Zucchini Mama

Bonne Fete a toi! I'm excited about your cakes! Genny I love the sound of those butter cookies. Are they like shortbread? These are half way between a pastry and a cookie and fun to make. I love to roll the triangles of pastry from the wide end to the point like miniature croissants. You know they are done when brown flecks appear of the tops and they smell like they are done. Cottage Cheese Crescents 1 c. butter, soft 1 carton small curd creamed cottage cheese (454 grams) 2 c. flour grated zest of two lemons Combine Ingredients. When well mixed, divide dough into 5 equal balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll out onto floured board like a pie crust. Cut with sharp knife like a pie. Roll big end to small end to form crescent. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet two inches apart. Bake 25-30 minutes or until bottoms are golden and little golden flecks appear on crescent. Remove from pan and let cool for five minutes. Glaze with icing below. Makes about 40. Icing: 3 tbsp. milk 2/3 cup icing sugar grated peel of one lemon (These do not freeze.)

This is exactly why I love to buy old "community/church/what-have-you" cookbooks. They give such insight into the variances of "cuisine/home-cooking" in all the areas of our country. I seldom cook from these books, but seek them out because they provide such a wonderful look into the various parts of our country. I wonder if these kinds of cookbooks exist in other countries. Surely they must--and I'd love to get my hands on some of them! ← In the February 2006 issue of Martha Stewart's magazine there's an article on the recent acquisition of "...one of the largest, most comprehensive collections of American cookbooks" by the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. (Just in case anyone was wanting to write a PHD on the diaspora of the Green Bean Casserole.) Of course, now that Martha's got an article on collectible cookbooks the prices will skyrocket.

Actually lauraf do you have a copy of The Joy of Cooking? There is an informative section on oysters, "--believe it or not--the flavour of oysters is so dependant on the water they filter through their bodies that Martha's Vineyard oysters usually taste quite different from Nantucket oysters." Chalk it up to "meroir". There are probably a few eGullet threads on oysters. As to why they develop different physical characteristics, you'd have to ask an evolutionary biologist. Zuke

I just noticed the Irish Times pub in Victoria has an oyster happy hour on weekdays from 3-6 PM. Anyone been?

Thanks Matt R. I have been to the Dutch Bakery and LOVE the atmosphere. I'm also a fan of Spinnakers. I notice there is a cheap oyster happy hour weekdays at the Irish Times. Are they good? If they are I will put an invite up in Dining Friends for those who want to join in an oyster orgy! I'll put cocktails at th Marriot and L'Ecole on my itinerary. I love these trips because they make me feel like a young Zucchini again! Thanks also to 300rwhp--regarding food and drink I like strong opinions!

How can I resist either of them with of those with your alluring descriptions. I will be sans papa, sans kinder. Sounds like a bar crawl is in order. (The last time I did that I ended up pulling a man's tie through the shared washroom wall at Canoe!) Sister, forgive me for I have sinned! Zuke

Andrew, It'll be a weekend sans kinder so I'm going for cocktails! My choices so far: Chocolat Chocolatiere de Victoria 703 Fort Street Daidoco- early dinner on friday Choux Choux Wildfire Bakery Probably rebar as it's a fave of mine. Cuccina in Fan Tan for Saturday lunch-it it open Sat/Sunday? VQA and Swans. Temple for cocktails and maybe the chocolate trio dessert. Rosemeade for lunch? Sat or Sunday? The menu's not online. I've got to get them to e-mail it to me.

I'm visiting snowbird friends in Victoria on a weekend in the near future. I'm okay figuring out dinners, but never sure who is and isn't open for breakfast, brunch or lunch on Saturday/Sunday. Which hotspots are open? I'm looking at moderate to low budget. Where can I go for my chocolate fix? Which wine store should I hit? I'll be in the downtown area. Mucho Thanks, Zuke

^ Also some pomegranate seeds are smaller and easier to crunch and swallow. I like them, but many people spit them out. I think it would be hard to spit them out at a restaurant without appearing rude! Zuke

