Anna Phor

I just bought a jar of concentrated cooking tamarind. Do I have to refrigerate the jar after I open it? How long will it keep for after it is opened?

Heather Stouffer of Mom Made Foods (who runs the class I mentioned above) had a recipe featured at Dupont Market last week: Broccoli Cheese Bites.

I'd also recommend Ulrich's tavern in Buffalo for authentic German fare. They don't appear to have a website, but they are featured on this site for Buffalo history. They serve various kinds of sausage plates (listed by wurst) and potato pancakes. Definitely NOT for those looking to decrease the waistline, though.

I know the first post in the thread is an old one, but in case anyone is still wondering, World Market (located in Friendship Heights and at Pentagon City) stocks Lyle's golden syrup.

My son is 9 months old, and loves to eat food! (and milk too, still). The puree-only stage was pretty short for us--only a couple of months--and now he is much more into foods that he can pick up himself. So I would caution not spending a ton of money on stuff that you'll only use for a short time, although I think babies do differ on how quickly they get into solids. I do love the ice-cube trays, though--I have some designed for baby-food which are BPA-free and have lids, and I'm sure I'll be using them for years after we're done with baby food, since they are perfect for pestos, and herb butters, and cubes of stock ... I would absolutely recommend the "Baby's First Solids" class at the Breastfeeding Center of Greater Washington. It's an hour and a half class for $25 per person. The class covers infant nutrition, recommended first foods, common allergens and how to detect allergies, and foods to avoid for the first year. (You don't have to be breastfeeding your child to attend the class.) Some of the foods we started out with: mashed sweet potato, mashed banana, applesauce, pureed carrots, pureed broccoli, various combinations of the above. At 9 months, favorites include hummus, yogurt with fruits, labneh, blueberries, green peas, macaroni, black beans; but I'm finding more and more that he will just eat bits of whatever we are having for dinner.

Pret-a-manger at Farragut West has free wifi and reasonable coffee.

Father's Day is coming up. Has anyone ever done a bacon-of-the-month club? Any recommendations?

Sit outside. Birds will eat baby puke. Quicker than you'd think, too.

I definitely encourage anyone with the time, inclination, and energy to volunteer with kids, but I'd also like to volunteer some of my tax dollars toward this! If the administration is really serious about nutrition in schools, then there should be some money behind it. I also have to ask--are most chefs trained in childhood nutrition?Would it be better to employ some extra nutritionists in school districts?

Olivelady, you are so right! I thought I didn't like carrots until I started buying real ones. Ditto celery.

My new moms group is going on an expedition to the Wilson Aquatic Center in Tenleytown tomorrow. Does anyone know if there is a coffee shop nearby that could comfortably fit 6-8 moms, each with a babe in arms? The pool is right on top of the Tenleytown metro (behind the Whole Foods)--I'm ideally looking for something no more than 5 minutes walk away. I know there's both a Marvelous Market and a Starbucks in the near vicinity. Does anyone know if they would have the space for this kind of group, or are these counter operations only?

I'm a linguist by trade, and we love all languages and dialects equally and do not admit of "wrong" pronunciations as a matter of faith. Nonetheless: Worcestershire Sauce (woos-ter-sheer saws) NO! It's wuh-ster sauce.. Every other syllable is silent.

I sprout(?) green onions in hanging baskets indoor. To do this, you buy something called onion "sets"--these are baby onion bulbs, usually available in the fall. I can get a pack of 100 from an organic wholesaler online for less than $10. Stick a few in dirt with the tops just poking out, and in about a week, you have a pot of green onions. Clip as needed; then replant with a new onion after you've exhausted one.

Senate bean soup mix.

This place used to be one of the hidden gems in DC--hands down THE best place to eat on the mall, with wonderful fresh ingredients, generous portions, and a gorgeous view. Unfortunately, about 4-5 years ago the kitchen stopped being an independent operation and was folded into the National Gallery's catering (if memory serves me right. This is what I recall a server telling me at the time.) I had lunch there yesterday; the eggplant parmesan panini. At one point I had to recheck the menu to ensure this was not a vegan dish as the cheese was so insipid and tasteless that I thought I might be eating soy cheese. Nuff said. Go for coffee and enjoy the view. The brownie might still be good.

What size of pan does the recipe call for? My bet is on a too-full pan. Adding peach jam to banana bread won't cause it to rise explosively. FWIW, you can substitute and mess with recipes in baking; it just takes experience.

My husband is a native Buffalonian; in B'lo, we like the Swannee House for wings. In DC, the Big Hunt does a solidly consistent wing.Tuesday night is wing night. Ask for extra crispy.

- this is only as discriminatory as heath care is. If an employee has an issue with it, they can simply forego the WF offer and either get their own health insurance, or just not get measured. But it's about the employee discount program, no? The insurance premiums that employees pay aren't affected. So I don't think there really is a viable opt-out here; also, the difference between the cost of individual & group healthcare means that opting out of your employer's insurance for reasons of principle is really a luxury, not a choice. - that WF doesn't seem particularly interested in any more details of employee personal business than can save them some money. Sure. Would it be okay if they extended discounts only to those employees who didn't drive in cars? Or to be even more pointed, what about if they only extended discounts to employees who practiced safe sex? (Sorry if this is terse; I don't mean to be short--I'm wrangling an infant as I type.)

I don't think I've ever worked anywhere that had a policy like this, but 3 major reasons: 1. it's discriminatory in a way that might be legal but that I believe is unethical; 2. I don't think employers have the right to get that deep into their employees' personal lives; 3. I'm not sure it even correlates well with the stated goal--the link between BMI and health is fairly hotly contested.

Banana Leaves at Connecticut & Florida does a good chicken curry laksa. But are we talking about the same dish? The laksa I know is a Malaysian dish, not Japanese.

If I ever shopped at WF, this would make me stop immediately. I don't, so I guess it's a moot point.

The Red Cross International Disaster Response Fund maintains a pool of money that can be rapidly deployed to disasters around the world. They are able to dip into the fund immediately to provide relief dollars without waiting for donations to come in; your donation will replenish the fund for the dollars that have been spent in Haiti so that the Red Cross can continue to provide fast relief in disaster zones.

I've bought it at World Market in Friendship Heights.

Congratulations! My guy is two months & we haven't ever had anywhere refuse us service (and it hadn't occurred to me to ask). Things that make dining out easier include bench seating (although maybe not, if you are using a carseat--we don't have a car so I'm not practiced at that), and a decent amount of ambient noise.

Stews. Chilis--can be served as chili or rolled up in tacos. Curry. All manner of pies. Pasta sauces, if you have a rice cooker or other electric pan that will cook pasta. Cooked greens.