Demetrius

I think that Bittersweet Cafe in Old Town Alexandria does a good job with chocolate covered strawberries, and might still have them available.

In my family, the Thanksgiving holiday is the time to reunite with siblings, extended family and old friends around a huge dinner table filled with wonderful food and bottles of wine. While we are only a family of six, late November tends to be the only time of year when all of us can expect to be at the same table and as a result we like to take advantage of the time and fill it with laughter and great stories. Aside from the usual fare of a heritage turkey, oyster stuffing, glazed onions, spinach balls, etc... much of my wine consuption was on a bottle I found at a small sandwich shop in Virginia Beach called Taste Unlimited. After taking time to familiarize myself with their humble wine selection, I was pointed in the direction of an Oregon Pinot Noir called Chateau Bianca. I do not consider myself a wine expert by any stretch of the imagination, but found its taste to be a perfect match for what I like to drink.

The best source to get your pecan fix is through a locally owned business called Cinnanuts. http://www.cinnanuts.com/

After hard boiling eggs for the five or so minutes, I drain the water immediately in the sink and then fill the pot with cold water. The cracking and peeling part of the task tends to go relatively quickly. At least more so than letting the eggs sit in the hot water bath and rest for a bit.

I would recommend that you try: Roy's, Sam Choy's or a place by the fishing docks called Strawberry Connection.

I live in Reston as well, and whenever my wife and I are craving a decent pizza we drive over to Romantica in Great Falls.

Happy Birthday Joe

I have a respectible sized pepper garden on my back porch and am starting to think that a peach habanero might be a good flavor, although I think that a jalapeno might better do the trick. Do you think that adding either a habanero or jalapeno pepper to the blackberries will add complexity to the flavor, or just be too different in flavor combinations?

Is it worth trying to combine flavors such as blackberry and lavendor, etc... to make the end result a little more unique?

It was my thought to use some of the berries to make a jam, but have a little stage fright. When you were making jam with your cherries, did you follow the ratio of one pound of fruit to one pound of sugar? And, how did you determine how much pectin to add? In addition to the blackberries, I have twenty-seven pounds of cut peaches in my freezer. And, about four pounds of cut strawberries. Does the same ratio of fruit to sugar apply to peaches and strawberries as well? Thank you.

Earlier this Summer, I picked fourteen pounds of blackberries and returned home and split evenly between three freezer bags. Originally it was my thought to can the fruit, but decided to do something different since I have peaches and strawberries in the freezer as well. I participated in the Free Range discussion yesterday afternoon on the Washington Post and the suggestion that came back was to use some of the fruit to make a blackberry sauce. The suggestion was to add one Tb of brandy and one Tb of orange juice. Using this recipe, is is possible to can and then give out later in the year as gifts, etc...? If yes, is there anything that you would change to make the sauce more than just ordaniry? And lastly, should I cook the liquid mixture down until it thickens up a bit instead of being runny? Thank you.

Wow!! If you hear of any more good deals to Argentina please post.

If you are willing to take a weekend drive, there is a great place in Palmyra, Virginia called BBQ Connection. They participate in a number of events around the state: N. VA Fine Arts Festival, etc...

The Wegman's out in Sterling also sells canning supplies.

Just a couple of miles from the oceanfront is a place called the: No Frill Bar and Grill. Good food, and a fun atmosphere. http://nofrillgrill.com/locations.asp In the same location is another place called: Baker's Crust which is always good. http://www.bakerscrust.com/site/ If you want to eat at the oceanfront, please see my earlier comment above and add Catch 31 and Big Sam's to the list. Big Sam's is a locals place located at Rudee Inlet.

My wife and I were in Charleston, South Carolina last weekend for a cousin's wedding and had the opportunity to dine at a local bar called: Aw Shucks... I think it was initially the name that struck us, but we decided to take a chance and go inside for a quick bite to eat and a cold beer before heading back to our hotel and get ready for the wedding. I ordered a cup of seafood gumbo and a pint of their Charleston Ale and could not have been happier with my choice. Does anyone on the board have a great recipe for seafood gumbo that they would be willing to share? Thank you.

My wife and I are driving down to Staunton, Virginia for the weekend to visit family, and have been invited to join some friends at a wine festival. To my knowledge, the wineries participating are: Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery, Chateau Morrisette, Davis Valley Winery & Vineyard, Delfosse Vineyards & Winery, Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery, North Mountain Vineyard & Wine, Peaks of Otter Winery, Queen City Brewery, Rebec Vineyards, Rockbridge Vineyard, Tomahawk Enterprises, Veritas Vineyards & Winery, Virginia Mountain Vineyard, Wintergreen Winery http://www.augustachamber.org/daylily_events.html Does anyone have any knowledge of their wines, and any suggestions of specific bottles to seek out? Thank you.

If you are willing to drive a little, I would highly recommend heading out to Great Falls. You can grab a slice or two of pizza at Romantica and then sit at a picnic table close to the falls with your laptop and work and eat in a comfortable outdoor setting. Or, if you need to stay in the Arlington area you can always work and eat at the Lost Dog Cafe?

Another idea would be to setup a stand at the Penn Quarter Farmer's Market on Thursday afternoon/evening. There are approximately twelve to fourteen vendors, and only one selling breads, pastries, etc... I know that your product is far superior, and would be a very welcome addition. It is also organized by the same folks that do the DuPont Farmer's Market.

If any of the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) restaurants are open over the holiday weekend, I would highly recommend eating at any of them.

I think that a Friday night happy hour and flea market is a terrific idea.

Is cooking oven roasted red potatoes only as easy as coating with olive oil and Rosemary and then baking in a 350 oven for fifteen to twenty minutes?

I think that there is a water park close to Wolf Trapp or the Reston area. That might be something your son might enjoy with his friends.

Thanks for the feedback. I am thinking about combining this with some bbq chicken tortilla's. Do you think that a lime and salsa sour cream would work into this mix? If so, I am thinking that it is as easy as adding fresh squeezed lime juice and salsa into the sour cream and then mixing it up.

Does anyone have a good recipe for a roasted corn rellish? Is is something as simple as boiling corn on the cob and then using a chef's knife to remove the kernels? What is next though? I am thinking that this would be a great side when cooking bbq. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.