tirgoddess
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Posts posted by tirgoddess
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Love this topic!
I am a collector of dish towels. I buy them in places that I travel as memory keepers and use them for dish work or for when company comes. As they wear, I relegate them to the side towel status, ready for stains, burns, ect. I have not had a dishwasher for 10 years, since my home was built in the 40's and the counters will not properly fit a dishwasher (this is changing). When I am housecleaning with an old favorite, I appreciate the memory of where it was purchased and how it was used. It helps with the drudgery. I have a couple of towels that I purchased at the Grand Canyon gift shop over 25 years ago, with my husband, before we were married. Those are now in our camping gear and I love using them on our yearly camping trips. I have dish towels that my mother purchased in her travels which are "company only" as she died when I was young and I want to preserve them.
Since joining my supper club, I have needed more side towels. There can be eight of us cooking and messing at a time. I buy those at Costco and cycle them to floor work and house cleaning as they wear. They are cheap, but their drawback is the "threadiness". The threads are not condusive to plating or drying stemware. I hate seeing wipes on my plate in resturants. If I had a ton of money I would use the William Sonoma dish towels for drying and side work. They provide a great grip without the threads (combed cotton maybe?). As for potholders, I appreciate them more after they have worn down a bit, especially the ones with the "flame retardant" underside. But new potholders and oven mits (especially) do not fit my small hands and therefore provide a poor grip, especially after a couple of glasses of wine!
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As a home cook, I have always rinsed chicken prior to preparing. Last night at super club, one of our members said that there is no need to rinse chicken. At work I have insisted upon it and someone even said that they rinse hamburger prior to preparation. What is the safe and proper handling method for meats and poultry prior to prep?
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Holiday items at Trader Joes: lots of great mixers for cocktails at Trader Joe's - sparkling blueberr, cranberry, apple, blood orange, pomegranate etc. Spicy cider good for making apple pies (hot cocktail) and for those who prefer a non alcoholic festive drink. No frozen turkey gravy, gasp! for eGulleteers I know, but it was really good and folks who can't make gravy or don't have time really loved it. Maybe it will be back by the next set of holidays. If you want a great glatt kosher turkey, get it at Trader Joe's but pick it up early or order it in, they always sell out about 4 days before the holidays. Roasted chestnuts vacuum sealed can be found with the dried fruit and nuts. For a special cheese presentation, check out the rosemary Marcona almonds, a little pricy, but excellent. Cheeses- see if you can find the Red Dragon mustard ale cheese, best price anywhere. Check out the English cheddar with carmelized onions and the Blue Castello as well. Rustique camembert is new, but make sure it is not too ripe when you buy it. Laurel Chennel's goat cheese is Trader Joe's branded in the similar brown and black label that have her name on it. There is also a new "hybrid" cheese Fontiago, cross between Asaigo and Fontina, let it come to room temp, it's creamy, mild with a little bite at the end. Rounds out a cheese plate nicely. Byrd crab meat is a nice and convenient buy, Indonesian crab, all claw meat, pasturized, no water, keeps in your frige unopened for up to a year. One pound of crab for about $9.00. Love Cabernet Franc? Try Runston's from Napa Valley, it is outstanding. The Merlot is a fine buy as well. Some stores will have a new Artisan bread called Epi Baguette. This is a par baked bread in the shape of a wheat shaft, each wheat kernel serves as a dinner roll. You finish the bread in your oven and it turns golden like wheat. The symbolism is lovely and the bread is very tasty. Serve it with the Devon double cream butter.
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Cab Franc?
in Wine
I recently had a fabulous Cabernet Franc from Burrell School Winery in Los Gatos, CA. It was quite enjoyable and would easily lay down for a couple of years. The Town of Los Gatos settles at the Northern base of the Santa Cruz mounatins and has a wonderful climate for growing this grape as well as Pinot. You can find them at burrellschool.com.
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Sorry if this thread is redundant, couldn't find it in any searches - a customer of mine would like a cholesteral, trans fat, hydrogenated oil free alternative to butter to bake with- is there such a thing?
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Trader Joe's has huge expansion plans for 2006. They are adding a distribution hub in Atlanta in order to open more stores in the South. Every new store evolves out of the distribution hubs. New stores are opening in markets with existing distrubution centers.
A major focus is being made to listen to customer requests and suggestions. It really has always been this way, but the documentation process has been refined so that information that comes from stores gets to corporate quicker.
Regarding "shrink wrapped veggies". These products can be found in the produce section next to the bagged lettuce. They are actually prepped vegetables that are fresh and very easy to prepare. French green beans, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, whole roasted, peeled baby beets are some of the offerings. Try them, they are of excellent quality and they help you to get right to your recipe with out alot of the hassle of having to prep first (like cutting and peeling butternut squash).
