Pond
When we first saw our condo complex we were drawn by the ponds throughout the complex. Each pond had a fountain; we later learned their function was to keep the water stirred up to discourage mosquitos. A year later we happened upon a woman who had lived here before the complex was built. She said it was a swampy area with lots of trees. The builders cleverly changed the swamp into ponds and kept many of the trees. We sometimes have ducks (Mergansers, according to a resident) and yesterday a friend reported on Nextdoor that she saw a lone Canada goose in the pond in front of her unit. We have seen egrets and herons as well.
Right now the yellow iris is blossoming, growing right out of the water. It’s very nice, but as an HOA board member I can see them causing a problem ($$$$) as they expand and clog the whole pond.
The latest excitement is the appearance of three turtles (we lead life in the slow lane around here). We’ve seen residents young (sorta) and old going over to see them, but for weeks when I got there they were gone. Was this just a story? Well yesterday I got there in time. Be still my heart.
Well it’s Easter and our kids are coming over for dinner. We’ll have lamb and potatoes and asparagus. Of course a bottle of LaGrein. Our technique is to make small slits over the whole roast and in each slit insert a small piece of garlic and a half of an anchovy. You never taste the anchovy per se but the meat is seasoned perfectly.
Condiments. These are not mints that you eat while in your condo. These are kitchen essentials.
Condiments don't always get the credit they deserve for adding flavor to a meal. Whether they're sweet, sour, salty, or spicy (or umami, as the case may be), jams, pastes, and other scrumptious accompaniments deserve kudos for enlivening entrées and sides alike.
I like mayonnaise more than Kavanaugh likes beer, as most folks here know. I seriously can’t imagine sandwiches without it, and yet respectable Kossacks have stated that they can’t stand it.
I would guess that everyone has mustard in their kitchen.
There is yellow mustard, spicy brown mustard, dijon mustard, whole mustard, there is a hot chinese mustard powder, english mustard, german mustard, beer and spirit mustard, and a rye and brown sugar mustard. These all have different uses and probably is the worlds oldest condiment, dating back to Roman cooks, who combined ground mustard seeds with a grape juice making a hot paste.
I was reading a recipe which called for Catalina dressing and the author felt it necessary to explain to the readers what it was. That surprised me, because that’s one of our essentials.
Mrs. side pocket makes excellent pesto; we have always grown basil at the farm, but there is no room here for any quantity. Another condiment I enjoy is chutney. High-end commercial preparations have been excellent, especially peach chutney. I’ll let the pros make that.
This is a list of condiments you may know or wish to try: 16 condiments from around the world that you should try. I know of some folks that must have fish sauce at the ready. We had some in our refrigerator for a long time but never used it. I must have catsup or ketchup or I couldn’t eat a burger, whether meaty or vegetarian:
Both words are derived from the Chinese ke-tsiap, a pickled fish sauce. It made its way to Malaysia where it became kechap and ketjap in Indonesia. Catsup and katchup are acceptable spellings used interchangeably with ketchup, however, ketchup is the way it is popularly used today.
What are your essential condiments? Are there any that are unusual? What can’t you be without? Are any of yours ethnic specialties? Any sekrit recipes you would share?
As always, this is an open thread.