IowaDee

Sounds like what we call a Bloody Beer,made with dos Equis lager.

This is exactly the type of place we delight in when we find one. We have a dinky little Mexican place that is amazing. Family run and with love and pride. I love the fact that each table has a small potted plant no matter the season. The bright red pots and greenery some how capture the spirit of the place. There are some really bad murals on the walls showing life in rural Mexico. I suspect a family member did them and because of that, they are unique and beautiful. It is always an adventure ordering. Sometimes you get salsa and chips and sometimes not. Every so often they bring a bowl of extra queso fresco to the table but not always. No matter, we always leave with full tummies and full hearts, happy that places like that can survive and thrive in today's fast food culture. And, come to think of it, they never bring water to the table. They have a big cooler and customers just walk up and help themselves to whatever they want to drink as long as it is Mexican pop.

I too have many old pieces of it, all in the cornflower design. Most are marked on the bottom as how to use them. For example, my 8 in. square pan says it is for oven, range or microwave use. I could find no pieces that mentioned using them in the broiler, but I would feel comfortable doing just that. The new stuff, maybe not Best coffee I ever had was made in a Corning Ware electric pot. It was a sad day in our kitchen when the pot was recalled. In return for sending in the lid, I got credit or coupons for all types of their products. Don't tell anyone but I found another lid at a yard sale,a couple of years later and sent it in as well. If you were lucky enough to be on my Christmas list that year, there was a piece of Corning Ware with your name on it!

A trip like this has been a dream of mine for a long, long time. I am so happy that you will get to experience it and, hopefully share your visit. The cooking lessons sound amazing and I am envious but again, looking forward to your memories of them I so hope that the family troubles were a mere bump in the road for you..

And that makes it perfect for a "sit down" dinner. I think it looks pretty cool!

She is just one amazing woman! I would delight in having even one quarter of her energy.

I love picadillo but I'm curious about something. Several recipes call for beef and an equal number call for pork. I have always used beef simply because that is what I tend to have on hand when the picadillo craving hits me. Also I have used pecans in a pinch and they worked out just fine. What is the authentic meat to use?

Last time I checked it was for sale on Amazon. How's your supply of Mexican oregano? Gotta have plenty of that.

Used to be a small Mexican restaurant near here that had what I guess you would call a table top pastor spit. You could set it up about anywhere there was electricity. The place went out of business and I tried and tried to find that cool little cooker. I suspect that some tacos trucks have them too. "Our" defunct place never failed to have the chunk of fresh pineapple on top of the meat to the juice would run down and carmelize on it. Damn, make me stop, I might cry at the loss.

I had it in my head that this method of spit cooking was what made tacos al-pastor unique. Are they the same thing or just kissing cousins? Little hole in the wall iln Mazatlan made the best al pastor tacos I've ever had. By day it was a scooter rental and by night it had transformed into a taco place complete with a wonderful lady making tortillas by hand. What amazing food. If I had to live on just one cusine, it would be Mexican hands down!

Almost all of my cookware is Vision Ware. I have eveything from loaf pans to large casseroles. Some of it has the non-stick coating in the bottom but the majority is plain. When it first came out, my local grocery store had a deal where you could get one piece per week with a minimum store purchase. I have picked up additional pieces at thrift shops over the years. Use it all the time on the stove, in the oven and in the microwave. I don't use it in the broiler. Also have many pieces of Corning Ware with the blue cornflower on them. Again, I use it everywhere except in the broiler. Hardly ever run across pieces in thrift shops People must realize what treasures they have! Sometimes older really is better and vintage, best of all.

I too am so sorry to hear this.

I think I know her husband, Fullla. Nice couple.

If you do a search for Civillan Conservation Corps, you will find the info. We have several beautiful buildings in local parks thanks to it.

I will give WH props for having the first olive bar I've ever seen. Who knew olives came in all those shapes and sizes not to mention flavors. And the cheese selection blew my mind. Here in one place were all those exotic cheeses that I had only read about before. Now amazing seletions of olives and cheeses abound but don't you always remember your first time?

