The Boro's Best Bakery.

I mentioned in passing the other day that the Boro got its first Duncan Donut shop, on the outskirts of town. It's right off the Interstate, and I'm sure that lots of folks heading to and from Florida will stop in. I'm glad it's here. Really, I am. I'll probably stop by once in a while, but my first gustatory love (other than the lovely Lady Di, of course) is in the heart of the Boro. I only have to walk a couple of blocks from my office to get a world-class treat in an unlikely-looking venue. Check out the cupcake at left. It's enough to make your smack your granny! Er, what I mean to say is it's really, really good. The cherry icing is fluffy and buttery, and the cake is light and ever so tasty. Her top seller is the red velvet cupcake, but the cinnamon twists and cookies are just as heavenly. The Old Bank Christmas Store and Bakery is tucked away in, well, an old bank building. Cindy's been selling Christmas baubles (ornaments, figurines, and knick-knacks) from a shop in the old Farmer's and Merchant's Bank building for years now, but a few months ago she started baking stuff for the general population (and there's fresh bread most Fridays!). In case you miss the sign on the door, the sandwich board near the corner is unambiguous. Oh, yeah. A lot of time, she'll have sandwiches and soup, too.

Time to Make the Donuts.

I've said it before: some days are diamonds; some days are rocks. My bride, the lovely Lady Di, starts grim-looking days by rolling up her sleeves (figuratively speaking. I've actually never seen her literally roll up her sleeves), setting her jaw, and quoting an old Duncan Donuts commercial, "It's time to make the donuts". Not a bad routine, actually. 'Course, the Boro just got a new Duncan Donuts, and I'm glad someone's making the donuts.

Everything Reminds me of Food...

I saw a stash of failed fountain pens in an office waste basket the other day. Made me hungry. No, I'm not a pen chewer. It's just that, where a lot of folks would just see a pile of pens; I saw food. Specifically, I thought of last week's stirfry. Check it out below:

See what I mean? Tell me you're not at least a little hungry?

I Want My Baby Bok.

Normally I oppose child labor and imports from China, but I must say this baby bok choy worked well in Lady's Di's most recent stir-fry. For what it's worth, we got a big sackful of produce from the local farmer's market to keep this little fella company. So bok off, m'kay?

Putting on his Big Boy Pants.

Remember the Big Boy? Frisch's or Shoney's Big Boy was big when I was little. Shoney's diners are still very much in evidence, but I hadn't seen the Big Boy in years... until I visited Michigan recently. My not-so-little boy, Tyler is doing exactly what I did back in the day: messin' with the Big Boy. Ah, youth. Another benefit of youth is being able to eat a really big hamburger.

Shoot, with lots of bacon, two fried eggs, and chili, I'm not sure this burger isn't actually bigger than the one the Big Boy's brandishing!

Cream Puff.

Okay, my Seminoles got bounced in the second round of the NCAA basketball tournament. Sad, true; fortunately, there are salves for these sorts of things. One of them is a nice meal. Sunday night, Lady Di whipped up her fabulous pork_tenderloin with thinly sliced potatoes, Summer squash and zucchini, grilled in foil with Spring onions, olive oil and a little salt and pepper, and a dessert to die for: homemade cream puffs. The ingredient list is not long, but attention must be paid. Add butter to boiling water, stir in some flour and a little salt until it makes a nice ball, add a couple of eggs (one at a time, carefully), and then bake until the pastry is golden brown and fluffy. Like this, see?


Cut them in half, and... mmm, look at that. Light, but eggy in the middle. When I was a lad, I used to go to Alessi Bakery in Tampa to buy an eclair whenever I had a few extra shekels, and they were wonderful. A fond memory, but Chef Alessi's got nothing on Lady Di.

Scoop some vanilla bean ice cream in between then halves, and top with some Sander's Chocolate sauce (If I get up to Michigan to buy some, I'll blog it. Tastes like a cross between chocolate sauce and caramel. It's really, really good). And whadya got?

Now that's what I'm talking about. Tyler's review? "That was frickin' AWESOME!" Well said, son.

Chicken Pot Pie.

It rained all day today. Lady Di and I'd planned on working in the yard, but it was not to be. We made the best of it. We picked up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, carrots, celery, red potatoes, onions, red peppers, peas and leeks (yes, I said peas and leeks. What are you, twelve? Geesh), and got to work. Lady Di boiled the chicken breasts with a quartered onion, a couple of celery stalks, and a tablespoon of peppercorns, while I chopped up the leek, the potatoes, some carrots and the red pepper. Chef Di removed the chicken to the refrigerator, strained the chicken stock, then added a couple minced cloves of garlic, garlic powder and the vegetables and boiled them for a bit before adding the chopped chicken back in with a thickening sauce of flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder (mighta been baking soda, too, but I snuck off and watched basketball for awhile, so I can't be sure...). She mixed up some biscuit dough for the topper, and baked it up nice. And waddya got? David Cross knows:

Guac this Way.

