April 2018 archive

Sunday Foodways

The Sunday brunch has become a dining institution, mostly in cities and suburbs. The Washington Post published an article on brunches titled, “You can never have too many mimosas“. The lede of the article described the chaos that ensued at one brunch where the restaurant ran out of orange juice for mimosas. My minister in …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/28/sunday-foodways/

Warming Trend

Thursday was the first 80° day in the Seattle area this year. Layers of sweaters, fleece, and wool were shed. Birkenstock sandals were worn without socks. People were blinded by the preponderance of pasty exposed skin on the University of Washington campus and on the Burke-Gilman Trail. (Let’s just say that tanning parlors are not …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/27/warming-trend/

Neighborhood in Need of Help

Pioneer Square is the oldest neighborhood in Seattle, dating back to pre-Alaska Gold Rush days. After years of being best known for dive bars and sketchy characters, the neighborhood is on the rise. Unfortunately, Pioneer Square and its businesses are in danger of closing due to clumsy construction. We had tickets to a symphony concert …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/23/neighborhood-in-need-of-help/

This Year’s Garden

I was late in getting the seeds planted for the herb garden this year. I’ve currently got parsley, garlic chives, thyme, cilantro, basil, and oregano seeds in Jiffy Pots thinking about germinating. (Jiffy Pots are compressed peat pucks that expand when wet into baby planters. I’ve used these before to get a head start on …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/23/this-years-garden-2/

Brewpub Beets

Two of the twenty-somethings in our Friday night group got married last September. Since they’re both aficionados of microbrews, we gave them a home brewing kit as a wedding present. They were thrilled. Last night was the debut of their first product, a light ale, at a potluck. This necessitated some thinking about what would …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/15/brewpub-beets/

Scent of a Crunch Bar

The New York Times published an essay on the smells that remind one of childhood and home. This elicited a flurry of replies from readers. Here’s my story of childhood aroma. I was born in Fulton, New York. One block from the hospital where I was born was a massive Nestle factory, known in town …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/15/scent-of-a-crunch-bar/

That was Fast

Two weeks ago I mentioned the demise of one of our neighborhood eagles. Animal Control thought it was a female, and I hypothesized that it was Edwina from the nest down the block from our condo. Either a new couple has moved into the nest, or Edwina’s mate Eddie wasted no time finding another lady …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/09/that-was-fast/

First In, Last Out

My maternal grandfather was, by his own admission, an ornery old cuss. He dropped out of school as a teenager, but he had the rural equivalent of street smarts. One of his observations that’s stuck with me for decades is that farmers are the first to get into an economic depression and the last to …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/07/first-in-last-out/

A Minor Passover Miracle

The Passover-Easter season is awash in miracles. The burning bush. The parting of the Red Sea. The resurrection of Jesus. I add a small one: I found a vegetable salad that contains neither alliums or nightshades. I offered to make an asparagus salad for tonight’s Mixed-Marriage Seder. This is one of the highlights of the …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/04/01/a-minor-passover-miracle/