Shaya

Great to see you blogging Ann. I am always tantalized by your food and photos, and I've never been to BC. This will be great!

What a gorgeous meal, Percy. Wow.

Ling and Henry, that meal looks amazing. I just love arancini. Did you mix egg into the rice before making the balls? What did you use to coat them - they look too coarse to be breadcrumbs, are they panko crumbs? How did you prepare the calamari - did you give it the really short treatment or the super long treatment? Was it tough or yummy chewy?

After a starter of pesto with favas and pecorino romano, we had two types of fish, swordfish and tuna. Both were pan-grilled and served with a warm Sicilian salmoriglio sauce made with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy (ok, so this ingredient is not in Marcella's version, but my 3-year-old insisted...) and capers added at the end. For the swordfish I used a technique I saw elsewhere - I coated the fish with breadcrumbs and capers before grilling. Sicilian Style Swordfish and Tuna - the fish were served on an emulsion sauce made from lemon juice, olive oil, anchovies and capers

I finally got inspired to make a Sicilian-influenced meal today. It was simple and really tasty. Braised Braciole with Olives and Capers Chitarra with Sauce of Trio of Roasted Peppers (Red, Orange, Yellow) and Anchovies

Chufi, your impanata looks absolutely wonderful. Bravo!

That bluf looks so refreshing, I must try it this summer.

Elie, thanks for showing those gorgeous loaves of bread. I've been wanting to make them ever since I got Reinhart's book. Then I got shy when my semolina gnocchi tanked last month. Can you tell me exactly what kind of semolina flour you used for the bread - texture, color, name? Thanks!

Hi Bryan, I am looking forward to getting into your culinary food-obsessed world (many would say I live in that world but I think there are relative degrees of this affliction!). My kids, particularly my 3-year-old, are really interested in cooking. He always tells me he will cook for me when he is older. I was wondering, did you start in the kitchen really young? Who influenced you? Did you read about food from a young age too?

I keep looking at that gnocchi too - it looks incredible. ETA: good eyes, Chufi!

I am loving seeing the wonderful "real" food you prepare for you and your husband and in particular your little doll. She is very lucky to have a Mom who cares enough to work with her hands to feed her, and hopefully she will carry on this tradition when she grows up. I believe food habits are set at a really young age, and I cringe when I see the lifeless foods that so many kids are being fed. I also applaud your commitment to cooking only from local ingredients. I am committed to feeding myself and my family foods that are made from my hands (and heart) but haven't gone that extra step to live solely from the region. I'm not sure I could do it - thank you for giving me something to contemplate.

A really good sweet & sour & spicy eggplant caponata is this Batali recipe. I have made it a couple of times and it's fantastic. And it even has chocolate as one of the ingredients ← I made it a month ago, and it was delicious:

Wow, Megan, that photo of the plum is Stunning. Those Thai omelets look wonderful, thanks for sharing them. And Susan, wow, you eat great breakfasts!

I've been making this Thai curry for years and years - I simply fry the curry paste, add the chicken, coconut milk and thai chilis, simmer until the chicken is cooked through then add fish sauce and basil leaves. Et voila.

Lori, your blog gives such a sense of family and community, and you are filled with amazing amounts of energy. I am very impressed!

Hmmm. That is interesting. Do you re-roll after you fold? I just roll them into something that might be mistaken for a circle on a good day! ← I do something similar. Form a sphere by tucking in all the edges toward the center, then flip it over, flatten it with your palm, and roll it out to the desired width.

Anna, I think it has to do with the moisture of the bread. I make pita often from Jeffrey Alford and Naomi DuGuid's recipe and they always puff up, but I remember reading somewhere else that if the pita does not puff up, adding a but of water might help.

Oh, Klary, those cheese crepes are right up my alley. Must make those really soon.

And you think my children have an unusual culinary upbringing!

What a great party, Abra. I would love to have some of that saute of home cured pork confit and guanciale with fresh peas and garlic scapes. Yum.

Those look beautiful Megan. I wish you had worked in my office....

I just finished this book this week and really enjoyed it. It was great to hear about Mario since I have never seen him on TV and was familiar with neither his television nor his real life persona. Also interesting to get a glimpse into Joe's personality, as I've only ever seen him on his mother's show playing the knowledgable, dutiful son. His business persona does not really come through on those appearances. Man, can he and Mario drink! And eat! That meal that Buford describes toward the end made me clutch my stomach and my head, and I was just reading it!Have to say, Buford went into this research with all his soul. The story about the pig in NYC (not to give too much away to those who have not yet read the book) had me amazed. I remember how inquisitive our doormen were growing up. I can only imagine how this scene got them talking. Kevin, I was also hoping for Buford's take on the opening of del Posto. And regarding Andy, there was a little blurb in this month's Food & Wine about the new diner-style of restaurants, and Andy's restaurant is featured. I was happy to see that! I would also love to see a followup going through the history of French cuisine. Isn't it nice to have something to look forward to?

ie: Medicaid SB (wonders how the food is in Canadian hospitals) ← It's just as awful in Canada. When a family member was ill for an extended period of time I could not believe how unhealthy the food all seemed. The cooked food had virtually no energy to it, and would certainly do nothing to help the body heal after the shock of illness or surgery. And the packaged food was loaded with artificial colors and flavors, just all-around depressing. Also, after I gave birth to my children I could not even bear to see what was underneath the lid on that food tray, let alone smell it. I subsisted on bagels from the cafeteria and could not wait to get home to be able to eat again.

I'm so happy you made friends again with your crepe pan, Pontormo. Thanks for conveying the story of your reunion so beautifully.

Tonight we had Som Tam and a Red Thai Curry with chicken. Despite liberal use of Thai chilies, I could have used more heat still to really put me back in Thailand. Som Tam - Green Papaya Salad Red Thai Curry