stellabella

my husband used to brew all the time but we haven't done it since we moved to our new house four years ago. why-oh-why? maybe we need a fire set under us. i had a friend about eight years ago who brewed every saturday with his buddy. every few months they'd throw beer parties, with athe different brews labeled, and a guide to each posted on the fridge- - great fun. great reason to throw a party.

having spent five weeks in London and Ireland this summer, drinking many, many pints of real ale, I have to say that i believe there are some health benefits, and I believe that the benefits are in the ACTIVE YEAST in real ale, versus a bottled pasteurized beverage. drinking a couple pints a day i felt energetic, i slept well, my skin was rosy & smooth. etc. this is true. i can't prove it's good for you but want to hear what others say.

i make pesto in two batches--i process the basil & EVOO first. then i do EVOO & parmesan, garlic & pine nuts in a separate batch. i like to get the basil chopped just so--fine but not too fine--it still needs to have a little texture--if you throw everything in together, you'll kill the basil in the process of getting everything else chopped up fine. then i blend the two batches by hand, add some lemon & sea salt and a pinch of cayenne. some recipes call for half basil & half parsely--i never use parsley, but i have substituted cilantro for basil--this makes a really surprising and delicious "pesto"--great on corn on the cob or tomato sandwiches.

Horlick's I can find it in the Dekalb Farmer's Market in Atlanta--I think it's available in many upscale grocery stores. Far superior to Carnation. When I was young and thin I used to love to drink a mug of hot whole milk & Horlicks before bedtime--but now that's a rare treat. It's good as is or with a little honey.

BD, I have that dream all the time--in fact I dreamt a version of it last night, which pleasantly segued into my cake dream. Every former waiter I know has that nightmare--it's the ultimately scary realistic dream. In mine I go to work to find that I'm the only waiter coming in that night, and the restaurant has expanded from twenty 4-tops to 80 4-tops.

Last night I dreamed I stood outside the glassed window of a Mediterranean/Victorian [very green] parlor, where my sister and a male friend were seated in the corner anticipating a delivery. As I peered through the window a male belly dancer entered through the parlor door, gyrating and chanting in Arabic, balancing a multi-layered "Hershey Bar Cake" on his outstretched palms. He wore a gold lame turban and looked like Captain Kangaroo. I watched him place the cake before me sister, and I watched her male friend begin eating it, with a fork, tearing away huge chunks of moist layers and impossibly creamy frosting, not even bothering to ask for a dessert plate. I rushed into the room and grabbed the fork from him and began scooping mouthfuls of moist crumbs into my mouth. I used my fingers to press huge gobs onto my fork, alternately shoveling the cake into my mouth and licking my sticky fingers. The frosting was barely sweet, like whipped heavy cream and a dollop of butter, the finest bittersweet chocolate and a dash of vanilla. It was as light as a cloud. The cake was dark and moist and semi-sweet. As I ate I began to feel very full. After several minutes of madly devouring the cake we all threw down our forks and began moaning in pleasure. I tasted the cake, I felt the sticky icing on my fingers, and I had the pleasant sensation of a full belly. It was eerie. I woke up to a howling stomach. Does anyone know how to make this cake? Does anyone else have realistic dreams about food?

dave, that is a freakingly gorgeous photo. the recipe sounds great--do you can your tomatoes, too?

i was just thinking, as in "traditional" Spanish gazpacho served with chunks of bread, a few corn chips might be great in a bowl of spicy gazpacho. if gazpacho tastes like salsa, it isn't gazpacho. to me the key difference is seasoning--i like a fresh, hot, crisp salsa--tomatoes, HOOOTTT peppers & a bit of onion, maybe cilantro and lime, that's it. gazpacho, which can be very spicy, should also have a bit of sweetness to it, as well as olive oil to give it a little weight. the recipes/descriptions ya'll have shared sound wonderful--the yellow gazpacho sounds particularly beautiful.

Lately I am into whipping up dips for crackers and veg sticks--they're quick and easy and healthful, now that summer is almost over and I have to go back to work & need to pack lunches. Earlier this week I threw together some really simple hummus and babaghanouj, and tried the following last night: a dozen button mushrooms sauteed in a t. of EVOO 3 hot red anaheim peppers, seeded 2 garlic gloves juice of one lemon 1 t. olive oil 1/2 c. pecans [walnuts would've been better but i hadn't none] salt to taste above thrown into food processor and blasted into paste, served with crunchy carrot sticks and bell pepper strips. for a party i'd want to serve good crackers, like lavasch [am i spelling it right? does everyone know what i mean? LOVE it] Can anyone share some quick & easy [or not so quick & easy, but delicious] recipes for dips and spreads?

