mktye

What a great day! It was wonderful to see old friends and meet some new ones.

Thanks to everyone for bringing the tasty food, beverages and paper goods (well, the paper goods were not exactly tasty, but they certainly did come in handy). And thank you to the table sitters, JG for making a special, last-minute trip to his storage-unit so the rest of us could enjoy shogun's & mdt's meats, jparrot for his help in covering the tables (even though it was over-thought), CrescentFresh for picking up (and slicing!) all the baguettes for the EVOO tasting and whoever it was who so sweetly brought some flowers for the tables.

Also a big thanks to those who brought the EVOO to be tasted:

DonRocks

crackers

mdt

JPW

CrescentFresh

ScotteeM (who brought two!)

Al Dente

hillvalley

goldenticket

hm212

Ferhat

Mrs. B (who also brought two, including a fantastic, fruity California oil)

and last, but not least, Camille-Beau for sharing the very special Manni EVOOs

We did not score the oils, so there were no "winners". But the ones I kept hearing people say they liked best were the Wegmans "Tuscan Style", the Pompeian and the Olio Beato (hillvalley picked up this one her favorite farmer's market). A lot of folks also really enjoyed the Trader Joe's Black Truffle that crackers so kindly contributed.

For those who missed out on which sample was which, here it is again:

Sample 1 – Carm Grande Escolha

Sample 2 – Trader Joe's “Kalamata”

Sample 3 – Olio Beato

Sample 4 – Wegmans "Puglia Style""

Sample 5 – Sasso

Sample 6 – Trader Joe's “Black Truffle”

Sample 7 – Bertolli

Sample 8 – Marmarbirilik

Sample 9 – Pompeian

Sample 10 – Mas de Gourgonnier

Sample 11 – Trader Joe's

Sample 12 – Bella Famiglia

Sample 13 – Trader Joe's Organic

Sample 14 – Carapelli

Sample 15 – Wegmans "Tuscan Style"

Sample 16 – Filipo Berio

(And, after two DR.com picnics, I am now a Ventworm. )

And an update on the extra virgin olive oil tasting...

It is not too late to contribute an oil. It appears we have all the big producers pretty well covered, but it would be nice to have more of the smaller name EVOOs represented.

The only requirements are:

1. It is an extra virgin olive oil

2. You bring at least 1 to 2 cups of oil (open bottles are okay)

Brands of EVOO we have so far:

Filipo Berio

Bertolli

Carapelli

Bella Famiglia

Pompeian

Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's Kalamata

Trader Joe's Black Truffle

Wegmans "Tuscan Style"

Wegmans "Puglia Style"

Whole Foods

Manni "Per Me"

Manni "Per Mio Figlio"

Antica Italia

Carm Grande Escolha

Sasso

Lucini "First Cold Press"

Olio Beato

(Some logistics for those who plan on bringing an oil that I've not yet corresponded with... We are planning on making the initial part of the olive oil sampling a blind tasting. So, in order to avoid the need for everyone to do a lot of fill-in-the-blanks when the identities of the samples are revealed, we're putting together an answer key to hand out at the comletion of the blind sampling. If you can PM me the brand of the EVOO you are contributing before ~9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, it will really help save time during the tasting because I'll be able to pre-print the name of the oil on the answer key. But if do you miss the above deadline, please still bring your oil and we'll just write-in the name on the key. Thanks!)

Here it is... the moment you've all been waiting for... the last food tally!

No, you won't get in trouble if you change your mind at the last minute/have a recipe malfuction/there is a utility outage at your house/(fill in the blank) and you end up bringing something other than what is listed next to your name below.

And, yes, you are certainly still welcome at the picnic even if you have not let anyone know you are coming and/or what you are bringing.

So good luck everyone with your purchasing, prepping, chopping, braising, mixing, smoking, cooking, kneading, mixing, mashing, baking, slicing and plating. I'm looking forward to tasting all this food!

