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I spent the day on a combination of walking, loafing, working on the trailer (chores, laundry) and shopping. I absolutely, positively had to go get fuel: the gauge was nearly on empty and although the "miles remaining" info said I had 40 miles to go, I didn't want to push it. I put 32 gallons into a 35 gallon tank. That's close enough to "empty", don't you think? Then it was on to a pickup wash, and then a Walmart. I needed trailer chemicals, the window squeegee I've mentioned before, and a few groceries for myself and the 4-footed companions. Really, I didn't need much in the way of groceries: a few odds and ends, like yogurt and sliced cheese. Then the floodgates opened. This Walmart is HUGE, even by the usual Walmart Superstore standards. I went through my "Help! Get me outta here!" phase while I tried to navigate the various auto parts, RV parts, household cleaners, and groceries while I was busy dodging the electronics, toys, sporting goods, garden goods (seeds and fertilizer for sale here already) and countless other departments. Eventually I had enough scratched off my list that I could start to take photos. The cheese section is amazing. I found proper chorizo, although I realized later I'd picked up the beef instead of the pork. Oh, well. I really just needed some sliced cheese (and of course I got more than I needed) and vegetables. But how could I resist more than two things from this section? It took a while to find the jalapenos I wanted; this immense selection of chiles didn't have them. They were elsewhere altogether. All that done, I headed back for home, anticipating a happy session of cooking...but wait! While searching the local maps I discovered an African market and restaurant!

Hotel block is at is Hotel Universal - 5000 Sherbrooke St E, Montreal, Quebec H1V 1A1 www.hoteluniversalmontreal.com Note the group code Barry (may need to add Barry Callebaut Academy) From Wednesday, May 13 to Monday, May 18, 2026 Room Classic/Comfort category equipped with 2 double beds Room Classic category equipped with 1 king bed GROUP ROOM ONLY RATES (Per room/per night) $189.00* single/double/triple and quadruple The above rate is net and does not include taxes nor breakfast. Applicable taxes are : 3.5% Municipal Lodging tax, 5% Federal tax (GST) and 9.975% Provincial tax (PST). BENEFITS : Free access to high speed wireless internet throughout entire hotel; Each room features small safe, small refrigerator, Keurig coffee maker & complimentary coffee/tea; Free access to a large parking lot for cars and motorcoaches. Free access to swimming pool and exercise room. Please find the group code for your room block: Barry (Barry Callebaut Academy). The guests can start calling the hotel right away to book their room (reservations can be made by phone : 514-253-3365 or 1 (800) 567-0223, or e-mail : info@hoteluniverselmontreal.com), making sure to mention the above code to book their rooms at the preferred rate. Reservations must be cancelled 24 hours prior the day of arrival (before 11:00 a.m.) to avoid a penalty of one night (room and tax). Coupon breakfast : $13.25 + taxes + service per person You have two options: 2 eggs, choice of meat, home-style potatoes, toast, with coffee or juice 3 pancakes with coffee or juice Our restaurant Toit Rouge is open from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., 7 days a week. The guest can add this to her reservation if necessary.

Thanks. That sounds like a good, rather classic combination except possibly for cooking it all together in a slow cooker. (I'll have to try that!) Did you make up the name? If not, do you know its derivation? It sounds like a takeoff on, oh, steampunk.

After seeing this video a couple of weeks ago, I was amazed at the simplicity and usefulness of some of the ideas. After trying a few, it was clear as Nicole, the presenter, said, no B.S. Maybe you'll find something here that works for you. Plus, Nicole is a very personable presenter ...

In loking for somewhere that we've never been, we're looking at Montenegro and Croatia -- have you been to either?

We go to a lake for a fishing derby, late June every year. The place is over-run by ground squirrel (similar to groundhogs.) Our dog will sit by a hole and wait for ours and then suddenly lunge, snap their neck and walk away. I felt so bad and embarassed until the owner told me that they were going to put him on staff as they have been trying to cull the little critters!

Dinner from Julie Sahni's 'Classic Indian Cooking', one of my first cookbooks. Velvet creamed shrimp (Jheenga malai khasa): Unsweetened grated coconut is toasted in a dry pan until caramel-brown, then blended into a paste with yogurt, garlic, ginger, and chiles. Sauce is fragrant with sauteed cinnamon stick, cloves, and green cardamom pods and brown-fried onion, and thickened with ground cashews (sub for almonds). Unusual and very good. Buttered smothered Napa cabbage: I fiddled this a bit, but began by sauteeing cumin seed, garlic, and ginger in ghee. Add sliced Napa cabbage, turmeric, and tomato sauce, then cooked down until nearly dry. Tasted salty so I added some yogurt. Pre-made mashed potatoes needed using up.

Ground meat, beans, rice, salsa, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, shredded cheese, and sour cream, all slow cooked together and then wrapped in tortillas.

Brings up an interesting question. What is the line between a soup and a stew? I would call your chicken dish soup, due to it being in broth rather than gravy.

