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lucylou95816

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Posts posted by lucylou95816

  1. Really enjoyable blog, Stephanie.  I am glad to have had the peek inside Corti Bros., have heard about it for so long and it does look fabulous.

    The pix of your Sunday farmer's market could almost have been of the Sunday farmer's market I attended here in SoCal yesterday, veg-wise anyways.  Sure wish ours had oysters, though.

    That's interesting that you've heard of Corti Brothers. I've never really had the oysters, so I don't know if this guy was selling good ones or not. Thanks for reading.

    Plan a party for 40+ people?  That will be a piece of cake compared to keeping a foodblog, trust me.  (This might not be the case if it weren't for the requirement that all images be uploaded to ImageGullet.)

    As for the wine:  If you go back through my second foodblog (link in .sig), you will note that I devoted a fair bit of time to Pennsylvania's liquor laws and state monopoly on liquor sales.  The only alcoholic beverage producers who are exempt from working through the State Store system are the state's own wineries, some of which are coming into their own as producers of interesting, quality wine; they may sell directly to consumers at the winery or through their own retail outlets (Blue Mountain Vineyards has one of these in the Reading Terminal Market).  Otherwise, if the LCB doesn't carry it in their Wine & Spirits shops, your only options are: 1) Use the LCB's special order system to have it shipped to a State Store near you or 2) head to an out-of-state retail outlet to purchase it illegally.

    Pennsylvania wineries were allowed to ship product directly to Pennsylvania consumers, but a court decision ruled that this practice discriminated against out-of-state wineries and thus ran afoul of the U.S. Constitution's interstate commerce clause.  As a result, Pennsylvanians can't have wine legally shipped directly to them from anywhere, be it Chadds Ford or Chatsworth.

    I guess I'll have to travel to California to check these out.

    Thanks again for a great blog!

    Thanks again for taking the time to read and comment. I've read your blogs before, but I'll have to go through again. That really stinks that you can't have them shipped, and then I would assume that if you come here and buy some to take home, you may not be able to get them on the plane, right?

    Yes, the party may be easier than imagegullet, that had to be my one big challenge of the blog. Thanks again!

    Stephanie, many thanks (do I detect an echo in here?) for the blog.  I'm particularly appreciative of the numerous photos, and will admit to salivating occasionally at your well-documented efforts.  As a former resident of California for nearly two decades, your home town is quite familiar to me - and yet, I saw little familiar in your view.  Thank you for the new sights, new recipes, and nostalgia.

    Thank you for reading, and I am glad to have shared some new experiences with you.

    Thank you for a great blog. Lovely pet pictures, and wonderful food! And a special thanks for sharing your Thanksgiving with us. I know a blog is hard work and it's even harder when you have to report about festivities!  (especially with all that wine  :wink: )

    The wine numbed the pain. :raz: Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.

  2. I know how much work this was, with a holiday to cover, and you did it splendidly!!

    Thank you for all the lovely photos and visits to places we may never see save through another's eyes.  It's been wonderful.

    Thank you! I am glad that you enjoyed it. What will I do with my time now?--This week, plan a party for 40+ on Saturday. :blink:

  3. I've thoroughly enjoyed the photos - of wonderful pets, fine foods, excellent cooking - as well as the writeups.  I am agog at Corti's, and envious of the Farmer's Market.  It reminds me anew, as if I needed reminding, just how short the growing season is out here compared to there.  (It IS too bad the Meyer Lemon seller picked so many lemons still green.)  Thanks for giving us such a good pictorial glimpse into the Atkins lifestyle. 

    Thanks for doing such a lovely blog!

    Thank you for reading and your comments. I was actually surprised to see lemons there, since in the past when I have asked about lemons, they say that since alot of them are grown in Mexico, they don't allow the sellers at California Farmers Markets. At this house, I do have a lemon tree that gives us a good bunch of them. One of the ladies that works at one of the doctor offices I call on, asked if she could have some, and I told her to help herself. Some days when I go into the office, she'll have a lemon or two standing by. Right now they're still pretty green, but the orange tree that is between my house and my neighbors is starting to look like it will be orange juice time soon. Thanks again!

  4. One last cleanup note, I talked to my friend about the yankee doodles. Basically she toasts the rye bread on both sides. Makes a meat mix of hamburger, some ketchup, lea and perrins, salt, pepper, one other thing I can't remember. :huh: Spreads it on the bread, smears some of that durkee sauce on top and then broils them until they are done. No cheese or anything else.

