kayb

Bullock's Barbecue? It's something of an institution around here. I'm another NCSU Alum living in Apex. That's it! ETA: I'm a Memphis State alum, but I always loved Jimmy V....

Kim, have you posted or can you link to the recipe for the shrimp cakes? They look scrumptious. And yes, the pork was superfluous. But I feed a 16-year-old male who is convinced he has not dined unless he has ingested animal protein.

There's an easy enough answer for why it goes in two supplements at the same time. If you'll look at the pieces, you'll see the reporter is ID'd as being with the Observer. Observer pays him, runs it first, then puts it out on the news service wire to which they subscribe (Reuters, AP, whatever), and other papers are free to pick it up for the price of their subscription to said wire. Pretty common journalism practice. It just sucks when you run a feature in a supplement the same day your competitor (if they're competitors) does.

I take it yeast dough does not count? I've recently discovered the joys of making calzones....

Oh, I wish I could remember the name of the barbecue place. It's one of those "It's an institution" type places that everyone in town knows. I want to say Bull's, but I think I'm just channeling the movie. Rockwood Filling Station sounds right; that's been several years ago, and I don't even remember what I ate, but I do recall thinking it was good. Good looking fish and chips. I so miss being in a place where they sell Yuengling. I bootleg mine from Memphis whenever I go.

Hot Springs, Arkansas. The market is the Downtown Farmers Market, every Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday from 7-11.

Chopping herbs with my Alaskan ulu knife (looks like a small mezzaluna, but with just one handle) that a co-worker brought me back from Alaska. It makes short work of what used to be a tiresome job. Grating cheese. And throwing the tiny piece left that's too small to grate to Lucy, the pug, and watching her snarf it up!

I've made duck confit twice, once cooking in the oven, submerged in fat, for 12 hours, per Colicchio, and once for eight hours. The 12-hour duck fell apart. The 8-hour duck looked and tasted just fine. I may try to trim it back, two hours at a time, until I get to an optimum time. Other than the falling apart -- not a problem if you're using the meat in some preparation other than a full, crisped leg quarter -- I could tell little if any difference in meat taste or texture.

Visited Durham a few years back, ate at a restaurant that was in what used to be a filling station or garage or some such, not far from the Duke campus. I don't remember the name, but it was good. We also had barbecue; I have to preface my comment by saying I'm a West Tennessee girl and therefore firmly in the Memphis barbecue camp but, sorry to say, I was underwhelmed with the Carolina style.

Our farmers' market has been going great guns since the middle of April, but we're getting into prime season now; from mid-June through late August, the bounty is just overwhelming. If I have a complaint, it's that sometimes the variety is a little lean -- no one sells asparagus, for instance, nor artichokes, nor some of the more "exotic" fruits and veggies. But there's a solid base of typical Southern garden and orchard produce, some good baked goods, and some crafts. Oh, and the tamales; I do love the tamales! (One yesterday was proscuitto, feta and artichoke hearts; howzat for a cool tamale? Unfortunately, I did not photograph it.) Here's one of my favorite stands -- the Stutzmanns, an Amish family who grows greenhouse tomatos all year round, and some of the most delicious ones I've ever tasted! They also have baked goods and jams and jellies. Shelled butterbeans and purple hulled peas; $3 per box. Green tomatos and carrots and eggplant in the background. My guy from whom I buy my eggs weekly. Some are brown, some are green, bringing to mind Dr. Seuss. Assorted pickles, jellies, relishes, sorghum: My other favorite stand, the Vietnamese farmers, who offer the only "exotic" veggies at the market, along with a wide selection of more common produce and gorgeous flowers! And finally, the entertainment: a pretty respectable bluegrass band!

Last night, it was my birthday. My houseguest and I were headed to the Joan Jett concert, and invited me to dinner beforehand, but I'd been to the farmers' market, and had tons of fresh veggies, so I cooked my own birthday dinner: Fresh tomatos, creamed corn, fried okra, stewed squash and onions, and a grilled pork chop. You can take the girl out of the country, I guess, but...

Cheese biscuits with bacon jam. No photo.

I use a combo of cornstarch and soy flour when cooking anything with a white sauce when my daughter, who has a gluten allergy, is around. When it's just the rest of us, it's King Arthur A/P, which is my standard flour.

Whereabouts in NC? I'm headed over that way in August to Asheville and again in September to Charlotte. Nice state!

Lovely account of great meals in one of my favorite cities. The one thing I'd recommend that you didn't visit is Ashkenaz Deli. It has the mother of all Reubens, and the quintessential rice pudding.

I cooked for the first time in a week. Duck confit over polenta, with tomatos and mozzarella.

