DRColby

Lucy, I've been lurking since you started this thread and the only totally positive to come from my observing is that I can guarantee you I would come to eat at your house any time. I've bought the books, read them, got my wife to read them, and done a kind of half-assed job of trying to clean up some of our eating. (I think toughest part is giving up more than a glass of wine and not until after the meal.) We'll probably stick with some version of the plan since it comes close to the way we were trying to eat. It's just hard to not have that Snickers Bar and extra glasss of red wine at the end of the meal. I am interested in eating well (or better, "healthy") and my wife in some weight loss. We were at a party last night with a niece with two young, active children. She doesn't have much time of her own, but has lost about 10 pounds in a few weeks through an on-line Weight Watchers. I found this interesting because when my wife went to Weight Watchers (which was one of the few programs that worked for her) it was more like a religious gathering, or a go-to-school without your homework done meeting. It's pretty neat to be able to do this, by yourself, on-line. My niece looks good and feels good about herself; regaining much of her old confidence. Well, that's my rant after lurking. The only other observation after all this would be that it is very difficult in the US to find out what is in the food we buy, despite all the "truth in lending" and other consumer protection laws. dave

My brother-in-law and I had Yukon King fillets at Etta's last Thursday at $35 a pop. I had seen the NYTimes article on Wednesday about these "super" salmon and wanted to try them. I noticed in the accompanying photos in the NYT that the kings were pretty red. Generally the redder the skid the stronger the fish. My guess on the new market wonder wasn't wrong. My borther-in-law was in agreement. Last night at a party with an old Norwegen fisherman. I talked with him about this. "Nooo, just like Copper River, just a marketing trick to sell more fish," he said. "They are not better than any fresh, well-handled king at this time of the year." Redder outside, more oil, true. Better smoker fish. We're off to day to see if we can get our quota of fresh, bright ocean Kings at Westport.... fine eating. dave

We have a couple we travel with whom have an almost "small plate" solution. Both decide togther what they will eat with neither having the same thing. When served they immediately cut th plate in half. The one who selected the plate delivered eats their half and then pass the last half. We have gone so far going to fourths with them. Works well in France with first and second plates when one wants to avoid the "grand gastronomic" tasting menu. it also makes for some interesting table converation and commentary. dave

We were in Milwaukee for a night last week and dinned at the Three Brothers on St. Clair. I have been stopping there for 30 years. The food never wavers, nor do the crowds. Little Changes. I had goose that was delicious. The highlight of the evening was watching what was probably one of the original owners - a beautful gray-haired gentleman- come out of the kitchen serve and chat with guests. It was obvious he was very proud of his food and traditions (no credit cards, reservation books for years pilled on the bar, etc.) He asked me about the goose but was more concerned with the sharpness of my knife. "If that is not sharpe enough you tell me and I will sharpen it for you. You can't get good knives anymore." When I mentioned I had been dining with him for 30 years - infrequently because we have lived in Seattle for the last 28 years - he said, "I remember your face." He obviously didn't. But what a treasure he is: his food, his character and his resturant. dave

Our dog loves AK fish fertilizer as well as blood meal and bone meal. You work it in, she digs it up. dave

Two good books on winter gardening are Steve Solomon's "Growing Vegtables West of the Cascades" and Bonda Colebrook's "Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest." Both published by Sasquatch. Suggestions are: 1. Build a small, cheap clotche; plants will drown before they freeze here. 2. You should be starting you seeds for wintwer crops shortly. Savoy cabbage. beets, endive and harder greens all do well as does B. sprouts,cauliflower, leeks and other onions. Seems strange not to have yet picked a tomato and be talking about starting winter seedlings. We are picking faas, peas, artichokes, pulled some garlic and shallots and are doing battle with the birds for a few red raspberries. dave

