LindaK

heidi, I don't keep a kitchen notebook, though sometimes I wish I did. Sometimes I scribble comments in the margin of a cookbook if I think there's an error or if I've substantially changed the recipe and want to remember. But usually not. Yesterday's New York Times ran a story about a women who has been keeping a dinner diary since 1998: here

If you don't think you can do it, you owe it to yourself and your friend to say no--but that you're flattered that he thinks so highly of your cooking skills. Maybe offer to cater a small private party for him as a wedding gift? A couple of years ago I helped a caterer friend prep the food for a mutual friend's wedding of 200+ guests. Finger food and buffet dinner. It was a lot of work, and he never got to see the wedding or enjoy the reception--too busy working.

Wood floors in the kitchen, yes, first choice. My second choice was bamboo. My previous two kitchens both had 100 +/- yr old hardwood floors and were in very good condition, despite a century of wear and tear. I am sure they'd never been coddled. The comfort level was significantly better than anything I'd experienced before and I never found them hard to maintain. I hate cleaning grout between tiles much more than cleaning hardwood. I was a convert within a week of living with them. When renovating my current kitchen the original hardwood floors had been significantly damaged by some evil force and sadly had to be replaced or I would have jumped for joy at keeping them. I could not find new wood that matched the 100 yr old floors that were also in the rest of my condo, and for sustainability reasons replaced then with bamboo (either that or exhorbitantly priced reclaimed wood, which I could not afford). They're as comfortable as wood, with a similar look, and are as easy to maintain. I like them a lot but, honestly, bamboo doesn't compare w/ the beauty of wood floors. Still, they are heads and shoulders above any tile floor I've ever lived with. Worth considering as an alternative to wood.

Almost everything. As long as it doesn't materially suffer--melt on one end, congeal on the other--room temperature is almost always better.

How are you incorporating the berries? I usually put the batter into the pan and wait for it to cook partially on the bottom, then scatter the berries over the still-wet top. Sometimes I'll press them in, if necessary. They'll often still burst, but they don't usually turn the pancakes purple and soggy. You've probably identified the problem--bad technique! I've been folding the berries into the batter then pouring the mixture into the skillet. Duh. Many thanks.

Thanks, nikkib and Janet, those recipes are great starting points for me to experiment. I'm pretty sure the gazpacho I had last night was slightly different than either of your recipes--no green pepper (à la nikkib's recipe) or cumin (à la Jaz's recipe), and it definitely included cucumber. But now I'm starting to understand the fun of playing with this basic set of ingredients. Maybe I'll be a convert after all. Any other gazpacho partisans out there?

It's that time of year again, so let me bump up this topic with a question. Must gazpacho be a chunky soup, or can it be a puree? I've never been a big fan of gazpacho, but it's been hot around here and there it was on the restaurant menu last night, so I went ahead and ordered it. Am I glad I did, it turned out to be a fabulous cold soup with all the flavors of gazpacho--but smooth, no chunks except a couple of croutons on top. Is this really gazpacho? If you make your gazpacho this way, any recipes or tips would be welcome. If it's heresy, please do explain!

I grew up with salted butter and so used it reflexively when I first started cooking--and don't recall that anything was ruined. But having long since switched to sweet butter, I would never go back. Better flavor, for one thing--salted butter now tastes slightly sour to me. But I've also read that salted butter has a higher water content than sweet butter, so I imagine that could make a difference in pastry-making.

I love them, but when I've tried to make them at home, by the time the batter was cooked through the berries had burst and turned the pancakes purple and soggy. I tried a lighter batter, but it didn't hold the berries together. Can you make them during the winter with frozen berries? that's the season I crave pancakes.

Tough call for me. I wouldn't want carrots in a lobster salad, but then again I don't make lobster salad very often. Based on how often I pick up a bunch of carrots vs. a bunch of celery, the winner is...carrots.