Meats/Mains:

Jacques Gastreaux -- 2 smoked pork shoulders (butt) & NC-style sauce

rvanrens -- lightly cremated dead animal

shogun -- miniburgers with an assortment of similarly played-out toppings

mktye -- TX-style BBQ brisket with country-western song sauce

Tripewriter & Walrus -- Cincinnati chili

bubbaque -- couple or three racks of dry-rubbed ribs with a side of chipotle bbq sauce

mdt -- surprise meat

Beau (of Camille-Beau) -- filet of beef tenderloin (medium rare)

Al Dente -- definitely-maybe a braised beef substance, probably spicy, with some good tortilla action

Sides/Salads:

Jacques Gastreaux -- roasted potato salad

CresentFresh -- some form of chicken salad and probably some corn bread

RaisaB -- tuna aspic

mktye -- coleslaw

Barbara -- pasta salad in homage to Rocks

ScotteeM -- green bean salad

DanielK -- applesauce (or should this be under desserts?)

MelGold -- a big tossed salad (and a surprise )

goldenticket -- Morrocan spiced carrot salad

Camille (of Camille-Beau) -- pesto pasta salad

Rissa P -- fruit platter

Scott Johnston -- homemade pickles (2 kinds sweet and sour) with may show up a bit late

Desserts:

LoganCircle -- better-than-Cakelove red velvet cupcakes

laniloa -- chocolate-laden baked goods

Skysplitter -- pie(s)

tenunda -- cake and/or pie

hm212 -- a dessert

crackers -- tentatively an apple crisp

clayrae -- something chocolate

goldenticket -- zucchini chocolate cake

Camille (of Camille-Beau) -- possibly a caramel & cream cheese apple pie

Heather -- sugar cookies

Nadya's friend -- chocolate amaretti cake

Appetizers/Drinks/Other:

clayrae -- michael chiarello's cheese salsa with things to dip

Heather -- veggies and dip

hillvalley -- smoked alaskan salmon with a dipping sauce and brown bread

Rissa P -- epoisses

Nadya -- tomatoes with blue cheese, basil and bacon

Hannah -- chips, bread, soda, or some combination thereof

hm212 -- “kid junk”

Jacques Gastreaux -- thermos of "martian pig slop from hell"

starfish -- "beverages"

JPW -- soft drinks and bottled water

Ferhat -- soft drinks

Rissa P -- ice, paper napkins and trash bags

MelGold -- trash bags and containers for leftovers

crackers -- large garbage bags and zip-lock freezer bags

Monique DC -- plastic storage bags/plastic cups/paper towels and such

mktye -- tablecoverings and a means of securing them to the tables

Jacques Gastreaux -- a corkscrew (just in case)

rvanrens -- BBQ grill

DanielK -- soccer stuff for the kids

Bringing a dish to be named later:

Tweaked, someone who we'll be happy to see when he shows up late

Please PM me with any picnic-food-related corrections, omissions, deletions, additions, changes, spelling errors and/or questions. Or if you need help in deciding what to bring. Of course, things are quickly reaching the point where it does not really matter all that much and I do not plan on updating this list again, but if you feel the need to get something off your chest, go right ahead...

See you all tomorrow!

Is this better?

Tweaked, someone who we'll be happy to see when he shows up late 

Yep, I'll be bringing the Manni

The latest food tally...

Meats/Mains:

Jacques Gastreaux -- 2 smoked pork shoulders (butt) & NC-style sauce

rvanrens -- lightly cremated dead animal

shogun -- miniburgers with an assortment of similarly played-out toppings

mktye -- TX-style BBQ brisket with country-western song sauce

Tripewriter & Walrus -- Cincinnati chili

bubbaque -- couple or three racks of dry-rubbed ribs with a side of chipotle bbq sauce

mdt -- some sort of meat

Beau (of Camille-Beau) -- filet of beef tenderloin (medium rare)

Al Dente -- definitely-maybe a braised beef substance, probably spicy, with some good tortilla action

Sides/Salads:

Jacques Gastreaux -- roasted potato salad

CresentFresh -- some form of chicken salad and probably some corn bread

RaisaB -- tuna aspic

mktye -- coleslaw

Barbara -- pasta salad in homage to Rocks

ScotteeM -- green bean salad

DanielK -- applesauce (or should this be under desserts?)