Check out the new Eggplant Caponata, chunks of eggplant, tomato and onion. It is a jarred product on the grocery asile. Also, as many of you know, many of the products at TJ's are the same products that you would find at high end stores, but with the Trader Joe label and at a lower price. For example the goat cheese packaged in brown and black with the TJ label is actually Laurel Chenel goat cheese, an artisan producer from Sonoma County, California.
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Here's a post of mine from not too long ago, have a great time! Write back with your impressions and experiences in SF.
Having just returned from a celebratory weekend in SF, I thought I would share my impressions here. Since we go there only once a year, I do a little prior planning using Bauer’s top 100 lists. Knowing that my husband loves roast chicken, Zuni was on the top of the list. I made reservations for Friday night. For the most part, we were not disappointed. Our table looked down on the open kitchen, though the seating was somewhat cramped, it was fun to observe the operation from a bird's eye view. The most memorable dish was the spaghetti carbonera- farro pasta with English peas and smoked bacon in a glorious olive oil, the flavors sang in this simply prepared dish. The oysters from the seafood bar, which we observed as well, were exquisite! We also enjoyed a lovely white burgundy. Our service was off to a great start until Lucy Liu showed up and our server disappeared for the evening. His back up did a suitable job to help us through the meal. Ironically, we didn’t order the roast chicken.
Saturday was a walk from Union Square to the Ferry Building- a beautiful day, and a lovely experience. Artisans on the plaza with their wares, local farms (honey, vegetables, olive oils, etc.) along the Embarcadero in front of the building. Inside was a glorious sunlit corridor of boutique food shops, (Cowgirl Creamery, an organic market, a mushroom purveyor, a wine bar that sat out on the promenade.) Outdoors, behind the building were more glorious organic farmers with their many colored carrots, beets, chards, etc. and food stands with choices like crepes, tamales in banana leaves, and barbeque. We sat out there and enjoyed creamed spinach crepes and watched the ferries come and go.
I left the evening unplanned, as I wasn't sure what we would feel like doing. Michael Mina crossed my mind, but we really wanted something more high energy. We went to Kuleto's for a cocktail around 8:00 and decided on Bix, grabbed a cab and showed with no reservation. We were seated at the bar, which was happening. The bar is beautifully backlit and well staffed by enough bartenders to take care of everyone quickly and easily. As we sipped our drinks, a jazz trio kept the place hopping. Our table was going to be a long wait so we opted for appetizers at the bar. More glorious oysters, and a chorizo wrapped scallop plate, which for us was the most memorable dish that we ordered. Later our table was available, where we enjoyed our entrees. They ran out of the Kobe beef so my husband had the New York strip, he loved it. I had a good little shrimp entree. Glad we had the appetizers, as the portion on the shrimp was quite small, but enough with appetizers. The Paso Robles Pinot Noir was excellent. As was the service, the restaurant manager is doing a great job. He spoke to us twice during the evening and kept the floor smooth and in order.
Back to Michael Mina. We were staying at the Westin St. Francis, as we love the history and feel of the property (we also love the heavenly bed!). It has been a while since we have stayed there and we were disappointed with the changes that have been made to accommodate Mina. As we walked around the hotel, we couldn’t help but be offended by the obtrusiveness of Mina's place. I have only read great things about the restaurant, so I was surprised that no one has written about how out of place his decor is with the rest of the hotel. His gray and maple color scheme bleeds into the lobby, with modern corner banquettes, set up to be a cocktail lounge. Really, every time we walked through the lobby, we were reminded of a bus stop. Rarely did we see a cocktail being enjoyed. Mostly it was folks sleeping with their luggage. The walls of the restaurant are imposing, maple with Mina's name blazed across them. Upon further inspection, the wall on the left opens up to allow for disabled access. There is a narrow, center staircase that leads you to the seating podium. Inside is quite beautiful and one could easily forget the old world décor of the St. Francis while dining inside. We have traditionally patronized the former bar, the Compass Rose for afternoon cocktails and evening nightcaps. We were unsure if we could have a cocktail there, since the bar is so inaccessible from outside the restaurant. The warm welcome that the Compass Rose provided is gone, and replaced with an elitist, walled in, “members only” sort of feeling. The Westin has obviously decided that now, it is all about Michael Mina. I am still interested in trying Mina’s food, but I am saddened that the design concept failed to mesh with the history and spirit of the St. Francis. The 35-year hotel employee who checked us out echoed our sentiment. Two days and one thousand dollars later ($44 a day to park), we decided that next time, we would look at another property. I would love to see the Chronicle do a 100/50 best hotel properties feature.