I Found a Wonderful vintage cookbook today called "Favorite Recipes of Home Economics teachers: Casseroles, Including Breads." Published in 1965 by Favorite Recipes Press Inc. it has no less that 38 recipes for Green Bean Casserole! They are almost all the same basic recipe (can of green bean, can of mushroom soup, can of onion rings) with variations such as the addition of things such as bacon fat, dill seed, MSG, caraway seed and Swiss Cheese, Velveeta, water chestnuts, Tabasco, slivered almonds, Ritz crackers, canned Cheddar soup, soy sauce, bean sprouts, Cheese Whiz, packaged dressing mix, cornflakes, lemon peel, canned pimento, bacon slices, canned cream of chicken soup, can of mixed Chinese vegetables, can of chow mein noodles, hard cooked eggs, canned cream of celery soup, can of Parmesan, bread crumbs, and Croutettes (?). Recipes hail almost exclusively from the Southern States. Titles include: French Beans A L'Orient, Green Bean lemon Supreme, and of course, String Bean-Croutette Casserole (from Flora Ward of Newville, Alabama). Bless her sweet Croutettes! There are only 11 Green Pea Casseroles, 31 Eggplant Casseroles, and 19 Broccoli. I think I have to go back and get the other book they had in the series :"Favorite Recipes of Home Economic Teachers: Foreign Foods." Actually there is a section in the book in the index called "Foreign Casseroles". I think I have successfully repressed my memories of green bean casseroles at prairie potlucks, but am still traumatized by Chef BRD pizza in a can. Zuke

^Ooh, Chufi that looks good! I love chocolate with hazelnut. A few days ago I made a chocolate beet cake. There's an organic café called Aphrodite's in Vancouver that serves a really good version of this cake, so I was intrigued to try making it. The recipe didn't tell me whether or not to squeeze the grated beets, so I did. Hmmm, the cake was quite heavy, so next time I'm not gonna squeeze the beets. It was pretty moist and had an earthy flavor, which I liked. I served it with whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup, with pomegranate seeds strewn on top, and this absolutely amazing product we received for Christmas called Esk River Artisan Foods Sticky Wine Glaze. It is outrageously good, with port-like characteristics. I have a har time not eating right off the spoon. It is made from red wine, wine must, sugar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and spices. Combined with the pomegranate it set firecrackers to that cake. Zuke

As I was walking my son to school I thought how nice it would be if you made candied blood orange peel to go on top of your choc/orange cake. You could even put bits of it in the blood orange sorbet. My god that bacon candy is obscene! Zuke

Sorry to add yet another shovel of dirt to the mole hill, but I'm just curious: When the waiter does drop water or beer on a customer is it his or her responsibility to deal with the incident alone and out of his or her pocket or does the restaurant absorb the cost? I would think in my experience it would be the waiter. When something off happens I don't expect to be comped, but often a waiter will gift a free dessert or drink and then I try to give a tip that puts most or all of that money back into his pocket for the gesture. As for DOV--I think it's a wonderful opportunity for Vancouver restaurants to rise to a challenge on many levels. It creates a buzz and excitement, interesting conversation (even with non-foodie folks) and stimulates people's interest in our dining scene. It's a crapshoot (as to whether a restaurant will rise to the challenge), but so is trying out any new place. Zuke

I made the Blueberry Cornmeal pancakes from the rebar cookbook and added the grated peel of a blood orange. We only used half the batter, so I left the other half in a jar in the fridge for a couple of days and the second batch cooked up better and the peel infused the batter nicely. We had it with whipped cream leftover from dessert the night before and organic maple syrup from Bath, New Brunswick. I like this recipe as it is very specific and gives very clear directions, which is what you need when you're cooking first thing in the morning! Zuke

The store I regularly shop at is getting in some new and exotic ingredients. I discovered a can of octopus in oil from Spain, so I made a salad with romaine, red peppers, avocado, and the octopus. The secret ingredient is a condiment I am addicted to called "The Original Goddess Dressing" from Annie's Naturals. I put it on all sorts of vegetables. A girlfriend of mine hates it, but I adore it! It's not the "Green Goddess"--I'm not fond of that one. I squeezed some fresh lemon juice on top of the whole thing and for a winter salad, I thought it was pretty good. Zuke

Yay, baking! I vote for an orange and chocolate cake AND a black forest cake. Blood oranges are in season, so you could make a blood orange chiffon with chocolate ganache icing and serve it with blood orange sorbet. I would love to see you make a deluxe black forest cake in that lovely kitchen of yours. I was eyeing my dried cherries today and thought they'd be mighty good soaked in kirsch overnight! I just made a chocolate beet cake--good, but I need to fool around with it a bit more. I have to get my son to eat his vegetables somehow! Zuke