MelGold -- a big tossed salad (and a surprise )

goldenticket -- Morrocan spiced carrot salad

Camille (of Camille-Beau) -- pesto pasta salad

Rissa P -- fruit platter

Scott Johnston -- homemade pickles (2 kinds sweet and sour) with may show up a bit late

Desserts:

LoganCircle -- better-than-Cakelove red velvet cupcakes

laniloa -- chocolate-laden baked goods

Skysplitter -- pie(s)

tenunda -- cake and/or pie

hm212 -- a dessert

crackers -- tentatively an apple crisp

clayrae -- something chocolate

goldenticket -- zucchini chocolate cake

Camille (of Camille-Beau) -- possibly a caramel & cream cheese apple pie

Heather -- sugar cookies

Nadya's friend -- chocolate amaretti cake

Appetizers/Drinks/Other:

clayrae -- michael chiarello's cheese salsa with things to dip

Heather -- veggies and dip

hillvalley -- smoked alaskan salmon with a dipping sauce and brown bread

Rissa P -- epoisses

Nadya -- tomatoes with blue cheese, basil and bacon

Hannah -- chips, bread, soda, or some combination thereof

hm212 -- “kid junk”

Jacques Gastreaux -- thermos of "martian pig slop from hell"

starfish -- "beverages"

JPW -- soft drinks and bottled water

Rissa P -- ice, paper napkins and trash bags

MelGold -- trash bags and containers for leftovers

crackers -- large garbage bags and zip-lock freezer bags

Monique DC -- plastic storage bags/plastic cups/paper towels and such

mktye -- tablecoverings and a means of securing them to the tables

Jacques Gastreaux -- a corkscrew (just in case)

rvanrens -- BBQ grill

DanielK -- soccer stuff for the kids

Bringing a dish to be named later:

Tweaked, someone who we'll be happy to see when he shows up late

Please PM me with any picnic-food-related corrections, omissions, deletions, additions, changes, spelling errors and/or questions. Or if you need help in deciding what to bring.

Don't forget "Manni" -- both 'Per Me' and 'Per Mio Figlio' types

Manni (caution: obnoxious, graphics-intensive site)

To buy it (Only $240 for 1L!)

So far, with a couple of exceptions, the only people who have offered to bring olive oil are those who are putting in a lot of work behind the scenes.  It would be great if some others would step up and offer to donate some oil.

Thanks

Filipo Berio

Bertolli

Carapelli

Bella Famiglia

Pompeian

Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's Kalamata

Trader Joe's Black Truffle

Wegmans "Sicilian Style"

Whole Foods

Manni "Per Me"

Manni "Per Mio Figlio"

Antica Italia

We just decided to ignore it.   

For those still trying to decide what to bring, I'm bumping the current food list up to this page of the thread ...

Meats/Mains:

Jacques Gastreaux -- 2 smoked pork shoulders (butt) & NC-style sauce

rvanrens -- lightly cremated dead animal

shogun -- miniburgers with an assortment of similarly played-out toppings

mktye -- TX-style BBQ brisket with country-western song sauce

Tripewriter & Walrus -- Cincinnati chili

bubbaque -- couple or three racks of dry-rubbed ribs with a side of chipotle bbq sauce

Al Dente -- definitely-maybe a braised beef substance, probably spicy, with some good tortilla action

Sides/Salads:

Jacques Gastreaux -- roasted potato salad

CresentFresh -- some form of chicken salad and probably some corn bread

RaisaB -- tuna aspic

mktye -- coleslaw

Barbara -- pasta salad in homage to Rocks

ScotteeM -- green bean salad

DanielK -- applesauce (or should this be under desserts?)