Hi, Malawry, Rochelle, old buddy, old pal, I am just tuning in and catching up on your diary. You are doing a terrific job. It doesn't surprise me that you are still finding the energy, after long days at school, to write this up--and writing so well, at that. I am fascinated by your experiences with meat. I am impressed by your open-mindedness. I am humbled by your talent. Keep up the good work, Stellab

i've been experimenting with tahini lately and i find it to be very powerful--my advice is less is more, maybe. cut back.

of course it does, but i get tired of being queen. oh, i'm wiped out already....*sigh*

i subscibe to the new yorker for film reviews by anthony lane, for malcolm gladwell and susan orleans, for roz chast, for steve martin.... i xeroxed a great cartoon long ago of a teacher before her class, the students holding their heads and grimacing, the caption, "I'm sorry, was I making you think too hard?" it has mysteriously proliferated on my campus. i like the new yorker. some weeks i read it cover to cover, others i glance at film reviews and toss it. i tend to respond to all my other mags the same way. just because i don't always find a mag relevant doesn't mean it isn't.

tommy, this is very humane of you [perhaps YOU are the tin man?] maybe i'm opening a powder keg, but how many of those participating in this discussion work for 8.95 an hour? and i'm assuming those are new york wages, which means here in georgia it'd be like working for 5.50 an hour. hells bells. there've been umpteen discussions about tipping on this site. what it basically comes down to is service. everyone should be held to a standard,and people who work for tips have to earn those tips--it's that simple. if you get good service at starbucks, why wouldn't you throw change into the tip jar? i am so damn lucky that i can afford to leave a friendly tip for good service. i am not going to bitch about it. i am fortunate. some of the most affluent people i know are cheap tippers, and i consider this a character flaw. they'll spend money to have thier houses cleaned and their toenails painted, but they won't throw an extra buck on the table? that's shite. i worked for tips til i was well into my twenties. i am glad those days are over and i hope i never have to go back. been there. tipping is karma.

sardines in mustard with stoneground wheat crackers cream cheese or goat cheese with pepper jelly on captain's wafers peanut butter and crackers & milk

nigella's recipe sounds like one of the more common desserts served in ecuador--candied figs served with slices of hard mild cheese--i love them but they are SO sweet and rich--one is enough.

i made a vinaigrette the other night which was very nice: EVOO red wine vinegar whole mustard chopped fresh mint sea salt it was very tangy so i tossed a little blue cheese into the salad to cut it a bit. i find dressings to be tricky--it's probably me.

can you give us the recipe?

roger angell made me thirsty for a martini, and john mcphee makes me glad i ain't a vegetarian.

sometimes my biscuits come out really good. when they don't i attribute their toughness to too much handling--gotta get everything mixed and rolled out and cut really quickly, as with any type of pastry.

can't add a thing to this thread, and hope i won't be infringing upon anyone's rights when i print the whole thing out and cram it into my recipe binder lots of you mention "chopped/minced herbs"--be more specific--which ones, in which combos? just curious. at this time of year i always have thyme, oregano, basil and rosemary on hand but i never use them all together. should i? what else might be added? vinaigrettes are my favorite but they are far more complicated and tricky than one might think....

i made some fig bars as jaymes suggested, subbing fig puree for date.. they are fine. i will have to play with the recipe a bit to add a bit more texture. all the suggestions sound divine. i have noticed since living in rural georgia that people are either passionate about figs or have no idea what they are--no in between. odd. and i thought those little cruncy things were seeds..... hee, hee

the fried tomatoes i grew up eating were always red, and dredged in flour--i loved 'em, soft and tangy, but never fix them that way now. keep trying til they come out right. you've already been given perfect advice on how to dredge and fry. my two cents' worth is to serve them up with a spicy tangy tomato relish or chutney--i used to always make a creamy mayo/sour cream dip but then a friend suggested something tomato-based and it really does bring out the sweet flavor of the tomatoes. i'm hooked.

your squash sounds like some that volunteered in my yard this summer [but went bad while i was out of town]. in my house we make a basic squash soup, usually from butternut, which always turns out nice. it's very similar to ones mentioned, but seasoned differently. saute a couple medium sweet onions in EVOO til translucent, then add 3 ts. of curry powder and about 1/2 t. of allspice. stir. put in a blender with chicken stock and puree. puree the soft-cooked contents of 2 medium squash and add to onion puree. thin with heavy cream, adjust salt/seasonings to tase. freezes well.

varmint and southern girl, i'm plotzing. please come over and enjoy some oven-roasted cheesy melty prosciutto-wrapped delectable figs..... *sigh*