No, "avocado" is neither a hobby (that'd be avocation) nor a Spanish attorney (that'd be just silly): it's a vegetablish-fruit that Lady Di mashes, then mixes with lime juice, garlic, onions and tomato to create a most fine guacamole. We had some on our black bean burritos the other day and it was muy bueno!

A Guy Walks in to the Clemson Extension Service...

...and says, "I'm just starting a farm. I want to grow eggplants, but it doesn't seem to be working". "Tell me what you've been doing", the Agent requested. "Well", the Farmer said, "I went to the store and bought a dozen eggs. I dug twelve holes about four inches deep, and I buried 'em. I've been watering 'em regular, but so far, nothin'. What am I doin' wrong?", the Farmer asked. The agent pondered it for a minute, stroked his chin and said, "Well, first I'm gonna need a soil sample...".

By the way, this is NOT a Clemson joke. You can use any state's agricultural assistance program just as easily. Anyhow, I thought of that old joke as I savored Lady Di's eggplant parmigiana. Quarter-inch slices of eggplant dipped in an eggwash and breaded with a mixture of seasoned breadcrumbs and fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, sauteed in olive oil, and set in layers with tomato sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, onions, and herbs from the farmer's market in between. Sprinkle some Mozzarella on the top, bake for half an hour, and serve it on a bed of angel hair pasta. Good for what ails ya!

Try a Little Tenderloin.

We don't eat a lot of pork at the "Maison Jaune", but when we do, it's way good. Lady Di marinated this pork tenderloin in a mix of balsamic vinaigrette, dijon mustard, honey, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. A few minutes on the grill, add some squash with a little feta cheese and some basil from the garden, an ear of sweet Silver Queen corn from the farmer's market, and a nice glass of Pinot Noir (you say pork is the other white meat? Maybe, but this red paired quite nicely, thankyouverymuch), and you're all set. Did I mention that you could cut the tenderloin with a fork?

R.I.P. Tom McEwen.

My brother reported to me that retired Tampa Tribune sportswriter Tom_McEwen_died. The eulogy that I've linked notes that McEwen wielded considerable influence in the sporting world, and that he was instrumental in bringing professional soccer to Tampa, as well as football and hockey franchises. I remember his column, "The Morning After". I read it all the time in my youth. I remember how he used to write about what his wife had prepared for him for breakfast. He wrote things like, "Along with your freshly squeezed orange juice, and toasted English Muffin, these morsels..." Then he break into his story. I liked the stories too, of course, but it was his listing of what he'd had for breakfast that has stayed with me over the past forty years or so.

What's the Big Dill?

At her last trip to the Farmer's Market, Lady Di picked up some zucchini squash, mild red onions, cucumbers, local potatoes, and a bunch of fresh dill. The dill was sort of an impulse buy, but she decided to center a meal around the tangy herb. First there was a cold cucumber and onion salad marinated in sour cream and dill. The entre was grilled steelhead trout with a marinade/sauce of freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil and two pressed garlic cloves, and a healthy portion of dill. She grilled the fish in foil, then poured off the marinade and set it aside as a sauce after crisping the fish over direct heat. Potato pancakes (her mother, Leona's, recipe), with grilled zucchini and feta cheese, and a glass of pleasant white table wine round out a delightful meal.

I'm Almost 50...

What? Fifty-one is almost fifty, right? My darling daughter, Caroline, and her boyfriend, Jay, joined us for dinner last night. In addition to the lovely strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting pictured at left, we had grilled Omaha Filet Mignon, garlicky mashed potatoes, zucchini and summer squash with feta cheese, and a fine bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. I'd say it went off with a bang.

A Chard Experience.

Lady Di's big on the Boro's Farmer's Market. That leafy bouquet she's holding is actually Swiss chard. The stalks are tasty and colorful, and leaves are a nice stand-in for fresh spinach in the weekly stir-fry. The carrots and red onions that are plopped down next to her also made the cut, together with some aromatic rice cooked with chicken broth and a little olive oil, four pressed garlic cloves, and chunks of sauteed chicken breast all coated with a lovely sauce of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, crushed red pepper and just a bit of sugar.

Good For What Ales You.

