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We have stacks and stacks of what I call dish towels; so many in fact, that they won't all fit in the drawer assigned to them. The good part of this is that means there's always a clean stack waiting their turn down in the laundry. Ours are also a mix of flour sack type and a sort of waffle weave. The flour sack ones are generally souvenirs of places we or our families have visited. The waffle weave sort are typically purchased in bulk packs of 6 or so from BJ's Wholesale club. However, we don't use any of them as potholders. Although I haven't been a little girl for quite some time, I still dutifully weave our potholders and hot pads on my little red looper loom. I buy cotton loops (no nylon! Ouch!) in bulk on eBay to weave these little guys. They are thick and great protection if kept dry, and they wash really well. I highly recommend them, although they certainly would look very out of place in a professional kitchen.

This isn't haute cuisine by a long shot, but my kids have always enjoyed a trip to Pommes Frites when we go to NYC. They were just asking when we could go there again. There's something so uniquely NYC about a shop that only sells french fries!

She did! She did! And it was very impressive too (her freezer organization is amazing). Thanks for the great blog, Doddie! Look here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1372365

I just found this recipe on the Cooking Light webiste, and it calls for "1 cup of thinly sliced spinach". So I'd remove the leaves from the stems of one bunch of spinach, then I'd do the chiffonade (which I guess Cooking Light readers aren't expected to understand), and then I'd measure out 1 cup of the spinach after slicing. What a headache!

I'm a little bit south of Sandy but share the same weather: the college is closed due to snow and ice. Almost everything here is closed due to the unsafe road conditions. Megan -- how is the weather in NYC today? I'm really enjoying your blog and can't wait to see what the rest of the week brings!

Thanks for the terminology: flats! We are seriously partial to flats at our house. I prefer them because they don't have that cartilage/tendon issue that drumsticks have going on. Also, they're just plain fun to eat -- getting that little strip of meat from in between the two bones is my favorite part. I just asked my son why he prefers flats, and he says "because they are so darn tender." Yeah, that too.

How about "Plate O' Shrimp"? Or cans of generic "Food"?

I just did a little online research, and this restaurant grew out of the tiffin delivery service -- apparently, folks started dropping by for food and so the owner started the restaurant. Go to http://www.tiffin.com for info on the delivery service. There are also some nice resources there -- Indian->ingredient translation, recipes, etc. We may have to drive up 95 to check this place out!

As many have said, be sure that the rehearsal dinner doesn't overshadow the reception. My parents are from a part of the country where receptions are generally low-key and often at home. They gave my husband and me a very nice upscale cocktail reception with lots of different hors d'oeuvres but not a sit down reception. My MIL hosted a sit-down rehearsal dinner for everyone who was invited. At a fancy restaurant. The hard feelings (on both sides) persist to this day, and it is nearly 15 years later. There were obviously lots of other issues involved (control over the event as a whole, for example, along with cultural differences galore), but this specific issue was really galvanizing.

I joined eGullet (as you can see on page one of this thread) to recommend Pace One in Thornton, just outside West Chester. Our kids had an unanticipated sleepover at a friend's tonight, so we happily took a trek back out to Pace One for the evening. This was the first time I've ever been there in the summer, and the first time I've been back in about 8 months. I'm sorry to say that based on tonight, I have to rescind my recommendation. It wasn't horrible -- but it wasn't good either. What always appealed to me about this place was that it was in a pseudo-barn out in the country. The atmosphere was casual, but upscale. Going there was an event. And it was all about the food. The menu was unusual with a few core comfort items for the timid. And best of all, it was quietly romantic. Tonight....well. There was a solo live musical act performing. He was quite good, but given the structure of the building the only way you could hear your dining partner over the music was to sit in the back room. Which is enclosed and hot, with no air circulating (no nice summer breeze through the screens which also carry all the music.) My husband and I had a terrible problem picking anything we wanted to eat. The menu got really boring all of a sudden. Lamb chops. Shrimp scampi. T-bone steak. My husband ended up with chicken marsala and I chose the monkfish diablo. My husband chose the chicken based on the description of the side dishes, and I chose the monkfish because it sounded interesting. It was -- it was hotter than Hades. I expect heat with a diablo, but I do also expect to be able to eat it. This was hotter than Thai meals I've eaten that are rated suicidal. I'm not a wimp and I couldn't taste the fish, AT ALL. Most of it went back to the kitchen. So that was the food. Add in the folks in the bar area 15 feet away smoking, the drunken woman behind us screaming, the folks strolling through from a private function upstairs dressed in cut-offs and tie-dyed t-shirts, and it wasn't the romantic, relaxing evening with good food I have always had at Pace One. Maybe they just get a summer vibe going...maybe they've got a new chef...I don't know. But I do know that I wasn't impressed tonight, and I don't want anyone to go there based on my earlier recommendation because I can't stand by it now. We could have gone to the Charcoal Pit on rt. 202 and had a nicer and more pleasant meal. Also, we arrived at 8pm and left just after 9pm. Rushed much? The hostess left the building just before nine, and more than half of the tables were empty. I'm not sure what that means, but they seemed to be important data points. Again, maybe it's just the summer doldrums. We'll see. Edited because I can't spell

