blue_dolphin

Kim - the zucchini may be inescapable but you are clearly very capable of dealing with them - I saw your fritters (and the rest of that yummy Memorial Day spread) - mmmmm. Here's this week's box: Clockwise from top left: Japanese turnips - again, 4 weeks in a row now, I think, but at least no radishes. Bok choy Artichokes - they intimidate me Yukon gold potatoes - sort of unusual. Potatoes came only once or twice last year. Golden beets - will roast and marinate for lunch salads Red leaf lettuce Strawberries - sublime. They're a year round crop here but are at their peak now Leeks - maybe a turnip and leek soup? Just doesn't seem like soup weather. Maybe June gloom will set in... Carrots - proper orange, carrot-shaped ones! Swiss Chard - see below and in the center, Valencia oranges - I have 2 orange trees so this is rather unnecessary but I won't complain. I get the "small box." This week, the large box peeps got larger amounts of the above items plus kohlrabi, sweet onions, summer squash and avocados. I live alone so plowing through even the small box in a week is a challenge. I give myself a pep talk about the artichokes most mornings: TODAY, I will tackle these thorny things! Then I get home from work, tired and hungry and something like this turns into dinner: Swiss chard bruscetta with smoked trout and a glass of wine. Too easy! Maybe there is hope for the artichokes on the weekend

Always: toasted whole wheat or English muffin, creamy peanut butter, wipe PB residue off knife on edge of PB jar and re-use Usually: sliced banana, no jam Sometimes: fig jam Today: red bell pepper and ancho chili jam Not bad but I'll pick up bananas for tomorrow.

Pierogi - I know what you mean about that little "finial" on the stem that makes the glasses a pleasure to hold. I have some glasses that I "inherited" from a friend's MIL and would like to find some more as I can be a klutz from time to time . The taller glass nicely holds a 3 oz cocktail while the coupe can handle 4 oz if one is careful! For something a little more sturdy, I picked up 9 of these at my local Salvation Army store for 75 cents each a few weeks ago. I suppose they are really sherbet or dessert glasses and are most certainly not fine crystal as they have a clearly visible seam but I like the little spiral design and enjoy using them for cocktails. They can hold a 3-4 oz drink. I haven't seen anything really fine at that location but it's only a block or so from work so easy to check out. I will have to broaden my searches.

Here's this week's box, nothing I don't know what to do with: Clockwise from top left: Romaine Lettuce Round Carrots Zucchini Squash (first of the season) White Cauliflower Hass Avocado Tatsoi Japanese Turnips (I just quarter these little guys, toss with EVOO, S&P and roast; greens will be sautéed with garlic) Sugar Snap Peas and in front, a basket of raspberries, also the first of the season...already gone . No radishes I've still got white icicle radishes, Easter radishes and French breakfast radishes in the fridge from recent weeks. It's funny, Pierogi, we're not all that far apart - I'm up in Ventura Co. You get collards year round and I've never gotten any! I'll try Kay's recipe should they ever turn up. Sounds good.

That bread sounds yummy, Kim! Thanks for the thread. My CSA runs year round but sticks mostly with produce. I've gotten honey (I guess that's really produce) and Sriracha (they grow the red jalapeños) but otherwise just veggies and some fruit. I love to see what others are getting (and what they are making with it). My box this week had: 1 bunch Easter Radishes (in spite of the plea I spotted on the sign-off sheet last week: NO MORE RADISHES!!!) 1 bunch Arugula 1 bunch Gold Beets (already microwaved, marinated and into salad with the arugula + goat cheese) 1 Green Leaf Lettuce 1 pound Broccoli 1 bunch Round Carrots (annoying, take as long to peel as a regular carrot, but so little. Tasty, though. Very carrot-y) 2 Artichokes 1 Green Cabbage 1 Tub Strawberries 1 White Cauliflower (roasted with onions & garlic, tossed with pasta and olive oil) I will snap a photo next week.

