baroness

Why is 'Western' style brewing (of tea) so called? It seems likely that in the tea-producing countries (India, China, Sri Lanka.....), most people would use this method, rather than the labor- and equipment-intensive 'gong fu' style. A brief internet search was not enlightening.

Beware of brightly colored rainbow sherbet; when the colors start to mix the result is an unappetizing brown scum. My color theory education counsels that NO lime (green) will avoid this unfortunate result.

Nilgiri teas are among my favorite Indian teas. On the left, the subject of this tasting, Tea Source's Glendale Estate, Handmade. On the right, Tea Source's Glendale Estate, FOP. Note the different appearance of the leaves. The handmade are mostly whole and some are light green. They were hard to measure with my usual spoon; it took almost 2 spoonfuls to weigh 2 grams. The FOP fit nicely into the spoon, and 1 rounded spoon weighed in at 3 grams. Brita-filtered NYC water was brought just to a boil; thermopen registered 211F. Leaves were steeped for the minimum recommended time of 4 minutes, then strained out. Both teas are remarkably smooth, well balanced, and round, with no discernable astingency. I detect the slightest hint of malt or perhaps barley. Easily enjoyed black, and by themselves, they would also be a good match for many foods. The Handmade Nilgiri had a hint of sweetness and a slight green note, clover-like. In some ways it reminded me of a good oolong. The FOP Nilgiri was slightly bolder and reminded me of a fine Assam. Thank you, Tea Source and Richard Kilgore, for another fine tasting experience.

Carr's makes a very addictive gingersnap sandwich cookie with a lemon creme center.

It's certainly possible to make excellent tea without making it into a "science experiment" (though that approach can be educational and fun at times). Brew Western style, in a 22 oz. or larger teapot, and you'll have at least 2 mugfulls of tea with little effort. Fresh water, eyeball the temperature by how the water is behaving, pour into a pre-heated (maybe not necessary in THIS hot weather) pot, steep, and enjoy. For those of us who don't drink coffee, tea is a year-round delight. In the summer, I start off with a small pot of hot tea, then switch to iced as the day heats up.

If you want a hint of lemon in the cookie, try a few drops of pure lemon oil.

Very good point, 'eating conditions' can keep some people from enjoying noodles, spaghetti, garlickly and generously sauced items, to mention a few. If the dish requires a knife, think twice before including it in a buffet. The fear of the unknown is more powerful than we food enthusiasts often think. People, for the most part, truly hate to ask "What is it?"

What I bring to some potlucks depends on my mood -- if I really want a particular dish, I'll bring it and not worry about who will eat it. For instance, I made Vietnamese salad rolls for a church potluck with mostly older, Italian-American guests. I figured that my Thai friends and I would enjoy them, even if no one else did. They were placed at the very END of the groaning buffet. The (rather bossy) hostess announced that the seniors would go through the line first, and that everyone should keep in mind *not taking too much of one thing,* so that variety would remain for those who came later. Guess whose plate I spotted with THREE rolls?!? And there was almost a fight over the last few pieces. I was surprised, but pleased. What I bring to other potlucks is based on knowledge of the guests and other cooks. Our church hosts a much-anticipated annual BBQ and picnic for a non-profit serving the homeless who are HIV-positive. Even though I'd like to bring something exotic, I know that familiar foods are strongly preferred. No one wants to HAVE to ask 'What is it?" So, I bring a huge pot of yellow rice with vegetables and some sort of chocolate dessert, usually brownies. The rice is on virtually everyone's plate I see. I know others will bring the mayo-based salads, mac and cheese, green salads, beans, etc. -- even though there isn't a formal sign-up sheet. Know your audience...it saves a lot of work and angst. Glorified Rice: I'd LOVE to have those recipes -- particularly the shrimp salad!

From the sun-maid.com website: "Sun-Maid Natural Zante Currants are sun-dried from the Black Corinth grape, a very special grape grown in only selected vineyards of California."

Currants - the dried fruit - are tiny raisins, almost black in color and rather round in shape. They are made from grapes. Currants - the fresh fruit, related to gooseberries, are often used for preserves. Currents - usually refer to water or electricity.

That would be CURRANT. The tiny grapes I've seen here are red-skinned and touted as 'champagne grapes'.

As well as Asian cookbooks, I'd recommend Veganomicon and The Voluptuous Vegan -- flavorful, exciting food.

Is sunflower (or other seeds such as sesame) seed butter allowed? If so, you could add a seed butter and jam/jelly sandwich to the menu. Cold rice or other grain salads would work, too.

I've loved this dressing for years (though I am stingy with the sugar!) -- but find that more celery seeds make it into the slaw if the seeds are tossed with the vegetables rather than added to the dressing.

So it was still a tea bag? They just put in the water for you? How is that really any different? ← Decent tea (even though in a tea bag) and not sitting beside the lukewarm water in a cup the way most restaurants make it these days. A proper pot of tea to make a proper cuppa. ← Tim, unfortunately many - if not most - North American restaurants provide a tea bag. ONE tea bag. The water is often barely warm, no where near boiling. If you are offered a refill, it's just more of that 'bathwater.' This makes for some very bad tea. Kerry, it sounds like you got some better-than-average restaurant tea. I wouldn't stretch to calling it proper, though . That requires loose leaf tea, IMO.

Amen!!! I can stomach -- psychologically and physically -- most anything but runny eggs. Ewwwwwww.

Gee, I thought I had large hands...but I can still wear Bugles! I can only stand their saltiness in this hot weather, though.

The common rule is 6 to 10 quarts of water per pound of pasta; for the orzo you could go for the lower amount. If you're holding the pasta dressed, it might be wise to undercook it a bit to avoid sogginess...18 minutes for orzo sounds way too long!

I totally agree, on the grounds of taste, environmental impact, and cost. I find the bottled, let alone canned, teas to have no resemblance to real tea. Then there's the issue of the flavors and sweetners. They are terrible ambassadors to the enjoyment of tea!

Finding myself over the border today, I stopped at DiCosmo's. The ice had a delicate, soft texture but I thought it was a bit lacking in flavor compared to Ralph's and other New York ices. The flavors do appear to be natural-source, though, as my orange-pineapple ice contained a large orange seed! On the 'water ice' topic: until a few years ago, many New York ice makers sold water ices (usually fruit flavors) and cream ices (cremolata, spumoni, vanilla, etc.) Now they are calling the cream ices sherbets, for unknown-to-me reasons.

For the 'fondue' you could offer dried fruits, biscotti, shortbread fingers, perhaps marshmallows.

Must the cupcakes be frosted? What about a baked-on streusel topping, or drifts of confectioner's sugar instead?

I've found some great pieces at HomeGoods (a sister store to TJMaxx and Marshall's). Just look them over for possible scratches, etc. before you buy!

It did NOT skip the upper midwest. A native of Minnesota, I chose to avoid this dish, as I didn't -- and still don't -- like runny eggs.

I think this was in the Girl Scout handbooks as a camping treat, called Egg in a Nest.