Dijon: The Mustard Society Game by Ruth Paget

Dijon: The Mustard Society Game by Ruth Paget 

Number of Players: 

Unlimited as long as the mustard lasts 

Materials Needed: All the materials you need for this game can be ordered from the Mustard Museum in Wisconsin (mustardmuseum.com). 

-3 different kinds of mustard 

-pretzel sticks Game 

Preparation: 

-On a sheet of paper, note the name of the three different mustards with a line after it where players will note a number of a matching mystery mustard. Make copies of this game sheet for the number of guests coming to your game 

-Put out a dish with many pretzels so people dip once to avoid double dipping and germ spreading -cover the jars with paper so you cannot see the labels. Number them 1 – 3. 

Game Play: 

-Each guest will use one pretzel stick per mustard jar to scoop out a taste. -Guests will discuss mustards and note on their game sheet what mustard they think the mystery mustards are. 

-Take the white paper of each jar to reveal the mystery mustard. 

Everyone is a winner if you set all the mustards out to go with brats, hot dogs, or kielbasa and potato salad, coleslaw, and chips. 

People who got everything right can take a jar of mustard home, if there is any left. 

Mustards you can order from the Mustard Museum in Wisconsin include: 

-Colman’s Original English 

-Bornier Original Dijon 

-De Echte Zaanse Mustard 

-Löwensenf Bavarian 

-Lakeshore Wholegrain with Irish Whiskey 

-Bacik Spicy Horseradish and Honey 

-Amora 

-Clovis Herbes de Provence 

-Edmond Fallon Honey 

-Delicious Gourmet Big Easy Cajun 

-Pommery Moutarde de Meaux 

-Inglehoffer Sriracha 

-Kocsiusko Spicy Brown Mustard 

-Australian Outback Mustard 

-Baumgarten Horseradish Mustard 

-Löwensenf Extra Hot 

-Sierra Nevada Stout and Stone Ground 

The Mustard Museum has an online catalog that you can request to make unique parties with society games. 

Happy Gaming! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France 

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Arkansas Appetizer Lunch by Ruth Paget

Arkansas Appetizer Lunch by Ruth Paget 

The heat and humidity in places like Arkansas where it is already in the 80s at 7 am make cooks rise early to get baking and cooking done for light lunches on screened-in porches to keep mosquitoes out and lunches untouched by flies. Pitchers of icy sun tea to drink keep you from dehydration. 

Main dishes in Arkansas mostly feature rice, duck, and chicken according to Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley, the editors of Best of the Best from Arkansas Cookbook. Rice is the major cash crop of this state that lies along the Mississippi River. 

There are recipes for many chicken dishes and casseroles in this cookbook, but I love mixing appetizers and muffins to make light lunches. (This is a habit I learned from eating appetizer platters at Middle Eastern restaurants as a child in Detroit, Michigan.)

I thought the following the following recipes make a very healthy appetizer table with items that you can prepare ahead of time: 

-dilly garden dip made with blended cottage cheese, lemon juice, carrots, green onions, parsley, and dill 

-cheese and bacon spread made with cheddar cheese, cooked bacon, green onions, almonds, and mayonnaise 

-homemade Boursin made with blended butter, cream cheese, garlic, basil, chives, dill, marjoram, thyme, and pepper. Very easy to make if you have an herb garden 

-Monterey cubes – baked eggs, Monterey Jack cheese, flour, cottage cheese, and mild green chilies that are cut into cubes after bakin 

-spinach cheese squares – baked onion, cheese, spinach, eggs, flour, and milk that is cut into squares into squares after baking 

-marinated whole mushrooms 

-crabmeat mold – a refrigerated gelatin spread made with crabmeat, cream of mushroom soup, cheese, onion, and celery 

-Mexican corn bread made with green chilies, corn meal, creamed corn, skim milk, cheddar cheese, and egg whites 

-peach muffins – made with peaches and almonds -blueberry oatmeal muffins 

-applesauce muffins

-apple muffins made with raw apples 

-black cherry almond coffee cake -sour cream coffee cake – I lived on this in high school

-spicy pineapple zucchini bread made with walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg 

-turkey cranberry sandwiches - taste great with sun tea

-watermelon rind preserves – a delicious no-food-waste item 

Cooks interested in using garden fresh ingredients and orchard fresh fruit will find many useful recipes in Best of the Best from Arkansas Cookbook edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Florida's Tropical French Food by Ruth Paget

Florida’s Tropical French Food by Ruth Paget 

Florida’s tropical French food comes in two forms either as Creole or Cajun dishes as part of cultural influence from New Orleans or as French food that uses seafood and fish in place of beef and chicken in dishes. Sauces are often piquant with the addition of Vitamin C rich tropical fruits to go with grilled or seared fish and seafood. 

