hummingbirdkiss

LOL I do I am a nurse!!!

for those folks who are appalled by double dipping ..I say that is the least of your worries! ..do you honestly believe that the salsa on the tables that is not eaten is thrown away????? or tossed back in the bucket for reuse? me I am not foolish or blind ...I know most spots I visit where the food is about as good as it gets...put it right back into the bucket! if you want to eat a communal dip and not worry about what germs are on there just drink more beer and forget about it

No you have to use a pressure canner there is not enough acid in the stock to keep it safe ..

I can stock..especially lamb stock ... I like the flavor and convenience of just opening a jar when I need it ..much better flavor than frozen in my opinion ....(plus I can give it to friends and store it in the jar boxes in any cool dark place to save space)...I use the Washington State Cooperative extension for directions (any local extension can help you they usually have a person online or on the phone to answer all your questions about the process) ..safety is the key for sure in any canning adventure...I say if you have the time and the tools ..go for it! ..I do concentrate my stock way down so I can use it for anything from soups to sauces

I have the same but a larger size I think and love it it is nice to have a "clean side" and a "dirty side" the large side can hold the biggest roasting pans I have so not complaints of room here... I am not sure what the advantage of a single big sink is anymore? when you can scrape food off on one side then wash the pan on the other I am putting another kitchen in downstairs and while I thought I would like one of those single giant sinks ..I am not able to see how it would be better than two if you have a good sized double!

I adore your drawer canisters! how wonderful they look perfect and the lids look solid so you would not be spilling into each others spaces! .....I have three drawers dedicated to foodstuffs because I can not and do not have room on the counters anymore.. it is not ideal at all because everything in the drawers gets mixed up and then the bottom of the drawer looks like a compost heap! thanks for sharing PS I would love to give your puppy a huge kiss on that beautiful face...I am not great at names ...my pitbull is "JuJuBe" it just came out of my mouth her ears perked up and it was a done deal

this is exactly my point but from the other side of the coin! I do not begrudge anyone spending more money than time ..I just have choosen time and live on less money ...I love what I do for a living but I really love wandering around finding food and seeing how well I can eat for as little as possible ..and so far I have done very well ..since I have been doing this since I was a little girl I have had a lot of practice! ..to me work is work and since I am food obsessed I would rather go and spend a day shopping or stop after work at a few of my local shops ..or even jump out of the car on the way too and from my job to grab mushrooms or berries or something I see that could be dinner that night...I would rather to all that work to avoid overtime and shopping online or at WF or whatever...because that just seems all to easy for me I guess... I also as I said have managed to maneuver our lives and where we live to accomodate that.. ...our house is very energy efficient and we are improving that every day ...everything we do in our life is focused on allowing for more "time" and money live like we do... if I gasp at paying $20/lb or more for a piece of meat or seafood...it is because I will not do that ..there is no reason in the world I should! I can buy the same thing from a quality butcher or from a kid who raises it ..or go fishing for a day... also there is the "want" factor..rarely is there a dish I want so badly that I am willing to pay a huge amt of money to make it ...I can always and find it fun to compromise and having something else instead ..I just move on ..my "want" is not a priority since I love so many foods I can easily "want" something else at the drop of a hat! I do not think at all my life is any easier or better than anyone elses ...please know that ..in some respects it is harder ...and not at all appealing ..just ask my friends who will come eat but can not "imagine how you do this!!! or why you would want to!!" it is just another option if you are sick of working so much for "The Man" dont complain ..there are options no matter where you live!!! But it does take dedication, time and a love of wandering around in order to do it..if not then that is fine too ...not a thing wrong with any of it! (I am leaving for work early today because I think I caught some shaggy mane mushrooms in the corner of my eye in a spot where dogs dont roam!!!)

The only way is to do it outside..or wait until the fruits have rotted off the seeds and harvest them that way ..they do have a pungent smell that is for sure.....we have a few very mature and productive ginkos in the park near my house and I usually just walk around under the trees and picked up the clean nuts off the ground ..no mess at all if you wait until the fruit is gone .. they are very good nuts and in the same park I seem to find a bunch of Prince mushrooms each year... side note when picking mushrooms or anything else berries nuts whatever.. in public areas call the place or talk to the groundkeepers to see when/if they spray ...I have one guy who will let me know if he sees a mushroom patch holds off on spraying and looks at me in disbelief that I have not killed myself yet eating " those things"

I absolutely prefer to have fresh food all the time ..but sometimes you have a score and need to can dry or freeze it... and yes I have a billion times tossed food back in to the freezer that was partially thawed...not fully thawed ..but mostly there ..just some ice in the middle maybe...but not if it reaches the danger zone on the counter ..then it gets cooked right away....texture and flavor do go down with each toss back in the freezer that is for sure ..but stuff happens and rather than waste a good cut of meat ..I have it for curries and stews it does not hurt it a bit ..and ground beef seems fine to me ..but then it is ground so what texture are we lacking I wonder... on the good side of this I accidently found out that squid especially the huge ones for calamari..actually gets more tender and better with freezer abuse!!! try it sometime ..toss it into the freezer just in a bag .. let it fall to the bottom of the freezer forget it far longer than you would with any other seafood ...take it out partially thaw it and put it back and then finally thaw and cook it! it was freaking amazing tender and tasty! do it all the time now! ..I can not imagine any other seafood putting up with that!!! I prefer everything fresh but there are times ...

