Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

We're going to have the rest of the Piedmontese short ribs braised in beer with (as the farmer calls them) adolescent onions. Fingerling potatoes roasted in olive oil and thyme. And shredded cabbage, red & green, with carrots in a vinaigrette.
We'll lift our glasses to GatorPam and the other missing voices.

http://www.honest-food.net/blog1/2009/09/09/doves-as-comfort-food/

Our Brasilian friend was born in Italy. His mother's food sets the standard for all others, and very few pass. He never passes up an opportunity to visit someone who's in the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. The pasta in the restaurant is wonderful, he says.

We'll lift a glass to Brass who had a wonderful life - a Serious Eater in a family of same.

We have more farmers and farmstands every year. We have a Saturday Farmers' Market that truly is the happiest place on earth. I know there are markets elsewhere that offer a broader selection of delectables (we don't have tomatoes yet in this cool climate, no corn, apricots, peaches, nectarines), but do we ever enjoy what we do have as the farmers refine their plantings and techniques. By the by, I'm impressed by how much sharing of information and recommendations goes on amongst them
We belong to a CSA with a twist. We give Farmer John a check in January or February and instead of a box each week during the season, we shop from his stand at the market and our purchases are deducted from the initial contribution. I know and appreciate the rest of the farmers and almost always pick up something from each of them. In September, a guy starts coming with all kinds of apples, pears, quinces, and last year, damson plums.
Every Monday, we pick up our egg subscription. Sydney has all kinds of treasures: sometimes berries or fruit, jellies, vegetables, and even perennials and shrubs - one never knows. We are getting chickens - four a month. At times, there is a quarter of beef, a half a pig or a lamb available. They live their lives and meet their end on the island; our county has a mobile abbatoir.
Besides the wonderful food to be had, the visit to the farm is special for other reasons. The farm has a charm that my poor words cannot convey: a wonderful garden, from the first snowdrop to the last leaf to fall. We watch the lambs from birth, the young pigs, the chickens as they and their wooden "mobile home" are moved around. We worried about the Jersey cow: would she have milk fever when she had her calf. All went well, and Buttercup is thriving. And then there is Sydney and her wonderful husband. We almost always have a conversation with her when we stop in for our eggs. She is very well read in agriculture and science and nutrition, and we usually learn something. She takes the literature class offered by a retired professor (Proust this past spring). My husband thinks her comments are among the most insightful in the class. What's not to love about having access to fabulous food and these wonderful people.

roasted chicken pieces with peppers, potatoes, and onions, garnished with parsley

Bireley's Orange. It had a bite and must have been full of chemicals! There was an endless supply at my grandmother's.
We still talk about a friend, a very serious eater, who bought every single can of Fresca he could find in Los Angeles when they were going to change the sweetener. It lives in one's memory - all those cases of Fresca!!!

I was always happy on Tuesday mornings, knowing that I could have my first cup of coffee and read "Served." I'll miss the ritual, thank you for the pleasure, and congratulate you on finishing school. I lived in New York and then in Los Angeles when I was your age. An irreplaceable, joyous experience. All my best wishes.

Well, hello from Nirvana! There IS something wonderful going on, and from the moment we first arrived by ferry, all I ever wanted to do was live here. It took 30 years, and I'm grateful for every moment since then.
There are more people farming every year. They work so hard and know times of great anxiety. But lordy, do they look fulfilled on a beautiful Farmers' Market day. And I know true joy when essentially everything I serve comes from the island. At our favorite restaurant (where everybody knows your name!), the cooking is fresh, simple, and direct - the ingredients shine, and it is does not lack sophistication.
There are problems here. There is not enough affordable housing. There is drug and alcohol abuse and the attendant problems. But there are over 60 nonprofits trying to deal with these and other issues. Volunteer positions abound as do fund raisers (almost always followed by a potluck). This is probably small town life everywhere, but I had never lived in a small town or a rural environment surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty, a relativel benign climate, and a lot of wonderful, talented, hard-working.people.

From Costco: lemons and limes every visit. Clementines in season (really miss the ones from Israel that they originally carried). Mustard, mayo, and Tillamook cheddar. We go about every 6 weeks and don't buy the condiments every time. They have a lot of interesting wines, and we buy some occasionally, along with beer. So -- way, to a certain limited extent.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! We should be able to make everyone happy, including ourselves, There will be people of all ages and tastes (none with hearing aids as far as I know!). And you've given us lots of choices. If anyone else has a strong opinion or preference, please let us know. Almost everything we eat, at home or out, comes straight from the farm: vegetables, herbs, meat, poultry, eggs, and much of the fruit. So we're spoilt; I think it's possible to eat that way most everywhere if you ask the right people!!!

For me, it's really like getting two books for the price of one. I have scores of cooking and gardening books with inscriptions and notes, some from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I love being part of the flow, from seeing a "from your loving mother, Christmas,1908."