MelGold -- a big tossed salad (and a surprise )

goldenticket -- Morrocan spiced carrot salad

Rissa P -- fruit platter

Scott Johnston -- homemade pickles (2 kinds sweet and sour) with may show up a bit late

Desserts:

LoganCircle -- better-than-Cakelove red velvet cupcakes

laniloa -- chocolate-laden baked goods

Skysplitter -- pie(s)

tenunda -- cake and/or pie

hm212 -- a dessert

crackers -- tentatively an apple crisp

clayrae -- something chocolate

goldenticket -- zucchini chocolate cake

Heather -- sugar cookies

Appetizers/Drinks/Other:

clayrae -- michael chiarello's cheese salsa with things to dip

Heather -- veggies and dip

hillvalley -- smoked alaskan salmon with a dipping sauce and brown bread

Rissa P -- epoisses

Hannah -- chips, bread, soda, or some combination thereof

hm212 -- “kid junk”

Jacques Gastreaux -- thermos of "martian pig slop from hell"

starfish -- "beverages"

JPW -- soft drinks and bottled water

Rissa P -- ice, paper napkins and trash bags

MelGold -- trash bags and containers for leftovers

crackers -- large garbage bags and zip-lock freezer bags

Monique DC -- plastic storage bags/plastic cups/paper towels and such

mktye -- tablecoverings and a means of securing them to the tables

Jacques Gastreaux -- a corkscrew (just in case)

rvanrens -- BBQ grill

DanielK -- soccer stuff for the kids

Bringing a dish to be named later:

Nadya -- something "serviceable"

mdt -- ??? (too busy hitting the school books instead of the cookbooks? )

Tweaked -- something that we'll be happy to see when he shows up late

Please PM me with any picnic-food-related corrections, omissions, deletions, additions, changes, spelling errors and/or questions. Or if you need help in deciding what to bring.

I fall into the "bringing plastic storage bags/plastic cups/paper towel" camp.

The latest tally...

Meats/Mains:

Jacques Gastreaux -- 2 smoked pork shoulders (butt) & NC-style sauce

rvanrens -- lightly cremated dead animal

shogun -- miniburgers with an assortment of similarly played-out toppings

mktye -- TX-style BBQ brisket with country-western song sauce

Tripewriter & Walrus -- Cincinnati chili

bubbaque -- couple or three racks of dry-rubbed ribs with a side of chipotle bbq sauce

Al Dente -- definitely-maybe a braised beef substance, probably spicy, with some tortilla action

Sides/Salads:

Jacques Gastreaux -- roasted potato salad

CresentFresh -- some form of chicken salad and probably some corn bread

RaisaB -- tuna aspic

mktye -- coleslaw

Barbara -- pasta salad in homage to Rocks

ScotteeM -- green bean salad

DanielK -- applesauce (or should this be under desserts?)

MelGold -- a big tossed salad (and a surprise )

goldenticket -- Morrocan spiced carrot salad

Scott Johnston -- homemade pickles (2 kinds sweet and sour), maybe a pot of collard greens, or maybe red cabbage

Desserts:

LoganCircle -- better-than-Cakelove red velvet cupcakes

laniloa -- chocolate-laden baked goods

Skysplitter -- pie(s)

tenunda -- cake and/or pie

hm212 -- a dessert

crackers -- tentatively an apple crisp

clayrae -- something chocolate

goldenticket -- zucchini chocolate cake

Heather -- sugar cookies

Appetizers/Drinks/Other:

clayrae -- michael chiarello's cheese salsa with things to dip

Heather -- veggies and dip

hillvalley -- smoked alaskan salmon with a dipping sauce and brown bread

Hannah -- chips, bread, soda, or some combination thereof

hm212 -- “kid junk”

Jacques Gastreaux -- thermos of "martian pig slop from hell"

starfish -- "beverages"

MelGold -- trash bags and containers for leftovers

crackers -- large garbage bags and zip-lock freezer bags

mktye -- tablecoverings and a means of securing them to the tables

rvanrens -- BBQ grill

DanielK -- soccer stuff for the kids

Bringing a dish to be named later:

JPW -- still awaiting inspiration

Nadya -- something "serviceable"

mdt -- ??? (too busy hitting the school books instead of the cookbooks? )

Please PM me with any picnic-food-related corrections, omissions, deletions, additions, changes, spelling errors and/or questions.

