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Ilaine

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Everything posted by Ilaine

  1. Ilaine
    Well, I figured out how to access the Capitol. There is a shuttle service from the corner of Independence and First, upon request. That's only about a block from the Capital South Metro. And there are wheelchairs available on request, if that would fit in with your tour. However, the tour seems like it will conflict with the annual DC Crawfish Boil (noon-five) for which I have already bought tickets. So, giving up my two spots for someone else, in favor of crawfish, jambalaya, and Abita beer. Y'all have a good time! I know I will, if I can only avoid breaking my thumbnails, again. Last two crawfish boils I had a split thumbnail. Split thumbnails and spicy crawfish are not a good match.
  2. Ilaine
    I found Gulf shrimp at Mediterrafish. Unfortunately, head off. I wanted head on to make shrimp broth. Also, all they had was jumbo, which is actually not good for gumbo. I had to cut them into bite size pieces, which was a waste of the premium price one pays for the jumbo. Where did you see Gulf shrimp? I also used a pint of shucked oysters from Washington state at Great Wall, since I couldn't find American crab. I didn't like it. I also tried putting in clam juice to supplement the scanty shrimp broth I was able to make, and didn't like that either. But, we live and learn.
  3. Ilaine
    Still looking for small white turnips with greens attached. Zora suggested Mom's, but I haven't seen them at the Merrifield Moms. Also, okra. American wild caught shrimp. American crabmeat. Planning on making gumbo. Turnips NOT for gumbo.
  4. Ilaine
    In. Plus one. Last time I had to bow out due to mobility issues. Still have mobility issues. Walking with a cane but can do stairs if they have railings. Thank you so much.
  5. Ilaine
    Inventory of what survived, taken this weekend: thyme, sage, tarragon(!), mint. Defunct, the usual suspects, basil and oregano. Very surprised that the tarragon made it. All herbs in big black pots, the ones you get trees in. Everything spent the winter underneath a heap of leaves. Sage is almost a foot tall! We will never use that much sage. All herbs purchased from DeBaggio, selected for cold-hardiness, but I have no recollection of the actual varieties. Kind of surprised the oregano is defunct, it had been coming back. Planted 5 containers of greens and three containers of peas in March. Mizuna ready to harvest. Pea shoots about 8-10 inches tall. Everything else looks pathetic. They need nitrogen. I have three big bags of chicken manure on the back patio but may need to haul them up myself, husband is squeamish. A friend of mine keeps chickens. I keep telling him it's just dried manure, doesn't smell like anything but fertilizer. Heck, I can't even get him to bring up a tub of compost, and so missed the time to start tomato seeds. He will put veggie scraps and coffee grounds into the top of the composter, but won't dig the finished product out of the bottom. Worms. Lovely fat earthworms freak him out. For the past couple of years a volunteer grapevine has been taking over a big boxwood, and Saturday he finally pulled it off. I persuaded him to save the vine and will bring it to the picnic for someone who likes to use grapevines in their smoker/grill.
  6. Ilaine
    We went to Pete's and we all had a really good time. It was quite suitable, although the group was so large that we were cramped. Half the people there were children so that helped squeeze everybody in. They were not crowded so all the different pizzas were stacked on the tables behind us. Never would have fit on the dining table. Unfortunately for me, coming from Springfield, I chose to drive straight through DC instead of taking the Beltway. The traffic was such an ordeal I felt like I was on the river voyage in Apocalypse Now. Don't know whether DC traffic is getting worse or it's just me getting older, but after that, and a similar debacle trying to get to the Slow Food awards at Ris last weekend, no more DC.
  7. Ilaine
    Speaking of microgreens, I has 'em. In my earthboxes. Two boxes of arugala, one each of broccoli raab, collards, mizuna and puntarelle. They are not intended to remain microgreens, but some of them will become microgreens when I thin them out. I can see minor differences in the leaf (cotyledon) shapes but nothing specific. Three pots of peas, these look very different from the greens. Re: green onions. In New Orleans I heard green onion, scallions, and shallots for the same thing. I call them green onions. I use the white and light green part but not the tops.
