smokey

Heather--I'm toying with signing up for home delivery. What's your take on it so far? Any feedback appreciated.

Bill, that's fantastic! I'm really pleased for you and impressed your dedication. While I certainly understand the need to stay away from the boards as a component of this, I hope you will occasionally keep us updated. I would love to keep cheering you on. I hope this experience gives you some empathy for all 'those picky eaters.' There are lots of different explanations for why somebody is a picky eater, and it's tough when everybody else decides they need to judge it/give you feedback on it/complain about it, etc.

I think when you call in and order something off the 'chinese' menu, it's definitely worth checking while you're there. I ordered something via phone off the "Chinese" menu and double-checked when i went in for the pick up. It was something different, and the guy very nicely admitted that he didn't really think I wanted what I said I wanted. The cheerfully replaced it with the desired item, however.

I'll serve my world famous boiled water right next door.

wow. add me to the list of converts--this place has amazing felafel. crunchy outside, light fluffy innards, delicious toppings. It puts everything else to shame. although dean's description of the structural changes that occur over time as you make your way through the sandwich are accurate, i found them to be generally pleasant.

Answering my own question--YES, the harris Tetter in Darnestown does carry White Lily flour!

Finally went to a Harris Teeter for the first time today (the one up in Darnestown, as I returned from Homestead Farms). I'm not sure what I expected (I think something swanky). It struck me as simply being another grocery store, albeit a nice one, but nothing I would run back to (unless, of course, I wanted a local source of white lily flour--which they do carry!).

Thanks for the word-up on this, Porcupine. I went out this morning and invested in 4 quarts. Three have been pitted and are freezing on sheet pans in my freezer. I think the 4th will be turned into a tart cherry crostada tomorrow!

That was an interesting article. Sadly, I just can't stomach the idea of ponying up $200 for an ice cream maker. I think I'm stickin' with the $50 business and seeing what I can perfect in it. Maybe I'll give the Philly style a try. I had never really been willing to before, but if the end product is better, well, the proof is in the eating.

Hmm, would you be willing to post the recipe for the toasted almond/sour cherry ice cream? I can't get that book from the MoCo library system, and I've heard really good things about it. Sour cherries should be at the Farmers Market this Sat. (fingers crossed) and this sounds like a fine application for them.cjsadler, was the strawberry ice cream made with a custard base? What is the base like in that ice cream (specifically, how much cream and milk?)? I'm curious because I've been fiddling with ice creams recently with very little success. I have felt as though all of my recent efforts have been far too icy (also in a cuisnart/krups/$50 job type thing) and am trying to figure out corrections. I would be curious to hear more about where you have had success.

Mmm, it includes the recipe for the demayo chocolate cake, a favorite of mine. Must reconsider moratorium on baking cookbooks...

As well as tart cherries after pitting!

I spoke with somebody at the Rockville farmers market yesterday (a terrible FM, but I feel this compulsion to support it because it's my local)--they said that they expected sour cherries in 2-3 weeks (which does seem a bit later to me than in years passed). My son is very excited at the possibility of cherry pie.

Frostburg Yep, that was definitely another challenge of the menu. To find their strong suit (such as it is), you truly only had one option on the entire menu. I agree, a chatty server is fine if you're chatty, and I consider it the hallmark of a good server to be able to match your mood. The waitress who wanted to compare notes about travelling in S. America was not matching my mood! Good luck finding alternatives in Frostburg or surrounding environs, and be certain to post on what you encounter!

Frostburg ellen--I never posted back on our experiences there (dining). We had a lovely fall weekend there (as you noted, cool weather, but the trails are great for hiking and jogging and we did loads of that) in 2006. However, the food was, in my opinion, abyssmal. We really wanted a relaxing weekend, so ended up deciding not to leave the lodge at all (it was further from Frostburg than I thought, and navigating unfamiliar, rural roads in the dark was more stress than I wanted). I found that any food items that seemed like a nod to current fad/fashion were overwrought and poorly executed. Your description of the maple syrup encrusted trout is a perfect example. The desserts all tasted like they were shipped in from elsewhere. The whole thing was, in my opinion, terrible, particularly for the price. It's a great place to stay in terms of location if you love to hike. But the food is incredibly weak, the service is wretched, and there's really very little opportunity for anything else there. I recommend sticking with the most simple of dishes (for lunch and dinner). Please understand, much of this is my feeling about it based on the price/quality ratio (which is totally skewed). i might not have minded the unprofessional, incredibly chatty/casual service at a lower price point. At the prices they were charging, drefrosted fried calamari rings with bottled cocktail sauce and a waitress who wants to swap notes about travelling in S. America isn't what I'm after. Smokey

I thought I might try moving this post here, as the gelato/sorbet thread seems to be more about purchased products. Any help?

We'll be there at noon!

So, in celebration of mother's day, I made banana ice cream this weekend (with RLB's hot fudge sauce recipe--I don't love her (at all), but that recipe is my favorite by far). Anyway, in an effort to develop a reliable base that depends exclusively on ingredients I routinely have in my cupboard (read here: no half and half, no non-ultra-pasteurized cream), I made a custard of: 2 1/2c whole milk approx. 1/2c sugar 10 egg yolks I figured all those egg yolks would help with emulsifying the mix, add good 'mouthfeel' and would reduce iciness issues. The base alone was too egg tasting for me, but was hidden by the flavor of the bananas (3 bananas, heated with roughly 1/4c sugar and mashed, cooled, added to the base essentially at the end of the churning) in the finished product. The banana flavor was great, but it was a bit too icy (a fact agreed upon by all two adults eating it). In my mind, this could be due to two things: 1) not enough fat from cream and/or 2) water added from the bananas. In the past, I have made the recipe with fewer egg yolks and milk, but some added half and half (or cream, don't recall). That time, I drained the liquid that came from macerating the bananas (and maybe reduced it and added it back into base? not sure, my notes aren't clear), but I didn't have time to do that this time. The time I made it before, it didn't have the icy issue, making me think this is a function of the reduced fat from no cream. Anybody have any advice on this topic? Please understand, the reduction in fat was in no way an effort to make ice cream healthy or low fat or anything. I'm well aware that cranking up the egg yolks nullifies any benefit from less cream. I'm truly just looking to see if I can develop a standard base that uses ingredients that don't require a special trip anywhere. (Plus, I'll admit, I'm not crazy for the flavor of super high fat ice cream. To me, all that fat can dull the overall flavor.)

I am 'free' tomorrow (meaning, babe would be with me) and have been long meaning to try Temari Cafe (which isn't to say I wouldn't go elsewhere if the group swayed somewhere else...). It's been a while since I've been to Joe's, and would enjoy returning there.

Is being run over by the zamboni better than having a hockey-playing son?!

So, what did you guys think of La Limena?

Cooking classes?! Whoah, now THAT makes my ears perk up.

IIRC, Porcupine has no love for Amici Miei. I think there is a thread on it with decided mixed opinions. doesn't mean we shouldn't try it. I would love to hook up at some point for some lunch, this week &/or next.

NOOOOOOOO

I buy my milk from my organic market. I'll admit, I don't remember the dairy. I love it, but think the significant issue is the SHST pasteurization (I think I have the acronym wrong--it's short time high temperature). [sorry, typing with one hand] The milk is sweet and flavorful (and I buy skim for drinking). Problem is, it goes bad very fast and really needs to be kept refrigerated...