A friend's daughter manages a Seattle resturant where the family generally "freeloads" - eats for free - on Thursday night. This week they had Copper River Sockeye on the menu. Daughter told father," none for you, that's for the paying customers," at $34 a plate. dave

Is it me or the saffron I am getting? Everyone we know who goes to Spain brings us some saffron. When I use it it seems to taste like chorine. It;s not our water because there is no clorination here. dave

We were at a wedding last year in SE Alaska and one of the groomsmen's father was a baker in a distance town who wanted to provide the wedding cake as a gift. His son, a military man, had it shipped down on the Alaska ferry in several boxes - all marked "delicate cake" - for each layer. The father, who didn't attend the wedding, also sent written assembly instructions. For a bunch of Army guys they did quite well at reassembling the cake and it looked just like it was direct from the bakery. Somehow I think this type of thing is quite common in small town AK weddings. dave

I grow shallots for our kitchen and fine there are several different types, some which we brought back from Europe as seed. All, though seem to come from either the Dutch yellow or French red types. I start using my shallots when they are young, much like green onions, and then in the Fall take what remains and eitherdry or put back in the ground as Winter sets which grow much as leeks here in the Pacific NW. Seldom do I use onions if I can sub shallots. Whenever I make an oil based dressing I use shallots that are marinated in the vinegar as, I think, Alice Waters suggests. I almost always use shallots with wild mushrooms. If I have to buy shallots I buy them at an Asian green grocer as they are about half of those at a regular grocery. Last Summer there must have been a glut of shallots in France because Costco had some of the nicest French reds I have seen for about $5 a bag. They also had a great recipe enclosed that called for boiling the shallots uncovered in red wine and butter until all the liquid is gone. Hopefully Costco will do it again this Summer because they also make great sets for the garden. I also buy elephant garlic at Costco and use it in the garden. dave

Go to the Pink Door and dine liesurely and lady-like on the patio. dave

We were visting your area this past January and decided to visit some of the wineries. Did get much past Avalia Beach on the tour. Nice couple there (sounding much like you and your husband) took all my wine money and sent us home happy. I am curious what you feel are the strongest vintages coming from your area? I think there some great pinots coming from the area south of you. dave

Does anyone here eat pea tendrels and how do you use them? Mine are there before the peas will be and I am getting hungry. My neighbor let some mint go in her yard and it has taken over. I try to keep mine in sunken clay pots. Doesn't always work and sometimes I foreget to water them so I make several trips to the neighbor's yeard each week. dave

Perhaps it's time to get this thread going again since it is Spring mushroom season. Anyway, yesterday I picked a dozen or so of the niced bolete buttons I have seen, Now, what to do with them? Since the season started here in the Pacific Northwest, about 2 weeks ago, we have had edulis rex cooked and then on a bed of bib with garlic, lemon and olive oil; with wild rice and duck; with pasta; and just grilled simply and with steak. Since there are still some morels around we had those last night with Spring peas and bow tie pasta. I have a killer grits and mushroom recipe but it seems a waste of such nice "little piggys." Any thoughts? Dave

Add some Campari. dave

ExtraMSG, Reference as follows: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/...0507&query=Chum http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aploca...earchpagefrom=1 The AP article points out some of the differences. dave

Truth is that without hatcheries the state would be practically with Steelhead. Many of the state's once wild-only run rivers have been restored (or is it just restocked?) with hatchery runs. More disturbing to me was last week's articles in the Seattle Times and PI on the condition of Hoods Canal and the pollution from chum salmon carcases that have been roe- stripped for the Japanese market then thrown back into the stream. In addition to adding to the pollution and warming of the Canal, the PCBs start skyrocketing in these dead zone areas. The chum is a native (and a pretty decent sport fish) foregotten in the furor over the wild - hatchery-pen raised King and Coho debates. dave

