Katie Meadow

I didn't know pizza had an underskirt. A bit of char is so sexy.

Much to my own surprise it was very good. My husband, nephew and his wife all thought it was great. I briefly sautéed the corn with garlic and cilantro and some roasted poblanos. The recipe called for candied jalapeños. I made them the day before, but they turned out to be of such high heat that I decided against using them. To compensate for the pickling part, I added a little japanese pickle to the corn. The zucchini was sliced in wide thin ribbons USING A CHEESE SLICER NOT A MANDOLINE and sautéed in a little olive oil until the edges were a bit crispy. When building, half the pizza had a modest coat of tomato sauce and the other half was simply brushed with olive oil. The mozz went on first, then the zukes, then the corn. It really was quite tasty. You could call it South of the Border Flatbread if the idea of corn pizza is disturbing. One thing that interfered with my ability to assess the final result was that I couldn't see it. We are having a freaky hot spell here in the bay area so we ate outside (lovely!) By the time my husband brought the corn pizza out it was pretty dark. I am one of those people who likes to see my food, and a couple of atmospheric candles don't cut it. But even the most skeptical of the four of us (me) thought it was yummy. Of course I am a person who is not to be trusted. Although I am mostly a pizza traditionalist and minimalist, I do have my quirks: I really like pineapple on pizza, with or without ham.

In my experience most cuts labeled "beef for stew" make a decent broth, but oxtails make a broth with more depth of flavor and even texture. And in addition, oxtail meat seems more tender and more tasty after two hours or so of cooking than many other so called "stewing" beef cuts. If only cows had more than one tail each. Surely it would help them swat flies.

You are an amazing brave soul. I hope you get to take a day off. Read a novel. Scramble some eggs. If you must use some herbs cut them with a scissors. Everything you bake is extraordinary.

Yah, thanks for reinforcing what a bad idea this is. The zukes have been ribboned, salted and patted dry, then fried so the edges are a bit crispy. I don't think they will be too wet. I'm more worried they will be burnt. Sorry to hear that the Chinese love corn on every pizza. That I would never have guessed. You will all be happy to know that the other pizzas are tomato and radicchio. Both my husband and my nephew are vacuum cleaners and will eat it all. The reason for all this is that one out of four people are in need of pizza with no tomato sauce or cut tomato. There will be plenty of cocktails and wine, and home made peach buttermilk sorbet for desert, which I have already started in on before dinner. Cheers!

I could be wrong, but I think Hatch chiles really refer to terroir, as in that was originally a designation for a type of hot green chile that was grown in Hatch NM. The area now grows a variety of peppers, including Big Jim, which did not exist in the sixties and early seventies when I lived there. I've had Big Jims, and they seem to be generally a less hot long green chile; batches of Big Jim in the past have often varied greatly pepper to pepper, some being hot, many often not. True Hatch were reliably scorching in my memory. Of course there were plenty of long green chiles grown in the southwest that were less hot than the famous Hatch. It was a rude awakening for me when I moved from NM to CA. There were tasteless Anaheims and mild jalapeños; it was hard to get a really hot green chile pepper. Now there are some vendors at local farmers' markets that sell reasonably hot poblanos. For a while I was missing hot chiles so much that I ordered bushels of Hatch chiles from NM. Eventually the cost of shipping became outrageous, and often I was sent a mix of Big Jims which didn't thrill me. Left on the vine to turn red, most chiles in NM are then dried. The varieties of red peppers that get dried are numerous around the world. I have never seen a dried red pepper labeled specifically as Hatch, although I'm sure it can be done. I don't remember seeing any fresh long red peppers very often when I lived there. Maybe demand is changing that. In the last few years a couple of vendors here have been selling fresh Espelette peppers, which are a long red pepper and quite hot. They have a different flavor entirely, being, I believe, originally from the Basque country. If you ordered a bowl of red chile in NM you were getting a soup made from dried red chiles, rehydrated into a slurry or a sauce, mixed in some fashion with a meat or chicken broth or water. If you ordered a bowl of green in late summer or early fall you were most likely getting fresh green chiles added to or cooked with the broth. If you ordered it in the winter or spring the green chiles were frozen.As noted by many they freeze quite well, and are typically roasted before freezing. Some people freeze them whole, still unpeeled. I always freeze mine after peeling. Iowa Dee, I just read your latest post. You must be getting some unusual Anaheims, because in my experience a true Hatch and an Anaheim are as different as night and day. As for growing poblanos and leaving them on the vine to ripen to red, I'm sure they would be delicious, especially if they had some heat.

Okay, not ordinarily something I would do, but for various reasons I am making a corn and zucchini pizza. There are recipes scattered about for such a thing. Almost all suggest a pre-cook for the zucchini or summer squash. About half the recipes pre-grill the corn before cutting the kernels from the cob and then topping the pizza. Many recipes just tell you to put raw kernels on the pizza. What would you do? I can pre-cook the corn kernels (no grill these days) but do I need to?