The 400 recipes from The Special Taste of Florida by G. Dean Foster come from elite resorts and restaurants and record the food of Floridians, who love glamorous well-coiffed hairdos, tailored linen suits, deluxe Italian cars, and Fort Knox condominiums. People who liked watching the television series Miami Vice will find much to love in this cookbook. 

The following recipes from The Special Taste of Florida illustrate the French connection with the state: 

-rouille sauce used in bouillabaisse made with egg yolks, garlic, roasted red pepper, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and bread crumbs. Mixed in a blender and stirred into the famous Marseilles soup transplanted to the Americas 

-country ham tapenade spread for roasted or grilled vegetables. This traditional black olive spread has chopped Virginia ham or prosciutto added to it for a flavor and big protein boost for the tropics 

-roasted red pepper coulis for grilled fish like swordfish made with roasted and peeled red peppers, olive oil, and white wine 

-Kiss Yo Mama Soup made with corn, poblano chiles, onion, butter, sour cream, goat cheese, Louisian crawfish tails, and chives. Moms who make this are loved for peeling crawfish tails and chopping them up. 

-shrimp and crab phyllo pies with béchamel sauce 

-pistachio crusted tuna with tropical fruit beurre blanc. The tropical fruit beurre blanc is made with mango, kiwi fruit, pineapple, key lime juice, shallots, white wine, and butter. 

-Florida pompano with orange mango beurre blanc. The orange mango beurre blance is made with shallots, white wine, fish stock, orange juice, and mango purée 

-broiled snapper with mango melon sauce – the sauce is made with cantaloupe, mangoes, chile peppers, onions, brown sugar, butter, orange juice concentrate, and heavy cream 

-shrimp and salmon cakes made with fruit salsa. The fruit salsa has mango, papaya, rice vinegar, honey, and lemon 

-grilled grouper with mango beurre blanc. The mango beurre blanc is made with mangoes, Chablis, cream, shallots, and butter. 

-pork Boursin with Boursin sauce made with heavy cream, bouillon, roux, and Boursin cheese -caramelized pineapple soufflé 

-seared sea scallops with citrus vinaigrette. The citrus vinaigrette is made with walnut oil, orange juice and zest, lime juice, lemon juice, and grapefruit juice. 

Chefs interested in being part of Florida’s tropical French food culture will enjoy making the recipes in The Special Taste of Florida by G. Dean Foster. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Missouri's Crossroads Cuisine by Ruth Paget

Missouri’s Crossroads Cuisine by Ruth Paget 

Missouri’s position in the center of the United States next to the Mississippi River has made it a crossroads of commerce and exploration of the American West, commemorated by the towering Gateway Arch in St. Louis. 

The Pony Express was started in Missouri and connected the state via pony relays with the Pacific. Cosmopolitan traders worked in St. Louis and their cuisine seems to influence Missouri to this day with many very good dishes to prepare ahead and serve immediately to satisfy hunger with the exception of meat dishes that take a little longer to cook. 

The following recipes in Best of the Best from Missouri edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley might interest readers who would like to prepare some deli and bakery items at home in addition to main dishes: 

-saganaki – Greek Kasseri or Kefalotiti cheese ignited with brandy and doused with lemon juice when the flames die make this a sour and savory appetizer. I ate saganaki all the time as teen in Detroit, Michigan’s Greektown. It was a popular appetizer and blackened the ceilings over customers’ tables. Everyone in the restaurant yelled, “Opa!” when the saganaki came out. 

-Missouri pâté – made with butter, mushrooms, shallots, bourbon, liverwurst, cream cheese, and dill -smoked fish pâté – made with salmon or trout, scallions, cream cheese, and mayonnaise 

-Armenian white bread 

-Jewish challah bread – egg bread made with poppy seeds -pimiento cheese bread 

-wild rice soup made with milk and cheddar cheese 

-Clamato aspic salad – lemon jello made with oyster and tomato flavored Clamato juice, chopped artichoke hearts, green pepper, and avocado 

-pasta with vodka sauce and sun-dried tomatoes -rice and noodle casserole made with chestnuts and mushrooms 

-horseradish mousse made with cottage cheese and onion 

-Clinton County pork chops with sour cream sauce 

-pork medallions with mustard cream sauce – I ate these in Germany to win instant acceptance at weinstubs like Trollinger in Stuttgart, Germany 

-mustard mousse made with heavy cream – very welcome on dish on hot summer days Travelers might also like to sample the multicultural fare described in Best of the Best from Missouri edited by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Georgia's Peachy Cuisine by Ruth Paget

Georgia’s Peachy Cuisine by Ruth Paget 

Georgia’s state nickname is the Peachtree State. Its juicy, yellow peaches that taste like mangoes tempt you to live on them year-round with a few other Georgia specialty items mixed in like pecans, peanuts, and sweet Vidalia onions. 

