Pat

Good. I was figuring other people would be bringing some, since 25 of each won't go too far . I was going to bring along what we had that's just taking up space, but figured I could buy some just for the picnic if there aren't enough. Sounds like that won't be necessary, though.

Guacamole sounds like a good use for the green. Thanks!

Tuscan potato salad (balsamic and olive dressing) Pierogies with smoked salmon String beans with French's friench fried onions The first two were recipes I found online. The flavor of the potato salad was good but the purple of the balsamic and olives in the dressing made it visually unappealing to me. That didn't bother my husband, though. I had smoked salmon I needed to use and mushroom pierogies in the freezer. I googled the two terms and found this recipe. I was a little apprehensive about the recipe, but it was delicious (and much more attractive than the potato salad). I didn't have basil, so I just used dill. Used whole milk instead of light cream. The recipe is definitely a keeper.

Egg salad with cornichons and celery on a toasted everything bagel

Thanks. I don't know if I've read the member agreement since I registered.

I remember that thread now. Does this mean the user agreement is now going to be modified?

I'm so glad the restaurant is open again, and I finally did get through to get a reservation. This makes me very happy .

I was going to make this point but couldn't think of any examples. It was just more of vague idea than any kind of statement I could back up. Thanks.

I've been thinking about this and don't really know what I think. I've got a few random thoughts, though. People who have to join to get the card will have to keep coming back or they won't know what the discounts are. If they're only coming here to get the discounts, the allure of that probably will wear off after a while. Instead of killing the social aspect entirely (which is a good point and could well be the case), it could reinvigorate the site with an infusion of new people who do have somewhat different interests than the majority of people posting here now. That could be a good thing. And maybe people who are here mostly for the discount offer part of the site will even start meeting up to use their virtual coupons together. It might be something about calling it a membership card (rather than a coupon generator or something) that's making me a little uncomfortable. I don't think there's any way for this not to create some kind of new stratification among the membership. And it will change the customer-business interaction, possibly in unintended ways. There are undoubtedly people now who throw the name of the site around to get things, though, and this would verify that they do in fact have an affiliation with the site and didn't just see the name in a google search for reviews. Finally, it's Don's site and one of the things that's always always appealed to me is his sense of his own vision. If this is what his vision says to do now, I'm going to trust that. With the economy in the condition it's in, this could be a very good time to implement a program like this--both for restaurateurs and customers and, I hope, for dr.com. It's a very thoughtful offer, to be sure. (I do have one question, and maybe I missed it in what I read. Is each person in a dining party going to have to have a card to get the discount, or is that something the businesses will have to decide? I had one of those entertainment books years ago but can't recall how that worked. Unfortunately, I recall having some problems trying to use coupons from that book...)

I'll jump off the fence and say I'll be coming +1. Still subject to change, but I think I'll be able to do it. I can bring potato salad and bread. We've also got paper plates we can bring (about 50) and plastic spoons and knives (about 25 each).

When I checked earlier this week and saw it listed available dates, I tried to make a reservation and got the message that the restaurant was offline. I've tried several times since, and it's been offline every time.

Tonight was an informal meal (mostly) of leftovers. Sourdough bread (grand pain) slices from Marvelous Market Turkey curry spread (shredded turkey, chopped celery, raisins, almonds, shallot, yogurt, curry powder) Faux beef tartare (rare beef, minced fine; sliced cornichons; shallot; lemon juice; horseradish; dab of mayo; and s+p)

Rare T-bone steak with red wine-mushroom sauce Steamed asparagus with butter, s+p Mashed potatoes (with lots for leftovers )

I don't know if I'll be in town and, if I'm in town, whether I can attend the picnic or not. That's why I hadn't replied to the thread.

Via DCist: Giant discontinuing low-selling products, reducing consumer options I lament what has happened to Giant in the 25 years I've lived here. It used to be a wonderful grocery store and I loved shopping there. I'd walk on foot to the Greenbelt store (where the Staples is now; Giant moved across the street), and could find everything I could possibly want. Service was good. Prices were reasonable. Over the years, I've shopped at a number of the locations, and the general decline has been depressing. Some individual stores are still pretty good, but the chain is a shadow of what it was.

leftover fettuciine alfredo with broccoli rabe, almonds, and hot pepper flakes

spinach and bacon stuffed mushrooms, topped with breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan pea soup with pea shoots and bacon roasted turkey drumstick corn on the cob

Thanks for all the photo tips. I'll have to start by getting a camera . The Canon Elph looks pretty good.

Grilled pork sirloin chops topped with caramelized shallots and sauteed morels Steamed English peas with butter and black pepper Buttered egg noodles with pea shoots I really liked the combination on the plate of the peas plus the noodles mixed with pea shoots. I bought out the last 3+ lbs. of peas in the pod at a vendor outside Eastern Market just at closing time. They gave me 3 bags/boxes for the price of 2, which was nice. I almost always get there too late when I head over to grab something in the afternoon. I'd passed on the peas when I was there this morning and went back on a whim and scored. The morels and pea shoots were from the Wisteria Farm stand there.

I've enjoyed reading your blog, monavano. The photos are wonderful. What kind of camera do you usually use? I saw you mention 2 cameras in one of your posts. I keep saying I'd like to start taking photos of food, but I don't even know where to start.

Striata baguette and olive oil Fettucine Alfredo with broccoli rabe and toasted almonds

For a more elaborate potato salad, I like this recipe from Bon Appetit.. It's hard to believe it was published a decade ago already . It's good for a dinner party.

Last night I did the marinated pork sirloin chops on the grill pan again. I boiled down the leftover marinade for a sauce. This was served alongside udon noodles with a miso-soy-peanut sauce and a poached egg on top. I think the noodle concoction was a little too busy, though my husband thought it tasted pretty good. I've been seeing the boneless sirloin chops at Whole Foods quite a bit recently. They're inexpensive (especially for WF) and stretch 1-3 meals, depending on what I do with them. I marinate them for half an hour as I'm prepping the rest of the meal, and then they cook up pretty quickly on the grill pan.

Pretzels dipped in crunchy peanut butter--this is probably the third day in a row I've been craving this . Great combination.

Sometimes I put crumbled bacon into potato salad too, but I've never really cared for warm potato salad with the cooked bacon dressing. Every time I make that, I remember that I've never really liked it