legant

Dal with spinach and oven-roasted cherry tomatoes. Lessons learned from the “Clean out the Kitchen” project: Check the quality of the ingredients: Ghee does go rancid; Just because you have a lot of something, you don’t have to use it all in one dish: there’s a reason they tell you to use a pinch of asafetida powder; Substitutions are fine, but expect it to alter the quality of your dish: cumin powder is not the same as cumin seeds; Mis en place is important: where are those damned mustard seeds! Have a carry-out/delivery menu on hand... just in case.

Great pictures monavano! When's the "Food Styling 101" course?

Pork and Beans: (Cedarbrook Farm) pork sausage, (home-grown) oven-roasted cherry tomatoes, spinach and Navy Beans. This was to be Monday's lunch; I doubt it will make it to Sunday night.

What are the Vietnamese options near Dulles... no more than 15 minutes from the airport. I'm meeting a friend during her Dulles layover and... given my unfamiliarity with the Commonwealth... don't want to stray too far from the airport.

After 16 weeks, I have finally gotten the hang of this thing: CSA veggies should be used to complement a meal, not make the meal. Tonight's dinner: string beans stir-fried with shitake, button and portabella mushrooms Sunday dinner: Moussaka (eggplant, oregano and parsley) Monday lunch: goat cheese, beet and spinach sandwich

Welcome JAH and congrats on your first post!

On a slightly different tangent: how do you cook your corn?I picked up a couple of ears at the Sheridan market. It's been quite a while since I cooked fresh corn. I do, however, remember an article from the WaPo... years ago... that advised: place corn in cold water with a bit of sugar; when water comes to a boil, recite Psalm 23; turn off the heat and allow the corn to sit for 5 minutes or until the meal is ready to be served. I don't remember why Psalm 23 or the reason behind the sugar. Hey! I'm proud that I actually remembered that there was a 23rd Psalm! Yet, this method has worked for me. There are other options, as well. Do you microwave your corn? Cook in a pressure cooker? Steam? Bake in the oven — either in foil or in the husk? Other than grilling, how do you cook your corn?

Price comparisons, please.

Proposed Twenty-Dollar Tuesday: Indian Ocean Proposed dates: Tues Sept 25 or Thur Sept 27 (See Nanther's review) Any takers?

Had a dream last night: rode past Palena on a Sunday night; the curtains were opened; tables were pushed to the side; linens were piled atop table. It was obvious that Palena had closed for business. Normally I don’t believe in dream analysis. Other than the obvious interpretation – the need for “nutrition” –I found the following explanation: This happened after two very bad hamburger experiences last week. My own, personal analysis is rather simple: Palena’s burgers ROCK… I should stop wasting my time and money… and simply return to my regular seat at Palena’s bar.

This was the first year that I participated in a CSA. Was it convenient? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably. With the same CSA? Probably not. At the beginning of the season, I was overwhelmed by the quantity of some of the vegetables… especially the Bok Choy cousins. We got epazote for, I guess, five weeks running. How many pots of beans will one make, especially during the summer. I found very little use for it. The squash was enough to carry me through the week. The potatoes were a bit overwhelming. At one point, I had 10 potatoes sitting in my kitchen. I’ve loving the sage and, to some extent, the basil. As I’ve mentioned previously, my new favorite dish is pasta with browned butter sage sauce. And, I just made a whole mess of pesto yesterday, which is now in the freezer. For the last few weeks, I’ve been doing almost daily snacks of tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olive oil. The garlic has been plentiful… that is, until I used most of it for my pesto. I have been quite disappointed by the variety. I signed on to the Bull Run CSA because of the price and the (proposed) variety and the pick-up location. Some of the items listed have yet to/won’t appear: corn (which I understand was wiped out because of the drought); okra (which I was having a great deal of anticipatory anxiety about); lima beans; Swiss chard; cherry tomatoes. The quantity and quality of others… cauliflower; broccoli; leeks… have left a lot to be desired. I’ve tried several ethnic recipes, especially Indian, in an attempt to use several items all at once and extend the CSA basket a bit. It seems to me that quite a few ethnic cuisines are much heavier on the use of vegetables than US cooking. I’ve cooked a lot of vegetarian dishes but often found it a challenge to include protein. Members of my CSA get different veggies (size and variety) depending on their pick-up day. For example, a Bull Run CSAer mentioned a sweet potato that fed two; my potato was 2/3 the size of a store-bought. Although it was just the right size, I would have liked a larger potato with the expectation of leftovers. And, it seems that other CSA have received a greater variety and, at times, much larger basket at a comparable price. Although I would like to try another CSA next year, the trade-off would be location. My current location is very convenient: four blocks from the Metro or two blocks from my bus line. I can’t remember the last time I went to the store for vegetables. I have gone to a couple of farmer’s markets and have been impressed by the selection and quality of the veggies and fruits. In fact, if I don’t do a CSA next year, I might just “bank” the money at the beginning of the season and commit to buying at farmer’s markets during the season. I know: rather long ramblings about my CSA experience. But you asked!