For a middle-eastern twist on Shelby's venison-zucchini meatballs, Ottolenghi has a recipe on his site for turkey-zucchini meatballs with a sumac/yogurt sauce. I am not a huge ground turkey fan, nor do I often have zucchini hanging around in the fridge, but this sounds like a good way to juice up meatballs made with lean meats. This evening I am making a pizza that I normally wouldn't make, but this one fits the bill, since all the ingredients are locally at peak right now and I am currently tomato challenged and need one "white" pizza. It's called "Corn Zucchini and Candied Jalapeño Pizza." Go figure. My husband makes a great crust and I have some beautiful fresh mozz so it can't be too bad, right? I am using a zucchini and one yellow summer squash and probably will sub out the jalapeños for poblanos that I roasted the other day, although candied jalapeños does have a nice ring to it.

I have never heard of a California style burrito, nor have I ever heard of a flour tortilla wrapped around french fries. I lived in New Mexico for many years, and have spent the last 40 years or so in CA. I can imagine a lot of different ways to stuff a burrito, but that isn't one of them. It will be a cold day in hell when I eat a Poutine Burrito. However I realize there are a lot of weird deep fried fads and wouldn't be too surprised to discover that someone is planning to outfit a truck to sell "Hamburger and Fries Burritos." Hope there aren't too many Generation Z's (or Canadians) that I have just insulted. I mean no harm!

Making really good chiles rellenos is not easy. I never heard of stuffing after frying--how would you get the cheese to melt? Since you are doing a twice-cooking of a fairly delicate vegetable and need it to retain structure, a few things can help. The reason to use poblanos and not other chiles is, of course, because they have thicker flesh to begin with. Pick peppers that are structurally sound and flattish or blade shaped and seem hefty. Also they should have strong stems long enough to grab. Roast the chiles as quickly as possible, so the skin chars and lends itself to easy peeling but so the flesh doesn't overcook or lose shape. Use a cheese that melts well and fast. I learned to slit the chiles after peeling, then stuff before dipping into batter and frying. You can use a grapefruit spoon or needle nose scissors to get out the main seed cluster. Since poblanos are typically not overly hot, I wouldn't worry too much about scraping out every last seed. The less fussing the better. Another possible technique is to slit and seed before roasting. It is possible that this affects the roasting and makes the flesh more susceptible to overcooking on this first pass, but you might have to experiment to see which works best for you. It would certainly be easier to get the seeds out without causing tearing. That said, I admit that I never really mastered this dish and gave up before practice made perfect.

I'm still making my Greeks the way I remember them in Greece. Since that was more than thirty years ago I don't know if my salads have morphed or not, but they are pretty basic. I cut up cukes and tomatoes (bite size wedges, not little dice) and mix them into individual bowls. I sprinkle on some salt, toss gently, and let sit fifteen minutes or so. This starts a nice puddle of juice at the bottom. Of course it is predicated on having nice ripe summer tomatoes. Then I add a bit of very finely shaved red onion. Radishes, maybe, if I have them. Sometimes I add a dusting of dry oregano, sometimes not. I spritz on just a wee bit of lemon juice and a good drizzle of olive oil. Then I add French Feta, which I find to be creamier than most others, and less salty. The salad gets topped with Kalamatas or some other good quality black olives. That's it. Eat with fresh baguette and sop of every drop of juice. Green bell pepper? That's just wrong.

I'm not allergic to bananas but I really can't abide them in smoothies. They make every smoothie taste the same, at least to me. If you want to boost the thickness factor try adding some mango. Even with the addition of coconut milk or dairy the only way to unthicken a mango smoothie is to use a lot of orange juice. Fresh pineapple seems to keep the gloopiness factor down as well. Maybe mango fibre doesn't break down easily--no idea. A good flavor addition to a mango smoothie is a few drops of almond extract. Very tasty!

When I lived in New Mexico in the 60's and 70's oxtails were perfect if you wanted to make a green chile with beef instead of pork. Oxtails make such a rich broth all you needed in addition was an onion, some roasted Hatch chiles, and a few potatoes and you had the best Bowl of Green. But the price is so discouraging now I rarely buy them. Oxtails also contribute to a fabulous pho broth, which I haven't made in a few years either. Sounds awfully good, though, and winter is coming. Well, not for a few months yet here in the Bay Area. Although hundred degree weather never stopped any New Mexican from diving into a bowl of chile, especially this time of year when the harvest was in full swing. Yum. Truth to tell I don't think I could handle the heat levels I used to routinely tolerate in green chile.

I think you can make yourself sick with either coke or mentos, you don't even need to eat them together. But it probably helps.

In my experience Fiore Sardo is a very available cheese across the US. I buy it here in the East Bay and have bought it in Walla Walla, WA, New Mexico and New York. I've always found it to be a reliable cheese when traveling, not only because it is easy to find but also because it stands up well on car trips. If you can't buy it in NJ you can certainly order it from Murray's in NYC. I admit I've never paid any attention to the season but it seems like it is always around. Am I missing something?

Well, the eggs look good.....

