Liz_W

I can believe that one. My partner used to claim he didn't like tomatoes, and then we started growing our own ... Thanks for all the suggestions -- they're exactly what I'm looking for!

Thanks! I'll check out the farmer's market, and have fun scouting out the best cheap eats while I'm there (I'm told I won't have much else to do, aside from work!).

I just found out I'm going to be in Canberra for the month of August for work, and am in the midst of searching for a place to live, etc. I'm going to try to find a place with kitchen access. Does anyone have suggestions about local markets and local foods I shouldn't miss? Along those lines, I'm a student on a budget, and will probably be working like crazy while I'm there, but would love restaurant recommendations as well. Thanks!

I'm pretty wary of TJ's prepared food, but have found a few things we keep in the back of the freezer to keep us from ordering in. The cheese and green chile or beef tamales are good, unlike the chicken tamales, and go well with their roasted garlic salsa. Their shu mai, vegetable or shrimp gyoza, and spinach artichoke dip are tasty as well. Oh, and I love their frozen organic sweet corn. I'm not a fan of the frozen meat and fish, though the fresh meat section isn't bad, and is one of the few places I can find free range / organic meat in my neighborhood. The coffee's good, and they always have fair trade / organic. As for the fresh vegetables, I'd rather buy from the farmer's market. I hate prepackaged veggies and fruit; it always seems like such a waste. Especially when one out of four of each packaged quartet seems to go bad prematurely!

My partner pretty much hated anything even remotely spicy when I met him (along with a whole host of vegetables and anything that looked "slimy or gross"). So I made a deal with him: if he promised to try anything I cooked once, and hated it, I wouldn't make him try it ever again. Long story short, he now eats Indian food with pleasure, enjoys quite a few vegetables, and has even got over his black pepper "allergy." He's still pretty picky, but it's a lot better than it used to be. Even better, he's become a master baker / pizza maker and gardener, and is always surprising me with new flavor combinations. It's amazing what happens when you let go of your food hang ups and TASTE everything!

I know this sounds like a weird combo, but vegemite and honey isn't a bad combination to try when you're thinking about dessert options, as long as you have more vegemite than honey. It's also really good with butter on Milk Arrowroots, which are slightly sweet biscuits that remind me a bit of vanilla wafers (and are soo addictive). I don't actually know of a single dessert recipe that calls for the stuff, though ... A quick google search did pull this up: http://www.slashfood.com/2007/01/26/vegemi...-australia-day/ Hey, if garlic ice cream supposedly works, why not try something a bit more adventurous? Edit: Oops -- just noticed the orig. post date... Oh well; this'll be around in case anyone's ever in search of vegemite dessert options in the distant future?

My mother passed this one on to me last week: Add a bit of water (~1-2 T.) to your eggs when you beat them for a fluffier omelette. As for basil, I put mine in a vase full of water and add a bit of fertilizer once the roots get going. The roots grow like crazy with the extra food, and you can generally pot the plant pretty successfully. I like the celery tip -- I'll have to give that one a try next time I have a bunch!

I'm usually reading a book or two at a time and browsing through whatever cookbook I happen to be obsessed with at the moment. I just finished The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, which I thought was a really good read. It's been on my list for a while, but I'm cheap and waited for the paperback to come out. I've also been reading bits and pieces of The Art of Eating, by M.F.K. Fisher, which I'm really enjoying. As for cookbooks, I just got Cradle of Flavor, by James Oseland, and Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads book (which just came out), both of which I'm browsing (in search of weekend cooking plans!).

I'll second that. Bundaberg's ginger beer is awesome. It's sweeter than Reed's, I think, but is very well balanced, and has this incredible rich, spicy ginger flavor. It's tough to find in the states, unfortunately. I've found a few places you can order from, but can only afford it when the drinks go on drastic sale. Reed's isn't a bad substitute, though -- I love their extra ginger brew, and their ginger ice cream is worth seeking out. On a somewhat tangential note, Bundaberg's lemon lime & bitters drink is also quite good.