snowangel

Sounds like you're raising him right. Peter's report today (after two days of slow drizzle, followed by a day of sun and warmth: "mom, stuff is coming. Wow, the creeping charlie is really, really, creeping.") Further exploration reveals that one of m azaleas may be "toast" (to quote Peter; mom, maybe we would pray or leave money so it gets better). We have spotted a few daisies coming, and there appears to be some oriental poppy acitivity. The potted mint plant from last summer seems to be perking up, as well. Time will tell if the little green things I've seen by one of my wisterias will be basil plants or weeds. Who cares. They are green and growing. Life is good. Presents do come. Yes, one can again wear t-shirts, shorts and birkenstocks. At 8:30 pm, I went looking for Peter, and he was asleep outside, under the pergola, on the wrought iron bench, covered in his dinosaur quilt. Ah, being 7 and little (he's rather small, and can sleep almost anywhere). When I carried him inside, he said "but mom, I just want to be outside and hear everything growing. And ride my bike." How many of us remember being possessed by bike riding?

We had some asparagus last night that was so perfect it never made it to the table. Steamed, and checked so often that it was gone before the pot was off the stove. My cousin picked it out of her cousin's garden in Iowa earlier in the day. So perfect, in fact, that it needed nothing other than fingers to foist from pot to mouth. It was the first true taste of spring I've had.

I am reminded of a friend's story. She was one of 13 kids. She referred to "scent of tuna sandwiches." Her mother would take a can of tuna, one hardboiled egg, and miracle whip. She'd spread it on bread -- 13 sandwiches worth -- smearing on, and wiping off -- to stretch one can of tuna for 13 lunches. On a "special" day, she'd add sweet pickle relish. The bread, naturally, was squishy white. The sandwiches when into baggies -- and the baggies were re-used forever (homemade baggies out of waxed paper).

Isn't steak all about the MEAT? Remember, meat is good. edit: mouse trouble. thought this was going to the steak toppings thread.

Quick dinner for family, everyone going in different directions -- egg salad sandwiches on fresh sougdough (baked by moi) with baby greens. Night before last -- frittata with all sorts of stuff that needed to be used up along with salad of baby greens, pears and blue cheese (my family's favorite).

It may be that the "no snow cover until February" caused a really deep frost. It may be that no snow = no moisture. But, call it what you may, Peter and I were out exploring in the gardens this afternoon when he got home from school, and the verdict (per Peter, age 7) "ain't squat happening here." Not even a crack in the soil where the daffodils and croci should be busting through. No hint of that "faint green blush." We've had a day of slow drizzle. Perhaps that will help, but then again, as I look out the window, the slow drizzle is becoming "flakes." I feel like I'm 5 and it's Christmas. Will the presents never come? Spring always comes, right????????

I have periodic access to water chestnuts (not in the can, but fresh). Yum.

Sounds like you need to map your circuits. No one should stand for sub-standard stove operation.

There is a myriad of information on smoking meat on e-gullet. All of it in various places, requiring a ton of searching. As the weather warms up, and I have all of these pork shoulders, and could use a good excuse to stand outside and drink beer and "be productive," I got thinking. There are several Smoking Dieties on e-gullet. Wouldn't a "Smoking Primer" be a wonderful thing? Advice on smokers, how to make do with the grill one might have; wood/charcoal; cuts of meat and preparing them (brining, rubbing); the science of just when meat quits absorbing the smoke; temperatures; sausages (mixture, stuffing, smoking), etc., etc.? Keep Jason happy and address bacon. This could also make a nice TDG feature.

Our grocery stores are inundated with it. It's cheap. What are your favorite ways of preparing it?

Thai jasmine rice. When I buy my 50 lb. sacks, I make them slit the bag -- towards the bottom -- so I can check for percentage of broken kernals. And, I will reject a bag with too many brokens. They cringe when I come to buy rice. And, my rice is always cooked in my circa 1970 National Rice cooker.

This is indeed good news, mamster. I had my first bowl of kao soi in 1969, in Chieng Mai. I was all of 11 years old. Call it manna, ambrosia, whatever, but that bowl has stayed with me all of these years. It was on that trip that I had my first larb, as well (raw pork, naturally). I assume, of course, that your column will include the crispy fried noodles that top the kao soi. It is not one of the best noodle soups ever -- it is THE BEST noodle soup ever.

The maesri brand of curry paste is pretty good, and their masaman is acceptable. And, my Thai friends all use beef chuck when they make it -- a more "complex" meat than a lean cut. Peanuts and potatos? Depends on where in Thailand you eat it. As I recall, we used to get the version with potatos and peanuts more often in southern Thailand than in northern Thailand. But, regardless of where we had it in Thailand, it was always dark. But, I don't recall eating it very often when we were in Chieng Mai, probably because when we were there, I always went for Kao Soi, which is not the same eaten anywhere else in the world. Kao Soi probably deserves a thread of it's own.

