Kim Shook

kayb – thanks – I’ll try all cornmeal next time. Elise – that casserole sounds wonderful. I’m a big fan of casseroles, but almost never use fish. I need to try that. RRO – that soup sounds marvelous! I’ve roasted tomatoes, but never smoked them – I’ll have to get Mr. Kim right on that. Soba – gorgeous gnocchi! I keep seeing your gnocchi and am determined to make it soon. Panaderia Canadiense – Those bagels are incredible looking! What kind of cheese? And I LOVE fries dipped in mayo – especially if it’s homemade mayo! Dakki – gorgeous tacos! Are those corn tortillas? Are they fried, or what? They look crisp, but flexible, if that makes any sense. Dinner tonight started with the traditional Shook Salad: Pan roasted duck breast with blueberry/balsamic sauce, fried corn and roasted potatoes: We really liked this sauce a lot. The balsamic cut the sweetness of the blueberries and it went really well with the duck. I’m sure that the duck was overcooked for a lot of people, but rare poultry is just revolting to me. I literally cannot get it down. It’s like trying to swallow a wad of wet paper towel. I just keep chewing and chewing and it doesn't seem to get any smaller and I cannot manage to send it on its way! The corn was some we had bought last Sunday in MD and, while still good, was not good enough to eat plain – so fried in butter with a little salt, pepper and sugar it came alive again. It was so nice to get busy in the kitchen again. The duck breast was from the freezer – I’d needed leg quarters awhile ago and couldn’t find them without buying a whole duck. So I had the breasts and a bunch of scraps in the freezer. I roasted the scraps today and will let them simmer in the slow cooker all day tomorrow. I’m hoping to get some fat, as well as some good stock. Then I just have to figure out what to do with a couple of quarts of duck stock. Dessert was homemade fudgsicles: Emily_R made these and posted them on the desserts thread a few days ago. This was Smittenkitchen’s version of a Matt Armendariz recipe. Really good. I made it with milk chocolate, since that’s what I had and with Splenda so Mr. Kim could eat them.

Emily – I made the fudgsicles!!! They were SO good! I only had milk chocolate chips, so I used them and I also made them with Splenda, so Mr. Kim could share! And, yes, next time I’ll be doubling the recipe! RWood – luscious looking cake! I love the idea of pouring the syrup over top! ET – Adorable nectarine decorations! And what a great picture!

Those oysters look absolutely pristine! Just gorgeous. And the lobster rolls sent me over the edge! I am in awe of you for blogging on the road and working! It's been wonderful and mouthwatering! And the 8 year old in me says 'thank you' for all of the 'Anne' stuff! Now go relax and have a drink! Well done!