    Well, that's about all I have for you. Myself and Mark, along with the furry crew, have truly enjoyed spending this week sharing our food related habits with everyone. Please feel free to ask any questions, I'll answer them as long as the blog stays open.

    Thanks again to everyone who has read and commented.

    Have a great Holiday Season!

    :wub:

  5. Okey doke, here's the last dinner for you. Since we went down to have a couple of cocktails, it's amazing that we go this dinner done, and semi-okay pictures to boot. But we had obligations to you! :raz:

    As I had said, we used Tyler's Ultimate Meatballs, no spaghetti. These are so good. The low carb twist though is to use

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    Now this wouldn't have been a proper low carb foodblog without the appearance of pork rinds. I personally don't like the taste of them, but what we do is soak them in heavy cream

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    And they take the place of bread crumbs.

    We didn't get pictures of the next steps, were sauteed onions and garlic, put into a bowl with the pork rinds, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, hamburger meat and ground pork.

    Roll them into almost tennis ball sized balls. This recipe makes about 10 good sized meatballs

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    Brown them in a skillet with some oil

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    Then put them into a baking dish

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    In another pot, saute some onion

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    add some garlic

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    Then add the San Marzano tomatoes

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    Add some basil, season with salt and pepper and let simmer for a bit. We might have thrown some wine in there too.

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    Pour the sauce over the meatballs

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    Grate some mozzarella cheese

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    Spread on top of the meatballs and sauce

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    And bake until melted and bubbly

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    Then it's time to dish some up

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    That's what I'll be having for breakfast, since the original plan was to also make last night, a crustless quiche for my breakfast this week since it's back to good old work. But that didn't happen. I'll probably make it tonight and what will go into that is eggs, cream, I got some Italian sausage, I was going to use the sweet red onions I got yesterday at the farmers market, some frozen broccoli and some frozen artichoke hearts. Mix it all together, bake it and it's done. I just reheat in the morning in the microwave and sometimes add a dollop of sour cream.

  6. I am uploading the pictures of the our "last supper" so to speak but did get the creamed onions recipe from my dad's girlfriend. Here it is:

    I use the small onions that come in a bag. I have learned over the years that it is easier to peel them after they are cooked. I boil them till tender then peel them.

    Cream sauce: 2 tab. of butter 2 tab. of flour 1/4 teas. salt

    1/8 teas. pepper 1 cup of milk.

    Melt the butter in sauce pan. Add flour stirring while adding. When completely added start to add the milk but do it slowly and continue to stir. Bring to a boil and cook until you have it at the desired thickness. I sometimes add more milk. I doubled this at Thanksgiving and used 4 bags of onions. I also did this much ahead of time and then put in the oven to warm before dinner. I took it out when they were bubbling. I sprinkled with a light coating of Paprika.

  7. Lucy, thanks for taking the time to dazzle us with the amazing blog during such a busy time of year; it was most enjoyable. I loved all the photos of your adorable pets, wine, Thanksgiving meal, amazing farmers market and grocery. I wish there was something even close to that in my area. Thank you, again for sharing! :wub:

    Marigene, Thank you for the message. It has been a lot of work, but fun as well. Mark was very enthusiastic about this blog. He said, "I didn't think that our life was that interesting until I saw it on the internet." :raz:

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    Lucy - that vegetable is the chayote or sayote as we call it in the Philippines. We usually use it in stir-frys and sometimes as a substitute for green papaya in a chicken soup dish called tinola.

    The fruit is roughly pear shaped, somewhat flattened and with coarse wrinkles, ranging from 10 to 20 cm in length. It has a thin green skin fused with the white flesh, and a single large flattened pip. The flesh has a fairly bland taste, and a texture described as a cross between a potato and a cucumber. Although generally discarded, the seed has a nutty flavour and may be eaten as part of the fruit.  (Wiki)

    Thanks! I appreciate the information. I was suspecting that is what they might be, but I couldn't tell for sure. I wonder if it has alot of carbs?

  9. Lucy, this has been a fabulous blog.  Lots of lovely pictures, some great tips on wines I'll never find in Pennsylvania, I suspect, and adorable pet photos.  Glad to hear that Atkins, loosely interpreted, is working for you.

    Thanks a bunch for sharing your week with us!

    Thanks Sandy, I appreciate the message. Unless you are one of those states that they don't allow wine to be shipped to, I am sure any of those places would be happy to ship to you. :biggrin:

  10. I love those cat pictures!  I love cats that love each other, even though it looks like Peabody is suckling Pickles...which is a wee bit weird...  It makes me miss my cat even more!  But I wish she were as affectionate as your furballs.