I have tried many of the following recipes during extended stays in Atlanta over the years and think these recipes from Georgia Hometown Cookbook by Sheila Simmons and Kent Whitaker may interest readers:  

-peach guacamole 

-banana – pecan pancakes 

-peach muffins 

-sweet Vidalia soup 

-peach bread 

-peach-apricot green salad with feta cheese 

-carrot, broccoli, chopped pecan salad with mayonnaise 

-peach coleslaw 

-peach pasta salad -peach jello with cream cheese, marshmallows, and chopped pecans 

-sweet Vidalia onion soup -fried green tomatoes 

-North Georgia apple pork chops 

-Bourbon pork kebabs 

-peach wings -peach fried pies 

-peach cobbler 

-peach crisp 

Diners interested in following the Georgia Diet can find much to love in the Georgia Hometown Cookbook by Sheila Simmons and Kent Whitaker. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Mississippi Church Suppers Aplenty by Ruth Paget

Mississippi Church Suppers Aplenty by Ruth Paget 

The beauty of the recipes in Mississippi Church Suppers cookbook published by Great American Publishers is that many of them can be easily doubled to feed more people for buffet lunches or picnics.

The church suppers described are recorded by the members of various Baptist churches. The recipes are interspersed with church descriptions, Bible verses, and reminders of why it is good to go to church. The recipes are easy to follow with delicious results. 

Some of the dishes I thought looked appealing for hot weather in coastal communities include: 

-chicken Rotel dip – made with cooked and cubed chicken breast, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, cream cheese, spicy Rotel tomatoes, and sliced mushrooms. You heat this dip till the cheese melts. 

-Polynesian dip – made with pineapple, cream cheese, red bell pepper, onions, and chopped pecans served in a fresh pineapple half. The Panama Canal leading to Polynesia is not that far away by ship for Mississippi, making Polynesian food easy to obtain in Mississippi. 

-crab dip – made with cream, cheese, crabmeat, lemon, tomatoes, and bell peppers 

-pineapple cheese ball – made with pineapple, cream cheese, and bell peppers. The cheese ball is chilled and rolled in chopped in pecans before serving.

-roasted cauliflower and white cheddar cheese soup 

-creamy crawfish bisque 

-creamy seafood bisque with shrimp and crab 

-seafood gumbo – made with crawfish tails, crabmeat, and filé powder to thicken the soup 

-apple, carrot, and raisin salad with Miracle Whip 

-Cajun shrimp pasta salad – made with cooked shrimp, rotini pasta, red bell peppers, green onions, mayonnaise, and sour cream 

-squash delight casserole

-turkey lasagna – made with turkey breast and sausage 

-Swiss bliss steak – made with green bell peppers, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, and cubes of steak that you bake for 2 hours. Easy dinner. 

People interested in easy, comfort food dishes might enjoy reading Mississippi Church Suppers published by Great American Publishers. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Alabama's Hot Summer Food by Ruth Paget

Alabama’s Hot Summer Food by Ruth Paget 

A meal of fried chicken, corn on the cob, cornbread, stewed collard greens with ham hock pieces, and iced tea is always welcome in Alabama, but cooks in summer there tend to do barbecue and cold foods to deal with the sweltering heat. 

As the world grows hotter, some of Alabama’s traditional ways of dealing with extreme heat and humidity might be appealing to chefs in other parts of the country and world. 

I thought the following recipes in Alabama Hometown Cookbook by Sheila Simmons and Kent Whitaker give a good picture of Alabama’s cool cuisine for beating summer heat: 

-Crawfish cornbread – the sweet, cooked tails of the “crayfish” are chopped and added to the batter in this recipe. Jalapeño peppers, cream style corn, and cheddar cheese also go in this dish. This recipe qualifies as a simple man’s hidden luxury. 

