November 25, 2020

Dear friends,

I know you’re busy preparing food for your Thanksgiving dinner, small though it may be this year. The last thing you need today is a recipe for black bean soup or Cheddar-corn biscuits (two recipes I’m working on) while your mind is on turkey or chicken or Cornish hens. So I’ll spare you and write about something else you may want to dig into.

“Akron’s Daily Miracle” is book about the crack newspaper journalism, including food journalism, that was committed in Akron during the glory days of newspaper reporting. I was lucky to be writing during that period, and for almost three decades was in awe of the talent that surrounded me.

About thirty of us got together last year to tell the tale. The resulting book — the full title is “Akron’s Daily Miracle: Reporting the News in the Rubber City” — will be published Dec. 8, in time for holiday gift-giving.

The book would never have been written had we all gone our separate ways after leaving/retiring from/being laid off from the Beacon Journal. Oh, we separated all right, spreading across the country from the Pacific Northwest to the Florida Keys. But the bonds we forged in the white-hot intensity of daily deadlines and high expectations have endured. We have a Facebook group, one mass reunion so far, and smaller get-togethers on a regular basis.

Stuart Warner and Deb Van Tassel Warner spearheaded the book idea, collecting and editing the chapters and arranging publication with the University of Akron Press.  In Chapter 2, former columnist Regina Brett sums up the golden era the book covers: “For a time, the Beacon Journal was our Brigadoon. It was a mystical, mythical, idyllic place that opened, and for a time, was magical. Pure magic…Many of us spent the best years in journalism there, those magical years between Watergate and Twitter….Together we committed journalism. We saw it as our sacred duty, not just our bread and butter.”

Each chapter is authored by a different journalist, and most are names you know: Steve Love, Thrity Umrigar, Mary Ethridge, Bill O’Connor, Bob Dyer. Each writer covers a different newspaper topic or story or historical event in the life of the newspaper.  I was enthralled by Ethridge’s opening chapter on her family’s friendship with publisher John S. Knight and how, as a teen-ager, she comforted Knight the day his son died. I ripped through Kathy Fraze’s fun chapter on life on the quirky copy desk, where “snow” drifted into the aisles on holidays and new hires were initiated with the “Rookie Cookie Rule.” It was a joy to read O’Connor’s prose again in his chapter, “… And We Were All Pirates.”

I wrote a sweeping tale of the newspaper’s food coverage from the 1870s to the present before editor Deb Van Tassel reigned me in. “We’re more interested in the heyday of the food section when you were food editor,” she gently instructed. I rewrote the chapter, chronicling the fun, fearsome, exhaustive process of covering everything from food poisoning to the local corn harvest for more than two decades. Here’s a sample of the backstage workings of the Food section:

“Without a kitchen at work, I had to make the food for the photos at home and transport it to the newspaper, where I styled it for the photograph. I ferried everything from Thanksgiving dinner to a six-layer wedding cake in a succession of Ford vans.

“Ed Suba Jr. and Paul Tople were among the photographers assigned most often to take the tricky food photos. We worked together in the photo studio to make the food look good. I attended food-styling classes and learned to paint steaks with Kitchen Bouquet to enhance grill marks, and spray vegetables with glycerin to make them look dewy-fresh.

“One trick brought the fire department. I partially roasted a turkey for a Thanksgiving photo one year (fully roasted birds look wrinkled in photos) and started to bronze it in the photo studio with a blowtorch.  The smoke alarm wailed, maintenance workers arrived with a ladder, and we were told the fire department was on its way. From then on, we disarmed the smoke detector before heating anything.”

People ask me if I miss those days. Yes, sometimes. But all the time I miss my extraordinary coworkers.

The book, with a cover by legendary Beacon Journal and Crankshaft artist Chuck Ayers,  may be ordered at https://blogs.uakron.edu/uapress/product/akrons-daily-miracle/?fbclid=IwAR17cntR1o4DFolaSv4HL-_MeEP7BuOFnm8vvCJgYhTv-ZSZBXVXMD6mSCY.

Happy Thanksgiving.

TIDBITS

One of the few good things to come from this pandemic is Akron Bagel Babes, Abby Cymerman’s passion project for bringing fresh, gluten-free bagels (that actually taste good) to the masses.

On her website, akronbagelbabes.com, Abby writes, “Some people have learned a new language during the Pandemic of 2020. Others have taken up ukulele, tackled DIY projects or binge-watched the entire second season of “Umbrella Academy” in one sitting. What have I done? I have become a gluten-free bagel baker.”

If you are among the one-third of Americans who shun gluten, you’re probably dancing in your chair right now. Yes, fresh, warm bagels that you can eat, made to order and delivered to your door.

Currently Abby bakes two days a week. Orders placed by noon Tuesday are delivered after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Orders placed by noon Thursday are delivered after 9:30 a.m. Friday. A 4-pack of bagels is $10 and delivery is free to Summit, Medina and Portage Counties. Those who live farther away should discuss options with Abby.

At present Abby offers three flavors each week (the flavors rotate), with clever names such as It’s Greek to Me (chopped Kalamata olives, feta, herbs, Cheddar), Everything is Possible (bagel with everything topping) and Takes the Cannoli (with mini chocolate chips).  Some flavors are savory and some are sweet, and while the texture isn’t 100 percent bagel, Abby has produced a delicious product with rice flour.

Abby makes the bagels in small batches in a shared commercial kitchen in Akron. For a list of the week’s flavors and to order, check the website or email akronbagelbabes@gmail.com.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
A fried egg on a yeast roll; tuna salad; ham and black bean soup; roasted pumpkin slices; chocolate pudding; tofu, green bean and pumpkin stir fry; green peppers fried in olive oil; pan-grilled filet mignons with wine sauce, mashed potatoes, carrot and daikon salad and chopped salad.

What I ate from restaurants, etc.:
An Egg McMuffin from McDonald’s.

THE MAILBAG
From Jane Smith:

I’m going through old recipes and culling files. Just found this one to go along with your Amish roll recipe published last week:

POTATO DOUGHNUTS
1 cup hot mashed potatoes
1 1/2 tbsp. melted butter or lard
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
Oil for deep frying

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, butter, sugar and milk. Mix well. Beat in eggs one at a time.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Gradually add to potato mixture, beating to make a soft dough. Transfer dough to a floured surface. Roll out about 1/4-inch thick. Punch out doughnuts with a floured doughnut cutter.

Heat at least 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet. Fry doughnuts, turning to brown both sides. The wide skillet allows more doughnuts to be fried at one time. Drain on paper towels.

Dear Jane:
I had forgotten about this recipe. It came from “The Glenna Snow Cookbook” and was used (and probably is still being used) by generations of Akronites. My request for the recipe in the Recipe Roundup column drew more than 50 letters.

I used to have a doughnut cutter — a gizmo that looks like a cookie cutter with a hole in the center. When I was growing up, we made do with a round cookie cutter and a thimble to punch out the hole in the middle. Now I don’t need either because doughnuts are no longer on my dance card. I just stay away from them.

November 18, 2020

Dear friends,

Even if your Thanksgiving will be dinner for one, you must make these Amish yeast rolls. They are more than just food. They are comfort and happiness in a pan.

I learned to love the rolls at Maxie’s Lunch Box in East Liverpool, Ohio. The little hole-in-the-wall was a favorite place to eat when I drove back home to visit my mother. The homespun food was OK, but what wowed us were the big, fluffy pull-apart rolls that came gratis with dinner. Deep baking pans of them lined the counter separating the dining room from the kitchen. Sometimes we bought a half-dozen to take home. They were better than dessert.

Last week, with a corona’s worth of baking under my belt, I decided to finally learn how to make them. I Googled “big soft yeast rolls” and looked in my dozen or so bread-baking books. Every search lead to Amish rolls made with mashed potatoes. Huh. I didn’t expect that. But the more photos I saw, the more I realized that Amish potato rolls were the Maxie’s rolls of my dreams.

The potatoes, I learned, help keep the rolls soft for days. I was out of potatoes so I picked up a packet of instant mashed potatoes at the drugstore. (It’s a pandemic. I made do.) They worked well and, incidentally, showed me the product has improved dramatically since I last tasted them at restaurant reviews.

The recipe I used, from King Arthur Flour, produces a 9-by-13-inch pan of pull-apart rolls that are delicately crisp on the tops and bottoms and soft, rich and slightly sweet inside. They are reminiscent of brioche. Besides potatoes and flour, etc., ingredients include eggs, butter and a bit of sugar.

The dough may be made one day, risen overnight in the refrigerator and shaped and risen again the next day. If you time it right, you can bake them while the turkey rests before carving, and serve the rolls hot from the oven. They may be just the comfort you need this holiday.

FLUFFY AMISH DINNER ROLLS

2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. softened butter (place the wrapped stick in a bowl of lukewarm water to soften)
1 cup unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed (I used instant)
2 1/2 tsp. instant or active dry yeast (1 packet)
3/4 cup lukewarm (90 to 110 degrees) water
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Melted butter for brushing

With a stand mixer and the paddle beater, beat eggs, sugar and salt briefly. Beat in butter and mashed potatoes until smooth. Add yeast and trickle in water while beating. Beat in flour a little at a time. Beat at medium speed for four minutes. Dough will be soft and sticky but will hold together and spring back slightly when poked. The dough may be mixed by hand but is too sticky to knead; instead, continue to beat it with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes. I recommend the mixer.

Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover and let stand at room temperature (I use my barely warmed oven, turned off) for about 1 1/2 hours, until dough has risen and is puffy but not necessarily doubled in size. Or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Gently pat dough to deflate. It will be sticky but do not add flour or the rolls will not be tender and tall. Divide dough into 15 pieces either by weight or by cutting in half, each piece in half again, etc. You’ll end up with one extra roll this way. I baked my extra in a separate little dish.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball (very lightly oil your hands and the counter). The gluten will cause the dough to rise better if you stretch the dough and fold it to form the ball. Then roll it on the very lightly oiled counter to shape it.

Place balls of dough in an oiled 9-by-13-inch baking pan, three across and five rows down. If you have one left over, place in a small oiled pan. Cover lightly with an oiled piece of plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If the dough is cold, the rolls may take longer to rise. They should be quite puffy.

Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rolls are puffed and golden brown. Loosen the edges with a sharp knife, then slip the whole sheet of rolls from the pan onto a rack. Brush tops with melted butter. Eat warm or at room temperature. Store in zipper-lock plastic bags or a tightly closed container.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.

TIDBITS:
To brine or dry brine? That is the question. Brining a turkey is submerging it in a salty liquid for up to 4 days (any time in the drink will help keep the meat moist; I usually go for 1 to 2 days). Dry brining is rubbing the turkey with salt and refrigerating it overnight or a day longer — again, to lock in moisture.

Both methods have fans. For years I wet-brined in a cooler filled with brine and ice (I used water, orange juice and white wine with sprigs of thyme). The proportions are 1 cup kosher salt per 2 gallons of liquid. The brine should be heated and the salt dissolved before cooling it and pouring it over the turkey. You could heat one gallon of the liquid to dissolve the salt, and cool it down with 1 gallon of iced liquid.

The allure of dry brining is you can store the turkey in the refrigerator without taking up a lot of room. The proportions are 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of turkey. The salt should be rubbed into the cavities, under the breast skin and under the leg/thigh skin. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate.