So far, I've gotten three takers. Now the hard part: deciding on a date. Proposed: Tuesday, Sept 18; Tuesday, Sept 25; Wed Sept 19; or Thur Sept 27

The motion is defeated for lack of a second

… and garlic makes it good!

Simple, yet satisfying: Vermicelli tossed with olive oil, garlic, red peppers smothered with parmesan Arizona Raspberry Iced Tea (I can't say it enough: Gawd! I love this stuff!)

I barter my CSA basil for some "good" Irish tea. Tonight my neighbor said: is that all you get? Herbs? I had to think... hard... for a moment: I had two good-sized bags of basil and parsley and very little else to show for my CSA pickup. For week 15 we got: 1 garlic head, 1 sweet potato, 1 tomato, 2 beets (which are so small I don't know what the f*ck to do with them!), a good handful of string beans, and a HUGE watermelon. Okay, maybe it's not that big, but it's the size of a bowling ball. Oh! And two apples. I didn't even bother to pick through the basket to find any w/o blemishes. It just wasn't worth it. I have enough garlic to last me to the next CSA season. The sweet potato will accompany the pork chop later this week. String beans will go with a roasted chicken. The tomato will accompany some basil and mozzarella and olive oil for lunch. No more "Dollies scones" or KitKat bars: it'll be watermelon for the rest of the week. I know, I know... we've had a drought. But: Where's the corn? Where's the okra? Where are the lima beans? How 'bout the cherry tomatoes? Dammit! I want my flowers! Some folks are "pleased as punch" about their CSA. However... right now... as I'm looking at my 2 scrawny beets... I'm thinking: I'd be better off if I commit to spending my $20/week at a farmer's market. And, yes... there will be pesto in the morning.

After reading the above description, I’m grateful I couldn’t find a reference for Food and Whine magazine. Surely there was another recipe out there for pasta and tuna. Sunday: Sliced (CSA) cucumbers Tuna, stir-fry frozen vegetables, and (CSA) hot pepper over Whole-wheat linguine Roasted (CSA) squash and zucchini with garlic Arizona Raspberry Iced Tea (gawd! I love this stuff!) Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate square Saturday: Roasted pork chop w/ Apple Butter Leftover macaroni and cheese Broccoli and cauliflower melody Belmondo Pinot Grigio Friday: Pan-fried trout Stouffer’s Macaroni and cheese String beans Fetzer Sauvignon Blanc [Part of the ongoing "clean cupboard, clean fridge, clean freezer" project.]

General Mill’s My Hometown Helper program provides funds, up to $15,000, to support community groups and projects in cities all across America. The program gives funds directly to “public school, 501©(3) or 501©(4) entity, such as civic leagues and social welfare organizations.” Successful proposals will: Several questions: Would DR.com members like to compete for these funds? Is General Mill’s an appropriate venue to seek such funds? What need can the DR.com community, with the support of the My Hometown Helper program, meet? What areas, communities, activities or services? What do you envision that support would look like? What organization could we partner with to make this happen? And… Who is available/interested in helping me produce a first draft that then could be reviewed by the DR.com community? The deadline for submission is September 30th. I propose the following timetable: Receive and review suggestions, research possible allies, etc. by September 14 Get Don and DR.com to sign-off on the proposal concept Produce and post a first draft by September 17 Incorporate comments/feedback from the DR.com community by September 21 Post second draft, for additional comments/feedback, by September 24 Submit (and post) the final proposal September 28 Questions? Comments? Feedback? Post here or send me a PM no later than September 14.

I didn't realize there were any restaurants on Ordway. A bit more info please? Name? Type of cuisine? Description of facade?

Sliced CSA tomato with Miracle Whip Nibbles of mozzarella Arizona Raspberry Ice Tea

For the Nigella fans out there: An interesting review of her latest book Nigella Express. My favorite passage:

Have you ever tried a “new” recipe only to realize… after the first bite… that you’ve made this before… and it wasn’t that good the first time around? And, unfortunately, you’re committed – waste not, want not – to finishing the damned thing. Tuesday: Cherry Tomatoes* Black bean patties Dad’s (CSA) cucumber and dill salad Maker’s Mark Manhattan Monday: Lay’s Potato Chips* Shrimp and pasta salad (with CSA green pepper, cucumber, tomato, hot pepper)** Absolut Screwdriver *While waiting for the salad flavors to meld. **An homage to Pat’s clean the fridge project; next: the freezer.

Fried pasta??!! I've browned raviolli, but have never "fried" pasta. Do tell.

Huh? Pictures, woman! Pictures! Consider posting photos of the plated meals. We've learned, from your blog, that your digital photo skills are top notch. And, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to see more pictures. Xochitl10: You too!

The ongoing search for comfort food... I didn't care for the grilled cheese at Temperance Hall; not greasy enough. And: what's with the chopped tomatoes in the sandwich??!! This is how to make a grilled cheese sandwich!