Days 4-6 Oxford & the Cotswolds Tuesday, May 17th This was the morning that we left London. Mr. Kim went out to get breakfast while I organized things at the flat. He came home with this: 17-1k by ozisforme, on Flickr Be still my heart – a full English!! (Except for the mushrooms and grilled tomato, which was fine by me!). I have ‘issues’ with English sausage (I prefer all meat versions of sausage and will have my cereal in a bowl, thank you very much), but even THAT was welcome to this crazy Anglophile! The bacon was fab, of course and the eggs perfect again! Mr. Kim has this prejudice against those beans, though. Having an English stepdad (some of you probably remember Ted Fairhead who used to post here) beans on toast was a regular breakfast item for me growing up and we always used Heinz vegetarian beans to approximate English baked beans. Mr. Kim believes that if there is no pork in beans, they are not fit to eat (I can see his point, but still like beans on toast myself). So it was off to Paddington Station again for us. This time, we took the train (as opposed to the Tube) back out to Heathrow to pick up our car. Mr. Kim was the driver and I (and the blessed GPS – Jeeves, by name) the navigator. As you can imagine, hilarity ensued for the following eight days. Since it has nothing to do with food (except we did eat in the car a couple of times), I’ll spare you all the car stories. Suffice to say, we never got irretrievably lost, hit anyone or anything, or got a moving violation (MOVING violation – ‘nuff said about that). We arrived in Oxford, shaking bags of terrorized jelly some time later. I had chosen the Turf Tavern for lunch. I can’t even remember where I heard about it (it wasn’t here), but when I looked at pictures online and saw the menu, I thought it sounded like a place we would like. It is also VERY hard to find – down crooked alleys and around multiple corners. I am so glad that I noticed that mention, where ever it was because it was EXACTLY the kind of food and place we were longing for. The place is charm itself – quaint and OLD with a friendly staff and great outdoor seating: 17-5k by ozisforme, on Flickr We started with a pint of something dark (sorry) for Mr. Kim and a half of cider for me: 17-6k by ozisforme, on Flickr Cider became my drink of choice in England. I’m not a beer/ale drinker, but I love cider, so I was in heaven. Mr. Kim IS a beer/ale drinker, so he was in heaven too. Nice, that. Mr. Kim had a cheeseburger with Shropshire bleu, chips and some soppy cole slaw: 17-6kkkkk by ozisforme, on Flickr We had slaw a few times in England and I have to say that it is the one thing that we didn’t find that they do better than the US. It was, without exception, overly wet for us. I like creamy slaw, but this was just too much. But the burger was great and the cheese was fantastic! I had another wonderful meal (you’re going to get tired of hearing that) – Beef & Abbot Ale pie with chive mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage: 17-6k6 by ozisforme, on Flickr With lashings of really good gravy. Look at that pastry: 17-6k7 by ozisforme, on Flickr We had a wonderful tour of Oxford – we wished that we had more time to wander on our own, but were glad of the knowledgeable tour guide, who took us places and pointed out things that we never would have seen otherwise. The dining hall at Keble College: 17-27m by ozisforme, on Flickr How could food NOT taste good in such a setting? Even this stuff: 17-41k by ozisforme, on Flickr What do you suppose Florida Chicken is? We left Oxford, sorry to not have more time, but very excited about finally getting to the Cotswolds! Onrushpam gets a HUGE thank you from us for suggesting a website for rentals in England. It was through that website that we found the 400 year old Grade II listed cottage that was to be our home for the next three nights. Green Court: 18-6k6 by ozisforme, on Flickr It was everything I wanted – old, charming, in a village and it even had a kitchen: 18-8k2 by ozisforme, on Flickr We were too tired to try to ferret out somewhere to eat, so we just went to the nearest place that we could find on a map. It was called The Ragged Cot and was just beautiful: the_ragged_cot by ozisforme, on Flickr Originally a 17th century coach house, it is now a gorgeous upscale inn and restaurant with gardens and lovely outdoor seating, a snug and a sign proclaims that it welcomes dogs and wellies. The people were friendly and welcoming. So why were we so underwhelmed? I’m not sure that it wasn’t my own fault. The food was upscale and I just don’t think that that was what I really wanted for my first meal in the Cotswolds. We should have probably just gone to the pub down the High Street from Green Court. We started with homemade bread and marinated olives: 17-95m by ozisforme, on Flickr Mr. Kim also had the cream of wild mushroom soup: 17-96m by ozisforme, on Flickr He said that the mushroom flavor wasn’t really very apparent. My main was New Season Lamb Cutlets, Wilted Wild Garlic, Janssen Temptation (a layered potato dish) and Marjoram Relish: 17-100m by ozisforme, on Flickr The Janssen Temptation was very good – a TAD undercooked, but delicious. But all that liquid at the bottom? That is a big pool of pure melted butter. It kind of sapped the flavor of the lamb. Mr. Kim’s main was Honey Cured Pork Chops, Vichy Carrots and Warm Potato Salad: 17-99m by ozisforme, on Flickr The pork was excellent – tender and juicy and VERY porky. No dessert – we were exhausted and already thinking about curling up under the fat, ploufy duvet at the cottage. Wednesday, May 18th Our hostess had stocked the kitchen with bread, butter, tea, milk and basic condiments. I’ve already mentioned how much better we found the ‘ordinary’ food to be in England. The bread is a good example. It was just regular plastic bagged supermarket bread (I later found the same brand in a Tesco) – but the taste and texture and even the size was world’s away from Wonder! I actually had a hard time getting it in the toaster! Our first stop was a Tesco supermarket in Stroud. On my blog, I had to explain WHY I would take the time to go to a supermarket while on vacation. It’s nice that I don’t have to do that here! I do love going to markets in new places and seeing all the things that are different and unusual and they are great places to find gifts to take home. But this was the first thing we saw when we walked in the door: 18-8mm by ozisforme, on Flickr Sigh We were very excited about the Crunchie and Flake ice