snowangel

What is it about the Honeycrips that you don't like, Catherine? I don't particularly care of them either (and I have access to really great ones) because I want a tarter apple. Haralsons are my go-to apple. They are wonderfully tart and crisp eaten out of hand, and are the baker's favorite (at least here in MN) for baking.

Nancy, impressive! Where did you get the equipment? And, which were the most successful sausages?

Why are Montreal bagels so much better than any others?

Assuming that they are nice and crisp, how about a Waldorf Salad?

So, after 48 hours, my gravlax isn't as firm as I think it would be. In fact, it's still very squishy. How much salt was I supposed to use? Perhaps I should add more salt and go into "no man's land" (our shed) and dig out some bricks for heavier weights? Just how firm should it really be?

You can mail-order a mortar and pestle from Temple of Thai (click). The bigger the better, to keep stuff from flying around. ← Or, Smithy could just drive a couple hours south (or fly for even less time) and give me a jingle and we could get one at the local joint! Peter, I'm very fortunate that I settled in an area of the US that has a huge Hmong and Thai immigrant population, so things like Thai basil, prepared curry pastes, etc. are ever present; even at the local supermarket. Another question, Peter! Back when I lived in Thailand and all farangs had cooks, they never pounded their own paste. They headed to the market every day for the odd cut of meat, seafood, whatever, and a good dollop of curry paste, usually presented in a massive mound in a white enameled bowl. Have things changed?

Tell Yoonhi that there will be no more photos for a few days! My kids always declare a moratorium on food photos for at least a week after a blog! But, your photos of all of the street food, especially of the noodles bring back many memories. Back in the 70's, when I was in highschool, we moved to Soi 13, Sukumvit -- and we were at the end of the soi, so I could go next door and walk through the youth hostel (largely populated by kids whose parents lived in Chiang Mai, and wanted the kids at ISB) grounds to ISB. The lunch place there was very much geared to the PX kids -- hamburgers, hot dogs, awful ice cream bars (oh, and little glass bottles of Foremost milk with a cardboard tab for opening and a cream plug at the top!). So, after school, we'd head to my house, drop off our bags, and head to the end of the soi to the klong, where we'd hail a water taxi and head to Pratunam (sp?) market for our lunch! Kanom krob, all sorts of noodle dishes, fried bananas, and if my parents were going out that night, I'd pick up some curry or curry paste for our cook to cook up. As much as I loved the noodle wagons, the markets offered so much more variety. I miss Thai street food!

Beautiful! So, just what kind of fish did you get at Russ's place? When you head to the North Shore, what route do you take? 35 to Duluth? If so, you owe it to yourselves to detour and get off of 35 onto Scenic Highway 23 (I think at Sandstone? -- I'll note it on Friday when we head north to close up the cabin). It's a spectacular section of road (bring a picnic lunch!) which dumps you into the very southern most part of Duluth, and really gives you a good sense of Duluth and how it was literally strung together from tiny towns.

Peter, where does Serena go to school? What does she have for lunch when she's in school?

We travel once again on Monday, and once again it's a killer long flight. Our next blogger will be using some of these And some of this Your location clue is in the second photo; guess away!

Geez. How far I've come from Thailand. Here in MN, one associates the word "Bombardier" with a vehicle that takes one out on ice to an ice fishing house!

Ah, Peter, what a trip back in time for me. I remember Khun Malulee very well; back when I was an elementary school student at the Bankapi campus of ISB, she was a teacher -- I took both Thai and math from her! I keep that cookbook handy, and while not avant, it served a purpose when I was a college student in Northfield in the mid to late 70's. Oh, and the Nancy Chandler map. I still have one, circa mid-70's. Back then, she included bus route numbers. Are there still buses? If so, is there still a person who walks the aisles collecting the fares in those metal things from which they pulled a paper ticket? Also glad to know that the Sports Club is still a venerable institution. Your photos remind me that time and development do not stand still. In 1966, when I first arrived in Thailand, it was a sleepy little town with horrid traffic. ISB was huge, and populated largely by PX kids. And, outside of the late and great Erawan Hotel and the Oriental Hotel, farang food items were few and far between. I remember when the Central Department Store first opened; must have been early 70's and they had a "cafe." My mom and I went, and ordered grilled cheese sandwiches. We were expecting what should rightfully be called a cheese sandwich, grilled, but were instead served cheese which had been grilled on bad white bread. But, the Thai food still looks wonderful. You have just touched on the street food scene. Are noodle carts that prowl the sois still common?

