kellycolorado

Yep, 3 summers (and winter breaks) in high school. It was the closest place to home. I usually worked opening 5-1:30. Lots of mellow senior citizens the first few hours and after lunch rush it was almost time to go home. I mostly worked drive thru although a little bit of everything. The only breakfast item I can't stand is the sausages. Just the smell and how much more white than meat they were-- I didn't eat red meat for almost 10 years after working there. My favorite job was putting together the milkshake/soft serve machine in the mornings. The blades, the O-ring... I wonder if they're still cleaned everyday? That surprised me. Our site was scrupulously clean most of the time. Once I dropped a whole tray of salad dressing packets on the floor and was ordered to throw all 30 or so away. I felt really guilty! We got free meals- I would never have paid half price.

So true. The Whole Foods in Ann Arbor, MI is huge and has a great microbrew selection (Dogfish head 60 minute IPA, etc). On the other hand, TJ's in MI is nice but a lot of the meat products I recommended to my mom aren't in her store so I stopped recommending them. (marinated flank steak for example) The store clerk told her they may be arriving eastward in a year or two though.

In the SF Bay Area, I really like Straus organic vanilla ice cream. It's wonderful with sliced strawberries.

Basically the further from the coasts you are, the more expensive it is for Trader Joe's to distribute to their stores and the less likely they are to be located there. I did a little research when I was trying to figure out if they'd ever open one in Colorado. Also, I don't know what your liquor laws are like, but in Colorado you can only buy wine and hard liquor in liquor stores. First and foremost TJ's is a wine shop. I believe their #1 profits are still from wine sales. So as far as I'm concerned it's highly unlikely they will ever set up shop in Colorado for example. (a) it's not that bad at all and, if you read my initial post, you will find the answer to (b) I am looking for a Trader Joe's basically ... can't understand why they are not yet in this city... ←

I just finished watching this episode on my DVR. God, I enjoyed it! Of course, anything on Paris and with Bourdain I would probably enjoy. My husband actually watched it and he hates most cooking shows. He was cracking up at the absinthe segment (he has a warped sense of humor though.) I can't wait for Iceland next week. --Kelly

I'm definitely going to stop by Angel's next year when I'm visiting my family. I've been wanting to go there for a long time now. Has anyone been to Assaggi for dinner lately? I went on a visit not long after they opened in 2000 and had the best wild mushroom soup of my life. With a toddler I haven't been back recently though...

We walked by Cuisine de Bar in March because I'd read about it and it sounded great for lunch. However, it was really busy and the tables were packed in. It wasn't the right atmosphere for our daughter (she's almost 3). We ate lunch the next day at Constants' Les Fables de la Fontaine and sat outside. It was wonderful (IMHO) and quieter and less cramped outside. I don't know if they are open on Sunday though. We ate most of our meals out as lunch and it worked very well with our daughter.

Oops, sorry- I only put a tiny bit of broth in her soups at first- She really like the moistening effect on her molars and it kept her from choking/gagging on dry things that were hard to chew. I also would spoon feed her some cool broth (I make a lot of soups and stews in the winter). She is pretty independent and was using the spoon pretty early though. I just put a big napkin on her and a place mat under her bowl and let her go to town! If you check the food & nutrition forum on mothering.com there are tons of toddler ideas there. I highly recommend it! Oh, tree nuts aren't as likely to be allergenic as peanuts, but there is still a chance. If there are allergies in your family you might want to wait til she's 2 or even 3. We didn't have any nut allergies here so I started some almond butter around 15 months I think (since she didn't tolerate dairy back then). She loves almonds though.

My mother in law asked for a straw in her soda at a french bistro here- They didn't have any! I told her I prefer to drink from the glass anyways and she said you never know how clean the glasses are. That really freaked me out! If the glass isn't clean won't the drink hit close to the top of the rim when it's full anyways, and disperse the germs into the solution? I guess I like living on the edge. (I really would like to know! It sounds like a few of you agree with my MIL- any scientific basis?)

more ideas: minestrone soup with beans and veggies and pasta (she loves pasta but marinara is messy so I try to use it in other ways) tender chuck roast with soft carrots in the winter tender lamb with garbanzo beans and couscous she likes Indian buffet and asian foods as long as they're not too spicy, especially with rice... snacks: carrot sticks, almond butter on crackers, goat cheese on crackers, fruit cut up...

My daughter got her teeth pretty quickly, but before that she didn't want anything to do with the pureed baby food or rice cereal. She's almost 3 now, and will eat almost anything, but from 1 1/2- 2 she liked things in broth a lot. I made homemade chicken noodle soup a lot with soft carrots and she liked that because it was easy on her molars as they came in. She loves rice, steamed broccoli, tofu in broth (miso or chicken broth), green beans if they're really overcooked, oatmeal, yogurt (both plain then lightly sweetened)... Also raisins, prunes, almonds... That's what comes off the top of my head. Now she really likes all beef hot dogs in thin slices and well cooked bacon (I get the no nitrate types). She's my little carnivore. (She didn't tolerate dairy very well until recently) I'm glad I started her on soups and stews early - She doesn't seem to have any aversion to things "mixed together". --Kelly

I agree- I don't see the controversy here. <shrug> I certainly don't think I'm better than other people just because I shop at Whole Foods. There are all types there, cooks and noncooks (albeit with a bit more $$ to spend) just like at the Safeway down the street.

