What's cooking?

[Jenise]

and garlic from the Farmer's Market has dried and is ready to use.

You won't use it fresh out of the ground? You're missing the best part!

and garlic from the Farmer's Market has dried and is ready to use.

You won't use it fresh out of the ground? You're missing the best part!

I do use it fresh out of the ground. The grower told me to let it dry out for about a week, she says it is easier to pull apart and the skin removes easier when smashed, and all of this I find to be true. I wish I could remember what type of hard neck variety I buy. She grows so many types, but the one I buy is her best selling variety. This one is white, while many others are pink to sort of a purple. They are all very good, some are hotter than others. The white is a middle of the road for spice.

[Jenise]

and garlic from the Farmer's Market has dried and is ready to use.

You won't use it fresh out of the ground? You're missing the best part!

I do use it fresh out of the ground. The grower told me to let it dry out for about a week, she says it is easier to pull apart and the skin removes easier when smashed, and all of this I find to be true. I wish I could remember what type of hard neck variety I buy. She grows so many types, but the one I buy is her best selling variety. This one is white, while many others are pink to sort of a purple. They are all very good, some are hotter than others. The white is a middle of the road for spice.

Ah, I get it now. She's right of course about how it gets easier, but after a week you're still using it fresh so I'm not worried now. I adore fresh garlic. Tend to prefer the red and purple skinned ones myself, they're sometimes stronger in a good way but also sweeter, and I like that.

I look for ones with bigger cloves, those little ones can get tedious when peeling. I should do a garlic taste test of all her varieties. Also, a taste testing after roasting...I love roasted garlic.

[Robin Garr]

I'm making a quick gumbo with okra and tomatoes from the garden, onions and celery and garlic from the grocery, and some pickins' from the leftovers of a Barr Farm hen.

Well, we kicked off the weekend and popped over to Shapleigh, ME (25 minutes), and had lobster rolls, the best fries ever, cole slaw, and soda for $27 including tax.

Decided on my menu, perfect for a sunny day in early Fall:

Fresh radishes with cold butter
Salad of tatsoi and endive with roasted plums, tarragon vinaigrette
Chicken breasts braised with apples and sage, served with my Crispy Prairie Rice

Jenise, fill me in, please on this combination. Do you eat a radish slice with a bit of cold butter?

Tonight we cooked at home. Grilled a 1.4 lb rib eye over charcoal and mesquite smoke with some butter on her half and blue cheese on mine; accompanied by corn-on-the-cob, and our own Brandywines and basil sliced and chopped. Matched with our last bottle of '05 Avalon Napa Cab. Wonderful. Happy Labor Day everyone.

Went over to my buddy Nilo's house and feasted (as usual when we go over there). We started with a stinky Spanish washed-rind cheese and then moved on to a set of apps: homemade mortadella spread (spuma di mortadella), duck rillettes, home-canned tuna and white beans, and Pata Negra ham with fresh figs. Then on to a goat tagine with apricots and almonds. Panna cotta with cherry compote for dessert.

The guy knows how to eat.

[Jenise]

Decided on my menu, perfect for a sunny day in early Fall:

Fresh radishes with cold butter
Salad of tatsoi and endive with roasted plums, tarragon vinaigrette
Chicken breasts braised with apples and sage, served with my Crispy Prairie Rice

Jenise, fill me in, please on this combination. Do you eat a radish slice with a bit of cold butter?

Hold radish in one hand, apply unsalted butter with knife in the other. Dip butter end in small pile of maldon salt. Take bite. If it's a large radish, repeat till it's gone. It's a glorious way to eat fresh sweet radishes.

[Jenise]

The guy knows how to eat.

Sure does. Take me with you next time!

Having a Lemberger tasting (8 different ones), picnic, horseshoe tournament and bonfire for about 15 today. The menu will be a slow grilled whole strip loin, Jo Ann's watermelon salad, beans 7 greens soup, bruschetta, hummus, tapenade, cheese & veggie platters and corn on the cob (silver queen). Deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail and dessert are being brought by guests.

