CaliPoutine

Are those caramel chocolate brownies? They look great! Were they from a mix from Zingerman's, or from a recipe? Off to search the web--but is it "Buenos Aries" or "Buenos Aires"? ETA: I did a search on "Buenos aires brownies", and what should I find? Your blog! What a great idea--swirling in dulce de leche. That's so much easier than doing the caramel thing! I've got a can of dulce de leche waiting to be used, so this is going on my list of projects! ← I'm glad you found the recipe. Its not a mix as you read. They're sold at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor and I think they might be 3 dollars each? ( of course they're bigger and thicker). Their standard brownie is the magic brownie and the Buenos Aires brownie is a variation. I used a 9.00 jar of Dulce that I bought at Zingerman's last year and was set to expire. Next time, I'll use the PC Dulce. Kerry Beal gave me the unsweetened chocolate and I truly believe this is why they were so good. Any brownie I've ever made before used the baker's choc. from the grocery store.

Not in Ontario thats for sure. The cheapest I've seen turkey is 1.79lb and thats for Utility. When I'm shopping in Port Huron, I see many Canadians buying the cheap turkeys. I usually buy one or two and bring it back as well, but I won't do that for the Seniors. We're doing the turkey roasts (boneless) this year for their xmas meal again. 3.70lb frozen.

We just bought one of the top of the lines Whirlpool( it was 900.00 in SS). Its got a stainless interior, and a million settings. Its quite, energy star rated and works well. We've never used heated dry and the dishes come out bone dry anyway. We're pleased with it so far....

I bought some of the ingredients for the baked penne today. The pasta was 1.00 a box, the sauce was 2.00. The ceasar dressing was 3.99 ( I had a .75cent coupon so 3.25). I picked up some shredded parm in MI. I also have bacon for the salad. I'm debating whether or not to add Ricotta. I'll probably have enough money in the budget, but its 3.99 for 454 grams. I'd probably need 4 containers, if not more.

Zingerman's Buenos Aires brownies. They came out great!!

My favorite CC pie is from Cook's Illustrated. I posted a picture in the Cream pie cookoff.

No Car allowance. Additionally, I only get paid for 7.5hrs, no matter how many hours I put in. I do get 2 extra hours for the Thanksgiving and Xmas meal.

I hear you Ellen!! I think their most favorite meal was Canadian Thanksgiving. It was the most processed food I've ever cooked. They had the green bean casserole( frozen green beans, mushroom soup, canned fried onions), dressed up stove top stuffing, pillsbury grand biscuits, frozen pumpkin pie from M & M. Totally frustrating!!

I don't have Mastercook, but I've been eyeing up various versions on Ebay. I want to get one that lets me figure out costing for my own catering too. The pasta idea is a good one. I know what I'll do..... I'll bread the thighs and fry them like cutlets. I'll make a big casserole of baked ziti ( with ricotta) too. They can have ceasar salad and garlic bread too!! Thanks Pam!!

No, I'm not single, I'm legally married : ). I actually have a wife not a husband!! If you're interested in the story there, you can read my very first food blog. I've spoken to them about getting donations, but since they are charging the seniors for a meal( 9.00), they dont feel right about getting donations. The meal program is just one of the many things the agency does( home healthcare, housekeeping, driving, etc, etc). The agency has a few fundraisers per year, but the money isnt earmarked specifically for the dining program. I've been surprised about what I've been able to put out with my budget, but as I said before, I run myself ragged shopping at different stores. Yesterday, I picked up a 20lb bag of potatoes for 1.77. I'm not sure what I'll do with them or even if I'll use them next time but at least I have them. If I don't use them, I can pass them to the other cook.( she cooks every Tuesday and Wednesday) She cooks in two different towns. Speaking of her, I'm filling in for her on Dec 11th and 12th. I then cook for my program on the 13th. My program is having the "Christmas Meal". Turkey, stuffing, etc, etc. Their xmas meal isnt until the following week. I'd like to cook the same thing for both those programs. I'll also have to cook my turkey's on Wednesday too.

Here are a few of the things I bought. Bronze die cut pasta. I'm going to make a lasagna soup with this. these chips were good.

You can read about President's Choice here.

Its also carried at No Frills. I tried the All-in-one butter cookie today. Its a peanut butter/choc. chip/oatmeal/pecan/coconut cookie. I'm impressed that its made with butter, but it still tastes like a store bought cookie. I've realized that I just dont like crunchy cookies, I'm more about the soft and chewy. 10 cookies per 250gram package for 2.49

Its that time of the year again!! Time for the PC Insider's guide . Like most of us Eg members, I think homemade is better. However, there is a time and a place for convenience foods.( like when you're in the middle of a kitchen remodel or you live in a tiny town with no decent restaurants). Last year, I was surprised at how good some of the new products were. I really loved the Manuka honey. So this morning I bought 2 kinds of the All Butter cookies, Dulce De Leche( from Argentina), a box of the die cut pasta and a package of the Thai Spring Rolls. I'll review the products here as we consume them. What have you bought? What do you want to try? What do you think?

Hey Karen That above recipe might work well since I have 16lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the freezer at work. I got them for .99lb and I've been wondering what to do with them. I'm going to do some more research on that!! Thanks again

How aboutpapermart?

