Darienne

Absolutely mind blowing.

Busy with lollipops again. This time for the local Turtle Trauma Centre which rescues and saves injured turtles. Like all non-profit organizations, they need funds, so I thought this might be a good way to help. Ed made the molds for me and today...after so many incredibly hot and humid days...the first batch was made.

Ice pops..well in my world anyway. And not your boring, sugary, Kool-Aid North American ice pops, but fruity, complex, interesting, textured, etc ice pops from India, Mexico, Central and South America, and so on.

Great writing. Great photos. I loved the photo of the Lobster Bar...it looked like a jewellery (Canadian and Australian spelling? Canadian anyway) counter. And your fridge is a hoot. And your partner is a living breathing angel. Mine waits in the car, listening to the radio mostly and making sure the dogs are OK. Can't complain. Coffee in bed every morning at 6:30 am makes up for a lot! Good blog. Carry on...

First fresh corn today. Only in grocery stores so far in our area. Not the best...but also not the worst. Loved it anyhow.

Yummm. Thanks, Andie. This woman cannot have too many eggplants. (Actually we had Szechuan Eggplant as one of the lunch dishes.)

I LOVE eggplants and make cutlets for moussaka and parmiagano, and I roast them in Ratatouille and I also make marinated eggplants as a salad side dish. And Szechuan eggplant. However, if I were you, I would give them to an eggplant loving friend and be done with it. I always peel mine except for cutlets. DH does not like the peel.

Gosh, I never think of taking photos at meals. Lunch is our dinner and we eat our most photographic meal then. Today was Puerco Pibil with Creamed Poblano Rajas. Dessert was Paletas de Coco Rapidas. Yummy. Puerco Pibil recipe is from Roberto Rodriguez and Paletas from Fany Gerson, Paletas.

Your friend obviously planted her seeds from you in good time. I have a friend nearby and when I last saw her plants in June, they were way ahead of mine. Next year I'll get it straight. Our south face is our front yard. And I have to put all plants outside the fenced in yard. Our male Rotti will water anything which stands up more than 2". Unless I can put the plants high enough to discourage him. Bought the two pups a wading pool which they think is a great huge drinking bowl even while visiting dogs cavort in it. Next year it becomes a plant container and maybe I could put it up on blocks on a piece of plywood.

Thanks both Andie and PanaCan. I have a few tomatillos which fit into Andie's category The plugs were planted late and furthermore in two batches. Still I am faithfully watering them every night and watching them grow. They are doing pretty well, but then it's been hot for days, which is unusual, with more to come. They are probably sufficiently confused to think that they are living in a more southerly growing zone.

Great finding this topic. I am making my first raspberry liqueur following a recipe in an 80s book. It does call for a pinch of tarragon or cloves and seeing as I don't have tarragon and couldn't find the cloves the other day when I was looking for it, I guess the only addition to the mix was lime or lemon zest. I forgot to write down which zest I used and now I can't remember. And vodka. It has now sat for one month and the recipe calls for three months of steeping before the sugar is added. Then it sits for 3 weeks. Oh well, it's just the first try. We live in hope. Oh, used fresh-picked raspberries.

How does one know when the tomatillos are ready to harvest? Thanks.

Never even heard of such a thing. Give us at least a hint of where you live, please.

Received my copy of Fany Gerson's Paletas and made my first paletas: "paletas de coco rapidas" . A bit soft...new to us freezer may be able to be adjusted...a bit too sweet for me...I'm not much for sweet, my DH is not too much for tangy...I like lime: he likes sweet cream. However, still delicious. It's a very sweet, creamy pop. Contains coconut milk, condensed milk, & half and half. No water or juice. Might explain why it is so sweet and not frozen very hard. Next I'll try the lime which is condensed, half& half, but with a good wallop of lime juice too. Should freeze more solidly.

First popsicles from Paletas : Paletas de coco rapidas (Quick Coconut Ice Pops). Delicious. They are a bit soft I think. I'll see if this freezer (new to us) can be made colder. Also it's very, very hot and very, very humid. My mold produces very small pops. I might consider getting some larger ones. The little ones are good for boozy ones I think (yet to be made). ( I am no photographer and I don't have a macro lens [i think}) Think I'll try the Lior's "Pom/Vodka" ones next. Two of my favorite health beverages.

That ice cream sounds very unusual. Was the flavor intense? How did you estimate how much candy to use? Welcome to eGullet, Carro-atyoursenses.

One more for us: Fany Gerson. Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice & Aguas Frescas.

Looks delicious. And you said: "I think with my taste to day, I would go with unsweetened coconut in the topping". Interesting thought. Could start a topic about whose taste has changed in which way. Using less sugar in recipes? Less salt? Less butter? chocolate of a higher percentage cacao?

Thanks Peter. Looked Honibe up online and see that I can buy them at our local bulk food store. Will get some this week to try. They might well make a nice little gift for American friends who are saying...well, what can you bring that's Canadian?

Found your recipe for Colada Morada on your blog but don't think it's going to happen here. Interesting tho... As for Canadian prices for liquor...no one outside of Canada can believe them. I can't figure out how anyone could afford to be an alcoholic in this country. Look forward to reading about your honey-walnut nougat event. My confectionery partner, Barbara, and I have made mostly Montelimar nougat from Greweling's Chocolates & Confections. Love it. ps. We do have one large liquor store in Peterborough and shall buy a bottle of Leblon Cachaca post haste. Thanks, Tri2Cook.

Love your stories, your writing style, your attitudes (except that I am very old and uncomfortable with excessive profanity [which you are going to eschew for eG]), and as for your being the king of the ellipsis...I have long been the queen of said. We also stop at Wall Drug each time through. And we met in a closet 54 years ago. And rescue Rotties.

Just received your post, PanaCan. Could not access eGullet last night at all. Had already looked up Naranjilla & Lulo...but then you got me again with Cachaca and Colada Morada. Googled both of them and am up to speed again. I've never seen Cachaca in the liquor store, but then I've never looked, and if it's available in Ontario, it might just be limited to cities like Toronto. Peterpatch (Peterborough, as it is lovingly called) is a rather provincial city and you often can't find things in it that you can find in Toronto...but then you don't have to live in Toronto either. ps. Don't often find guavas either and the cost might be prohibitive. Our daughter, who lives in Toronto, brought me a Dragon fruit last weekend ($2.00 in Chinatown) and I bought one once in Peterpatch ($5). pps. Looked up Cachaca in the Ontario Liquor board products. Found 7, all from Brazil. Looked up only the top listed one. "Not available in Peterborough.:

Thanks for the recipe, Paul. I am ready to give it a go. As to not being able to access the 'link' function...I was unable to even access eG as of yesterday afternoon.)

I can't help you with information, Kim, but I do love that pitcher! So wonderful to inherit all these pieces when you are sufficiently established that you want them, can hang on to them, can appreciate them. If only I had known then what I know now... Wonderful trove.

What on earth did we do before Google? Dear PanaCan, never assume that I know what any ingredient is. I do have two young Calamansi(Kalamansi, Calamondin, Kalamondin...etc) and if I live long enough to have fruit, I'll definitely make Chocotejas with them. Have you tried making these candies?