-Crawfish hushpuppies – “crayfish” hushpuppies made with chopped crawfish tails, onion, and buttermilk that are deep-fried balls of crunchy delight 

-peach preserves – made simply with chopped peaches, sugar, and water by boiling and storing in hot jars. These are perfect on pancakes, French toast, waffles, and ice cream 

-Creole eggs – a sauce made with onion, Andouille sausage, and Ro-tel tomatoes is poured over raw eggs in ramekins and baked. 

 -marinated slaw – this is just the thing to go with BBQ. It is made with shredded cabbage and chopped green bell pepper, onion, and celery with a vinegar and oil dressing. It is refrigerated overnight and served cold with BBQ. 

-cranberry salad – set in cherry Jell-O with cranberries, celery, pecans, and chopped oranges 

-orange gelatin salad – made with orange Jell-O, orange juice, cheddar cheese, crushed pineapple, mayonnaise, and evaporated milk 

-grape salad – made with green and purple seedless grapes, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and chopped pecans 

-stewed collard greens with ham hocks – stew made with ham hocks and collard greens 

-muffeletta sandwiches – Louisiana’s heat beater is a favorite in Alabama, too. It is made with a black and green olive salad, pickled Italian vegetables, ham slices, salami, Swiss cheese, and provolone cheese on deli rolls. 

People who are looking for heat beater recipes can find many in the Alabama Hometown Cookbook by Sheila Simmons and Kent Whitaker. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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South Carolina's Sunshine Food by Ruth Paget

South Carolina’s Sunshine Food by Ruth Paget 

I always liked going to South Carolina as a child, because I could go swimming every day. My sister lived outside the resort town of Myrtle Beach in a small town called Murrells Inlet. 

Après my daily nage, I would check the crab trap that hung off the dock to see if we would get some fresh crab for lunch to go in salad from the garden. If I was unlucky and did not get a crab, I still did not worry about lunch, because my sister had a freezer full of bass, grouper, red snapper, and shrimp. She also had cupboards full of canned crab. 

K. fried fish and made fritters from the shrimp and crab. I would run over to Pittypat’s Porch Restaurant next door and get a bag full onion-flavored, deep-fried batter balls called hushpuppies. K.’s garden provided us with salad and green beans. 

I was a happy kid who loved swimming and eating. I thought South Carolina was the greatest place for a vacation without even counting amusement park trips to Myrtle Beach. 

Now that I am an adult, I think South Carolina’s culinary heritage has dishes that the entire United States might be interested in trying, especially in summer when you do not want to heat up the house for too long. South Carolina is famous for delicious food that is not too hard to prepare. 

I thought the following dishes from South Carolina Hometown Cookbook by Sheila Simmons and Kent Whitaker capture the spirit of the state:  

-grilled figs topped with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto. Figs grow well in South Carolina’s hot, humid climate. 

-seafood cheese ball made with cream cheese, crabmeat, and seasoning. It is chilled and rolled in chopped pecans to coat the ball. Pecans also grow well in this region. 

-coastal shrimp fritters – The batter for these is like a lumpy pancake mix that is made with shrimp, chopped red pepper, and chopped onion before pan frying them into fritters. 

-South Carolina crab dip – so easy to make with vegetable seasoning mix, sour cream, and crabmeat and then chilled. 

-Warm Tomato Pie Dip – a baked dip made with diced tomatoes, chopped and cooked bacon, ricotta cheese, Palmetto cheese, and basil. 

 -Plantation rice muffins – cooked rice is used in place of flour in these recipes. Rice used to be grown in South Carolina before other areas could do it more profitably like Louisiana. 

-Peach bread made with peaches and almonds 

-easy Lowcountry soup made with cooked shrimp or crab, chopped red bell peppers, chopped onions, and cream of mushroom soup. Lowcountry refers to southern South Carolina where the land is below sea level like the Netherlands. 

-Inlet shrimp salad – made with steamed shrimp, celery, and onion in mayonnaise. Served chilled. 

-Peach and shrimp salad – Fried shrimp combined with arugula, avocado, peaches, and onion. 

Peaches abound in South Carolina and show up in many recipes. I ate tons of ripe ones as a child and did have proverbial peach juice run down my arms. No worries! I just went back swimming to clean up. 

To evoke summer memories like these, readers might be interested in purchasing South Carolina Hometown Cookbook by Sheila Simmons and Kent Whitaker.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Crashing the Engineers' Breakfast Club in Seaside (CA) by Ruth Paget

Crashing the Engineers’ Breakfast Club in Seaside (CA) by Ruth Paget 

Every time I go to the Breakfast Club in Seaside (California), I see someone in an engineering school sweatshirt. Even when it is hot outside, these people do not wear T-Shirts. 