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I finally decided to purchase the KitchenAid because it was explained to me that the motor is made by Robocoup (sp?) which was the oringinal motor in the Cuisenart and the original food processor commercial manufactuerer. The Cuisenart that my mother bought in the 70's is still in operation. I love my KitchenAid. I purchased it at Sur la Table (No. CA), their price was the same as Macy's and I think I got better service.
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The Devon Double Creme Butter is excellent, I agree. As are the new Truffle and Shallot butters, which are yogurt and canola oil based. Demoing products off the shelf is widely supported by Trader Joe's Company. If you see something you would like to try before buying, you may ask and employee if you can sample it. It is best to ask an employee from the demo team for assistance, as they have the necessary tools needed to do this (gloves, knives, etc.). Since everything is guaranteed to meet your expectations, go ahead and purchase the item, just bring it back if you aren't happy with it.
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Trader Joe's has a great buttermilk pancake mix which requires egg and water. It is an all purpose baking mix like Bisquick without hydrogenated oils. It sells for 1.49 (West Coast).
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I am glad to be able to re-visit this thread after a brief interruption due to the eG format change over. In response to the posts regarding "middlemen" and other business curiousities, Trader Joe's purchases in cash, their buyers do travel around the world to negotiate pricing and labeling. Many of their products are the same as those that you would find at say, Whole Foods. If the product cannot be purchased again at a lower price than what it would sell for at Whole Foods, it will be replaced or discontinued. Many products are discontinued due to slow sales. Customers can complete product request/suggestion cards which are sent to the corporate office for consideration. This is a tool that works. Case in point, the powdered Chai Tea (West Coast). Sometimes stores make independent decisions about what to stock based on how the product moves in that particular store. If there is a product that you miss, it is possible that it can be ordered in, sometimes within the next day. Some products seem to be discontinued, but are really only seasonal, like organic powdered sugar (fall/winter), Paradise Iced Tea (spring/summer), dutch hot chocolate (fall/winter).
All products are guaranteed. In the event that a product does not meet your expectations, it may be returned for a refund. I have seen this policy plainly stated in the stores that I visit near my home.
Trader Joe employees who work a minumum of 20 hrs/week qualify for health insurance and 401K. Employees also receive a discount on all store products. Another benefit to all employees and their spouses is a 24 hour crisis assistance hotline for stress, drug/alcohol dependency and legal matters.
Trader Joe's is an interesting operation to study. A simple search on the net will yeild a wealth of information about the company and might shed more light on their business practices.
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The Bool Kogi Koren Boneless Ribs are good. They are really flank steak, but tasty. Try the Turkey Mignons, they are medallions of turkey breast with a bacon strip skewered around them, serve them grilled over the spinach salad in a bag (spinach, raspberry vinegarett, blue cheese, candied pecans and cranberries), yum.
FYI, the lemon curd will be back in the fall.
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This is my favorite, it works with most fish and chicken. The avocado butter can be piped for an elegant presentation. It freezes well and will last in the fridge for about a month.
8 swordfish steaks
Lemon or lime wedges and chopped parsley for garnish
Marinade
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic
2 tsps. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Wisk together all marinade ingredients. Place fish in shallow glass or porcelain baking dish and pour on the marinade, piercing the fish with a fork to assure penetration. Turn fish and pierce it again. Marinate covered in fridge for 1 hour, up to 6 if necessary.
Grill the fish over hot fire or under broiler for 5-6 min. on each side, brushing the fish often with the marinade. Figure 10 min. total cooking time for each inch of thickness of the fish steaks. Serve the fish garnished with lemon or lime wedges, chopped parsley and topped with Avocado Butter. (below)
Avocado Butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup ripe mashed avocado
5 tbls. fresh lemon or lime juice
2 tbls. chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, to taste
Whip the butter in a small mixing bowl until it is soft and creamy. Beat in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate the butter until ready to serve. (For fancy presentation, I pipe the butter on the fish just before serving.)
From Piret's, George and Piret Munger, 1985
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FYI, most all of Trader Joe's products are produced by suppliers who make quality branded products. Trader Joe's makes special buys since they usually pay cash, and then they create their own label, often using Adobe Photoshop.
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I was astounded to learn that my co-worker does not wash chicken prior to cooking because "why wash it if we're gonna cook it"? I brought this ignorance to the attention of my boss, who then said that he washes everything (meat and fish). Now I am questioning my own ignorance. What is the standard health practice regarding the rinsing/washing of beef and pork prior to cooking?
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For those short on time, but want to enjoy shredded pork, Trader Joe's (No. Cal) has a new product that they call Carnitas. It is a quarter of a cooked pork shoulder. Heat it in the oven for about 20 min. Fat renders off during cooking. Let cool and pull away. It is delicious.
