andiesenji

I do not believe TJs is out to bury other markets, greengrocers or whatever. Late last spring I was in the TJs in Palmdale and mentioned I wished I could find fresh cherries (sour cherries, not the Bing variety) and the clerk told me that a couple of the orchards on Lake Hughes road (west of Palmdale) were open for U-pick and also had roadside stands selling picked cherries. The store "Captain" was bagging for her and he asked if I knew the area. I assured him I was familiar with the area but didn't know there were stands with already picked fruit. I am somewhat handicapped and can't go the U-pick route. Another time when I asked about a locally-made fresh salsa that they had discontinued, they directed me to another store that carried it. (It did not sell well at TJs, probably because they have so many varieties of fresh salsa.) Over the many years that I have shopped at TJs I have had similar experiences, as have other people I know.

I have long wanted to know how you discovered this method for cooking chicken. It seems to go against the traditional "rules" for cooking chicken, however it turns out perfect every time. I think it is brilliant! Here is the link to the directions. So simple it is virtually foolproof. Sara's Classic Blasted Chicken I was skeptical at first but once I tried it I was a convert. In spite of the residual mess in the oven! Having a stainless steel oven interior is decidedly an asset now. My old oven was difficult to clean but the results were worth it. I discovered that if I use a broiler pan with a slotted insert, potato wedges placed in the pan under the slotted insert, become nicely baked, browned and flavored with chicken fat. (High calorie but delicious.)

I wasn't suggesting airbrush for cocoa butter or chocolate. I simply suggested the type of plastic box I use for airbrush color to prevent overspray getting on other surfaces should work for your purposes also.

The people in my office have gotten used to me doing stuff that may seem a bit odd. Making applesauce in the microwave because I don't like the canned stuff (except my own). Buying milk in glass bottles because it tastes better. Making my own cream cheese - sour cream, etc. because it tastes better. Many more activities, too many to list. They accept my quirkyness and are happy to eat anything I am willing to share.

I never had any problem with changing colors - I have a Paasche AB Turbine which has an open chamber that is easy to clean, which I used for drawing fine lines, filling small areas. For large areas, coating the entire top of a cake or a pan full of cupcakes, cookies, etc., I have an Iwata trigger action with several "tanks" which hold different colors. I have one tank filled with grain alcohol(Everclear) which quickly cleans the inner workings in between colors. Iwata 400 If you are not familiar with the Iwata, you might check them out. This particular one uses very low air pressure - although I have a multi-unit high volume compressor, the Iwata will run on tank pressure alone for well over 30 minutes before the compressor comes back on to build up the pressure in the tank.

You can also use one of the large translucent storage boxes - the shallow ones that are made to go under a bed -( the largest I have will take a full size sheet pan flat on the bottom) and it is easy to clean and to keep clean, just store it turned upside-down so stuff doesn't fall into it. I used to use one when I airbrushed color onto large cakes or onto a sheet pan full of cupcakes or cookies. I had two low plastic step stools on which I set the box so it was at a level where I didn't have to bend too far.

If you are using imported rice of any kind you will have to rinse it well. Measure the rice and dump it into a bowl or large Pyrex measure and fill with water, swish the rice around with your hand, the water will turn milky. Then dump the wet rice in a colander and run water over it. Toss it in the colander to get as much water out as possible then put it in the cooker pan. Now add the water to slightly below the correct level for the number of measures you used originally. It will be less than you would add to the dry rice because it compacts when it is wet. This should give you rice that is fluffy instead of clumpy.

Reading this thread reminded me of a product that used to be marketed by Herdez. I don't remember the Spanish name on that side of the can but on the side printed in English, it simply said Hominy - Mexican Style. It was unlike any hominy I had ever seen, was yellow instead of white, very large, chewy and still had the skin and germ attached. Tremendous flavor. I believe that was prior to the time Hormel bought the company. I used to buy the Herdez diced green chiles in the large can. They were spicer than the other brands but not as spicy as jalapeños. Vallarta supermarkets here in California carry frozen pozole but I haven't noticed the particular product named above. I will look the next time I am in the store.

That's the one I have. Someone gave it to me in a basket with other "odd" gadgets. The only one I have used is the one that unseals jar tops. The bright red thingy at top left. The friend was trying to give me some gadgets that would put less stress on my arthritic right hand.

Coleman's mixed with cold water to which a couple of drops of vinegar have been added will substitute nicely, it has plenty of "bite" - be sure to tell them to use only cold water or other liquid. Heat will destroy the spiciness.