I ignore them and enjoy looking over the breakfast items on the menu. I like the eggs Benedict options and the omelet choices on the menu. 

My favorite is a real locals choice: the Chile Verde, Pork, and Jack Omelet topped with Avocado and Sour Cream. It costs $20.75 and is built for an engineer. I cut mine in half and take one half home to warm up for dinner. 

Two meals for $10.375 is a good deal for pork stewed with spicy green peppers (lots of Vitamin C here) and melted Monterey Jack cheese. This salty dish is especially good in summer heat. 

The movers and shakers of Seaside and Monterey County eat at the Breakfast Club with the engineers. 

I have an idea for raising $1,000 a day for this great restaurant that I would like to share with the owners and happy customers: 

To raise the $1,000 sell 50 chile verde omelets each day to 10 corporate clients who buy 5 omelets or sell chile verde omelets to 5 corporate clients who buy 10 omelets.

(50 omelets x $20 = $1,000) 

This is not an original idea. This is Cuban micro-capitalism. Little bakeries in Cuba are supposed to raise this kind of money this way on a daily basis thanks to locals and tourists.

Cuba’s problem is that they have very little money to spend and they no longer receive cash subsidies from Russia. Micro-capitalism has not been a huge success there. 

The U.S. has more money and a tradition of buying lunch out. Micro-capitalism might work here. 

$20 is expensive, but the same method works with $10 items as well to give you a daily cash flow of $500.  

Good daily cash flow pays rent and employees. 

Micro-capitalism might work in Monterey County and is a topic worthy of discussion at the Breakfast Club agora I think.  Other restaurants might be interested in this method as well.

 By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Sichuanese Food in Marina, California by Ruth Paget

Sichuanese Food in Marina, California by Ruth Paget

The Chinese say that food is medicine. They also think their medicine should be delicious, which is why I like Chinese food. 

My favorite Chinese food comes from the central-western province of Sichuan in China. Sichuanese food iis known to be very spicy due to the presence of many spicy red chili peppers used to stir-fry it. 

Both of the Chinese restaurants in my neighborhood of Marina (California) serve one of my favorite Sichuanese dishes – Kung Pao Chicken. Kung Pao Chicken honors an honest public servant who served in the not-so-reputable Qing Dynasty about two hundred years ago. 

Kung Pao Chicken is usually a reasonably priced item on restaurant menus and boosts your immune system with stir-fried vegetables and tonic spices and aromatics. The spice combination that flavors the pounded flat pieces of chicken breast includes:

-garlic 

-fresh ginger 

-light and dark soy sauces 

-rice vinegar 

-sugar 

-several spicy hot red chili peppers 

At Marina’s Lee’s Garden Restaurant, they serve Kung Pao Chicken made with green pepper squares, onions, carrots, and zucchini cubes for fresh flavor. Lee’s Garden puts 9 red hot chili peppers into its Kung Pao Chicken for kicky flavor. I like it this way, but also like the milder Kung Pao Chicken made with 3 to 4 red hot chili peppers that Marina’s Ho-Wah Restaurant does as well. 

Ho-Wah uses celery, zucchini, carrots, and onions for freshen its Kung Pao chicken. Ho-Wah is easy to spot with red lanterns dangling from its roof. It is famous for serving Marina’s mayor and has made the newspapers for serving Chinese vegetarian food. 

Both restaurants offer extensive meal options, but during pandemic times I like to think the Vitamin C in the vegetables and spicy peppers and the iron in the chicken help boost the immune system. 

For more information on Sichuanese food, see Fuscia Dunlop’s book The Food of Sichuan. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Marina Poké House in California by Ruth Paget

Marina’s Poké House in California by Ruth Paget 

Marina Poké House is a neighborhood restaurant that locals enjoy for the zesty ingredients and reasonable prices. Tourists might enjoy Marina Poké House for the Hawaiian fare at mainland prices, too. 

I have eaten the poke beginner’s California Bowl ($10.50) on several occasions. The California Bowl has three scoops of imitation crab (made from fish and delish) sushi and a scoop of chopped avocado on top of a generous base of rice. I usually have spicy aioli as my sauce. 

The bowls besides this are made to order and come in three sizes – small, medium, and large. When you order a custom bowl, specify the bowl size first and the number of fish you would like that determine the price you pay. 

