Vanity: New Cooking (and things related) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

I'm posting this vanity for two reasons:

I'm trying to create a new cooking thread; some of us miss the old one, which has apparently gone dormant.

I've had an interesting experience of late: The Washington Post published a recipe for Peanut Soup a couple of weeks ago, and I tried it out. (Peanut soup was apparently very popular in Colonial times, and it seems to be a staple in some Williamsburg restaurants today.)

I was kind of amazed at this recipe: There's not much in it but a couple of vegetables, broth, and peanuts - but it comes out so RICH!

Here's the link to the Post article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/virginia-peanut-soup/14444/

My second reason for posting, was an old FR thread that I found when searching for information on Pfaltzgraff "Yorktowne":

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1462701/posts

A lot of the people (probably Ladies) who responded to that thread, seemed to know about Pfaltzgraff.

I've been slowly building a collection of vintage Yorktowne dinnerware, through buying in thrift shops. The original stuff was incredibly durable, attractive, and fits perfectly with an early American/Colonial style.

But I know that the stuff has been produced in other places besides the US, in recent years - including China.

Does anyone know the hallmark or crest, for the original Pfaltzgraff 'Yorktowne' that was made in the US in the late 1960s - 1970s? How can you tell the difference between the 'real thing' and the 'cheaper thing'?

I'm asking because I now have many pieces; and last week I bought two little bowls, with completely different hallmarks. There was a distinct difference in the painting; one was very distinctly painted, the other very 'flowy' - if that's a word :-)

The one with the more "flowy" painting, is heavier; and the blue is much deeper; the other seems less substantial, and has a hallmark in a circle, which is unlike all of my other pieces.

I just want the Old Stuff ;-)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-JT

[txhurl]

(How am I going to get ‘Fresh West Coast Oysters, in Mary-land?)

---

First, take out a small loan. Then have them shipped from Washington state! :) Oyster stew *is* grand. My mom makes it with condensed milk, this recipe sounds much better.

[locountry1dr]

Please add me to the ping list - thank you!

[Calvin Locke]

Tell me, did the solons in Annapolis ever enact that oyster shell tax?

(Oyster beds apparently need shells to thrive, and the harvesting removes ...)

[Nea Wood]

Please add me to the ping list! Thank you.

[Jamestown1630]

I’m not on the Shore, so I haven’t paid attention. But I think there’s a “recycling credit” for recycling shells.

I knew an old man on Bay Hundred who “paved” all the roads on his farm with oyster shells. Seems like good ‘recycling’ to me :-)

I do know that we are getting hit with a “rain tax” - apparently property owners will be taxed on ‘impermeable surfaces’, like paved driveways, stone patios, even roofs (rooves?)...

-JT, Lifelong in the Freak State

[SamAdams76]

I was just at one of those Texas Roadhouse restaurants where they have peanuts in the big barrel and they allow you to toss peanuts to the floor. I’m thinking I can grab a few handfuls of peanuts from there and try out this peanut soup recipe. Maybe I can get Texas Roadhouse to put peanut soup on their menu - being that they have so many peanuts at their disposal.

[Jamestown1630]

Check out Ezekiel’s post (Post 17); this is a recipe that can take all kinds of tweaking. Make it Indian, make it Mexican...seems like a very healthy protein-sub, as well.

-JT

[sockmonkey]

Add me to the ping list, please. Thx.