Jaymes

My Aunt Melcina's fig preserves. Sadly, Aunt Melcina died about twenty years ago, and everybody in the family was asking everybody else if they happened to have any extra jars to share and everybody said no. So I haven't had any since about fifteen years ago, when my Aunt Stella Mae died and we were going through her things to sell the house, and we discovered she had been hoarding a few dozen jars of Aunt Melcina's fig preserves hidden way back in her pantry. .

I like them, too. But, as I said above, they can be kind of difficult to turn with a hard cheese, like parm. It does take some strength in your hands. Which I'm having less and less of these days.

If they're willing to go 50-something, I'm there. Substitute pork fat for butter, and I've got 40 covered...AND a full head of natural, silvery, kinky/nappy hair.I say we work up an audition tape.

Sadly, no. Not just starting out. I've used the traditional box graters for several decades and have several sizes. Use a Cuisinart for big jobs. Have several old-fashioned plane graters, you know, like the rusted ones yo' grandma has in her junk drawer. Did the Tupperware over-the-bowl thing. Got that little hand-held Mouli cheese grater, but it's so hard for these old hands to crank when it's got Parmesan in it. So nothing has been perfect, and now that I'm old, and arthritis is setting in, keep thinking there must be a better way. I'm trying to eat more salads and fresh veggies, but all that chopping and slicing can be, not only time-consuming, but painful. Several recipes that I always loved, I find myself not making so much anymore, because of the work. That sliced onion and cucumber salad (speaking of yo' grandma), French onion soup, my baked onion & potato casserole that I was always required to take to family potlucks... Dragging out the big Cuisinart seems like so much trouble. Bending, stooping, lifting to get it out, finding the proper wheels and blades, cleaning the whole thing, bending, stooping, lifting to put it back... I don't know. I'm pretty sure I probably don't need every single grater anyone posts about on this thread. But hey, you never know. Maybe one of them will be just perfect! And besides, got three married kids, and six grandkids, and whatever I don't like, I can just give to one of them. So it won't go to waste. Still... Somebody stop me! .

Especially when that bunch is hanging in your backyard in Panama. Which, since I'm now remembering my yard in Panama... Mangoes just off the tree Papaya just off the stalk Pineapples just pulled from their nests Butter avocados pulled from the tree and ripened on your kitchen counter There's pretty obviously a pattern here. Nothing tastes like good fresh fruit.

I'm just wondering if this means there's an opening at the Food Network for a loud, 60-something, plump Southern woman with a fondness for butter. Because if so....

That's what we do, too, with the Bulgarian Zergut feta. Comes in a little tub of brine. We cut off what we need, and put the remainder back in the brine, being sure it's submerged. Then into the fridge. Use it up within a month.

Boy, I've got to stop reading this thread. This makes three graters I've bought in the last few days. Somebody stop me.

Central Texas barbecued brisket home-grown tomatoes mangosteens in Asia fresh halibut just-pulled from Alaskan waters Central Texas peaches just off the tree And I remember a drive south to the US Lower 48 from Alaska, through BC, during cherry time. We bought a bushel, thinking we could enjoy them the whole trip to LA. But we were stopped at the US border and told we couldn't bring fresh produce through. So we pulled over to the side of the road and sat on the hood of our car and ate that whole basket. For years, every time I saw fresh cherries in the markets, I felt hope building inside my watering mouth. I'm completely over that now. Regarding corn: when I was a kid, we lived in rural Nebraska for a few years. Our neighbor raised field corn. It grew right up to our back fence and he said we could have as much of it as we wanted. Mama would put the big pot on to boil and, when it was boiling, send us kids out to get the corn. This current sweet corn just doesn't do it for me. I want to be a kid again, running barefoot across the cool green grass in my backyard, heading for the kitchen and mama's boiling pot and the fresh butter from the neighbor.

Yes. And that greedy corporation workforce that always demands a paycheck in the end.

I'm with you on this one. And I've decided to immediately stop listening to rap music. I'm rethinking the Quentin Tarantino movies.

Wow! Your photos are absolutely stunning! Yes, they certainly are. And that potato and beet salad looks so mouthwatering. But Soba, I'm wondering why you seem only to have made it once, "several years ago." Was it good, but not good enough to repeat? Was it too much trouble or something? It's so spectacular-looking that, if it was as good as it looks, I'd think it immediately would have been put into some sort of regular rotation. Even if just for dinner guests. That it wasn't has really made me curious. Was there a specific reason? Or did you just move on to other things.

Have always bought Greek feta or, when I couldn't find that, Israeli. But my local Middle Eastern restaurant/market didn't sell either. I have eaten many dishes there that had feta, so I asked the owner what feta he was using. It's Bulgarian. And he sells it. The brand he prefers (and now so do I) and sells is Zergut: http://www.littlerosies.com/2012/02/smooth-tangy-bulgarian-feta-cheese/ It comes in that little plastic container, submerged in liquid. We try to cut off what we use in a manner that the cheese stays submerged. It lasts for quite a while. And, frankly, we eat it quickly enough that it doesn't really have time to go bad. Favorite recipes with feta are watermelon salad with mint, olives and feta. And Brussels sprouts. Try it. Just boil the sprouts however you like. Remove from heat and drain. Then toss with generous amount of crumbled, good-quality feta. Having good, tangy feta is the key to this dish. If you try to do it on the cheap, with bland US imitations of feta, you'll be mightily disappointed. But if you make it with excellent-quality tangy feta, it's entirely conceivable that you'll never want to eat Brussels sprouts prepared any other way ever again. That's certainly what happened to us.

