Tamarack in West Virginia

We discovered Tamarack during a web search for top places to visit in West Virginia. We were headed out on a road trip to tour the state and Tamarack was listed as a must-see in the southern city of Beckley.

Here's a description from their website: "Located in the center of the eastern United States, Beckley, West Virginia, is the home of Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia. Tamarack welcomes half a million visitors annually as a one-stop shop for West Virginia culture, heritage, handcrafts, fine art, regional cuisine and music. Tamarack is how you will see and treasure West Virginia."

We expected to arrive at Tamarack around noon, so planned to eat lunch there. The website let us know that it was cafeteria style dining, but that the chefs were top-notch. When we arrived, we were ready for lunch before we looked around. Here's what we experienced:

My meal:

• Collard Greens: perfectly flavored, cooked with bacon
• Tangy Coleslaw: no mayo in this - plenty of oil, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and green pepper
• Dirty Rice: red rice with bits of hamburger, sausage, peppers, and corn
• Green Beans: cooked southern-style, meaning much softer than we eat them up north, and boiled with a bit of bacon or ham. Mighty tasty.

Daughter's meal: 

• Hunter Chicken: nicely roasted chicken with a chunky tomato and pepper sauce
• Mashed Potatoes: how can you make mashed potatoes better than they already are? Somehow, Tamarack chefs did - these were the best we've ever tasted, and as smooth and creamy as you can imagine.
• Creamy Coleslaw: this is the more traditional version, and the sauce was absolute perfection.

Tamarack was such an unexpected culinary pleasure. I highly recommend it to anyone who is heading to southern West Virginia. We perused the many shops after lunch, and I was thrilled to find a new cookbook for my collection: Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine.

Latest Berkshire Organics Delivery

Here's what we found in our bi-weekly Berkshire Organics delivery (we get the "Berkshire Basket"):

Local - Organic Practices

• 4 ears Corn - Family Farm, CT
• 1 bunch Basil - Swartz Family Farm, Amherst, MA
• 1 bunch Watercress - Swartz Family Farm, Amherst, MA

Certified Organic

• 1 head Lettuce - Markristo Farm, Hillsdale, NY
• 3 Pickling Cukes - Warner Farm, Hadley, MA
• 10 oz Green Beans - Warner Farm, Hadley, MA
• 2 Onions (Vidalia & Red) - Deep Root, VT
• 1 Bell Pepper (Red or Yellow) - CA
• 1 lb Carrots - CA
• 3 Peaches - SC
• 2 Nectarines (White) - CA
• 3 Apricots - CA
• ½ pint Raspberries - CA
• 1 Pineapple - Fair Trade
• 5 Bananas - Fair Trade

This delivery comes on Friday and we leave for the Cape early Saturday am, so this is perfect timing. We'll have wonderful and fresh produce to take to our beach cottage, to counteract all the fried seafood we'll be eating!
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Moroccan Night Recap

Oooh - exciting to get to travel to foreign lands for the night! Our Moroccan Night event was so much fun...here's a quick recap:

• Table - after scouring the house for exotic table setting items, we ended up going with an animal print undercloth topped with smaller red cloths. Then, we used animal print napkins (found for just a few dollars at Home Goods) in red napkin rings (Dollar Store). From my Real Simple cookbooks, I've learned the lovely simplicity of using multiple clear hurricanes filled with candles and small items - for our table, I used a mix of earth-toned stones (Dollar Store again) under cream candles.
  
  
  




• Apertif - I couldn't find Anisette (I think I'm going to need to begin making the trip to Nejaimes when I have parties; my usual liquor store seldom knows or has the off-beat things I'm looking for.) Anticipating this from past experience, I looked up substitutions online before going to the store and learned that Sambuca would work, so I used that instead. A bit of the liqueur is poured into the bottom of the glass, a few ice cubes are added, then it's topped with cold water. It's an interesting and light drink to begin the evening and to set the ethnic tone.







• La Kemia - the appetizer table was so pretty and fun to create. In Moroccan homes, this is served on a round table in the center of the room and everyone gathers around the many small dishes. No utensils are used - it's all finger food. Our coffee table just happens to be round, so it worked out perfectly! Everyone's favorite were the Lamb Kabobs, ala Alaskan Dave. Dave - thank you so much for spice rub recipe - it couldn't have been more perfect! Anyone interested in the spice rub mix, just check out the Comments section on the original Moroccan Night post.







