DanM

This Sunday will be the first week of the regular farmer's market. The winter's farmers market has been running since February... outdoors! I can't wait for real veg again. Dan

I used to live not far from the Weber factory and have seen the ranch kettle in person. It is well built and very impressive. You will not be disappointed with it! IIRC, they use them in their Weber Grill restaurants. Dan

Here are the winners for this year. Any thoughts? Cookbook of the Year Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy by Diana Kennedy (University of Texas Press) American Cooking Pig: King of the Southern Table by James Villas (John Wiley & Sons) Baking and Dessert Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours by Kim Boyce (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) Beverage Secrets of the Sommeliers: How to Think and Drink Like the World’s Top Wine Professionals by Jordan Mackay and Rajat Parr (Ten Speed Press) Cooking from a Professional Point of View Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine by René Redzepi (Phaidon Press) General Cooking The Essential New York Times Cook Book: Classic Recipes for a New Century by Amanda Hesser (W.W. Norton & Company) Healthy Focus The Simple Art of EatingWell Cookbook by Jessie Price & the EatingWell Test Kitchen (The Countryman Press) International Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories by Grace Young (Simon & Schuster) Photography Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine Photographer: Ditte Isager (Phaidon Press) Reference and Scholarship Salted: A Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral, with Recipes by Mark Bitterman (Ten Speed Press) Single Subj ect Meat: A Kitchen Education by James Peterson (Ten Speed Press) Writing and Literature Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food by Paul Greenberg (The Penguin Press)

Given the current heat, chocolate mint ice cream. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/05/mint-chip-ice-cream-recipe-chocolate/ Dan

Trader Joes has a raspberry, lemon, and strawberry frozen fruit bar that works wonders on the hot days we have had. The lemon section is tart, which balances the sweeter berries very nicely. Dan

A waiter brought one to our table once. I responded by saying "Why, did the chef screw up when seasoning the dish?" He just walked away... Dan

I believe Rick Bayles described the seasoning packet and corn shell taco as "catfood on soggy cardboard" in one of his cookbooks. When we need dirt simple and quick tacos, we use the zucchini taco recipe in Mexican Everyday. Dan

Bump! I have a nasty repository infection that has left my throat raw and my voice gone. My wife has occasionally asked me to shut my yap... Happy anniversary love, you got what you wanted! I am sure there are some who wish I had a finger infection as well and could not type... but lets not go there. One of the few things that sounds good right now is a cold, soothing milkshake. Later on, we will be heading out to Trader Joes to pick a quart of vanilla (with real vanilla!) and coffee bean ice cream, some milk, and maybe another bottle of midnight moo. One great thing about Trader Joes is that a quart of ice cream still has 32oz and pints still have 16oz... Other ideas... I still have some peanut flour in the cabinet and several U-Bet syrups from Passover (which has real sugar, not corn syrup). Strawberry picking is in a couple of weeks, so that will be fun to throw in. And yes... malted milk is in the cabinet ready to go. Anyone else in the mood for a milkshake? Dan Kriek lambic milkshake? hmmm... maybe when my throat gets better.

I wonder what would happen if you tried the cajeta approach. Simply mix with sugar and baking soda and cook down at low heat. After about 1-2 hours, you have a thick, tasty caramel on your hands! Dan

Regarding plastic containers... my local independent grocer clearly posts at the self service peanut butter machine that additional deli containers cost 10c for small and 15c for large. So that is clearly an expense of the business.

If the wait staff does not resolve issues with a meal, or are the issue with a meal, I will write a detailed, polite email to the manager or owner describing our disappointing dinner. I quite often receive equally polite emails back, often with an offer for a free meal we stop by. Mistakes happen, its how you deal with them that matters. Dan

When the key falls off the can, I place the lid in the tines of a fork and pry it off. It works 85% of the time. Why can't products like chipotle chiles and tomato paste come in small jars that can be sealed after the first use? How many of us have thrown out 1/2 cans of dried out tomato paste?

I have a 15 month old who goes between very adventurous and very picky. If we go out to eat, she is more than happy to eat off our plate, including sushi, idli & mild curries, guacamole, etc... I can understand the need for hot dogs and chicken nuggets on kids menu for very picky kids, but don't understand when that is the only thing on the kids menu. Dumbing down food for kids is a personal pet peeve. River Cottage has a new book about feeding babies and toddlers. This book peaked me interest when recipes for pea risotto, mackerel pate, and rhubarb crumble are listed in the book's description on Amazon. Not exactly what I would call simple food for toddlers. It is on the top of my buy list and should be an interesting read.

In Ad Hoc at Home, Thomas Keller says that canola is his general purpose oil because it is inexpensive and neutral in flavor. I buy expeller pressed canola at Trader Joes and have never had a problem with it. I wonder if some of the problems also come from how it is produced, expeller or otherwise.

We are finally getting rid of our old trash can. I was wondering if there is a benefit for stainless steel over plastic. Simple human's black plastic can is $40 vs $150 for the stainless steel model. Dan

This past weekend was the plant sale at the local organic farm. We picked up several unique heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, eggplants, tomatillos, okra, butternut sqash, baby bell peppers, and a few herbs. We also picked up a Wapsiphcon tomato plant at the farmer's market. Its supposed to put out small fruit that are fuzzy like a peach. Unfortunately, I need to hire someone to do the gruntwork as I cannot lift anything over 5 lbs until the end of the month.

Just a follow up on my previous post... Here are the lids I was referring to...

I have seen replacement lids from Ball to replace the band and disc lid on open jars. I'm sure they are on Amazon if you search for them.

Lately I have been snacking too much of sourdough hard pretzels from Trader Joes. I have quit this nasty habit cold turkey.

I'll bite. This past weekend we went to the farmer's market and purchased pak choi, ramps ($4 per bunch), two heads of butter lettuce, salad turnips ($2 per bunch), French breakfast radishes ($3 bunch). The radishes and salad turnips also have some beautiful greens.

I made a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread with copious amounts of nose tingling strong cinnamon. This loaf is not for the faint of heart!

Well, it's certainly an excuse to talk about one's child, isn't it? Maybe he wants to do just that. Personally, I don't see how a 1-year old can be affected adversely by simply being in a liquor store, but perhaps DanM's child is more susceptible to outside forces than other children. And two questions to DanM--you wrote Why don't you ask her why she was concerned? He's 1-year old--just how deep do you think his curiosity goes? I am the primary caregiver, so my life pretty much revolves around my child, but no this is not another opportunity to talk about my child. It's simply seeking the opinion of others in a food related forum about something my wife and I discussed. My daughter is insanely curious. She will get into everything and anything if you let her.

IIRC, goulash is usually cooked low and slow to develop and meld flavors. Pressure cookers are great for increasing the cooking temperature, but at the sacrifice of a low slow cook. In cases like this, I like to "par cook" the stew in the pressure cooker to break down the connective tissue and then release the pressure and then simmer at regular temps until done. Dan

Back in 2007, I volunteered at the James Beard Awards Ceremony as a culinary studen. Chef Sullivan had us skin several pounds of peas for his pistou. Nothing like free student labor.

One of the many things my 1 year old and I have in common is an appreciation for the bottle, although the contents are different. My wife and I were shopping the other day and I asked if we can make a quick stop in the liquor store next to Trader Joes, one of our stops. She was not sure if it was okay to bring a kid into the place. I see no harm in it. I think she is concerned that our kid might get too curious about what we are buying. What are your thoughts? Do you take your kids to the liquor store?