The bottom line is:  if it tastes good, we will be happy to eat it, whether or not you made it yourself.

Peach Blueberry Cake (recipe)

Tick, tock, tick, tock… It is time to start scouring those cookbooks, searching the recipe sites or bugging Auntie Rita for the recipe to her signature “can’t fail” dish.

The picnic is quickly approaching (next Sunday!) and what will you ever bring?

Like what to wear on a big date, you want something impressive, but does not look like you are trying too hard… Effortless, so you don’t have to exhaust yourself getting ready… Dependable, so there are no last minute surprises…

Just don’t run out of time! You may want to do a practice run or two. Or compare a couple of different recipe versions. Or you might have spend a couple of days running around town looking for the perfect piece of butt or some nice firm eggplant.

And when you decide on that perfect dish, please post or PM me so we all can start anticipating the incredible deliciousness of your contribution.

(If you are shy, wish to project an aura of mystery and/or simply indecisive, the general category of your dish is also a perfectly acceptable reply.)

For inspiration, here is what we have so far:

Meats/Mains:

Jacques Gastreaux -- 2 smoked pork shoulders (butt) & NC-style sauce

rvanrens -- lightly cremated dead animal

shogun -- miniburgers with an assortment of similarly played-out toppings

Tripewriter & Walrus -- Cincinnati chili

bubbaque -- couple or three racks of dry-rubbed ribs with a side of chipotle bbq sauce

Sides/Salads:

Jacques Gastreaux -- roasted potato salad

CresentFresh -- some form of chicken salad and probably some corn bread

RaisaB -- tuna aspic

Barbara -- pasta salad in homage to Rocks

ScotteeM -- green bean salad

Scott Johnston -- homemade pickles (2 kinds sweet and sour), maybe a pot of collard greens, or maybe red cabbage

Desserts:

LoganCircle -- better-than-Cakelove red velvet cupcakes

laniloa -- chocolate-laden baked goods

Skysplitter -- pie(s)

tenunda -- cake and/or pie

hm212 -- a dessert

crackers -- tentatively an apple crisp

clayrae -- something chocolate

Appetizers/Drinks/Other:

clayrae -- michael chiarello's cheese salsa with things to dip

Hannah -- chips, bread, soda, or some combination thereof

hm212 -- “kid junk”

Jacques Gastreaux -- thermos of "martian pig slop from hell"

starfish -- "beverages"

MelGold -- forks/knives/spoons, trash bags and containers for leftovers

crackers -- large garbage bags and zip-lock freezer bags

rvanrens -- BBQ grill

DanielK -- soccer stuff for the kids

Bringing a dish to be named later:

JPW -- a big ass cooler containing something

DanielK -- something with apples

Nadya -- something "serviceable"

mdt -- ???

Those oh-so kindly and patiently awaiting food category assignment:

goldenticket

Heather

MelGold

Please PM me with any picnic-food-related corrections, omissions, deletions, additions, changes, spelling errors and/or questions.

I showed this thread to a friend who is a former Whole Foods employee and this is her response:

"Yep, everybody is getting into the natural and organic foods...even Fritos now makes chips that have no hydrogenated oils. As long as the items meet Whole Foods Market quality standards, let 'em in! Plus, the larger manufacturers items cost less (thus lowering the "whole paycheck" aura). And finally, many of the larger manufacturers are outright buying the natural and organic producers (Muir Glen is now owned by General Foods). Natural and organic foods are the only growth industry in grocery...can't blame 'em!"

