All Activity

@Maison Rustique those massive meatballs on the home page of O.B. were talking to me .

My wonderful sis and BIL came in last night (so we could get an early start packing today), and we went to the best local place here that I've talked about previously. Osteria Bianchi We ordered way too much food. Focaccia there is to die for. Made in-house and served with an olive oil-parmesan dipping sauce. I swear I could just eat that and be happy. We also ordered a mortadella pizza as an appetizer. BIL ordered appetizers meatballs and shrimp panzanella as his meal. Sis & I both ordered spaghetti carbonara. Had a lovely chianti with. They shared a chocolate torte while I tried an after dinner glass of italicus rosolio di bergamotto. It was tasty, but a little sweeter than I'd hoped. I doubt I'd drink it again. Got to chat a bit with owner Kelly Bianchi about her vintage stemware buys on eBay. My drink was served in vintage Moselle which my BIL went ga-ga over. Sorry, once again we took no photos. Got home to the raccuties on the deck entertaining us with their usual antics. Nothing cuter than baby wildlife.

The best upgrade from a Victorinox is probably an Opinel or a Robert Herder. These have thin bladestock that makes the Vic parer so desirable, but with better handles and ergonomics. I also like the Wusthof grand prix paring knife that I was gifted for similar reasons but I'd probably buy a Herder if I was starting from scratch and wanted something nice. I have a lot of small knives and those are the main ones I'd recommend for a Western cook looking for a normal paring knife to do in-hand and some on-board work. The paring knife isn't really a thing in Japanese kitchens, but the Mac Pro is perhaps the most recommended Japanese paring knife. Tojiro makes a good one too, but the Mac Pro gets the most love. The Gesshin/Japanese Knife Imports ones are nice for some things - they're the pointiest knives around - but they're quite different from Western knives in that they have a highly asymmetrical edge bevel. They also have cheap plastic handles that I've been meaning to replace for several years. Anyway, they're relatively inexpensive, sharpen well, and are an interesting change of pace. Nice to have if you've already got the traditional version covered.

They were battered and had a bang bang sauce on them, so not traditional flavors for a taco at all. The shrimp were also very large. The whole thing was messy to eat. I ended up taking it apart and using a knife and fork. The tuna topped oysters were not a hit with my husband or his brother. They both felt that the flavors didn’t really work together, and the texture was weird. They did finish them though! I’ll try and bring this trip food report up to date in the morning, it’s been a busy few days.

☺️That was a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek, compliment, not a travel itinerary. I just got back yesterday from Eureka and Redwood country.

I thought you were on the road to Montana. But yoi are still shopping at TJ's apparently.

There's an update on the pistachio recall. https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/various-pistachios-and-pistachio-containing-products-recalled-due-salmonella?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23

@Smithy Just arrived this afternoon. I'll use it soon (in a day or so) and report back. OXO Good Grips Etched Coarse Grater

I'll set an extra plate.

Here's what appears to be the same machine from Wayfair for even less: https://www.wayfair.com/kitchen-tabletop/pdp/velivi-ice-cream-maker-soft-ice-cream-machine-makers-slushy-machine-for-home-for-smoothies-milkshakes-cocktails-and-various-flavors-of-ice-cream-vliv1056.html However this one claims almost double the capacity, but I am not sure I believe it since the outside dimensions of both machines are the same. Geenpan also has a version for $399 but with a less pretty display.

I'll be in Montana next Thursday. Mind if I stop by?

I sit corrected. 60 (Diamond) years and you get your first, 65 another, 70 another and every year thereafter. To many more!

New-to-me today at TJ's: Have you seen them where you shop? TJ's Compound Butter formed into a small, 4-oz log Organic chicken bone broth. Although I regularly make my own chicken stock, it might be nice to have a package in the freezer. This item was found in the refrigerated section.

@ElsieD Frozen Drink Machine - Digital Slushie Maker with Multiple Modes, Ice Cream, Milkshake & Smoothie, 68oz Capacity, Self-Cleaning, Gray Visit the ABUKE Store 4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars (14) $261.75 with 25 percent savings-25% $261.75 Typical price: $349.00Typical price: $349.00 Or $43.63/mo (6 mo). Select from 2 plans May be available at a lower price from other sellers, potentially without free Prime shipping. Brand ABUKE Color Gray Capacity 4.3 Pounds Special Feature Digital Display, Frozen Drink Preparation, Ice Cream Making, Multiple Drink Modes, Slushie Making Material Metal, Plastic

Can you tell us the name of the one on Amazon? Your link won't take me to the American site and when it asks if I want to go to the Canadian site, and I say yes, the item doesn't show. That happens a lot.

That stinks of Kickstarter fraud. Could be worth reporting it to them.

The machines are supposed to be available on Amazon soon, but while looking I found the identical machine with a different brand name, and it's less than I paid on a super early bird kickstarter! https://amzn.to/426n8Tg

Should have bought one of these, no chance of losing it

Cool idea. Thanks. Yes, there were some small Yoplait and Chobani cups available, and also some containers of dry cereal. I couldn't find any juice, though. My friend, Cathy, travels with a small pepper grinder that she carries in her purse. It's about 3 1/2 - 4 inches long, similar to this: After seeing hers I grabbed one for.my use ... no longer know where it is.

A spray of PAM will give enough fat to crisp-up the bread but not be too greasy

Can you elaborate on the canned Rotel tomatoes? I'll soon be getting a plethora of plum tomatoes.

MSRP is $400, kickstarter offer was $286

As someone that travels a fair bit for work, this is about the best as can be said for 90% of the hotel breakfasts. Bonus points given out for individual servings of yogurt and cottage cheese and I travel with little packets of instant coffee to add to the usually weak coffee offerings.

Elk steaks(med rare), charred brussel sprouts (the only way partner will eat them. I love them raw or cooked, so long as they aren't overdone), and mushrooms.