Do crepes count? They work for any meal, as far as I'm concerned.

Not related to storage, but I made some vietnamese spring rolls for dinner tonight and used lots of fresh mint. delicious, perfect hot weather food.

Chervil. Easy to find in France, mysteriously absent in the U.S. I've tried growing it, but without success. Morels. I used to buy them at the farmers markets in St. Louis, for heavens sake. These days when I see them--rarely--they look old and are absurdly expensive. Small packets of ground saffron. An italian friend used to bring them back to the U.S. regularly, but alas, he's back in Milan and I haven't been to Italy for a long while. Though the quality might not equal the best saffron strands, it was surprisingly good and much more affordable. I won't get started on cheese.

I admit that I don't eat much in the convention center/back bay area, nice as it is. There are a lot of restaurants nearby because of the convention business as well as the shopping nearby. Most are average and overpriced. Here are some I can vouch for: Summer Shack, the smaller of Jasper White’s city clam shacks. excellent fried clams, grilled clam, oyster selection, fried chicken (really), as well as main course seafood and lobster. Very casual. Sel de la Terre. Southern French, seasonal. Fabulous house-made breads. Small but good bar menu. Clio. My choice for high-end in the area. French-Japanese, beautifully done. The chef also has a sushi bar next door, Uni. Great food. Brasserie Jo. Just what it sounds like. Reliably good brasserie food, not overpriced. Trident Booksellers and Café. Breakfast all day! Tiny café in a bookstore. Parish Café. Go for the sandwiches. check out other topics for best restaurant, steakhouse, and seafood recommendations. don't be afraid to venture to other neighborhoods or nearby Cambridge for dinner. Boston's actually quite small as cities go, you're not far from most places.

really? This would be good to know about. The vegetarians at our bbq get shortchanged. Lots of grilled veggies but nothing else from the grill. A sail sounds lovely. Did you pack a lunch or dinner? 7/4 doesn't have to be bbq. I have fond memories of my time in D.C. and planning the picnic dinner to accompany the National Symphony concert on the Capitol lawn before the fireworks. No bbq. Always my mom's potato salad, with eggs AND bacon.

grilled fruit with ice cream, perfect. it's been a while since I've done that. Thanks for the reminder!

These all look great, I would be happy with any of these meals--the lobster rolls and mac and cheese would hit the spot right now. It's always fun to have a pot luck element to a bbq. The steamed fish this year was a whole sea bass, really delicious. People showed up with lamb kabobs and sausages for the grill, and salads of all sorts--lots of cucumber variations this year. I didn't do ice cream sandwiches for practical reasons--my transportation yesterday was subway and bike, you can imagine trying to pack ice cream sandwiches for that trip--but made brownies and chocolate sauce, and other friends contributed ice cream and berries, so we had brownie sundaes for dessert. After the fireworks and clean-up, we toasted a July 5 birthday at midnight with champagne. There's a refrigerator full of leftovers, including kabobs and ribs that still need to be cooked, so I'm heading out soon for round 2.

My cucumber plants are finally producing! Last night, I made a big bowl of tzatziki w/ toasted pita chips for munching during last night's prep for today's July 4 bbq. no real recipe--lots of grated cucumber (salted and drained), greek yogurt, finely minced garlic, a little lemon, salt and pepper. I like to mix the yogurt w/ seasonings a bit ahead of adding the cucumbers so the flavors can meld and the garlic can mellow. Tasty and healthy.

If you like chick peas as much as I do, here's one to try: chana punjabi. I make this often, tweaking the recipe to add a little more ginger and garlic. Serve over basmati rice, top with a dollop of yogurt and additional chopped cilantro. It's really tasty. Spinach makes a good side dish. Leftovers also freeze well, so I usually have a ziplock bag or two in the freezer with single serving portions. Even frozen, it reheats quickly, maybe needing a spoonful of water, something I'm always grateful for when I get home from work late in the evening and am hungry.

