kayb

As promised, pix of the new kitchen. Overall view from den. The island could stand to be a bit bigger, but it does have a drop leaf on the stove side. Catchall counter for groceries, etc., as we come in. Can't find the art I wanted to hang on this wall. CSO, cutting board, some produce to left of sink. Coffee station to right. I use mostly refillable pods. Coffee grinder lives under sink. Spices after the girls got through going through and organizing them. These pilots are Da Bomb. Both pantries have them. The other pantry. Condiments, vinegars, etc. Baking area. Still a bit of cabinet reorganization to go as I get used to cooking here.

Today while perusing the grocery shelves looking for plain old French's ballpark yellow mustard, I saw "Perinaise." I passed.

Just absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much for this ground-level view of another country (not to mention the stupendously lip-smacking food!). Thoroughly enjoying your blog.

Welcome! I'd happily eat that with you.

I used the stove in the new house for the first time Sunday. I cannot make the oven come on in "bake" mode. It works just fine in convection mode. Everything will be cooked in convection mode until I have time to read the manual.

I have finally, with the assistance of the local farmer's market, cooked a meal. Here's what I had to work with: I baked the pork chops on a rack over the new potatoes. Sauteed the yellow squash with onion. Fried the zucchini slices in seasoned flour. Made a salad with the peas and asparagus; dressed it with serrano honey vinegar and olive oil. Sliced a Carolina Gold tomato. Prep takes longer in the new kitchen. It wants a touch of reorganization. But at least I remembered the basics.

@robirdstx, is it a shoulder roast/Boston butt? If so, pernil is always a good choice. I have a NYT recipe I swear by....

@liamsaunt, I have meant to say this for some time, but your food photography is absolutely gorgeous. As for your meals (especially that last one you posted), well, my list of superlatives runs short. But I am loving enjoying them vicariously.

Haven't seen it, but you can watch the trailer and pre-order as a YouTube Movie (who knew there was such a thing?) here.

Amazon US link (as I just dropped them in my cart), Here. $14.99. I'll use them at the market. I have the green fridge bags, but these will be good to take to the farmers' market, where I get the lion's share of my produce this time of year. Note: New house is a half-mile or less from the market. If I didn't buy so danged much there, and if people didn't drive like bats out of hell on the main street between the market and the turnoff to my house, and if said street had either a decent shoulder or a sidewalk, I'd walk. ETA: The single use bags are excellent to take when walking the dog, for cleanup purposes.

Thank you! Duly saved.

Thank you! Duly saved.

They ARE some hella-good beans. My out-of-town child begs for them when she comes to visit. I try to comply, although they're more of a cold-weather dish to me. They freeze well, too. You didn't ask, but the recipe, as nearly as I can transcribe it, is: 1 pound small red or kidney beans 1-2 pints chicken stock 2 cans diced tomatoes 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (tomatoes with green chiles) 1 pound andouille sausage, cut in 1/3 inch slices and browned in a skillet 1 pound ham, either boiled from a hambone and shredded/chopped, or just diced 1 to 1 1/2 pound chicken thighs, poached, deboned, skinned and shredded (about 3/4 pound of meat) 1 large onion, diced 6 cloves garlic, minced Pepper powders of your choice 2 bay leaves Lawry's seasoned salt, as needed Soak and cook beans. Drain. In a big Dutch oven, in a couple of tablespoons of oil, saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add beans. Add a pint of chicken stock and tomatoes, browned sausage, diced ham and shredded chicken. Season with pepper powders of your choice (WalMart carries a powdered pico de gallo seasoning, and I generally use that and a little ancho, maybe some guajillo) and a couple of bay leaves. Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer for an hour or so. About an hour into cooking, taste and season with seasoned salt to taste (I wait because the sausage and ham both add a decent bit of salt to the dish, depending on the kind you use). Simmer on very low heat for another hour or two. Add more chicken stock as needed to keep it as thin as you want. Serve over white rice. I will occasionally use a pre-mixed Cajun seasoning, but they tend to be salt-heavy, and I'm salt-sensitive. It's really easy to oversalt things for my taste buds. And when the grocery periodically has smoked turkey legs in its meat case, I'll use that instead of chicken thighs. These are far from traditional New Orleans red beans and rice. The woman who taught me to make them, and whose approximate recipe I use, is from Vicksburg, Miss., so maybe these are the Mississippi version.

Back to the topic at hand, I keep my "jail slaw" in the fridge all summer long. When the cabbage/carrot mixture runs low, I add more to the same brine. It's never gone bad on me. I do have to top it off with more brine from time to time.

@shain, I am intrigued by the egg curry. I presume one beats the eggs with the yogurt, ground peanuts and spices (what spices? and would organic peanut butter, which is truly just ground peanuts, work?), pours the whole concoction into a baking dish, and bakes as if it were a quiche. The sauce I think I could muddle through; just saute the onions, add the tomatoes, coconut milk and spices, and simmer until it's thick? Any pointers you can share would be deeply appreciated. I think I have to try this. I may wait until my "guinea pig," a friend on whom I try most new recipes, visits.

During my recent move, an ice chest full of the contents of my refrigerator freezer inadvertently sat in the garage and didn't get unloaded -- for three days. It was not worth the cost of the ice chest to clean the thing out. I threw the whole mess out.

Welcome. Will be glad to hear whatever you want to share with us!

Doesn't everyone's? I put chicken in mine, too.

Not unlike Dyers' Hamburgers in Memphis, which boasts it's been frying its burgers (they deep-fry them) in the same grease for 50-plus years....

I once lived in NW Arkansas, the epicenter of chicken production, for four years. One reason you see pricier chicken parts is that convenient to every kill and dress/butcher plant (as opposed to one that gets cleaned carcasses in to further process into, say, chicken tenders and the like) there is a Campbell's soup plant. Easier and more profitable for the trimmings to go to Campbells in big vats than to be processed/packaged for grocery sale. You really don't want to visit a chicken plant or a Campbell's soup plant. Trust me on this. Why I get my chicken from a local farmer, and pay a premium for it. And don't eat Campbell's, or anybody else's canned chicken soup.

Love the wineglass, too, @Duvel. I swear I'm going to cook sometime this week. There is a strip steak in the freezer calling my name. Beautiful meals, everyone. I have been subsisting on delivery from the local equivalent of Bite Squad. I want something homecooked so badly I can't stand it.

Now it's home. Better? Update on kitchen, with photos, later this week. Still have boxes I'm dodging and art to hang. But we're making progress.

It was still in the back seat of my car. Which, come to think of it, it still is. Today: this is the definition of terror -- two daughters who don't cook organizing your spices. Y'all say a prayer for me.

It begins. Moved a trailer load of boxes today, and the crew shows up at 9 tomorrow for the big stuff. 95% of the kitchen is moved. Looks like I'll use every bit of that storage space. I'll see y'all in a couple of weeks when I dig out. Will post pix once all is in place.

Oh, boy! Back to the Cape! I love these trips. Actually, I love everyone's trips. Contemplating road-tripping up into the Shenandoah Valley later this year. Dining suggestions up that way? I'll be starting from the south end, working north, may not get all the way to Harper's Ferry.