Xochitl10

Charleston (SC) International Airport has an impressive number of drinking holes for a ten-gate airport. By my estimation, the Magnolia Grill outside security, plus the lounge and Sam Adams Brewhouse in the B gates and an assumed equivalent number of drinking locations in the A gates, equal five bars, or one bar for every two gates. I spent the afternoon at the B gates Sam Adams Brewhouse, where I should've stuck with the drafts -- a Hendricks G&T was a) warm and b ) limeless. I can't vouch for the food anywhere because I was too blessedly full of jambalaya to eat.

CHS

Broiled rockfish

Mashed sweet potatoes

Cornbread

New Year's brunch for five:

Coffee and mimosas

Frittate:  sauteed mushroom, shallot, garlic, and Gruyere; smoked salmon and shallot

Baking powder biscuits

Roasted red potatoes

Roasted pears with Dominican vanilla sugar

Toasted walnuts

Yogurt and/or Stilton

Zin Alley port (I know nothing about port, but this was tasty)

Azami and I alternate staying home in Maryland and traveling home to New Mexico to spend Christmas with one of our families. I always make dinner when we stay home, and this year decided to make a turkey dinner -- turkey; mashed potatoes; sweet potatoes; gravy; green bean casserole (from scratch); Parker House rolls; cranberry sauce with ginger and Bosc pear; romaine salad with orange, cranberry, and walnuts; Ann Amernick's Maryland strudel with Stilton and grapes. Dinner will still get a little bit of New Mexico -- the red chile sauce is thawing in the fridge.

The dough for Ann Amernick's Maryland strudel is resting in the fridge. I'll be making that and Parker House rolls for Christmas dinner.

Joe, have you thought about Japan? I don't mean the big cities and their flashy restaurants, but the spas in the country, with their kaiseki cuisine. A colleague of mine told me of a wedding party he attended that took place on a barge in a river with a ramp sloping down into the water. For the wedding feast they caught fish that jumped onto the ramp and promptly transformed them into sushi. I know that's in my bucket.

Perhaps to no-one's surprise, I was also going to mention rural Japan, particularly northern Japan. Go at New Year's. Find a temple that performs joya no kane, the ringing of the temple bell 108 times, on New Year's Eve. Trek to the local shrine at sunrise on New Year's Day (if you're lucky, through a beautiful deep snow), make your offering, drink some shochu or beer and have clementines with the locals. Pass some time in an outdoor hot spring bath in the snow.

Or, if you and your wife are up for a hike, go to Aomori Prefecture and take one of the guided hikes through the Shirakami Sanchi National Forest. The hike passes through a virgin beech forest, and you have the opportunity to see orchids and birds that you won't find anywhere else in the world. And one of the most beautiful blue lakes you'll ever see. There's a completely ridiculous resort nearby from which you can access a promontory with a small shrine at the top and watch an incredible sunset over the Sea of Japan.

Closer to home, I can think of few better things to do than rent a convertible and drive the Turquoise Trail between Albuquerque and Santa Fe on a spring or fall day. Go in the fall and you can smell roasting green chile in the air.

Whatever you do, I hope you have a wonderful adventure!

Azami and I had brunch here with a couple of friends this morning and were very pleased. It's a very small space a couple blocks south of the Silver Spring Whole Foods, although the weather was nice enough that people were occupying the outside tables as well. They've got an extensive list of both sweet and savory crepes, all ranging between ~$4.00 and $7.50.

I am not a crepe connoisseur, but I very much enjoyed these -- they were slightly sweet, not very chewy, and had nicely crisped edges.We all had savory crepes -- smoked turkey, egg, mushroom, cheese, and tomato for me; eggs, turkey, and cheese for Azami; roasted eggplant, zucchini, basil, garlic, and sundried tomato for one friend; and ham and cheese for the other. All of our crepes were filled generously and deliciously, and we got the correct orders. I noted a number of people having to return wrong orders to the kitchen. All in all, we liked Fenton Cafe a lot -- I can see us returning before long.

