pax

PS Don't feel bad about Roy's, reading the menu is the most fun and you've already done it. : )

Do you have enough to eat? My husband is coming down there for yoga tonight and he can drop off a care package. I'm sending him to Trader Joe's anyway... Can't have you wasting away in that Hilton.

My husband worked at NIST until last week. There is an ok vegetarian Indian place in the mall immediately to your left after you go under 270 heading west on Montgomery Village Ave. You could walk there, if you were hard up. There's a Peruvian chicken place on the other side of the big shopping mall, in an adjunct mall called the Off Price Center. There is also a Trader Joe's there, you can grab some decent to go stuff sometimes. We've never gotten poisoned from the Chinese place in the BACK of the shopping center in front of you with the book store and CVS. Roy's Place is ok as a cutesy destination if you were going out as a group. I love the Mother's Ruin. I lived on it when I was pregnant. ETA When Sleeping Beauty (that would be my recently retired husband) wakes up, I'll ask him for other suggestions.

I was craving potato pancakes the other day and they were so yummy I ate the whole plateful without even telling my kids I'd made them. Now I've come back here and read this thread and am craving them all over again. Maybe my kids will get some this time around, but probably not.

And yet another winner from The Essentials of Italian Cooking. I made the pork loin braised in milk and it was amazing. I had to practically sit on my hands to stop myself adding garlic and rosemary and I am so glad I did not deviate one iota. It was so tender. I served it up with roasted potatoes which I'd parboiled and then tossed with a little olive oil, lemon peel, minced garlic, and rosemary, and steamed broccolini. We were literally licking our plates.

My Dad is a fan of yours, I turned him onto your site a little while ago. He's been touring around Northern Jersey eating hot dogs waiting for his wife to retire too. He bought a commercial space down there and he just hasn't figured out what he's going to do with it

I'd love to hear more about your visit if you feel inspired to share it. We are getting ready to take a trip over there.

Well, thanks for the tip. I've never been there, my Dad and I were just kicking theories around. I'd hate to go in there and aggravate people by opening a competeing concern. But as far as other places to eat, like dinner...any suggestions?

Tomorrow morning at 10:59 am I will be standing in front of Lovettsville Pizza and Subs, waiting to order a small taco sub, with a toasted bun and extra cheese. And then I am going to ask for some well done fries, and they will just fill up a paper sack with translucenty hot greasy goodness. And once I get all this in my hot little hands, I'm going to put the fries into the sandwich, saving out the smallest, greasiest nubbins for smearing around in the salt. With a diet Coke Edited because drooling made my keyboard slippery, causing one or two minor flubs.

I am lambing now, my first time ever, and I am, sadly for me, running at a 75% ram lamb ratio. All you lamb lovers, you might want to e mail me say in...August. ; )

I read an article about zombie crabs in Wired a few years and ever since then I cannot eat shellfish. It freaked me out so badly I just can't do it. I feel sick at the thought. Totally crazy on my part.

Well, I'm 40 now. And I was living out in the back of beyond in the country. I've lived here in the US longer than I ever lived there. But yeah, that's what I remember growing up. I just remember the shock I had the first time I had sausages at breakfast here in the US. We DID eat ham and pork, but it was CALLED ham or pork, whereas if it wasn't specified, we just assumed mutton.

Does it have to be spelt? I have been buying lentil bean dry pasta (gluten and wheat free) for my family and the kids LOVE it, which, sad to say is my baseline these days. The box says "Papadini" on the front, but the contact ifo is Adrienne's Gourmet Foods in Santa Barbara, CA. www.adriennes.com

I made honey-roasted cashew butter yesterday and am alternating spooning it onto buttery salty crackers, and pulling squares of Vosgue's Red Fire Bars through it. And sometimes making sandwiches of all of them together. And I think I am going to have nachos and a margarita for lunch. Because I CAN, and because my husband has retired and really, you just can't beat Arts & Crafts in PantyLand Time when combined with a newly grumpy retired guy and being house bound in freezing rain.

