IowaDee

They just called them "red velvet" and moved on. Seriously, I would react the exact same way or maybe not. I would have puked right away.

Oh my your dragon fruit comes in a cozy. No wonder it was expensive. Looks like you made a wonderful haul. Can't wait to see what you make with it.

In his wonderful book, The Happy Isles of Oceania, author Paul Theroux says he was told by natives that the reason Spam is so popular there is because it is the nearest in taste to human flesh. Long memories of Long Meat as they called human "dinner guests." Had to refresh my fading memory. The natives called humans they planned to eat. "Long Pigs". I may have posted this before so feel free to take it down.

Kind of makes me think of a Chinese version of James Beard.

I used to get a good laugh out of seeing Tucks brand crackers and Tucks brand medicated pads for hemorrhoids in someone's cart. Hope they stored them in different rooms and kept the uses straight.

I just looked and it is on Amazon. Also says that Wal-Mart carries it. It is on my shopping list for sure.

Let me add my hopes that you are on the road to recovery now. We miss seeing your lovely meals and interesting stops and keeping up with your amazing critters.

Glad to see Hy Vee on the list. They are an employee owned chain and do a damn good job. I'm always impressed with products with their house brand. Their motto is A smile in every aisle, and they really seem to live it.

I recently had, what an elderly relative would call, a craving flung on me for popcorn. I knew my microwave had a setting for it but had never used it. I followed the instructions and placed the bag in the microwave and hit the button. My husband came into the kitchen to see what I was laughing at. The display on the panel that should have read POPCORN instead read PO RN Only the first two and last two letter were lit. Maybe it was because I used the brand with extra butter? It tasted just fine, X-rated or not.

There are "rules?" Now ya tell me. Some of the best food I've ever had has been what I would call fusion Asian and Mexican ingredients often find each other in the middle of a tortilla. Tastes like a marriage made in heaven's kitchen.

If you google Amish America you will find an on line encyclopedia about Amish culture. All kinds of info on about every aspect of their lives. Plenty of it involves food. We have more than 200 Amish families in our county. If you could sneek a look into the grocery cart of a younger Amish shopper, it would be pretty much like anyone's. What'would be lacking would be all the frozen items. But, I know more than one family that has a freezer rub by a diesel generator.

the Restores are just all around awesome places. Never fail to find something amazing that I didn't even know we needed. Wish mine wasn't over 100 miles from here.

We're having tortilla soup tomorrow. Going to be another cold day with wind chill warnings. Don't care all that much for Hoppin' John so we call this Hoppin;' Juan.

That looks like a "croc" of shit

I think windy ham is what you get from a flying pig.....wooosh

Well no wonder that left me in a complete muddle. Miso and I have yet to meet.

My BIL"s wife is Registered Dietitian at a nearby hospital. She does the majority of the meal planning. Knowing what and how she cooks at home, I pity the patients. Her standards are so low that her husband once told us about seeing a mouse sliding atop a stick of butter left on the counter overnight. He thought is was just too funny. Both of them are so obese they could be "before" models in a diet ad. Welcome back and I hope you are able to graduate from the wheelchair soon. I know you were misssed

Does it have a "relationship" with tofu?

You said it wasn't Chinese . Otherwise my guess would have been to break up clumps of rice before serving it. Far fetched I know.

And don't forget Little Miss Muffet on her tuffet eating her curds and whey!

Oh, I would sit, stay, fetch and heel for one myself.

While the chicken looks wonderful, it is the platter that makes me catch my breath. It is so beautiful that even the crud I often cook would look award winning.

Okay, this is a bit strange but here goes. My great uncle was the manager of an oil lease in the Inglewood Oil Field for Standard Oil in Baldwin Hills. CA. This was in the 40's and 50's. It was a well known site for ancient Native Americans and a place rich in fossils. For several summers UCLA students conducted digs on the lease. For than once my "Unk' was gifted with found items. My treasure is a very primitive mano and matate. It sits in a place of honor on our buffet. When our youngest daughter was in 4-H, one project involved a baked product using an old appliance. She ground corn in the metate and made muffins. Got to the Iowa State Fair and won a red ribbon. Would have been blue but one old lady judge said they were kind of gritty. Off topic but still cool. I also ended up with an epiphysis. It is the growth plate of a young whale and between 5 and 15 million years old. Compared to most, this one is very big. 14 inches across. It also sits on the buffet.

I also like and use Alton Brown's method of wrapping the asparagus in damp paper towels and steaming the bundle for 2-4 minutes. He also pre -salts before putting them in the MW. Easy to check a spear and stop the action when things are cooked to your taste. I always use whole spears but snap off the tough ends.

I have glass mixing bowls because I like being able to look at the bottom and make sure I have mixed everything in. Used to leave unmixed stuff. I have lots of cornflower Corningware and love it. Everything from pie plates and loaf pans to casseroles and baking dishes. But what I use the most, get ready for it, are my Visionware pieces My collection started probably more than 20 years ago when my local market offered a different piece each week for a low price if you spent so much on groceries.. I have added to those pieces until I have a large set which I use every day. They are workhorses, easy to clean and almost impossible to break. Did drop one pan when I slipped on the ice walking to the car. .The only drawback I can find is that, as I get older, they get heavier. I own several of the non-stick pieces and the coating is still like new.