SuzySushi

I also would choose to keep "my" cookbook of all the recipes I have on my computer that I've gotten from friends, copied down from other cookbooks, downloaded off the 'net, or developed myself. About one-third of them are tried-and-trues, the others yet to be made. If I had to choose one book, however, I'd probably go with At Home with Japanese Cooking by Elizabeth Andoh (OP). It's my most food-stained. Every recipe I've tried tastes like what I remember eating at friends' homes in Japan. This is not restaurant food, folks, but flavors that remind me of my Japanese mama (a friend's mother who became like my family in Japan), in the days before fast-food became so popular.

ROFL!!! Ah, yes, the "forgetting to take off the plastic" mistake... That and the strange odors coming from the kitchen remind me, if I may mention a friend's dinner disaster.... The first time he attempted to roast a chicken, he didn't realize there was a plastic bag of giblets inside. 'Nuff said?

When I'm dining alone, sitting in front of my computer. When dining with my husband, sitting stretched out in bed, with our plates in our laps. When we moved to our new home a year ago, we got rid of our dining room table because it was just a clutter collector and we rarely used it for dining. Our new kitchen has an L-shaped dining counter that we use as a buffet for parties, and four stools for dining with family. But it's still more comfortable eating in bed!

When I was young and living at home with my parents, I came across a recipe for a "Brazilian" beef stew made with brewed coffee, and offered to make it for dinner. The recipe called for the beef to be floured before browning. The floured beef stuck to the bottom of the pot and began burning. So I used my mother's spatula to scrape it into another pot, added the coffee and other ingredients, and simmered it the required time. Came time to eat, I began dishing out the stew, and saw, to my horror, shreds of pale blue plastic floating throughout the pot. I'd scraped so vigorously that the plastic coating had come off the spatula! We all had pb&j sandwiches for dinner that night.

Lucy, Happy Easter to you! What a joy it is to read your blog and see spring approaching! Eloquent simplicity.

If you have one that uses lentils, I'd be much obliged. I remember my friend's recipe as using lentils, sauteed onions, chopped egg... and I don't remember what else! It didn't have any nuts. ← You asked for it, you got it.......(mind you, I've never made this. I have no idea how it will taste) Hearty Vegetarian Chopped Liver adapted from Spice and Spirit 1 pound lentils 4 cups chopped onion 6 tablespoons oil 12-16 hardboiled eggs 2 tablespoons peanut butter 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 2 teaspons salt Cook lentils until soft and drain. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in large skillet and saute onions until well-caramelized. Combine lentils and eggs and chop to fine consistency. Add the lentil-egg mixture and remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to the onions. Add peanut butter, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. ← Thanks! I'll give it a try (in a smaller quantity... it sounds like this makes an enormous amount!). My stepson is a vegetarian.

If you have one that uses lentils, I'd be much obliged. I remember my friend's recipe as using lentils, sauteed onions, chopped egg... and I don't remember what else! It didn't have any nuts.

Make the batter Take the roast out of the pan. Let it stand in a warm place - it will be all the better for it. Wrap it in tinfoil ito keep it warm if you like. Add extra fat if need be to the pan and get it smoking hot. I find this easier on the stovetop. Pour in the batter and put into very hot oven. Half an hour later serve with the meat. Of course you'll have to make your gravy from a good demi-glace, since the yorkshire will have adsorbed the pan drippings, but you can't have everything...Gravy is essential to serve with yorkshire. ← Will try it this way next time. No treacle, thank you!

Another Russian dinner: Pork Chops cooked over Kasha with Bacon and Mushrooms, served with a "winter salad" of Sauerkraut, Scallions, Red Grapes, Cranberries, Red-Skin Apple, and Dill dressed with EVOO. Delicious!

Virtual chicken soup on the way! Feel better soon!

Good idea! They have a Saturday farmers' market out by me now in Mililani. I'm going over there this afternoon! Will check to see if MA`O Farms is there or on the schedule. Thanks!