To create a poké bowl, you have to choose four types of ingredients in a specific order. Marina Poké House makes this easy by listing steps in order on its menu as follows: 

1-Pick your base – rice, brown rice, or mixed local greens 

2-Pick your various fish, seafood, and/or tofu 

3-Pick your sauce from ponzu to wasabi mayonnaise 

4-Pick your topping – from avocado to kimchi to seaweed salad  

Marina’s Poké House serves Strawberry-Guava and Guava Nectar in cans among its beverage offerings for a nice counterpoint to the spicy sauces. 

For a discussion of poké’s history within the wider spectrum of Hawaiian cuisine, see Rachel Laudan’s The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii’s Culinary Heritage (pages 37 – 38). 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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North Carolina's Crab Cuisine by Ruth Paget

North Carolina’s Crab Cuisine by Ruth Paget 

I felt part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks beach culture every time my family went to oceanfront restaurants about one mile from the North Carolina border in Virginia Beach (Virginia) for boiled crab and buttery, seared scallops and shrimp. 

Some of these restaurants even had boat drive-up windows for take-out orders. 

Laurent and Florence always ordered buckets of boiled crab while I would get seafood platters of buttery, seared scallops and shrimp. Laurent and I always drank a California chardonnay with our meal like reliably good Kendall-Jackson. 

My mom job was to crack crab claws for Florence, so she could dunk them still warm in melted butter. She would say her crab were getting cold when I took breaks to eat my scallops and shrimp. 

We chair danced to the tunes of Jimmy Buffet and Hootie and the Blowfish and ate key lime pie for dessert for me, ice cream for Florence, and coffee for trim sailor Laurent. 

Seafood and crab, in particular, define the cuisine of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. You could buy freshly cooked lump crabmeat in supermarkets in Virginia Beach to use in omelets and appetizers as well as ready-made deli dishes using seafood at Harris-Teeter and Hanaford supermarkets. 

I made many dishes at home to save money. It was easy to do, because I had access to relatively inexpensive ingredients and recipes in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper. Many of the recipes I used are similar to the ones in Outer Banks Cookbook: Recipes and Traditions from North Carolina’s Barrier Islands by Elizabeth Wiegand. Some of my favorite recipes in this cookbook include: 

-spicy toasted pecans – Pecans grow in North Carolina’s sandy soil. They are a favorite with libations like Hurricane cocktails and margaritas. 

-Figs with Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts – Figs also grow in North Carolina. You place a walnut in the center of a fig half in this recipe and top it with Gorgonzola cheese before running it under it under the broiler for a few minutes.

-figs with country ham and green salad 

-artichoke and crab dip 

-crabmeat pâté 

-shrimp bisque 

-crabmeat omelet 

-seared scallops 

-scallops and scallions on polenta medallions 

-shrimp boiled in beer 

-warm shrimp pasta salad with goat cheese 

-chilled pickled shrimp 

-creamy she crab soup – there are canned versions of this soup that are also very good like Chincoteague She Crab Soup

-French Market Flounder (Marseilles-style) – dredge flounder in seasoned flour and then egg. Brown the fish. Add white wine to the pan and top fish with a tomato slice and cheese and run the pan under the broiler for several minutes. Serve with white rice that you mix with pan juices. Super easy and delicious recipe. 

Seafood lovers will find many reasons to love Outer Banks Cookbook: Recipes and Traditions from North Carolina’s Barrier Islands by Elizabeth Wiegand. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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French Wine Place Name Game - Reds by Ruth Paget

French Wine Place Name Game – Reds by Ruth Paget 

French wines are known by their place names, which give no information about the varietals (grapes) used to make it. A distinguished wine drinker in France in supposed to know from the place name what larger region the wine comes from and the varietals used to make the grapes. 

In this game for French red wines, you will make index cards with the following information for each wine below and quiz yourself to do the following: 

-Learn to pronounce the wine in French. 

 -Learn to spell the wine name 

-Learn the larger region where the wine is produced

-Learn the varietals used to make the wine 

Use The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson to look up information.  