  8. Ilaine
    I work about a mile down Backlick, never noticed a tour bus either. No idea why a tour bus would go anywhere that's not a buffet or a casino (same thing, almost). I had my old Subaru serviced at the car repair place and was very pleased by the promptness and reasonable price. Just got takeout. Eggplant with garlic, very sweet (should have known better), but veggies (squash and bell pepper) nicely crisp. Miso soup very bland but lots of tofu and seaweed. I don't want the eggroll but smelled it and the oil smells fresh, not oxidized. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there again but it's very close to where I turn off for the library (turn on Cindy to avoid the cluster at Little River), so maybe. Very nice people in an almost-moribund place. I think maybe the hardware guy owns the buildings, can't think of any other reason he's still in business. The Vietnamese place was closed for a year or two before Rice Pot rented it..
  9. Ilaine
    Kt, never having been there I can't comment on what you observed, but the on-line menu shows the beans as sauced and spicy. The salad is baby kale and Napa cabbage. My own opinion of kale is that it is fit only for goats. Actually the menu looks acceptable, but I'm not going to bother until it's in Fairfax.
  10. Ilaine
    Reservation made for 6/21/15, which, coincidentally, is Father's Day. Cost $200. Ooof. Bit the bullet. Need to get a senior pass. Maybe the fact that it's Father's Day will actually create buzz.
  11. Ilaine
    My niece and her four young, active, rowdy kids are visiting Washington DC for Spring Break. We want to get together Thursday evening. They are staying with another aunt in Silver Spring. At least nine people for dinner. So, we need a big table and fast service. NOT gourmet. I am partial to Pete's Apizza because the GM lives next door to me and also they have gluten free pizzas. Person who answered the phone at the Silver Spring location says that they are suitable for the parameters I describe, fast and lots of room, kid friendly. Any other suggestions?
  12. Ilaine
    Bumping this for people who may still be getting email on this topic. I am trying to plan the Spring picnic. Participation requested. There is a new thread.
  13. Ilaine
    Ok, a yes vote from 22029, Thistle and ktmoomau. That's only 3. Hoping this post will bump us up again. I will also bump the fall thread so anybody who is getting email from that will know we're working on this. Jen, re: location. I live in Fairfax, it takes me close to an hour to get there, but on Sunday usually the traffic isn't bad. The location is excellent, there is a shelter in case it rains, lots of free parking, lots of picnic tables, lots of open space for kids to play and picnickers to bring outdoor cooking gear. Also, they allow alcohol which the state and county parks don't (most of them). The rest room is not far. So to me, it's worth the trip. Heck, everything I do seems to take me close to an hour to get there, anyway.
  14. Ilaine
    C-2 is available Sunday May 31, and Sunday June 21. Based on past experience, I know that if I make the reservation and there actualy is a lack of interest, I can cancel it and be out of pocket $10, which is well worth it to me. Kicking myself in the butt because I qualify for an Interagency Senior Pass (I am 62), and if I already had one I could get a discount. But I need the pass number to make the reservation. Going to apply for one now for future use. It's only $10 and is good for my lifetime. If five people tell me to pull the trigger, I will do it. Past experience also tells me that once it's a thing, people will come. Not as many as the Golden Years of Rockwellian picnics but enough to be pleasant company. What say you all? BTW, Don, don't worry about reimbursing me. I'm cool.
  15. Ilaine
    We put on a nice Seder Saturday night (brisket, spinach pie, asparagus, braised endives, and the ubiquitous mashed potatoes) so kept it simple for Easter. Husband fired up the grill for steaks, Portobellos, peppers, eggplant, red onions and more asparagus. To me there's something just wrong about eating lamb at Easter. Sort of cannibalistic. "Lamb of God" and all that. And we don't eat enough ham to make roasting a ham a good investment.