Oh gosh that buffet looks like fun. I don't think we have any restaurants here that serve dim sum at night. Those crab legs are beautiful colors. If I visited San Diego, I would go there in lieu of the zoo. That place looks like an eGullet party waiting to happen! Thanks for a great blog Miz Ducky. I wish many blessings on your life in your new abode. Gung hay fat choy, eh! Zuke

I loved this dinner. There were a lot of firsts for me: geoduck, jellyfish, fish maw, and fermented tofu. (Did I eat a slice of pig's feet?) I liked the way the meal emphasized subtle differences in texture. The jellyfish was just the way I'd imagined it: squeaky and succulent. I loved that sticky crab and kabocha and wanted that sauce smeared all over my piscean body. What was in it? That fermented tofu sauce was incredibly unctuous and really woke up areas of my palate I didn't know I had-like finding a luxuriously upholstered room in the house you didn't know was there. I loved the fried rice: another "Where have you been all my life?" I totally thought the pork bun made a great "dessert." My wine: I brought the Ironstone "Obsession" as I'd had it about six years ago and liked it and kept reading it's good with Asian food. Well... hard to match all the items on the menu, but it did do some very nice things to the crab dish. My palate has changed, and now I like my whites with more acidity. I had a Stoneleigh Sauv. Blanc at Sage the other night and wished I could have tried it with this meal. You know funny thing-I really liked the almond milk. I drink steamed milk with almond all the time and I use almond flavoring in baking a lot. I thought they could have held back on the almond extract-thought it could have been more subtle to let the flowers come through. What is almond extract-I mean I know what it is (bitter almond oil and alcohol), but are all almond extracts the same quality? Next time I want to play more with the sauces. I think I missed out on some of that action. Wonderful to meet Abra, Shell, barolo, Shelora and the über-mysterious memo. Let's do it again next week! Thanks to Joie and Lee for organizing. Lee, your lai see packet is in the mail. Didn't try the duck feet--due to to my childhood exposure to taxidermy.

Jmahl, your beautiful photos of those short ribs has inspired me to try it. Do you or does anyone know if I can substitute dried chipotles for the anchos? I do have some ancho powder, but couldn't find the whole ones. Zuke

Funny, this happened to me in a more modest setting-- Mui Garden on Main. I was asked to leave my seat so a regular could use that booth. I think my son was still a wee baby then, and I was just so surprised and embarrassed I didn't go back there for three years. Normally I don't think it would have bothered me so much, but I was just having a bit of a bad day and it really unsettled me. Zuke

There was a bit of a sardonic rant on Unitarian potlucks on CBC radio the other day. The announcer was complaining that all the food had too much cumin in it. I'm not a Unitarian, but I found the piece over the top. I got the impression she was making goofy insults while people were trying to enjoy their meal. If you can't stand the cumin...stay out of the church kitchen, I say. I have been to some amazing potlucks in my life, and haven't noticed an overabundance of cumin, myself. What I am noticing more recently is a divisiveness between the vegetarians and the omnivores at potlucks. Oh and the vegans. They usually just eat their own dish. Looking forward to a little Unitarian grub and gossip! Zuke

Well, I have a very humble seduction story. My partner and I courted each other long distance for awhile, and wrote each other letters (yes, on real paper). I put together a little bag of those jelly beans with fancy flavours and sent them off in the mail. Months later, his co-worker told me she had seen him eating a little bag of jelly beans with a dreamy smile on his face. "Are you in love?" she asked. "I guess so", he says. When I came to visit him he had bought a heart-shaped tube tin and baked biscotti in it to make me heart-shaped biscotti. I wonder where that tube is now, I should dig it out for Valentine's day. I do think it was a bottle of Beringer Sauvignon Blanc that sealed the deal, though. Zuke

I too was up at 4 AM reading your blog. I guess it was insomnia night for eGulleters. It was very nice to have something fun to do at that time in the morning! Okay, I see two potential subjects for spoken word pieces: 1)You doing the gravy demo in your college dorm and 2)You tripping the light fantastic through Ikea, ending in a spagettinga and meat ballinge feastjes. What do you think? Zuke

^...vegetarians! Zuke

Oh, I'm sure you've written some food-related spoken word at some point--or, wait I see some gastronomic poetry in the near future in my amazing crystal ball...! Break a leg, merde, and all that, sister. Ya gotta come up to Vancouver sometime and perform. Maybe I'll have to curate a foodapalooza poetry festival. Zuke