I don't know... I don't have a larger baking pan (roasting pan, yes, but that's the one the roast is in!), so I've never tried it any other way!

I would DOUBLE whatever recipe you're using... we use 2 cups flour, 4 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup drippings in a 9 x 13" pan. The recipe says it serves 8, but it's more like 6 around our house! Make sure to let the batter rest before pouring it into the hot drippings, and don't open the oven to peek. Mustard sounds like it would be a delightful addition... I'll have to try that next time!

My favorite whole grain is kasha (buckwheat), which I've always liked for its flavor. I also use bulgur wheat, barley, and whole wheat couscous (does that count)? Occasionally my husband has a craving for wheat berries. I wasn't impressed by millet and quinoa when I tried them. Never tried amaranth.

I don't have a recipe for this, but I'd love to find the recipe I lost for vegetarian chopped "liver" that was made of lentils and eggs. The woman who gave it to me is long gone. And while we're discussing chopped liver... what's the preference here? Chopped beef/calves' liver or chopped chicken livers? Mine is definitely for the latter.

My husband and I never had any hesitations ordering "un carafe d'eau" anywhere in France. Whenever we shopped in a supermarche or hypermarche, however, we'd stock up on bottles of Volvic, which is one of the best bottled waters I've tasted anythere.

It's taken me a long time to remember this.... must have blocked it out! When I was studying Italian, a woman in my class invited me to lunch at her place. I asked if I could bring the wine and she said she didn't drink, so I stopped by a great bakery and picked up a half-dozen fresh croissants (this was back in the early '70s when croissants were trendy). I got to her apartment and... first of all... there was no furniture. Just a mattress (no box spring) on the living room floor. After a few minutes, she excused herself to finish making lunch. A seemingly endless time later, she called me into the kitchen to eat, seated on one of two kitchen chairs at a tiny table, and served.... are you ready?...... an open-faced tuna melt (tuna & mayonnaise, topped with a slice of American cheese) on white toast No croissants, no dessert. I don't remember what we had to drink, but it was something like Kool-Aid. Now, I can understand a lunch and lifestyle like this if someone is on a very tight budget (and has no taste!), but here she was taking Italian lessons at an expensive private school and... well, it just didn't fit together.

We've moved on to Russia in our culinary tour. Tonight's dinner was composed of three cold appetizers, two from the cookbook Please to the Table by Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman: Smoked Salmon and Potato Vinegret Beet Salad (found online -- basically beets, carrots, and pickles in mayonnaise) Asparagus in Garlic and Lemon Sauce We especially liked the smoked salmon salad, which is a real winner. Dessert was store-bought cherry pie.

It does to me! (Yesterday's lunch was literally an ice cream sandwich -- chocolate ice cream between two pieces of multigrain bread!)

Finishing up our culinary tour of Ireland: Irish Soda Bread, hot out of the oven and Beef Stew in Ale

Darn! I just came across one online the other day. Le me see if I can resurrect where I saw it. Black & whites are large (saucer-sized) cake-like cookies frosted with white confectioners' sugar icing on one side and chocolate glaze on the other. My grandmother always used to buy those at the bakery when I was a kid -- I never liked them; what I really wanted was the fancy leaf cookies that were dyed pink or green! Here ya go: Black & White Cookies [Edited to add link]

yeah, I guess it is like raw bacon it looks something like this ← Thanks! the dish looks delicious, BTW!

I think it's Swiss chard. Not 100% sure though... ← If that is swiss chard and not bok choy, I'll eat it. Beautiful blog. ← "Blette" is defined as Swiss chard. "Bok choy" in French is bok choi, pak choi, or "blette de Chine" (Chinese chard). I know, the stems in the photograph look an awful lot like bok choy... We'll just have to wait for Bleu d'Auvergne to sign on again to see if she was trying to sneak bok choy by us!

The "fatty pork" looks like bacon strips. Is it the same cut, only not cured/smoked?

Nope. It's Swiss chard. The two are related, though. [Edited because I can't type.]