ygg

Hi there - long time reader, third-time poster. I actually came here a few days ago to look for coffee maker recommendations after our Cuisinart DCC-1200 ...ignited. We REALLY liked the machine, and in fact it was the second we'd purchased (the first died after 18 months), and we liked it and the coffee it made right up until it started smoking and getting extremely hot. I figured, since it was being recommended here, that I'd let you guys know about this problem. We're far, far from the only ones this has happened to - and a few unfortunate souls have even had their houses burned down by the DCC-1200, 2200, and the Grind-and-Brew Cuisinarts. The Consumer Affairs site has a long, long list of complaints: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/cuisinart.html If you look at its page on Amazon.com, there are several complaints about fire and smoking there as well (look at the 1-star reviews and the product forum at the bottom of the page): http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DCC-1200-Central-Coffeemaker-Stainless/dp/B00005IBX9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297280733&sr=8-1 We actually had CPSC at the house this morning so we could give them the unit and file a formal report in the hopes that Cuisinart would recall this machine. It's pretty appalling and I'm quite mad that this has been going on for *years* without them doing anything about it. Anyway, love the forum, and we're hoping that the Capresso we got based on the recommendations here works out well! -ygg/katie

Hello all! First post here, brand-new member; I didn't see any place to make an introduction or say a general hello (though I may well have just missed it), so I figured I'd insert a little "hi!" at the top here. My husband and I have just moved to Northwestern CT from Brooklyn, NY. Where we are is *extremely* rural: the nearest town is Riverton, pop. 600, and the closest gas station is a good 10 minute drive. I grew up in CT and spent my teens not far from here (north Canton and I went to school in Great Barrington) We love the area and we love the house, and we even like the challenge that feeding ourselves has become, but I'd love to get more restaurant & market tips among other things. We're fairly close to the Berkshires, so I've been perusing and making note of the recommendations people have posted about that area. I'd love to hear about any restaurants people like in the Granby-Avon-Torrington-Bloomfield-Winsted area as well...or even further south like Litchfield would be ok if only once in a while. Additionally, if anyone has any suggestions for where to buy great food around here, that would be fantastic. Apparently there's a Jimmy's Meats in Torrington, which I haven't gotten to yet, but I did call and they don't seem to stock much lamb, which makes us sad (though my grandfather says their sausages are fantastic, which is great), but I'm pretty much unaware of any other specialty markets that we might be within reach of. In the later spring and summer and fall there's plenty of produce stands and assorted other ways to get local ingredients, but I don't know of any farmer's markets in our area, so tips to those would be appreciated as well. We've been doing our general shopping at the Simsbury Stop & Shop, which is a bit of a hike but they actually do have pretty good food, lots of organics if not local. Whole Foods is really very far for us to do our general shopping there. I'm reasonably certain that - at the very least in the winter - we're going to be doing a fair share of shopping in the big box stores, but I'd definitely prefer to a., find sources for superior products, and b., buy local/regional whenever possible. Any tips would be very much appreciated, and hopefully I haven't repeated any earlier threads here! Best & thanks & hellos, -ygg / katie lukas