Thank you both so much for taking the time to share your food (and drink ) related adventures, here and in other threads. I sighed when I read that last sentence above yesterday morning and seriously contemplated doing the same instead of dashing off to work. Tomorrow morning, I will give the kitchen floor a bit of a clean and, inspired by your threads, I will think a little more broadly when I consider what I might enjoy for dinner! Thanks again!

I love that informative label: "Vegetable" Yesterday, I noted that labels on the packages of chicken feet read, "Chicken Paws"

I bought a jar of the cookie butter last week and thought it was tasty. Quite sweet and more like a cookie-flavored frosting than something I’d want on my breakfast toast. Although smearing some on a slice of toasted, rustic bread, topped with crisp slices of tart apple might be good. I was thinking it might be nice swirled into some kind of bar cookie but haven’t tried it yet. Might just melt away. I’ll admit your description doesn’t sound all that appealing but I found the product rather tasty. It was mentioned just upthread by nolnacs and chezcheri, here and here.

Beautiful looking kitchen. I hope we might get more of a tour and I'd be interested in hearing if there's anything you'd do differently, given the chance. I'm a Yankee, born and bred, so I don't know y'all from ya'll but my nieces and nephews in San Antonio use "all ya'll" as the plural form. Usually with an emphasis on the ALL to ensure that the entire group realizes they are being addressed. Always cracks me up 'cause I always figured y'all was plural to begin with. Thanks for blogging!

Yes, great piece: Love it!

I saw that article yesterday, too. I also pulled up this e-gullet thread on the topic to help me decide whether to spring for one or not. Still on the fence at the moment.

Yes, it seems you can "subscribe" to a magazine so new issues will be automatically added to your bookshelf. You can also choose to add back issues from a date you select. From Fiona on the EYB Forum: There aren't a lot of back issues indexed for some magazines but it seemed to work OK for me.

Under "My Bookshelf," select "Books" and on the right, there's a blue section where you can check the box to filter by unindexed.

Here’s my pick of 5 beans for an RG sampler that has a variety of color, size, flavor and texture. Good Mother Stallard (as you mentioned) or Goat’s Eye (Ojo de Cabra) Beans. They are similar and I like them both but I especially like to say, “Ojo de Cabra” so I might pick them. I often use them in a pasta with beans and greens. Midnight Black Beans. I use these for the Black Bean Chili from “The Greens” cookbook in the winter and in a black bean and roasted corn salad in the summer. Non-heirloom black beans are readily available but I think these are much better so I’m willing to pay up. These would be good if you want to compare grocery store beans in a side by side way. Alubia Blanca de San Jose Iturbide. These are lovely pure snowy white beans and maybe even more fun to say than “Ojo de Cabra!” RG says these are a good sub for the marrow beans that used to be one of my favorites. I use them in the White Bean and Rosemary Spread from “Super Natural Every Day.” I absolutely ADORE that bean spread - one of my most used recipes for 2011! I usually scale the recipe up to a full pound of beans as it freezes beautifully. Just pulled a tub out of the freezer this AM to bring to a pot-luck this evening. I also make crostini with some of these beans tossed with pesto and spooned on to crispy little toasts, topped with shavings of Romano cheese. Tepary Beans. Either white or brown. I think these little beans are just so cute! They hold their shape nicely in soups or salads but make a great bean dip, too. And they are reportedly higher in protein and fiber than other beans. I’ve used white tepary beans in the rosemary spread mentioned above and it was equally delicious. Christmas Limas. These guys are huge! And just so beautiful! I love them in a salad from the RG cookbook that includes quinoa, beets, onions and feta, among other things. I like the Mayacoba Beans that were mentioned but my local shop sells a “Peruvian White Bean” that tastes the same to me so I don’t regularly order them from RG but I have tried them and they are good. The Runner Cannellini Beans are very nice but I seem to have a tendency to overcook them til they start falling apart, which is OK for some things but not always. In addition to those, my pantry usually contains some Vallarta, Flageolet, Borlotti, Yellow Indian Woman, Cranberry and Santa Maria Pinquito beans. I do like my beans

I've made JAZ's recipe with pecans several times and it's just as crack-like as with walnuts!