--Bordeaux 

-Graves 

-Saint-Julien 

-Saint-Estèphe 

-Pauillac 

-Moulis 

-Sainte-Foy-Bordeaux 

-Saint-Emilion 

-Pomerol 

-Fronsac  

--Burgundy-La Côte de Nuits 

-Gevery-Chambertin 

-Morey-Saint Denis 

-Chambolle-Musigny 

-Vougeot 

-Flagey-Echézeaux 

-Vosne-Romanée 

-Nuits-Saint Georges 

--Burgundy – Côte de Beaune 

-Aloxe-Corton 

-Beaune 

-Pommard 

-Volnay 

-Givry 

-Mercurey 

 --Burgundy – Beaujolais 

-Saint-Amour 

-Juliénas 

-Fleurie 

-Chiroubles 

-Morgan 

-Moulin-à-Vent 

-Côte de Brouilly 

 --Côtes du Rhône 

-Châteauneuf-du-pape 

-L’Hermitage 

-Côtes-Rôties 

 --Jura 

-Arbois 

 --Southwest 

-Bergerac 

Making your own index cards and doing your own research will make the information in this game stick. 

This is just the game to play before a visit to the Total Wine store in Seaside, California.

Happy Gaming! 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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French Wine Place Name Game - Whites and Rosés by Ruth Paget

French Wine Place Name Game – Whites and Rosés by Ruth Paget 

With the exception of Alsace, French wines are known by their place names, which give no information about the varietals (grapes) used to make it. A distinguished wine drinker in France in supposed to know from the place name what larger region the wine comes from and the varietals used to make the grapes. 

In this game for French white wines, you will make index cards with the following information for each wine below and quiz yourself to do the following: 

-Learn to pronounce the wine in French. 

-Learn to spell the wine name

-Learn the larger region where the wine is produced 

-Learn the varietals used to make the wine 

-Learn if the wine is a white or a rosé 

Use The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson to look up information.  For Alsatian wine, Alsace can be both the place name and larger region.

--Alsace 

-Sylvaner 

-Riesling 

-Muscat 

-Traminer 

-Gewurztraminer 

-Pinot Gris 

 -Tokay 

 --Bordeaux 

-Sauternes 

-Barsac 

-Cérons 

-Graves 

-Sainte-Croix-de-Mont 

-Loupiac 

-Premières Côtes de Bordeaux 

-Entre-Deux-Mers 

--Burgundy 

-Chablis 

-Meursault 

-Puligny-Montrachet 

-Chassagne-Montrachet 

-Rully 

-Mantagny 

-Pouilly-Fuissé 

 --Côtes du Rhône 

-Château-Grillet 

-Condrieu 

-Saint-Péray 

-Tavel 

 -Lirac 

 --Jura 

-Château-Chalon 

-L’Etoile 

-Arbois 

-Poligny 

 --Languedoc-Roussillon 

-Banyuls 

-Côte d’Agly 

-Maury 

-Rivesaltes 

-Frontignon 

 --Southwest 

-Montbazillac 

-Montravel 

-Bergerac 

-Jurançon 

-Gaillac 

-Banquette de Limoux  

--Loire 

-Saumur 

-Coteaux du Layon 

-Coteaux de l’Aubance

 -Bourgeuil 

-Chinon 

-Vouvray 

-Montlouis 

-Muscadet 

-Sancerre 

-Pouilly-Fumé 

-Cabernet 

The vast majority of these wines are white, but researching them for information to make your index cards for quizzing helps make the information stick. 

This is just the game to play before a visit to the Total Wine store is Seaside, California.

Happy Gaming! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Parisian Sandwiches in Monterey (CA) by Ruth Paget

Parisian Sandwiches in Monterey (CA) by Ruth Paget 

My family usually goes to Crêpes of Brittany in Monterey (California) to eat crêpes made the traditional way with the addition of melted butter to the batter, making for a hearty meal despite the thinness of the crêpe. 

However, Crêpes of Brittany also offers five Parisian sandwiches for a cosmopolitan snack akin to Germany’s butterbrot sandwiches. 

The five baguette sandwich selections come with a choice of potato, pasta, or green salad. The sandwiches include: 

-French ham and butter 

-French ham or turkey with mayonnaise, gruyère cheese, lettuce, tomato, and boiled egg 

-French ham and Brie cheese with butter, lettuce, and tomato 

-Brie cheese with caramelized onion and apple 

-Tuna 

The French usually leave the Brie cheese rind on for flavor and texture on sandwiches. If you prefer not to eat the rind, let the waiter know when ordering. 

Crêpes of Brittany serves 11 kinds of coffee and spiced chai as well as alcoholic French apple cider from Brittany and Normandy. 

The crêperie is a perfect place to rejuvenate while visiting the historic and cultural sites in downtown Monterey. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Glimpses of Austrian Culture by Ruth Paget

Glimpses of Austrian Culture by Ruth Paget 

When I was the vice president of the Young Executive Program of the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris (France), I organized monthly networking cocktail parties for members as one of my duties. 

