heidih

[quote name="Twyst" post="1928648" timestamp="1377295590" The whole foods in Austin is a site to behold though, WF used to be a neighborhood grocery store in ATX and their downtown store is an entire city blockMine is not quite a city block, but the aisles are wider than any other store I have seen

Knowing the following would be helpful: - how often do you use the microwave - what are you most often using it for I use mine a lot for both re-heating, popcorn, and cooking some vegetables. Sometimes several times a day. I just go to the Home Center like Home Depot and see what is on sale in the size I want. Generally $100 or less. The needs to replace arose from teenager operator gross error not from faults of the MW. I have a GE JES1139WL03 which is 1100 Watt. I realize that is too deep for you. What I was suggesting is that seeing what is available locally and fits your needs at a good price can be the simplest answer rather than shopping for a specific make or model. Much of microwave success has to do with learning how to best use it in various applications.

Basically saying they are trying to stay competitive by offering some non-organics, and more sales. (thanks Annabelle - just did a google search for WSJ and WF) Then goes on to say they can't rely on the sale items unless shoppers also come to purchase full price items along side. Kind of Business 101 - trying a strategy to increase profits. They are a 5 minute drive with decent parking and the lines are generally quick. I go for popcorn or beans from the bulk bins and the tortilla chips they always have in the produce section for sampling are excellent. Scored a huge bunch of organic Lacinto kale recently for $1.50 that was a welcome surprise. As to general grocery shopping, no I am not lured to add other items though I am beyond spoiled with so many store options where I live so that makes me a possibly unique category. Sprouts turned me off the few times I visited when they first arrived with truly horrid produce. No, not gonna buy it just cuz it is cheap. Oh - they are in the same shopping center as a Trader Joe's - I can be found in both spots (spoiled)

I think pitching sounds wise. There was some interesting stuff in our homemade soy sauce topic http://forums.egullet.org/topic/103707-making-soy-sauce-at-home/

Not sure how you could have parsed inferior out of that. The point is that people use what they have and as Jaymes noted earlier a fatty pork product is often used for the flavor/fat content

Well it sure is not a long air cured product like prosciutto - not a household item for most

Jaymes - speck is fat - that is the literal translation. There are various culinary refinements based on regionality. When grandpa ate it on a piece of bread we cringed - our American translation was green bacon (unsmoked). So it goes back to your statement about some sort of pork product- what you have and what you like and you make it to your taste. We used bacon that had not been sliced and had the rind on so it had a bit more texture cuz that is what dad the butcher brought home from the packing house.

Shel - I think Culinaria Germany makes the primal point when it states: "The fact is that in Germany there are about as many recipes for potato salad as there are people with the surnames Muller, Schmidt, Schmitz...." This discussion reminds me of Kim Severson's great piece on the spaghetti sauce of her family and the search for authenticity. Simple food is made with what is available and immigrants often have to improvise. here is a link to the article in case it interests anyone: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/dining/21sauce.html?ref=kimseverson&_r=0

Bill - lemon balm and lemon verbena are different plants so you may want to explore both. I have only used the verbena.

I forgot to mention that we also used russets. Yukon Gold as mentioned in the opening post is a more solid potato that would not absorb flavors like the more sponge mimicking russet. It is interesting to see that chileheadmike's mom also boiled them in their jackets. I am not sure if it was just faster and easier or if boiling them pre-peel holds their shape and makes them less waterlogged? Also as I think about it I often see pictures of the German potato salads with the pieces in rounds as opposed to rough largish chunks. We were chunkers.

Someone posted about using lemon balm or lemon verbena as a substitute the other day. It is a stronger floral taste, but worth trying as ancient lemongrass doesn't pack much of a punch. I have frozen lemongrass stalks rather than pre-chopped with the thought that less exposure of the oils will keep it fresher tasting when used.

CHM - is that cider vinegar a half cup? That sounds like what my grandmom and mom did. I think the onions provided that touch of sweetness to contrast the salty bacon, and the vinegar. I think it was key.that we boiled the potatoes unpeeled and them slid the skins off when they were still scary hot. I think that getting the fat and acid in there when they are hot is key to packing the flavor into the potatoes.

I really enjoy portobellos and use them often as I have access to nice ones at a great price. Just curious about the gill removal. I know in some apps they are more prone to turn thinks "black". Did you think they would turn the lovely eggs dark?

Heidi - That sounds very similar to an LLB, lemon lime & bitters, a delicious soda made by Angostura and available in the Caribbean, which is easily reproduced at home. Great point FP - it would have been much improved with tonic water or Schweppes Bitter Lemon. I was just paranoid about calories at that point. I need to re-explore tonic water with infused syrups as discussed in this topic http://forums.egullet.org/topic/115705-not-so-simple-flavored-spiced-syrups/

I think I am about to enter my tea/tisane nerd phase. Got some good suggestions from our herbal tea topic http://forums.egullet.org/topic/119376-herbal-teastisanes-what-are-your-favorites/?hl=%2Btisane I noticed the post on Serious Eats about Steven Smith the guy who started both Stash and Tazo and now has another tea company.- http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/08/steven-smith-interview-tea.html?ref=excerpt_readmore Some sound quite appealing. Has anyone tried them ad if you have tried Stash or Tazo or the new company and how would they compare?

Good it still had flavor - sometimes the old guys are just bland. When they get to the point way more than baseball bat size and like a hard pumpkin I save them for Halloween and carve and set with candles!

In response to the straw comments above I had to mention the lovage that my mentor has us growing because folks use the stem as a straw for Bloody Marys - it has that celery taste?

I did this yesterday. Hiigh end coarse and and finely ground cornmeals, fragrant fresh herbs, Rancho Gordo's excellent piloncillo, duck eggs, good butter, and a result that made me long for Jiff mix bread to dunk into the beans.

I like chewy noodles. Are these a dried product? I must explore.

Great overview PC. The orange "skin" on mine is very soft. I have seen the hard wrinkly purple ones before and once bought some larger orange/yellow ones from a flea market vendor. The latter were so fragrant I had to roll the windows down on the long drive home. So generally when people use the fruit is that bit of flesh removed from the seeds and used, or is the seed crunch part of the charm and experience?

I find it curious that folks comment about dry being inferior to fresh - are they not different animals?

Janeer - I do 2 and a half minutes - seems to work well. Not saying there are unpopped guys, but works for me

Kerry - is that mashed avocado amped up with kimchee?

I am with rotuts just because these are manufactured in a developing country and though improvements are vast, for the $1 I usually pay I think it is a write-off.

When I was pregnant, the mommy-to-be drink (while stuck in a smoky Vegas casino) was club soda with a generous squeeze of lime and an ample dash of Angostura bitters. I imagine other bitters would be interesting and refreshing as well as would playing with the citrus - being sure to include some zest for that oil packed flavor punch. (Yes I know the bitters are alcohol based but not in significant amounts in this application)