snowangel

I'm also doing the pre-peeled garlic, unless I can get heirloom varieties at the farmer's market. The containers at Costco are huge, so four friends and I share a container when I pick one up. One of the problems I have with the unpeeled whole heads is that it seems that more often than not, the cloves have that nasty green stem. Oh, and I don't miss the skins that seem to make their way to the floor and stick to everything.

Here's a great recipe. Note: peeled grapes are really better than non-peeled, and they are easier to peel if you give them a quick dunk in boiling water first. Yes, peeling the grapes is ditzy, but... I would just serve this as a starter for any meal. At this time of year, think of something on the grill, with sweet corn, or a salad.

Since the produce here has been so lovely, and we're starting to see ripe homegrown tomatoes, I'm leaning toward Salad Nicoise. Perfect for a summer dinner.

I think it's important to remember where the person lives. I've always loved Johnny's, but largely because many of the seeds they sell are proven at our Northern latitude. Here in MN, we are still waiting for summer (in August, BTW), and I'm sure glad I didn't plant anything that has a 90-day mature time, and I don't care if you get it started indoors or not. Look for some place that specializes in seeds that will really grow in the area of the recipient. I know that folks like Anne (in FL) can grow tomatoes that I could never dream of growing, other than watching them hopefully ripen while I'm raking the yard in October while wearing fleece.

Stephanie, where do you live? It's been unseasonably cool all summer here in MN (outside of one hot spell for two days in May). Night time temps are in the 50's (read bad for tomatoes), and the days aren't much warmer. It's also been unbelievably dry in in the Upper Midwest. That doesn't help, either. I just celebrated a birthday -- the first since I've been a home-owner and tomato grower (think since 1986) that I haven't have a home-grown from-my-garden tomato. So sad.

I don't have the space for a salad spinner, so what I do is just roll the rinsed greens in a clean flour sack dishcloth (which you should add to your list. They are indispensible.

I'd add a sheet pan and some parchment paper to the list. Lids for mixing bowls? That's what plates are for, and they don't warp in the dishwasher or clog up a drawer.

A report. We stopped at the Koshar Sausage Shop in Gilbert on our way to the cabin, after stopping at Half Moon Lake (just south of Eveleth) to drop off care packages for two of the kids (one a counselor, one a camper -- and, think crap like Pringles, Sour War Heads, etc.). This was a really nice place. Extremely clean, and very clearly a sausage shop. No "meat" other than sausages. Best polish sausages I've ever had. Very smoky, and very "wrinkly" and dry when purchased. Since it was raining when we got to the cabin, we stuck them in a skillet with some water, and they plumped nicely. Good spice, plenty of garlic, nice coarse grind. We also got some wild rice brats, which were outstanding. This place is like four miles off the beaten Hwy. 53 path to Virginia, so we will go back. Note: their sausages are more expensive than those at F & D in Virginia or Zup's in Cook, but they are worth it, if you don't want jalapeno. Gilbert itself is interesting. A typical Iron Range town, the houses are cheek to jowl. Very tidy. 1,800 people, 8 bars, and a couple of off-sale places. So, from Gilbert, we stopped in Virginia at F&D Meats. Jalapeno Brats and Jalapeno Bacon. I continue to ask them to slice the bacon for me, as the stuff in the case is just a bit too thick. Just north of F & D, every day of the week at this time of year, is a farmer's market with some good stuff. But, on the way home, we stopped at the Makinen Meat Market. Scary. This place is a combo of convenience store, liquor store, meat market, post office. There must have been an on-sale part as well, as the entire joint smelled not of sausages, but of stale beer and smokes. Their sausages were a buck and a half more per pound then I've ever seen, and we couldn't even get anyone to help us. So, I used the restroom, and we got back to the Hyw. 53 and stopped a bought a Coke. Edited to add: We also stopped at Zup's for ice and milk, and some smoked fish. I really like the smoked whitefish from Everett's in Port Wing, WI that we get at Zup's in Cook.

Family of five (three teens) during the school year runs about $400-450/month. I do have a "sugar daddy" (my FIL) who gives me two deer per year) and shop extensively at the Asian market near my house. Now that we are down to one teen, it's been running about $200/month. It's summer here in MN, and a friend and I go to the farmer's market every week, and if we go close to closing time, the deals are fab. We've also been foraging Up North in MN (think fish, but I'm not including the price of the license nor that of bait). And, I know I went even lower this past spring when I went A week without shopping.

Me, too! They hold hot chocolate hot for a long time on a sub zero night. By the same token, I love having mine on the deck during the summer filled with iced coffee, because, well, anything that holds heat holds cold very well, without that damned lid.

We grilled pizza the other night (with dough I'd made a while ago and frozen -- which is a great idea). We grilled some on our new-to-us gas grill (forgive me, it was a gift) and some on the Trusty Old Kettle. The Kettle produced better pizza, but none of them had that blistering brown cheesey crust on the top that we like. ???