I assume you're probably doing stuffe portabellos. The way I like to do them is to remove the gills with a spoon or bird's beak knife back. I like them grilled and stuffed with a mixture of precooked italian sausage that has had chopped spinnach and a blue cheese (Ilike Gorgozola) after the sausage has been drained. I start by putting the mushrooms on the grill cap down first to get some of the moisture out and then turn them over and add ther stuffing and give them a good 10 minutes so the cheese has melted and the spinnach partially cooked. You can do the same with large boletes. If you are licky enough to have morels large enough to stuff they are better off stuffed and then baked in the oven. dave

Wasps..... We had little nephews (4 and 2) over last Summer. Of course like all women, my wife, the boys' mother and my mother-in-law thought it would be great fun for all to have the little boys take their clothes off and run through a lawn sprinkler. Well, little know to all, there was an active wasp nest on a branch just above their heads. No one saw it 'til the next day. Fortunately nether the nephews or the spray agitated the nest. The last thing I know I would want would be to be bare assed, embarassed, and being chased by wasps.... I also know I like to eat salmon in the Summer evenings on my back deck. The wasps do too. Big hassle with some dinner guests. The dog likes his supper on the back deck too, sans wasps. Ever try to calm a 70-poud dog chasing wasps. Wasps...they just don't seem to engage in l good social relationship with man or animal. dave

I think that most of the tent caterpillars are done - emerged out of the tent stage. There preferences seem to be stone fruits (cherries, plums), apples, and if they run out of nearby fruit trees they tend to migrate to things like roses, blueberries and even laurel hedges. There are also bad on hawthornes. Ours seem to now be on the ground. Wish the birds would eat them (kind of like the seagull and grasshopper story) but we have cut tent branches out of the trees and sprayed with an environmentally friendly insecteside (smells lilke garlic and tobacco). Hope the trees won't go into shock because they have no leaves. One of the neighbors says this is the 7th year in their cycle and are at a peak, next year won't be bad. I don't buy that logic because if they are around they are laying eggs. dave

I would say Greg Atkinson's "In Season" cookbook is pretty NW cuisine and if you read some of James Beard's books he's pretty NW in his use of fish and seafood. dave

tsquare, Already knocked two wasp nests off the deck and someone gave us a Lady Bug box that the Lady Bugs have abandon and the wasps claimed. The bees we are getting are strange, they look like a cross between a honey and bumble bee. Hope they like pollinating tomatoes. Earwigs rule in our dahlas. They are to the point that Cathy doesn't want any flowers in the house unless they are hung outside for a couple of hours. Would you share your mojo recipe? Went mushroom picking yesterday and didn't produce much. Looks like today (maybe tonight) will be another day in the "killing fields" of the garden. Green Thumbs to all, dave

tsquare, I too have a goldenchain close to the garden but haven't noticed any aphids; better start looking. It's a terrible year for pests. I was trimming back some artillery plants and found the little suckers all over the base. I have a white spruce that's a near goner because of infestation. I am still not sure where or not we made it through the tent catipllar on-slaught,. Something at night (not slugs) keeps chewing on my squash and been plants, Earwicks, any ideas? dave

You can plant favas in the Fall in Puget Sound. I worry about things rotting in the winter, though, so I start mine in January. I put them between wet newspaper to sprout. Then plant them under one end of clotche (sp) that also has some early endives and lettuce under it. When my fear of wet weather leaves I remove the clotche; this year in early March. Yes, my favas are big, and they a very tough plant. They are much easier than spring peas to grow and almost as good. You can eat the pods when small, the beans themselves, small, and all the way up. It sure takes along time to remove the coddles (sp) when they are small and deosn't leave you with much other than "baby" vegtables. dave

Beef sweetbreads (can't get veal anymore) grilled and then addred to morels in a cream sauce, served over Greman egg noodles. Green salad from the garden with fresh herbs (cilantro, marjorm, mint and Italian parsley) along with a bottle of $6 red (Quivera) from Trader Joe's that was excellent. Headed upstairs for my nightcap - ice cream. dave