Biscochitos

Meatball soup with carrots, potatoes, and cabbage, like my Mexican grandmother used to make

Azami-made flour tortillas

Red chile posole for next week's tree-decorating party

Last night:

Macaroni and cheese using Monterey Jack, chopped green chile, and red salmon

Tonight:

Roast beef

Mashed potatoes with ricotta and sage

Braised carrots and leeks

Maple-pumpkin custards

A friend gave us a bunch of wonderfully ripe Kadota figs right off her tree earlier this year. I didn't have time to do anything with them (except immediately stuff five or six in my face), so I froze them until I had some time on my hands. Yesterday, I made some of them into jam with balsamic vinegar and black peppercorns, and the rest I quartered and made into a compote-like thing with brown sugar and chopped ginger. The latter is quite delicious over plain yogurt with some walnuts.

The race is really just an excuse for some runners to visit Charleston and gorge ourselves

It's amazing what I feel entitled to eat after a race. I've done well by racing in Montreal and Charleston.

That is very generous of the tour guide!

I went in February and can't recommend this opportunity highly enough. I've been on Capitol tours many times. This one is truly special and will let you see places/things not available to most visitors. AND you get the benefit of a very knowledgeable guide to tell you all about them.

Ditto. This tour is truly a special opportunity to learn some really cool things about the Capitol. The guide is fantastic, and so generous with her time.

Beef and kidney bean chili, using the Cook's Illustrated recipe and a boatload of New Mexico red chile

Cornbread with mild cheddar and whole kernels

Old Overholt Manhattans

Today is hardcore baking day. We're hosting an open house for Azami's artwork next Sunday around brunchtime, so I'm making banana-nut muffins and cranberry-orange muffins. I also committed to baking for the office dessert auction -- they're getting a spice cake with blackberry jam and caramel icing.

I am also looking for Charleston recommendations, but for runners. I'm running the Charleston half-marathon with a friend in January, and would appreciate recs for a pre-race dinner and a post-race lunch or dinner.

Oatmeal with light brown sugar, dried cranberries, and walnuts

Speaking of bolognese and recasting, some time ago I made a batch of Swiss steak, an old favorite that I love.

I adore Swiss steak. I haven't made it in years, partly because Azami isn't a huge fan. I'm making bulk dishes on the weekends to free up his time during the week (he's the homemaker/artist, but is in serious artist mode for art-show season), so now there may be Swiss steak in his future.

Emerald Martini: Bombay Sapphire East, M&R dry vermouth, Chartreuse

Pumpkin lasagna with Snider's housemade loose sausage and sage bechamel

Spinach salad with dried cranberries, blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and apple cider vinaigrette

Sage focaccia

Scrambled eggs with green chile and sharp Cheddar on an English muffin

Green chile stew with pork shoulder, generally based on my mother-in-law's recipe. I'll throw some potatoes, corn, and squash in with the pork toward the end.

Am sitting at Bar Symon in the C gates (near the "central core") of Pittsburgh International Airport. The "Mandarin Blossom" (Hangar One Mandarin Vodka, Campari, and lime juice) is a delightful drink, although I think it would be more balanced with a touch more lime juice. I'm not snacking, but the menu looks tasty enough, focusing on "Lola fries" with various toppings (rosemary, chili/cheese, pulled pork, sausage gravy).

PIT

I had dinner here last Friday night and was underwhelmed. Sweet potato fries were tasty and crisp, but came with honey and cinnamon rather than the requested parm. Salmon, roasted vegetables, and mashed potatoes were bland.

I am currently a) approaching the third anniversary of the worst week of my life (i.e., the week my father went into the hospital for open-heart surgery and never woke up); and b ) nursing clinical depression (I have a love/hate relationship with fall). Leftover steamed rice warmed up with some sliced deli turkey and a healthy dose of chilli/garlic paste, plus a rye Manhattan with orange bitters might just be my new go-to in depression cuisine.