suzilightning

suzi, this one's for you.. I never read one of Betty Neels' novels but I can just imagine the heroin in one of her novels munching on these cookies while waiting for her dashing beau.. thanks, klary!! i printed out the recipe and when the weather gets a little cooler here (it's supposed to be around 21C today) i'm going to give them a shot. i also want to do that beef dish as well. great topic - thanks muchly

kathleen- that hot and sour soup looks incredible. that is the standard by which i measure all restaurants serving it because it is my favorite thing to eat(actually i have to make some in a week or two for a party at work). and i want that first cocktail - the last word! what about making something from the Dining and the Opera in Manhattan book i sent sam? there were a couple of recipes in there that you should be able to whip up very easily. keep cooking....

heather(steve's female alterego) - probably with stevia or splenda. that was what it was developed for.. suzi

sure you aren't pmsing??? i know i would with the blue and apple

evie - don't be too upset by the 3 blind moose. yeah, they are bigger thangallo but canandaigua wines tend to be really sweet..

ok katie and evie- here's a thread on johnnybird's toast dope http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=36283&hl=dope that i use for anything from toast to a topping for fruit to an ingredient in breakfast cakes. you should find it amusing evie if you remember what john actually looks like and what he can eat - hope to use it in something if we make it to the spring nj get together(as long as we aren't down the shore) there is no real "official" recipe for johnnybird's offical outrageous toast dope but it is sugar, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and other assorted spices - a la each family's recipe for garam masala...

i love smoking loon but.... my very favorite is a gift from the johnnybird many years ago. i have never had the wine though it would be lovely to have a bottle it is a framed print of the original artwork and the label signed and numbered by the artist 103/3000(sorry, can't read the sig). it is Belvedere wolf picture called Gifts of the Land 1984 York Creek Vinyards and it is one of my most prized posessions

hey, katie- no sugar beast here anymore... want some of johnnybird's toast dope to add to that peach crumble? just send me your snail mail and i'l sen it to you or should i leave a container with karin next may? hmmmmmm, maybe i should market the toast dope to pms ing chicks (though that isn't what i want - grease, salt and protein)

ok ladies - and steve since you are obviously monitoring this thread my dear heather- i could give a rat's a$$ about food today. all i want is a hot bath, heating pad and a pot of tea... see y'all next month(unless at age 51+ my body decides to give up )

another one just came across the circ desk. i have told it many times back in the day when i did children's programming. The Funny Little Woman retold by Arlene Mosel. set in japan a woman who made the best rice dumplings. she follows one into the land of the oni where she is taken prisoner and made to cook for the oni with the help of a magic paddle. she escapes, taking the magic paddle with her and becomes the richest woman in japan from selling her dumplings.

well, guess i should get ready for THAT time of the month again. today at the hawkwatch i had tomato and cheese sandwiches, i had a banana, i had yoghurt, i had the snack box filled with fudgy bourbon brownies, welch's fruit bites and baked doritos. did i want those? NOOOOOO all i wanted was a freakin whopper junior with extra pickles and a vanilla shake. unfortunately the road the BK is on is under construction so i hit up our local mcdonalds and had a big mac (discarded the center layer of bread and added ketchup) and my shake. not good for me but it tasted wonderful....

what kay said... though i only have the smaller pot i inherited from my mom. it's perfect for just the two of us

last night (and tonight) : leftover readington farms roasted chicken(dark meat) carrots, onions, leeks, fresh tarragon and oregano, garlic, vegetable stock and chicken stock, whole wheat noodles, chopped kale and VOILA chicken noodle soup that was served with sundried tomato bread perfect after a full day outside

i alsways talk about food(unless it is september - november when i also talk about hawk migration) to anyone and everyone. at work with staff members and patrons, in the grocery store, with friends ... with everyone but my husband's family. remember my mother-in-law was raised by a diplomad german cook though she would rather hang out with her boyfriend than actually cook. she never taught my sister-in-law how to cook - wouldn't even let her turn the stove on to make a cup of tea when she was 13 years old. had her mother's funeral lunch catered by subway - then took all the lettuce and tomatoes out of the subs. i could go on and probably will when i find out of which boxes christmas dinner will be cooked(i insist on bringing fruit and fresh vegetables). thank goodness my husband indulges me and my friends here are adventurous in trying new recipes or a new restaurant. actually i went to a new restaurant last week for lunch with my dangerous dining companion(friend 'chelle) and started exchanging recipes with the owner/chef.

Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert for 2 year olds or so... the cat gets out into the garden and, try as he might, he can't catch anything but How my Parents Learned to Eat by Ira Friedman what happens when an american sailor in japan falls in love with a beautiful japanese girl... and how he learns to use chopsticks while she has her grandfather teach her how to use knife, fork and spoon in hte english way. Thundercake by Patricia Polacco a grandmother teaches her young granddaughter how to conquer her fear of thunderstorms

tuesday it was raining so a day off. after the gym took myself out to lunch at a newly reopened place. new owner/chef - new menu. best bargain i've seen in a while. entree was two pieces of stuffed cabbage, side was pan fried vegetables ( and believe me he isn't shy with the garlic!!). the veg were wonderfully crispy soft and the sauce for the cabbage was sweet and sour. total cost - 8.48 plus tip.

