Pierogi

Both....they're vegetables used as spices.

This is precisely the set up I have, and I LOVE it. Would never ever go back to a side-by-side and absolutely NEVER to a top mount freezer. The very bottom of the freezer compartment is a sliding basket, which I use primarily for bagged stuff (veggies, frozen potatoes, stuff I've bagged in vacuum bags) and the top shelf is a normal shelf for boxed/tupperware storage. I do not have an ice-maker/water dispenser. Never saw the need for one and didn't want to spend the money to run a plumbing line to where the fridge lives. I grew up with large side-by-sides, and was absolutely amazed, even though I hated everything else about the unit, when I bought my first top-mount freezer, at how much more space there was in the fridge. But I loathed having to crawl around on my hands and knees to get to the vegetable drawers. I'm 6'3", and that's a LONG way down to the floor for me. Like a lot of others, I find I'm in the fridge constantly, and in the freezer for anything other than ice maybe one or two times a week. It just makes sense that something I use less is in a less accessible spot. I'd replace it with the same design in a heartbeat if needed. That said, I can see how those bottom freezers with the pull out drawers would be a PITA. As well, I can see how the French doors are purty, but probably, in reality, you open both most of the time anyway.

Only have experience with purchased dried peppers, no attempt at drying fresh ones. That said... The large ones (anchos, pasillas, New Mexicos, etc.) I store in each in a separate ziplock freezer bag in the freezer. Push out as much air as I can before sealing, but I don't get overly OCD about it. Haven't noticed much degradation in up to a year of storage, but don't know if my palate is the most nuanced. The small ones (birds, Thai, etc.) I keep in a small glass jar with a *GOOD* seal in the pantry. Small jars from pasta sauce, with a "plastic-y" ring around the lid are what I use, but certainly clean Mason jars are an option. Again, up to a year, they're still plenty potent to me. No evidence of critters yet.

Uh, yep. It's quite the success, too. It doesn't mean you have to buy it. Here's a post I made linking to an article on the money the pancake batter-in-a-can is making (click here). I never said I'd buy it. I'm just sad that it exists.. Hey, it's better than the Aunt Jemima Frozen Waffles, isn't it???? Granted, not by much, but still.....

Well, I sure know *I'm* not !!! Funny, I just finished reading an otherwise totally forgettable book about Julia Child written by a woman who worked with her on her later TV shows (NOT French Chef, much later, like "Julia with Master Chefs"), and the one thing that stood out in the book was that Julia would NEVER associate her name with anything she didn't have a) complete confidence in, b) she hadn't USED and liked, and c) didn't trust the people involved with it. Her theory was, and it's SO sound, and SO relevant in this context, was that if she put her name on a product, let's say olive oil...that today was fantastic, all was good. But 6 months, or a year, or 5 years down the road, the producers she knew and trusted sold out to MegaConglomerate and the quality tanked, unfortunately, her NAME was still associated with a now inferior product. Which, in turn, would take HER name and HER reputation down with it. So she rarely, if ever, gave endorsements, and never, ever sold them. Words that would serve many of these so-called "celebrity chefs" well, me thinks.

I made a BLAT for dinner last night, using an absolutely perfect avocado, an heirloom tomato about the size of a softball, Nieman Ranch bacon, toasted, good artisinal sourdough bread, iceburg lettuce and Best Foods mayo. A sprinkle of pepper and salt, and when I took my first bite, I honestly though I'd died and gone to heaven. It's been probably about 10 years since I'd made a BLAT, and I can tell you it will NOT be another 10 before my next one. Damn, but that's a fine sandwich. Nakji, it's probably too late for advice, but to me, the mayo is integral to both the BLT and the BLAT, so I would layer as follows using the cherry tomatoes... Bread Mayo Bacon Mashed avocado w/chunked tomatoes S&P to taste (light salt 'cuz of the bacon) Lettuce Mayo Bread But that's me. I could eat Best Foods mayo with a spoon.....

I love ALL the colors of bell peppers, green included. I grew up on them, and still use them a lot. Obviously, as Chris A. said, as part of the trinity when I'm doing Cajun/Creole cooking, but also stuffed, in old-timey dishes like Swiss steak (yes, I still make that at least once a year) and chicken cacciatore, and in newer iterations like fajitas and Asian stir-fries. I've even been known to eat them raw, as part of a crudite plate for my veggie side dish. Both of my dogs love them too ! (I have veggie loving dogs, what can I say....they even eat cauliflower and cabbage !) Yes, the red, yellow and orange are great, and have very different flavors, but I still really like the vegital, grassy, "green" taste of the old standbys.

