natasha1270

I keep my freeze dried bottle of kona (also used for baking) in a little ziploc.

Maybe swirl a bit into some ice cream?

SAF Instant Dried Yeast. I don't know the specific terminology but its kept in a clamp lock style tin in the freezer door. This package must be years old but when I recently used it for Parker House Rolls & Cinnamon Buns and it still seemed to have plenty of life to it. I'm told the best place to store freeze-dried coffee or espresso powder is in the freezer. True? When my friend told me that I had a real 'huh'-type moment, not sure if its just a mental thing but it kinda makes sense to me. Also, thanks for this thread - reminded me I need to replenish my edamame supply from Trader Joes.

I prefer the frozen coconut milk I can get from the asian grocery stores to the canned. Of course, they are 2-3x more expensive than canned so I tend to save them for dishes which really highlight the coconut. I still keep plenty of cans around too. You can also freeze unused quantities of that for later rather than have them go off in the fridge. But I rarely do that... I mix it up with panela or other muscavado/brown sugar, apply a little heat and use as a dessert topping.

Due to making room for some baking projects, my freezer is currently pared down to basics - yeast, butter, various smoothie fruits, pandan, coconut milk, pizza dough, peas & carrots, spinach, shrimp, salmon, tuna, vodka, limoncello & bacon.

Came across this Waring Cocktail Shaker a few weeks back. The reviews seem mixed. Waring Pro Professional Electric Martini Maker on Amazon.com eta: egullet discussion of it from 2007.

I have been known to pick up a Whatchamacallit or Skor bar when I see them on special at the checkout. Yum!

This season it seems like every single elimination challenge has been set up in team format, hopefully we will get more individual challenges now that some of the weaker competitors are out.

The cafeteria at work sometimes offers a pizzarito. I've never tried it but I gather the individual sized pizza is baked and then rolled.

Thinking back to when Isabel hit the DC area, we lost power for a while and could not use the water for several days. I would think to make sure I have water, tin foil, paper plates, disposable utensils, trash bags, wipes, hand sanitizer, flashlight & extra batteries and a deck of cards.

FYI... Cost Plus/World Market also carries them at a better price than Whole Foods if you have access to that chain. Last time I was there, they told me they have a hard time keeping them in stock! I can believe it. I think I need more chips.

Of course, I'm a sucker for the single serving packaging but what's the price for this privilege?

If you are truly concerned for your plates, then I vote for the bi-annual bottom to top stack swap. Add it to your daylight savings time routine, right after you change the clocks, replace the smoke detector batteries and get new air filters, etc. If you just want a FIFO solution that will leave your plates in pristine condition, there's always this: http://www.amazon.com/Camco-57001-RV-White-Pop-A-Plate/dp/B00094I1SA

I think alot of the seafood available in my supermarkets are prev frozen so I would also say just to use them the same as fresh. Although, I can recommend Nigella's Thai Butternut Squash & Seafood Curry recipe for use with frozen salmon and shrimp.

My boss recently brought back these incredibly delicious Chocotejas - Dulce de Leche & Candied Peel filled Chocolates from Peru. Ever since, I've been thinking of filling a few of my candied mandarins with Dulce and dipping them whole in chocolate.

If you generally buy the same size peanut butter jar, maybe it would be worthwhile to invest in a Peanut Butter Mixer?

Zico coconut water. Aseptic packaging vs plastic bottle. The box is better. Along these lines, glass bottle sodas generally taste better than their plastic brethren, don't they? My friend tells me the soy and almond milk products in the refrigerator section are better tasting than the shelf versions. I had always assumed one was just chilled but maybe there is an incremental difference in processing time the product goes through? As a special treat when we went away on vacations as a child, we were allowed to buy a pack of the individual serving box cereals and you would just cut open the box & waxed insert, pour the milk directly in and voila! They were meant to be packaging and bowl all in one. Do they still package them this way? Also, I was at Old Navy last week and saw they had a few Sistema pieces. The really clever item was the fork/spoon/chopstick combo! Am thinking I may go back to pick one up for my own lunchbag.

I purchased a bag of Xochitl white corn/salted chips at Whole Foods earlier this year and ever since we are totally addicted! They are now my go to bag of chips. The chips are thin, lightly salted and have really nice corn flavor. We usually have them with chipotle salsa (I use the recipe from Coyote Cafe) but they taste so good, I like them most straight out of the bag and actually think I end up eating fewer chips because I enjoy them more (does that make any sense?) They cost a little more than other chips but well worth it. I think Whole Foods has a similar store brand product (well, at least the packaging is similar. maybe they are the same?) but I haven't gotten around to trying their version because we love these so much. Anyway, I didn't see any existing posts on them so I thought I would give them a shout out. Anyone else similarly addicted?

Kerry - it looks like you have the trudeau spoonula that Darienne likes. Is it a similar firmness to the little william sonoma one you have? Thx!

I really want to like these Chefn Switchit Spatula & Spoon I just bought but the spatula blade is just too flimsy! http://www.amazon.com/Chefn-Switchit-All-Purpose-Silicone-Spatula/dp/B00276BXQ0 http://www.amazon.com/Chefn-Switchit-Silicone-Spatula-Cherry/dp/B001CJXJX8 I loved my old silicone spatula/spoonulas from Wm Sonoma (they are the same as Le Creuset I think) but didn't repurchase because I don't like the big wooden handle they switched to. Are the metal handled ones they sell in store the same or is there anywhere you can still buy the Le Creuset spatulas with the old handles?

In case you are interested in an ambrosia-style dressing, filipino-style fruit salad usually just combines cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk although I think my mom would sometimes add sour cream. Otherwise, papaya seed dressing might be nice: a basic vinaigrette with a bit of sugar and blended with papaya seeds.

15 minutes does sound long but I haven't noticed any bitterness. Their instruction even say to squeeze the bag and I sometimes do, sometimes don't. With Luzianne, I probably steep around 10 minutes and definitely don't squeeze. Also, we aren't usually drinking it right away. Maybe while we are waiting for it to chill, any bitterness/tannins mellow out? I did see somewhere that you can add a touch of baking soda to soften any bitterness/tannins but I've never experimented with it.

I like the Harney & Sons Fruity Ice Tea blends (although also I'm not opposed to some Luzianne) and follow their instructions: 2 cups boiling water to 1 tea bag, long steep (15 minutes) and then fill with 6 cups cold water. If I'm just making it for my family (we drink it sweet), I also dissolve some sugar in the concentrate before adding the cold water.

Do the butter boat and other 'decanted' butter storage methods keep from picking up refrigerator odors or are they mainly for countertop use? Also, this lock n lock butter keeper looks like it might fit your butter Fat Guy: http://www.amazon.com/The-Storage-Store-LOCK-BUTTER-KEEPER/dp/B001H35O1E/ref=sr_1_40?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1307734710&sr=1-40 it pretty much just looks like a regular storage container turned upside down so maybe if you already have something similar... ? now here's a fun butter keeper: http://www.amazon.com/Gama-Go-LA0108-Buddah-Butter-Dish/dp/B0043QUXJ0

Kerry - I love my Magi-Whisk too! I have about a dozen or so various whisks but these are the three I probably use the most: