Firefly's Lounge Is Now Open

Oh yes!

Now I can't decide what I'd like for lunch.

I think we'll have to offer a lot of sampler plates.

I just finished reading this article in the NY Times about the dangers of too much salt in our diets.



I'm not fanatical about it, but I do keep an eye on my salt intake. And I've found that, in the last several years, a lot of prepared foods and restaurant foods now taste unpleasantly salty to me. My taste preferences really have changed.

The chefs here at our Lounge use the minimum amount of salt necessary to achieve maximum flavor in preparing our dishes, and they use such an abundance of other seasonings and fresh herbs, in addition to the finest, freshest other ingredients, I don't think people will feel anything is "missing" from our food. But, they will gladly adjust any dish to your taste preferences or health needs.

And, of course, calories consumed here never count. Hooray for elastic waistbands!

Good thing, because this recipe for Southern-Fried Sweet Onion Rings--also in the NY Times--sounds very good indeed. Certainly worthy of a place on our menu.
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1016225/southern-fried-sweet-onion-rings.html?WT.mc_id=D-NYT-MKTG-MOD-17840-04-21-HD&WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_c=$

Thin enough to flash-fry but thick enough to let the sweet onion flavor shine through, these onion rings work well as a side dish but also are great as a stand-alone snack.

I'm a mad cook, but have a Fear of Frying (reminds me of a book title), not for the fat, as it's not that bad if done correctly, but fear my clumsiness will set the place afire. But I love onion rings, even bad onion rings.

Back to empanadas - Set's link to the yelp article with 36 photos, oh, yea!

I've lots of bookmarks for different kinds of enveloped tasty things like empanadas and ravioli and and and.. even one I remember for peach empanadas.

I need to get going on all this.. thinking, breakfast! lunch! dinner!

One thing I tried a few months ago that worked out well, but that I won't do again any time soon, was making my own beef tamales. I still have a few in the freezer, and another bag of corn husks in the cupboard.
Thing is, I think I would like tamale pie just as well and it's simpler to do, and there are thousands (I bet) of tamale pie recipes out there, and I live in a city with chile varieties by the bushelfull. Playtime!

I don't know the history but assume tamale pie is a southwestern american cooking offshoot of the mexican tamal. Now that I'm playing with masa, I'd make it with a masa crust w/some chicharrone fat and mexican cheese, but recipes I'm seeing just use ordinary cornmeal, and the added cheese is cheddar..
Whatever - it's a casserole dish that can work in different ways, including, I suppose, vegetarian, just as polenta can.

Some pictures, and then I'll try to shut up about food for a while.





Ok, that's enough, I skipped lunch for an appointment today.


So, is there anything going on good in the world today?

The Boston Marathon. Wonderful to see it going ahead so smoothly today after the dreadful events of last year.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=1&ved=0CCwQqQIoADAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnation%2Fnationnow%2Fla-na-nn-boston-marathon-2014-20140421%2C0%2C6259193.story&ei=eH9VU8WFD4WK7AbzxYH4CQ&usg=AFQjCNEzfJZ8NIlUTs9DeABZQA1p875dEA&bvm=bv.65058239,d.ZGU&cad=rja

I was almost afraid to ask about it, hadn't looked yet. Thanks, V.

Oh, I had my 6 month eye check up today. I'm pretty adapted, despite some horrendoma eye history, to things being fine now - the word is stable - but there is always a sliver of wait for it concern.

Turned out fine as now usual. We got talking about his own dealing with bifocals and/or contacts, because I pushed. Not too long, or I could have gone into some funny stories, but he got to talk too, never uninteresting. One if the many reasons his patients like him is that he listens and is there. And is a good surgeon.

Afterwards, I was outside waiting for the senior transport vehicle, and sat next to the woman I'd met in the hallway. After her mentioning him, I told her about my fears (bad eye) and how when we passed the tough part of my good eye surgery that he upped the music and the op people sang...
she countered by saying that in her surgery, she gave him her best cookie recipe mid op.

Glad all went well with your eye check-up, osso.

Today is Earth Day.


To celebrate, we'll be serving some special cupcakes.


And all guests will receive a mini-garden to take home, if they'd like one.


I do a lot of container gardening, and I think I'd love to make some mini-gardens for my place. You can make both indoor and outdoor versions. If you're interested in making one, you can find some ideas here.
https://minigardener.wordpress.com/tag/happy-earth-day/

I might also look for this book in my library.