At one of these networking cocktails, I met Ms. S. who did public relations work for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. I immediately told her that I watched the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s Christmas concert with my French in-laws. 

“That’s a good tradition and an Austrian contribution to building European culture,” Ms. S. answered. 

That comment led to a discussion about all the Habsburg queens of France who had Austrian heritage such as: 

-Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII and mother of Louis XIV 

-Maria-Theresa of Spain, who was a Habsburg and wife of Louis XIV 

-The famous Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI 

“The Austrian daughters-in-law were not always popular,” Ms. S. noted. 

“The French like Austrian desserts, though,” I said. 

I took this opportunity to note that I had just gotten my first food article published in newspapers in Rhode Island and New Zealand about Catalan food for the upcoming Olympics in Barcelona. I asked Ms. S if there were Austrian food traditions I could write about. 

Ms. S. said that her favorite holiday was the Catholic celebration of Advent, the 24 days before Christmas, which is a time for reflection and simple, but good eating. 

During Advent, Austrians do “jause,” coffee breaks with pastries. The Austrians like “Kaffe mit schlag” – coffee with whipped cream on top and a slice of Linzertorte. Linz is a city in western Austria. A linzertorte is a wedge of jam pastry with a lattice-work pie crust topping. 

On Sundays during Advent, Austrians eat wiener schnitzel, a breaded and fried veal cutlet served with lemon. It is accompanies by sliced cucumber salad, potato salad, and French fries. 

I thanked Ms. S. for the information and introduced her to several Young Executive Program members who worked in media. I noted down what she said and added the notes to my “to-do” list at home. The to-do notes have survived several international moves. 

Finally, about 40 years later after this meeting, I am getting the notes written up in the versatile blog format. The food information is still relevant. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is still magnificent and easy to attend now thanks to online ticket ordering. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Anaphora Poem for Dad by Ruth Paget

Anaphora Poem for Dad by Ruth Paget For Laurent 

Father’s Day 

June 19, 2005 

You are the Star  

You are the Star 

  of restaurant reviews 

  of books about Virginia, France, and Wisconsin 

You are the Star 

  of baguette buying 

  of Costco capering 

  of Asilomar hiking 

You are the Star 

  of Big Sur Drives 

  of dim sum lunches in San Francisco 

  of French teaching 

You are the Star 

  of our hearts 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Acme Coffee Roasting Company by Ruth Paget

Acme Coffee Roasting Company by Ruth Paget 

I buy my locally roasted Acme Coffee at Star Market in Salinas (California) after doing recycling of plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and glass bottles with the parking lot recycling center. 

My husband Laurent and I use our recycling earnings to buy some specialty grocery items such as the following:

-Road Dog Acme Coffee by Acme Coffee Roasting Company – a local roaster located in Seaside, California owned and operated by veteran Chuck Thurman

-French cheese like pont l’évêque 

-Californian cheese like Point Reyes Farmstead Blue 

-Italian 00 semolina flour -Ancient grain flours like quinoa, amaranth, and einkorn 

-German chocolate like Ritter-Sport from Stuttgart, Germany 

-Progresso French onion soup 

-Large, juicy white grapes that taste good with espresso strong Road Dog Coffee from Acme Roasting Company 

Acme Coffee headquarters, located across town from Salinas in Seaside, sells coffee, coffee beans, and cool merchandise to nearby auto mall employees (sellers of and mechanics for Chevrolets, Jaguars, Land Rovers, Porsches, Teslas, and BMWs) and denizens of Obama Way with its renovated Louisiana look. 

The Acme Coffee website lists several kinds of beans for sale that can be ground while you sip a coffee: 

-the espresso strong Road Dog beans I love 

-Valve Job 

-Ninety Weight 

-Motor City Espresso 

-Power Glide 

-Acme Decaf 

-Roaster’s Choice 

-Uganda Sipi Falls 

Acme Coffee Merchandise includes:  

-Acme logo T-shirts 

-Cold Brew Tees 

-Acme logo zipper hoodies 

-Acme coffee tees 

Neighborhood locals mingle with tourists and California State University Monterey Bay students for news and coffee in Acmes convenient location off Highway 1 near Embassy Suites Hotel and Googie’s Restaurant. 

I like to think of Acme Roasting Company as Seaside’s Café du Monde and feel part of the community even if I am drinking Acme’s Road Dog Coffee at home. 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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