Maison Rustique

Oops! Sorry wrong thread.

My great-grandmother could never make green beans without burning them. My sister and I always like them burned now. I've actually taken to frying them in bacon grease until they are dark brown. I've even converted my DH!

Here's my Mom's recipe: CORN CASSEROLE ½ cup (1 stick) butter 17-oz. can corn with liquid* 17-oz. can creamed corn* 8 ½-oz. box Jiffy corn bread/muffin mix 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 cup sour cream** 1 cup grated cheddar cheese** *I have never seen a 17-oz. can of corn. I think they’re usually 15-16-oz. Works fine. **Mom & I both usually use more than this of the sour cream and cheese. Melt butter in a 9x13 dish. Add whole corn, creamed corn & corn bread mix. Gently mix with a fork. Add eggs and mix in with fork. Drop sour cream by tablespoons over the top of the corn mixture. Dunk them under a bit. Cover top with cheddar. Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 350, or until it is firm. Let cool slightly before serving or serve at room temp. Everyone always loves this!

bleu cheese mayo red onion* the bun must be lightly toasted *Why do they call it red onion when it's actually purple?

Thanks, G-G. I'll be studying before the dinner.

Uh-oh! I must admit that I've never heard of this person before. I guess I just don't watch enough TV (not just FoodNetwork). I will be there for the eG dinner, but if he is there do you think he will be offended if I don't recognize him (yes I've seen his pic that you posted but don't have a clue as to what he does on TV)? If so, can someone give me some pointers--something to ask about/discuss?

I asked my daughter the biologist/botanist about this, as I'd never heard of anyone eating cattails. Here is her reply: So, eat them at your own risk!

Bravo! I wish you the best and will be waiting to hear of your success!

I'm sticking my oar in here even though I have little experience with chard. What if you wash it, then stick the stems into a bowl of ice water, as though it's some herb or flower? Would it keep? The approach works well in the refrigerator with herbs, but I've no idea whether it would work on chard out on the counter. If I had access to chard and limited refrigerator space I'd give it a try. Maybe it would keep for a day, anyway? Think of the centerpiece it could make on your dinner table! Failing that, maybe you should invest in an ice chest or two? Wash it, wrap it in damp towels, lay it in the ice chest with something frozen? I'm no expert either, but I did this recently. I got a lovely fresh bunch of chard and had no room in the fridge. So I filled a pitcher with cold (not ice) water, trimmed the stems about an inch, stuck it in the pitcher, set it on the counter (out of the sun) and it kept very nicely for 3 days! The bonus was that it was red chard and looked absolutely lovely!! Edited to say that this was just last week. I made a lovely chard, bacon and potato chowder and still have some left-overs in the fridge. That is gonna be my dinner tomorrow night when DH is gone. YUM!

That is fascinating! Thanks for sharing it.

YUCK! That's worse than buffets!!

Thanks! I've emailed the Tierra Miguel Foundation to see if they serve my area--none of the others do.

I'm not clear on how I can support the farms directly. We have some "farmers markets" around here. The ones in my area are not on days/times that I can go to them and make reasonable purchases. For example the one in my city is on Friday afternoon. I work during the hours it's open. There is another that is actually closer, but it is on Sundays. I do the bulk of my cooking Wednesday thru Saturday. That means I'd be dealing with old produce. Organic Express delivers in my area on Thursday. And I can get some grocery items from them, too. It just seems to work out better for me timewise. They do say that 90% of it is produced in California. Is that bad? I'm happy to ask them questions about the farms that supply them, etc. What should I ask? Clearly you all are in areas that know more about this. In my area we no longer have "local" farms. We just have concrete and buildings. Ther are still a couple of small farms that grow strawberries and corn, but not much more than that. I loved it when I could walk across the street in San Juan Capistrano and buy from the farm directly. Unfortunately the land was sold (it's now a community center) and we moved out of the area.

Ned, try here. It's not a very big picture, but maybe it will jog your memory!

Sounds a whole lot like the Noriega Hotel in Bakersfield. A fabulous place! Dinner is better than lunch and you can meet some real characters there. Once sat next to an ancient Basque sheepherder--toothless and had great stories! On Saturday nights you'll often see limos bringing groups of people from LA.

Has anyone tried or heard anything about these folks? I got a flyer from them in the mail today. The prices don't seem that much different from Henry's Marketplace or the regular supermarkets. I'm thinking of giving them a try but thought I'd see if anyone here had tried them.

Roflmao!!!!! That sounds like something I would do!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll post when I get back.

Nice job! Tell Mrs. Stupid she isn't!

Hi! The first part of June, DH (dear husband) and I are driving over to Phoenix. He will be in meetings all day and we have dinners most evenings that have already been arranged by the group. We're staying at the JW Desert Ridge Resort and Spa and I understand that there are some nice restaurants there which is good because I'm afraid (but don't know for sure) that most of the group dinners will be held there. I could be surprised! Anyway, I'll have the days free. I have a friend in Scottsdale that I hope to spend some time with. We're tentatively planning to get together for a Sunday Brunch. Any suggestions? Also how about lunch spots? I'll be on my own during the days unless I can convince my friend to go antiquing/junking with me. And if anyone has suggestions for that, I'm interested, too! I want cheap antiquing places as it's for re-sale. As far as dining goes, there is no price limit. I like most any food except sushi/sashimi. Other than that, I'm open to adventure! Great food at local dives is great as long as I'll feel safe there alone. Thanks!!

Will you have a car? What kinds of food do you like? Price range? And don't forget that mornings, evenings and sometimes even the days in June at the beach can be very foggy and downright cold. We call it June gloom. Please be sure to bring layered clothing. You'll want a jacket or sweater at night!

Begging your pardon, but it IS Olvera Street. Here's the website. Olvera Street

Well, damn! We just keep striking out. We're attending a wedding on the 4th. And not anywhere near there.

I feel like I missed something. What exactly do you mean by backyard Iron Chef? Is all the cooking done outdoors? Was there another thread on this that I missed? If I have a better idea of what it's about, I "might" be able to approach my alleged spouse about having it here.

Yes!