    Your TG dinner looked amazing.  I didn't get a TG dinner this year--either a Canadian or an American one.  It's good to see that one can eat well, even on Atkins. :smile:

    I think that Peabody likes to warm his head in Mr. Pickles big belly. :raz: These two defintely love each other. They chase each other around and play rough, but then they snuggle with each other.

    Thanks for the message, yes, as far as Atkins, we're back on the horse, so to speak, eating the right way. I think I said that after this week, all the wine, that I am not weighing myself until Friday. It will be nice to see a little loss then.

  11. Totally enjoying your blog. Wonderful photos. Adorable beasts. I have a male yellow lab who looks alot like yours- he is such a foodie- roasted asparagus, cantaloupe, quality apples, carrots, and currently in love with Asian pears- but they have to be peeled and please do not include any core.

    The cardoni- cardoon- looks like an artichoke but the flowers are very small and not edible, the stems are harvested and have a mild artichoke flavor when properly cooked. They are usually blanched in the growing process like celery - tied to keep them white & to make them more tender. They are very bitter. I have cut them raw from the garden and accidentally gotten juice on my finger, then eaten something. The bitter rests on your palate a long time. Most recipes pre-cook them to get rid of some of the bitter. Chardgirl has a potato- cardoon gratin in RecipeGullet that is a standard prep. The ones you have look kinda tired and I think they are better harvested in cooler weather. I would ask the gentleman who sold them how they are preparing the type you purchased. Thank you again and looking forward to more.

    Thank you for the message. Labs are great dogs, aren't they? Mine isn't the smartest lab in the world, but she is pretty (IMO) My exboyfriend had a black lab named Willie and he and Riley were the best of friends. Willie lived with me for a while, and he taught Riley how to jump up and pick peaches off the tree in the backyard. They'd both sit in the back yard munching on peaches. The pits were really small, and Willie swallowed them, you'd see them out the other end. Riley wouldn't eat the pits. Since that relationship ended, Riley hasn't wanted a peach ever again. I would buy him some and give it to him, but he couldn't be bothered. I guess the memory of his old friend was to sad for him to continue eating peaches.

    I did take the cardoon down with me last night to the bar, since I knew that Hugo, my Italian friend would be there to show me how to peel it. In his opinion, that one he said was very tender, and he almost wanted to take it home. He's going to go to Corti Brothers today and buy what they had left. I did taste it (a teeny piece) raw last night, and it almost tasted like celery. Like you said, you want them white, he said. We'll give it a try tonight and see how we like it. Mark is not a fan of artichokes, so we'll see if he likes it.

    edited to add the cardoon information

  12. Sometimes egullet likes to play tricks on me. Perhaps the posts were too photo heavy, so'll cut the farmers market one up into two:

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    Some big ass squash. I forgot the name, I am sure someone here will know. They were nearly 3 feet long.

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    another veg I don't know the name of. I think its used in Asian cuisine?

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    Apples are big here, since up about 40 minutes away is Apple Hill that is a popular place to go this time of year for apples, apple pie, wine tasting, getting Christmas trees. It's fun, but gets really crowded.

    In addition to all this, they had a pork guy, an oyster guy, a couple other fish guys, some bread, cheeses, lavender plants. I may have to start going back.

    Well, that's it from the farmers market. I'll start a new post, since its picture heavy from my trip to one of my favorite grocery stores.

  13. My second journey of the day was to one of my other favorite grocery store. Before I go, let's check my list to make sure I have everything I need on it for dinner.

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    Tonight's dinner, for your viewing pleasure, I'll be making Tyler's Ultimate Meatballs, with a low carb twist.

    So here we are off to Corti Brothers.

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    I like this grocery store for many reasons. One is the personalized service that you can get, from the Deli to the Meat Counter to the wine section. Their produce is not always the best of the best, but they did have the cardoni that I was interested in trying.

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    In fact, the produce guy said that they are usually the only ones to carry it. You'll also find all kinds of Italian specialties, Panattoni Bread and probably the world's largest selection of pasta. Let's just get to that. I have never seen a pasta aisle like this before ever.

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    Not likely to see any golden grain or generic brands in that group.

    The main reason I come to Corti's is for the meat. They do the obvious, order fresh turkeys for Christmas and Thanksgiving, they can order just about any cut of meat you want, they really are a one stop shop.

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    They just started carrying Estancia meat. I haven't bought any yet, but a friend has and said it was great.

