Emily_R

Merstar -- I'm intrigued by the Espresso Chews -- what is the texture of them like? Are they cookie-like? Or more fudgy?

I've got to say, even though having convection was a big priority when I bought an oven, I *never* use it. I guess its that my old oven was so old and crappy, that just about any modern oven was going to be much more even heat than what I'd had. So I'm very happy with my Frigidaire's heating without convection. One thing that I didn't appreciate enough, but now do, is how big a difference it makes to have grates that are relatively close to the burners. My Kitchenaid feels like it loses a ton of heat because the grates are quite high, and so there is lots of space between the burner and the pot where the heat can escape. My Frigidaire doesn't have that problem. Oh -- and one other thing I love -- having an oven rack that automatically pulls out when you open the door!

I have had a great experience with a Frigidaire that is almost identical to this one (mine has one additional higher powered burner, but everything else is just about the same). And you can see this one gets nearly five star reviews both on AJ Madison as well as on Home Depot and other sites. http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/FGGF3054MW.html I have two houses, in my other home I have a much more expensive Kitchenaid that was put in by the builder. I like the Frigidaire MUCH more...

Has anyone had those new Popcorners chips? I cannot stop eating the sea salt ones -- once the bag is open, I basically eat them at a one-every-three-seconds rate until the bag is done...

Well I should have known from the 10-minute farro but, but I had already bought a bag of their 10-minute barley, so I cooked it up. Yuck. Zero flavor. None. It went down the drain... In better news, I highly recommend their Yellowfin Solid Tuna in Olive Oil. Excellent.

Ooops -- thank you Merstar! Sorry to not get the attribution right the first time!

Hi all -- I moved to New Orleans six months ago, and while I love many of the places you've suggested, I'm not sure many of them meet what sahmd requested -- a casual restaurant that will take a reservation for 15 to 20 for dinner. Satsuma doesn't serve dinner, and August is certainly not relaxed and casual. Maurepa's Fine Foods might work but I don't know if they could accomodate such a large party... Cochon might work... One I thought of that is in the Marigny, Ruby Slippers, only does breakfast and lunch. The reason I hadn't posted earlier is that I don't typically make it to those neighborhoods often -- I end up staying Uptown most of the time...

Andie -- thanks for letting me know -- I never realized that the Ghiradelli I use isn't dutched. I've had good success with it baking, but will have to expand my cocoa repertoire!

Whoa! Nice collection Andiesenji! It is good to be reminded about King Arthur as an option. I bought the Vahlrona cocoa once and thought it was so dark that it made my final dish taste burned -- I really didn't like it and ultimately threw it out!

I had a Trader Joe's bust yesterday. I made a bag of their 10-minute Farro -- essentially it is farro that has been parboiled, to facilitate faster cooking... And I thought it was terrible -- really flavorless, with none of the intense nuttiness that real farro has. I can, however, second the awesomeness of the frozen rice medley mentioned earlier (the one that is a combo of brown rice, red rice, and barley) -- it is great!

I've been happy with Ghiradelli's dutch cocoa -- good quality at a reasonable price...

I second the English Muffin as sublime when toasted with and slathered with butter, but I am partial to only Thomases, and no other brand... I would love to try the EM's at the Berkeley bowl, but I will say that I tried to make my own English Muffins several times, and had them turn out terribly -- none of the craggy texture the recipes promised. I have also made several versions of English Muffin Bread, and find it to be pretty lack-luster -- it doesn't have much depth of flavor, because it typically has such a quick rise. But something about Thomases English Muffins, toasted dark, taste just perfect to me. That said, I love a good hunk of sourdough toast as well, as well as toasted pumpernickel...

Hey all -- I'll be making a trip to Trader Joe's tomorrow, and need to buy some olive oil. I know they have a dizzying array -- any recommendations on which to buy? Thanks!

Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers -- so addictive. Also a fan of Pepperidge Farm's Geneva's...

Hi All -- I bought a bottle of Kahlua for a bundt cake recipe that under-delivered, and now I'm in need of suggestions for desserts / baked goods to help me use up the rest of the bottle! Any favorite recipes to recommend? Thanks! Emily