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@weinoo nice Fell off the truck , did they ? late '70's , I used to get swordfish that didn't fall off the truck , but was still on the truck thick-set dark Italian types selling it in the old Scully Square , BOS. 1/4 the price of fish mongers right around the corner . only swordfish . very very fresh it was.

Asian grilled shrimp salad.

We don't have much choice for mayonnaise in Costa Rica. The only three State side brands available are Kraft, Hellmans, and Great Value. Kraft is available in jars but more often in this squeeze bottle. Hellmann's only comes in the plastic packages. Great Value, which is the least desirable, is available in both. A while back when I was in the store I took a picture and counted the types available that are made in central America and there were 24 different types, all of them pretty dismal. As somebody said upthread, it's a shame they no longer use glass jars. They were so useful. I still have two of these left from about 20 years ago.

Murray’s Cheese 25% off the whole site. Just sent my parents an early X-mas present

Today!

Famous last words!!!

I’d never tried them before but they are very tasty little treats! I’m looking forward to trying all the flavors!

I think sandwiches can be pretty easy if you stick to a decision and gather supplies efficiently. I dithered and didn’t stick to a plan. I struggle with trying to do too much and/or trying to make a giant batch of something I’ve never made a single batch of. My son relayed to me that his daughter told him that things don’t have to be perfect. When I told him she was wise beyond her years, he replied that Murphy told him that Mimi taught her that things don’t have to be perfect. My granddaughter took my advice, but I can’t seem to!

On the surface of it, sandwiches sound easier to make and package than the hot cooked meals you've been preparing, packaging and chilling. But now that you've done it, what do you think? Might it actually be a more fiddly process for cooking in quantity? If not, maybe the doers like you are simply too busy getting ready for their own feasts.

...and at opposite ends of the world and the climate swings, I spent hours getting ready for the first winter storm of the season. By the time I was finished, I needed something warm but easy. I decided to try a quesadilla, more or less following @Shelby's instructions elsewhere. I was going to make it on my panini press, but then thought: the A4 box is stacked atop it. Why not try the quesadilla on that? See whether it's still worth the space it's taking in my cupboard. Step 1: start cooking vegetables first. I tossed the broccoli and cauliflower in oil and salt, loaded them onto the griddle, and slapped the lid on while I prepped the tortilla. Step 2: prep the tortilla. In this case it meant cutting open the bag in the wrong spot (WHEN will I remember that these are easy-open bags, with a zipper closure?) and then loading up some stray cheeses that needed to go. Step 3: load as much veg as possible into the quesadilla, fold it over, and make room for it on the griddle. Let the rest of the vegetables stay there and continue cooking. It was pretty good, and dead easy. The broccoli and cauliflower, by the way, steamed as much as cooked while that lid was on, so they turned soft. Not at all the same as roasting them. But those that didn't make it into the quesadilla and continue to cook developed a delicious crust. Yes, I'll keep the A4 box. And use it more.

Thank you! I’m kind of disappointed that the number of sandwich donations has not lived up to the enthusiastic reception the idea seemed to get last week, but the donations picked up yesterday, so here is hoping.

@patti, you are truly a wonder! Generous, inventive, and a blessing to your community!

I discovered that Effie's now has Gruyere flavor and just ordered some. I think that is the only one I haven't tried yet. They'll be here next week.

Welcome. Did my undergraduate in Chicago. It’s a super food city. Look forward to seeing what you cook.

I’d have to look away.

I will address the hard fried egg posts 😜 a little later, but wanted to update on Sandwich Week. I’m not sure why I complicate things unnecessarily, but yesterday I finally decided to keep it simple. I made 22 peanut butter & jelly sandwiches on honey wheat bread, but only bagged 20 lunches because the “end piece” sandwiches were smaller, and I put two of those in a bag lunch, instead of just one. I’m always concerned about using the end pieces since so many people turn their noses up at them, but the ends are my favorite slices and I refuse to throw them away. One loaf of sandwiches was peanut butter and grape jelly, and the other loaf was with strawberry. Each bag contained a sandwich, cookies, a mandarin orange, and a bag of some kind of chip. My pic of the chips variety, oranges, and cookie varieties will only show up upside down, so I didn’t include. Next, 22 ham & cheese brown bag lunches. The cheese was a Tillamook medium cheddar from Costco, and the ham was Wright smoked honey ham. Bread was whole wheat and there was mayo on each side. Although the fridge was bare when we arrived at about 2:15 pm, I know it had been filled and emptied several times that day. An hour later, someone posted this donation, and you can see there were still a few of our bagged lunches left, but most gone in an hour. For the week, 22 grilled cheese sandwiches (not packed as a brown bag lunch, just bagged sandwiches placed in the community fridge), 25 breakfast sandwiches (eggs with cheese, sausage patty on biscuit) and 42 brown bag lunches. C’est fini! My plan is to focus on my own Thanksgiving dinner today and tomorrow and maybe not cook, prepare, or think of feeding anyone until mid to late next week!

Oh, I was on an Effie's buying kick for a while. I think I need to order some for the holidays!!

Thanks! I still have her book, so I'll check out the original!

Molly Steven’s recipe from ‘All About Braising’ - something like this: Worlds best braised cabbage recipe (clicky)

It’s a fabulous area, but that station really does turn one around. Ahh yes, I realise now I got the name of the hotel wrong. Thanks for that 🙏

Well, it all sounds splendid except possibly the world's best braised cabbage. In this neck of the woods, "World's Best" is a brand name for chocolate bars sold as fundraisers (school bands, football teams, and so on). I've never seen that brand applied to braised cabbage, so I suspect it isn't a brand name. It may deserve the hyperbole, even so. More info, please. I'm always up for good ways to treat cabbage. 😀

Non-traditional Thanksgiving in an Indiana AirBnb. Looks like the menu will be salmon, mashed potatoes, world’s best braised cabbage, green bean salad, and dairy and non-dairy ice creams with bittersweet hot fudge sauce.

@blue_dolphin, what fun!!

I had the exact same experience staying at Keio Plaze, wrong turn out of the Station, kind expats noticed lost travelers, guided us back to the right place. The Izakaya's around there were so great, and Shinjuku was beautiful chaos. I can still hear the Pachinko sounds if I concentrate.

You’re probably right, I know nothing about microwave antennas. And, you’re welcome. It’s testing my memory, but I do occasionally reread my travel blogs and relive the moment.