it is true I just could not have said all that! thanks! I have picked pine nuts where you live and made cillantro pesto from them ..sticky mess lots of work but very fun and there was never a better pesto in my life... this is really about lifestyle I think not so much cost ..I choose to work less make less money so my gasp factor is much lower than say someone who shops at WF just to buy something ... I have also managed in my life to find a place through many other places I have lived where I can do this for the rest of my life with in reach! I like the full meal deal it takes more time and effort but to me it is worth it to sit down and know that most of what is on my plate I found someplace very cool!

Wish we were all that lucky - but the apple trees in my local park - oh wait, there aren't any apple trees. Or orange trees. The local fisherman sell their illegal East River catch on the sidewalk in Chinatown. Asian markets don't sell Mediterranean herbs. The price never comes down on that perfect orange. Stuff bought on the internet can be incomparable - and eGullet is often a good place to find out about it - vanilla beans, as an example. hummingbirdkiss, while you might think you can live like you do "anywhere," I'd say that's not true for a lot of people. And tell me, when you're hunting and gathering, do you walk everywhere, or is there a car involved? ← AHHHHHH!!!!! Just ask my husband or anyone who knows me in person... you could set me down on any place in the planet and I bet I could find something that does not equate to a $2 orange that is just as pleasurable.. I am not a barefoot hippy I wear shoes ..sometimes......but every trip I take or place I go ..you can bet I hunt and gather something ...I drive or fly and then park and walk ...or ride a bus or a metro train or whatever ...and walk and walk and walk ..carry a great big bag and harvest ..I have found pecans in public parks in the Southeast and mushrooms all over ...there is always something someplace ...I am just like that by nature and do not feel it is something eveyone should be just an alternative! it is important there is Whole Foods ..but the question was food prices that make us gasp ..anything more than I need to pay for something wonderful makes me gasp I choose work part time then I have more time to just wander around until I find something else like I said ..it all equals out ..if I worked more I would maybe shop at Whole Foods and not gasp at the prices but nothing would taste like that pie I made from the blackberries invading the appartments down the street from me

My point of view comes from a differing one I guess Going through the door at WF (or any market like it ) makes me GASP even if I could afford it ..I am too much of an old earth muffin to really appreciate paying that kind of money for food that is not anything more special that what I can hunt around for, or grow myself! buying online is crazy to me unless it is something like vanilla beans ..I want to touch ..smell...talk about and taste my food ... be close to its source ...I dont mind ..in fact I enjoy the extra foot work so I can look it in the eyes! if an orange is going to cost me almost $2/each I will buy a perfect apple instead for a 1/8th that price that was grown here (or in season walk around any park in my area and pull one off a tree) and is at its prime ... just because I "want" does not mean I will have it ..when the prices come down and the quality is high that is when I will buy that perfect orange ..I can wait for things to be good and reasonable ...I have guilt when I spend for things that make no sense to me ...especially when there is a fine alternative just waiting for me to find it! my menu's in life are based on what I find when I shop ..I will go with an idea of what I want but if the prices are out of line or the stuff looks like crap or is not available ...I just move on to whatever I find! I buy shamefully inexpensive fish/seafood in season from local fisherman (or fish, dig clams, trap crabs myself) ....I buy the finest meat from local butchers ..ethnic markets or 4H kids...I have something edible growing all over my yard and even in pots on my deck and under grow lights in the house all year long..or buy locally grown fresh produce in season when the prices are good ..and do with out when they are not... for deli items there are Ukrainian/German markets here that have the best, cheeses, hams, sausages and breads for very low prices Herbs in an Asian market here still can be found for a buck a bunch the size of your head! and for stock items and junk food I go to a local "low end" discount grocery store I have made the choice (yes I am lucky here to have all this ..but have also lived all over the place and done the same things in each place ..you can live like this anywhere if you want to) to spend more time hunting and gathering my food ..so I work part time and make less money ... guess it all evens out in the end

79 cups of coffee I lied about my weight

funny!