cream, though: 18-8m by ozisforme, on Flickr 18-8m3 by ozisforme, on Flickr And, of course, the odd crisp flavors: 18-9mm by ozisforme, on Flickr And THIS was interesting: 18-9m by ozisforme, on Flickr We bought some bits and pieces and a few gifts (Mars bars, McVittie’s biscuits in a commemorative Royal Wedding tin) and loaded up on our favorite English candies – Flakes, Crunchies, Maltesers, etc. Lunch was in Painswick, an impossibly charming Cotswold town – my favorite place in England. We ate at the pub – the Royal Oak Inn: 18-40k7c by ozisforme, on Flickr The owner, Keith Ayres (who I don’t think is the chef) is a bit of a wise guy – they serve a dish called Puppy Dog Pie that has caused some controversy. He even put up missing dog signs around town. Lunch started with an unusual (and gratis) appetizer: 18-40k8 by ozisforme, on Flickr That is a delicious blackberry sundae. The server asked if we would like it since she’d made too many. Well, it might have been in the wrong order, but I’d never turn down fresh blackberries! For lunch we shared a local cheese plate: 18-40m3 by ozisforme, on Flickr Stinking bishop washed with pear juice, also with nettle rind, local stilton, Hereford hop cheese (with hop rind), baguette, butter and quince paste. The chef (or Mr. Ayres – if they aren’t the same person – sorry) brought it out and patiently named and explained the cheeses to us. He also told us something that I’ve never heard before – he said that the quince paste was to be used as a ‘palate cleanser’ – not to be eaten with the cheese. I’ve never heard that and always just piled a sliver of paste on top of my bread and cheese. Who’s right? The cheeses were just gorgeous – the stinking bishop was our favorite. We debated trying to find somewhere to eat dinner, but I was ACHING to use that kitchen – even in a small way, so we had dinner from the bits and pieces that we’d purchased that day (mostly at Tesco). That BACON: 18-107k by ozisforme, on Flickr 19-1m by ozisforme, on Flickr Bread and cheese: 19-2m by ozisforme, on Flickr The cheese was Stilton and Laurels Farm Red Leister. We love anything stinky, so the Stilton was our favorite. Cox apples and strawberries: 19-3m by ozisforme, on Flickr Some gorgeous little tomatoes: 19-4m by ozisforme, on Flickr I had the best BLT (minus the L) I’d ever eaten: 19-4m2 by ozisforme, on Flickr Dessert was dark chocolate shortbread and a raisin scone: 19-1k by ozisforme, on Flickr Thursday, May 19th Breakfast the next morning was bacon butties with the rest of that incomparable bacon: 19-2k by ozisforme, on Flickr And some really good clementine juice that I wish I could find at home: 19-3k by ozisforme, on Flickr We drove to Chipping Camden and I drooled over the windows: 19-15k by ozisforme, on Flickr Gorgeous town and not too crowded. Does anyone know what this is: 19-45k1d by ozisforme, on Flickr There were fields of it all over the Cotswolds. Obviously cultivated. My MIL thought maybe Canola? We drove to Upper Slaughter and walked the public footpath the mile to Lower Slaughter. Two more amazingly picturesque villages – places that, as an American, I hardly believed existed. We had lunch at beside the River Eye at The River Café: 19-56k3 by ozisforme, on Flickr A really lovely place to relax and eat and the locals were good company: 19-56k7 by ozisforme, on Flickr The place is a combination gift shop, ice cream parlour, restaurant and museum. Other than the two manor house hotels, it seems to be the only commercial place in the village. And that’s the way the locals want it apparently. The owner, a jazz singer from London is not a popular fellow in Lower Slaughter, it seems. Be that as it may, we had a simple but good lunch here. And were serenaded by lovely 1940’s music (my favorite era). Mr. Kim fell in love with two things at the River Café. One was this fantastic ginger beer: 19-53m by ozisforme, on Flickr The other was my sandwich: 19-56k by ozisforme, on Flickr Cheddar cheese and pickle. He did the whole “where have you been all my life” with that combination. That lovely salad is called a ‘salad garnish’ in England. Everywhere we went that modest phrase appeared on menus and we got these really good side salads. Mr. Kim’s sandwich: 19-55m by ozisforme, on Flickr Roast beef and horseradish. A little dry, but tasty. We got to Bourton-on-the-Water a little late in the day for any real sightseeing, but I managed to find an open cookware shop and did my own brand of sightseeing. I wanted every tea towel I saw (I LOVE English tea towels), but managed to only buy a new tea tray. I needed a new one and do you know how hard it is to find a tea tray in the US? They had DOZENS – mine is pink and has cupcakes on it. Naturally. We also stopped in a little mini-mart here (we had become addicted to Crunchie Biscuits and were hoping to restock) and found THIS: 19-167k by ozisforme, on Flickr WTF???? We had dinner in Cirencester at the Black Horse. During our trip, we really tried to eat at ‘Free Houses’ as much as possible. The Black Horse is part of the Marston’s chain. But it is not exactly like eating in a Red Lobster. There were still the pub regulars – like the old guy who nursed his pint all night and read the newspaper. And the food was pretty good – my meal was certainly better than any chain I’ve eaten in in the States: 19-179k by ozisforme, on Flickr Pork and Hereford Cider Hot Pot – pork slow cooked in Hereford cider and sage sauce with caramelized Braeburn apples, Chantenay carrots and new potatoes. The bread was awfully good, too. Mr. Kim’s meal: 19-180k by ozisforme, on Flickr Sirloin steak, half a grilled tomato, peas and chips. The less said about that hard clot of a ‘tomato’, the better – but the chips were great and the steak was pretty good. Friday, May 20th This was the morning that we left the Cotswolds, so we packed up, bid a fond farewell to our little cottage and went to Cirencester to find breakfast. Our wonderful and reliable GPS (named ‘Jeeves’ by us) found CAKE (or maybe The Cake House – I can’t remember): 20-1k5 by ozisforme, on Flickr Breakfast was teacakes: 20-1k6 by ozisforme, on Flickr And yet more bacon butties: 20-1k7 by ozisforme, on Flickr Terribly reluctant to leave, we did a little window shopping. Lick the Spoon – a chocolate shop: 19-168k by ozisforme, on Flickr 19-169k by ozisforme, on Flickr Sadly, closed at that hour of the morning. A butcher shop: 20-1k8 by ozisforme, on Flickr Pasties!!: 20-1k9 by ozisforme, on Flickr Farewell, Cotswolds…On to Avebury, Stonehenge and Salisbury!

