Let's Talk About Cabbage...

Do Not, i repeat- Do Not discount the lowly cabbage, with it's monster bulldog sized head and how often it's uses are misinterpreted in recipes and end up a smelly mushy mess...no no no...

i will tell you what i did with a giganto head that was given to me by Harold that came from Crescent Moon farms in Sopchoppy...

Dinners with Harold

i suggest every gal have a friend like Harold.....easy to talk to, loves to eat and buys the best wine (in fact, i think i'll open that bottle of Montes Cab Sauv from Chile he gave me). he liked the 90 rating and he's a damn good judge of wine. Like that Seghesio he bought last week..we just loved it.



i felt like some comfort food this weekend so it was Chicken Tetrazzini on the menu with Harold providing the lovely sauted greens on the side. Of course Barbara got her share...she is still wheeling herself around or scooting on her bottom to get down the stairs!

here's the thing with tetrazzini: i don't like the mixing up of everything into the bechamel sauce- i like the layered look with the egg noodles interspersed with the mushrooms and garlic and asiago, then a bit more sauce with the chicken pieces laid atop before the next layer. of course fresh parsley and basil is good and be sure the salt and pepper aren't forgotten. i like a grating or two of fresh nutmeg in the white sauce. we added a panko crumb topping about 10 minutes before the dish came out of the oven.

you'll always see a couple cheeses before the meal at Harold's. he lays a nice little spread at the front window where we can rubberneck the neighbors, especially the old gal next door. she's always got her eye on Harold's house so i make sure i keep one out for her! here's what we did on saturday.....yum

Harold Says....

so my country friend gets to have some of the Lasagna the other night...no, no, he says i just want the small piece. well! i had to practically beat him off with a stick as he was trying to stab at my portion! "the best lasagna ever" he says...hmmm, could that be true? no, no i tell him- wait til you try the Butternut Squash one..forget it, he's not interested...he just wants this one.

it's time for jack's cooking lesson so he'll get to make the Lasagna. i'll stand back and just order him around...he'll like that don't you think? maybe some of you people will get to eat jack's pasta. taking orders now...

a wine suggestion for you red winos: a Seghesio Zinfandel from California with a 90 rating from Parker...we didn't stop til the end and then wrestled over the last drop.

It's Lasagna Time!

It's time to make lasagna which I love to do because it's really easy and I can change it up as much as I want. This one will be fairly traditional because it will feed not only Barbara-who will eat anything except okra- but I will also bring my dear , tiny friend Louise a portion. It may be a mouse's portion but all the same, if I can get her to eat something she may not fade away. She is an octogenarian you know. I will post some photos tomorrow as I'm pulling it all together...

So, my friend, Jackie- isn't it time for you to make a lasagne?

Bad Coffee- is it Just me?

i don't understand how this could happen! how could i just suddenly start making bad coffee? to the point that i went through the 4 cup drip maker to the French press, the Italian espresso maker and now to a simple plastic Melitta one cup drip filter. bad,bad, all bad....i only drink very strong coffee and will order a Red Eye when at a public coffee house and some people know that i will turn my nose up if, when the cream hits the coffee it fades to gray. ain't drinkin' it....

now my friend ruthie up the street has coffee i dream about. she's very meticulous with her method, doesn't use a special pot but adds a touch of sea salt, uses spring water and is choosy about her blend- medium to bold, ground fine. and she makes it strong enough and lets me use brown sugar in it with half and half. ruthie, i'm coming up soon!

my Fall Back coffee shop, the Christian one across from Whataburger called the Coffee Pub is re-opening this week as another non-profit coffee house owned by that progressive church in town. I was a regular there for months because i couldn't take another cup of my own bad grinds.

maybe i better high tail it to the new one so i can check it out...

Man in The Kitchen

i was just thinking about my friend, jack; my accessory in the kitchen,the good student, soon to overshadow my sister denise as my assistant when cooking in public...well, he's started turning his thoughts more to what he can do in the kitchen other than make a sandwich or eat the leftovers. he told me the other day that when the stove when out at the House with the Pink Pillars he had to resort to preparing food solely on the grill. as he was engaged in this he thought: "i wonder what louise would do?"..... so glad he's stepping into the kitchen now instead of hovering on the edge. go ahead and stir your own damn pot!

what's cookin' tonite jackie?

Leftovers in all their Glory

Leftovers
...some people love 'em and some people simply turn their noses up at them: leftovers. i happen to like them but not in the large quantities that i used to keep them now. after studying the refrigerator of my friend R.V. over the years and admiring how hers was always well kept, organized and pointedly empty of superfluous items i started my personal campaign against the stuffed and groaning icebox. whew....it took some effort but these days i'm better at buying less, cooking less and leaving over the remains of that fine meal for days on end....

BUT...here's that wonderful split roast chicken we had the other night with the pumpkin:



we finished it up tonite with fresh sliced tomatoes from the garden and a ripe avocado, slivered onions and a mustard vinaigrette. oh, some of the Cinderella pumpkin squash was made into soup. i added a finely chopped mixture of bacon, onion and garlic with coriander.