And for your reading pleasure: Whole Foods Market Quality Standards

Ricotta-Basil-Semolina Gnocchi with the very last (I think, bags of it keep surfacing in my freezer) of the composite tomato-butter sauce from the canned tomato tasting.

ummmm...where is the carb section

Low-Carb, Tolerable-Carb and Screw-Atkins-Carb...

And I was actually considering bringing Texas-style BBQ brisket (and coleslaw!).

Preliminary list of who is bringing what based on previous posts:

Meats/Mains:

Jacques Gastreaux -- 2 smoked pork shoulders (butt) & NC-style sauce

rvanrens -- lightly cremated dead animal

shogun -- miniburgers with an assortment of similarly played-out toppings

Tripewriter & Walrus -- Cincinnati chili

bubbaque -- couple or three racks of dry-rubbed ribs with a side of chipotle bbq sauce

Sides/Salads:

Jacques Gastreaux -- roasted potato salad

CresentFresh -- some form of chicken salad and probably some corn bread

RaisaB -- tuna aspic

Scott Johnston -- homemade pickles (2 kinds sweet and sour), maybe a pot of collard greens, or maybe red cabbage

Desserts:

LoganCircle -- better-than-Cakelove red velvet cupcakes

laniloa -- chocolate-laden baked goods

Skysplitter -- pie(s)

tenunda -- cake and/or pie

hm212 -- a dessert

crackers -- tentatively an apple crisp

Appetizers/Drinks/Other:

clayrae -- michael chiarello's cheese salsa with things to dip

Hannah -- chips, bread, soda, or some combination thereof

hm212 -- “kid junk”

Jacques Gastreaux -- thermos of "martian pig slop from hell"

starfish -- "beverages"

crackers -- large garbage bags and zip-lock freezer bags

rvanrens -- BBQ grill

DanielK -- soccer stuff for the kids

Bringing a dish to be named later:

JPW -- a big ass cooler containing something

DanielK -- something with apples

MelGold & crackers -- complementary dishes (or would that be complimentary dishes? )

Those kindly awaiting food category assignment:

goldenticket

Heather

MelGold

Please PM me with picnic-food-related corrections, deletions, additions, changes, spelling errors and/or questions.

Must be an original recipe and include 1 cup of Hellmann's Mayonnaise
Recipe must be an entrée
Recipes submitted by professional chefs, cooks in training or culinary professionals of any kind are not eligible

I could win this contest.

One lobe foie gras, seared.
One cup Hellmann's served on the side in a sealed, opaque Tupperware container, with a small porcelain bowl resting on top of it containing coarse sea salt.  Season to taste.

But with the "Taste of the World" theme I suspect that the winner will be something along the lines of...

chicken tenders threaded on bamboo skewers and slathered with a mixture of:

the 1 cup mayo
1 can of crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup ketchup
1/8 of a chipotle pepper (can be omitted or the amount reduced, if too spicy)
1/4 teaspoon of McCormick's (or other supermarket brand) curry powder

Cooked on a hibachi (or under a broiler, if one wants to feel international when it is raining outside).

BFA, for sure.

A big, big, big thank you to Hillvalley, DonRocks and, last but certainly not least, the folks at Restaurant Eve for the wonderful dinner.

My favorites were the crab bisque, the stilton flan and the raspberry pate de fruit.

And next time, we may just have to smuggle in some spoons to get every last drop of the sauce from the lobster and the ravioli dishes (our table seriously considered licking plates and picking up bowls and drinking from them).

Mendocino. Not too distant or terribly arduous, but I always expect to see some hobbits while on the journey down to the restrooms.

The only time I've eaten at Eve, we were at the table in the Bistro that has a view (through a window) into the sink area of one of the restrooms. We could see who washed their hands and who abstained.