Yes, yes, YES! I am so excited about this blog! I love your writing, my friend - that careening, exciting, breathless plummet - will it end in a blaze of glory, or a train wreck??? I'm betting GLORY - it always does on Unsaved Loved Ones. Mr. Kim and I have the honor of actually KNOWING this delightful couple and are crushed that Meredith moved to KC instead of Jerry moving HERE! Can't wait for every moment!

Andie - thank you so much! I knew that I could count on you! I can't wait to tell my stepmom all about them - we were so perplexed! Kerry - how funny and just about what I expected. But wouldn't it be cool if it really worked?

Kerry - have you actually tried the Eggstractor? Not sure if this counts for this thread, but my dad and stepmom sent me some family stuff that they didn't want and knew I'd find a home for. Some pieces of glassware: P1090722 by ozisforme, on Flickr The pattern is Moon & Star. Don't know any more about it, but I collect pressed glass and depression glass, so I love it. I thought that the footed bowl would make a nice small trifle bowl (it stands about 8 1/2 inches tall). The other pieces are silverplate: P1090720 by ozisforme, on Flickr They are obviously the same pattern, but all three have different markings on the bottom. The pitcher says: Barbour Bros. Co. Quadruple Plate 76. The goblet looking one says: Barbour Bros. Co. Silver Quadruple 76 and the other piece says Barbour Bros. Co. Quadruple plate hard white metal with a little hallmark: P1090724 by ozisforme, on Flickr I was really hoping that someone (Andie - you here? ) could tell me what the goblet and small pot were used for. The goblet is 5 3/4 inches tall and the other is 4 inches. With the band across the top, the 'goblet' doesn't look like you could comfortably drink out of it.

kayb – thanks for the bacon jam recipe – I can’t wait to try it. BTW, your veg plate is lovely. Do you use all cornmeal on your beautiful fried green tomatoes? I usually do part flour or panko, but I really like the look of yours. Ben – your scallops are gorgeous – what a sear! Dejah – your broccoli slaw is just beautiful! I love broccoli slaw, but haven’t gotten as creative as you did – I’m in love with the idea of yours! I saved your description for later. Bruce – I’ll trade one of my sandwiches for a wing and one of your Mrs.’ lovely little potatoes! Shall we meet at Pope’s Creek and share a pile of crabs? Soba – I have a whole set of those knives and they get used a LOT!! Jan – the liver is spectacular! I am a big fan of liver, but the family is NOT, so I don’t do it much. The sauce/gravy looks delicious, too. RRO – I agree with Scotty – octopus sausage is cool! And serving a scallop on top is genius! Nikki – You can’t really make fried ripe tomatoes the same way – the flesh just melts into nothing. Too bad, because they would taste spectacular! I’ve barely cooked at all this week. It’s funny how when things in life get crazy, the first thing that gets jettisoned is cooking (something I love) instead of laundry (something I hate) . Tuesday night was sandwiches, salad and corn again: Egg salad and ham: A sandwich I loved in England and tried to recreate. The combination of the egg and ham is wonderful (think of ham and deviled eggs at Easter). When I had it in England there was also a layer of sliced hard-boiled eggs. Tuna and cheese:

Emily - I just copied that fudgsicle recipe. I'm going to make those SOON! My MIL came over the other night to look at our trip pictures. We went out for Pho for dinner and then came back for dessert and photos. I made Dream Cookies (just a really simple shortbread-type cooky that I’ve made since I was a kid – our favorite cooky) filled with Nutella: I also threw together these little lemon curd tarts with Greek yogurt and blueberries: They look a bit like googly eyes . The tart shells were purchased, so this dessert went together in just a few minutes. I took the leftovers to work on Friday and they were still good – the shells were crisp. So these also hold well.

Well, I called it 'cartilege' because I wasn't sure what it actually was - but it was hard and long and thin like a bone. But we could crunch and eat it. And to repeat myself - it was some of the most delicious stuff I've ever eaten. More is coming - unfortunately, idiocies like work and laundry and errands get in the way, but I'll be posting soon, I promise!

