GG Mora

I'm in an Elvis Costello sing-along phase meself. Lots of Elvis on the iPod & I just randomize it. It's great in the car. Trouble is, I've been doing it on bike rides, too & we all know that singing along with headphones is a no-no. That must be why I get such wierd looks when I'm on my bike. Faves: Motel Matches Man Out of Time Baby Plays Around The Only Flame in Town Peace in Our Time Oliver's Army Okay, Seth. Who's up?

I can't even begin to comment on the real content of this thread. I'm left breathless by your beautiful photographs!

Portuguese Almond Tart Serves 12 as Dessert. This lovely, simple tart has a rich, buttery base, somewhere between shortbread and a very dense pound cake. The topping is caramelized, crunchy and nutty. It's an excellent dessert for those who like their sweets rich but not cloying. Base 125 g unsalted butter, softened 200 g sugar 2 eggs, at room temperature 1/2 tsp vanilla extract pinch of salt 200 g flour (AP) Topping 125 g sugar 60 g heavy cream, at room temperature 150 g sugar 200 g sliced (not slivered) almonds (with skins) Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease a 12-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Grease the hollows of the fluted edge especially well, as the topping part of the tart will stick. For the base: Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Blend in salt and flour. Spread evenly over bottom of tart pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool out of the oven for about 15 minutes. For the topping: Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in cream. Blend in almonds. Spread over top of cooled baked cake. Bake for 25 minutes or until topping is bubbling and browned. Cool completely before serving, but serve at room temperature. You could easily halve the ingredients to make a 9" tart. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Tart ( RG1054 )

Portuguese Almond Tart Serves 12 as Dessert. This lovely, simple tart has a rich, buttery base, somewhere between shortbread and a very dense pound cake. The topping is caramelized, crunchy and nutty. It's an excellent dessert for those who like their sweets rich but not cloying. Base 125 g unsalted butter, softened 200 g sugar 2 eggs, at room temperature 1/2 tsp vanilla extract pinch of salt 200 g flour (AP) Topping 125 g sugar 60 g heavy cream, at room temperature 150 g sugar 200 g sliced (not slivered) almonds (with skins) Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease a 12-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Grease the hollows of the fluted edge especially well, as the topping part of the tart will stick. For the base: Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Blend in salt and flour. Spread evenly over bottom of tart pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool out of the oven for about 15 minutes. For the topping: Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in cream. Blend in almonds. Spread over top of cooled baked cake. Bake for 25 minutes or until topping is bubbling and browned. Cool completely before serving, but serve at room temperature. You could easily halve the ingredients to make a 9" tart. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Tart ( RG1054 )

Actually, I was expecting Lionel Ritchie. Yup, I was a bit taken aback, too. Doesn't stop me from getting vicarious thrills out of your honeymoon tale. Re: driving thrills. You haven't lived until you've piloted a very small Fiat along the outside lane of the road along the rim of the Gorges du Verdun – no guard rail, of course – and come around a hair-pin switchback only to find a....full-size German tour bus comin' at ya across both lanes.

Ummmm.....wrong. I'm reading. Just getting back to work myself (after 9-month forced hiatus) & spending more time at the computer doing actual (billable) work. I'm definitely reading; just don't have much time to post...

Not really. Get the whole story here.

I prefer a tapioca-thickened fruit pie, as it keeps the filling clear and jelly-like. You can all spank me for making strawberry-rhubarb pie, but I like it. With a streusel topping. Last year I made rhubarb preserves for the first time. Now that's a fine way to treat rhubarb.

Huzzah, Seth. I don't mind spending another week in NYC. Just to clarify: Does having already blogged NOT exempt one from taking up the mantle again? I've been tagged the past two weeks, but since I'd already bloviated my way through Thanksgiving week, I thought it best to decline. Uh-oh. Blog on.

About 2 years ago, Haskins Gas Company (a local propane concern) took over the South Dorset General Store – one of those convenience store / gas station / lunch counter affairs. They cleverly morphed the company name to come up with....Hasgas General Store. Yeah. I'd eat there.

Closeted lipophiliacs.

I've home-made my own wholemeal pasta with, as you suggest, organic flour and free-range eggs. It IS laborious but, if you commonly detest wholemeal pasta (as I do) it's only half bad and not nearly as grotesque as bought stuff. And, as someone else suggested, it takes kindly (or kindlier) to a creamy/cheesey saucing. But it still "decomposes" quickly in the mouth, and I don't think there's any getting around that – not enough gluten, I suspect. FWIW, a risotto made with barley is really something delicious. All in all, you have my deepest sympathies. I've been on detox diets three times in recent-ish history. It's not so bad if you get the desired results. Last time I didn't, and I rued 6 weeks of lost indulgences longer than was necessary. Don't think anyone will talk me into a detox diet again any time soon.

