hummingbirdkiss

I am on a diet so I made a huge salad and tried to pretend it was cake yesterday.....I am feasting on resentment, bitterness, crankiness and self deprivation this moon (thank goodness this is self limiting!)

thanks I should have looked farther

the cornish hens with the sour cherry rice that would be my rec

you are in for a treat I think ..and a reasonably priced one!

Darya here you go the link

Persian food is distinct ..there are a lot of Persian Jews in LA and the food is awesome I think I did make a rec look above there is a link to Darya

Well as one of my 6 times a year visit to your most beautiful city ..this time after talking about Persian food in LA to Gfron1 I realized I can just go eat some up there when I come next month for my birthday trip. I have done quite a bit of shopping in North Vancouver but always just picked up cheese, bread, olives, herbs and snacked ..I have looked at the menus but not tried any of the places Would you share your favorite Persian restaurant with me please? Sour Cherry rice on the menu would really make me happy any and all help appreciated

well if you don't go eat Persian food (I am not sure what you meant by lumping the countries Persian food is old school Iranian food) you can at least make it someday when you feel ambitious I have this cookbook and made this recipe it is perfect...not as perfect as someone bringing a platter to me in LA but it is a great recipe have a safe and wonderful trip Rob Sour Cherry Rice

smash fresh garlic in a mortar and pestal add some good olive oil to taste and dip fried plantains ..chicken wings and or french fries in it

Jons Market way at the end of Santa Monica away from the water..East? just past hgwy 101 has the single largest selection of feta cheese and all kinds of Eastern European foods ..I have no words ..it took another suitcase for me to bring home cheese meat and olives from there... place is a bargain

I will tell you what....whenever I eat here I get good food ...kind service and it is a very decent price ..and they have sour cherry rice Darya there are also Persian Markets in the area of the restaurants

if you eat no other food while you are there ..eat Persian food ..find a place that makes the sour cherry rice and go there ...I can not remember having a bad Persian meal in LA and I just called and asked or read the menu in the phone book ..the cherry rice is a must ...out of this world

if I have to buy fresh herbs for a dish I use what I can right away... tie them with a piece of string in a bunch and hang them upside down in the kithen to dry if I try to save them fresh I forget and they turn to mush

Ok this is my functioning "pullman" kitchen ..the one I will function in until the space below is magically transformed into the kitchen of my dreams...however since we are doing all the work ourselves and using mostly recycled stuff ..this is going to take a while..take note of my high end lighting (when we do the lighting downstairs we are going to do this as well ..again it may be a while) there is nothing lovely about this kitchen it just works to well to gut it completely and like I said it is the largest most functional one I have ever had this is back half of the "potential" kitchen I am not sure about this fireplace it needs a lot of work it was built in the 60s and just left like this... I found a 1960's Sunset's Modern Kitchens so I am going to build a kitchen around it in "period Pacific Northwest"

You guys have great kitchens!!! I live in a house not an appartment (kind of a duplex since we have almost remodeled ourselves into two different houses in one..I have no idea how that happened but it did! we live in one half and are still working on the other... our living space reminds me of living in an appartment the way it is arranged around my husband's business) I have a very tiny kitchen...smaller than most appartment kitchens ..it was built to "function" but there is no counter room at all ..of course I have crap all over the counters so that explains that ..but my cupboards are full so where else can the stuff go??? anyway it is small ..walled in from people visiting and a beautiful view by a load carrying wall (or that would have been ripped out a long time ago)..I could cut an arch out of it ..but that would be Pandoras box so forget it.... there is a small over the sink window..with a pretty view of the garden.. or I would feel like I am cooking in long narrow closet...the lighting is fluorescent, noisy and gouges my eyes out so I cook in the dark or indirect lighting for the most part...there is good intent in this kitchen ..and plenty of pull out cutting boards.....it would be a nice kitchen for a casual cook ...oh yeah and I shoved double ovens in where there was one tiny tiny oven before...so everytime I open the door it scrapes the wall ..nice effect! this is still one of the best kitchens I have ever had for the simple fact I have a dishwasher and the window!!! so I should not complain... I will take a pic and show you after I just pick up a few things first

Yes I always plant them on Presidents day weekend it gives me a boost from all this rain and crappy weather..they give my garlic nitrogen and I can pick them starting late spring early summer...and plant again.... heppily I went out cleaned my yard from all the windstorms we have had ...did some prunning and planted them yesterday I have collard greens that are ready to pick now I just saw then on the side of the house where I stuck them last year when I ran out of room .but the perfect ski conditions we have for a change are also worth putting peas off ..

depends on the coffee! when I buy dark roast I would not perk ..I use a press or drip ..when I buy a medium roast perking is the way to go for me ...different coffee's I think taste better prepared differently! perked coffee has it's place and holds its flavor well too