It's all about the marketing, baby. I don't know if you get "Next Food Network Star" where you are, but seriously, one of the comments most frequently made about the contestants by the Food Network honcho-exec judges is "I could(could not) see them with their own line of pans/sauces/housewares/linens/knives/gadgets/etc.". The producing commercial network (remove PBS from this equation) keeps a large portion of the reveue from those sales as a licensing fee or royalties. All that Paula Deen/Rachael Ray/Bobby Flay/Emeril stuff in the stores feeds not only the celeb chefs, but even moreso the commercial network that birthed them. Well maybe not Emeril any longer, since he sold his name rights to Marfa Stewart, but still. WAY more money in the licensing/royalty end of it than the viewers associated with the show. Giada at Target = $$$ for Food Network Bobby Flay at Kohls = $$$ for Food Network Paula Deen at Walmart = $$$ for Food Network Poor PBS stands there with their hat in their hands, hoping people shell out for a membership in their local station, so they can get a cookbook or a DVD as a "premium".

I was a student at UCLA for a brief time in the late 70's, and there was a Pronto Market (the precursor to TJ's) in Westwood Village, not too far from campus. As a dorm resident, it was *the* place to go for munchies, wine and alcohol....they were rather liberal in the sales of the latter, as I recall, but of course, I looked well over 21, and in fact, I was. Barely. It was a regular stop on my rounds of the village. I've been a fan of TJ's ever since. In my hometown, I've watched them go from one, incredibly crowded and esoteric outlet to, at last count 4, very efficient, but still esoteric stores. TJ's in some form or another has seen me through several jobs (close enough to bop over for quick lunch goodies), to my development as a foodie (much though I hate that term....). Today, just as an example, I ran over to the one closest to me for wine, and found BEAUTIFUL Adriatic (green) figs for $2.99 a pound !! Also some amazing (and flavorful) heirloom tomatoes also for $2.99 a pound. Cheaper than the local Farmer's Markets and both absolutely unavailable at the mega-marts. With some TJ's prosciutto, the figs are lunch for the next few days, and the tomatoes, at least some of them, are destined for BLAT sandwiches for dinner tomorrow. As noted in the article, the employees are pleasant and helpful, the refund policy no question, and the quality usually off the charts. The only gripe I have is that they will often discontinue an item when their agreement with the supplier expires, or if the jobber run of the product is gone. It's a real bummer when you get hooked on something, and then it's *poof* gone forever. I also just love their business model, and that they respect and value all of their employees. Gladly I give them the majority of my food shopping dollars.

Trader Joe's house-brand dishwasher detergent is excellent, but I'm not sure I'd say it was *better* than Cascade of any ilk, nor am I sure I'd say it was cheaper than Cascade of any ilk. The price, IIRC, is lower, but I'm sure the box is smaller.... As a result of that, I think it may even be pricier than the Cascade. I've not done an ounce to ounce comparison, however. I CAN say it did an excellent job of getting about 30 years of crud and corrosion off the copper bottoms of a couple of 1950's Revere Ware pans of my mother's I still have. No amount of elbow grease ever touched the stuff. The TJ's detergent made a dent after a couple of cycles. I got hooked on it when the SoCal major grocery chains had a labor strike about 6 years back, and I switched to doing MOST of my shopping at TJ's and the one "super" that hadn't been struck. Since the end of the strike, I've gone back to Cascade, because I think it's actually a better buy. I can usually find it on special at one or another of the 4 mega-marts I have around me. ElectraSol, IMHO, doesn't even enter into the equation, even in its former iteration. It's cheap for a reason.

THAT be the truth, Ms. Maggie. *fist bump*

Anyone who tells you that slivered almonds can be substituted for pine nuts should be banned from kitchens immediately and never be allowed to cook anything for anyone else, ever again. They don't even have the same texture.

Don't know about under the grids (I have a Weber charcoal grill, so the detritus just gets dumped along with the ash), but the grills will live happily, and more importantly, cleanly, through a self-clean cycle on your oven, if you have one. Just plop them in on top of the oven rack, and let'er rip. Works like a charm ! I have the same issue. I've started covering everything I put up there in plastic bags or saran wrap. It doesn't look great, but at least when I pull down my salad spinner it's not covered in a sticky greasy film. The soon (in California, drat) to be out-lawed plastic grocery bags work really, really well for this. They're large enough to accomodate big things, and if you get ones in a color (white or beigey-taupe are usually my options) that *sort* of coordinates with the rest of the kitchen, and some deft tucking, they don't look too terribly tacky. And they do save the "OH CRAP" moment of "I really need to use this colander NOW, and it's slimed....."

