ness

That sounds pretty good !!

Lol. It's back to reality for a while.

The chowder itch wasn't quite scratched. So I made my own. Thinner than the thick, thick chowders in Boston, and with more herbs -- thyme and parsley -- and onion and celery. Canned, minced clams, bottle of clam juice, a little roux and some half and half. A splash of sherry at the end.

I've experimented with it some and have made a couple pretty good ones. Not really too hard, just a spicy, savory tomato/wine broth and the seafood of your choice. I'm overdue for some of that.

Thanks, Joe. Small beds allow you to reach in and work without stepping into the garden compacting the soil. My main problem now is that I've lost late afternoon sunlight due to tree growth, and I was already slightly handicapped since the beds are up against the fence . I placed those beds there to free up yard space for the kids. Now that they're grown, I really need to relocate to the center of the yard.

Alright, one more at the airport. Legal Seefood called this Rhode Island clam chowder. I guess it's like a Manhattan clam chowder? Tomato based, lots of onion, celery, a little heat. Not like the standard creamy chowders, but very good. Almost like a cioppino.

I think they dropped that name a while ago. Just Cheers now. They opened another one elsewhere in town and made it look like the bar in the show inside..

But, wait! There's more: Tried chowder at 5 different places. Union Oyster House, Tia's, Legal Seafood, the Marriott and Joe's American. Too close to call between Union and Tia's. The lobster bisque at Legal was outstanding.

Yeah, diet temporarily on hold. Its not all paid for, but enough to make it less painful. ?

Alright, I've been in Boston for 4 days. I know this ain't cooking, but here's what's eating and some other stuff:

I'm just saying you don't need to do it. It's pretty tasty on its own, with a minimum of seasoning and cooking. You know, I've never grown them in my little garden where space is precious. They're readily available at the store year around, PLUS the summer gardener glut.

I can see that. The shape always seems like an issue though. I may pick one up and give it a try Dont need to bread and deep fry this stuff, Gavin. A little bit of neutral oil and some salt and pepper on a hot grill gets you a tasty, healthy side. Change it up with lemon pepper or whatever spice your heart desires. Hard to screw up.

Never did patty pan squash. What's it like?

I'll have to check that out.

Can't offer anything, but that sounds like a sweet trip! I hope you'll report back to us.

In the mood for something different so I picked up a copy of Sarum by Edward Rutherford. It's historical fiction about the history of England, set over many centuries beginning just after the Ice Age. I think I'm gonna like it. About 850 pages to like

Never did read any Zane Grey. Probably ought to give one a try. Read a lot of L'Amour a few years back, and started reading the Sackett series. I gave up on it because it just felt like he was trying to write a series, not really too worried about writing good books. Read all the early Clancy stuff but just got tired of it somehow. Loved Robert Ludlum and Ken Follett too. My favorite series of all time though it the Sherlock Holmes stuff.

Bunny-mowed spinach: Beets needing more sun: We're getting there! Gooseberries: Peppers maters -- needing some sun: Carry-over herbs. Oregano, chive, sage, thyme: Best looking crop of carrots I've ever had: A few more maters: Heirloom lettuce. Yugoslavian Red, Forellenschluss, Webb's Wonderful and Sol Bolt: Almost there: Starting to get a few. Dwarf Grey Sugar:

Yeah, I generally use Kingsford because it's easy to get. A lot of the BBQ pros swear by natural chunk charcoal and I've used it in the past, but I can't say I've noticed a difference. I won't use match lite. I think the pellet smokers are great for convenient smoking, but not intended for grilling.

Lol. Just trying to get by here ?

Do what you like, like what you do. The second part of that is more important in the long run.

Throw a Memphis dry rub on there and really mix it up!

Sounds fun...Spent the weekend in Hermann, MO drinking and eating too much. I love German food, and we had some excellent examples over the weekend. Hermann Wurst Haus is a really great place with tons of different sausages, German sides, etc. Kind of like a deli, I guess. Best one of all was a carmelized pear bratwurst. Dang. Brought a bunch of stuff home from there. Also toured the wineries -- used the trolley so I didn't have to worry about driving. Man, it's more like a party bus than a trolley. Fun, but loud with 'kids music' blaring over the speakers. No, they didn't have any Fleetwood Mac or Eagles -- I asked. Had a few bachelorette parties in town and they were kinda fun to watch and talk to and give unsolicited advice to (like -- Don't do it!). Fun weekend!

Lotsa salads and/or eating out lately. I got nothing for this thread.

Do tell, Ronnie. (My DSLR is giving me fits with sticky buttons. I need somebody to steal it.)