• Dinner - the cucumber and mint salad was light and refreshing - we used lots of mint from our garden. Warmed flatbread made a nice accompaniment. Then, we had Chicken with Olives...large chunks of potatoes are also cooked with the chicken, along with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and spices, so it's an entire meal in one pot. We also had a tasty spinach souffle. And, one of our guests, who was smart and DID go to Nejaimes, was able to find a lovely Spanish Montecillo Crianza red wine for us to share - very smooth and delicious.







• Dessert - I was sadly unable to find Turkish Delight during my shopping, so substitued baklava, and served dates along with it. And, no Moroccan meal would be complete without sweetened Mint Green Tea, which is served in glasses rather than cups. (I happened to mention my search for Turkish Delight at dinner, and one of our guests brought us a box of it the next day as a thank you gift - yum!)

For anyone interested in more photos, here's a slideshow:

We all really enjoyed the exotic fare. We had our tea and dessert as we learned to play Royalty - my uncle won both rounds. Can't wait for the next theme dinner - I'm waiting to be inspired by another culture. Any great ideas?
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Sauteed Braising Greens

Yum. In our recent Berkshire Organics home delivery basket, we found a bag of what I thought was a mesclun-style salad mix. However, upon reading the newsletter that was included in the delivery, I discovered that it was instead something called a "braising mix."

The newsletter tells me that the braising mix includes: red, green, yellow, and magenta chard; yellow mustard greens; green frills mustard greens; ruby streaks red mustard greens, red bore kale, winter bore kale; and red Russian kale.

This was new to me, and, happily, the newsletter also included a few recipe options. I chose the Sauteed Braising Greens one (courtesy of Markristo Farm in Hillsdale, NY...Hillsdale was the site of our recent photo expedition!), and we voted that it was FAN-tastic! Here's the recipe (I have modified it slightly to toast the pine nuts):

1. Heat saute pan over medium heat and add 2 T pine nuts; when nicely browned, remove nuts from pan and set aside
2. Coat pan with 2 T olive oil and add 2 cloves crushed garlic.
3. On medium-high heat, cook garlic for 2 minutes.
4. Place 8 oz. braising greens in pan (push down as needed to fit them in) and saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add juice from one lemon, salt, pepper, 2 T raisins, and the toasted pine nuts and saute for 1-2 minutes.
6. Serve!

Easy, fast AND delicious - an all-around winner.
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Berkshire Organics

Oooh, one of the local Tweeters that I follow recently mentioned getting his fresh vegetables from a local delivery service called Berkshire Organics. This was a new name to me, and upon reading the comment, I immediately Googled the company.

Their website provides plenty of info. I don't know how I never heard of them before...they're just down the road at the Burgner's Farm store.

(Note: to find the price list on the site, you need to begin the order form, where you'll see the basket options listed. Another Note: the website also mentions that they have been featured on Martha Stewart!)

From the price list, I learned that I could choose from different "baskets," meaning different types of produce would be included and/or different amounts, depending on which I chose. I could also choose a delivery frequency (I'm going with every other week). On the designated delivery day, my basket will be delivered to my house, and I can leave a cooler out or my door unlocked if I won't be home. They leave the food in one container, and on the next delivery, they'll leave the food in another container and pick up the one from the previous delivery.

Upon perusing the available basket options and prices, I decided to go with the Berkshire Basket, an assortment of seasonal organic fruits and vegetables, just right for two people. Even though this is a pricey option for me, I'm going for it for a few different reasons:

1. It's DELIVERED....HellO!
2. I'd like to support local growers whenever I can.
3. The produce is organic, meaning more sustainable farming methods have been used.
4. I always mean to get to the farmer's market, but never seem to find the time.
5. I can subtract this amount from my normal grocery shopping budget and just not buy produce at the regular grocery store.

And, when it is not our growing season, Berkshire Organics has partnered with other organic farmers who will be able to supply them with the produce they need for fulfilling orders. Today's order was delivered while I was at work (yay), and I also received an email alerting me to what would be included in today's delivery. Here's what we get:

• 1 quart Strawberries - Czajkowski Farm, Hadley, MA
• 8 oz Braising Greens - Markristo Farm, Hillsdale, NY
• 1 bunch Scallions - Markristo Farm, Hillsdale, NY
• 1 head Lettuce (Red, Boston, or Romaine) - Enterprise Farm, Whately, MA
• 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes - Somerset Organics, GA
• 1 Cucumber - Somerset Organics, GA
• 1 bunch Celery - C & B Farm, FL
• 1 bunch Broccoli - CA
• 1 head Cauliflower - CA
• 6 oz Blueberries - Cottle's Farm, NC
• 2 Nectarines - CA
• 3 Plums (Red) - CA
• 4 Apricots
• 2 Mango (Champagne) - Fair Trade
• 5 Bananas - Fair Trade

There are other items available as well - eggs, breads, cheeses, etc. I think I'll stick with just the basket for now, and see how it goes. But, isn't this a FABULOUS idea! Hope they can spread the word and get lots of customers so they stay in business a good long time...I like everything about this service.
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Moroccan Night

Hey, fellow bloggers! First, first let me apologize for my delinquency in posting new content. I realize I am waaaay behind, and will try to get back on track asap; life has just been a bit more than hectic lately.