Heading to a patio party where loads of grilled and smoked pork, wings and beef will be served.. I'm sure some adult beverages will be consumed as well.

[Robin Garr]

Heading to a patio party where loads of grilled and smoked pork, wings and beef will be served.. I'm sure some adult beverages will be consumed as well.

Say! Are you going where I'm going? Or are we going to similar places? I'm making championship slaw to take to a throwdown at my patio party where loads of grilled and smoked pork, wings and beef will be served and I'm sure some adult beverages will be consumed as well.

Heading to a patio party where loads of grilled and smoked pork, wings and beef will be served.. I'm sure some adult beverages will be consumed as well.

Say! Are you going where I'm going? Or are we going to similar places? I'm making championship slaw to take to a throwdown at my patio party where loads of grilled and smoked pork, wings and beef will be served and I'm sure some adult beverages will be consumed as well.

I do believe it is the same place. I'm surprised you are venturing outside the Watterson.

[Jenise]

I've got all kinds of stuff going on today. Already prepped dinner, a simple pan roast of chicken leg-thighs with fresh torpedo onions, fennel and new carrots with herbs and olive oil. A fresh corn bread pudding will go with that.

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Also have 20 lbs of salmon to smoke--we lay in a good supply at the end of summer. It's wonderful to have in the freezer--great for lunches, and you can whip up an appetizer on a moment's notice. Went to Barleans farm for the fish yesterday and bought local coho for $4.99/lb and a whole slab of white king for $5.99. I adore white king and would have happily taken more but alas, my 10 lb half a filet was the last they had. At Barleans, you go into the barn and select the fish you want out of a big crate of ice; they filet it for you. We always take all the spines and tails with us because it's great crab bait--nothing goes to waste.

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And I made pickles.

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Fun projects and great pictures! I love the creative way you shot the pickles.
On my dinner menue tonight is boneless chuck roast braised in Barolo wine, onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Served with braised lemony lacinato kale with garlic and Risotto Milanese.

Thai chicken satay tonight.

-Paul W.

Made lemonade.

Made the goop for cinnamon ice cream (cooling in the fridge now).

Hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill later.

Jenise, love your photos. Everything looks/sounds wonderful.

Last night was our first back in NC after being in New England for six weeks. After dining on not much more than fried seafood and as much Italian food we could eat while we were there, we were both craving chicken. I made a simple split grilled chicken, grilled artichokes that had been doused in homemade Italian dressing after being steamed first in micro, fresh local corn and sliced local tomatoes. We enjoyed every bite. It's good to be "home."

[David M. Bueker]

Last night's dinner with friends was mostly "local" ingredients.

We started with a grilled corn and fennel salsa, thereby using up most of the fennel bulb I received in this week's CSA share, along with tomatoes, peppers (which I also grilled), onions, etc...

Main course was a pork tenderloin (from Massachusetts) with an Asian spice marinade, CSA-provided green beans sauteed with CSA-provided garlic and some (not local) chili sauce, fresh corn on the cob and fresh herb dinner rolls.

Dessert was an apple and blueberry crisp.

[Jenise]

Made lemonade.

Made the goop for cinnamon ice cream (cooling in the fridge now).

Hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill later.

You and Mike F must be on the same diet.

[Jenise]

Carrie, As good as restaurant food can be, eventually your soul needs your own real home cooking, doesn't it?

David, that's a lovely fall menu. Like the mixed fruit in the crisp--I never ever mix fruit, and probably should.

Tonight's dinner hasn't been planned yet, but after watching Anthony Bourdain's episode on Beirut last night and Dubai this morning, I now want, no, REQUIRE, some kind of spicy basmati rice dish with some kind of spicy chicken curry. Will work that out while shopping today.

You and Mike F must be on the same diet.

Well, I also made my favorite dip of avocado and That Fish, but I figured it went without saying.