For both methods, rinse the bird and pat dry before oiling or buttering and roasting.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Pasta with sausage, peppers and onions; sausage, peppers and onions in tomato sauce over steamed spaghetti squash; tofu, green bean and pumpkin stir fry; stewed chicken over biscuits; slumgullion; Japanese pork curry (Tony cooked); Amish yeast rolls.

What I ordered out:
A ranch chicken and bacon pizza, fried chicken and Southwestern fries from Upper Crust Pizza in the Highland Square area of Akron.

THE MAILBAG
From Susan R.:

Concerning pumpkin/squash recipes, I made this Thai green chicken curry for friends recently and it was wonderful:

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/pressure-cooker-thai-green-chicken-curry.html

It was particularly great to load up the Instant Pot and sit down before dinner while the pot worked its magic. Yes, magic. I would note that I used a Thai chili paste and no other chilies, and it was perfectly hot with the accompanying rice.

Please reconsider your opinion of electric pressure cookers. At the very least, on your Florida trips, it would be an extra burner.

Dear Susan:
The recipe sounds absolutely delicious and may tempt me to get my Instant Pot out of storage. I am sure it is a great little appliance. I am just mechanically challenged and haven’t had the patience to study the instruction book. Plus, I’m in no hurry to do anything these days. One day, I may ask an Instant Pot-savvy friend to stand at my side and give instructions as I use the dang thing. Thanks for your encouragement.

November 11, 2020

Dear friends,

No fair. We have to forgo extended family at Thanksgiving when we’ve already forgone socializing for most of this damnable year? Apparently so. With Covid-19 cases surging to record-breaking levels, small gatherings with your bubble mates are the recommended way to go.

At my house, that means dinner for three, if you count the dog (and of course we do). This in no way discourages me from roasting a 15-pound turkey, but I realize others may want to trim the turkey and trimmings this year.

I have the answer: Turkey Wellington. Picture a turkey breast rolled into a log, swathed in prosciutto, coated with an herbed mushroom-cranberry dressing and encased in  golden puff pastry.  It’s Thanksgiving in each slice.

I saw one of these beauties in a Harry & David ad, where it cost $60 plus shipping and fed four. My version has three pounds of turkey breast and will feed six easily. And my trial run to nail down ingredients and amounts resulted in an absolutely stunning roast. Until I cut into it. Then the pastry crumbled a bit. But I solved that, so you can make this Instagram-worthy dish with no fear.`

What I like best about it, even more than the looks, is the flavor. My turkey breast was moist and the dressing was crunchy, soft, sweet and savory all at once. I think I will duplicate the dressing for my big bird on Thanksgiving.

The Wellington is made in steps, which means you won’t spend long stretches in the kitchen. The day before serving, you roll, tie and roast the naked turkey breast. It is chilled quickly in the refrigerator and left there overnight. While the turkey roasts, you also make the stuffing and refrigerate it.

The next day the turkey roast is draped with prosciutto, coated with stuffing and wrapped in puff pastry before roasting for about 1 1/2 hours. You could skip the prosciutto if you want, although it adds a salty little something to the whole. You may also brine or dry-brine the turkey or not, your choice. I didn’t, and the turkey breast (I bought it frozen at Aldi) was juicy.

I tried to skimp on puff pastry by using just the one sheet I had on hand. It was a mistake. I had to roll it so thin to wrap around the roast and stuffing that it became brittle in the oven. Cutting it neatly was impossible.  I recommend you use two sheets to prevent this from happening.

JANE’S TURKEY WELLINGTON

1 boneless turkey breast, about 3  lbs.
Olive oil spray
Salt, pepper
4 oz. prosciutto (optional)
Mushroom-Cranberry Dressing (recipe follows)
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg

Remove skin from turkey and trim away any fat. With skinned side down, cut horizontally halfway through the thickest part of the lobe and fold out to lay flat. Pound if necessary to produce a rectangular piece of meat of fairly even thickness.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Beginning at a short edge, roll the meat snugly, tucking in the ends as you roll. Secure with toothpicks and kitchen twine, or a double thickness of cotton sewing thread.

Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Coat lightly with olive oil spray. Tent with foil. Roast at 350 degrees for about 1 1/4 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast registers 165 degrees. Remove to a plate, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Remove turkey from refrigerator and pat dry with a paper towel. Drape prosciutto over the roast, overlapping slices. Turn upside down and cover that side with prosciutto. Set aside. Microwave stuffing until it reaches room temperature. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each sheet of pastry to a slightly larger rectangle, smoothing and sealing the creases. Place one piece of pastry on a counter with the short edges at 3 and 9 o’clock. Place one long side of the roast, seam side down, on the sheet of pastry, 2 inches from a short edge of the pastry. Cut the pastry sheet two inches from the other side of the roast.

Mound half of the dressing on the pastry underneath the roast. Pat remaining dressing evenly on top of roast. Drape the second sheet of pastry over the roast, trimming if necessary to overlap the bottom sheet slightly. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash around the edges of the pastry. Fold and the crimp edges of the pastries together to snugly seal the meat inside.

If desired, cut designs from the pastry scraps and glue to the top of the loaf with egg wash. Generously brush top and sides of loaf with egg wash. Place on a baking sheet and roast uncovered at 350 degrees for about 75 to 90 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast registers 165 degrees.

Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes. Cut  into thick slices with a serrated knife. Makes 6 servings.

MUSHROOM-CRANBERRY DRESSING          
6 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
Salt, pepper
2 cups soft, coarsely chopped bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. dry crumbled sage
2 tbsp. dried cranberries
1/4 cup toasted, broken walnut pieces

Note: The mushrooms and bread crumbs may be chopped in the food processor if just a few mushrooms or a quarter of the bread is chopped at a time. Pulse to produce coarse pieces.

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (the oil prevents the butter from burning). Add mushrooms and onions and sauté until mushrooms are cooked and onion is very limp. Season with salt and pepper.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter with the mushrooms and onions. Remove from heat and stir in the bread crumbs, thyme and sage. When crumbs are coated well with fat, stir in the cranberries and walnut pieces. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed.

GUT CHECK

What I cooked last week:
Egg salad; barbecued spareribs and chopped salad; tofu, eggplant and pepper stir fry over steamed rice; turkey Wellington, roast Cinderella pumpkin slices, chopped salad; bacon, eggs and toast.

What I carried out:
Kibbee, pita bread, baba ganoush, hummus, basmati rice and marinated, grilled beef, chicken and kefteh from Mediterranean Market & Grill in Cuyahoga Falls; a spicy fried chicken sandwich and mashed potatoes from Popeye’s.

TIDBITS:
Did you read about the guy who was arrested for cooking two chickens in a thermal hot spring at Yellowstone National Park? I’m kind of glad he did it, because it’s exactly the kind of thing I would do and now I know better. The cook was banned from the park for life.

I am attracted to alternate cooking methods. I once cooked a roast on the manifold of a car, and baked many cakes with the heat from a lightbulb in my Easy-Bake Oven. It’s only a matter of time before I fry bacon on a sidewalk in the summer, or steam a fish in the dishwasher.

I was much more likely to cook in a thermal spring, though, until learning it’s a no-no. That’s because in Japan, hot springs cooking is very much a thing. In some areas where springs bubble up in back yards, people encircle them with brick walls and cook meals in them. All the time. Why the heck not? It’s immersion cooking without the $150 appliance.

In other news, Hasbro’s Easy-Bake Oven will be retired soon because the new light bulbs do not get hot, and the manufacture of the old household incandescent bulbs has been banned. No more light-bulb cooking. Bummer.

THE MAILBAG
From Carol C.:
I must be late to the game on caramelizing onions, but I always hated that job when I made French onion soup. I found on another blog information about putting the onions in the slow cooker overnight.  Dump the sliced onions in your Crock-Pot overnight….next morning, beautifully caramelized onions. Then I just add my beef stock and sherry at the end.