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This is going to annoy many of you becuase the peramiters of my request are so narrow, so your input is truly appreciated. I am interested to hear about wines that eGulleteers enjoy from Trader Joe's. My friend recently took over the wine purchaseing at my local Trader Joe's. She is planning tastings to familiarize us and herself with the various wines so that she can speak knowledgeably about them. I am a novice wine buyer with a limited buget. To narrow the field further, I am a Northern Californian, so availability might be different in my region (I don't expect you to know if your suggestion is carried in No. Calif.) I am especially interested in quality wines from France as I will be attending a tasting next week that is featuring French wines. I would appreicate any suggestions that you folks can offer, thanks.
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Butchers:
Gene's Market in Saratoga (they do Turducken at Thanksgiving)
Cosentino Markets- I especially like the store at Union and Bascom Aves. Very knowledgeable people, beautiful selection.
P W Supermarkets have an excellent meat buyer and high standards for
the meat departments in the stores. The guy is a cowboy that has
worked in locally in the industry, when beef used to come on rail
cars into San Jose for local butchering. He also raises, grazes and
moves his own cattle. (About 12 stores throughout Bay Area.)
Fish Markets:
Race Street Fish and Poultry, has both consumer and commerical operations
They are a little pricy, if you are buying for a business you can get
commercial pricing. San Jose, Race Street
Sunnyvale Seafood (in San Jose) has very fresh seafood and a clean operation.
They are strickly commercial.
Another option for buy fish is to talk to the proprieter (sp?) of your favorite fish restaurant and ask him to purchase fish for you, it will arrive packed in ice in a styrofoam case. We did this at Thanksgiving with lobsters, they were beautiful and the pricing was excellent.
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I must confess that the plants that I have in my yard are from the previous owner. I don't know how my grandmother started her plants at my childhood home. I am confident that in broad hardiness zones that you could start plants from shoots from your nursery, with tlc they will develop. I would also encourage folks to look at their local grocery for frozen or canned hearts. These products are suprisingly good, and are most likely from Ocean Mist (see SF Chron thread above). For folks who want to grow at home, I would suggest looking at the micro climates of your yard. Find a spot that will most duplicate the climate for a sucessful harvest. Sometimes these spots are most elusive, I have orchids that sit outside my clothes dryer vent all winter. They are sheltered by our eves and they receive some humidity on a regular basis and they bloom faithfuly every year. Be creative!
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Marlena~
I sent you an email a couple of weeks ago regarding San Francisco baseball (Pacific Coast League). I was curious to know if you received it as some of my emails go right to spam folders if my address is not recognized by the receiver. Sorry to go off topic here, please find my email address here and let me know if you got it. Thanks and I apologize to readers for this inconvenience. ~tirgoddess
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I have been eating artichokes since I was a child. My Italian grandmother grew and prepared them. I have 4 plants in my garden that are coming into season. I love Duarte's restaurant in Pescadero. The Cream of Artichoke soup is fantastic. The Cream of Green Cchili mixed w/ the artichoke is even better. Really! They have wonderful pies as well. They grow most all of their herbs and vegetables behind the restaurant. Sometimes you can get abalone. Our family has been dining there for many, many years. I was married at St. Anthony's in Pescadero. It is off the beaten path, but definately worth the trip.
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Total Greek-I was so suprised at how creamy it was. Pavel's was my favorite prior, but I could only purchase the large size. Trader Joe's (Norhtern California) carries no fat, 2%, and full on. It is wonderful with their frozen blueberries and "just the nuggets" maple, pecan, granola crunch.
Thank you for suggestion for the Roasted Tomato Soup. I am interested in more recipes for cooking with yogurt.
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Trader Joe's (West Coast) has two new low carb breads, one is cheddar garlic which is somewhat dry, but would be great with tuna melts, or grilled cheese; the other is cinnimon walnut which has a moist texture and tastes great on its own or prepared as french toast, or maybe in a bread pudding. They also have a great cinnamon apple chicken breakfast sausage that is nitrate free. These sausages can be cooked dry in a skillet and have great flavor.
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Food Network-as disucssed all over this site- is no longer inspirational to me. I think it is a combination of tiresome, unchallenging, and dumbed down programming. I enjoy many of the PBS cooking shows, but the air times are inconvenient. The Food Network website forum is quite weak.
Regarding Ina Garten, I too, enjoy viewing her home, she has a lovely kitchen and garden. Her food looks delicious. I think I would like a lot of her friends. The thing that gets me about her is that the food is expected to take precedence over the occasion.
Fire Clay Ikea Sinks?
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
I saw a well priced "apron" front sink at Ikea. The look is perfect, but I wonder about the quality? Any experience here would be welcome. Thanks.