I asked my husband at lunch today if he thought we were "foodies" he looked at me over his bifocals ..laughed..and then continued eating ..it is a cute word for cute people who love to eat lovely food ..that is what I think when I hear it... ...we are not either one of us "cute" people that like to eat ..we are average people middle aged who adore finding, preparing and eating fantastic food we also love going out to eat all over the place and will try anything at least three times!..we are going to be "food elders" in a few years... maybe? I say keep the word ..and cute people too!!! we all need a place

um I eat tuna and believe in evolution I think it is more of a pleasure risk thing than a denial thing but that is ok whatever ..it is not what I would tell someone else to do but I am ok with the choice I make ... but I dont eat tuna 5 times a week it is a bit of it now and then ... I also eat Mexican candy wrapped in lead laden wrappers ..and risk choking to death on the Asian jel cups...it is a moment in time ..some nostalgia and reminds me of when I was really young and tried to be very risk taking and idealistic about life tuna gives me that moment mercury or not ...yes life is short and I am acutely aware of that right now ...

this I totally agree with to over look Chinese food iin Richmond/Vancouver BC is a downright insult! ..however as far as the rest of Vancouver (and the same feeling about his show in Seattle) .....let him travelogue the tried and true that everyone knows about anyway.....that way on my many trips up there... just to eat... I can still get a table ..shop in the markets and enjoy all my "secret spots"

There is nothing in the world like perfect tuna..the way it feels in your mouth and that flavor ..it is a moment in time I think as much as a bite of food it should be enjoyed and appreciated ...but not over done .. it is such a shame that we even have to have this thread ..but we live in this here for better or worse and you just have to pick and choose your risks I guess I will eat tuna I would like it with less mercury however

if you ever saw a child have a reaction to peanuts you would not even pose that question .....you would keep your nuts in your pocket and not open them on a plane where no one has a choice to breath the nut dust or not..this is one thing I am in full agreement with ...kids die of reactions to nuts ..some out grow this ..some don't and some folks develope nut allergies in the midst of a peanut butter sandwich ...this is not one of those "overreactions" this is a fact

Um... did you read the article? Some of this fish had mercury levels high enough that the government could take it off the market. One of the sushi places had fish with enough mercury (and pieces large enough) that the RfD would be exceeded by eating only two pieces of sushi. Would you care if it were lead instead or mercury? Mercury isn't something that is "connected to health problems" like eating lots of saturated fat. Mercury is a cumulative heavy metal poison that has a well-understood affect on the body, and eating a dozen pieces of high mercury tuna sushi three times a week would definitely be dangerous. ← I think what bothers me more is somehow this becomes "news" now? In healthcare we have been telling pregnant women and parents for about as long as I can remember now to avoid tuna! I kind of get pissed off when I see suddenly the levels are so high they could pull it! for crying out loud they have been high! my whole generation was raised on heavy metal and pesticides ..sad but true .. I was quite sick a while back and the doctor insisted on having heavy metal levels drawn because of where I had lived ...in a very contaminated area ..where kids are now being told to take shoes off outside to avoid bringing toxic soil into the house...for almost 20 years we ate all my garden produce.... thinking it was safe and healthier than store bought...my levels were below the national average was what I was told....thank goodness it was kind of unnerving for a while thinking I could have poisoned my family! the bottom line is for people who eat a dozen pieces of high mercury tuna three times a week ...DON"T! I am jealous on the one hand because I love tuna and would love to eat that much ..but it is imo not a good nutritional practice to eat that much of anything during a week and to spread out the wealth so you dont accumulate toxic levels and I think it is time to quit acting like this is such a surprise is all ...

the levels of mercury in fish like this has been known for a long time ..and is cumulative during your life as all heavy metals ..kids and pregnant women should be careful for sure and most folks should limit intake as well ..but a plate of sashimi at my age I am not at all worried ... ETA I think you can pick any catagory of food and find something very disconcerting about it ....your best protection in life is variety ...eating a wide variety of food (not one thing over and over) helps limit exposure to things bad for you

Not dumb at all! yes they are deep fried and crispy

thank you ! Basil seeds are in any Southeast Asian Market ..Chia seeds and Jamaica flowers commonly found in a Mexican Market

Jamaica flowers and chia seeds or the basil seeds ..no difference taste or texture wise ..they both make you feel full especially with a meal! and best of all this is a very vibrant colored/flavored drink ..... from what I gather both the flowers and the seeds have tons of good health juju....(even if you only half believe the internet) ..it makes me feel good just drinking it that is for sure! forget adding cream that was disgusting ...I like it with out any sweetener ..that just seems to distract from the flavor ..my husband put honey in his and says that makes it better ... drinking it makes me feel good and I think 10 oz cup is about 2 net carbs (I just found conflicting info everywhere so I am guessing..I compared the tea to Celestial Seasonings it has the same flowers in it and the seeds are almost nulled out by the fiber) this is such a nice drink hope you try it .. drinking it made me want to go for a walk

Ok Mofongo I know this one! Tooo easy for words... !. you take a mortar and pestle and pound first plantains (one large at a time peeled and cut up works well) ...then add pork rinds (the big Mexican style chicarrones are the best for this one... big one broken up) and garlic to taste (3 cloves for me) ...salt to taste ..just keep pounding as you do drizzle some olive oil to make a nice paste ..then drop by spoonful into hot oil fry until crispy golden ..drain and serve beyond easy except they take a lot of pounding 2. you can cook the plantains first then mash it all together same way pork rinds, garlic salt and olive oil..again with the mortar and pestal ...and then serve it as is ..just like you said in a pile... I dont know if this is authentic but it is how I learned to make it