I know what you mean. Growing up, our default meat was lamb or mutton, unless it was specifed otherwise, such as beef burgers, except for sausages which are assumed to be beef unless otherwise noted. I don't think I've ever had pork sausages in Ireland.

You make friends with someone with sheep and trade. Hi. I'm Celia and I had two rams born last night.

I once got a job especially because I HAD been fired by someone. I'd say to the sous chef that it's a blessing in disguise not to be associated.

Food/comfortableness over view...we tend not to eat shellfish, due to allergies in the family, we like ethnic of all sorts, and as close to the Arena there as possible to ease my Type A compulsive step daughter's worry she might miss a bull. Apparently my step daughter has become a buckle bunny...(did you even know there was such a thing? Weekday, she's an grey suited pin striped actuary; weekend, she's a rhinestone cowgirl!) I will keep my eyes open for the Joy America Cafe. THANK you for such a wonderful pointer, I had no idea that place existed, and it looks like an inspirational sanctuary. I'd love to take a trip with my 14 yo daughter and her friends, and make a day of it. I am really looking forward to it, now. Ta very much.

Yes, I've been watching it here, in D.C. I missed the first twenty mins of last week but I saw the preview. I can't believe this is the best the Brits have to offer in terms of aspiring, non-professional cooks. It's painful to watch some of these people. The just-turned-from-bubbly-to-hysterical American, the wanker who thinks he's a gift to the music world, the prat who pouts constantly. If it doesn't turn more into real cooking and honest effort instead of whingers and shirkers, I'm just going to shut it off. The premise is great, (btw, there are 9 couples in the one I'm watching, not 2) but the producers or directors or whoever cheated themselves of a real race in favour of individuals most people would love to hate.

I need a cheap and cheerful brunch/lunch spot for the second Sunday from now, in or around the Inner Harbour (I don't mind driving, I'll have a car) which is suitable for kids as well as not too dreadful for the adults. My step kid is coming into town with the rodeo.

Well, I forgot the jowl bacon. I'll have to try again tomorrow.

I want to thank you all for you help. We ended up at Moosewood, for old time's sake. I hadn't been there in a long time. Also, *ha* because the GPS couldn't find Cafe Dijon. I used to live in Westchester Co., and made my way to Cornell many many times on my way to the veterinary hospital. They are the premier institution on the north east coast for horses. We're looking to retire up there so I am looking forward to finding all of these places and trying them out as we house hunt. (Cutesy old farm house, 100+ acres, must have pasture. Non-dairy barns a plus. In-law flat for my ex also a plus. Nothing falling in. Liberal politics. Health food store or Weggie's. Decent public schools if possible and if not, then a private non-religious one.) Half hour-ish to a reasonable city. Now, are you ready for a giggle? I had the best omelettte I've ever had at the Courtyard's breakfast buffet. I ordered a western omelette and engaged the very young "chef" in discussion as she stood there cooking it. She was so sweet, she explained to me *exactly* how she'd been taught to make it and why! And it was perfect. Hie thee to the Courtyard for breakfast, I say.

Ah, thank you for the reminder you used jowl bacon, I am going to run over to Hemp's in a minute. I need a few things from there. I am starting to drool a little.

To give you a reason to come back, of course.

I am not a chef but I ride show jumpers, an extremely physically demanding profession with the same kind of muscle memory/dexterity/strength demands I assume your kitchen skills require. Twice in the last four years I ended up with a PICC line installed for malnutrition. (I picked up a bad ulcer causing bug, which ulcer was constantly over-healing my esophagus shut. After eight seperate endoscopies with dilation, and at least ten hospitals stays of varying lengths, it was finally correctedly surgically a month ago.) The truth is I was not able to perform to my past capacity for a long time after each serious bout. The skills were there but it took a while for my body to catch up. How long depends on the individual, I guess. The issue that would worry me (assuming your health is your priority) is that it's more important for you to work without consistently over-extending yourself, no matter how much you want to be in this kitchen. I hope you find the right balance for you, wherever it is. Take care.