IowaDee

Hee, hee a salt lick with a wick!

Okay, that makes perfect sense.

Foraging, Cooking from Field, Forest and Farm Can't see what "Modern" adds Just my two cents.....

What a lovely memory and the girls are just beautiful. I'll bet they never will forget the day either! You are a lucky son to have a papa like that.

My jackalope would love that apple.

Reports like your are why I love this place. Being an arm chair traveler and eating amazing food with my eyes..life is indeed good. Thank you for making my latest trip possible.

I think he's doing a good thing by picking the olives. He's taking away the possibility of that many more trees. And the end result, a tasty cake makes for a win-win situation.

Am I number two? Glad you accept PayPal! I love having something like this to look forward to!

I see you are already channeling St. Louis. I think there is a house like that within walking distance of the ballpark. Very cool little home!

I'm going to go take a stab at that and say the birds are black vultures. Looks like the dog disturbed them at the dinner table. Pretty sure I see some leftover road kill in the shot

Dibs on a place at Julia's table. Her food was made with love. The food from the sterile kitchen strikes me as something that would be cooked from a math equation. I want caring, not chemistry. I could plop down at her table in my oldest jeans and feel welcome. The other ones looks like a lab coat, gloves and a hair net would be the only way to share a meal in that room. Might even have to pass through an airlock to get in!

Wonder if they have a rotation chart so they can keep track of balls, chias and the orange? A gooey slice of pizza draped artfully over the edge of a counter would really dress the place up. They could anchor it with a chia pet!

Several years ago I saw an article about one of Paula Deen's sons, Jamie I think. There were photos of his newly remodeled kitchen. It mentioned that frying was banned from the kitchen because it was too messy. Sure not his mother's son is he?

Who knew you could cook inside an iceberg? Maybe it is just me, but I dislike the trend for open kitchens. I don't consider my cooking to be "theater". If I screw up, and I do, it will be behind the scenes. If you want drama, go watch Iron Chef. It looks like the type of place that cooks only precious food and no bacon splatters will be allowed. I want wood and plants and things that make it the most welcoming room in my home. Makes me a bit curious to see the rest of the house.

My goodness, how times have changed. I grew up in the area, graduated Venice High. The only place I remember eating was a stand called called The Saucy Dog. That was a hot dog in a sort of a tortilla cone with a mild salsa poured on it. Of course some did "harvest" things, but not the type of stuff you would make a salad from. My Venice is light years from the current one. For sure I'm an old hippie! Wonder if Muscle Beach now refers to shellfish not guys with over developed bods?

Finally a purse pet that makes sense. Put me down for a pair of them please.

I thought about you and Bacon this morning. We live within three miles of the Missouri border. There is a saying that if the bottom tier of Iowa counties went to Missouri, in would improve the IQ's of both stares but I digress. A few days ago, a local guy in Missouri shot a 300 lb wild boar that had wandered into his year. The location of said shooting is about 30 miles away. Asked what he planned to do with it,he said, 'Eat it, what else would I do". Good question. We had deer in the yard yesterday eating acorns from our pin oak trees. I wonder how far and how fast a boar could trot up here to get his share? The photo of him made him look almost fuzzy but I know he wasn't Had a nice pair of tusks going too. Year ago I had a poster of a boar breeding a sow. It had a the caption Makin' Bacon. Later on, I saw another one that was supposed to be a boar masterbating. Caption...Fakin' Makin' Bacon. Better quit before I lose my posting privileges.

RWood, love the cakes especially the skull. Nice play on the traditional sugar skulls we see in Mexico. What is the skull sitting on? Is it paper, fabric or what? It is just fantastic and I covet it

My goodness, it is almost like bringing a child into the word but it takes even longer! And the labor pains start now and won't end until the official launching (or birth?). I think all of us here are feeling like honorary aunts and uncles at this point. So much fun to watch this all take shape.

Seems to me if you can have Bacon root up the chokes it will be a win win situation. I have always heard that boar meat is very strong. Kind like the difference between spring lamb and mutton from an old ewe or buck. Reading your posts is causing flashbacks to the time hubby's family got together and butchered and processed three hogs. That was one hell of a day and I don't think there has been such a family get to gather since. Meat saws and boning knives are not condusive to family fun on the farm at all. One kid and I were in charge of wrapping and labeling the cuts of meat. Hell, for the most part I did't have a clue what I was wrapping, just called most of it a roast unless I could see ribs. Still makes me smile as I picture family members opening yet another package of mystery meat. Since I was born and raised in Los Angeles and practically lived on Venice Beach, small town Iowa has been a long, slow and often painful process. I will persevere dammit.

While we were still in the "must raise one of every farm animal" phase, we got three wee pigs. I promptly named the Frito, Cheeto and Chitlin. Lesson One,,,don't name the food you plan to eat especially if you have young kids. On cold mornings, I cooked oatmeal for the wee piggies and, due to lack, made the kids eat cold cereal. Lesson Two...get those priorities in order. Kids have long memories. Wilber and Babe are the exceptions, every other pig has a mean streak. Some are longer and wider than others. Lesson Three...If your barn cat has kittens near the pig stall, relocate them before they end up as porcine bedtime snacks. The kids will never, ever believe that the good fairy took them to share with little boys and girls who lacked kittens. As much as you would like to, your growing herd of earth movers can not be rented out as living Roto Rooter machines. They are impossible to direct. Lesson Four. left on their own, pigs much prefer to destroy the veggies the kids are growing for the County Fair over the weeds next to them. When the time finally arrives to take your no longer charming pets to the butcher's, plan ahead. Lesson Five...trying to tie the critter onto the kids' snow sled and drag it from the barn to the pick-up truck is more than a chore, it is an ordeal fit for Hercules. One your squealer comes home all wrapped in white packages, it is all worth it. Lesson Six.....you will find it easy to enjoy the results of your labor and saying "Guess who's coming to dinner" is such a pleasure.

So good to see you and Kerry enjoying lunch together again. I have missed this thread a lot.

Yes, it is amazing. It also touches on something that I find so interesting. I love to follow the journey different foods take around the world. I never, ever thought about jicama being any part of Dong menus. It is like finding squid in a church meal in small town Iowa. And it is amazing how fast corn found a niche everywhere. If foods could spread peace wherever they went, we might never have another war. Life would truly be a banquet wouldn't it? I'm ready to pull up a chair!

I just realized why the paintings sing to me. I have loved Mexican bark paintings called "amate" for years. They have the same bright colors and often depict every day scenes involving cooking, farming and celebrations involving food and drink. Just goes to show how much alike we all are!

I don't know if I have ever seen such vibrant colors in a painting before. I want to cross that bridge over the purple water! I think, by posting these, you have broadened a lot of horizons here. I know mine have been Again. thank you for sharing them