Be still my beating heart! It is 55 degrees. I have shed my long pants, and donned shorts and birkies. I am making repeated trips outside to see just how far away from the house the snow has crept, and peering for signs that my daffodils are coming up. The doors are open, and I can hear the drip, drip, drip of melting. It won't be long. We have having dinner guests tomorrow night, and instead of a wintery meal, I went to the butcher and got a beautiful pork shoulder which we will smoke tomorrow, and I will make potato salad and ice cream. While I'm sure we will have a bit more winter (snow and cold), in one week, we will celebrate the equinox, and we are counting down until we make our first trip to the cabin (we will be there in 8 weeks). And, to think that less than a week ago, it was sub-zero when we got up in the morning. Life is good.

Discovered at the cabin (no oil left; purchasing oil involved 1 hour drive): bacon grease works just fine, too. In fact, it made mighty tasty popcorn.

I roll over in bed this morning. It is still dark. I squint at the clock -- 5:45 am. I hear noise. No one should be up in my house at that hour. I grab my robe, and come out into the kitchen. The lights are on, and Diana is cooking. Making larb. "Mom, I just have to have larb for my school lunch today." I'm having larb for lunch today, too.

Leeks. Haven't tried them in a pot, but it may be worth a try... Grapes. My mother-in-law (also in Minneapolis) has grape vines. Some years are good, some not so good, but that tends to be the story with gardening. My favorite grape memory is visiting my sister in Washington D. C. a few years ago, before they moved to Berkeley. They lived near Rock Creek Park. It was August, and hotter than hell. No ventilation in the house. They had tons of grape vines, all loaded with huge, wonderful grapes. We'd get up early in the morning, go outside and eat breakfast off the vines; we'd turn on the hose and wash the grapes and cool ourselves off. There is something wonderful about eating right out of the garden.

Yet another stove; this one "refridgerated." Egads

Once she's alone, gifts of food that are "snacky" and can be prepared and eaten with one hand are wonderful. I have a good friend who would show up a couple of times a week with stuff for ME to eat during the day when I was home alone with my various babies -- pre-washed (by her) salad greens, hard boiled eggs (peeled and in baggies), sliced chicken breast, great bread, cheese, fruit. She washed everything before she came over, and I had great stuff for sandwiches, salads and nibbling. (Oh, she also brought ice cream ). What was especially nice about these things is that I was hungry often, and nursing, so things that I could prep and eat easily while nursing was wonderful. She also brough cases of bottled water. All of this stuff that one could eat morning, noon, night, and wee hours. My mother and mother-in-law helped with stuff for dinner when Paul and the other kid(s) were around.

You had 15 degrees on us...

Well, we have another foot of show, and are back in the deep freeze (cancelled trip up north because of -20's at night ). Yesterday morning, I was bemoaning the fact that it didn't seem like spring would ever come, I'd never see another blooming or growing thing in my garden, etc., so I took a nap. When I awoke, Diana and Peter had made a mess of origami flowers and taped them to the windows I look out of to watch my garden.

At least here in the Twin Cities, when you order food at McDonald's (other than fries, salads, cookies, etc.), the "meat" is pulled out of a little drawer; it is no longer cooked on site (or in view of customers) and this includes the chicken and fish products. Was this the case with the McNuggets?

I like to use the larger cans of coconut milk, and before I add the other ingredients to the curry, ladle some of it out. Heated up, served over rice and quartered hard boiled eggs, it makes a wonderful quick breakfast or lunch.

Yes, and it was wonderful.

I, too have been chomping at the bit. So, this morning, I donned my Sorel boots, put on a long parka, swept off the top of the picnic table under our pergola, and sat on top of the picnic table drinking my morning coffee. It was 14 degrees, but it felt good. Very sunny, and the sun is gaining push, if you know what I mean. I sat and drank and watched the chickadees on the many purple coneflowers I have but never cut down in the fall (who needs a bird feeder when one has plants with wonderful seedheads?) The cardinals favor the "fireworks" goldenrod. I have several clematises, and the yellow one has these most wonderful "muppety" seedheads that are an explosion of long white feathery things. When my coffee was cold, I dug my trimmers out of the garage and cut the clematises about 12" up from the ground (I did not take the vines off the fence); this is something I often forget to do, and all of my clematises are new wood bloomers, so wacking them encourages more. My gardening books are on my night stand, along with my photos and diagrams from last year, and I'm dreaming. As the snow creeps away from the front of the house, and as the days get warmer, I will check for signs of daffodils peeking through -- there are some that have worked their way so close to the house that they will pop through quite early. There's nothing like seeing that first little crack in the soil! My favorite day, however, is when I spy that first little red ball that says "the rhubarb remembers it is spring!" That begins the succession of days when I jump out of bed as soon as first light -- before anyone else is up, and go and check to see what is happening.