debbiemoose

You barely beat the deadline! That puts us over 100, I believe. There is room for more, y'all. Plenty of room. For the out of town guests or anyone who wants to help cook, we'll be having a "staff meal" at my house Saturday evening. Looks like fried chicken will be the main course. Lots of it! We'll have some biscuits, cucumbers and tomatoes, and whatever else we can rustle up while staying out of Dave's and Brooks' way. We can always use the two old burners in the loft, too. I'm sure Brooks wants some okra and tomatoes. I can do a couple of trays of ultra-simple peach cobbler, if I get some prep help. All in all, I think we'll have a touch of fun. ← For Saturday, lemme know when and what I can do. I'll be devilin' them eggs probably Saturday and Sunday (might even start late Friday), and with 100+ coming, I'll need some fridge space, if anyone is in Raleigh and has a spare shelf to offer (no nibbling!). Varmint's will probably be full. I live a pig's throw from the Raleigh farmers market - could pick up some corn and 'maters, if there's any good left by then. I spent Saturday afternoon making peach jam with and offering a shoulder to a friend whose S.O. is undergoing tests for possibly having suffered some small strokes. Jamming - best, and tastiest, therapy there is!

Who will be the winner of the Super Bowl this year and by how many points? Do you think that Google will continue to trade at this crazy price? Chocolate or Vanilla? What's the best way to remove old varnish from wood floors? And finally, what is the meaning of life? Thanks in advance for your help. ← And what is the airspeed of an unladen African swallow? About gin in the Dirty Martini DEs - suit yourself. I have not been able to stand gin since being handed what turned out to be gin and Fresca at a college party about 25 years ago.

The Raleigh FM does not have the organics, unusual items or verified locally grown of the Carrboro market. As someone else said, the important thing is to have a relationship with a vendor. As you may already know, the open area near where you come in is where most of the locally grown is. The stuff in the covered vendor area is often not local (although there is a good Cary soapmaker there). I have trouble remembering names, too, but there's one older guy who sells only flowers, blueberries and peaches, and there is a young girl in a Muslim veil who works the booth - they have great blueberries. Lee's Produce is usually pretty good, and they have unusual peppers and eggplant this time of year (two teenage girls often work that booth, and they are always picking at each other and are as funny as they can be). The place that has a sign that looks like a mule and cart (forget the name, again) often has good things. I have gotten two good cantelopes this year from a woman from Meadow (that's all the booth sells). I taste a lot of peaches before I buy, and I don't buy from anyone who chills their peaches - it makes them mealy. If they won't tell you, feel 'em - even in this heat, they will still feel cool - or look for a refrigerated truck lurking nearby. Some vendors have signs saying they don't chill. Saturday is a total zoo, and the vendors will not have time to talk to you or offer deals. I usually go on Fridays - it's less crowded, but most of the vendors are there (some only come on Fri-Sat-Sun). Don't go on a Monday - some vendors aren't there or have sold most of their good stuff over the weekend. Can you tell I spend way too much time there?? Heading out tomorrow to buy peaches to make jam!

But is it possible or reasonable to make fresh tomato juice? Why resort to something coming out of a bottle or can? Just thinking here. ← I have a Bloody Mary Deviled Egg in my book. Speaking of which, any preferences on flavor of DEs? I thought I'd bring some of my more exotic ones, especially some hot and spicy.

What I think is great about Merritt's BLTs is their layering technique, and that they use plenty of bacon. They layer it up so that all the bacon isn't in one place. Like, tomato, bacon, lettuce, tomato, bacon, lettuce. I might have the order wrong - it's been a while - too long! The bacon is also primo - not too salty. And a "double" would put me in a food coma. I did well to finish the "half" size, which was huge.

← I thought of doing just that. Amazon says it'll be here by August 8...............I DO love deviled eggs...............&pig...................&hushpuppies.................& greens.............&okra....................&&&&&&&&..............(you get the picture ) Thanks, Bill ← For those of you who don't know, I live in Raleigh. And Quail Ridge Books, one of the world's greatest bookstores, is a 5 minute straight-shot drive (well, 1 turn) from Pig-Picking Central. I encourage you to hop down there when you get in town. Buy mine, I'll sign it; buy other peoples', I'll forge their names.