I served it the traditional way to us, in crocks with rounds of French bread and Gruyere cheese melted under the broiler. I have to

say it was even better than when I caramelized the onions on the stove top.

I love your little blurbs about Tony. My hubby does the same thing yours did with the pie crusts. I’ll be putting things away from the grocery store and I’ll wonder how such and such got in the cart. He quips, “I was hungry for it so please make it.”

Dear Carol:
It’s so good to hear from you. Yes, when you’re a good cook you will get requests. I’m usually flattered. Tony’s a chef, but he cooked his entire adult life and is happy to have me take over. Not that I’ve haven’t been creating dishes MY entire adult life, too.

November 4, 2020

Dear friends,

I do the grocery shopping with Tony along as the muscle, so I was surprised to see a box of refrigerated pie disks at checkout last week. Maybe he was going to make, I dunno, ramen pot pie.

The box of pie dough was still taking up real estate in the refrigerator three days later. So I asked the question: What’s it for? Tony’s answer: “For you to make a pear pie.” I wonder when he intended to tell me.

I was so charmed by Tony’s faith in pie telepathy that I made one the next day. Even though I’ve been making my own pie dough lately, I used the box he had bought and the pears Tony had picked from our tree out back.

Our little pear tree gave us at least three dozen big Bartletts this year. We stashed them in cold storage for a few weeks (a crucial step), then softened them one by one at room temperature for eating. Tony’s upside-down caramelized pear pie wiped out half of the remaining ones. Judging from Tony’s reaction, they were pears well spent.

A French upside-down tart — traditionally made with apples — is deceptively easy to assemble. It’s the pie version of pineapple upside-down cake. Butter and sugar are melted in a skillet, fruit is simmered a bit in the syrup, and pie dough is tucked around the fruit before the whole thing is baked in the oven.

While it’s still hot, the pie is inverted onto a platter, revealing the rounded rumps of the glistening pears. No matter how awkwardly a tarte tatin is made, it ends up looking as if it came from a French patisserie.

Bake one of these for the charmer in your own life.

PEAR TARTE TATIN

5 or 6 firm pears
Squirt of lemon juice
4 tbsp. butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

Pastry for a single-crust pie or 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Place whole pears in a 9- or 10-inch oven-proof skillet, one in the middle and the rest arranged like spokes. The whole pears should fill half the skillet. Use more or fewer  pears as necessary.

Fill a medium mixing bowl halfway with cold water. Squirt in some lemon juice and stir (about 1 tbsp. if using fresh, which isn’t necessary). One at a time, peel each pear, remove stem and blossom scar with a sharp paring knife, and scoop out the seeds with a small melon baller. Drop each pear half into the lemon water to prevent the fruit from darkening.

Cut the butter into pieces and melt over medium-low heat in the skillet. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the melted butter. Sprinkle with vanilla. Remove pears from water and pat dry. Arrange rounded-side down in skillet, one in the middle and the rest around it like spokes. The pears should be touching. Sprinkle with the cardamom.

Simmer the pears in the butter-sugar mixture until the sugar melts and turns a tawny caramel color. This should take 20 to 30 minutes. It can burn in an instant so don’t walk away. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove pan from burner. Roll dough or thawed puff pastry to a circle or square large enough to cover the skillet and hang down the sides. Place dough over the pears and tuck the overhang down the inside of the skillet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

Remove from oven and immediately run a knife around pan to loosen the pastry from the sides. Place a plate over the skillet and invert the tart onto the plate. Cool slightly before cutting into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GUT CHECK

What I cooked last week:
Coconut curry noodle soup with wilted chard, hard-cooked eggs, sliced pork, roasted pumpkin and cucumber pickles; thick porterhouse steak, immersion-cooked and grill-seared, with horseradish sauce, roasted squash and Brussels sprouts (and red wine); chili-cheese biscuits and Jane’s Chili; chili dogs with mustard; chicken yakitori, steamed rice, chopped salad; pear tarte tatin; potato, greens and sausage soup.

