thanks for not being a zombie

Here are the pix.

Posted by at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

At first, I thought I'd just send this to the people who received grits. However, I've decided to post the information for everyone. Credit goes to L's sister for providing these.

In the interests of time, you may want to fake the shrimp stock.

In the interests of health, you may want to adjust some of the ingredients.

Continue reading "recipe, as promised" »

Posted by at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We went out for dinner in a funky hip part of the city and ate

• fried green tomatoes,
• shrimp and grits,
• collard greens,
• crowder peas,
• macaroni and cheese,
• deviled eggs, and
• fluffy white biscuits.

Posted by at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

If we could somehow use these in the "war on terrah," then we will have already won.

Posted by at 12:52 AM | Permalink

I bought a print copy of the NY Times for my flight to Boston last week. One of the best sections of the Times is their food section. Last week, there was a great article by Julia Moskin entitled, "After Centuries, the Vegetarian Feast of India Finally Arrives." Moskin writes,

With the arrival here of South Indian vegetarian staples like dosas and uttapams, samosa chat and idlis, Indian cooking in New York is finally reflecting how Indians eat in India. And that often means vegetarian meals at least twice a day, or an entirely vegetarian home kitchen. Indian restaurants outside India have rarely reflected the central role of vegetarian cooking in Indian life, or its varied flavors.

Ah, it is to laugh. Ten years after L and I ate first began eating about once a week at Udupi Palace in the DC area, the Times explains to its readers what dosas, uttapams, and idlis are. And KC has Udipi Cafe. Who says New York is the cutting edge?

Posted by at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Another quick entry: I just had lunch at Legal Seafoods here in Boston with Vika. We shared a dozen oysters on the half shell, and I had the lobster bisque while Vika enjoyed a bowl of clam chowder. Yum!

Our conversation covered a lot of ground: Burning Man, TEI, humanities computing, the Decameron Web, grant writing, and of course, blogging. Relevant links to be added later.

Posted by at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm pressed for time, but here are two quick stories from last night. Hopefully I'll have time later for more detail:

• From Catherine Rodriguez, who organized the SHARP panels at this year's ASECS, I learned that eighteenth-century authors Fanny Burney and Hannah More made appearances in Wonder Woman comics as "wonder women of history."
• When our group left McCormick & Schmick's last night, one of our party was complaining about the waiter as we waited on the sidewalk for a cab. The service was fine, I thought, although a little disorganized. However, a man walked up to us and said, "Excuse me, sir, are you talking about this restaurant? I'm the manager." It was a little disconcerting because he was kind of aggressive, and I was worried at first he was going to defend the honor of his establishment through fisticuffs. But it turns out he just wanted to give us $50 in gift certificates (!). Not wanting to get our server in trouble, we assured him that we were talking about a different restaurant, but obviously he didn't believe us.

Posted by at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Ugh. Someone burned some toast, and now the apartment building's fire alarm has gone off. It is ear-splittingly loud. My ears haven't vibrated this much since I saw Neil Young in 1983 on his Trans tour. (And doesn't that album sound a lot more interesting now than it did twenty years ago?)

For the love of God! Make it stop! I have black-eyed peas and greens to eat!

Update: Well, it only took forty-five minutes, but the alarm is finally off.

Posted by at 1:47 PM | Permalink

Momentarily we are off to A Touch of Asia, which is the best Indian restaurant we've found here in KC. Then champagne at a friend's place; like us, she's a fellow loft-dweller downtown. Finally, we might end up at the fireworks display scheduled to take place at the City Market.

May your new year bring you joy.

Posted by at 6:49 PM | Permalink

I'm making carrot soup with lemon and ginger. It smells great!

Posted by at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Just kidding. We don't really eat tofurky. Here's what we are eating. In addition to the aforementioned carrots and turnips, we'll be having cranberry sauce; baked sweet potatoes stuffed with cranberries, pears, and pecans; green beans with dijon mustard and caramelized pecans (in this month's Gourmet Magazine, not yet archived at Epicurious); bread dressing with dried apricots, pistachios, and mint; and bourbon-orange pecan pie with bourbon cream. I know, I know. The same old same old. But we thought we'd avoid anything too fancy this year.

A Kansas City Thanksgiving tradition is the lighting ceremony at the Country Club Plaza. The following is what the Kansas City Star has to say about tonight's shin-dig. (Typos recreated from the original for your amusement):

Plaza Lighting Ceremony Tonight

• Ceremony starts: 7 p.m. Gert there before 6 p.m.
• Switch is flipped: 7:30 p.m. by Kansas City's own Kate Spade, New York fashion designer.
• Musical entertainment: A Broadway theme, including show tunes and holiday favorites, plus the Plaza Lights Orchestra. The stage is at Nichols Road and Wyandotte Street, near Mark Shale.
• What to expect: To be in a crowd of about 250,000, which is like three full Arrowhead Stadiums and then some.
• Where to watch From the street with the crowd -- which is both exciting and slaustrophobic -- or get a more panoramic view from the tops of the garages near Saks Fifth Avenue, Mark Shale and Halls.

I won't be going because I tend to get slaustrophobic myself in large crowds. But I think we'll check try to gert there tomorrow night after the hoo-ha has died down.

Posted by at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After the success of my entry on easy summer recipes (thanks to Google, it was my most visited entry throughout the summer), I thought I would try another recipe entry. Here in the U.S., next Thursday is Thanksgiving, and the following is my favorite holiday dish, believe it or not. Here's what I'd like you to do: post your own favorite recipe on your blog and TrackBack to this entry or post it here in the comments.

Carrots and Turnips

• 2 pounds carrots, chopped
• 1.5 pounds turnips, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter (or to taste)
• salt

Cook the carrots and turnips in salted boiling water until soft. Drain the vegetables and put them in a large bowl with the butter. Mash them as you would potatoes. Enjoy!

Continue reading "thanksgiving recipe" »

Posted by at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This weekend someone gave me a chunk of basil the size of a small shrub. Pesto, anyone?

Posted by at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Art and History of Sushi

Young Grasshoppers everywhere, come learn from the Masters! World Foods Market sushi chef, OO Saw Shwe, with Prepared Foods Team Member and member of the Chef's Collaborative, Curtis Johnson, will discuss the history and reveal the secrets of creating beautiful sushi. The Art and History of Sushi will make it look easy! Learn to roll sushi, sample several delicious varieties and take home a free sushi mat.

CONVENER: OO Saw Shwe & Curtis Johnson

CLASS FEE: $9 + $10 material fee = $19

Sec. A: 1 session; Wednesday, September 24; 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM; Whole Foods Market, 7401 W.. 91st St., OPKS; LIMIT: 25

Posted by at 9:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)