My mother was the food "point man" for her small Presbyterian church in Winston-Salem, N.C. When she got a call from the minister about a death, she sprang into action and worked that phone like a cigar-chomping city editor. She had a system and stuck to it. First she'd find out how many people were expected at the house before/after the funeral. Then she'd call the other food ladies on her committee and, basically, tell them what to bring: "NO, Gladys, we've already got chicken. You need to bring a ham, and can you get it up there to the house by 5:30? All right, well, bring it here and I'll take it." Mama also kept a canned ham in the back of the refrigerator at all times for emergency funeral food duty. All of her large platters and casserole dishes had a little piece of cloth tape on the back with her last name printed on it. When she died in 2002, I was at the house and got a phone call from a woman at the church. The minister had asked her to see about food. "But I don't know what to do," she said, sheepishly. "Your mama always took care of it."

I heard ice cream mentioned. I have a hand-crank White Mountain that someone could use. The cranking keeps the kids busy, too! And someone should bring the obvious dessert....a pig-picking cake! I am fully capable of filling your deviled egg needs. I cooked 360 eggs while testing recipes for my cookbook, which I ended up having to complete in 10 weeks. I may need refrigerator storage, however. I'm going to see if the farmers of the CSA I belong to would be willing to donate their 'licious free-range eggs to the cause. HRH Queen of Deviled Eggs

As the Queen of Deviled Eggs, I would be happy to supply the tasty orbs of goodness.

I am trying to figure out what sonker is. It seems to be some sort of cobbler thing, perhaps made with sweet potatoes, or maybe not. Any ideas/resources y'all know of? Thanks!

I'll be interested to hear about Fins. I don't know if I'm just off, or what. I've been there twice and had mediocre experiences both times. The last time, I was part of a party of five and it took an hour to get our food, the waiter had difficulty explaining the menu and my dish was just average (muddy, ugly-looking sauce of an indistinguishable flavor, although the fish on top was perfectly cooked). Others in my party were not bowled over.

Never again...Neglect to taste chocolate before using it, no matter what the label says. My husband purchased a large hunk of Callebaut that was labeled bittersweet, which was what he needed, to make a Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte (3 ingredients: chocolate, eggs, butter). When I sampled the batter after he put it in the oven, something didn't taste right. We picked up some shards and tasted them. The store had mislabeled the chocolate - it was unsweetened. Disappointed a buncha people at a Passover seder that year. No amount of whipped cream or raspberry sauce helped. It was basically inedible. And, never again ignore pan size. This after a Moravian Sugar Cake - the topping is nothing but butter and brown sugar, a lot of it - overflowed onto the bottom of my oven and caught fire. Shooting flames. At 10 p.m. on a January night.

My take on why Raleigh lags behind involves some history (I've lived here, geez, almost 20 years). When I moved here, there was the Angus Barn, mediocre Chinese and not much else. Raleigh was the Legislature and all that came with it: lobbyists, PR people, expense account eating, men who wanted big 'ol hunks o meat. It has taken a long time, and a variety of new arrivals and culinary awareness, to shake off that history of conservative (small c) dining. Chapel Hill and Durham were always viewed as more adventurous, wacky. Many of you probably have heard the apocryphal Jesse Helms comment from the '70s: If NC needs a zoo, just put a fence around Chapel Hill. :)

WOW. What a great discussion. I think most of the points I might make have been hit, but I would add one thought. I had the opportunity to eat in Charlotte recently at 5 or 6 of the "hip" restaurants. What I found, in many cases, was food that felt calculated, designed to plug into one trend or another. Good enough flavors, and restaurants that looked like they could be in NY or SF, but not real, honest food. Hope that makes sense to y'all. As the restaurant scene here rises - and it will - I hope the better chefs don't lose their focus on providing food that honors their own visions rather than some market research person's figures. Another point that I don't think has been made is that Raleigh, at least, is still a family-oriented eating town. That may also account for the explosion of chains. Also, you can have Dean & Deluca. The one in Charlotte was a sorry sight. A Southern Season would eat its lunch, were it in the Triangle. And if I can mention a restaurant that hasn't been talked about so far, Duck & Dumpling in Raleigh is run by a great chef who cares so much about his food that he makes his own dumpling wrappers. Nice guy, too. Love the discussion!

