BeeZee

I live in NJ (call it mid-atlantic/northeast US)...recently changed jobs, going from one that was totally working from home/on the road to back into an office almost every day (45 min commute each way). When I was driving around for work, I used to pick things up in my travels (I knew where all the Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or Wegmans were on my usual route). I absolutely spent more buying that way vs. the once a week torture of a regular food shopping with the pre-shopping inventory and list-making.

Black out shades, eye shades, ear plugs. I worked one summer in a hotel/casino in A.C. during college. It's obviously easier to adapt when you're 19-20 years old, but if you don't have a dark room to sleep in, your body will fight it. You have to re-set your circadian rhythms, you might have to turn your routine around a little. I found that I did better eating my "dinner" (heavier meal) before I started my shift. It never stopped feeling strange to be going to work in the dark and getting out in bright daylight, though...

Green peppercorns in brine. At least 5 years old. Only used for one recipe, which was tasty and I keep thinking I'll make it again...

This recipe from Martha Stewart is easy and my note on the recipe is "surprisingly tasty" since it seemed so simple...works well with cod, which I know they sell frozen at TJ's. http://www.marthastewart.com/342403/braised-fish-with-fennel-and-tomato

I'm not a "full time" vegetarian, but I probably only eat animal protein once or twice a week. For me, it didn't start as an ethical decision, I just realized that I didn't enjoy meat all that much (except for seafood). I have often ordered an entree based more on the veg/carb sides than the featured protein. Today for lunch I had moroccan lentil/chickpea soup and some asiago bread and it made me happy. Rich flavor, substantial texture... I also know vegetarians who are very unhealthy, they don't eat meat but they also don't eat a well balanced diet (too much cheese, potatoes, etc isn't offset by not eating meat). Fat Guy, enjoy your week in the land of the Jolly Green Giant. It's the best time of the year to be veggie-centric!

Every consumer/retail business has a product that they sell as a "loss leader"...the thing that they know brings customers in but they don't make any profit on. They count on the customer seeing all of the other, more profitable items on the way to check out and impulse buying. Same reason that the combination gas station/convenience stores exist. They charge a penny or two less per gallon for gas because they count on you going in to buy a Slurpee while you fill up. Group coupons are a calculated risk for a restaurant owner, they hope that the deal entices someone to try their restaurant who might not have otherwise, and then they will enjoy it and return (and hopefully tell their friends). During slow periods like the summer, I have to believe they would rather have a couple of less profitable checks than an empty dining room. My husband and I use these types of coupons, finances are tight and they enable us to eat out in some nice local places. In the end, it's about local businesses trying to get people in the door.

Agree with gfweb, Amada is a tapas place where you are going to hang out for a while, by the end of my last meal I was squirming from muscular discomfort. Dim lighting recently was an issue at another Philly resto, Alma de Cuba. I had to make use of the flashlight function on my 'droid phone to be able to read the menu. I also add to comfort the concept of decent spacing between tables. I don't want to bump into people getting into my seat, and once seated I don't want to feel like I'm sharing my conversation with the adjacent tables. Where the tables are put into the room can also contribute to comfort, there was a place that tried to add some more seating by putting 2 tops essentially in an aisle when all of the other tables were backed by walls and it felt very "exposed".

I had marron (chestnut) ice cream when I was in Montreal last week, cup shared by chocolate noir (dark chocolate) and it was great. But I think it is more of a "fall" flavor. Think about it for Thanksgiving.

I'm around 42" in the waist. I'm pretty sure I'm less than 84" tall. Then again I'm not arguing that I'm thin. I'm still Fat Guy, just somewhat less so. Similar situation to my 6' tall husband (weight around 220), whose eyes were rudely opened by a doctor recently. As a former athlete, he has put all his weight on around his stomach. In his opinion, he was "fit". The doctor pointed out that although he wore 40" waist on his pants, they were pushed well below his actual waistline.

Not sure I agree (although kids are taller now, so their weights have gone up proportionally)...I belong to a YMCA in a very middle class area. There are a lot of kids in the facility and I see plenty of overweight kids (usually with overweight parents). It makes me want to scream, I've seen 6 year old kids holding onto giant bottles of Gatorade almost as big as they are, their parents have no clue. You can't blame McD's for providing a product that the marketplace clearly demands, but maybe if the kids get some nutritional education they will bring it home to the rest of the family. It's so much easier to keep your weight normal and avoid health issues if you can at least start from a good place.

Raw beets are terrific as a salad, grated, with a ginger/orange vinagrette.

I have a freezer with icemaker, but I hate the way the ice tastes. We don't use very much of it and it does get "stale". When we have a get-together in warm weather I'll dump whatever ice is in the bin so a new batch will produce, but I still buy bagged ice for drinks and use my icemaker cubes to keep bottles cool.

I always have unsalted pretzels in the cabinet. Good for dipping into hummous. But sometimes that also means squirting/spooning a little of every condiment in the fridge into a bowl and trying to create "super dip".

mmm, red Swedish fish. One of the few candies where I like the green ones, too. They aren't lime. But red is my favorite, they are more of a raspberry flavor. I tried the "Sea Life" shapes and somehow the flavors seemed different, I didn't like them as much as the original fish. If you live in the northeast/midatlantic, Rita's Water Ice has a Swedish Fish flavor ice.

I've found in those bagged salads (yes, they aren't ideal, but sometimes convenience is important) that when I get "that smell" there's usually a couple of slimy leaves mixed in somewhere. Shake the contents out and you'll find the offensive ones. Often they are stuck to the sides of the bags because of moisture.

that's the deadly one for me, I'll have a bag sitting on my desk while I work and suddenly realize there's nothing but air left. Hershey's Hugs or those "fun size" candy bars...the small size doesn't let you realize how much you've eaten. Until that particular sick feeling from a combination of sugar overload and self-recrimination hits.

What I like about her, aside from her recipes being quite "do-able", is when I'm trying to figure out how in the world to prepare a nice meal for some guests coming over when I'm just up to my eyeballs...her experience as a caterer is brought up to demonstrate how to plan ahead and prepare ahead to allow you some time to relax and enjoy your guests.

I seem to have an inordinately large number of canned tomato products...

I like incorporating avocado into my salad, usually with something acidic (oranges, tomatoes), it kind of mushes in to create it's own dressing...so I can keep the use of additional oil to a minimum, usually prefer to use a flavorful vinegar.

Could you refill my water glass, please, without me having to flag you down? Last night hubby and I were out and he asked the waiter for more water (both of our glasses were half full) and the water refilled his glass and walked away. Heelllooo????

Fresh bagels, never toast them. I even ask for the most well done ones at the bagel shop to ensure the crunch. Bialys, on the other hand, I have to toast. I grew up in NY and NJ, so we can usually find good bagels in the more traditional style.

There is a local soup/salad/sandwich shop near my husband's office that uses the small pieces at the end of the rye bread loaf for their "half" sandwich on the combo deal. Not the really small ones (those get turned into croutons).

Smoked salmon, chopped into little pieces, instead of bacon?

My first taste of sushi...I was probably around 12 years old and just decided I wanted to try it. Our family had eaten Japanese food for several years, but nobody tried sushi. That daring leap into eating RAW fish...I can't say I remember it for the flavor but more for the little bit of fear/anticipation at the time.

Pudding cups...I always look at them suspiciously in the supermarket...and they say they are made with "real milk".