Katie Meadow

A. Assorted organ meats with accompanying pictures of the animals B. Tilapia on a bed of sand C. Vegetarian Meatloaf D. Savory King Cake E. Six live jumbo crawfish and a candle F. Foam

The first time we were in the south I learned that a side of cooked apples was common. Mostly they were bland and too soft, but once in a while they were cut in proper wedges and sautéed in butter until....well, until they were cooked right. Awfully good with ham. Also probably nice alongside green beans, perfectly cooked of course, or long-cooked southern style with bacon and simmered in ham broth. It's clearly time to get out of bed and go down for breakfast. Waiting for me is press-pot coffee with chicory. Not waiting for me is warm apple pie, which is really sad.

Perfectly cooked is only half the trick. Note that Jacques tosses off the words "fresh from the garden" as if we all have our plot just outside the kitchen screen door. Getting fresh tender and tasty beans is at least half the battle. Mediocre beans do better the long-cooked southern way with something porky and ripe tomatoes. One thing I didn't know: beans no longer have strings. No wonder my husband is so fast at string bean prep.

Sorry, but after seeing Alex the therapy bunny who went to the Giants game a few days ago I've sworn off rabbit. If you haven't seen pix yet I'm sure it's all over the place by now.

It is quite possible that some of us smell the fish while others do not, just a genetic thing like asparagus pee or cilantro tasting like soap.

Okay, the whole thing about the menus without prices is pretty silly. I would not have guessed that still happens when there isn't a clear host, but what do I know? I don't dine in clubs or anywhere that might still be a thing. If you want to talk sexism in dining and restaurant life there are far more egregious crimes.

Lobster is usually a safe bet, no?

I guess I like the taste of peanut oil, so I use it for high heat stir-fry. But I don't consider Peanut oil a neutral oil, it definitely has flavor. For high heat cooking minus the peanut oil flavor I think Rice Bran Oil is a good choice. You could read about the pros and cons of the multitude of oils until your eyes cross. I suspect that there are many people who use canola oil because it is very high in omega 3's. But it does have other negative qualities, even aside from the fishy taste that only some of us detect. If you want a good source of omega3's snack on walnuts.

If I was to go out and actually purchase Velveeta, which I haven't done for forty or so years, I would feel guilty. But if someone served me tortilla chips with melted Velveeta hot from the oven topped with a pickled jalapeño I would eat it without guilt. After all, I didn't do it. Eating beef makes me feel guilty. I do it a couple times a year.

Canola oil is a mystery to me. Just a quick search on Google confirms that I am by no means the only person to whom canola oil smells fishy. Some say they only detect the fishy smell when it is heated, but I can smell it in the bottle. I never have it in the house. If I want a neutral oil I use Sunflower. I also keep grapeseed oil on hand, but use it mainly in sweet baked things that call for oil instead of butter. So maybe Eric Ripert himself smells like fish and the scent of the canola oil is too subtle for him.

I adore a good yellow watermelon. Don't you think it has a slightly vegetal quality? Hard to describe. I'm convinced the ones with seeds are better than seedless. But I think that's true of all watermelon. Looking forward to the season here in northern CA. I will be in Atlanta in June and I wonder if yellow watermelon is popular there. I'm looking forward to everything but the flight, that dreadful airport and the weather.

I went through a Duralex phase. It seemed romantic. French picnic! But my husband never took to it. He prefers to take his chances with stemmed wine glasses; one particularly weird event involving two stemmed wineglasses included a trip to the ER. I discovered the best solution was simply Ikea generic stemmed glasses. If one breaks it isn't sad, and every so often you can go back to Ikea for another six-pack. The decline of dinner parties at our house has resulted in a pretty stable collection of wine glasses.

Ooh, lovely. Happy Birthday (not).

Okay, so now I have to know: what does SE do? What do you mean by animate objects? Is she a veterinarian? A therapist? A cat wrangler? Only after I left NY for less insular territory did I learn that cutting bagels in half horizontally is considered a dangerous operation I hope my confidence doesn't get shaken now that I've learned there's such a thing as a left-handed bread knife, because I'm pretty sure I don't have one.

If it was the second mai tai I get it. If it was the first, you have my sympathy. Doesn't Baccarat make a sippy cup?

I say you're good as long as SE can cut a bagel in half.

I'm a southpaw. and although I do have a few right handed skills, working with a sharp knife isn't one of them. The worst offender in anyone else's kitchen is a right handed soup ladle. All ladles should be made double-spouted. So obvious.

@weinoothat doesn't sound fun at all. What exactly was the cause of the problem? Okay, so here's how I cope: I make my husband do everything. In the case of an injury to my dominant hand, that would mean a lot of takeout.

This is a great recipe to be served along with Greek spreads or whenever; it's a bit chunkier than most spreads, so it also works served as a mound of salad. Great with fresh baguette or plain crackers. I like it best warm. GREEK LENTIL MEZZE ¾ c small French lentils (Le Puy) 1-2 small zukes, quartered and sliced 1 small onion 1 skinned tomato, minced 3 leeks, greener parts only in ¾ in pieces ¼ c mixed roasted peppers, diced 1 medium carrot, finely diced salt and pepper 1-2 cloves minced garlic vinegar Rinse lentils. Pour over boiling water and let sit 15 min. Drain, add lentils to a small saucepan, cover w/an inch of water and simmer 10 min. Set aside for a few minutes. Drain and reserve ¼ c liquor. In a sauté pan stew onion in generous amount olive oil over very low flame, 5 min. Add leeks, cook another 5-8 min, mostly covered. Add garlic and carrot, continue to stew another 5 min. Add zukes, cook a few min. Add tomato, peppers, salt and black pepper. Stew 5 more min. Add back in drained lentils and a small amount of liquor. Add some more olive oil as necessary and a splash of vinegar to taste. Cook a few min more and remove from heat. When almost cooled taste for salt and oil, add as necessary.

Did you already get your shad? I'm so envious! @MokaPot yes it is boney; a total pain. That's why you want it boned by the fishmonger.

Good luck with the search. Given your local resources I'm surprised it is so elusive. Maybe everyone hates boning it? I don't have a ghost of a chance, here in CA. Shad is so delicious.

Why don't you just go back to bed and keep dreaming? I have enough to worry about without currant anxiety.

How timely--we made granola this morning. As far as I know no two granola recipes will be alike. When it comes to oil, I prefer a neutral oil, either Sunflower or Grapeseed, both of which are always on hand. I assume that everyone customizes their granola according to what they personally like. I hate raisins, so I use a mix of currants and chopped dried cherries. As mentioned above, the fruit gets mixed in after the granola comes out of the oven, so it dries out just a teeny bit from the residual heat as the granola cools. Some things I hate in granola besides raisins: dried blueberries or strawberries, cinnamon and maple syrup. Cinnamon is for toast and rice pudding. Maple is for pancakes. The only unusual addition in my granola is two tablespoons of pomegranate molasses mixed into a combination of honey and Steens. It does affect the taste, but it is very subtle zing, and I'm sure no one would guess it was in there as part of the sweetener.

Your Neanderthal sisters were painting with tinted mammoth fat. What they didn't use to make paint went into the mince pies.

Okay, that recipe. The good news: there is only 1/4 cup of raisins, so they could easily be eliminated and the currants increased. The very bad news: the recipe calls for 2 cups of suet...AND THAT'S JUST IN THE FILLING! Clearly the brandy needs an upward adjustment. London at xmas does have its charms, so I will reconsider.