I wish I had a green house ..I would never come inside I think if I did! and a potting shed as well ...I will take pics of my garden and post it for sure and would love to see others? I am planting herbs and flowers all over that reflect the moon this year especially sage and silver thyme.....it glows a beautiful silver in the dark when the moon is full ...so pretty! I need ideas for more herbs that reflect like that what do you have growing inside? ...I have some lemon grass and ginger in pots they make wonderful house plants I also planted some raw peanuts to see what would happen ...I had a piece of taro growing for ages ..it was stunning then the root just rotted

Because it is warmish/ muggy out and feels like one badly needed day of false spring in my area ..and because it is President's Day Weekend and time to plant the first crop of peas ..I think in most of the US and Southern Canada? am I right? I am bumping this old topic and hoping someone can share in my hope there is a light at this crappy winter tunnel!!! I planted sugar snap peas this morning and noticed my garlic is about 2 inches high there are buds forming on most of the fruit trees... just like my hopes for spring anyone else strolling out into the garden yet?

Presidents day weekend time to plant peas in the Pacific Northwest! I just did and took note my garlic are about two inches high now ..there is hope that spring is coming

"This is a wonderful skill: I can eat almost anything, but I can rarely adequately describe the flavors. That is what I am really looking to learn how to do. " I say practice and compete with yourself or others...just think about it and "name that flavor" why is this variation different from that? make it a challenge

This is a great topic thanks for starting it Chris I realized in my mid 30's that I could literally taste anything and have no real "kack" factor...even if I dont like whatever it is at all ..I can taste it appreciate it .....break down and discuss the flavors...I dont know if this was nature or nurture for me..maybe both ..there are foods I dont like that is for sure ..but I can still taste them and talk about them with objectivity ...that I feel is a gift...and I am so grateful to have it! I know folks who identify what they will and will not eat very early in a friendship ..like "this is who I am and I will not eat this this and this" and dont even try to change them because they will not go there!.....mostly when I take the time to really investigate the bias it has to do with texture more than taste ...or the visual more than taste...or something that happened one time when tasting and they never looked back ..some folks cut whole catagories of food out because they tried it one time and did not like it ..."I hate mushrooms" is a great example of this ..they just "hate" them and can not swallow them at all ..I am so glad this does not happen to me ... whenever I am trying something new I have three steps in the tasting ...now this is just how I do it and not what I am sure is the most effective, refined or professional way..but for me it is how I educate myself to a new food 1. Speedy first impression...quick look, smell and bite ..this first bite is in my mouth so fast the plate barely hits the table....I do my first taste quickly instead of slowly because I just want to see what the first overall impression is ..that snap judgement of the food with out really thinking about it ... 2. Time to linger a bit...the second bite I focus more on the visual of the dish food (with my first bite missing from the picture) ..the overall aroma.....how it feels and tastes in my mouth.....and am still going for the overall whole taste and its affect 3. Excitement tempered ...the third bite is the break down for me ...where I discern the various aromas, flavors ..textures and really decide if I like it or not ..or how good it is compared to previous experiences ..this is the point I really want to talk about and listen to the words that really describe the flavors, history, preparation whatever .. I also will always try something at least three times in three different places or ways or preparation before I pass judgement say "I just do not care for this food" I dont know if I have an "educated" pallet but I do know this is the best way for me to get the most out of any new food/drink ..or familiar food/drink prepared differently all I can say is that I am very thankful to be able to just taste anything! even if I dont like it at all ..makes sense I hope this is what you wanted? I don't really know how to gain this abililty ..other than to practice maybe? or compete with friends or yourself to break down flavors.....I know that my friends and family all have grown into this with me and really work at eating things they have not tried ..hesistate about ..or just do not care for... to kind of be more objective about food...we challenge each other to branch out and talk about it ...I challenge myself as well to really get in to the efforts or discerning flavors in foods more often than I already do ...instead of just eating there is hope!!! my husband can break down a bowl of Pho for you to the minute detail of how much 5 spice was used. and who uses instant powdered broth ..this is huge ....he used to be a man who plowed through food and then asked "wow that was good what was it?"

a big bunch of roasted New Mexican chiles (you can use Anaheim but they are not hot and to me disapointing) peeled and chopped then cooked with some chicken broth and a little cumin and part of a beer ...cook this down uncovered until all the liquid is just about gone ..then I put some cream in it and lot of big chunks of Tillamook sharp cheddar mixed with Tillamook Jack this all makes a really thick creamy cheese green chile sauce to put on your sandwich ...take a nice piece of sirloin ..salt and pepper it well then sear it good and take it off rare.. ..slice really micro thin pile it high ona buttered/garlic toasted sourdough roll and dump the chile on top .. My husband loves this meaty sandwich and I love him I hope you try this!

I would not need anything but that roe!!! how beautiful ... crackers would be my second choice to just a spoonful!

this board made me realize I was one big neurotic hypocrite! I totally could care less if someone double dips but I freak out about door knobs ... and servers touching the rim of my glass... I dont care if you grab your bread and pull it out at all however ...in a small market ..but in a big grocery I would never buy loose bread or anything just about and never mind I do not eat samples! not sure I ever wanted to identify much less "out" my neurosis I came here because I love food!!!