Anyway, I'm planning an upcoming Moroccan Night and thought that would make a fun and interesting post. This all started when my uncle gave me a cookbook called "Casablanca Cuisine." He also gave me a card game called "Royalty," which I don't know how to play. So, I thought it might be nice to invite him to come to a Moroccan-themed dinner party, at which he teaches the guests to play Royalty! Sounds like a plan, right?

So, I'm currently looking around the house for Casablanca-style table setting stuff. I think I might be able to use a large old curtain I saved that had blocks of color - purple, fuschia, yellow - along with little tiny mirrors, for the table cover. I also have clear glass hurricanes, which I can fill with purple and gold candles, along with pistachios, to create a "look" for the center of the table.

As our background music, I think I'll purchase the soundtrack to "Casablanca."

And, here's our menu (from the cookbook):

• Apertifs: according to the cookbook, we should serve Anisette before dinner - an anise flavored liqueur served over ice, with just a bit of water added
• Appetizers: La Kemia, which consists of many little plates, containing things like pistachios, spicy sausages, a variety of olives, pickled green peppers, and garbanzos in cumin sauce
• Salad: Cucumbers and Mint (fresh from our garden)
• Main Course: Chicken with Olives, Cous Cous, and sauteed vegetables
• Dessert: Turkish Delight, Figs, and Mint Tea

In addition to us, our Guest List will include:

• My uncle (quite a character; over 6 feet tall, and with a white goatee; he was a hippie when I first knew him, and he now plays "Uncle Sam" in local parades, and holds Peace Vigils on Pittsfield's Park Square)
• Doris (My uncle's housemate; a former librarian for the New York City library, and quite a personality; she asks the most interesting and random questions)
• Ann (our neighbor from across the street; her dad was Norman Rockwell's studio assistant for so many years, and she is fun and full of so many great stories)
• Ruby (our neighbor from next door; her husband died suddenly last summer, and I think she'd enjoy the evening out.
• Syma (my good friend from Albany, who is always open to new ideas and new people)

So, that's the plan. Any suggestions from readers, to help make the night more memorable?

Canning - Victoria Sauce

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In the manner of Alaskan Dave Down Under, I thought I'd document the making of my annual batch of Victoria Sauce (a fabulous rhubarb chutney that's great on ham or pork).

To do this, I highly recommend a canning pot, which, in addition to the large pot, also has a handy metal rack for holding, lowering, and lifting the jars and lids in and out of the water baths. I'm doing without, however, because we gave our pot away a few years ago, and I'm just using a large stockpot.

One thing you'll DEFINITELY want, though, is a Ball Canning Utensil Set, in addition to jars and fresh lids. The Utensil Set has a handy gripper for raising and lowering jars, a magnetic lid grabber, and a wide-mouthed funnel, which keeps your jars clean (this assures an effective seal).

Here's the canning process I use:

1. WASH and rinse jars, and set out to dry on a clean dishtowel, while you bring your large pot of sterilizing water to a boil.












2. STERILIZE jars and lids by submerging in simmering water that fully covers them. Be sure jars are not touching to avoid breakage, and leave in water for 15 minutes.
   










3. COOL jars and lids by using tongs and lid grabber to pull jars and lids out of water. Set them out to dry on the towel.












4. COOK the item you're canning while your jars sterilize. In my case, I'm making Rhubarb Victoria Sauce chutney. I love the sweet-sour scent that fills the kitchen when making chutney.











5. FILL jars, just to bottom of jar threads - the filled jars need a bit of air room at the top. Use the wide-mouth funnel when filling jars, which prevents spills on the jar top edge - very important! Wipe all jar top edges to remove any spills, just to be on the safe side.