  16. Ilaine
    Bumping this topic. Seems like not much interest?
  17. Ilaine
    Anybody up for a picnic? Traditionally the Don Rockwell Picnics are held at Fort Hunt Park, on a Sunday, at site C-2, typically noonish to late afternoon. People come and go. The event is a pot luck. Some people cook, some people buy food, some bring drinks, some bring serving stuff. Low key. Alcohol is allowed. So are pets. Children warmly encouraged. Games may be played. Of course it won't feel like a picnic without Zora. At any rate, I am up for reserving the spot. Please indicate willingness, and suggest dates. Last time I arbitrarily picked a date but usually we have a vote among the willing.
  18. Ilaine
    Lotte in Ravensworth Shopping Center may make more sense, demographically, than Fairfax Circle. Closer to Annandale. Easier to get to than the tiny Super H off Ravensworth Drive near Annandale High. The Fairfax Lotte is kind of nasty. The Safeway it is replacing was kind of nasty. I drive all the way to Super H in Fairfax City even though the Annandale Super H and the Fairfax Lotte are much closer, because it's clean. Han A Reum in Merrifield is so cramped my husband refuses to go there, and, frankly, I don't like it, either. So, I have hopes for this location. I drive past it twice a day, going to work and going home. Considering how much money (not just mine) passes by every day, it's got a ridiculously poor selection for quality groceries. Left turn onto Portsmouth from Braddock just off 495 is two lanes now.
  19. Ilaine
    Well, we tried. Aimed to meet son and his girlfriend at 2:00. If we had parked closer, maybe would have squeaked in, but by the time we parked under Harris Teeter and wandered around, and finally realized it was in the space with the Chinese Gourmet sign outside, no dice. Did we have a reservation? Otherwise, come back at 3:00. No, website didn't have hours, nothing about reservations, no hard feelings, it's a soft opening. Son got miffed, went off for pizza because it's Pi Day. Impressions, definitely felt like a soft opening. Chef Chang was in the house. He looked very happy. The atmosphere was chaotic but exuberant. Smallish space. Menu looks the same as all the other Peyer Chang's. Front staff I've seen in Richmond and Fredericksburg. Nothing that appeared to be specials. Had tortilla soup at the taqueria a couple of doors down, thinking I would be hungry at 3:00, but I wasnt. Went to Lebanese Taverna Market, then to Penzeys, then home. Forgot five spice powder at Penzeys, so maybe try again tomorrow, call first? Or plant peas and arugala, my original plan for Sunday. Tentative conclusion, I don't see how it differs from the other locations, at least not from first impression. That's not a bad thing, just no point being uncomfortable standing around outside for something I've had many times already. Maybe that's just sour grapes.
  20. Ilaine
    Preserved lemons = any Middle Eastern market, most of your better olive bars at places like Whole Foods, e.g., I know for sure I've seen them in Alexandria, Fair Oaks. What I am looking for today, turnip greens with the turnips attached. Preferably organically grown.
  21. Ilaine
    Dang, we crashed his website. I hope "soft opening" means only us nutballs will be standing in line at 11:00 am. Well, you nut balls. I won't show up until 2:00 and hope y'all left some for me.