Most stir-fry recipes for beef have always suggested using flank steak. Call me crazy, but in the past I cooked with flank steak, cut thin against the grain and it used to work well. But the last few years I've been unimpressed with what is being sold as flank steak. It doesn't have much flavor and it is tough. In my experience. As some have suggested above, marinating helps flavor but doesn't noticeably tenderize. I don't eat much beef, but on the rare occasions I crave beef for stir-fry, I now buy something a bit more pricy and marbled than flank with better results. Skirt steak has not impressed me either. It's a mystery whether the meat sold these days is poor quality or I just have become fussier.

North of Bend and Round the Bend This thread is toast, Long may it lie. From the ashes a ghost On white or rye, For what is dead may never die. My way north I make to see the eclipse What shall I take? Do you have any tips? Dragon glass for road rage and an ice chest of ale, a portable potty from an Amazon sale. A serrated bread knife of Valyrian steel, a home made loaf to keep it real. Tart raspberry jam and crunchy PB to spread, and maybe a little something to feed my head. Or not. I think I'm pretty much cooked already.

Only last week I said to the host of a cocktail party,"You call this ice?"

I've been craving grandchildren.

Plastic wrap remains one of the most useful, frustrating and wasteful of all inventions. Seventy five percent of it either clings only to itself, or it won't cut cleanly on the provided serrated edge, or it is too flimsy, etc. I have it, and try to use as little as possible. I also don't like putting mixing or utility or other types of bowls in the fridge w/leftovers, since they are inefficiently shaped for storage plus it is a guarantee that I will need the very one in use the next day for something. The Viancin covers are fabulous inventions, especially to impress your friends (look at this!) but they are designed to stick out over the edges of a bowl and take up space that wayI have a few of them too, and don't use them as often as I should for one reason or another. The most useful storage containers for me are rectangular plastic containers of varying depth with good fitting lids that can be stacked if necessary in the fridge. The greatest challenge in kitchen protection or transport: wooden salad bowls. Wooden bowls should come with some kind of snap-on top that includes a wooded serving utensil that clips on to the lid. Excellent solution for taking something to a pot-luck or as a contribution to a dinner. No one would accidentally take the lid and you have a fighting chance of keeping the serving spoon. That is, if the party guests notice just how clever by half it really is. Oh, I just finished reading a page-turner called The Marsh King's Daughter, which takes place partly in the area near the falls on the Upper Peninsula. Looking at the map I was surprised to see how close Manitoulin is to the UP. Good grief, there is no end to my geographic challenges as well.

Ordinarily I would have recommended pulling the covers up and staying in bed all day, but that corn soup sounds excellent. I'm off to the farmers' market this morning. What do I need besides corn and peppers? How long do you cook the cobs for the stock? The corn has been very good so far this year and today it is foggy and cool here in the East Bay. Cheers! I'm following your progress. Where does the smokiness come in?

Serves me right for looking. That crust-free flying saucer of molded white bread reminds me of watching nervous people play with Wonderbread, rolling it into little balls, etc. Toward the center there must be an ungodly amount of filling.

Oh, if only I hadn't eloped 30 years ago! But I was so young (40) and didn't weigh in the registry factor as part of the deal and we just couldn't handle the idea of planning a wedding. My mother never even offered me her wedding china, which was Spode and rather sweet. I think she assumed it wasn't my taste (maybe true, but really mom, adjustments can be made and you could have asked) but she got rid of it when her marriage went south and she moved into a small apartment. I collected a strange assortment of Harlequin pieces at flea markets during my twenties and thirties, so I used those for a while, but they weren't very coherent. We used a mishmash of stuff for years. Then we acquired my MIL's cache of family dinnerware: a motherlode really, one incomplete set of Limoges, that was then added to by her mother with a set of Wedgwood which clearly was meant to match but didn't, plus a load of assorted Irish crystal glasses, dessert cups etc. All of it very minimalist and lovely and barely used, all with modest gold rims that necessitated hand washing. I use them for special occasions and it is rare that anyone notices how different the two sets really are. The Limoges is delicate and lightweight, the Wedgwood has an ivory rim and is built clearly to survive the Titanic. Since we really do eat just about every meal at home, our dishes take a lot of abuse. Several years ago we sprang for a set of restaurant supply, a dozen of everything. It is plain white, heavy, seems practically unbreakable. We bought it because we were actually buying a large number of sets for the family beach house and the price was great. And now I know that if I break one of ours I can just steal one from the beach house and no one will be the wiser. If the kitchen floor was wood instead of ceramic perhaps that would give it a fighting chance when dropped from counter height. I'm hoping this stuff lasts the rest of our lives, but in my next life I am going to register at Heath Ceramics.

I thought about the Instant Pot for a few instants, but then my husband got excited about the Cuisinart Ice-70 2 qt ice cream maker, so we got that Prime deal. We have an old model that takes up more space and is kinda slow, plus this one has 3 speed buttons for different treats. The only negative comments about it are about the noise, but it can't possibly be noisier than our old one. I also scored big on something else, but it isn't kitchen related. What a racket, engineered to hook you.