6. LIDS and bands are then screwed on firmly, but not extra tight.













7. BOIL covered jars for 30 minutes.
   












8. COOL jars by using tongs, pulling jars out of water, and setting them on towel. After about 1/2 hour, check to make sure lids are slightly indented for a complete seal. If you find any that have not done this, set them back into the boiling water again. That should do the trick. Label jars with pretty labels available in the grocery or craft store. My favorites are some that I bought a few years ago, made by Susan Branch - so pretty!

PS - I swear by the Ball Blue Book, which is full of detailed canning instructions, plus lots of great recipes.
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Sanguine Sangria

We have a new favorite thank-God-it's-Friday-it's-been-one-helluva-week place...it's a Mexican restaurant called Xicohtencatl and is pronounced she-ko-ten-cat.

It's in Gt. Barrington, which is a bit of a drive for us, but a pleasant one, especially in spring when everything is fresh and green and the tourists have not yet descended.

The decor is bright and excitingly ethnic with lots of color everywhere, and the Mexican music in the background adds to the light and festive mood. The outside seating is delightful - either on the the porch or down on the stone patio. We sat inside when it was still chilly in March, but were thrilled to be able to sit out on the porch this time, watching the setting sun. The porch ceiling above our heads was painted fuschia and orange, while the walls and porch posts are bright yellow.

On both of our visits, I've ordered the red sangria. Let me tell you how it tastes. For anyone who's seen the movie "The Big Night," you'll recall that Italian restaurant owners Primo and Secondo decided to hold a final dinner party with their dearest friends, and made one of their mother's very special recipes. The guests sat around the table, quietly savoring the delectable food...the best they'd ever tasted. Finally, one of the guests, Pascal (a jealous competitor), solemnly arose, walked slowly around the table toward chef Primo, took Primo's face in his hands and said in a husky voice, "God damn it, I should kill you! This is so f***ing good I should kill you!"

Yeah, the sangria tastes like that.


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Lotsa Cooks in the Kitchen

Hurrah - the living room painting was finished in time for Easter, and the furniture moved back into the room. We were quite pleased with the results and had plenty of oohs and ahs from guests.

There will be a before and after post on the remodel coming soon (although I inadvertently deleted the entire before photo folder, and have only a few shots of the original room scattered through other folders). It was a fairly big and time-consuming project, but we're so glad it's done and really like the end result.

Having the living room put back in order also meant the dining room was back to normal so the Easter buffet could be set up as we usually do. (The dining room had served as our temporary living room during this whole process.)

And, as mentioned in the Easter Brunch post, guests were invited to make their own omelets. We simply set out all the ingredients and let them do their thing. Eveyone seemed to like this option quite a bit, and just about everyone made one, kids included (and no mishaps of any kind!).

PS Flipping an omelet is much harder than one might imagine.
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Easter Brunch

We expect to have our usual houseful on Easter (which means I really need to get the living room painting finished!). We always do a brunch; here's this year's menu:

• Mimosas
• Deviled Eggs, Pickles, and Olives
• Glazed Spiral Ham
• Covered Dish Potatoes (made in the crockpot and delishly cheese-y!)
• Omelet Bar (ham, cheese, green onion, red pepper, mushrooms, tomato)
• Biscuits 'n Gravy
• Sunshine Salad (a must at a family event...a variety of fruit, with pastel mini marshmallows and sour cream)
• Mango Cupcakes (served on the pretty tiered Wilton cupcake stand)
• Coffee & Tea (I'm going to serve the coffee Cuban-style, with condensed milk)

This will be our first year with the omelet bar...I'll set out the beaten eggs, the fillings, and a couple of pans, and let people make their own. Last year's egg decorating went very well, so I'm thinking this new interactive omelet-making might be a hit too.
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Alphabet of Daily Life - J

J is for Jilly’s

The opening of Jilly’s signifies the official start of summer in our neighborhood. It’s THE ice cream spot on Elm Street. On a summer evening, we can find most of our local friends and neighbors there. It’s just a little storefront amidst a few businesses…nothing fancy or elaborate, but it’s just so homey. The people working inside are usually college kids home for the summer, and many of them we’ve watched grow up.

When my daughter was little, we lived just a couple of blocks from Jilly’s. After dinner in the summer, she and a friend would ride their bikes there, riding ahead of me while I walked behind watching over them. They were so cute stopping at each stoplight and waiting for me to catch up, their huge helmets making their little heads bobble, and feeling so important when they were a full block ahead of me “on their own!”

Then there was the important decision of what to order…they usually chose one of those flavor burst cones with the crazy tastes – like bubble gum or blue goo, and I am a devoted fan of the root beer float, which I remember fondly from A&W drive-thrus.