I read about The Professional Chef app in the NYT article, "Are Apps Making Cookbooks Obsolete?" and the slideshow "The New Generation of Cooking Apps" and put it on my list, along with Dorie Greenspan's app. I bought an iPad but gave it to my Mom (got to give an 88-yr old credit for learning e-mail ) and am dying to get one of my own! And for the record, I've gotten more and more use from my cookbooks since signing up on eatyourbooks.com than I've done in years. I don't think my cookbooks will become obsolete while I'm still around but I can see their days may be numbered!

What a lovely weekend! Did you need to make any packing preparations for hauling that grand stash of booze back home? I checked a box of 12 bottles of wine on my flight last week (my contribution to the Thanksgiving festivities at my brother's in Texas) and happily, all arrived unscathed. Hope you and your bottles do as well. Reading this reminds me that I really must plan a stop in Montreal next time I visit my Mom. She lives only about an hour away in Northern NYS and I often fly into YUL but usually just rent a car and head for the border. Clearly, I am missing out. Thanks for taking us along!

Thank you so much, nikkib, for taking the time to share your food world with us. I just started reading Cheryl Tan's memoir, A Tiger in the Kitchen, about her return to Singapore to explore the family, cooking and culture she grew up with. Your blog photos gave me a colorful glimpse into the world that Tan describes in words. As I read about another new dish in the book, I've been returning to your blog to see if it's one that you've pictured. Thanks!

I wonder if it's this one for Poached and Roasted Turkey in the Style of Bresse? It's a little vague on the total oven time. Says to roast for 30 min, then turn off the oven and leave the bird inside.

You win the nice guy award - letting the girls have the salmon and making a Cutco "mercy purchase" ... Ditto that! The lovely individual chef's menus served to you and your wife at Napa Rose reminded me how you impressed me with the way you've tailored your home menus to suit the tastes of individual family members. Nice, indeed! Thanks for taking the time to share your week!

Hmmm. I like the rosemary idea and I'm thinking a pine nut and chipotle brittle would be most excellent. I know nothing of candy making, aside from making cashew brittle for holiday gifts for years, always with the peanut brittle recipe in James Beard's American Cookery which adds raw nuts fairly early in the cooking process. Salt, baking soda and vanilla are added right at the end. At what point would you add things like ground chiles or rosemary? Would they really flavor the brittle well if added just before turning it out? I imagine they would scorch if added when I add the raw nuts (140-145 degrees F)

Thanks a bunch for the last minute answers and clarifications at the tail end of this very busy blog!

I have a yard sale "3" skillet that looks very similar. Mine says "6 1/2 inch skillet" on the reverse with a letter "P" below and on the reverse on the handle but no other makers mark: I like to use it when a recipe calls for gently warming spices or aromatics in oil. I find it much easier to control the temp and prevent over-browning in this little pan, even if I end up transferring the contents to a larger pan for the rest of the prep.

Thank you so much for the time and effort invested to create this wonderful blog in a slice of the world completely new to me. I've learned tons! For example, I always thought lagniappe, that term for a little extra used in Louisiana came from a French word. Following up on your description of "la yapa" taught me that it actually originates with the language of the Andes, then into Spanish and finally into Louisiana Creole French. Very interesting. You've also made me want to travel to Ecuador to see these places and try the wonderful food. Not sure if you'll have time to answer my question, but a 2008 NYTimes travel piece, "Meals and Wheels on Avenue of the Volcanoes" mentions street food vendors charging one price to nacionales or locals and a higher price to güeros or "foreigners of European decent." Is that a practice that exists in your area and if so, what price do vendors charge you and your family? Thanks again!

I've been meaning to try the recipe that Pierogi in the Recipes that Rock thread for Winter Squash Soup with Red Chili and Mint from the Greens cookbook. I got a butternut squash in my CSA box last week and even bought some mint but couldn't get into soup-making with this weekend's 80 degree days. The flavor combination sounds great.