IowaDee

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 .

Love, love, love Corner Gas. Can be watched on line while enjoying grape arsenic.

My Thermapen just arrived. On top was a wee little package of Jelly Bellies! Fun. Now, if you will excuse me, I must run around the house and look for things to probe! Oh, and British Racing Green is pretty cool. Zoom, zoom.

The cranes version of Swan Lake I'll bet.

Oh my, I would choose that as my last meal before being hung or put before the firing squad. I have yet to make a decent chilie relleno after years of trying. Do you drop some batter in the skillet, and set chilie on top and then add more batter to cover? So far that has worked the best for me. That is a beautiful meal!

I actually counted and recounted his filngers! A stump or two would not have surprised me.

Many years ago a seller on eBay took a photo of a shiny tea pot he planed to sell. Like Kerry's his reflection showed up in the pot. Unlike Kerry, he was stark naked!

Oh yes,, love those things I still have: 1. Seashells of the Woprld 2. Weeds 3. North American Indian Arts 4. Spiders and their Kin 5. Insect Pests 6. Stars 7 Insects 8. Pond Life Got them back in our camping days with two little girls. Made the experience much more fun. Those along with my trusty cookbook. America Cooks The General Federation of Women's Clubs Cookbook lived in the camper. If I came across a new-to-me ingredilent while on the road, the book would tell me what to do with it. As a librarian, I have used my book mending skills many times on my 1967 edition.

Yikes, just priced the Dawn stuff on Amazon..$34.99 per bottle. Comments say that it is not avilable in store anymore. Have to be one special baking pan to justify that many bucks in this house. Maybe for some cookies that were served at The Last Supper or somethng.

Oooh Shelby those sure look "succulent" don't they!

That looks sturdy enough to pull a calf! Go for it.

I am really enjoying following your "adventures" as things unfold. In some ways, they remind me of Angelo Garro in San Francisco. His restaurant, Renaissance Forge sounds as amazing as he is. I think the two of you must share some DNA. The October issue of Sunset magazine did a story on him I think he probably feels the same joy while cooking as you do.

Many years ago I can remember pouring over a catalog of bulls. You placed your order for seman according to the traits you were looking for in calves. These were not dairy bulls but big beefy critters. Once you found what you hoped would be your cows' heart throb, you ordered through your local A.I.tech. and settled in to watch for signs of heat in the ladies. I'm sure the actual delivery system left a lot to be desired for her. Let's just say in involves very long gloves! Around here most beef raisers still keep bulls around but dairy farmers have gone the A.I. route. Dairy bulls are considered mean and unpredictible compared to the beef breeds. I suspect that frozen bull seman is one of the few things you still can't order from Amazon yet.

I used to go with the tangerine player. He could really shake that thing.

Wasn't Kate and Prince William's wedding cake at least part fruitcake? A layer or something or else there were some separate small fruitcakes. I think that's probably what made it possible for some to be auctioned several years later.

Why, o why are you taunting me like this. That is a thing of beauty and you are even going to gild her lily. Enjoy and have a bite for me. Now it is time to begin the hunt for real hot cross buns.