KarenSherwood

OMG Pork Roll is heaven! Miraculously I've managed to find a supermarket way out here in the desert that carries it. (They had Tastykakes for a while, but mercifully those months are long gone.) My first memories of it are from the Ocean City Boardwalk, as a sandwich on a toasty bun with cheese and ketchup. (Thanks, Dad!) Oh, and always eaten out on the boardwalk with a big glass of Litterer's orange juice. That same supermarket also carries Boar's Head deli meats, including Lebanon Bologna! I prefer Seltzer's but it'll do. I've even corrupted my DH (a Cali boy) with both of these, but he's still a holdout on the scrapple. Can't say I blame him, the only kind we can get here is a frozen brick of Bob Evans. Back in Philly, I always loved the way they prepared it ever-so-thin and crispy-fried at the Coffee Station in Springfield (I think it's still Springfield there).

I miss Asakura, a pleasant little Japanese restaurant out in Delaware County. I believe it was started by the owners of Le Champignon. The sushi was very good, the tempura was light and crisp, and the service was always wonderful. I think it's a Chinese restaurant now.

Tortilla chips crunched into green chile CHICKEN SOUP.

Thank you! I want to take my DH there when we're visiting over Xmas. He's never seen anything like it.

There's so many places I miss (I moved way west in 2001) that I'm afraid to even ask about! This isn't a restaurant but I'm wondering if the Booth's Corner farmers market is still around (right down near the Delaware border in the Delco 'burbs)? That's where I used to do a lot of my marketing, especially for holiday baking. We have next to nothing like that out here in AZ, and I'm feeling kinda homesick this weekend.

Mmm summer picnics....pulled pork with crunchy tart coleslaw!

perfect to sop up all the juices from a good chili

Maple syrup makes a great glaze on Grilled salmon.

I'm in AZ, not NY, but here it's usually $15.99, give or take a buck. And it's one of my favorite wines. Give your niece an extra hug for that treat!

No big deal thoughts here, just a lil chuckle. I first encountered the cheese/fruit plate as an end course (or before dessert) in the UK in 1980! It was totally new to me but I fell in love with the whole idea by my second dinnertime (I was there for 2 wonderful months). By the end of my trip I was disappointed if the cheese plate wasn't served, and it took me a while to get used to not seeing it anymore when I went home. Nowadays I don't do it formally (I rarely have dessert, either), but if I want an after-dinner snack it's almost always a few pieces of cheese, a glass of wine, and some frozen red grapes. I think I need a trip to Europe again, ASAP.

Hehe, I prefer Miracle Whip to any jarred mayonnaise, but I really like Vegennaise the best. But I don't like that marshmallow thing at all. What a mean thing to do to a perfectly lovely sweet potato! I like my sweet p's cubed and baked with just a lil bit of molasses & butter, then mashed on my plate with more butter. Yum! But I will admit to loving that evil green bean casserole, classic with cream of mushroom soup (try the new Campbell's version with roasted garlic!), and those crunchy onions. I'm really in it for the onions.

Since I've spent most of today in the kitchen, I'll observe that gingersnaps make an excellent crust for PUMPKIN PIE.

Mmmmm chevre layered with fresh PESTO

Whatever soup stock I make, I always use carrots WITH their tops. I think they add a nice brightness to the flavor. Celery leaves are great, too.

which is also darned tasty on ASPARAGUS!