As a lifelong North Carolinian, I can't say I've noticed a runny preserves phenom. Maybe it is cheap restaurants. I make preserves, and I have noticed that if I do a lower sugar recipe, the "set," as they call it, will be less firm. The tradeoff is a great fruit flavor. A little time in the fridge helps firm it up. Or pour it on ice cream! Debbie

I'll bring the deviled eggs! Deb (BTW. I live 10 minutes from said tennis court.)

If you love small farms (like I do) and want to get a sense of what's being grown - plus have fun - anyone in the vicinity should go on the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association's annual tour of small farms. It's a great day for kids, too. Most of the farms are in Chatham and Orange counties (about 30 minutes from Raleigh). The tour has grown so much that it's impossible to hit all the farms in one day and has been spread over a weekend. You can see everything being raised from organic buffalo, hydroponic tomatoes, natural milk/ice cream to all kinds of veg. Farmers describe their techniques, which is very interesting. The tour is usually in April or May, but I haven't checked on the date for this year's - try the CFSA web site, carolinafarmsteward.org. I think that's right. You get a map and drive yourself, so it's a nice day in the country as well. CFSA, in Chapel Hill, is a non-profit that promotes and helps small sustainable and organic farmers. I think CFSA also has info on farms that offer community-supported agriculture. If you don't know what that is, you buy a share (or some variation) of the farm for a fee and you then get a weekly allotment of what it produces. Some farms, like the one I support, let you pick what you want. I could go on about NC farms all day- I love 'em! Buy local! Debbie

I had my first raw oyster at Crook's, in college in the '70s! They make a great bloody mary at brunch, too.

The folks at Figs say they are still adding items and tweaking their selection. I plan to keep checking in. It would be great to have a good gourmet food store in that location and it would be nice to support a local business.

I agree with many of the choices, although I don't like Fins because the tables are too close together and it's noisy, which is also my complaint about Nana's. But I must be in the minority in that I don't like noisy, packed places. I would definitely try to save my pennies (or quarters) for Fearrington. I have always had a wonderful experience there. Ditto for Magnolia Grill. I agree that Second Empire's portions are way huge, and I fear progress in the Triangle dining scene may be leaving them behind. I would add to the list The Duck & Dumpling in downtown Raleigh. It's fine-dining Asian flavored, but with twists, and he makes his own dumplings, even the wrappers. Very uptown contemporary interior. Not as expensive as Fearrington.

Grazing - fabulous! I'm going to check out a newly expanded Asian supermarket here that has a bakery inside - not sure why, but this is bound to be interesting. And helpful in banishing the doldrums. Deb

I have to admit, it's January and I feel cooked out! Parties, gift baking, Christmas, Hannukah (we do both in my house), New Year's. Part of the problem, possibly, is I've also been testing recipes for a cookbook proposal. Whew! And I LIKE cooking. What do any of y'all do when you feel food fatigue? Or maybe you don't. All I have to say about dinner tonight is: thank goodness there's vegetable soup in my freezer. I need to perk up! Maybe a trip to some ethnic markets will do it...And this forum is great, of course... Deb

I, too, was disappointed in Figs. Nothing special there, and not much of what is there. Decent salad bar, but dressings taste right out of the bottle. I was sorry, because I'd love to see a really good food market in that location. I long for a Southern Season in Raleigh! In the meantime, I'm going to check out that Turkish market in Cary. Debbie

I am a freelance writer in Raleigh attempting to distill the essence of the Charlotte food scene for an article. Thoughts? Don't-miss restaurants? Other foodie hangouts (we don't have Dean & DeLuca here, they do). Banking/business influence? Ethnic influence? Planning an eating trip in the near future... Debbie

Speaking of the Charlotte food scene (Kathi, close your eyes), I've been asked to do an article attempting to distill and otherwise quantify the essence of that. Charlotteans, your thoughts? Not-to-miss restaurants AND food spots (Dean & DeLuca, since there ain't one here in Raleigh)? Happy new year to all! Debbie