After getting our treats and LOTS of napkins, we would usually cross the street to sit on the steps of the dentist’s office, where we’d have a commanding view of all the people descending on Jilly’s after dinner…cars pulling up and elderly couples getting out, families like ours with bikes or skateboards, and groups of ladies out for an evening walk, everyone checking to see who they know in the crowd.

Now, we live further down off of Elm Street, so our walk is a little longer. But, making the hike is great justification for getting the sweet treat at the end. We figure our workout to get there qualifies us for additional calories. Spring is in the air, and we’ll be watching for the opening of Jilly’s any time now!
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Sugar Shack Time

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All the local sugar shacks are busy creating maple syrup - days are warm and nights are cold and the sap is flowing. Sugaring time is the best time to go for breakfast, eat and buy fresh syrup, and tour the sugar house to watch the interesting process that, with the exception of a few modern adjustments, hasn't changed much over the years.

I happened to read about a new place to visit on one of the Blogs I Learn From...What I Made Yesterday. One of the posts mentioned a place called Ioka Valley Farm, which is about 25 minutes away (we later learned that Ioka is an Indian word for "beautiful"). We'd heard of the farm but had somehow never been to visit. So, off we went for Sunday brunch. We also thought it might be a great opportunity for one of our beloved "photo expeditions."

When we drove in, the farm parking lot was full of cars from MA, CT, and NY. We strolled past the cows being gawked at by the "city kids" on our way to the Calf-A, where we put our name on the waiting list for breakfast - about an hour's wait. Then we headed over to the sugar house, which was also pretty packed.

Inside, the sugarmakers were busy keeping a watchful eye on the syrup and answering questions about what they were doing. It was cozy warm, the air was full of the damp and slightly sweet scent of the bubbling syrup, and enormous clouds of steam were rising up to the vent in the roof.

A large old tree ornamented the interior, it's many branches reaching up to the roof. The floor was gravel. And, there was a really cool bench featuring small stumps of different types of trees. Our task, should we choose to accept it, was to put a tree stump on its corresponding name. We only got three right - cherry, birch and maple.

We then observed the sugaring process:

1. Plastic lines are now strung on the trees to collect the sap, and left there year-round, and the taps are also plastic. In olden times, the taps were wood, and the sap was collected in individual buckets which had to be repeatedly emptied. One of the old sugarmakers showed me the wooden tap he keeps close in his coat pocket - he made it when he was young from a piece of punky wood. A heated coathanger was pushed through the center and out the other end to make the hole for the sap. It has the polished patina of much use and much love.
2. Part of a sugarmaker's year-round job is maintaining the lines, which animals and nature tend to upset. They keep logs of when lines were put up, and have a routine maintenance schedule to keep them new. We were shown a length of pipe with some fairly impressive bear teeth marks. Hands also leave sweat on the piping, which turns to salt, which attracts smaller critters, so sugarmakers now wear gloves when handling the piping.
3. The sap from the lines feeds into the holding tank and a reverse osmosis (?) process is used to remove much of the water before the sap is boiled.
4. Then, the sap is poured into the large vat over the "Maple Pro Erable" woodstove. It roils and boils ferociously - when wood is added to the stove, it makes the syrup bubble even more and a de-foamer is added to maintain control over it. The sugarmakers prefer to do their work at night when the barometric pressure stays more constant - this affects how long it takes the sap to turn into syrup.
5. A large thermometer on the side of the tank tells how hot the syrup is. When it looks like it's at the right temp, a cylinder of fluid is drawn off. If it's ready, a long portable thermometer (think very large candy thermometer) will float at the right level between 2 red marks.
6. It's now time to remove any accumulated minerals, strain it, and determine the grade. The grade is determined by a combination of color and flavor, and is still a human-based decision-making process. Paler grades of sugar used to be in high demand, as maple sugar and syrup were used as the main sweetener in homes and a strong maple flavor wasn't desirable. Now, however, a maple flavor in the sugar is considered a good thing, so the darker grades are more popular. Only mother nature controls what grade the syrup will be; it's kind of like having a baby - you just wait to find out what you're going to get.
7. When ready, the syrup is poured into large barrels, and from there into correct containers.

After watching and listening for a while, we headed over to the homey Calf-A. The tablecloths and curtains are in a cow pattern, and the table containers are quaint baskets and painted tin cups. When we got to our seats we ordered mini corn muffins with maple butter, homemade (and delicious) applesauce, and of course pancakes and syrup, plus bacon and sausage. Everything was wonderful and we had such a terrific Berkshire morning. We bought a jug of syrup on our way out - a little pricey but we want to support a local farm. Then, a quick look at the animals, the hay, and the old farm implements, and we headed home. Nice day.
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Funny Daughter Story

So, I was making the usual St. Patrick's Day Irish Soda Bread, to go along with the heavenly meal bubbling away in the crockpot - corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots & onions, plus a side of mashed turnips, and a wee bit o' horseradish sauce for the meat.

