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The Food and Drug Administration yesterday updated its list of states and countries exporting SAFE tomatoes. Namely, Florida tomatoes have been approved. But here's the whole list, followed by a few paragraphs of additional information that I found on the FDA Web site. If you have other questions, I would encourage you to visit the site.

The list of APPROVED states:

Alabama
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Delaware
Florida (counties of: Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte)*
Georgia
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
New Jersey
New York
Nebraska
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Belgium
Canada
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Israel
Netherlands
Puerto Rico

* Shipments of tomatoes harvested in these counties are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Consumers who are unsure of where the tomatoes are from that they have in their home are encouraged to contact the store or place of purchase for that information.

Consumers should also be aware that raw tomatoes are often used in the preparation of fresh salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo, are part of fillings for tortillas, and are used in other dishes.

Restaurants, grocery stores, and food service operators have been advised by the FDA not to offer for sale or service raw red plum, Roma, or red tomatoes and products made from these types of tomatoes unless they are from one of the areas listed above.

Since mid April, there have been 167 reported cases of salmonellosis nationwide caused by Salmonella Saintpaul, an uncommon form of Salmonella. At least 23 hospitalizations have been reported.

Source: Food and Drug Administration.

In case you've missed it, the Food and Drug Administration is advising against the consumption of certain kinds of raw tomatoes, including red plum, red Roma and red round. Apparently, folks across the country have fallen ill with salmonella infection and the FDA believes it has been linked to tomatoes.

I'm really disappointed by this outbreak. It's almost tomato season here, which should be a time of joy for tomato lovers everywhere. It's a time to savor that first tomato sandwich or a big bowl of warm, juicy fruit with cottage cheese. And while the best tomatoes, hands down, come right out of a backyard garden, people with no time to garden deserve the very best of the season, too.

When I went grocery shopping on Sunday, many tomatoes had all been pulled from my Kroger store. Cherry, grape and on-the-vine tomatoes are still okay, according to the FDA. The administration has released a list of states where tomato production has NOT been affected by the outbreak. Read on for the list.

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What does your work refrigerator say about you....and your co-workers?

Well, from the looks of the fridge in the Features department at The Roanoke Times (I took this picture this morning), it says at least one thing: We bring Lean Cuisines to work, but we never eat them.

Notice the TWO Lean Cuisines that have been permanently encased in ice in the upper right hand corner of the picture. I can't even tell if they were sesame chicken or macaroni and cheese or salmon or what.

Now, Wendy admitted that one of the Lean Cuisines was probably hers. Who brought in the other one?

Okay, I admit. It was me.

This is cold, hard evidence that while I often have good intentions about eating a healthy lunch at work, the Lean Cuisine goes untouched in the freezer while I make my way to Alejandro's, the market building or some other spot for tasty grub.

Of course, one of these days I'm going to be too busy to run out and I'll remember that I have an emergency frozen dinner. Anyone got an ice pick?

Here's an addendum to my comments about Oak Steakhouse in Charleston. My father asked me to bring him back a good recipe for shrimp and grits, and this one came straight from the man himself, Chef Brett McKee. For a twist, these shrimp are served over creamy polenta instead of grits.
Check it out, and enjoy!

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This was the view from our hotel in Charleston, S.C. last week. And while it is a beautiful view indeed, memories of the boats and water are in strong competition with memories of the food I ate while I was there.

Charleston is a food city, there's no doubt about it.

The most upscale meal we had was at Oak Steakhouse in downtown Charleston, which is housed in a historic former bank building on Exchange Street. Oak is run by Brett McKee, the same chef who headlined the Puttin' on the Dog event at Roanoke Country Club not long ago.

My husband drew the line at letting me bring my camera inside the steakhouse, but I can still picture the meal in my mind: tender, rich oysters Rockefeller, a perfect filet, lobster and shrimp macaroni and cheese and the best brussels sprouts I've ever had. They were roasted with applewood smoked bacon and sugar. I must have that recipe.

The best seafood house in Charleston, however, is slightly less beautiful on the outside than the Oak Steakhouse. It's called The Wreck of the Richard and Charlene, and it's difficult to find if you aren't looking for it. Check out the picture (at left) and you'll see that it's no wonder The Wreck is one of Charleston's best-kept secrets.

I found recommendations for The Wreck on the boards at Chow.com, and I will never take another vacation to an unfamiliar city without checking Chow first.

When we checked into our hotel, I asked the clerk: "Isn't The Wreck near here?"
He replied: "How did you know about The Wreck? We don't tell tourists about it."
At that moment, I knew I was onto something.

The Wreck is housed in a tiny, nondescript building on Shem Creek. There are no signs. As you can see, the view from the inside is quite a bit more becoming (and not just because my wonderful hubby is in the picture.)

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