Cooked up a serving of polenta in the Instant Pot and topped it with some of the short rib ragu with black peppercorns from Six Seasons of Pasta from my freezer stash.

I don't suppose many of you would order 鸡肠 (jī cháng) for dinner. You can see the flat tone then rising tone. But if you do, be careful. These are chicken interstines, surprisingly popular in hot pots and stews. Chicken Intestines Screw up and ask for 机场 (jī chǎng), flat tone then falling and rising tone, the wait staff will look at you pityingly and assume you are suffering from dementia and confused. You seem to think you're in a taxi. You've just asked for the airport! (I should point out that I'm only posting food related terms that can be confused. Almost all Chinese words are the same!)

Dinner last night was chicken paprikash served over nokedli and accompanied with a Hungarian cucumber salad – Uborkasaláta. The sauce was made with a combination of hot Hungarian smoked paprika and sweet paprika cream.

The Creamy Oregano Dressing from Samin Nosrat's book, Good Things is quite nice in a bean salad. It uses aquafaba, which keeps it nicely emulsified. In the book, she uses it in a White Bean, Celery and Tuna Salad and a Marinated Chickpea Salad with Cucumbers and Dill, either of which could be salads for another fridge meal. I’ve made and enjoyed both and they hold up nicely. She also uses that dressing to marinate “Souvlaki-ish” chicken thighs that she grills and are great in a wrap. If you want to try the dressing, the recipe is available here: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Food/dig-samin-nosrats-everyday-recipes-new-good-things/story?id=125524145

I have not ruled out making my own. @paulraphael would you please share your recipe.

I know this isn't relevant to you patti but for those of us who are living alone or cooking for two, making bean salad can be a problem. By the time I have added three kinds of beans and chickpeas, I have enough to feed us and my neighbors. So I usually mix the beans together first, before I add the dressing, take out what I need for one meal and freeze the rest in small portions. That way I can have bean salad just when I want it and we're not eating bean salad for a week.

As simple as this sauce is to make, I think it matters greatly what tomatoes are used.

Have you ruled out making it yourself? It's easy for small quantities and all I ever do. You'll never get as high a percentage of the sugar inverted as they do in the factory brands. But unless you're doing something ultra-precise it shouldn't matter.

I always have a bean salad on hand, particularly because it keeps so well. A Tabbouleh salad also for the same reason. My bean salad is canned or cooked chickpeas, black beans, red &/or white kidney beans, some other canned bean which I have on hand, canned or frozen corn, I'd add black olive slices but Ed doesn't want them, red or white or green onions, a bit of garlic (I don't seem to tolerate my former amounts any longer), fresh or dried parsley and a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Never any sugar or long skinny beans or lima beans. Love it.

Took leftovers from last night's nacho-fest dinner to work for lunch - no photos, but it was a fun lunch. Made sort of a torta with leftover refried black beans, shredded chicken, salsa, and avocado which had a squirt of lime added. Thankfully had the kitchen to myself so no witness to the finger licking!

Me too. I tried Googling this and only came up with a bunch of googlygunk, as my grandson calls it.

This is how our eggs are packaged now. They are simply wrapped in cellophane but it is much preferable to the paper bag. They are sold in units of 15 but they are actually sold by the kilo so each package has a slightly different price. When I get them home I transfer them to plastic egg cartons that are designed for 15 eggs. Most people here don't keep their eggs in the refrigerator and don't have to because they have not been washed before Packaging. For me, it's a habit that I have just not been able to get used to and I still keep mine in the fridge. For a while here, we had frequent small earthquakes and I had to get used to being very cautious about opening cupboard doors. I learned quickly after I got hit in the head with a jar of peanut butter

Am I the only one that doesn't care for this sauce?

"Gutterpunk"? Please enlighten me.

Numeric culture is funny, isn't it? There's the perennial question of why hot dogs and hot dog buns aren't sold in the same multiples in this country. I hadn't heard of selling things in multiples of 15, though. I actually have an egg container that I picked up at a garage sale last year, same idea as yours but for a dozen. If it falls out during a refrigerator avalanche however, the eggs will be just as broken as in the standard containers. Maybe the mess will be contained, but it would still be a mess. The more standard cartons are relatively secure now, I think. For sure, the 18 eggs on the left are fairly secure, because the container under that carton has a lipped lid. They'd both have to come out at the same time. The blue dozen-egg container on the right may be relocated before I move. I've learned the hard way to be careful opening cupboards and doors after traveling. A few days ago I was glad for that caution; when I parked after an especially rough road, I started to open the refrigerator door and could hear contents shifting. BOTH those cartons you see in the collage above were trying to slide out, along with a couple of condiment jars! I managed to save the eggs and have relocated them since that near-disaster.

Every once in a while I crave the deep, rich flavors of a Mexican chile paste. This one had toasted ancho and guajillo chiles, roasted garlic, chicken stock, black pepper, cumin, cloves, and Mexican oregano, rounded out with a little molasses. Chorizo, shrimp, mushrooms, and zucchini for sustenance.