Kouign Aman

Limes harvested, and new limes on the way. Oranges still on the tree from last year - the cool weather is keeping them hanging on. Some of the tomatoes have set fruit, but the majority havent, as we havent had a hot spell since I put them in the ground. Lots of lovely purple string-beans. We'll pick the first ones tonight. 4-6" long, a deep purple color. If they are the same as those I grew as a child, they'll turn green upon cooking. Lima beans are flowering (planted only a month ago, from seed). 5 little baby loquat trees poking thru the soil. The best surprise was a peanut plant resprouting, and one lone lettuce from our repeated attempts last year to grow lettuce. One seed bided (bid?) its time and now has become a lovely little plant - salad for one.

I taught myself to like fresh tomatoes and strawberries. Same as feeding a baby new things, it was via repeated exposure. Everytime one showed up in a meal, I gagged it down. Eventually I just choked it down, and slowly I began to like them. It took about 1 year for the berries and about 3 years for the tomatoes.

Frittatas are pretty common dinners at our house, also eggs & chips.

Went back to Costa Brava this weekend. Again with the shrimp ala plancha, the patatas ali & oli, lamb skewers and a few other favorites. The special, some kind of pepper stuffed with seafood, and sauced w red pepper puree, was very good. We also tried the sampler of ham etc: serrano ham (oh my), pork loin, chorizo, and manchego cheese. The munchkin made herself happy with a 'sandwich' of serrano ham wrapped around slices of loin and chorizo, alternating with the shrimp. If she keeps up these expensive tastes, I'm gonna have to get her a job. We have vowed to try the paella next time. The table next to us had the black paella. The squid ink turned the rice a dark blue, which looked very thematic with the red pepper & other garnish (red, white and blue). We're also on for the bacon-wrapped dates. The small person hunted down every molecule of raspberry sauce from the 'helada para ninos'. She was tickled pink that her dish of icecream had a special name.

I'm keeping my eyes open for a fondue pot.

Anyone have a recipe for spicy pickled brussels sprouts ? Its a family joke, whenever our daughter complains about the meal, that we're gonna feed her those instead. She's caught on this week, and its calling our bluff. I need to make some and regain cred. Plus she'll laugh her head off.

Add milk to the eggs before scrambling them. Makes a tenderer fluffier scrambled egg. Learned it at home as a kid, but re-learned it recently.

Decent gelato tho, in the italian place next door to Filippis.

Thanks Kalypso. The lifestyle is not an issue. There are parents of classmates that meet all those descriptions, in one. Would the presence of a 6-yr old piss people off, is more the question. We go early, and she usually earns fear from the waiter upon first sighting, and respect by the time she's made her choices from the menu and dug into them. But, there are still places I dont want to deal or other patrons dont want to deal with a kid in the room, no matter how well behaved. The spanish tapas place in Pacific Beach works, the Fish Market works. We havent tried much higher end than that.

Thanks for saving me a trip.

As always, Andie, you are an overachiever. What a garden! We had one currant tomato overwinter, and bear. The small person claims the little tiny fruits are now as sweet as candy. Since she eats a lot of candy, she's qualified to judge. I dont rate any of the fruit, so cant confirm. Got a VERY late start this year. Put 3 tomatoes in the ground 3 weeks back, including one called "Aussie", a few more in pots, and one in the hydroponic-y thing. Got some bush beans about to flower, lima beans sprouting, and hoping the japanese eggplant will sprout. Have a good patch of corn at 6" high and 3-4 weeks old. Am looking for time and a place to put the purple bush beans and maybe some climbers. We planted a loufa and a cantelope. We have ~ 15 volunteers that I think will turn out to be cantelope. If so, I have to thin them over the next week, and share the wealth. Got a new recipe for oranges - 4 oranges: slice off the peel and pith. Slice "thinly" (I use 3-4 mm), layer in shallow pan, bowl or plate. In small pan, heat 3 T honey (I use orangeblossom) and 1 T orangeflower water, and 1 cinnamon stick, simmer 1 min. Remove the stick, pour the syrup over the oranges, and marinate as long as you want. Instant service isnt bad. Next day is wonderful.

The Gilroy garlic festival icecream tastes like vanilla softserve w garlic juice stirred in. Its foul. Roasted garlic might make a good icecream flavor tho.

Is it suitable for well-behaved children?

I just found it interesting that some chemists finally noticed this is going on, and that people paid money to eat it, and thus concluded it must result in good, interesting, tasty, fun food. Hello!

Tacos. Lime-treated corn and whatever is available. Hard to make one that's not nutritious. I just want to reassure you, since you are new here, you dont have to be so brief. Really. Take time, expand your thoughts a little.

Molecular-gastronomy-revolutionizes-dining-experience-in-some-famous-restaurants Finally, chemists are catching up to eGullet.

Bingo. You think of it as valuable cooking time. They think of it as airtime to fill. If they didnt wander, they'd have to add an entire extra dish.

Hah! In my house, I load the freezer, he loads the fridge. So once a week I have 'leftovers' day, and put all the fridge stuff out for dinner. The rest gets binned. But no one intervenes in the junkyard of the freezer, so some of that stuff is old enough to go to school.

ooh, excellent one, Darienne!

Check out the story "The TinderBox", then look at the lolli samples again.

Alexandertorte, starting with fresh berries for the filling. Hello Knott's Berry Farm.

I get really low yield w Mr Stripey, but its worth it. Serve it to show off the colors/pattern. We really liked Green Zebra last year, and it was a great kick to eat something disconcerting. I was still picking grape tomatoes and a meaty volunteer of some kind in January, but never got this year's plants going. Something overwintered (Early Girl, I think) and we had them last week, which was a nice treat.

Change the 'mouth' icing on the green ones to the inverted boomerang shape of the 'realistic' one, and you've got a winner (frozting = all muzzle no nose in other words). They are cute!

Egg, cooked any style, on bread. With butter. (may try mayo, but ....) Its all good! Teenhood favorite variation: scrambled eggs pressed into a coherent 'patty', toast, mustard, the egg patty. Excellent.

No, the laziest cook can not keep her house in a loaf a day. Thank you much. The lazy cook needs to be home and conscious (both) long enough for the oven to heat, cook, and be turned off. And never mind rising time. You have permission to forgive yourself. I'm not as sure on the yogurt thing. I now know how to make it, but wasnt thrilled. Bad risotto. I have sinned. I have twice carved out the time to make risotto and both times it was dreadful (differently). Good texture, but that was its only saving grace. Forgive me, for I have sinned against the rice.