jwagnerdsm

MottMott, Explain your Red Pepper Vinigarette to me? How do you make it? I like this idea a lot.

We have a Mondos in Des Moines. The food there is very good. Hamburg Inn #2, oddly enough, is the only Hamburg Inn in I.C. There are a couple of good Indian places in Iowa City but the names escape me at the moment. I will ask DW in the a.m. Are you from Iowa? I have a new web site that is a little thin right now but explores Iowa food topics. You can click on the little iowa flavors link below to get to it. Where do you live?

Hamburg Inn No. 2 in Iowa City is a great place for breakfast. I'm sure your hubby has been there and maybe you have been, too. it's fun to zip down to Fairfield (40 minute drive through Amish country) where the Meditators have established a presence. Lots of interesting restaurants and grocery stores there because of their dietary needs. Some great Curry places, etc. I also like the food at the Kalona Sale Barn. And the bakery in Kalona (in the heart of the Amish community) has great Chocolate Chip Cookies. BTW, don't confuse the Amish with the Amana Colonies, which is a whole different sect.

Ha, well it's a great place. The Hawkeye football goes there on Fridays to bulk up for Saturday games. You really ought to think about a trip to Gunder, too. The Gunder burger is an institution in Iowa. It's a plateful that people rave about. And if you want to try some Kosher deli, there are a couple of places in Postville worth trying. Postville has a Kosher packing plant and so has a large population of Rabbis who work in the pack. Interesting food scene. I could go on and on about food in Iowa. I have an affinity for Sale Barn cafes, too, and could also recommend some good ones. And if you are in Dubuque you need to buy some caramels from the Cloister there. Delicious.

We just got our delivery from our subscription farm. Great week. Here's what was in our box: "Roja Red" garlic 'Mars' Onions Half-dozen ears of sweet corn 'Jade' Green Beans Peppers (Banana Supreme, Jalapeno, Paprika Supreme, Labrador, Lipstick, and Pimento) Athena Cantelope Tomatoes (one dozen) including Amish Paste, Dona, Rutgers,Golden Boy, Burpee, Brandywine, Celebrity, Speckled Rome, Arkansas Traveler, Taxi, Garden Peach and Italian Gold Autumn Bliss Raspberries (two pints) Neon Eggplant Okra And, uh, Zuchinni. Lots of Zuchinni What did you get in your CSA box? By the way, we paid $375 for 26 weeks of deliveries, which include fresh cut flowers every other week. It's a great deal and it's fun to know where everything on our plate comes from. (We round out our kitchen needs by buying beef, pork and free-range chicken from local farmers, cheese from an organic dairy, grain from a organic farm, etc.) We can source about 97 percent of our food during any given week. And it all tastes soooo good.

Fascinating topic. Food Network is our default channel at our house and supplies that white noise that drowns out the children killing one another. My list: Dislike: 1.) Rachel Ray. My wife will beat me if I say, once again during her show, that she drives me crazy. Her Dad, who was on her Father's Day show, is equally annoying. And if I couldn't eat myself silly on $40 a day... What's the challenge in that? 2.) Surreal Gourmet. This guy cooks out of a trailer? I have to think he's sleeping with someone at the Food Network Programming department because he's a galoot. 3.) The two ladies who have the cooking light show. I wouldn't eat canned soup out of their kitchen. 4.) Contessa. 5.) Martha Like: 1.) Jamie Oliver 2.) Bobby Flay 3.) Emeril (although my opinion of him dropped when he made 200 pounds of tater tot casserole for the kids in his back to school special. Yuck.) (Maybe someone should start a "favorite cafeteria food from my childhood" thread.) 4.) Mario: I ALWAYS learn something when I watch his show. I would never go to a ballgame with him, though.

Pizza topping! Good idea and a good way to get the kids to eat it.

My darling children removed the stakes that identified all my starter plants and I unwittingly planted eight zucchini plants. Now I am overrun with summer squash. (In our crime free small towns in Iowa, we only lock our cars during zuchinni season. If we don't a "good-hearted" neighbor will share their bounty with us. I'm used my bounty to thicken stews. I've stuffed zucchini. I've made zucchini fries. I need some new ideas. no bread recipes, please.

Farmhouse Pork Roast Serves 4 as Main Dish. This beautiful pork roast can serve as the focal point of a buffet, a semi-formal dinner, or a simple Sunday night supper. Although it takes some effort because of the regular basting, it's a great recipe for the person who enjoys an afternoon in the kitchen. Inspired by Sheila Lufkin's "Around The World" cookbook. 4 lb Pork Roast (Niman Ranch if available) 2 T Fresh Thyme Leaves chopped 1/2 T Fresh Black Pepper 1 c Chicken stock 3 Cloves garlic 1 T Apricot Preserves 4 T Unsalted Butter at room temperature 3/4 c Dry White Wine 2 T Dijon Mustard Directions: 1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2.) Cut deep slits in the pork loin with the tip of a steak or paring knife and insert the garlic slivers. Place the pork in a shallow roasting pan and set aside. 3.) Mix butter, mustard, thyme, and pepper. Spread mixture evenly over the pork. 4.) Heat the chicken broth, wine, and jam together in a small pan until the jelly dissolves and pour this over the pork. (Note: Be sure to pour carefully to avoid “washing” butter mixture off roast.) Roast the pork on the center rack for about 1 ½ hours or 20 minutes a pound. Baste frequently with pan juices, adding a bit more wine if necessary. Pork is done when its internal temperature reaches 150 to 160 degrees. Let the pork rest for 15. Keywords: Main Dish, Pork, Dinner, French ( RG593 )

When I graduated, the manager at the local grocery where I worked as a carry out told me that if I wanted to get laid in college, I needed to learn to cook one dish that would wow co-eds. I began experimenting with Risotto until I got it down pat, but it didn't seem to help my social life much. I continued to cook through my adult life, paying attention to the "peasant food" that I sampled during travels around the globe. In the last year, as part of a book project, my family has been eating only food grown or raised locally. It's changed the way I cook, limiting me at times, but pushing me to simplify, concentrate on technique, and to become a more patient cook. I now spend at least an hour cooking dinner every day (I wonder how many "kit dinners" I fed my family while pretending to be a "foodie"?)

My favorite dish when the tomatoes are popping in the garden. Summer Risotto I'll eat this a couple of times a week while the tomatoes are at their prime.

Two ideas: The first is Breitbach's Balltown Restaurant, which is on a scenic little road north and west of Dubuque. It's the oldest restaurant in Iowa (Jesse James ate there) and is owned by the same family that opened it in the 1850s. Lots of country fare. For food bigger than your head, try the little restaurant in Gunder, which is northwest of Dubuque. If you are willing to drive a bit further, everyone seems to agree that Joensy's in Solon (just north of Iowa City) has the best tenderloins in the state. A couple of other food recommendations: breakfast at the bakery/cafe in Guttenburg (on the river, north of Dubuque) is definitely worth the trip. And don't be suckered in by Amana Colonies fare. Very mediocre.