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    Lamb

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    ground meats and bacon

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    Pork

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    chicken parts and pieces

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    fish, which was a little sparse today. If we get any crabs from SF, which may be sparse this year due to an oil spill, they usually are filled up with crabs.

    Next is their deli section, which is equally as cool.

    Starts off with a prepared food section. Twice baked potatoes, meat loaf, salads, not quite sure what those things in the right hand section are. Usually this stuff is great, since they make it right there.

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    Fresh cheeses and pesto

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    Next are wursts, salami's, sausages

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    All types of cured hams

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    They roast alot of their own deli meat, which is really good.

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    More sausage

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    Huge selection of cheese in the deli

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    Huge Olive bar

    Now if that deli cheese wasn't enough for you. They also have a self serve cheese area and here's what it looks like:

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    I forgot to take a picture of the other end which has a bunch of asiago, parmesan, etc.

    They usually have one or two out for sample too.

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    Some other things that are unique to Corti's, one that I forgot to photograph was their selection of San Marzano tomatoes. At least 10-15 brands. I like using these when I am making a tomato sauce, as you'll see tonight.

    They have an excellent wine selection

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    It would not be unusual to be out to dinner with a friend, and see the wine gurus from Corti's having dinner, and trying multiple bottles. This happened to us one night, and the wine guy came over, because he knew someone we were eating with, and gave us each a glass of dessert wine they were tasting to go with our dessert. That was pretty cool.

    I also found this interesting wine in a weird package. Maybe something like what Sam was talking about earlier this week.

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    Juice boxes for adults.

    In the freezer section, they have some of the coolest ice cream available anywhere. A while back I had posted something about Dr. Bob's on the dinner thread. By far, one of the best chocolate ice creams out there.

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    And demi glace as well as house made raviolis, sauce, gnocchi and almost anything else you can imagine.

    Whew, ok, I need a break, loading all of those pictures takes some time. I think that we'll head off to Raven for a bit, see if the yankee doodle girl is there, and ask Hugo about how to prepare this cardoni. See you all after dinner!

  14. Hi Everyone, the last day of the foodblog, hard to believe. But first, I would be remiss to not wish Riley a Happy 11th Birthday. Happy Birthday Riley! He's as happy as an 11 year old can be:

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    Ok, I went to the Sacramento farmers market today. I have so many pictures, that it's good that the blog is almost over, since my account is practically filled up. I apologize in advance, for slower internet connections, I edited out a bunch but really felt like the ones I picked needed to be in here.

    It takes place under a freeway, as hzrt8w had said back in his blog several months ago.

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    Why it takes underplace there I have no idea. I typically only go to this market when I want to buy tomatoes or cucumbers for canning. Today, actually surprised me with lots of stuff I have never noticed before or that is new. I didn't buy a whole lot, in fact this is all I got:

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    Some onions that I'll need to for dinner tonight and some fresh tomatoes for a salad at some point this week.

    Of course, being that we are a political town, no farmers market would be complete without your political advocates

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    Ok, so on with what the market had to offer today

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    Don't know what these are, I couldn't understand the guy. Maybe someone knows?

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    I would hate to have a dishonest wine? Would that give you a different type of hangover?

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    Lots of heirloom tomatoes still out there.

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    Oh taters how I miss thee

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    Sweet green onion? I'm going to try them tonight in something.

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    The Lady asked me to take a picture of that, something that you can grow your own mushrooms on.

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    These are hulled cherry tomatoes. The guy let me have one to taste, and they were really nutty tasting. He said that some people say almost pinapple/nutty. I thought they were really good. I should have bought some.

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    Some of the biggest garlic I have seen in a while out here.

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    surprised to see corn still in season.

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    I think I 'll start a new post, some of the pictures weren't coming up.

  15. stephanie,

    wow what beautiful food.  i want those thanksgiving onions.  i've loved the pictures of the animals as well.  thanks for blogging on a decidedly busy week.

    suzi

    Suzy, thanks for the message. I am glad that it has been enjoyable. We're not done yet, so be sure to check back. If you'd like the recipe for the onions, let me know, I can ask my dad's girlfriend for them and PM you the recipe when I get it.

  16. And an indispensible ingredient in REAL Paminna Cheese.

    Was there ANY cheese in that topping as well?  I've never tried broiling Durkee's before, but didn't know it would glaze like that.  Must be the eggs and xanthan gum.

    I will double check on the cheese question. I don't believe so. But in the spirit of the egullet foodblog, I may have to wander down to the pub in a little bit, because more than likely, the chef of the yankee doodles will be there. But after I post some pics from the farmers market today.

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