dcandohio

Thai curry using Mae Ploy yellow curry paste and light coconut milk. I had a few chicken thighs in the freezer, so I sliced them up and tossed them with Singapore seasoning from Penzey's, and garlic and ginger, and let them sit for about an hour. In a wok, I stir fried yellow onions, celery, red pepper, carrots, and then added the chicken, in olive oil with a splash of sesame oil. After that started to cook I added the curry paste and the coconut milk. I let that simmer. I then added two peeled and cubed eggplants, and a box of beautiful beech mushrooms. The curry bubbled for a while till the eggplant was soft. I served it on rice topped with chopped cilantro… If only I had had a lime! So super easy, and really delicious. And I have at least three more meals remaining.

So in my continuing quest to visit Columbus favorites before I leave, I took advantage of a freaky, record-breaking spring day yesterday to walk a bit outside my 'hood. Lunch and beer at Seventh Son Brewery is about the best way ever to kill a few hours on a gorgeous Friday afternoon. http://seventhsonbrewing.com/ This place is a bit off of the beaten path, though it is a really easy drive or Uber from campus or downtown, and s brief walk from the Short North Arts district. The neighborhood seems a little sketchy, but it is rapidly gentrifying, and is perfectly safe during the day, and pretty safe at night if you don't wander too far afield. The brewery has a rotating schedule of food trucks, and I was fortunate that yesterday Moes barbecue was serving lunch. I saw someone eating chicken wings, and she was clearly enjoying them. She leaned in to her companion saying "these are the best f*<king wings I've ever had." Sold! The wings are smoked, then possibly grilled, though they did not have a grill marks, but the outside was kind of dry with a bit of a bite. The smoke flavor was lovely, and the chipotle mango dipping sauce was very spicy, and a great complement to the smoke. I saw lots of people getting the pulled pork sandwich, which looked pretty awesome for six dollars. Seventh Son was one of the more leading edge participants in the booming Columbus microbrew scene. When they opened in a former auto repair shop, the neighborhood was much worse than it is now, and they took a bit of a risk. The beers cover the spectrum from very low ABV to quite high, and multiple different styles. I tend to stick to the lower ABV pilsners, witts and ales. Many offerings are seasonal, so the selection changes frequently. Yesterday they were offering a lobster Ale, and they told me they buy their lobsters from Maine packed in seaweed! It sounded disgusting to me, but the guy next to me who ordered it said it was really pleasant. This place has two large patios, and is going to expand to an empty lot next-door to create a bigger production facility. The location on kind of a drab busy street, and the food truck parked outside, seems scruffy at first glance. It is a very clean, friendly, casual place that caters to a diverse crowd. Older guys in suits share picnic tables with tattooed hipsters. They even have a large event space. If you have time to kill in Columbus, and you are near campus or downtown, and you want some really interesting beer with tasty food, they actually even have their own parking lot! Go!

I stuffed large pasta shells with a mixture of spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, garlic and herbs. They are baking under a tomato sauce made with hot Italian sausage, and the whole thing is topped with Parmesan. I haven't cooked a hearty pasta dish in a long time!

I'll be leaving Columbus in a few months, and I'm trying to get back to some of my favorites. El Arepazo is a three restaurant minichain owned by a Venezuelan man (and employing many people from that part of the world) serving delicious and inexpensive food in non-pretentious surroundings. I had dinner tonight with a friend, and the food was as bright and tasty as ever. A decent glass of Argentinian Malbec at the bar is seven dollars for a generous pour. We split two apps (whole toasted little potatoes With citrus, and skewers of beef). My friend had a steak dish, which had a lot of bell peppers and onions and looked delicious. I had shredded beef on a corn cake topped with lots of beautiful greens, and avocado, and melted cheese, and their addictive fabulous hot green sauce. Two appetizers, two entrées, one glass of wine = $50 before tip. The brewery district/German Village location is right on the C-bus route, the free bus line that runs through downtown. So if you are staying downtown or in the short north, it is an easy matter to come here by bus on High Street, and then return by bus or Uber back. European soccer games are playing on the television in the bar area. Servers are bilingual and friendly. It draws a diverse crowd of happy people eating huge portions of food. There's a small patio for when the weather is fine. Highly recommended if you are spending a few days in Columbus and would like to experience Venezuelan/Peruvian food. Also, there is a very cool jazz club right across the street called Notes. So you can have a delicious dinner and then cross the street and hear great music. http://elarepazolatingrill.com/

I was perhaps imprecise, and I must admit that I do not know all of the details of his illness, but HE calls it a severe, debilitating allergy . He does drink lactose-free milk, and cheese or baked goods made with lactose free milk. I've never known him to eat yogurt. Zero butter. No flavored potato chips or anything like that that might have milk products in/on them. I've been in a restaurant with him, where a plate was put down in front of him that was supposed to be vegetables sautéed in olive oil, and he could smell the butter. The server said there was no butter, but Mark asked him to check with the chef just to be sure. The chef came out and apologized, and said he had added a bit of butter into the sauté pan. Honestly, I don't discuss medical or personal details with him while we are eating… I just know he is extremely careful, and I try to be as careful in my own house. And just FYI… He's really easy-going person, not prone to complaining, and he's not in anyway demanding… I've seen him just not eat if there wasn't something permissible available. So I believe him when he says he just can't tolerate the dairy.

KT: he gets really, really sick if he has any dairy products. Lots of the margarine brands actually have milk products in them even though they are labeled as vegetable oil. He can't have any Parmesan cheese. He won't eat things like breadcrumbs or beef stock that have whey on the label as an ingredient. Normally I just avoid the whole thing when I'm feeding him by making basic food, like grilled steaks, that aren't an issue. But we were all craving mashed potatoes!

