentioned) near Elvis' pad? Don't-miss spots? PM me if you prefer. Thanks! Debbie
  21. Here is you a recipe that you can do at home. ← Yum. Thanks!
  22. So, you have to have creole cream cheese to make creole cream cheese? I'm crushed! Can't get it in NC and that ice cream sounds fabulous.
  23. I agree about Supersweet - it's too sweet. I want my corn to taste like corn, not cotton candy. I bought some corn labeled Silver Queen this year and I think it was actually Supersweet. I did get some bi-colored corn at the start of the season that was excellent, but it wasn't labeled as to variety. I was at the farmers market in Raleigh today, and a farmer told me that the extreme heat we're having may shorten the corn season, so eat up. Really, it's hard to turn down any kind of really fresh corn! I made some great fried corn cakes Sunday night with fresh corn, red onion, cayenne, chili powder, celery, parsley, a couple eggs, a little cornmeal, flour and breadcrumbs. A friend gave me the recipe and said it originally had crawfish in it, but his S.O. doesn't like fish. But he has made it with chopped shrimp, too.
  24. I headed down there at 11, and I was glad to see a really good turnout. I got great heirloom tomatoes, corn, green beans (sweetest I've had this summer; ate 'em last night), baby Yukon Gold potatoes and fresh garlic. Also got Pheta from the Chapel Hill Creamery booth. I love that stuff. It's cows milk feta, but the Greek government won't let them call it feta. I overheard someone at La Farm breads say they had sold out of one kind of loaf by 11:30. I didn't get a chance to hit the ice cream, but I definitely plan to go back for that. You know, downtown workers, keep a bottle of olive oil in your desk drawer and you could make lunch off the market (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, bread, YUM). If the turnout continues, I hope more farmers will sign on. I'm going to the tomato dinner at Vin tonight, looking forward to other ways to use those heirlooms other than standing over the sink and gnawing them.
  25. A Farmer's Market will open outdoors in Moore Square park downtown on July 12 and operate each Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through the season. The idea is to catch downtown workers on their lunch hours. This market is not being operated by the people with the State Farmers Market, but is sponsored by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance. The stated goal is to have products from local growers. The rules require vendors to sell items that they have produced within a 90-mile radius of the market, with a few exceptions (apples from the NC mountains, for example). No second-hand selling. The information I have says the market plans to include La Farm bakery, Chapel Hill Creamery, and pasture-raised meats from area farmers. I'm excited about having more local items at a Raleigh market and plan to check it out. If the market turns out as promised, I hope Raleighites will support it. There's a large parking deck nearby. Just wanted to let food fans know about this.
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