maxmillan

I was scanning a health magazine and followed the advice of soaking the hands in water for 5 to 20 minutes. Pat dry and immediately use a good moisturinzer. Did this for two nights and lo and behold! My hands are looking great.

I understand the concept of demand and supply. My question is, "How can a smaller scale store like Kin's sell some organic produce at a cheaper price than the larger Capers?" Certainly buying from Washington versus California cannot be the reason for the big difference in price (ie. $4.99/lb v/s $1.99/lb?)

I guess the Sparkle cookies were so hyped up that when I did try them a couple of years ago, I wasn't too impressed. I also made them after the recipe was published in the paper and wasn't impressed. What are the people from L.A talking about? Are they truly hard up for good cookies? Plus, I notice Haas has made the tarts SMALLER and charging the same price...hmmmm. On another note, Haas made it on the back cover of the latest "Fine Cooking."

Capers Market sell organic brocolli for $4.99 a pound. Kin's had a sale last week and their broccoli sold for $1.99 a pound. Don't know about Choices but the last time I bought there it was much more than Kin's. I'm sure Whole Foods is more expensive as well. Kin's broccoli, BTW, is from USA as are the rest of the stores. I notice prices of other organic produce varies GREATLY between the larger organic stores and smaller grocers. Why is this?

My sister and I occassionally went to get their yummy soft malt ice-cream. Where, oh where, can one get this malt ice-cream?

If you're ever in a bind, keep some Costco frozen french fries in your freezer. Pop them in the oven and YUM, tastes just like deep-fried. The bag is giant, tho.

Thanks phoodphan! The taping was actually done at VCC. Don't know when but I'll be checking on the CBC website.

If you have bad circulation, like I do, all the grease in the world won't help. I prevent further deterioration by wearing nitrile gloves. They can be skin tight so you can work with the finest of doughs. It costs me 50 cents a day or more but worth it. I also wear a bit of good quality hand cream, especially around the nails and the heat from my hand helps penetrates the moisture into my skin. Even though I no longer bake as a job, I use these gloves at my other job, for housework, cooking at home, reparing my bike ect. Hope this helps.

I try to make everything with brown sugar. I place white sugar in the food processor and slowly add good quality organic molasses to the desired deepness. This is way better than store bought. I make a batch at a time and never have to buy two kinds of sugar. The white sugar sack is generally cheaper, especially when it's on sale and this saves me a bundle when I make my own.

I heard that Silpat's patent ran out and if you find anything cheaper, get that instead.

Did anyone hear this show on the radio? I missed some of it. It was taped by CBC at VCC on Pender Street.

Max, is this coffee maker electric or manual? Is it available locally? ← Bialetti is a brand name for one of the many types of this espresso maker. I bought mine at Bosa's on Victoria and Frances. I bought a 1-cup and a 6-cup maker. It's very afforadable and you heat it with your stovetop element (gas or electric.) You can find a thread on "Beverage" "Coffee". Seems like people have differing preferences on which brand to use. They may take a little more effort to clean but it's well worth it.

Coming from Brazil I could not find really good coffee here until I made my own with a Bialetti. It's like a percolater and makes even decaf taste good! Apparently, the high constant heat pulls out all the yummy flavor of the grind and leaves the bitterness behind. It's really an espresso maker but I drink it Americano and make a delicious cold soy latte.

I agree with Viola. For those who want a larger property and have to live in the burbs, be prepared to get cheap plonk at the local private stores. Inventory selection is made according to the neighbourhood (example, Dunbar will carry more high-end wine than East Hastings.) regardless of whether it's private or govt.

Does anyone know what is a good time to get into Tosi? I'd hate to go there is he doesn't answer the buzzer.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...07entry757507 Here's a similar thread.

I bought steel spice tins that have a wide mouth, with glass lid. They have a magnetic bottom which I place on a steel plate drilled into the wall...all in plain site. The more commonly used ones are place on my fridge wall. They hold very strong as the entire bottom is covered in magnet. The lids are tight and a twist one way give a sprinkle, a twist the other way gives a flow and a twist another way covers the hole (this is on the side of the lid.) Plus you can pop open the lid to put in the measuring spoon. This cost me a bundle but I figure you can glue magnets to your existing container and a metal plate can be bought at a stationary shop. Or you can place them all on your fridge. Quite handy because I don't have much cupboard space.

My friend took me to China Cereals and Oils Corporation Ltd. on Powell and Gore. All this time I thought they only sold rice, but they also sell a ton of Chinese goodies: soya sauce, hot sauces, noodles (Japanese and Chinese), candies, cookies, dried goods and the odd toilet paper and Campbell's soup. The prices for the Chinese goods were relatively cheap. This store is jammed packed, and on the weekend, jammed packed with people, but what an experience. I can't believe I've lived in Vancouver for so long and still discovering little gems like this store. Does anyone have similar stores they've visited that they like to share?

Went there a few years ago because they advertised Alberta beef. It did not taste like the beef I had in Banff...I'd spend my pennies elsewhere.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! Goddam Cobbs!!!!!

Well said stovetop. I find it quite the adventure to go to places like this. Maybe I've hung around certain crowds and places and have dealings with people strung out on drugs that the area doesn't really faze me. There is such a nice family that rents out the restaurant area of SOM and we had a good chat and you'd be surprised what you can learn if you open your eyes. I like the staff and the people that eat there (and similar places) because they treat you with genuine openness. I agree, that I get hassled more at Kits than I do on Hastings and Main. You've just got to use some street smarts when walking around this area.

I bought a couple bottles for $10.47 Canadian. I was told this was a very good wine for the price...smooth, light. I don't drink and thought this might be a good case to get for Christmas celebration without spending a wad. It's from France and I understand that was a good year for red wine? Does anyone know about this wine? Any comments?

I made a 50/50 whole wheat white bread and it was actually quite good. I think diluting the onion flavor helped. It was a more subtle onion flavor than most onion bread and it was great with cold cuts. But I discovered baking bread with sour cream gave it a really moist interior. Lesson: I will make future onion dip froms scratch.

Oh, it's bad. Not even the fattiest chip can disguise the yuckiness And I hesitate to waste a good beef stroganoff.

I made this dip with Lipton's Onion Soup Mix and it tastes like crap. Being frugal I kept it hoping to make something with it, like a savoury loaf of bread or some other savoury baked goods. Does anyone have any suggestions or know if this will work well in a baked product?