The jello was lovely, but I'd push it out of the way to get to those ribs! Just read about two weeks' worth of dinners (I've been gone, and catching up from being gone). There were too many "Oh, wow!" moments to go back and comment, but everyone, they were lovely. Spent a week in Hilton Head. A couple of pics -- South Carolina smoked chicken and barbecued pork sliders, with the signature SC mustard-based barbecue sauce. Good, once I got over the idea of putting mustard on my barbecue. And a Caesar salad with grilled shrimp, accompanied by the steamed shrimp I barely remembered to photograph before the last of them vanished. Duck confit in the oven; will have a leg quarter over fresh corn polenta tonight!

Agreed that when they're gifted, they're gifted. I'd hope they're used in a fashion that highlights their fresh taste, but if not, well, they're not my tomatos any more. In order, here are my "highest and best" uses of the quintessential ripe tomato: 1. Plucked and eaten out of hand, like an apple, as you stand in the garden. You are permitted to wipe the dust off on your shirt, but no more. 2. Sliced, with kosher salt. 3. Caprese salad. 4. BLT. With avocado, if you're of that mind. I frequently am. 5. Fresh tomato sauce a la Mark Bittman, for pasta; mince some garlic, pour some olive oil over it, add some chopped sweet onion. Ignore for several hours. Chop up a few tomatos. Toss in the oil. Allow to sit for an hour, and toss it with hot pasta, adding basil and parmigiano. 6. Gazpacho. I have a recipe for tomato-strawberry gazpacho I'm trying this weekend. 7. Bruschetta. 8. A lightly simmered marinara. Not cooked too long. 9. Roasted tomato quarters, 400 degrees for maybe 15 minutes. 10. Panzanella. ETA: I will not be offended at your use of what were formerly my tomatos, regardless. However, I will be highly offended if you put them in the refrigerator.

I used to just refuse to dine alone, and would cobble together something from the fridge or pick up a to-go order somewhere rather than do it. But when I started traveling a good bit for work, some 15 years ago, I quickly learned to dine alone, after trying room service a couple of times and finding it lacking. Like many others, I take along reading material, much easier since the Kindle joined my purse essentials. I drink wine by the glass unless the restaurant is walking distance from the hotel, or if, as in some locales, you can leave a restaurant with a corked half-bottle of wine. I like to eat a nice restaurants alone, but I also enjoy diners, delis and dives, to borrow what's-his-name's schtick. I usually don't object to nearby diners who wish to strike up a conversation, unless it's just really been a busy day or I'm mentally preparing myself for a busy one the next day, in which case I enjoy my solitude and will simply smile, answer as briefly as possible, and then look back to my reading material. Only one time have I ever had to put someone in his place who kept insisting on conversing; when he asked me "why is it that you're dining by youself?" I replied, "Because it's so much simpler than having to stab someone in the hand with my fork, and much less messy." He took the hint.

Loving your blog! All these at-home craft cocktails make me somewhat ashamed of my standard vodka & tonic (Scotch rocks in the winter). I've never been a huge Dallas fan -- am some 4 hours to the east of you, and go frequently for business -- but Central Market could change my mind. Do you ever go to Cafe Brazil? There are several in town, particularly one near SMU that I try to visit when I go. Great breakfasts, and their house coffee is astounding. I always buy several pounds to take home. Re: cappuchino art. Next to the last one, that someone called a sumo wrestler, immediately struck me as an apple, with a moth perched on one side.

Huevos rancheros, because I was in the mood for that again. I personally thought that was some pretty serious egg porn.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the purple pea shoot flowers knock me back! Rest of it looks pretty wonderful, too. How cool it is when your food is beautiful....

Oh, that veggie pasta with coconut milk! I am SO trying that! Can't wait. Sounds like it'd be wonderful... Re: kids and cooking. My older three are pretty much in the eat-whats-in-front-of-you camp. Partially, this is because of their grandmother, whose sig line I have adopted: "Don't ask. Eat it." My youngest, however, whom I acquired when he was 15, with tastes fully formed, is a challenge; he eats very little that's green, very little fruit. I sneak in V-8 Fusion, and tomatos in sauce, which he loves (just don't ask him to eat a ripe one), and spinach and artichoke dip. My middle one developed a gluten allergy along the way, and is married to a guy who is into the raw-vegan thing, so she's fun to cook with and for. The younger one looks at me suspiciously, but generally likes what she tastes, long as it is not too spicy. Good for you for exposing yours to everything early on, and Congrats on the newest Meshugana-to-be!

I think I can be there in, oh, maybe 12 or 16 hours? I love challah. Haven't ginned up the courage to try it, plus there's a great bakery in town that does it, which means I have it when I want it for French toast. Best French toast in the world, bar none: Challah, eggs, heavy cream. Fried in butter. Arteries be-damned.

Shelby, I'd just about kill for that Reuben. The pork roast looks primo, too!