For dicing large amounts of carrots or similar vegetables, I do use the mandoline. I use the 3/8 inch cutter which gives julienne strips this size, then simply gather them into bundles and cross cut with a knife to approximately the same width. With the bron I can put three carrots side by side to cut them lengthwise, using the carrier/guard. If I am using just a couple of carrots, I dice them with a knife. I have a dicer similar to the Alligator that someone gave me a year or so ago. I have never used it as I simply forgot about it. I think the cutting area is a little smaller than on the Alligator. It is in a drawer somewhere in the kitchen - I don't remember the name on it.

I received a flyer in the mail with this and a couple of other things, a bottle cap remover and wall-mount dispensers for beans, rice and similar stuff, as well as the zero gravity spice containers. No prices were listed, only that they were available at Target and online at Amazon and Cooking.com. Frankly, I didn't give it much thought, I am in the "lots of water" for cooking pasta corner, I hate pasta that sticks together, which usually happens when insufficient water is used.

Let me explain that I am a BIG fan of TJs. In fact, I have been shopping at their markets since they were known as PRONTO markets and even then they carried a quirky bunch of stuff that could be found at no other market, "Gourmet foods" before that was seen in othr markets. That was the first store in which I saw a bottle of key lime juice. Then the owner got the idea of setting up the markets sort of like an inter-island trading ship and so the sort of nautical theme. The items that carry the Trader Joe's name or the variations thereof, are good. They will not put their name on stuff they haven't tried. The TJs organic frozen blueberries are tiny but much more flavorful than others I have tried. The "World's Largest Cashews" are huge and delicious. check the prices, look at the stuff you can find there that is fresh because of the rapid turnover. almond flour or ground hazelnuts - cheaper than I can find anywhere else. And a great selection of preserves and jams. I would go if the only thing I needed was the Total Greek Yogurt but I like their TJ brand cheese type yogurts too. I don't drink wine myself but I use it in cooking and have friends that love it. Sometimes you can get really good deals on wines that would cost much more in wine or liquor stores.

The dried fruits and nuts, the yogurts, the cereals, the frozen foods, the canned soups, the wines. It is difficult to pick without knowing your tastes. Their "B" grade maple syrup has super flavor and the price is right. The "bulk" chocolate chunks. My best advice is leave your credit cards at home and take a limited amount of cash for your first visit. (I rarely get out of the store for less than $100.00, usually more.

Findings at Rutgers University loom large. So all you guys who have avoided the cruciferous veggies, now there is some word that it IS good for you, especially when teamed with curry.

A friend of mine lived in Nagoya for two years while studying with an artist. She was able to order some small appliances from Hong Kong for much less than the cost in Japan even with the import fees. I don't recall if a KA mixer was one of the items but I know she did get a heavy duty juicer that wasn't available anywhere in Japan.

I paid more because at the time I got mine, there were no others available with a holding guard and I had just taken the tip off my right middle finger with one of the cheapies. I paid $69.00 for it in 1972, which was a lot of money at the time. I place it in a bus tub (looks like a shallow plastic dishpan but much sturdier) and go to work with the thing on a low stool while I sit. I can go through ten pounds or more of potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onions and just keep raking them out from under the mandoline into the corners of the tub. This would not work with one of the smaller ones unless I could find a tall, narrow container on which it could rest. I personally think it is extremely versatile and I like it. However each person has to choose what is right for them. Unless you are using it often for fairly large batches of stuff, it is rather pricey. However I feel it has saved me a lot of time and a lot of grief over the years. My philosophy has always been the best tool and the right tool for the job and when I got this it was and it has held up well. If I am slicing one onion or three potatoes, etc., I use a knife.Bus tub I bought mine at Smart & Final for less.

I have had a Bron for more than 30 years - have replaced the blades on it twice and although I have tried the smaller, "handier" and cheaper ones, I keep going back to the Bron when I need to do stuff like piles of onions for confit, potatoes, particularly waffle ones, cucumbers for pickles, julienne vegetables, etc. You can do more things with this mandoline than with any other, and I have tried them all. The blades pivot up and down for thicker/thinner, the machine is placed on one end or the other to choose the type of blades. Fantes has the best price. Scroll down to where it says $109.00 They also have the instructions which sometimes do not come with the machine from some vendors. Replacement blades are here

Thank you Katie. I had to stop engraving because of arthritis in my right hand - difficult to hold onto the hand piece. I do have a few pieces of my work, mostly samples but do have a couple of plates and a pitcher, just no goblets or glasses. I uploaded some others to my public gallery yesterday, a couple of birds, a Dalmatian, a Maltese and a running cheetah.

Wow! Those are expensive beans. The produce market here in Lancaster carries several different bean mixtures with spices and herbs in bags and most cost less than $2.00. As I recall, a couple that include dried porcini or dried shiitaki plus pasta are $2.75. The one bag I have (7-bean soup) is a total of 20 oz., so probably has at least a pound of dried beans along with the little bag of spices, herbs, dried onions and vegetables inside ($1.95).