  22. Ilaine
    "How's your mamma an' dem" = "how's your family?" Making groceries is going to the grocery store. Being from Baton Rouge, I am far from being a Yat, but I did pick up some Yat expressions. Such as making groceries. At Schweggmanns. Where you could also buy tires, refrigerators, as well as pickled meat for red beans. Years before Paul Prudhomme brought Tasso to the attention of people not from Cajun land. One learned not to shop at Schweggmanns on the days that the food stamps and welfare checks came. First of the month, if I recall. Little known fact, the Schweggmans fought milk price fixing all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and won. They were like a local version of Walmart. Wonder what happened to them? Probably Walmart. And remember Katz and Besthoff? Their trademark was K&B purple. My avatar is peeking out of a purple K&B bag, which probably once held a carton of creole cream cheese ice cream. I love creole cream cheese. Which is probably not Creole. There are white Creoles, and black Creoles, and I couldn't tell you which are prouder. Re: the Atchafalaya River. The locks that keep the Mississippi from busting loose are in Morganza, in Pointe Coupee Parish, where my family is from. It's very pretty there. They will let you walk out on the bridge over the spillway the open to reduce the floods into the Atchafalaya. The power of the Mississippi is awesome, in the original sense of the word. Awe inspiring. If you do visit have lunch in New Roads. I like Satterfields, which is right on the banks of False River, an oxbow lake created when the Mississippi changed course. That river used to whip around like a snake until the levees were built. I don't think they will hold it forever. And then what will happen to Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and points between?
  23. Ilaine
    Don, a poor boy is neither Cajun nor Creole. They're just New Orleans. Lot of New Orleans food is neither Cajun nor Creole. As are the people. A huge chunk of New Orleans population are what they call Yats. From the expression "where y'at" aka "where you at?" Which means "how are you doing?" Entire books have been written about New Orleans dialect. I remember when Cajun food came to New Orleans. Paul Prudhomme. Ralph and Kakoos. Creoles, on the other hand, were old fashioned and snooty.
  24. Ilaine
    My Louisiana ancestors migrated from France to New France circa 1726, maybe earlier, before the Acadian diaspora, and settled in Pointe Coupee Parish, across the Mississippi from Baton Rouge, far west of New Orleans, somewhat north of Acadiana, but French speaking and Catholic. They didn't call themselves Cajuns OR Creoles. They certainly weren't Baptists or descended from the British Isles. My grandfather had a French accent, sort of. Acadians were not allowed to settle in Pointe Coupee because it was already settled, and the government wanted them to colonize new places. As for the food, well, it's plainer than Creole, not influenced by Spain, much less Italy (big Italian influence in New Orleans, including Sicily). It's also plainer than Cajun, not so much seafood based, not so much red pepper. Lots of rice, e.g., dirty rice. Catfish and crawfish, other fresh water fish. There was beef, which Cajuns and Creoles didn't have much of because cattle need dry land. Hogs, of course. Lots of wild game, from deer to squirrels to ducks. Good pecans. The people are modest, not prone to drinking in public, boasting, fighting, or public display. If you want that type of thing, go to Lafayette or New Orleans. The first slave revolt in what is now the United States occurred in New Roads, LA, and began on a Vignes family plantation. Vignes is my maiden name. I think it was a direct ancestor. Not that I am proud of this. The freedom fighters were crucified in display along the banks of the Mississippi. When we glorify our ancestors, let us never forget the rest of the story. If you ever saw Easy Rider, the roadside cafe where Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper ate before they were murdered belonged to a family member.
  25. Ilaine
    Lamb stew. My new go-to braise. I like to brown-bag it, so we typically make stew every cold weekend and eat it all week, alternating with another hearty dish like chicken thighs. I thought I didn't like lamb. I really don't like the taste of lamb fat. Then husband accidentally picked up lamb meat, rather than beef. Well, he likes lamb so I said, ok, let's use it. Turns out I prefer it to beef in a stew. I much prefer the texture, tender and melting, and the fat really isn't noticible. We are trying to eat lowish carb, so no potatoes, but more of the lower carb root vegetables like celery root, turnips, golden beets, and lots and lots of mushrooms. I love it. Right now for lunch the meat is lamb shoulder. Whole Foods in Alexandria has a butcher shop, and they have whole lamb shoulders in the back. I bought half a shoulder. Husband complained that the fat hadn't been trimmed off, so next time I will ask that it be trimmed. I still don't like lamb chops or leg of lamb, but lamb stew I love.
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