bloviatrix

Last night's meal was: Parsnip and corriander soup - went shopping in the freezer. Lamp chops rubbed with a thyme/garlic/evoo rub and topped with a Pear-prune compote Artichokes and carrots in lemon sauce (an old favorite we haven't had in ages) Orzo "risotto"

Welcome. How did you make the pot de creme? Jayne, if you feel you need a break from the tart, just change the herb used in the crust. Basil is nice and it turns the dough green. But chives would work or oregano, etc.

It's winter!! Curried Lentil soup with tomatoes and spinach Brisket in tomato sauce Bulgur pilaf with currents Sweet potatoes dressed with a mustard vinaigrette.

I love lentil soups. They're so hearty and filling. So, when I found a recipe for Curried Lentil soup with tomatoes and spinach, I knew I had to make it. It was a perfect soup for a cold night.

I'm so excited to know about this. I've been dying to get my hands on the red and white editions.

These are ones I turn to most frequently. In otherwords, the ones that are stained and have broken spines. Joan Nathan Jewish Cooking in America Jeffrey Nathan Adventures in Jewish Cooking Jayne Cohen The Gefilte Variations Phyllis Glazer with Miriyam Glazer The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking Gil Marks Olive Trees and Honey (his other books are pretty good as well) Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food is an excellent reference, but I don't cook from it frequently.

I'm still on a parsnip kick. This weekend it was a parsnip/corriander/apple soup. Perfect for the cold weather.

We did OTBN last year and had so much fun doing it. We invited one other couple over and opened up a '95 Chateau Giscours and an Tisbhi Reserve (Israel) from '98. Both wines were excellent and extremely different in character. I also designed a menu that would flatter the wines. It was a lovely evening. Good food and drink and wonderful company to share it with. Unfortunately, our friends have moved out of the country so we can't have a repeat.

I made a very simple meal. A bit heavy considering the beautiful spring-like day. Mushroom barley soup Braised short ribs with mushrooms and prunes Kasha varnishkes. We've been on a kv kick this winter - they're so delicious and we only eat them from November through about March.

I had lunch at Alfanoose today. It was very good, but I have my issues. The laffa used at Alibaba is better for 3 reasons: 1)it's warmed up 2)better texture and 3)tastes better. Bread aside, very tasty falafel balls. And I liked the addition of pickled turnip.

How is that mock shrimp? I've been getting the mock crab in and it's been selling like crazy... but I haven't tried the shrimp - for some reason I'm scared of it. ← I believe it tastes exactly like the mock crab (if you've tried it). The texture is really odd - it's not minced. I would call it "extruded" and tinted orange. I very rarely use it. But, every so often I come across a recipe that I feel a need to try, and then it comes in handy.

I made a crazy meal for friday night. The dishes didn't match. The only theme, if you want to stretch that far is that I went south of the Mason-Dixon line. Parsnip Soup "Shrimp" Creole ( I had a package of the mock shrimp in the freezer calling my name) Chili rubbed roasted chicken with a roasted tomatillo and chile sauce Baron Herzog Clarksburg Chenin Blanc 2004 to drink.

You're probably thinking of Gruenbaums. It's still there.

Your daughter is in college already? As one of the fans of Cooking Live I remember when both kids would, on occasion, come on the show. I can't believe they're that grown up already. Regarding your son's friends - have the meals at your home encouraged any of them to try their hand at cooking?

I was just gifted a copy of the Gourmet cookbook by a friend who works for the publisher. She was astounded that among my many books I was missing this volume.

Susan, I've been making the short ribs braised in the ancho coffee sauce since it first appeared in Gourmet. It's not particularly spicy. But it is very flavorful. I get frequent requests for it.

Katie's post about her parsnip soup inspired me -- so I made my own version. Parsnips, a single carrot, leek, thyme and stock. Pureed it all up. Quite tasty.

I received a phone call yesterday from a good friend asking if she can come over for dinner with her daughter as her husband had go out of town suddenly. So, I'm cooking for 3 adults and one 4 yr old. Spinach salad with slices of mesquite sausage and pears Parsnip Soup Veal Schnitzel Chicken with preserved lemons and olives Kasha Varnishkes Roasted Cauliflower Brownies for dessert There will be wine. Just don't know which one yet.

Are you aware that you can get kosher andouille sausage? (The company is called Neshama, you might have seen them at Kosherfest)

Alibaba, Amsterdam between 84th and 85th. The best falafel west of Israel.

We hosted dinner for 7. Onion confit on baguette toasts Spicy black bean chowder, pineapple-banana salsa Herb crusted veal roast, red wine-mustard sauce wild rice and orzo salad rosemary caramelized parsnips brussel sprouts, sauted flourless chocolate cake concord grape sorbet To drink: Ch. Leoville-Poyferre '99, Recanati SR Galilee '00, Arberlour 15 yr, Compass Box Orangerie, Damson liqueur.

I love begelahs. We used to have an Israeli market up the block that carried them -- they were almost as good as the ones I used to get when I lived in Jerusalem.

Very nice, Pam. You guys must be thrilled.

Must have been more than 10 copies, because I know I personally bought three. ← I also have a copy. I remember being so excited when I brought it home because it had a recipe that called for flageolets and I had a bunch that I had no idea how to use My guess it that by the time this blog finishes more than 10 owners will come out of the woodwork.

But it's not kosher, so it's a moot point if that's one of your requirements.