I feel so lucky that I have friends who are willing to trek around to estate sales and sit around all day waiting to bid on books for me. Vivian collects vintage hats from the 20s and 30s so I will be making a trip down to west L.A. to find something for her. Even though other people were bidding, she managed to get them for much less than my limit.

I agree with jackal10 in most cases. The reason I started grinding my own was because I used some flours that were not common and the ready-ground stuff was often stale or in some cases, rancid. Spelt, buckwheat, kamut, barley and etc. In many stores there is no way to tell how long something has been on the shelf or in a warehouse prior to that. On one occasion, in a local store, I found 4 different price stickers on one package, peeling off the top ones, I found the bottom one was very faded and the price was much less than the more recent one. The label was also different, an older style no longer used by the manufacturer. When I pointed this out to the clerk, he simply shrugged his shoulders and asked if I expected them to toss out anything that didn't sell right away. I estimated that particular item had been on the shelf for at least two years and again I got a shrug. I stopped shopping there. I could buy the whole grain on the internet from a supplier who provided only fresh grains and know that it was fresh when I used it. If you shop at a store that has a high turnover or sells bulk specialty flours, then you can depend on fresh ingredients and there would be no need to grind your own.

It has been a while since I posted and I have either purchased or received quite a few books in the past few months. One important (in my opinion) addition to my collection is the rare Early California Hospitality by Ana Bégué Packman, published in 1938, which contains recipes from the Spanish colonial period in California. Very interesting to read, in addition to the traditional recipes. It is a very special gift. I also received the Jane Austen Cookbook and Tea with Jane Austen. Spices of Life by Nina Simonds The Curry Book of Indian Cuisine by Pat Chapman Bouchon by Thomas Keller The Mitford cookbook and Kitchen Reader by Jan Karon Dessert University by Roland Mesnier Foie Gras: A Passion by Michael Ginor Olive Trees and Honey by Gil Marks and those are just the Christmas loot. Earlier I got the Nanny Ogg Cookbook by Terry Pratchett (Discworld - parody and statire fantasy for grownups as well as young adults and children.) Maccaroni and Cheese by Marlena Spieler Great Grilled Cheese by Laura Werlin (already have Marlena's book on this subject) The Cooking of Southwest France by Paula Wolfert The Nancy Drew Cookbook by Carolyn Keene The Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques (I always collect literature-related cookbooks) The Book Lovers Cookbook by Shaunda Wenger and janet Jensen Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and a special find, signed first editions of (1950) A Book of Mediterranean Food and (1951) French Country Cooking by Elizabeth David - purchased for me at at estate sale in Bristol, UK. Reference - - - the new On Food and Cooking by McGee Not a cookbook but related: Will Write for Food: The complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Restaurant Reviews, Articles, Memoir, Fiction and More by Dianne Jacob Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl I forgot that I also got the Chas Addams Half-Baked Cookbook: Culinary Cartoons for the Humorously Famished by Allen Weiss. Absolutely hilarious.

I grind a fair amount of flour or meal from various grains, beans, etc., but not as much as I used to, only because I do much less baking now. The one thing you have to consider is the volume is greater in freshly ground flour so you should measure by weight instead of volume. Baking depends on fairly exact measurements and volume can vary hugely and spoil your results. With coarser meal, it settles quicker and the volume is not so different so one can use cups and etc to measure. The finer the flour, the more the volume increases. Invest in a good scale and look for recipes that use weight instead of volume. In this thread about cornbread from "scratch" you can see the mill I use.

Dammit Katie! I told you that I have a thing for ancient flora! NOW you come up with that fern pattern crystal. With my "thing" for ferns and anything clear glass you are killing me!!! This is a very dangerous topic. I am starting to envision a collection of unique champagne flutes. Er . . . ← I used to engrave unique wine goblets and a few champagne flutes. For many years one of my clients in Santa Ynez who raised Arabians, would bring me 8 Baccarat wine goblets every August so I could engrave head studies of some of her horses, a different one on each goblet. She gave one to each of certain friends each Christmas. Since I stopped doing the engravings, I have often wondered what she is now giving. I have never heard of one of them appearing on ebay. I have seen some of my basenji engravings show up from time to time but none of those were done on Baccarat. I did do a set of cocktail glasses with baseball players in various poses for a gift for one of the Dodgers execs back in the early 80s. My best friend Carol probably has the largest collection of my basenji engraved holloware and even though she uses them all the time, none have ever been broken. For some reason I never did any for myself and right now that seems a little odd, I just never thought of it before.