Happened to be reading an interesting article on various US regional and unique Americanized "Chinese food" specialties. http://www.menuism.com/blog/chinese-american-regional-restaurant-specialties/ One of the dishes mentioned is an egg fu yung sandwich. A specialty of St. Louis, and called (for reasons not explained, and maybe not known), the "St. Paul Sandwich," it's an egg fu yung patty served on bread, or hamburger buns, with the usual sorts of "hamburger condiments." I can really see that with some good mayo, maybe a slice of onion or tomato, perhaps some crunchy lettuce, a quick dash of soy sauce. An egg sandwich with an Asian twist. Many of the items mentioned in the article sound pretty ghastly. But I think this has some real possibilities.

Interesting about the Chicago Steak seasoning. Down here in Texas, one of the most popular items in our collective pantry is TexJoy Steak Seasoning. Many of us put it into everything - certainly including vegetables, and potato salad. I'm never without it, even having it shipped in when I lived places where it wasn't available in the local stores and markets. Like Alaska, for instance. I've never tried Chicago Steak seasoning, but think I'll order some. It will be interesting to me to see how it compares to TexJoy. http://www.texjoy.com/ And here's a blog about southern cooking and potato salad. TexJoy is one of her required ingredients. http://littlemagnoliakitchen.blogspot.com/2012/08/old-fashioned-potato-salad.html

Wow, Soba, pretty spectacular. But you say you made it "several years ago." Not since? It looks so good....

There are a great many excellent cookbooks that cover the famous, even legendary, food, cuisine, heritage, culture, customs of the American South. But, of course, in the "old days," there were really two "souths": Black and White. And where those cultures crossed paths and combined was in the kitchen. I come from a military background and, a few years ago, was gifted with a copy of "Military Wives Cookbook" by Carolyn Quick Tillery. http://www.amazon.com/The-Military-Wives-Cookbook-Remembrances/dp/1581826729 I was expecting some excellent recipes, of course, but what caught me completely unaware was the narrative by Ms. Tillery. She and I had a lot in common, I realized as I read. She was a military brat, like I am. Her father was US Southern born. Mine, too. Hers had joined the Army Air Corps, before WWII, as had mine. There's a photo of her sitting in her first grade class in Germany in a DOD (Department of Defense) classroom. That's where I started first grade as well. And then she married a career Air Force officer, again as did I. But what really struck me was where our worlds differed. Her father was African American. Mine of Scots-Irish descent. And her vivid and compelling description of the heritage of the African American experience was mesmerizing. I couldn't help but want to know more about her. And so it happened that I discovered, to my absolute delight, the "Military Wives" cookbook was only one of many she's written that combine recipes and stories about food with recollections, remembrances, history. I've since bought several of her books. In my humble view, anyone that really wants to understand the cooking of the American South, and the African American experience, should consider the works of Carolyn Quick Tillery indispensable: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=carolyn%20tillery

Would you be good enough, please, to tell your process? I, too, would like more info. If you have the time and feel comfortable sharing.

Here in Texas, the kolache-style sausage rolls are one of the very most popular breakfast options. Here's a description and recipe. http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/11173/ Basically you take a link sausage of some type (and we like Polish or Czech or German sausage), and roll kolache dough around it. You can add cheese, or jalapenos, or whatever to the sausage. Of course, the standard fruit or sweet cheese kolaches are terrific, too. I'd bet they're more popular than doughnuts, at least in Central Texas.

I too prefer the flat or paddle style grater over a box grater. It is easily held at an angle over a plate, laid across a bowl, or held over a place to grate a finishing sprinkle of cheese over. Easier to wash, too. That one does look mighty nifty. Although kinda pricey. Still....looks mighty nifty. ETA - okay, so I ordered it. Thanks for the info! And so now I've got it, and have used it. As you pointed out, IndyRob, not a box grater - a paddle grater, with a nice handle and nifty little legs. It's very handy, easy to use by either holding it at an angle over the plate, or resting it on a small plate, or over a bowl. It's sharp and works great. Thanks for posting about it.

And when you have that garden that is "half beets," don't overlook the greens. Here in the US south, we sure love our greens. And beet greens are right up there at the top of that list. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/beet_greens/

And you might also get the servers who miss the "good ol' days" when they often went home with several hundred dollars cash in their pockets. This issue simply is not so obvious as some would believe. There definitely are a great many servers that like the system just fine as it is.

I very strongly doubt that it would even be possible to "ban tipping." I mean, seriously, how are they going to monitor that? Let alone enforce it. What they might do is prohibit "tip credit" laws, forcing all restaurants to pay servers the state minimum wage, which, by the way, is currently the case in quite a few states. As it is, I think that it is not general knowledge that the laws in many states prohibit "tip credit" wages, so customers in those states assume that servers are paid the same low server wage as in other states, and tip accordingly. If that low server "tip credit" wage is outlawed in all the states, the legal battle and final decision undoubtedly will receive a lot of publicity, and once folks are aware servers are making the same statewide legal minimum wage as everyone else, the tip percentages will probably fall. So that might have the same effect as a "tip ban."

Second the recommendation to look for green papaya for the salad at an Asian market. Where I shop, the green papayas for Thai salad are in a bin labeled "green papaya," so there's no doubt, or guesswork needed. Often, they will be sliced into halves, and covered with plastic wrap, so you can clearly see that the meat is still green, and the seeds are white.

Somebody asked about Hawaii... Years ago, while on a trip to Kona, I purchased "Kona on My Plate," one of those community "Junior League"-type cookbooks. I've always loved it. Hard to find copies now, though. At least at a reasonable price: Amazon Link