Margaret Pilgrim

Ouch! Where are you, if you don't mind telling? I can't remember a truly bad dinner in Maine. Simple, sure, but never bad cooking. Such a bummer when such good ingredients are so readily available.

I substitute zucchini, cup for cup, in my favorite carrot cake recipe. OR go bonkers and make a chocolate zucchini cake by leaving out the spices and adding 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Raves!

Yup. I guess it's easier in France.... But seriously, anyplace you have to gauge the territory, have a sense of the kind of food you're looking for. Like in Reading, PA, we found a very authentic Mexican hole in the wall directly behind the downtown outlet malls. Who'd have thought it, but it sang to us as we walked to our car. We could have just as likely pulled into one of the south of town faux Amish diners. But didn't.

Our on-site guide is to look for cars. Trucks. The old mid-century lure of finding where the road-warriors eat. It works in France. It also works when on the ground after a cross country flight, whether small towns or coasts.

Honest confession, I had read a little about verjus, so when I came across it at a winery I knew i needed it. FOMO, if you must. So now that I have a 750ml bottle, I am looking for the best possible uses for it. HELP?

Sausage and artichoke pasta with obligatory garlicky greens...

Right! I used to fly with a bottle of Cholula hot sauce I found it was the best response to airline food. One very memorable flight: DH and I always used to book aisle and window, frequently leaving the middle seat empty. One night, a tall, lanky young guy folded himself into the seat between us. Come meal time, DH ordered a Bloody Mary. I got out my trusty bottle of Cholula. As I shook my bottle before opening it, DH somehow fumbled his drink, upending it in his lap, while uncapped my sauce which volcanoed onto my plate and tray. The poor guy between recoiled into the smallest possible space, realizsing that he was on the flight from Hell.

Avocado with Valentina sauce Followed by DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME pork goulash with potato Added a splash of Spanish smoked paprika to a previously enjoyed recipe. Not a great idea. And as I told DH, it's not very good, and there's a lot of it.....

Me too. What we had was a prime steak cut, cooked rare over wood charcoal, sliced. ,

We mustn't conflate "old beef" and "aged beef". Old beef is measured by time on the hoof, while the animal is alive. Unless it flesh is aged by the butcher, it will be as fresh as any younger animal. Aged beef is measured by days the meat is "hung" before being cut into portions. 30 days is normal, but current fad is to let it go for up to many times that. I do not like the (to me) funky, livery flavor of very well aged beef.

We had what is now being called "old beef" in northern Spain at Assador Extebarri, maybe 15 years ago. Elderly farm animals were retired, rested and fed well before slaughter. We enjoyed beef from a 19 year old cow. It was the best, most flavorful and tender piece of meat I have ever had, before or since. I notice that in California, premium meat seller Bryan Flannery's top of the line meat is from Holstein cows. I don't know their age, but friends swear by his product.

Thanks for this. I can't understand why big dough companies can't come up with quick and yeast products that actually taste like the real thing. Why do canned biscuits taste so strongly like baking soda? Why are rolls and pizza doughs so sweet? Would be such a boon bur are essentially unusable.

Kerry, is this literally a pop-can naan or did you improvise with canned biscuits? It the latter, I certainly understand your comments about the off-putting flavor and saltiness. And if the former, couldn't they have come up with better?

Lodi tomato with Lodi red onions, balsamic, EVOO, fresh mozzerella Pork, green onions... and noodles

When I was a mere tyke, we were coming home from visiting BC, and innocent/ignorant father was beguiled by a butcher near the border. Icing up his cooler, he bought a tidy sum of large cuts. At the border, a rosy cheeked and rotund border control guy happily relieved him of his bounty. Nice gig. I am sure and would hope that there are strict rules about what happened to confiscated meat. Hopefully an institution or such.

Many thanks and bouquets to the cook! Ingenious tweakings lead to a superb product. And, YES, she should be here. Thanks again, Smithy.

Indeed beautiful! I'm not familiar with this format Shepherd's Pie. Can you tell us a little more about the filling? And the crust?

One of my favorite food memories was a shellfish and seaweed crepe in a funky little creperie on an island off Brittany. Scallops, shrimp, seaweed. I've never seen one offered elsewhere. Your omelette will do nicely.

After that sumptuous feast, I'm not sure I could have stayed awake during the play! But it all looks superb

I like the way you think.

Back to Lodi on our way home. This time, stopped at a favorite marisco shop. A super cerviche tostado with prawns, octopus and faux crab. And DH had surrounded more than half of his prawn cocktail before I remembered to take a pic Super nice people. Their daughter graduated from law school this spring and just passed the bar! YES!

Back to town with DH's mission of reroofing an outbuilding, what used to be our son's "clubhouse", accomplished. New tin roof with clear panels in the center for light. Easier said than done. Dinner last night, shrimp and andouille jambalaya. Wolfed. Also broccoli, dressed sliced tomatoes, sliced peaches, berry pie encore.

No time for pics today, kiddies. In the country where DH is singlehandedly replacing the tin roof on an outbuilding. I am playing OSHA inspector, not letting him up a ladder unless I am in the vicinity to be able to call 911. Midmorning, I discovered a bat in the house which brought construction to a temporary halt. Much ballet with broom and bat decided to go out one of the many open doors and windows. Back to the task at hand. Son came up to help mid day. So, what was for dinner? Channeling a superb set of Denver steaks son prepared recently, I picked up a compact chuck roast, marinated it in EVOO for two nights. Seared in grill pan, finished off in over to 125F. Sides of charred brussel sprouts and sauteed squash blossoms. Son doesn't eat brussel sprouts, but had 4 helpings. 18 hour bread. Blackberry pie. Everyone is ready to hit the sack. A full day.

Interesting. I find tremendous differences in the flavor between peach varieties, and certainly as well between nectarine varieties. Maybe it's just our local micro-climates as well as varietal distinctions.

Show us photos.