maggiethecat

Sorry, Liz. Try as I do to keep up new members, I fumbled the ball here! So welcome again. And again.

Scottie: The mantle has fallen onto your shoulders. And I know you will be great. Post away, lad!

Liz: Hey, girlfriend, welcome aboard!

As succinct a portrait of England as I've ever read in a single sentence.

Absolutely. Swiss Chard "Bright Lights" was my favorite surprise last summer. "What the heck is that? A new kind of coleus?" The longer I garden, the less "serious" I am about planning. Hey, the gardener proposes, God disposes.

The mind absolutely reels. So does the intestinal tract!

I did manage to remember to sprinkle some poppy seeds around yesterday. Pushed some snow aside and sowed some red "Legion of Honor" in the tiny front garden. Still undecided about where to sitituate the pink Shirley poppy seeds, but should decide soon, so they can get their nice cold sleep in before spring. I am recommending an elegant little book called "A Garden from a Hundred Packets of Seeds." The author is James Fenton. It's a mini-rant against giving over to a totally planned, garden- architech, graph paper garden. It's newish, not sure if it's in paperback yet. And it contains descriptions of the said 100 packs of seeds. In "real" life, Fenton's a poet and critic.

It would be a swell idea! And we could put on a show! I think the Micky Rooney part is a natural for one of our Chicago members!

Thanks for the research and the tip. Newf is indeed a term of rough affection for the charming *really* people from The Rock. Newfoundlanders is probably the most politically correct. Newfies is the most commonly used slang term. Never used derogatorially in my family, at least. But often preceded by the word "crazy." Everywhere.

Love it love it love it

I think I've mentioned somewhere that in my late teens my parents gave me "drinking lessons", so that their daughter wouldn't grow up ordering rum and cokes. So then, as now, I pretty much drink like a businessman. For awhile, I did love that dry, fizzy Quebec hard cider you could buy at the depaneur. (St. Antoine Abbe?) It was cheap. And some people here would argue that a Seagrams martini is something I should have given up long since! (Note:Edited for obnoxious overuse of smilies)

Sorry if I implied that it was. My mother, who is a *no joke* good cook, made something from it last week. Heck, I consider a glossy, decenty written food mad a good way to spend alcohol tax maoney!

This is where I lost it. Not fair to make a Muffie do something as undignified as running to the john. You're good. I may have a few foodstuffs still to post....could you sharpen your chops on Hunter Thompson? No....easier , Hemingway. Not! Drieser. Many thanks, you cheeky thing,you.

Got it , Joe! Actually much as I've pronounced it. but much better explained. But accent on the last syllable, LAN, right?.

What Tommy said. And there is a terrific stock pot thread out there, pretty recent, last two weeks. Check out Jaymes's hints and recipes. And everyone elses good stuff.

Nerissa: You make many good points about the irritating layout of the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. They should have known better. Get it anyway. Cooking substance over good design here. We've been cooking from it since Christmas, and it's been a refreshing..and delicious experience.

Well, at least it was your brother's couch! Very bad to pass out and wake up not recognizing the furniture! Pronunciation in my parts growing up(Trois-Rivieres) was,( if I remember from my parent's Newfie chums), (something like): New fun LAN'.

Well, there's always the LCBO publication!

But, should Jaybee pop in, I'm sure he can find one! Again, thanks, Coastcat.

Archie: Saltine crumbs? Sorry! But the credit is all to Jaybee, for his perfervid imagination, and, it appears, choices in reading materials.

Absolutely, Mamster. A handsome, user-friendly cookbook.

For you, Suzanne, anything. Maggie's Mystery Basket of Newfoundland foods continues. And mysteries they are. And I'm not making them up. (again, Freddychef, where are you?) Bim Pinchgut Rumper Swish Flacoon Lassy Proggins Hunchy (I'm making this entirely too easy for you, jaybee.) Whatever these are, they are often "paired ", with tea, spruce beer, or the legendary Screech . Because I have never participated in a screech tasting, I quote from "How to be a Canadian" by Will and Ian Ferguson. Douglas and McIntyre, publishers. They say it so well. "Rum. Cheap rum. Cheap Jamaican rum. Wrathful, firebreathing, eyeball-bleeding, down the hatch, sear-yer-gut and melt-yer-eyebrows Jamaican rotgut. ...Centuries ago, Newfoundlanders began trading salt fish to Jamaica in return for rum....the bilateral "rum for fish" trade has continued to this day. Jamaican rum is now the mainstay of Newfoundlanders everywhere, and salt fish is now the national dish of Jamaica. The Jamaicans got the better part of the deal." In national polling, Newfies have more sex....by a wide margin..than any other Canadians. Or so they say!

Coastcat: welcome, and many thanks! Some actual asnwers and not just amusing frippery. (Er,You Newfie, 'by?)

I can see Daphne had much to contend with. I'm looking forward to posting the remaining Newfie dishes tomorrow to see what, er, heights you can rise to. In the style of, say, Edith Wharton. You are a Bad Man. (So bring on the Omsbuddies!)

See: Just mention Newfoundland and people get funny! Joe...you from Labrador, lad?