Conversely, my favorite area restaurant restroom -- Oyamel. The stalls are like stepping into a Frida Kahlo painting.

A word of warning:

When rolling pasta (especially when one is in a hurry) with a pasta machine with a removable handle, it is prudent to ensure the handle is fully seated in the body of the machine before madly cranking on it. Not doing so can result in the handle flying out of the machine, out of one's hand and into one's face , which can subsequently result in a nasty bruise, a semi-black eye and abundant muffled wimpering (so as to not awaken napping house guests).

No time to post earlier since my father and nephew were in town, but on the occasion of their visit, we had a week of "real" dinners...

Tuesday: Warm Spinach/Artichoke Dip & Chips upon our return from the airport. Chili con Carne, Coleslaw, and Cornbread (hmm, an alliteration theme?) with Boston Cream Pie (my father's favorite) for dessert.

Wednesday: Potstickers, Lemon Chicken, Braised Garlic Eggplant, Marinated Celery, Marinated Cucumbers, and Coconut Rice. Leftover Boston Cream Pie (which was even better the second night).

Thursday: A delicious-as-always dinner at Corduroy.

Friday: Mortadella Mousse with Pan de Mie toasts to start. Then my nephew's favorite Squash Ravioli with Sage/Butter and Tomato (mdt: butter-based! ) Sauces. Followed by my father's favorite Pork Scaloppine with Balsamic/Basil Sauce, Parmesan Asparagus, and Rosemary/Proscuitto Roasted Potatoes. Finished with "Kit Kat" Bars (in the style of Chef Power a la Chef Richard) for dessert.

Saturday: The last of the Boston Cream Pie (we'd done the Dim Sum Tasting Brunch at Cafe Atlantico and were all still stuffed).

Sunday: Margaritas, Guacamole and Salsa with Chips, Pork Tacos, Tomatoes with Cilantro/Mint/Lime Dressing, Refried Beans, and Mexican-Style Rice. I had planned on a Lemon Meringue Pie for dessert, but a deficit of eggs resulted in the last-minute substitution of Lemon Bars.

Plus, the above food was supplemented with Pecan Sticky Buns, Vanilla/Honey Granola w/fresh Peaches, and Yeast-Raised Donuts for breakfasts and some fantastic Cheesetique cheeses (Rochetta, Piave Vecchio, Smuggler's Blue, Manchego, and Beemster), Artichoke/Olive Tapenade, and Sicilian-style White Bean Spread served with Sourdough and Pecan Raisin Rye Bread for a couple of lunches.

(I do not plan on cooking another thing for at least a week! )

(Edited to slightly clarify that it was my nephew and father who arrived from the airport and it was not the Spinach/Artichoke dip that flew into Dulles that afternoon!)

(To continue the guacamole discussion from "Restaurants and Dining"...)

Below is my favorite guacamole recipe (and it is easily tweaked it to suit one's tastes).

It does contain cilantro, so if you absolutely hate it, you can leave it out (but I always use it). Also, you can add some chopped tomato if you'd like (I usually don't because I think it dilutes the flavor of the avocados).

If you are not serving the guacamole immediately, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the top of the guacamole (it is contact with the oxygen in the air that causes it to darken) and refrigerate.

GUACAMOLE

Makes 2½ to 3 cups

3 medium-sized, ripe California Hass or similar rough-skinned avocados

~2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 medium garlic clove, minced (IHMO, this is what makes good guacamole into great guacamole)

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

~¼ teaspoon salt

a pinch cayenne powder or 1-2 chopped fresh jalapenos to taste (I prefer cayenne to fresh jalapenos, both for ease and because I think jalapenos can add a bit too much of a vegetal flavor)

Halve, pit and peel the avocados, drizzle with ~1 tablespoon of the lime juice (the acidity helps to prevent the avocados from browning) and mash to the desired consistency with a fork. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt and cayenne/jalapenos. Mix and add additional lime juice, cayenne/jalapenos and salt to taste.