Ham Loaf is my husband's family's traditional meal for February 2nd (think about it....). We are continuing the tradition with our family too. We don't use a sweet and sour glaze, however, and we serve it with mustard sauce, as follows. Mustard Sauce Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. flour 1 cup sugar 1 cup yellow mustard -- (French's) 1 cup vinegar 1 cup water 2 eggs Make this in a double boiler if you have one; if not, improvise. In top part of double boiler, over simmering water, melt butter. When it is melted, take it off the heat for a moment and whisk in flour, sugar, mustard, vinegar and water. Return to heat, and stir frequently until it thickens. Break eggs into a cup, beat them with a fork, and add a spoonful of the hot sauce while stirring. Add a few more spoonfuls, stirring while you add them, then pour the mixture into the rest of the sauce. The gradual addition of the hot sauce to the eggs prevents lumps and curdling, so don't skip the step. Cook the sauce a minute or so longer and serve with ham loaf etc. I am loving your blog, Lori!. I just looked up where you are on the map, and your area is really close to Wilmington, where I am. I might just have to check out some of your fine markets!

Get a tall glass and put about an inch of beer, wine, or fruit juice in it. Now take a sandwich bag and cut one corner off -- about a 1/4" cut. Now push that cut corner down into the glass so that the opening is about an inch above the liquid. Take the rest of the baggie and pull it over the edge of the glass. The fruit flies will fly in and won't be able to get out -- it's the inverted funnel effect that does it. Here is a link for a similar idea for mosquitoes (larger scale, of course). Mosquito Trap

In addition to most of the things already noted, I also notice WHO is eating and working at the restaurant. Is this a college joint? Is it a bar with food, or a restaurant with a bar? Do the people eating here look happy? Does the waitstaff look happy? This both sets the tone and influences my expectations. If the food measures up to my expectations, I'm likely to leave happy.

Melons are very tricky things. One year, I had a bumper crop of cantelopes in my garden. I eagerly waited for them to ripen -- and didn't cut into one until they were falling off the vine and so exquisitely fragrant that I just couldn't put it off any longer. Cut into one and saw perfect color, lots of juice, and oh the smell. But the taste? Water. All of them were the same: they smelled and looked great and tasted of nothing. I called the cooperative extension to ask about this phenomenon and they told me that the fault in my case was a recent large (1" plus) rainfall. The plants took up the water, which diluted the taste. So, no advice, but much empathy.

We're thinking of making a day trip to Philly (from Wilmington, not much of a hike) to hit the Franklin Institute and eat at Chinatown. Our youngest son adores Chinese food, and will willingly scarf down just about anything. Our oldest likes: fried chicken, crab rangoon, fried shrimp, sweet and sour chicken without the sauce, and fried crab in general. Bread it and fry it and he's happy. Is there a place that will be able to give the older boy a fry-up to keep him satisfied while still making the other 3 of us drool? I read so much about Szechuan Tasty House, but will they have anything Mr. fried food only will eat? I realize this is far from a foodie-type question, but it is my present reality and I would appreciate recommendations. (And yes, I know the kid should get over his food phobias, but he's got other issues too and we're cutting him some slack).

They made Everlasting Gobstoppers in the 70's, but they weren't that cool, squared-off chrystalline shape like they were in the movie, much to my dismay. Rather, they were simply jawbreakers. Big round ball, changed colors and flavors (slightly on the latter) as you sucked it down to a little core that was something like a sweetart. Disappointing in that they didn't look at ALL like the movie version, but cool by association, no less. I'm interested to see what they come up with this time. I've seen Wonka products many times over the past few years, but they've always been found in dollar stores, and the quality, not surprisingly, has lacked. I hope they come out with something really cool this time around so that my kids can enjoy it!