I got a bottle of Coke Zero for my husband to try- I haven't had diet sodas in a few years, but it reminds me a lot of the Coca Cola light in europe we had a few years ago( in Italy and France I believe) which was also made of a combination of diet sweeteners. Actually I wonder if it is the same thing. It tastes OK at first.... and then that aftertaste kicks in!

I just checked: black beans, garbanzo beans (usually some canellini and baked beans too) diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, tiny cans of V8 juice diced hot green chiles bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corn, jackfruit (usually lychees too) coconut milk Dave's albacore tuna, italian tuna, red salmon Trader Joe's salmon chowder soup fish broth chicken broth (in the cartons)

It's funny because I learned that from my in-laws side, originally from Indiana. They want all amerian food, nothing too adventurous. Also when I moved to Colorado. Growing up in the Detroit area I was pretty oblivious to the rest of the state and midwest- We had a huge Chaldean/arabic community in my city and lots of wonderful Chaldean and Lebanese restaurants and markets within a few miles. We also had a lot of other foods like eastern european and a little bit of everything. My best friend's mom made the most amazing dolma and lamb and basmati rice and pickled vegetables and baklava and .... I always wanted to eat at her house and she always wanted to eat at mine. We didn't have many north african arabs in the area though and so didn't have any north african places though unfortunately. This thread sure has gotten me craving something even resembling north african though. In conservative markets such as the one where I live the "but it's too spicy" misperception describes who most people perceive Afghani, Persian, Vietnamese, Thai, Jamaican and darn near any other cuisine that they have never tried. ← It finally dawned on both of us that too spicy for her husband and in-laws meant ANYTHING THAT STRAYED TOO FAR FROM BASIC SALT AND PEPPER!!! This would include many of the spices found in Moroccan, Indian, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, Thai etc. cuisines. What these people seemed to have an aversion to was actually too much flavor. I don't think there's anyway to overcome that hurdle. ←

I've been buying hot dogs more lately since my daughter has decided she's crazy about them. I've been getting the Whole Foods all beef franks (no nitrates for the little ones) with saurkraut and yellow or spicy mustard, plain or with ketchup for our daughter. When I'm back home visiting though, it's a coney at Lafayette Coney Island traditional style with the hot dog, chili, yellow mustard and onions. Growing up for me it was always a "loose" (hamburger) light chili or loose plain (to which I'd add ketchup), usually late at night. Ah, memories.

I had a type of chicken tagine at the Paris CDG airport back in March- It was already cooked, absolutely delicious for airport food, and only cost about 7 euro. My last meal in Paris... sigh. Couldn't a lot of north african food be served up "to go" style like the chinese steam tray places and other fast/casual places? I would be ecstatic and would love to see more restaurants here in the US. By the way, other than Algeria and Morocco, what other countries' cuisines are considered North African?

Robert, Your early summer menu sounds delicious- I must find a way to get back before we return to Colorado. Boobs and muscles, LOL. Los Gatos does have its share of beautiful people. I think most of the homeowners are 50+, though they tend to be well preserved. I only live a few miles away but it might as well be hours away having a toddler and a food-as-fuel husband. Hmm, I sense a solo dinner coming up.

Ha ha ha! I think Black Eyed Pea was the reason I gained 10 pounds while we lived in Colorado- (not from those particular items though). It was close and homey when we were freezing and tired. Next time we're in CO I'm going to take a closer look at the menu. I pretty much got the pot roast and green beans exclusively.

Well... maybe except if you were in the San Francisco bay area for sure. I was introduced to it here about 10 years ago from a girlfriend who went to UC Santa Cruz and I had no idea it wasn't available elsewhere. (It was often made a concentrate from a small company in Santa Cruz and available at several coffee shops or sold with spices and black tea separately packaged as a "mix" at Whole Foods market). And at Indian restaurants of course. -Kelly

Maria, I ate at Via Nove about a month ago while back home visiting. I really wanted to like this place after reading all the good reviews and being from the area. I went with my (albeit critical) Mom and sister and the consensus was that it wasn't a very good value and probably not worth rushing back to. The menu prices were the same or more as comparable Italian restaurants here in the SF Bay area at Ferndale rents. I can't even remember what we ate now but my sister had a pretty bland pasta dish in a "light tomato cream sauce" and my mom had some type of fish which wasn't bad but quite small. My main dish was the best of the 3 but I can't remember it now. I however loved the baccala (sp?) soup. The salads were nicely dressed but I'm not a fan of dried fruit in my greens so I pushed those aside. The decor was nice downstairs and the bones still reminded me of it's past as the Temple nightclub. We went on a weekday and the place was less than half full so there wasn't a whole lot of energy that night. Our waiter however was somewhat familiar and got my sister's number at the end of the meal. Interestingly, going to pick up the rest of my brood at the hot wings place down the street, that place was packed at 8:30 on a weeknight. I wish them well and hope they are successful- IMHO I just think they need to pump up the flavors a bit and offer a bit more value.

God, I love lychees. I must try some lychee ice cream.

Yes yes me too! I like my cream cheese on a bagel with smoked salmon.

It looks like I'm expecting, so does anyone have other NA suggestions for when summer is in full force and I'm craving a nice cold beer?

We have an apricot tree here (it's our neighbor's but hangs halfway into our yard) and it looks like it has about 3 weeks to go. It's the most amazing Blenheim type variety.