The first thing that I have to do is to say thank you to everyone who answered my call for help regarding this trip – your contributions to the food, accommodations, dress, tipping, etc., etc. (both here and in PMs) helped make this trip the best we’ve ever been on. Also – to all you British folk: please don’t scoff at our food choices and opinions . As I said in my NYC report, keep in mind that we are country mice and not accustomed to your local food. We probably just missed many good places and I’m sure that we enjoyed meals that would seem terribly ordinary to you. But enjoy them we did, so we were happy! It’s taken me forever to get this report together – life intervened when we got home in the form of work, family health issues, possible home renovations. But, actually, perspective may not be a bad thing. I should also say that we truly didn’t have a bad meal throughout the entire trip (except for the predictably execrable pre-flight Applebee’s airport dinner). The ‘good restaurants’ (all recommended by eG’ers) were fantastic, not unexpectedly. But, more surprising, was how good the ‘ordinary’ meals and snacks and regular grocery store food was (not to mention a couple of desperation convenience store meals – more later re: that!). Saturday, May 14th One of our first stops in London, after dropping our bags at our friend’s flat was the astounding Fortnum and Masons. I could have wandered for HOURS (but didn’t want to incur the wrath of either Mr. Kim or our indulgent host) and spend thousands of pounds (Mr. Kim again). Gorgeous confections: 14-5K by ozisforme, on Flickr 14-8K by ozisforme, on Flickr 14-10K1 by ozisforme, on Flickr 14-10K2 by ozisforme, on Flickr Beautiful meats, cheeses, dairy, produce, baked goods: 14-10K3 by ozisforme, on Flickr 14-10K4 by ozisforme, on Flickr 14-10K5 by ozisforme, on Flickr 14-10k7 by ozisforme, on Flickr Not to mention an amazing array of things to serve those beautiful things on or in, to cook them with and a great selection of cookbooks. I wished that we were going to be in London long enough to have a picnic just so that I could order one of their lovely hampers. So many people recommended Ottolenghi, Sofra and Leon that I was anxious to try at least one of them and even carried everywhere a Google map that I’d made with each one of their locations pinpointed so that we could go if we were ever near one at lunch time or breakfast. Alas, we never seemed to be from what I saw. I was so sorry to have missed all three – I’d been drooling over the menus and photos and descriptions for weeks! We ended up at EAT for lunch the first day. I was expecting Panera and was so pleasantly surprised! EAT is a London based chain - sandwiches, soups, desserts, etc. MUCH more interesting than Panera - and it shouldn’t be – the sandwiches are Panera are made when you order them, at EAT; they are already made up in boxes on a refrigerated shelf. They have no business being as good as they are. No pictures because my friend, while understanding my obsession (he even reminded me to take pictures in the other places), thought that EAT was just too ordinary to take pictures of! We shared a very good hummus, avocado and harrissa sandwich and the best Cheddar cheese potato chips I’ve ever tasted. More wandering and more food-centered sightseeing! Macarons really ARE the new cupcake – we saw them everywhere: 14-22k1 by ozisforme, on Flickr I love the fact that English department stores still have food halls (maybe really big stores in the US still have them, but in Richmond and Washington, DC, they disappeared years ago). Lola’s cupcakes in Selfridge’s: 14-25m by ozisforme, on Flickr See the price on the giant cupcake? £45 – that’s almost $72 !!! I am charging way too little for mine. LOVED the ‘American’ aisle: 14-26k1 by ozisforme, on Flickr 14-26k2 by ozisforme, on Flickr Crisco, Kraft Mac and Cheese, JIF, Marshmallow Fluff, Karo, and even Shake n Bake! The three of us had dinner that night at the beautiful and dramatic looking Quo Vadis (thank you, thank you nikkib!): 14-27m1 by ozisforme, on Flickr Our friend, Craig, started with the Sea Bass Ceviche: 14-36m by ozisforme, on Flickr This was lovely – perfect texture and perfectly seasoned. The avocados suited the fish so well. Mr. Kim started with asparagus and a poached Bantam egg: 14-35m by ozisforme, on Flickr He really loved this (not a fan of asparagus, so I couldn’t say). Another shot: 14-37m by ozisforme, on Flickr This picture illustrates something that I noticed during our entire trip. We ate a LOT of eggs and every single one was perfectly cooked (for us) – nice firm whites (no snot, Maggie!) and unctuous, oozy yolks. I guess everyone in England likes eggs the same way that we do! My main was Braised Ox Cheeks and mashed potatoes: 14-38m by ozisforme, on Flickr Again – just a perfect rendition. They were tender, but substantial and the sauce was winey and beefy all at once. I didn’t come near to finishing this – who knew oxen were so cheeky? Craig’s main was Spotted Ray with Capers, Browned Butter and Curly Kale: 14-40m by ozisforme, on Flickr I have a question here. I don’t think I’ve ever had spotted ray, but I assume that it is basically like skate, which I have eaten. The flavor was marvelous, but it was very spiny. We discovered that we could actually eat the cartilage, but it was a bit disconcerting and we weren’t sure if we were really supposed to. Mr. Kim’s main was the hit of the evening (maybe the trip) for him: 14-39m by ozisforme, on Flickr Line Caught John Dory w/ Braised Fennel. He said it was the best fish he’d ever eaten in his life and he’d eat it all the time, if it was available. Understand that Mr. Kim is fairly new to the fish world. When I met him, his experience with eating fish was mostly limited to tunafish out of a can and Friday fishsticks. He’s slowly become more of a fish eater, but he likes it occasionally rather than on a regular basis. So this reaction says a LOT about that delicious dish! We all shared three different ‘afters’. Bitter Chocolate Crunch: 14-44m by ozisforme, on Flickr A gorgeous little square drenched in glossy dark chocolate and topped with a wisp of gold leaf. Inside was more dark chocolate mousse on a crisp crust: 14-46m by ozisforme, on Flickr Cheese plate: 14-43m by ozisforme, on Flickr Bath Soft, Stinking Bishop, Tovey, Perl Las and Montgomery Cheddar. Just lovely – I could have made an entire meal of only this! Home Made Petit Fours: 14-45m by ozisforme, on Flickr A tuille, a macaron, a meringue and various candied fruit paste (I can’t remember what the little crackly topped bite at the back was). Lovely and light and the perfect end to the meal. Another perplexing thing at the end of the meal was this: 14-42m by ozisforme, on Flickr eXpresso. That pronunciation of espresso has always sent shivers down my spine (like ‘marscapone’ does) and considered that only the likes of Sandra Lee pronounced it like that. I think it even crops up sometimes in the various eG ‘pet peeve’ threads. But I think that I recently heard Mario Batali say ‘eXpresso’ and here it is on a very reputable restaurant’s menu. Have I been ignorant and arrogant without cause? Sunday, May 15th Breakfast the next morning was a Tesco express chocolate croissant (yeah, I know, but it was Sunday, I was hungry and we were hurrying to a Matins service at St. Paul – and it was pretty good, too, as grocery pastry goes). We had a pre-British Museum lunch at Pret a Manger nearby. Pret yet another London chain that is much, much better than it should be, considering that the sandwiches aren’t made as you order them. I had the Wiltshire Ham and Greve cheese baguette and it was VERY good (can’t remember what Craig and Mr. Kim had and still no pictures). Dinner this night was at The Wolseley in St. James. The building was built in 1921 and is gorgeous inside and out. I liked the Wolseley even better than Quo Vadis (thanks for this recommendation go to PoppySeedBagel and patrickamory) – though Mr. Kim was still think about that John Dory! About a week later, Ms. Hillary Clinton dined there with the British Foreign Secretary, so eGer’s really know where to go, huh? I suspect that this is the main reason that I loved it so much: 15-197m by ozisforme, on Flickr That is a Croustade of Quail Eggs w. Hollandaise. Is that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen or WHAT? The pastry was crisp and buttery. The eggs were poached absolutely perfectly and the hollandaise was smooth and thick and delectable! Honest to God, if I’d been in a diner, I would have requested a yeast roll to sop up every atom of the eggy-saucy goodness at the end! Craig’s starter was Avocado Vinaigrette: 15-196m by ozisforme, on Flickr Beautiful, smooth and creamy avocados. Mr. Kim’s starter was another of his favorite dishes of the trip – and another fish: 15-195m by ozisforme, on Flickr Servern and Wye Smoked Salmon w. Buttered Soda Bread. Possibly the very best smoked salmon I’ve ever eaten. And the bread was great, too. My main was something that I knew I would have to have at least once in England, and it was Sunday evening, so it seemed appropriate: 15-198m by ozisforme, on Flickr 15-201m by ozisforme, on Flickr Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding and Roast Potatoes (pay no attention to those green things in the corner – they were CRUNCHY – bah – and weren’t Brussels sprouts, so I didn’t give them the time of day). Gorgeous and delicious. I’d give anything to be able to make a Yorkshire pud like that! Craig’s main was Seared Mackerel w. Celeriac Remoulade: 15-200m by ozisforme, on Flickr I’ve never cared much for mackerel, but this was very good and the remoulade was exceptional. Mr. Kim’s main was Steak Frite: 15-199m by ozisforme, on Flickr 15-202m by ozisforme, on Flickr Here, I’m afraid, his inner American came to the fore. He said it tasted good, but was awfully small. I was the only one who ordered dessert: 15-210m by ozisforme, on Flickr Strawberry Tart. It was very good – lovely strawberries and a super crisp crust. I ended up sharing. Monday, May 16th Craig’s flat is near Hyde Park, so on the way to Paddington Station, we stopped at a little place called The Chelsea Deli for breakfast. Since it was my first real breakfast in England, I knew that bacon was in order. I had a bacon butty: 16-1k1 by ozisforme, on Flickr Mr. Kim opted to add eggs: 16-1k2 by ozisforme, on Flickr For those that don’t know about English bacon – just look at that! Lean and gorgeous! They call American-style bacon ‘streaky bacon’ and I have no idea what they do with it, because I never saw a slice. I was accustomed to it, because my English Nanny used to smuggle it into the US years ago when she visited. Half of her suitcase would be filled with Cadbury chocolate (impossible to find in the US in those days) and this amazing bacon. Mr. Kim hadn’t ever had it before and was in heaven. The texture is very like ham, but the flavor is much more complex – somewhere between ham and bacon. Thus fortified, we set out for our day – Westminster Abbey, a double decker bus tour (I thought it might be hokey, but it was actually wonderful sitting back and letting someone else drive and park and all – if we’d had more time, I would rather see everything on our own, but 2 1/2 days is a very short time), a short Thames cruise, St. James Park, etc. Lunch, was unfortunately coach station snack shop sandwiches and a Cadbury bar, necessitated by us lingering at the Abbey (no pictures, but not bad, actually). We walked from Buckingham Palace to the one and only fish and chips place that was recommended by Harters. Master’s Super Fish is way out Waterloo Road (my navigation skills made it farther than it actually WAS) and I could tell that Mr. Kim wondered where the hell we were going. We were rewarded finally: 16-159m by ozisforme, on Flickr We ate lots of great food on our trip and I was very careful to get recommendations for the high-end restaurants that we went to, but I think that I was most excited about my first real English fish and chips. I have to thank you, Harters, for recommending Master’s. It was a wonderful meal. We sat down and ordered and then they rather startled us with this: 16-160k4 by ozisforme, on Flickr An amuse? In a chippie? Did this bode well? Had Master’s gone all upscale on us since Harters’ last visit? Nope. The delivery of our fish settled that matter. I had plaice for the first time since I was a little girl at the Mucky Duck in Santa Monica, California (and that was probably American plaice) and had forgotten what a lovely, light tasting fish it is. I was swooning over my gorgeous fish, proper chips and big, crunchy pickled onion, all doused with vinegar: 16-160k5 by ozisforme, on Flickr Mr. Kim chose cod and it was lovely, too: 16-160k6 by ozisforme, on Flickr Bite: 16-160k7 by ozisforme, on Flickr Two and a half days in England so far. Eight more to go and then two and a half more in Paris. I’ve got lots more to report, but I thought I’d break it up to make it more manageable. I have begun blogging our trip. If you would like a fuller, but less food-centric report, it starts here.