Well, for us the beans were even more expensive (we're Canadian, so once the exchange rate was factored in, they were outrageously priced for us), but according to my mother, the flavour and texture more than justified the price. She used all hers up, but she still thinks about them, and dreams of when we can visit SF again, just to buy some beans from Rancho Gordo. ← Ummm, now they're even cheaper than the US price. Plus, tax free since its food.

They would FREAK if I did a breakfast for dinner. The coordinator changed the time of the meal for January-March. The meal is normally at 5:30 but we changed it to noon because of the weather and how dark it gets here. Anyway, they were very worried the type of meal would change if we did it at noon( ie: soup/ sandwich vs. a full meal) They want their full meal. Juice( whats up with tomato juice anyway?), roll/bun/bread, meat, starch( always potato), salad, veg and dessert( coffee and tea). They didnt even like it when I gave them iced tea this summer because it was so freaking hot out.

I think the roast looks great! But it did bring up an important point. If the seniors are only provided with butter knives (hope they're at least metal ones and not plastic!), then a roast, especially one cut that thickly, is not a great choice for a meal. Remember, too, we lose strength as we age, so even if you could have cut it with your butter knife, it doesn't mean they would have had the strength to do so (hypothetically, of course). Pot roast might be a better choice for them. But then they'd probably complain that the meat were too soft! Did they at least like the cheesecake? I'd like some of that cheesecake. And I assure you, I would definitely appreciate it! ← Yes, they were metal knives and they loved the cheesecake. I was worried they'd complain that I cut the pieces too small( I got 20 pieces from a 9 x 13 pan). I told the servers to tell them it was very rich and thats why the pieces were small.

For mail order, if you can keep the total (including postage, I think) under CA$20, you don't have to pay duty, taxes, or anything else. That's IF it comes through regular mail. If it comes through UPS or Purolator, you usually have to pay the brokerage fees (I'm not sure about other fees). If you can get stuff shipped to you to a friend in the US who is willing to re-ship, then "gifts" under CA$60 are exempt from any duty, taxes, etc. In this case, the value of the package is reported by the sender, so they can undervalue an item to help you avoid paying duty. However, that would also limit the amount of insurance you could get on the package, if you get insurance. Just something to keep in mind. ← Very true. If you want it again Anna, let me know and you can ship it to my US post office box and I can reship it to you. I bought my new kitchen faucet from a US vendor and he shipped it to me here and marked the value at $40.00!!

Thanks Karen!! I really thought they would love it too. I was almost in tears when I heard the complaints. I'm not used to ppl complaining about my food. I run myself ragged going to different stores trying to find the sales. Last week a 20lb bag of potatoes was on sale for 3$ so I bought that and stored it at home until this week. I went to 2 stores yesterday( one for the salad mix) and another for the aspargus( 1.99lb) so I could serve a fresh veg. I think they look at it like they're paying 9$ for the meal and maybe they think 9.00 is a lot of money. I don't know though. Its very frustrating. The pears were on sale for .69lb and the grapes were .79lb. I'd still like to make lasagna and ceasar salad and garlic bread for a meal, but I think I'd get even more complaints. I just might do it next time though. My next meal is on Nov 22nd and its American Thanksgiving. I usually make dinner and have Canadian friends/family over but I can't this year because I have to cook for the Seniors. I'm not looking forward to sharing my holiday with people who can't appreciate my effort. Oh and yes, I did get the book but I havent had a chance to look thru it yet. I wasnt aware that its a classroom textbook. I hope I bought the right book.

Here is yesterday's meal. I made a salad with spring mix, sauteed pears, toasted walnuts, grapes and goat cheese. The meat was an inside round oven roast. I sprinkled it with salt and pepper and dried thyme. I made gravy with the drippings and some "bisto". I had lots of complaints about the meat. The seniors couldnt cut it with their butter knife so they came to the conclusion that it was overcooked. It wasnt. I pulled it at 155F. It was nicely pink. I bought 7 roasts for a total of 43.15(1.79lb). I served 42 with 4 takeouts. I had 3 whole roasts left over. I froze them and I'm going to make a soup with them in January. I made oreo cheesecakes using a 9 x 13 pan. I got a great deal on Cream cheese over the weekend( 2 day special) for .99 each. Cream cheese is normally over 3 dollars a bar. I made 7 lbs steamed asparagus( there wasnt 1 spear left). I also roasted some new potatoes.

Find an eGullet friend who lives in Buffalo? There must be cross-border shipping places like the ones we have near Vancouver. The place I use only charges a few bucks per package held. ← Find a UPS store in Buffalo. I get my mail at one in Port Huron( I pay for a box) but I know a lot of Canadians go over just to pick up a package. They charge 10 bucks for a one time pick up. There is a brand new Kohl's in Port Huron too.

Yes, it is wise to be VERY careful. I have posted elsewhere on paying an additional $26 (if I remember correctly) to bring in 2 lbs of curing salt! ← Groceries are tax free? I'm wondering why you were charged.

Actually, Meijer's does this as well. I shop at the location in MI and I'll try to dig up a receipt and post it.