Very cool topic, thanks for the bump so I could find it! What was your family food culture when you were growing up? I grew up in Central PA. Both of my parents were of German/Penn Dutch heritage so we had a lot of 'Dutchy' stuff. Mom liked to experiment within limits, and liked cookbooks, so it wasn't all pork & potatoes. (Thank goodness) My best friend from 10 on was Italian, and I learned a LOT from her mom. Was meal time important? Sort of. My Dad (small family business) spent a lot of time at his office, so most weeknight meals were just Mom & me, but we enjoyed it. As I grew older we had a lot of "talks" over dinner. Sunday breakfasts were also big deal family time, Saturday nights out, and Christmas dinner. Was cooking important? Not much. I always perceived it as more of a basic chore than anything else, at least for regular meals. But Mom had a contagious kind of passion for the big deal parties and things. What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table? I learned my Manners but also learned that they were 'for special' and not necessary for everyday. Who cooked in the family? Mom, almost always. Dad had his 'concoctions' like oyster stew, but most of them were on the scary side. But he was the BEST orange juice squeezer in the world. Were restaurant meals common, or for special occassions? Saturday was always Dinner Out night. My folks had a few favorites that we rotated between. I was expected to practice my table manners and mostly listen to grownup talk. I learned quite a lot that way. Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over? Often, especially as our family grew. That's one thing I've continued. When did you get that first sip of wine? At my best friend Phyllis' house when I was 10 or 11. Her family was off-the-boat Italian and her dad made his own wine. (It's truly amazing that I like wine now, after THAT trauma.) At home, I can remember being allowed a sip of champagne for New Years when I was 12. Was there a pre-meal prayer? Nope, we're a family of Heathens. Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)? Sort of. Mom fell into some patterns depending on what was seasonal. How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life? It's funny, I probably cook more of my best friend's Mom's dishes than my own Mom's. I just love Italian! I'm also working on losing weight, so roasts with heavy sauces and noodles is a bad idea (sorry, Mom). My Mom was a good basic cook, but not terribly adventurous, so my repertoire is much more varied. But now & then I get homesick/hungry for those old classics like potato soup, beef barley soup, chicken & dumplings, and simple apple crisp. And I'll always make Mom's (actually Grandma's) potato filling for Thanksgiving/Christmas. I hardly even tinker with the recipe.

Scallops....wrapped in BACON, of course!

Hehe, now I get to tie in to that 2007 predictions thread, and the dinner thread. Last night I served pork tenderloin with a lovely glaze made from prickly pear fruit

My treasure is Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires. It's a collection short essays about various points in time during her New York Times food critic stint. It's funny, insightful, appetizing and entertaining. AND it has some good recipes! Thanks to that book I now have another 'food jones' on my list...Korean BBQ. Two days after I read her essay I was hunting down ANY candidate here in AZ, and luckily found what I think is at least a contender only a few miles away. It's now one of our favorite 'eat out cheap' places. I lived in NYC for 5 years in the early 80s and her descriptions of various places made me terribly 'homesick.' This book is a gem.

How do you feel about combining sweet potatoes and pumpkin? Off and on for the last several years I've made my Halloween Hangover pie, which has always earned after-dinner applause. The crust is just 3 cups crushed gingersnaps (or Sweetzel's Spice Wafers, if you're anywhere near eastern PA) with 1/4 cup of melted butter stirred in and either molded into a tart pan or the bottom and partway up the side of a springform pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Peel and cube (2" cubes) enough sweet potato and pumpkin for 1 cup each. Steam for 30 minutes or microwave for 5-8 minutes in a covered dish with 2 Tbsp water. Put the steamed veggies in a food processor and add: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup condensed milk (fat free works fine), 1/2 cup milk 4 eggs, lightly beaten 2 Tbsp flour 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp ginger 1/8 tsp cloves Ooops almost forgot a key ingredient.....1/4 cup of dark rum! (bourbon works too) Puree and pour into pan, bake at 375 until set and lightly browned on top, about 1 hour. I like to sprinkle some of the crushed cookies on top, too.

Prickly pear, huh? Wahoo, I'm gonna be rich!

Oooh Kirsch...perfect for flambeing some sweet summer CHERRIES

Hehe, I'm a Walmart virgin. I've never set foot inside one and don't intend to start any time soon. However, I'm a huge TJ's fan. I mostly shop for produce at our local farmer's market (one of the few real ones in the area), but TJ's has some lovely specimens that aren't easy to find elsewhere (concord grapes was my prize in September). We have an incredible chain of gourmet stores here (AJ's) but their prices are sky high on almost everything. TJ's is product-competitive but wins hands-down on prices, especially on cheeses and deli items. I also like their frozen fish selections and some of their ready-made items like spanakopita and gyoza. The main reason we shop there, however, is my DH's fondness for Two Buck Chuck (Three Buck here, but it'll do). Their Cabernet isn't the best I've ever tasted but it's drinkable for a regular dinner, and I really like the sauvingnon blanc for cooking and sipping on a budget.

I like peppermint ice cream melted into a mug of Hot Chocolate! (did it really take 5 pages to get to chocolate? sheesh!)

I like Goya for regular cooking, regardless of whether I should be using EVOO or just plain oil. It's a good value and a great flavor. For OMG taste, I love Lucini. We discovered it at Whole Foods about 3 years ago, and it's been one of our treats ever since. And our local supermarket chain carries it now, at the same price. It has a beautiful color, and it has a cool peppery afternote. We do 'nibble nights' when the kids are out with just some cheeses, crackers, an nice artisan bread and the Lucini for dipping. It's way better than bread & butter!