So, is everyone doing their bit to help protect our planet?

My kitchen has a work in progress mini-garden at the windowsill. I snagged a couple of seed pods from my neighbor's false yucca last fall (another common name of it is red yucca, latin name = Hesperaloe parviflora) and potted the seeds in small pots - now I've got somewhere around twenty faux yuccas, which I'll transplant to the yard one of these days. Will give some of them to the neighbor.. maybe we'll end up with the neighborhood all yucca'd up, if they survive.



Anyway, I like mini gardens too.

We received the sad news today that our dear friend Dutchy has passed away.
http://able2know.org/topic/111721-1462#post-5643564

In celebration of his life, let's raise our glasses and toast his memory.

TO DUTCHY!

In loving tribute to him, and the special touch and brightness he brought to A2K, Dutch tulips are being placed on tables throughout the lounge.

What a lovely idea firefly. I'll most certainly toast Danny - a brave man.

To Danny -rest well and in peace.



I love the idea of the flowers - tulips, so fitting.

And perhaps a miniature memorial garden - Danny was very fond of windmills, so a tiny one might fit in well?

I like the idea of a mini memorial garden too.

I think we should put it in the reading room, in the section where we have all of the crosswords, and word games and puzzles, and call that area "Dutchy's Corner." It's light and sunny there, and plants should do well, and I think that's the spot Danny would have liked the most. It's cheerful, and that's how I'd like to remember him here--with the word games he did enjoy.

And we know he enjoyed food too. So, our menu will always include a special Dutchy Apple Cake. A sweet treat in remembrance of a sweet man.


Thinking of ways to honor and remember him does help to lift a heavy heart...at least a little. He will always be missed, but it would be nice to have reminders of him around us.

Anyone else have any suggestions of things we might do, in terms of remembrance, or celebrating Dutchy's life?

So, then, this is essentially a foodie thread? Nothing wrong with that, just not in my league.

No, it's not essentially a foodie thread, LA. It's a place to relax, and chat, and shoot the breeze, about anything you'd care to, without being bound by specific topics or interests. The "lounge" setting is simply one that also offers food, any food, you might desire, but it will hopefully offer food for thought as well, along with some nourishment for the spirit, and some humor to lighten the day. And, hopefully, the company here will prove to be more companionable than contentious, and more good-hearted and well intentioned than anything else.

We're just getting started. Can't really tell where this might go. It's going to be shaped by the people who drop in here. I would expect that many of them might have a love of food--some kind of food--but other interests and passions to share as well.

I think there is a music room and a place to view film, we can hang out and listen to music, and discuss our favorite tunes and argue about who the best drummer is or was.

There's also a reading room that offers every book, magazine, and newspaper on the planet--so literature and current events can enter the conversation.

And that's beside the things in their private lives that people might want to chat about.

It's a hang-out where we can talk and eat.

You've got the picture, gb.

Now that I am used to, what would you like to know? I'm an open book, apparently I am a witch Thank you for this thread FF, glad to join something new, from the beginning, sharing..........



Von directed me here, Dutchy directed her to FW. Food fight? Give him prawns, always prawns, not even lobster was good enough, his son gave him 10 dozen? WT? Anna gave D and I a dozen I reckon, for Easter, as ya know I cooked him some garlic ones.

If I was to discuss something outside of this, it would be.....

Scientology WT? Well I doubt anyone would want to discuss that rubbish.

Thank you for this thread Ms FF.

Well, Danny's favourite seafood has always been a worthy subject for discussion - even for non-foodies! I must have served up these virtual mussels and ale to him on several occasions - Cheers Danny!



How do you go about preparing mussels if you cook them from scratch? Ashamed to say I've never tried!

What are you doing about artwork? I like this photograph of a thunderstorm in Utah - pretty dramatic.

I've never cooked them from scratch either, but I'm not ashamed about that. I've never cooked anything that's alive when I first get my hands on it. I have no desire to throw a live lobster into boiling water either. There are some things--probably a great many things--I'd rather have other people do for me.

Mussels are fairly easy to cook.
http://www.discovermussels.com/how-cook-mussels

As for artwork, I'm hoping some of our patrons will share their own work with us (osso, are you listening?) or photos they've taken, or pictures that have a personal or special meaning for them.

Think there is anything we need to do to make this place more attractive to men?