Cheeky. That's an awesome story about Dan's dog. He deserves to have his face on all those bottles. Your blog is making me jealous, and I have a perfectly lovely life in rural Vermont.

I have nothing against the dog's-dinner approach (everything on a plate). It's just that, in the hands of unskilled practitioners – and they are many – the penchant for excess often produces less-than-appetizing results. My favorite example of this (and my apologies to those of you who may already have heard my rant): a local overly-championed restaurant offered, as an appetizer, a potato pancake topped with a crabcake topped with a slice of seared foie gras topped with mango salsa. Now that's just wrong.

What a great name. I so look forward to "stirring up a little Mischief". I noticed this evening that my local booze purveyor (in Manchester, VT) has the Charbay vodkas. Let me repeat my mantra: "As soon as I start getting paid again"...I will buy the requisite liquors for the official eGullet quaff. For now, it was a fifth of Schmirnoff's Silver. Yes, and you can keep your pulp.

Socks, babe...socks. That way you can at least hide the grease stains.

Everyone else has already given such good advice that mostly coincides with my experiences and observations. The avoidance of strong flavors & smells seems to be key. HOWEVER...the patient's appetite may also be informed by emotional issues and external influences that contradict the edicts of a chemo-addled body. I've found this to be particularly true in the terminal stages*, which I sense and hope is not where your "patient" is at. When my longtime business partner was going through chemo, I cooked and brought him food as much as I could. He favored things like plain roast chicken, mac and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes. A large vat of cold vichyssoise was, as I recall, the most welcome delivery during the hot sticky days of August. Suddenly one day, though, the smell of onions cooking got his appetite up and he wanted grilled onions on everything. So I made a large vat of caramelized onions, which he proceeded to put on everything for about 5 days until the smell of onions made him retch. Chemo is like that. *About 4 days before my mother passed away after an ugly battle with leukemia, she asked if someone would please make her a whiskey sour, because she really just wanted a whiskey sour. Never mind that she had never been a whiskey drinker, and that she probably had no stomach lining left (if even a stomach). I made a huge pitcher of whiskey sours and me and my brother and sisters and Dad sat around the edges of her bed and had a cocktail party.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

Wow...what a scene. Though it sounds like it could have been much worse for you (small consolation). At least you got rid of the commemorative wine-glass collection. Looking forward to our week in Paso Robles territory.

I just line them with a second mini-tart pan. It was initially expensive to buy so many little pans, but it's paid off in spades.

And I agree with THAT 1000%. I've always assumed it was my own private idiosyncrasy...now you've got me wondering. My mother always tucked largish pieces of onion into her meatloaf & it (the onion) never cooked thoroughly. Gross. Back on topic – Vidalias make an excellent slaw. Grate/shred them and use as you would cabbage to make slaw. Also fine added to cabbage slaw.

I DO still eat paste. Oh, wait...that's just Total 0% yogurt. I once ate epoxy when I was little. Fortunately, it was only one of two parts.

Following the subject of wonderful typos being discussed earlier, Stigand, I guess you meant to type "Tataki". Tatami is the straw matting floor covering used in Japanese buildings. D'oh I suppose tatami would be seriously overcooked tuna... And who wants a floor mat that stinks of fish...

I pretty much grill all meats (except for larger roasty-things) on my Weber POS using the crank-it-to-11 for 20 minutes (closed) then throw the meat on, leave it on high, close the lid, open and flip/rotate as necessary until cooked to desired temp (breathe) method. The POS part is the problem. Weber gas grills blow. That's why, as soon as I start to get paid again, I'm buying a 4-burner Vermont Castings grill (with rotisserie). I'm pretty sure this is the one available at Home Depot (at least here in VT) for $850. For way less money than the high-end Webers, they're supremely better-constructed. I've had an opportunity to test-drive one at a friend's house; it made me want to come home and shoot my Weber in the face.

Right on. A blog isn't a guarantee that we get ALL the juicy details! FWIW, I post photos using Safari (& ImageGullet) all the time & haven't had any trouble. I do create the JPEGs using Photshop's "Save for Web" function, which makes the downsizing seamless. That may make a difference.