I kneaded the dough on a floured surface while my daughter chatted to me about her day. I formed the bread ball into a six inch circle and set it onto the baking sheet. I was about to cut the traditional cross into the surface, to "ward off evil spirtits" when I said to my daughter, "Would you like to cut the cross this year?" She asked me why we did that, I told her, she quietly cut the cross without further comment, and we popped the bread in the oven.

Later, as we ate dinner, enjoying the hot-from-the-oven-and-covered-with-melted-butter bread, our cat Chloe was being her usual wild self. She is generally badly behaved and doing something she shouldn't.

The next thing I know, my daughter has hopped up and picked up the round loaf of bread from the cutting board on the table. She took it over to Chloe and said, "Chloe, look at the bread. Look at the bread, Chloe. Look."

Perplexed, I said, "What on earth are you doing?"

"Warding off evil spirits," she gamely replied.

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Dining for Women - Uganda

Our latest Dining for Women event will benefit BeadforLife in Uganda.

So, at this particular DFW event, we could purchase beads, with the proceeds benefitting this chosen organization, or simply make an outright donation without making a purchase. Buying the beads is much more fun! According to the BeadforLife website:

"Ugandan women turn colorful recycled paper into beautiful bead jewelry, and people who care open their hearts, homes, and communitites to buy and sell the beads. The beads become income, food, medicine, school fees, and hope. All net profits from BeadforLife are invested in community development projects that help people work their way out of poverty."

This also means, of course, that our meal was Ugandan!

I must admit, I have never cooked anything remotely Ugandan, nor do I know what is generally eaten in that country. As with any DFW event, participants are provided with recipe ideas, which is really helpful, and just one more example of the terrific organization exhibited by the DFW group.

In reviewing the available recipes, I decided I'd try Ugandan Kabobs with a yogurt dipping sauce. It turns out that in Uganda, a kabob is a meatball. After tasting my results, I can't say I'm a fan of these and wouldn't make them again, but it was fun to try for tonight's dinner. Here's what we had on our buffet table:

• Beef Kabobs with Yogurt Dipping Sauce (my offering)
• Kale with Leeks
• Curried Potatoes
• Paella
• Couscous Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes, & Feta
• Pineapple Peanut Bread with Cream Cheese (2 different recipes made with different types of flour)
• Coffee, Tea and Amarula (liqueur made from the African Marula plant)

This time around, we didn't have the usual non-ethnic options for those not interested in venturing into the world of Ugandan cuisine...looks like people are getting more daring!

While enjoying our fabulous and adventurous meal, we looked at bead and jewelry options and made our selections. (Jewelry, pricing cards, and brochures had been sent in advance of the event.) The beads are beautiful - it's unbelievable what a clever hand can do with a few pieces of recycled paper. It was really fun to get to buy their actual products, and many of us did our gift shopping for upcoming birthdays and holidays. Over the course of the evening, we raised over $500 to send to BeadforLife!! And, we had a pleasant time socializing and chatting with other like-minded people who want to help the world in some way.

Can't wait until next month's dinner...
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Oscar Night Menu

Since Oscar Night is such a momentous and reverential night, we MUST have a special menu!

Some magazines and cookbooks offer full meal menus for this fabulous night, but we've always done "nibbles" - lots of delectable goodies that we can just graze on during the event. So, here are our nibbles for tomorrow night:

• Sparkling Drinks
• Cheese Tray: Sharp Cheddar, Port Salut, Havarti with Dill, and Herb Cheese Spread
• Pate with Peppercorns & Pepperoni
• Ciabatta Bread & Assorted Crackers
• Condiments: Mango Chutney & Whole Grain Mustard
• Hummus with Sea Salt Bagel Chips
• Steamed Artichokes with Butter Dip
• Grapes & Clementines
• Assorted Olives & Pickles
• Vanilla, Chocolate, and Cappucino Pizelles
• Mini Chocolate Eclairs

My mouth is watering even as I write. I can't wait for tomorrow night...so exciting!

