Katie Meadow

Hmm. Most of the things I have cooked in my pan are relatively fast-cooking and I haven't had an issue with the handle being too hot. I have a couple of silicone pot holders that are grabby that would do the job.

What isn't great with huckleberries?

Both Al Arz and Soom are made in Israel from Ethiopian grown sesame seeds. I haven't tried Al Arz, but Soom is delicious. And it is never hard to stir.

@FrogPrincesse's idea of citrus curd is a good one, and way less labor intensive than marmalade. I love it on toast for breakfast and there are plenty of tarts etc that use it liberally.

Although peel or shredded zest add flavor and texture to marmalade, as long as you use seeds to set up the end result, you could most likely make a good spread without the peel. I've never done that, but it's maybe worth a try. You can use up lbs of citrus to make a few jars of marmalade. Just curious, why has this fruit already been zested?

Maybe start cooking with the pan by doing shallow fry in oil. For my first efforts with my new carbon steel pan I made some vegetable fritters and then some shrimp cakes and it was a breeze. I haven't cooked eggs in it yet because making two eggs in a 12 inch pan seems silly, One of the surprise bonuses of the pan is that I get to watch my husband swoon over it. Wife number 2: never cranky!

This piece from Eater pretty much sums up how we on the west coast feel about ramps. For two or three weeks a year we have to listen to east coasters ranting on about these over-picked and over priced alliums. I've eaten them. They are delicious on a pizza. Every year I look forward to the end of ramp season. . https://www.eater.com/23706623/ramps-seasonality-overrated-wild-leek-garlic

The 12 inch Made In carbon steel pan from Amazon sells for $129. I'm sure you will love yours! The cooking show host Jamie Tracy, who calls himself the Anti Chef must have a contract with Made In. All the pieces look great.

If you are looking for a large carbon steel skillet this one is great. The price changes, although I am not sure how often. Two days ago it was $27. That's the price I got it for a couple of months ago. Today it's $35, which is still not a bad deal for this kind of pan. Worth watching. I love this pan. It needed virtually no further seasoning and nothing sticks to it. I have another carbon steel pan and it only gets better after 20 years. https://www.amazon.com/Merten-Storck-Carbon-Frying-12-Inch/dp/B08CZWT4XD/

No idea but maybe. I have to tell you I just heard his voice. Eerie!

That's exactly what my long-departed dad would say.

For my last meal before heading home to CA we went out to Lee's Bakery on Buford H'way, which is essentially one very long stretch of ethnic strip mall food, including many Vietnamese. joints. Lee's makes excellent banh mi. They bake their own rolls. I was hoping to score an egg coffee, but they didn't make them, so I settled for Vietnamese iced coffee. In Oakland we used to get Viet coffee served dripping in a glass onto the sweetened condensed milk. About halfway through your meal all the coffee would be dripped. You stir it up together and then a second glass is provided with ice and you pour the coffee mix over the ice. Lately I 've noticed very few places do it that way any more, they just bring you a pre-mixed drink. Too bad. The other way is more fun to wait for and the coffee is always freshly brewed. Our next meal will be dinner on the plane. If inedible as usual, you won't hear it from me. My opinion, not shaken in years, is that the best meal on a plane is the PB &J sandwich that you make yourself at you place of origin and which sits in your backpack for at least six hours until you are starving. My next trip to Asheville and Atlanta won't be until October. If @gulfporterand any other birders are interested I saw two new birds to add to my list, both on Edisto Island: Laughing gulls and Boat-tailed grackles, both probably common on the east coast, but not on the west coast. Here in Decatur and all over the island the cardinals are screaming for their girlfriends, loud and louder. Sadly, my eyesight isn't what it used to be, so major birding in the Carolinas and GA is no longer happening. On the beaches on Edisto there were large flocks of pelicans flying back and forth all the time. So lovely. I did learn one maybe useful fact about South Carolina wildlife, the difference between a Coral snake and a King snake. If red is next to yellow, it's a deadly fellow. If red is next to black you're all right, Jack.

They are different species.

Blinded by the light I am. My grandgirls would think it was the second coming.

Shout out to Gene's BBQ in Atlanta. The best way to describe this place is a bar with a kid's menu. It isn't really a BBQ joint as I think of one, but sort of an Asian/BBQ fusion dive. The atmosphere was warm and friendly with a ceiling full of string lights. The martini was decent, my blue crab claws were pretty good in some variation of an Asian sauce. My son-in-law, a brisket lover, declared his brisket to be very good. The twins were happy with their mac n cheese and thrilled with their dessert which was really just a pineapple coconut smoothie that was deceptively delicious and which we all agreed might be good with a splash of rum. The surprising star was the banh mi with charred crackly sort-of- barbecued pork, proper pickled vegetables in a Viet roll. Highly recommended as a great place for families. Oh, and I don't want to forget the fact that the girls found a basket of free lollipops soon after we walked in and that kept them busy until the food arrived. What's not to love? As always by the end of our visits, my husband and I are fried and no longer in the mood to cook, and also as usual, the new crop of mosquitoes has dined out ON ME, so I'm over eating al fresco at dusk. Another few meals and we are headed home.