Back to my finger, which is healing beautifully. I can't thank my husband enough for running out to the drug store and getting some kit that had a mess of steri strips (sp?). Anyone who is prone to cuts (yes, sharp knives cut, as do blender blades!) would be well advised to have them on hand. They are a huge improvement over band-aids.

My neighbor just gave me some salmon that he caught, but the fillets are not very thick. Would it be a mistake to cure these thinner pieces?

I neglected to mention that blood is heavier than runny mayo...

Can you still get Polaris bottled water?

Hmmm. No guesses; perhaps my clues were too obscure, so I"ll toss out one more! This one should give the location away!

My circa 1952 church cookbooks listed corned beef, leftover baked potatoes, chopped onions, salt, pepper and thyme (optional). Fat of choice was lard, but this book is from farm country. Cook in a cast iron skillet (would have been the skillet of choice for a Nebraska farm wife). I'd imagine the roots of this dish are a vehicle for leftovers, and I'd bet if you asked 25 people how they make it, you'll probably get 25 different answers.

Lessons learned today: The blade on an immersion blender does not stop the second you turn off the power. Blood from an index finger can squirt 4', and yes, blood does stain walls. It is really hard to type without one's index finger. I pitched the mayo I was making and realized that Hellman's is much safer.

Get out your passports, and buy that airline ticket, because we head somewhere else on Monday, September 24. This time, I provide three photos! That's it for clues; any more would give it away!

I have a ton of cooking magazines. Oh, and a stack of newspaper sections. With the newspapers, it is easy -- generally, I only want one or two recipes from each section, which I cut, and which languish in my recipe box (which I go through when a kid is home sick, wondering why in the heck I bothered to cut and file the recipe). But, the magazines. Many of these subscriptions no longer come with an annual index. Sometimes I just pick up an issue of a magazine at the grocery. Further magazine frustration: the recipe is split between few pages. Then, there's the "paid advertisement" pages, which don't have page numbers, and make it hard to follow the recipe, or article. So, do you save magazines? How do you find that one recipe or article you have to find? Where do you store them (besides under the bed)? I'm tempted to haul the lot off to Half Price Books and regret it later.

For daily use, when you can't walk around and do the tasks with bag balm and socks on your hands, get this stuff. Yes, you have to buy a mess of tubes (which need to be shaken before used), but just think of splitting the order with a friend, or using them as stocking stuffers or small gifts. This stuff is really good. (come from one who suffers from bleeding cracks all of the time.)

I have a rather unique table. The middle part is a lazy susan, and my parents bought it years ago for a song in Thailand. I do believe it has a lacquered finish, and I'm not sure the best way to maintain this. Anyone have any suggestions? But, it's obviously not a candidate for pads and a table cloth, so I use placemats (some really great cheap ones from Target which are reversible (lime green to blue and orange to shocking pink). But, I have not one, not two, but over a dozen brocade table clothes from my grandmothers. I'm just about to cut these up and make placemats for "fancy" meals. Any suggestions on making placemats? Line two layers with a slightly stiff interfacing? This is our family table, the one I grew up around, so my kids are growing up around it. Sure, it has a few nicks in the finish, but I figure that someday the kids will be gone, and once we've gotten through college, we can have it refinished and enjoy it's pristine beauty. But, I would trade a single nick for the discussions, arguments, tears, smiles and absolutely priceless meals we've celebrated around this table (I've celebrated just about 40 birthdays of my own around this beauty).

Duck curry here last night (no photos) -- using a red curry paste. Duck curry is extremely rich, and I was sure glad I'd made two veg dishes on the side (spinach with charred garlic from Tropp's "Modern Art of Chinese Cooking" and a simple bok choy stir fry). But, my big scores yesterday were at the farmer's market -- beautiful spinach, bok choy and cilantro. And, given that my local farmer's market is in a neighborhood almost exclusively populated by farangs, my favorite vendor rewarded me with two sandwich baggies filled with cilantro roots!

Owen, how does one learn to do "coffee art?" And, let me add how much I've enjoyed this blog. As Diana considers colleges in your area, you just might find me on your doorsteps seeking coffee art and apple cake next fall.