my rule is unless i ask for something specifically give me either food or wine. that said i usually ask for recipe cards and champagne flutes. in the past i have asked for whole nutmegs and mixed peppercorns things that are inexpensive enough for those on a limited budget to afford. johnnybird, being the smart man he is, went to Gary's Wine and Marketplace last year and picked up a mixed case of champagne. each holiday i get one or two of the bottles. he timed it out so he will have to restock after valentine's day 2006. in the past i have given mother-in-law #1 "dinner with paul newman" - an autographed picture of paul newman, spaghetti, a jar of his sauce, a bottle of his salad dressing and a nice sized bowl to eat the pasta from while looking at his picture. mother-in-law #3 wanted one of lydia's books so i got her that and picked out several of the recipes and purchased one or two ingredients for them. since i also know she rarely cooks at home i also bought her a jar of rao's and patsy's sauces. for johnnybird's friends i make fudgy bourbon brownies or tea cakes - cranberry orange, banana, toast dope streusel - or last year was crumb cake. this year i am considering some home concocted spice rubs for my brother-in-law(along with his Bad Kitty calendar), individual frozen soups for my mother-in-law #1's freezer and a copy of the Joslin recipe book along with one or two of the dessert type thingies for mother-in-law #3 since she has developed type-2 diabetes recently. haven't figured out what to do for the guys, yet.

I have cooling on the counter, a Krispy Kreme Donut Bread Pudding. with Butter Rum Sauce.. Wish me luck ←

wow- can't wait for the dim sum and your anniversary dinner(20 more than you coming up ) happy and healthy new year for your life together. your precious baby is beautiful and wonderful, sleek baby and i love the picture of what most cats do all the time oh, gosh. i remember when i was a kid(in the stone age) having our milk delivered by the milkman(mr. price). didn't have to leave the cooler out since we had a "milk box" on the porch though i was lucky since i was a sick kid he always saved our house for last so i could hear the bell on the milk truck and, though i couldn't run out to get the milk, i could stand at the door and mr. price in his white pants and shirt, black bow tie and white cap would bring the milk nana needed into the house. the arancici look wonderful , especially since i'm not a sweets for breakfast person. am looking forward to the rest of the blog.... thanks

klary- what ever you do it will be wonderful... i only know a lot of dutch or frisian food from(ok go ahead and laugh all) romance novels from betty neels who died earlier this year. she was a nurse married to a "dutchman" (don't know if he was dutch or frisian) and all of her books included food like crazy whether in england or the netherlands - pankoken, dutch babies, erwentoensoep, etc.(please pardon the mispellings). growing up in new york we knew of ollie bollen(early dutch doughnuts) and what about the ristaffel(rice table)? love any information you have on any foods, especially the "plain food". with the cooler weather coming are there any endings that are special? fruit pies or something of the sort? thanks for your incredible input... suzi

i grew up with my mom's sweet chili - ground beef, sugar, tomatoes, a bit of chili powder, kidney beans then i went to TEXAS and learned what a BOWL OF RED is (at least in texarkana) - beef chuck cut into small pieces and cooked in a cast iron pan on one side only, dusted with ancho chile powder then doused with beer and served in a bowl. sides were cheese and onion. came north then had some cincinnati chili served five way by a coworker - ground beef, tomato, and a spice sachet then served over spaghetti with beans, onion, oyster crackers and cheese. now i do all kinds depending on who is around and what i want to do... chopped venion, ground buffalo, organic beef, onions, beans, cheese, pork and tomatillo, hmmmmm the next time it is raining and i can clean out the freezer i will have to play

since my mother-in-law buys her desserts (did you know Mrs. Smith uses milk in her apple pie? about the 4th ingredient down and we can't forget the Sara Lee raspberry cheesecake - neither which johnnybird can eat) since john goes up for thanksgiving weekend i always send up a dessert that he can enjoy. it has to be able to make the 90 mile one way trip up to poughkeepsie so ususally it is black forest mousse pie. this year i'm thinking about doing a spice cake or a pineapple upside down cake. what i really wish i could find is a recipe for the cranberry chiffon pie i had at American Bounty during their soft opening. it was one of the most wonderful things... er pieces of food i have ever put in my mouth. flaky, rich pastry with a tart cranberry filling and just the right amount of sweetness....

two hours at the hawkwatch and not a single bird stopped at my local apple tree for veg and saw my favorite butcher - picked up two porkchops, center cut and boneless about 1"-1 1/2" thick each. slit a pocket into the side then stuffed with a dressing of pumpernickel bread, onion, thyme and apples. johnnybird couldn't wait for dinner when he got home so made some prosciutto and provolone toasts for him and served with garlic stuffed green olives. cooked the chops, made a pan sauce with shallots, white wine and veg stock. served with whole wheat noodles, peas and applesauce. dessert was a stout spice cake with lemon glaze though i added some more applesauce to mine. tonight we're having a friend over and i'm planning a roast chicken stuffed with garlic and lemon, roasted cauliflower, potatoes au gratin and green beans and carrots. more stout cake for dessert - probably with some poached pears and some whipped cream.

she published a companion cookbook called, i believe, Lydia's Family Table. try checking with your library or in amazon.

tracey- so funny. looks good - wouldn't eat it for anything. got home about 630 pm edt - had made gumbo but not interested in eating. used some leftover whole wheat noodles, johnnybird's supersweet tomatoes, some olive oil and some butoni pesto( hey, it was on sale with triple coupons and i've never made pesto). local redleaf lettuce with some dressing i'd made yesterday and voila - johnnybird's dinner i had some 100 and 150 grand marnier. i am happy <where is the sleepy smilie?> will suck something good down for breakfast, though since i have to be on the watch by 0730 bird time(0830 human).