Dining for Women

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I was invited to a Dining for Women event, but had never heard of it before. Once I discovered just what it was, I was absolutely thrilled to take part in it. For anyone not familiar with DFW, here's what it is:

Dining for Women (DFW) is a dinner giving circle. We "dine in" together, each bringing a dish to share, and our "dining out" dollars are sent to international programs empowering women (we give what we might have spent to eat dinner out that night). Plenty of useful resources are provided to anyone who wants to hold their own event. Our dollars for this event are being sent to The Hunger Project.

According to the DFW website, the Mission of The Hunger Project is: the sustainable end of world hunger and poverty in Africa, Asia and Latin America, by empowering people at the grassroots level to lead lives of self-reliance, meet their own basic needs and build better futures for their children.

Because we're all adventurous and like to experience other cultures, our dinner theme was Indian, which is the country where our donation dollars will be used. Here was our covered dish menu:

• Indian-style Chicken with Rice
• Samosas with Chutney dipping sauce (my contribution)
• Cilantro Rice
• Chickpea & Tomato Curry
• Saag Panir (that terrific spinach dish w/ Indian cheese)
• Naan
• Chili Lime Brownies
• There were also a few non-Indian dishes for those who were feeling less rambunctious

Making the Samosa's was definitely an adventure...

Chutney Dipping Sauce

The key ingredient in this delectable dip is tamarind, which I've never used before. It comes in a squishy, dark (almost black), flat brick; I pulled a little taste off the brick when I opened the package, and discovered that it has a tangy, sweet, sour flavor. The tamarind cooks for about an hour along with a pound of whole dates, sugar and water. When everything is good and gooey, and the tamarind has dissolved, the mixture goes into the food processor to be thoroughly chopped up.

Then comes the straining to remove the skins - for me, this was the messiest part of the process. It's difficult to work the thick mixture through a strainer and the goo seems to get on everything. I suppose when you've been making it a while, you develop a smooth process, but I was a very messy newbie. I was literally wiping this off the walls - the simple act of tapping the rubber spatula against the edge of the bowl sends dark blobs everywhere!

Finally, the strained thick mixture goes back on the stove along with more sugar and water and simmers for a few hours until nicely thickened.

Samosas

The basis of these little bundles is baked potato! Additional ingredients, all sauteed in ghee (pungent clarified butter), are peas, onions, garlic, jalapeno (I reduced the amount by 1/2 - not a fan of really spicy), and cilantro, along with the aromatic spices.

Next, the potato mixture gets folded up into little wonton wrappers. The wrappers are made and packaged so nicely - each perfect piece is floured so none of them stick to each other. A spoonful of potato mix goes in the center and the edges are brushed with an egg mixture and everything is folded up. I was supposed to make a cone shape but found this next to impossible! I settled for an envelope fold, which seemed to work just fine. Then, they're fried in hot oil - each one takes only a few minutes to turn nicely brown.

And there we have it - a heaping platter of samosas and a LARGE bowl of dipping sauce (the sauce recipe could easily be cut in 1/2 and there would still be plenty.) They were a huge hit, and made a nice addition to our delicious dinner. In fact, some people ended up eating the sauce all by itself by the spoonful - it's that tasty.

All in all, we raised nearly $200 to send to The Hunger Project and enjoyed a pleasant evening of socializing and eating. Everyone wins with the Dining for Women concept.

Photo Key:
#1 - photo courtesy of the DFW website (I forgot to take pictures until the night was almost over! So, no shots of our actual loaded buffet table.)
#2 - a box of spice mix I found at the World Food Market, made just for Samosas.
#3 - trying not to make too much of a mess as I strain the Chutney dipping sauce
#4 - the Samosa stuffing mix
#5 - trying to make neat little bundles; absolutely love the wonton wrappers
#6 - frying the Samosas
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World Food Markets

One of our favorite shopping trips is searching for specific exotic ingredients at a World Food Market. These Markets are rustic style grocery stores that sell authentic ingredients for different ethnicities, and each aisle is usually devoted to a specific cuisine, like Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican, etc. You can also find the cooking utensils, serving dishes, decorations, incense, and so on, that go along with the food you're making.

The closest Markets we've found are just outside of Northampton, in Hadley. We're in need of a few ingredients for Indian Samosas.

We first discovered our favorite World Market when shopping for food and party favors for my daughter's 14th birthday party. We ALWAYS have a theme, and that year's theme was Chinese New Year, since her birthday and the first day of Chinese New Year were very close to each other. We found all of the ingredients we'd need to make the food, authentic decorations to scatter throughout the house, and unusal items for the take-out-container goody bags. All the girls got their own set of chopsticks (which they ended up using to make buns in their hair!), and they all loved the jelly sticks and adorable mini jello cups. They weren't so crazy about the little cakes and candies - a little too unusual for their tastes.