What I ordered out:
Nothing. I’ve got to get out more.

THE MAILBAG
From Jean B.:
I love your blog and your restaurant recommendations. We have discovered a great new restaurant that we want shout about from the rooftops!

Lyeh Thai restaurant, across from St. Thomas Hospital in the old Parasson’s building in North Akron, is the best Thai restaurant my sweetie and I have found. Their green curry is out of this world, as well as their sushi, pad see ew, Tom kha, papaya salad… actually, the entire menu is outstanding and authentic, and the prices are very modest.

We go there at least once a week, and usually we are the only party in the restaurant. They also have take-out. Hopefully, they can weather the Covid-19 storm and remain open. They are worth a try!

Dear Jean:
Every time Tony and I pass the restaurant, we vow to try it.  Now I will make that happen. Thanks so much for writing to tell me about your experience. Has anyone else found a restaurant or restaurant deal lately that we should know about? I welcome recommendations.

From Maxine B.:
It isn’t just Aldi. I was at Mustard Seed and the person in front of me in the produce section had a package of Cotton Candy grapes in her hand.  She was eating from the package as I impatiently waited for her to move. To my astonishment,  she put the package back and picked another one! I exclaimed, “REALLY!?” She hadn’t noticed I was there before and she scurried away, trying to avoid me through the store.  No, I was not stalking her. She was difficult to miss, though, in a lime green dress with pink hair.

No more snacking on the way home for me!

Dear Maxine:
Ugh. I started buying plastic clamshell packages of grapes (the Autumn Crisp variety is wonderful) instead of the less expensive grapes in plastic bags. But I think Cotton Candy grapes come in clamshells. Are none of them safe from boorish shoppers?

I stopped snacking on grapes before washing them after I picketed once with Caesar Chavez and the grape pickers (I have a colorful past). Chavez practically begged my newspaper union members to wash grapes before consuming them because of the chemicals sprayed on the crop by growers. He and his union were fighting for safety measures to protect the workers, who were becoming sick.

From Bill B.:
In Europe, selecting and rebagging your produce at a market would get you (shot, beheaded, sent away in shame?). The produce seller will select the produce he/she deems you worthy of.  NO ONE would ever think to do that.

It is one thing to remove a rotten strawberry on the top of a basket,  but not wholesale sorting and grading.

Dear Bill:
In normal times, I enjoy selecting the ripest avocado and juiciest-looking tomato. Now I try not to touch anything I don’t buy. But worse, the grapes I wrote about were sold by the bag, not the pound, which means the handsy shopper was shortchanging the next customer.

From Dave F.:
Can you help me? My  aunt used a  recipe for chicken and dumplings that she said she got from the Beacon Journal. It was James Brown’s mom’s recipe. Does that sound familiar? She liked the dumpling recipe.

Dear Dave:
The only famous-son recipe for chicken and dumplings I could find is for the singer/composer James Ingram’s mom’s chicken and dumplings. Could you (or your aunt) have mixed up the singers?

I remember interviewing the late Alistine Ingram in her Akron home. It was filled with photos of her six children, including James. She was a kind, charming woman.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
1 stewing chicken, cut up
Water
1 tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. salt
2 dried hot chile pods or cayenne pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Milk

Place chicken in a large, lidded, flame-proof pot. Add enough water to

cover chicken by about one inch. Add one tablespoon of the salt and the hot

chile pods or cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for two to three hours.

To make dumplings, mix together the flour, remaining one-half teaspoon salt and baking powder in a bowl. Add enough milk to make a soft dough. Roll the dough on a floured surface to one-quarter-inch thickness. With a floured knife, cut dough into two-inch squares.

Remove chicken from broth and keep warm. Return broth to a boil. Place dough squares in pot, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Combine chicken, dumplings and broth to serve.