kayb – well, it may be weird, but your potato salad sounds good to me. I’m not a big fan of potato salad usually, but I want to try yours! Thanks for the information! And I want some more, please, ma’am. Please, please tell me what recipe you use for bacon jam??? I gotta have some of this stuff. It’s haunting me. Jan – that is a delicious looking and beautiful onglet! I’d like to just dive into that sauce! Scotty – (cue Homer Simpson voice) mmmmm, crispy pig skin. Also lovely dumplings and potstickers! And stuffed fried squash blossoms! suzi – I gotta ask…what are ‘eggy potatoes’? I’m intrigued. Emily – leftover Morney …lucky YOU! Norm – I’m drooling over that smoked salmon! What gorgeous color. MsDivinaLoca – great, great fish skin idea! dcarch – I may have to try sous vide after all, just to get that pork. The idea of making moist, tender char sui at home is very, very attractive. Mine tastes good, but is, alas, a tad dry . We spent this weekend at Ocean City MD. This is the beach that I grew up going to. It is the quintessential ticky-tacky beach town. Junk food, souvenir shops, long boardwalk, rides, pier, etc. Great for people watching and eating. We stopped on the way home at a farmstand. Maryland has so many of these – we passed dozens on the way home and as soon as we crossed the Potomac River into VA, they just stopped. We got some lovely cantaloupe and just-picked blackberries and some corn. We had the corn with dinner last night and we a little disappointed. It tasted good, but was a little mushy. The corn that we had on the boardwalk was fantastic – sweet and with a pop when you bit into it. We had some tomatoes from our local farmstand, so I made BLT’s with cheese: Corn and marinated cukes:

That's probably one of the few responses so far that I can agree with. Ditto.

Peter – thrilled to see you blogging!! I have cousins who retired to New Horton NB and was an Anne of Green Gables girl, so I am dying to visit your part of the world. I loved the cake topper (we are BIG Wallace & Gromit fans here, too).

Bottled salad dressing. Check. (sometimes I make my own, other times I don’t) Melamine plates. Almost every meal I ate as a child summering in NC was eaten off these. At the homes of phenomenal cooks. Only little teeny serrated plastic handled knives. Nothing over 5". My grandmother cut every single thing holding it in her hand using a paring knife. Again, a phenomenal cook. Instant coffee. Check. I don’t drink coffee and Mr. Kim doesn’t always want to make a pot in the morning. Reconstituted lemon juice. Check. (again, sometimes I use fresh, other times I don’t) Wow. I must be some lousy cook.

percyn – gorgeous burgers! Of course, I especially like the ‘Spanglish burger’! kayb – Love that BBQ plate! Can you tell me about the potato salad? It looks really different. And that cream cheese pie is beautiful! Dinner tonight was some easy chicken enchiladas made creamy with cream cheese and canned enchilada sauce: Plated with black beans and corn and rice with salsa:

Blether – I just realized I had never thanked you for the Konbu ponzu explanation ! We had already left for our trip when you posted your response and I don’t think I’ve been back to this thread since! Anyway, thank you – sounds like a wonderful ingredient! robirdstx – I love reading about eG’ers meeting in real life and sharing what we are all about! We have some decent food trucks in Richmond, but nothing on that scale! Soba – gorgeous! Please tell me that just out of the shot was some crusty bread to sop up all that loveliness with! Or is that too ‘carbi’ for you ? Since today is mostly devoted to blogging, lunch was just a snack spread out on the island: Fruit and cheese – good peaches from the farm stand, goats milk Gouda and Seaside Cheddar from WF.

Soba – beautiful tomato salad and I really like the idea of serving it atop toast. Kinda like a breakfast panzanella. robirdstx – sounds like a GREAT breakfast and I love chicken and avocado together. Breakfast this morning was a little freezer-organizing produced bit of serendipity: Some of my MIL’s Hot Cross Buns from Easter. They were still delicious and tender.

I am so much enjoying your blog. My BIL lives in AZ and spends lots of time in San Diego and just raves about everything there. He's not much into food (he seems to live on oddly colored smoothies), so I'm thrilled to get THAT aspect of the area! Everything you are making and buying looks incredible and please tell your husband that he's a wonderful photographer. Happy Anniversary!