Our trip today was for: ghee, cumin seed, coriander seed, cardamom, wonton wrappers, tamarind pulp, and dates. We found everything we needed except the cardamom - it was available, but only in large and expensive quantities - much more than I'll need, so I might find a small quantity in a regular grocery store.

Then, after a quick lunch at Fitzwilly's and a stop at Faces, where you can stand around in aisles laughing to yourself without feeling funny because everyone else is doing it too, we headed home.

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Inauguration Road Trip

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Evening Post:

Well, we're here and we're all settled in. The trip went really well. Our wintery-est weather and road conditions were right in the Berkshires, where it was pretty slick and slippery (it was snowing and the roads were covered). Once we got into New York state and onto the Thruway, it was smooth sailing.

I had the wiper fluid pump replaced not long ago, but it's still temperamental, and if it's too cold, the fluid won't come out onto the windshield. Well, it was cold this morning (11 degrees when we left), so no fluid. My co-pilot was good enough to step out and give the windshield a "slosh" (see photo at right!). Once it warmed up to about 25 degrees, we had fluid again.

Our mapquest directions were perfect and everything went according to plan. It was really fun to begin seeing cars and buses from all over the U.S. as we stopped at rest stops. Surprisingly, there was no congestion or endless lines (yet!).

We stopped at the Maryland Information Center (which was very nice, but we do have to give props to the state of New York for their very good-looking Adirondack Lodge-style rest stops - very clean and roomy). While there, one of the pleasant gentlemen working at the information desk asked us where we were staying. When he heard we would be on Georgia Ave, he recommended the Crisfield Restaurant to us, as a very good seafood restaurant that was also very close to our hotel.

We got checked in to our hotel, surveyed our room and were pleasantly surprised, then headed out to dinner. The Crisfield Restaurant is totally charming from the outside, and equally as quaint inside. It has old tiled walls and floors, a beautiful collection of vintage china oyster serving plates, and a no-nonsense manner. I had a wonderful plate of sea scallops with the best tartar sauce I have ever had (I'd love that recipe), terrific coleslaw with just a touch of sweet and topped with a bread-and-butter pickle, and applesauce. My daughter had a bowl of oyster stew, with bits of butter swimming on top and oyster crackers on the side. We were both very pleased with our choices and had just the right amount to eat. I would highly recommend this place for both its ambience and its food.

So now it's off to bed, sleeping in a little bit in the am, and then off to learn the Metro and see the sights. Let's hope tomorrow goes as successfully, and as full as laughter, as today.

PS - photos courtesy of my daughter - the ace photographer.

A Day at The Clark

A group of us met up to tour the Clark Art Museum in Williamstown today.

But first - FOOD! We were tempted by both Spice Root (Indian) and the Sushi Thai Garden, both on Spring Street. For anyone not familiar with Williamstown - it's home to Williams College, and Spring Street is a quaint New England street that is the hub of local activity.

We ended up choosing Sushi Thai Garden . I've been many times for lunch and dinner, and always like going there, both for the food and the atmosphere. I love their Pad Thai. Another favorite is just about any of their "Lunch Box" meals - a lovely laquered box with many compartments - each compartment has some delectable goody in it, so you get a nice variety all in one meal. This time, I had Chicken Himmapan, a house special. The hot thai tea is especially enjoyable along with the meal. It's the prettiest pinky-orange color with a very subtle smoky flavor.

PS - This Urban Spoon link says that Sushi Thai Garden is in North Adams, but it's actually in Williamstown. All other contact info is correct.

Then, on to the Clark. My daughter and I have been many times, as they have wonderful summertime festivals on the lawn that are very kid friendly. And, one of my favorite paintings is housed there - "Nymphs and Satyr" by Alphonse Bouguereau. During art school, we were often tasked with choosing paintings in the Clark or other local museums and copying them, to learn composition, color, and other techniques from masters. This is one that I attempted to duplicate (obviously, my copy did not look quite like this, but it was a good exercise anyway).

The Clark doesn't currently have a special exhibit, but will soon feature works by Toulouse-Lautrec. We enjoyed leisurely browsing through lovely galleries, admiring paintings, drawing and scultpures by Renoir, Degas, Rembrandt, Homer, Remington, Sargent, and so many others.

Then, I had to zip home to pick up my daughter and her new boyfriend (!) from the mall movie theatre, and then home to prepare dinner for our guest this evening. Busy day!!

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