Is there such a thing as a meatless version of larb? ← I forgot about the vegetarian and was thinking of larbed chicken. Oops. Carry on ← Larbed squid is good (although in that case, it just might be a yam). What about dan dan noodles?

Yay!!! If I were in MSP, I'd help for sure! Is there anything I would be able to do from a distance? I could think of things to do and places to see (that isn't really much help, though, is it?). ← Actually, Rona, there is probably some stuff that could be done long distance, especially if we could talk. One of the reasons I mention MSP is that I can come up with a good kitchen (think commercial grade, if not as large as some of them have been) at my church if we are willing to make a donation.

I'd be willing to step up for MSP IF I could get some help from another MSP'er or two (and some wit and wisdom from former organizers). I don't have the time to do this all on my own, but MSP has a tremendous amount to offer...

Toliver, I have not tried these (I probably will), but I do know that the Caramel Cashew Cookies are absolutely wonderful, on their own, or especially topped with ice cream.

In a totally unfashionable post, I will mention my complete collection of Farm Journal Cookbooks. Sadly out of print, look for them on E-Bay or Amazon. The Canning and Freezing book goes far beyond the Ball Canning Book -- covering everything -- including meat -- with excellent instructions. Their Complete Pie Book is indeed complete -- including savoury and sweet. Their kid's cookbook is a real winner, and beyond anything that Betty Crocker did. I inherited a complete colletction of these books from my grandmother, and no matter how full the shelves get, they are still here. It was from the wisdom of the women who contributed that I learned how to freeze a pie (make the filling, line the pan with foil, add the filling, stick it in the IH freezer (International Harvest), fill a pie pan with a crust, the frozen fruit filling in January, top, bake for about 10-15 minutes longer than normal). A taste of a fresh fruit pie in January! These cookbooks are not cutting edge -- there are no foams, and I don't think any of the women who contributed would have a clue about sous vide, but they did know about cooking -- while washing diapers, feeding the men in the fields, and tending large gardens and hopefully standing over a hot pot of water in the middle of the night on a hot night, canning. The women who contributed truly knew the value of saving energy.

Great ideas, Chris! I love som tam, and absolutely adore =Mars SC sauce.

Maggie: We actually served these at Diana's graduation party (at her request), and they were a huge hit. The only change in the version I grew up with is that the cream cheese is mixed with a dry packet of Good Season's Italian Dressing. Slicing all of those cukes was a breeze with the meat slicer.

I also salt the cabbage. Basically, cabbage in a colander sprinkled with kosher salt. Toss it up, let it sit for 15 minutes or so, and then I put it on a clean dishtowel and wring it out. Voila! Watery slaw problem solved.

A very easy hint with extra ripe fruit. Make pie filling. Line a pie pan with foil, insert filling, fold foil over the top. When frozen, just remove from the pie pan. When you need a fruit pie (baked), make pie crust. insert the frozen pie filling (after peeling the foil off), insert firozen filling into crust, top with crust (or not) and bake, allowing an extra 10 minutes or so to normal baking time. This works wonders, and you don't have to stand over a hot stove, processing fruit into jars on a hot day. A peach pie in January...priceless.

Looking at RLB's recipe, I see that it is almost identical to the 100+ year old recipe card in the box I inherited from my Great-Grandmother. It is easily accessible right here on RecipeGullet. Note in my intro that this is really wonderful with bitter orange ice cream. There is just something about the pop of the fresh berries, a good crust, and the "glue" that makes this pie spectacular. We head north this weekend, and let's just hope that the picking (any BB pie, BTW, is so far superior if you have wild berries) is good. There has been frost in N. MN this July, so we are crossing our fingers.

Some sort of crunchy slaw comes to mind.

Although I am far from the NE, I feel your pain. The blight is real (although we haven't seen it here) but I'm just sure it has been exacerbated by weather. Rain and clouds, and too much standing water on the tomato leaves don't help matters. Here in the midwest, we have been plagued by drought and really cool nights. Think low 50's. Too much rain, not enough, too cool, no sun and even if the plants weren't blighted when they arrived -- they'll get blight. I'm just hoping for at least one decent 'mater this summer.

I had a small party tonight, and included deviled eggs (I always have way more eggs than is necessary), and the discussion centered on whether the filling should have any chunky items. I like crunch, or I can go smooth, but there were several folks of the very traditional smooth version.

Bingo! As many know, I have a child (now a teen, now that I think about it!), and to quote something, "it takes a village to raise a child" -- you can read about some of her eating challenges here. Heidi's disability (Angelman Syndrome) includes some eating problems (oral motor problems, for the OTs and SLPs who are lurking). Were it not for the folks that have been involved in our lives for many, many years, and intervened, and helped us find good medical care (in our case, a developmental pediatrician), good social services which eased our way into the school system, etc., etc. Heidi is lucky. She has a good support system that provides her and her family with the resources necessary. She is still rather tiny, which is a blessing. But, in many cases (just ask a parent or care-giver of a person with Prader-Willi Syndrome), too many fast food meals are not the culprit.