Not just on FN, but EVER. What a self-impressed, imperious douche.

OUCH !

Oh, that just makes me nuts ! I think I get one decent peach and one decent nectarine per summer. And then only when I hand carry them through the check-out/bagging process, so the twit bagger doesn't set the gallon of bleach or 5 pound sack of potatoes on top of the peaches to give them the bruises that start the rot.... It simply amazes me how peaches can go from hard enough to use in a Dodger game to rotten over night. But only after enticing me with that lovely aroma first.

Really any of the summer stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums) but the worst of the lot is apricots. You get two options...bitter and mealy or tasteless and mealy. I can't remember the last time I tasted a good apricot.

This is a trick I recently "discovered" for chicken pieces. I have always hated the way the chicken skin gets so flabby and slimy and gross when it's braised after the initial browning. I usually ended up pulling the skin off before I browned it, even though I knew I was loosing a lot of flavor and richness in the braise sauce. But the skin was always so disgusting after a 2 hour bath in simmering liquid... Last time I did a chicken braise, I pulled the pieces out of the broth, plopped them onto a broiler pan, and shoved them under a hot broiler for a bit. OUTSTANDING results for both the meat (semi-crispy skin) and the sauce (enhanced yummy factor from the skin and fat). The technique is a keeper, for sure.

Word, dude ! Same idea, an extra work bowl for the Cuisinart. I don't need it often, but when I do, I'm sure glad I have it.

Hmmm. Don't know that I'd call it a mix, but the Maseca is the real deal. Same stuff I have in my cupboard, and with which I made tortillas last weekend. There should be instructions on the back with the ratio of water to dry masa. That's really all corn tortillas are, water, dry corn meal treated with lime, and salt. Unless they're really bad gringo ones, and then there's a whole bunch of preservatives and dough conditioners. Basically what you're doing with this when you make the tortilla dough is hydrating the corn meal. If you can't find the ratios on your package, PM me and I'll pull my bag off the shelf, and send them to you. Excellent tutorial on the process here EG Tortillas.

OMG !! I *LOVE* that stuff !

Not necessarily true in my experience. Maybe I just have low expectations, but I got a bag of IQF scallops at Trader Joe's about a year ago, that, once thawed and thoroughly dried (key word...thoroughly), worked as well, if not better, than any of the so-called "fresh" scallops I've purchased that have been pumped full of preservatives and plumping agents. Same deal as with frozen/pseudo "fresh" shrimp.... I was careful to note that the only ingredients on the label of the bag I bought was "scallops". Nothing else. I let them thaw overnight in the fridge, and then drained them on several layers of paper towels. I got 2 meals out of the bag I bought, and both times seared the scallops to a lovely crust, with no excess water. MUCH better than any mega-mart "fresh" scallops I've bought in the past. Never tried as a raw application, so I can't comment, but if I saw the wild IQF scallops at TJ's again, I'd absolutely buy them in a heartbeat.

I'd argue right off the bat that homemade ice cream beats any commercial ice cream out there. I know I've made some excellent batches, and I'm still fairly new at the game. Homemade ice cream is also incredibly easy these days, with the stash-in-the-freezer bowls. I have the one for the Kitchen Aid mixer, and aside from planning ahead, its no big project. And its way, way, WAY better than even the priciest commercial stuff. But I'll certainly give you the 'burger argument.

The one time I tried to pre-make pizza dough was a disaster, and I didn't try to keep it for more than a couple of hours. I separated the crusts with wax paper, and the moisture from the dough softened the wax paper and it all became one, gooey mess. I don't know that cornmeal on wax paper, unless you used a TON of it, would help much with that effect. I doubt even with a huge amount it would work. I would think the meal would hydrate and just merge with the rest of the goo. Unless you separated frozen dough with something more sturdy than wax paper, you'd have the same problem when they thawed. Maybe, MAYBE, and I'm really not recommending it, heavy duty plastic wrap between the dough layers would work, maybe if you sprayed them with Pam or oiled them so they didn't stick, but without a trial run, I wouldn't trust it. Par-baking, if you're really married to this plan, seems to me to be the only way to get a decent outcome.

YES ! I made the mistake of buying that same model (with the wide slots for "ribbons" of cheese or whatever) and the same thing happened to me. I thought it was because I ran it through the dishwasher (in the top rack, so I *thought* it would be cool)...and was amazed when it had hairline fractures all around the frame ! Plus the thing doesn't "shred ribbons" for cr*p. I should put the thing in the give-away pile, or more realistically, in the trash, but I keep thinking I'll use it one day.... But as you said, the original, long, fine-toothed one is irreplaceable.