Christine – Hey! Nice to ‘see’ you! Thanks for the compliment – it was a really good dinner and made me wonder why I don’t do main course salads more often. RRO – gorgeous bacon and that risotto sounds fantastic. I’ll have to nose around our Little Asia section of town and see if I can find some Chinese bacon. And the combination of jambon and fish? Genius! Dcarch – I actually made those little picks myself. Just beads and turkey skewers. Beautiful steak – you can actually SEE how tender it is. Kayb – lovely pie – it’s breakfast time, but I’d love a slice right now. Dejah – the lamb moussaka sounds delicious and I’m so jealous of the beautiful color you got on the top. Mine never gets that gorgeous browning. Bruce – the pulled pork looks stellar! Dinner last night started with a little shrimp cocktail: And salad (sigh): Steak with bleu cheese and port sauce, yellow squash and crusty bread with artichoke/spinach dip: The bread: This is one of my favorite things to do. The topping is just a basic artichoke or artichoke/spinach dip spread – you spread it on the bread and then broil it. It is a little more substantial than regular garlic bread and works well as a party snack, too. We also had some gorgeous corn that we got at the farm stand in the afternoon, shucked right before cooking and briefly cooked: Garrison Keillor made us do it. We were listening to A Prairie Home Companion while running errands and he started talking about those 5 or 10 ears of piping hot, just picked sweet corn, slathered with butter and salted that he was going to eat for dinner. We didn’t even need to discuss it – we just drove to the farm stand! Almost everything was stuff that was in the fridge. We are trying to finish up as much refrigerator stuff as possible in the next couple of days to prepare for a new addition to our family. I am very excited!

RRO – Except for the mushrooms, that sounds incredible to me! Is it served hot or cold? I dreamed this up for breakfast this morning: Breakfast bruschetta – toasted French bread slices, tomato jam and bacon. This is a keeper – definitely worth doing again and again. Served with poached eggs: Probably a little overdone for some folks, but perfect for us.

percyn – yay! Then my instincts were right! Last night we had my in-laws over for dinner and to look at the last of the trip pictures (we only got through England last time). Since it was a week night and really HOT, I wanted something easy, that I didn’t have to heat the kitchen up for and that I could mainly prep the night before. I decided on chef salads. We hadn’t had that in forever and everyone likes it around here. Basic salad – lettuce greens, scallions, tomatoes, cukes, carrots and radishes: American cheese, ham, Swiss cheese, salami and eggs: The pickle-y stuff – sweet and dill pickles, green and black olives and peperoncini: Topped with a choice of Marlene’s bleu cheese or my dad’s paprika dressing. I also served crackers and crusty bread. Dessert was just nectarines and blueberries (you do NOT want to know what that sugar free abomination is on top – I picked it up on the way home – I was just too tired to whip cream! ). Served with some cookies (the same kind, which, oddly enough turned up in one of our Paris pictures!):

Oh, Laurie, that BBQ looks excellent! Maybe we'll have to make a detour next time we come to NC! And those fries are excellent. I don't think I've ever been to a BBQ place that has anything other than frozen.

Soba - It must be rainbow trout season! Dianne on CK just had it, too. I love it and haven't ever cooked it. Panaderia Canadiense - thanks for the explanation. 120 degrees in the summer ? Goodness, I start cranking the air conditioner at 77! I don't think I'd cook at ALL if I had to deal with those temperatures! That tilapia is gorgeous and makes me want to delve into the leaves thread! Emily - you DID tell me about reheating - Mr. Kim tested that the next day for lunch and said they were still great. Paul - great looking pizza! I'm committed to chef salads tonight, but I'm craving pizza now. percyn - I know that is a very upscale meal, but something about that quail makes me wish I could pick it up and eat it with my bare hands. It just looks so GOOD! robirdstx - grilled onions on the fajita look so good. Actually, I could do without that (great looking) chicken, if I could have a big pile of the onions ! RRO - That's just amazingly beautiful and tender looking beef. Wow. Ben - That dressing is the one in this recipe Mr. Kim cooked last night while I did prep for tonight (we're having my in-laws over for dinner and picture viewing). He made bacon cheeseburgers and we also had sliced tomatoes and marinated cucumbers. He wouldn't let me take a picture because he said it was too 'ordinary'. I told him there was nothing ordinary about a bacon cheeseburger.

Panaderia Canadiense – I’m confused – I was wondering about your weather, so I looked at weather.com and saw that the temperature there was 68 degrees. That doesn’t sound like winter to me. Am I wrong about where you are? Well, no matter. Whatever the weather, that soup and bread look fantastic! robirdstx – I just finished dinner and I really, really want a Po Boy. kayb - Here's the link to the recipe on my webpage. They were so good – I really appreciate Emily linking to the original recipe. They will definitely go into our summer rotation! And I have one of those meat-focused 50-somethings that robirdstx mentions, too ! Tonight we started with some nibbles: Yodeling Goat Gouda (really, really good) and everything flatbread Lamb chops, leftover fried green tomatoes, sweet potato slices brûlée and green beans. Everything but the beans is the same color .