Yup it does. Talk about your bastard stepchild, here it is. Our Aldi's is always verging towards funky. I will say the produce can be good at times but I feel as if there is a 20 minute window for some stuff Our favorite taco joint has amazing chips and salsa. I asked if they made their own chips and she shook her head and brought out a bag of them from Aldi's. I read their ads on line and just shop for the super bargains like fresh pineapples for a buck that are wonderful. When I say "our Aldi's" I mean 26 miles away. "Close" is a relatlive term out in the sticks.

Oh, I missed that. There shall be no wacking, only gentle tapping.

Boy that Poppin Fresh dude sure gets around! I had no idea he was such a worldly guy. I'll have to respect him more as I wack that tube against the counter.

If you Goggle lemonade poke cake, you will find several that may fill the bill.

Saveur Has ups and downs but still worth it to me. Like the travel and food articles from different cultures alot. Lucky Peach since the first one. Think this may be a good investment! Pre order from Amazon and save some bucks. C.I. but it is starting to wear a tad thin. Food Network, don't mock it tell you try it. Sunset, recipes never let me down nor do the cookbooks Fine Cooking- Tauton Press does a good job on all their publications. When Gourmet went under the rest of my sub. was filled by Bon Appetit. I dislike one of the editors so intensly that I never renewed. I also pick up copies of the Edible publications whenever I can. Wonderful magazines and beautifully done.

Many years ago the local grocery store hired a real smart ass produce manager. He knew everything or so he thought. One thing he didn't know was avocados. As soon as they got a wee bit soft, he considered them spoiled and marked them way down. He was such a jerk that no one was about to correct him. Nope, we just scooped those babies into our carts and went off snickering at his stupidity. Mixed emotions when he didn't last through the second avocado season! And I totally agree about buying "old" cheese.

Shelby. "used" is what we call the day old bread store! Those Mennonites and Amish folks are pretty crafty. Even though the Amish don't use electricity, they have huge freezer cases which are powered by generators. Also the building has really big sky lights. Most shopers carry small flashlights though. I feel sorry for people who have the Whole Food idea of shopping. I have a SIL who insistes that nothing else is worthy of her family and spends money they don't have to shop there. I think "the hunt" is part of what makes grocery shopping enjoyable rather than just a chore. Plus being open enough to try new stuff. Right now I have a couple of cans of conch soup that I'm anxious to sample. It will be a first for me. Paid a quarter each for them.

My goodness, around here there are at least three stores that carry almost nothing but expired goods. Two are run by local Amish. We all just call them Scratch and Dent Stores. If you make the effort, you can usually find plenty of stuff that is still not expired. Lots of us grab that and take it to the local Food Pantry. They are not allowed to pass out anything with an expired date. But, they will accept it and put it in the "help yourself" box. When a local grocery store signed up to carry a new house brand, all the former house brand items showed up a our S and D store. It was all still good for a couple of years so people went crazy stocking up on basics like soup and canned fruit. . I like the idea of being able to try new things at a cheap price. If it turns out we hate it, no guilt at all about tossing it. One thing that shows up all the time are cans of artichoke hearts and cans of palm hearts. No one around here has a clue as to what they're missing and I'm not about to tell them. Of course, those same people would run me over with their shopping carts if I so much as reached towards "their" canned spam. Few people around here cook Mexican food at home so imagine who snagged all the Rick Bayles stuff? Yup, me and none of it was past the use by date. If you're lucky enough to have a store like ours, check it out and you might find some amazing stuff. My daughter still talks about the large jars of Nutella we found for $1.00 each.

I just checked Amazon. It has 7 oz. Goya brand cans for $8.99. I bought a different brand years ago at a local Mexilcan market. Don't recall the brand. Also had it fresh in Mexico, different but pretty tasty.

Must have been some "Jackass" that left that off the menu .