A bit tardy, but on Sunday I made a meatloaf and lactose-free mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for friends. In researching lactose free options for typical foods, I was shocked at how many products contain something from milk. Even my Panko breadcrumbs had milk byproducts in them. So I used oatmeal in the meatloaf. Only smart balance can be used as a reasonable butter substitute for mashed potatoes. Thankfully green beans can be roasted in olive oil with no worries! Oh, and I made a quick salad of sliced oranges and slice jicama with cilantro, and a lemon and honey dressing which people loved. My heart goes out to you lactose intolerant friends. Milk lurks everywhere.

Bonefish Grill in Fort Lauderdale provided me with one of the worst service experiences of my adult life. While the food was passable, especially since we happened upon a Tuesday night three-course discounted special, it seems as if the entire restaurant went into complete collapse midway through our meal. The servers came around and made everyone repeat everything they had ordered in order to create checks, and then it took almost an hour for all of us to get our checks and pay and get out. Plates were never cleared. While we waited, desperately trying to flag someone down, no one ever refilled water, or asked if we wanted more drinks, which we definitely would've had. Tables around us were becoming increasingly frustrated. Humans were circulating, but it didn't appear any food was coming out, or any plates for being cleared. I sent a detailed message through the website, and did receive an apologetic response from the manager, and eventually, $75 in gift coupons. However, the coupons are good only for food, not beverages. I find that annoying, because all of us had wine with our meals. Previously, our group had always use bonefish Grill for our quarterly dinner gatherings. After that experience, we switched to a locally owned business.

A "what's in the refrigerator" omelette of leftover roasted cauliflower and smoked Gouda. Pretty tasty.

Wow. You seem to have a great handle on this and many excellent ideas. One thing I did, when I was doing low-carb and craving pizza, was to make a "crust" of ground turkey seasoned with Italian spices and garlic etc. I flattened it out onto a pizza pan, and pre-baked it for about 15 minutes. And then I topped it with tomatoes or a tomato sauce, and some cheese and vegetables. I called it reversed pizza, and everyone loved it. A small wedge was filling and satisfying. It froze well. Great lunch choice if you have to take lunch to work.

An easy dinner for friends coming over with a toddler: Tomato soup made with the last of my summer roasted and puréed tomatoes, and low-fat buttermilk. A big salad with chunks of roasted turkey (from a turkey breast I roasted yesterday), Romaine, diced apples, celery, smoked Gouda, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds. The dressing was maple syrup, Dijon mustard, pomegranate balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. We finished with lemon cookies that I made from box cake mix, topped with a tart glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice.

Last night I served the barbecue beef that I had made earlier, over a green chili and white cheddar cheese cornbread. I added roasted potatoes, (which I let cook too long). My neighbor brought a lovely salad with halved fresh cherries in it. We finished with cookies from the "by the pound" display at Whole Foods.

I am back to the grey and frigid Midwest, and I am returning to winter cooking. Earlier in the week I made a chicken stew with boneless skinless chicken thighs, and lots of onions, celery and carrots, and I served it over Israeli couscous. Today I am braising a big hunk of beef that was on sale at the local supermarket, and it will be shredded and tossed with homemade barbecue sauce for a "barbecue beef" dinner tomorrow.

Congratulations to Clemson!

Yes, the stadium has been expanded, while maintaining the much of the historical 1920s architectural details, several times. From my office, I have a direct view of the beautiful arched entrance. I am going to be pulling for Clemson to rollback that Tide!

Congratulations on a great Clemson win. Here in Buckeye nation, we are quite sad!

Snowbirding in Ft. Lauderdale. My kitchen is finally complete enough that I can host dinners. Last night: Spanish cheeses and crackers Salad of Sekel pears, blue cheese, and spinach with a honey/lemon dressing. Roasted tiny zucchini. Tilapia baked with olive oil, breadcrumbs, Italian seasonings, and lemon.

Boys farmers market in Delray Beach, Florida, just north of Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton: Old Timey grocery store with an incredible selection of products crammed into a very tight, difficult to navigate space in a strip mall. Parking lot is bumper car hell! Places like this exist all over the country, but is a welcome find within a short drive a Fort Lauderdale. Much of the selection, and the prepared items seem to focus on Italian cuisine, but there is a good selection of packaged international goods, and produce, that would satisfy the ethnic shopper. Great assortment of cheeses, smoked meats and fish, breads, baked goods, sausages, produce, meat and fish. Excellent prices. Pack your patience, and be cautious of getting run over by somebody else's cart. A fabulous find if you are going to do any cooking while you are staying in or near Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach, or Boca Raton. It is on South military Trail, just north of Atlantic Avenue, west of I-95. http://boysfarmersmarket.com/

John Glenn. A Buckeye, and a real American hero. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him at one of the thousands of events he attended at Ohio State over the course of his career. He was unassuming, and sweet, and humble. Huge loss for America, but especially for our OSU community.

Grilled cheese on asiago bread. A salad of radicchio, Romaine, celery, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries.

It retails for about 16.99 in the grocery stores here in Columbus, Ohio. Excellent wine to serve for a big group. Everyone likes it.

It is possible that the Yukon golds you get now are far less fresh then they were many years ago. That may account for the more starchy texture.

Americas mom, Florence Henderson

Home at Mom's! Last night was shrimp and crab gumbo and "BBQ" shrimp Manale's style with hot Italian bread.

Marinated chicken thighs grilled with a doctored up, bottled barbecue sauce Roasted sweet potatoes with a bit of lemon curry powder A simple salad with a white wine vinaigrette