With regard to your Craigie vs. Menton question, I have not yet been to Menton, but I hear good things and generally like Barbara Lynch's restaurants, esp. No. 9 Park. Craigie is good, and the new location is very popular, with a crowded bar scene. The atmosphere at Menton sounds much more refined. The menus are quite different too. So I'd say it depends on what you're looking for. As for your question about destinations near Fenway Park, so as not to hijack this discussion, I started a new topic on that very subject here: Best food and drink near Fenway Park

Since the question came up in another topic, I thought it might be worthy of it's own discussion. Where do you like to eat/drink before or after the game? Most of the places near Fenway park are what you'd expect--loud sports bars. A few alternatives: - Audubon Circle. Beacon Street. A casual bar with decent sandwiches, salads, beer selection. website - Cambridge, 1. Boylston Street. Casual, small but reliable menu of wood-oven pizzas and salads. Two locations, the original in Harvard Square is small and cozy, the Fenway location is big enough to handle before game crowds. website - Eastern Standard. Commonwealth Ave. A higher-end choice, nice bar. full menu or bar food. website

For those of us who’ll be celebrating July 4 with backyard bbqs or picnics, it’s time to start planning our menus or the dishes we’ll bring to friends’ potluck gatherings. I'll be playing sous chef for a friend's big bbq bash. He provides a core menu while the 50+ guests contribute sides and desserts. Over the years, he’s honed the menu to a list of mostly grill-based crowd pleasers—-partisans for each dish would protest if anything disappeared. Here’s his lineup: Spicy shrimp skewers Sweet and spicy pork ribs Grilled squid and shaved fennel salad Smoked lemon-stuffed whole chickens “Faruqi burgers”—beef burgers with cilantro, onion, garlic, jalapeno, and a touch of turmeric (named for their creator) Whole fish steamed with ginger and green onion Grilled corn on the cob I’m thinking about contributing a dessert, maybe homemade ice cream sandwiches. So, what are you cooking or eating on July 4?

Dijon mustard. My brand allegiance is in flux these days. I like it strong, and believe it or not, my current staple is from Trader Joe’s but, according to the label, is imported from France. French green lentils. When in the States, whatever brand I can find. When in France, I fill my suitase with the cute little bags from the Monoprix. Mas Portell bittersweet merlot vinegar, from Spain. Lots of flavor but with a light body, so you can go equally light on olive oil. Aleppo pepper flakes, from Turkey. These are to red pepper flakes what Sriracha is to hot sauce—completely addictive. I buy them from Penzeys—by the 4 oz bag. Italian canned tuna, if I can find it. Flott brand is most common around here. Sriracha, the one with the rooster. La Chinata Spanish smoked paprika, bittersweet. Kate’s unsalted butter, made in Maine. Old Bay seasoning, from Maryland.

Garlic scapes finally appeared at my farmers markets last week, and I've been eating a a lot of them, their season here is so short. Generally I do a quick stir fry with a bit of olive oil and salt, then eat them as a side dish or in pasta. I'm going to try the garlic scape pesto idea, that sounds really versatile. Any new ideas out there? Last year, in desperation, I trimmed and froze a pound of them, uncooked, to see if they'd be edible. They were, a little bit on the tough side, but in January I didn't care. I'll do it again this year.

It will be another month before I'm picking tomatoes from my garden--this year, brandywine, sweet 100 and sungold cherries, and romas for saucemaking--but I'll supplement them with other favorites from the farmers market. I love green zebras but couldn't find a plant for the garden. Hands down, my personal favorite tomato-centric meal is a salad of assorted tomatoes, green beens, feta cheese, lots of fresh basil, evoo, good bread on the side. I could, and do, eat this every day for weeks when the tomatoes, beans, and basil are all in season. french feta, please, it's creamy and milder than others. toss when the beans are still a bit warm so the feta melts just a bit. so simple but so good.