Here's a BBQ question I need help resolving. My mom and dad were from Eastern NC, and I remember them driving FAR out of the way to get good (non-tomato) BBQ, generally at little dive-ish shacks along roadways. I was a kid, and non-appreciative of the nuances involved in good BBQ. Then, years later, I again had great BBQ of the Eastern NC variety, but it was served at a TN Eastman Kodak company house up in the mountains of TN (Mountain City, to be exact) at the edge of a lake formed by the TVA. And that seemed to be the norm up there -- along with places selling ammo and live bait. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Daddy's long dead, and momma doesn't like to eat much, so I throw my question to you all: How did Eastern NC style BBQ end up in the mountains of TN? All theories, wild eyed or not, welcomed. And I'd give my eye teeth to eat a dinner up in those mountains again. I can still see that pig laid out on a foil covered picnic table (and the lovely fat congealing as time passed). Thanks for the pictures. I need to fry my kids some chicken. They think it only comes from the grocery store.

I live in Wilmington, and have to second the recommendation for the Charcoal Pit. I lost 80 pounds on weight watchers recently, and the Pit Special was the one thing I missed the most. The Brandywine Room at the Hotel DuPont has been closed for a couple of years now. The Green Room has been having trouble finding a balance recently. It had gotten a reputation as being stuffy and only for the old guard socialites in the area. To that end, they've redone the decor, retooled the menu, taken the service down just a notch (it was fairly over the top), swapped out the harpist on the balcony for an acoustic jazz trio, etc. It's still a lovely, special place; it just seems to fit "today's" diner a bit better. The room is amazing with what must be 20 foot ceilings. Even if you don't dine there, you should drop in to see it. Last year was a big year for birthdays in our house (both of us with years ending in 0) so I whisked my husband away for dinner at the Green Room, an overnight stay at the hotel, followed by brunch the next morning. It was spectacular, and I'd love to try it again.

Sorry about that! Here is a link to their website, which has a map. They are in Thornton, PA, which is near the intersection of routes 202 and route 1. The nearest landmark (at least in my mind) is the Shoppes at Brinton Lake shopping center in Concordville. http://www.paceone.net/ There is a menu on the site, but I'd just take that as a vague guide since I've never actually seen that exact menu on a visit. I feel a reservation coming on.

I actually applied to be a participating eGullet member last night just so that I could reply about Pace One. I have eaten there about 15 times in the past 10 years, and it has become "our" restaurant to my husband and me. Pace One has very good food, but I honestly wouldn't make a special trip just for the food. The Mendenhall Inn or the Chadds Ford Inn have more innovative food, I think. What Pace One has going for it is an unbeatable combo of decent, slightly edgy food and killer ambiance. It is located in an old barn, and has a rambling layout that includes a large but intimate room with a very low wooden ceiling also paneled in wood, a nice bar which generally has a decent raw bar, a porch (or two) that is open year round, along with banquet and meeting facilities. They host many weddings, and there are 3 or 4 guest rooms, so it still operates as an inn on a limited basis. The larger room is our favorite, especially in winter when the porch can be quite chilly. The service is informal but well trained. Dress is upscale casual (no jackets or ties necessary for men, but a polo shirt would be out of place without a sweater or jacket. Women tend to dress more formally). Entrees generally include a few game dishes, a nice assortment of seafood, along with some lovely cuts of lamb and beef. Sides are always slightly unusual and most entrees feature some sort of sauce or reduction. The menu changes frequently, and there are always a large number of special items available when we visit. There is a nice wine list, and one can generally find a decent wine in the 15-20 dollar range. Desserts are always competant, but we don't often order them. This would be a wonderful place to take someone for a celebratory or special meal. The food and place wouldn't overwhelm the occasion (like Le Bec Fin would), but would complement it. I could see proposing here. We generally take out of town family here, and we almost always go here for our anniversary. It feels special, and the food is nice enough to back that up. One thing to note -- this restaurant is about 3 miles (guessing here) off Route 1, and you will take a winding, hilly road to reach it. We find that the drive somehow increases our anticipation, but I have had friends complain about it. I can see it being a difficult drive in rough weather. This is my first eGullet post, and I hope it was helpful!