I've toured breweries. I grew up in Tampa, and took the tour of the Anheiser Busch brewery there on more than one occasion. They used to give you free samples at the end of the tour, which may explain why my pop took my brother and me for the tour more than once. The oddist brewery I toured was the one in West Malle, Belgium. I visited Belgium- and my favorite Belgian, Dirk- a few years ago. Europe's Low Countries (as opposed to South Carolina's Lowcountry) are famous for their many high quality beers. The Netherland's Heinekin, and Belgium's Stella are but a couple of the more famous ones, but that's not the end of it: even their holy people do the brew. In point of fact, Dirk's uncle is a Trappist Monk in the monastery in West Malle, Belgium, and they make their own cheese and brew a right decent Ale there. I discovered the bottle of Ale pictured at left in Columbia, SC last year, but it started its journey in Dirk's uncle's Belgian monastery. Ain't that a kick in the head?

A Moveable Feast.

Okay, I'm not Hemmingway, and maybe Southern California is not Paris; still, Cali was still a moveable feast in my book. Lady Di was unable to finish this Lamb-Burger with cream cheese which she acquired at an outdoor bistro near Beverly Hills. Like Southern California generally, it was more than a reasonable person could handle in one sitting.

Fowl is Fair (actually, it's excellent).

I got a rare treat this evening: a Sunday meal on Tuesday. Skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in half and lightly breaded and seasoned with salt, pepper and savory spice, sauteed in olive oil, with a gravy of pan-drippings, honey-mustard, lemon juice, and miniature mushrooms. Thinly sliced red potatoes baked with garlic, green onions and feta cheese. Add some fresh asparagus sauteed in olive oil, and some Norah Jones tunes playing in the background, and you've got a mid-week feast.

Happy Birthday, Baby.

Today was Diane's Birthday (well, actually, it was the anniversary of her birthday. You only get one actual birthday). I took her to the Indigo Girls concert in North Charleston last night. It was a lot of fun. Today I made us a right respectable meal of: meatloaf (94% lean ground beef, a couple of eggs, some bread crumbs, ketchup, onions, Worcheshire sauce, and a glaze of ketchup, brown sugar and honey (and a dash more W-sauce); some red-potato mashed potatoes with five cloves of garlic and a bit of butter and milk; a steamed vegetable medley of broccoli, carrots and red onions with pepper; and a decent bottle of Cianti. It was pretty good, I think. Not in Lady Di's league, of course, but not bad. A middling from-the-box yellow cake (Duncan Hines, I think), with some raspberry compote in between the layers, and topped with home-made butter chocolate frosting (butter, cocoa, vanilla, milk and confectioner's sugar) that tasted better than it looked completed the meal. A pretty paltry gift for my wonderful wife, but I think she liked it anyhow. Happy Birthday, Baby.

You Don't Mess Around with Tiramisu.

Among the treats Lady Di has recently prepared was a pan of tiramisu. Espresso, cream cheese, sugar (regular and confectioners) coffee liquor, lady fingers (I had to hunt at five different stores to find the ladyfingers, but it was worth it), and, what? Oh, what do you do with this batch of egg whites?


Or, as Michael Jackson had it:



Right, beat it! Mix the sugar, cocoa and cream cheese, fold in the beaten egg whites to make the filling. Drizzle the espresso/coffee liquor/confectioner's sugar concoction over the lady fingers, spread the filling and sprinkle some cocoa over the top, and refrigerate. I'd've taken a picture of the finished tiramisu, but I ate it too fast!

I'll Melt With You.

Among the presents that Lady Di and I received at our nuptials was a gift card for The Melting Pot. Generally, when I think melting, I think of Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory": melting watches; not melting pots. I'm unaware of ever having been all that fond of fondue. Still, a memory persists of a meal I had at the Melting Pot in Tallahassee long, long ago, when I was still in school.


No Melting Pots in the Boro, but opportunity knocked as Lady Di had a seminar in the Palmetto State's capitol city of Columbia, which does have such a restaurant.


Look at all the healthy appetizers! Broccoli, apple slices, cauliflower and carrots to go along with cubes of various varieties of baked breads. Just zero-out the nutritious gains of the veggies by dunking them in a rich mix of wine and french cheeses, and you've got yourself a right tasty appetizer.


The sampling of Filet Mignon, peppercorn encrusted sirloin, chicken, duck and ravioli was very nice (sadly, Diane had the shrimp to herself. No shellfish for myself on account of allergies). The dessert fondue sauce was white chocolate creme brulee, which was torched to caramelize the sugar.


And they brought out some cool stuff we got to dunk in it, too.