Shel_B

@blue_dolphin Thanks for all the info. Coincidentally, I was at TJ's this morning with the intention of grabbing a wedge of the 1,000 day Gouda. I put a wedge in the basket, and when I got home, it wasn't in my shopping bag. It wasn't on the receipt either, so somehow it got overlooked. At least I didn't pay for something I didn't get. Now that I've got your information, I'll make a list, and return in a day or so to look for and hopefully buy and take home some new-to-me cheeses.

I've never seen those feta's in my area, although Berkeley Bowl carries a wide range and variety of feta: French, Greek, Israeli, Bulgarian, and others, meaning they're available here While she mentioned the Strevecchio Parm, I'd have liked to have seen mention of the other cheeses afen associated with it: the regular Reggiano, the Pecorino Romano, and the Grana Padano. I've tried them all, and they're all good, but it would have been aducational had she discussed their differences and general use. They're far from the best I've had, but they're good, and better than many supermarket variants.

+1

Yes, there were some cheeses with which I'm familiar that were missing, but overall i was a nice tasting and review. I made some pasta this afternoon and use a very nice Grana Padano from TJ's. It had those little crusty bits in it, just like you'd see in a good Reggiano. I didn't see her mention that one. She piqued my interest with the Thousand Day Gouda. I'm defiitely going to look for that. Overall, a pretty good and fair job. I'd not expect everyone to agree with all of ger opinions and observations.

Last night I picked up the most recent allocation of olive oil from a friend's grove. Mmmmm! https://ranchomilagro.us/

The "Ultimate" Trader Joe's Cheese Tasting

It's great having a full pantry and freezer. So much can be thrown together quickly while at the same time maintaining a desireable level of taste, nutrition, and enjoyment. I've been slowly trying to "cook ahead," meaning to prepare items that you can put together into an assortment of meals for a week or so.

Still tuning the new microwave. In terms of cooking time, this entrée was markedly better than the one I made yesterday. I've almst got that puppy dialed in. I added some Oaktown Garam Masala and Kashmiri ground pepper to this. The Garam Masala really kicked things up a notch and the Kashmiri filled in the background nicely. Very acceptable for a 5-minute lunch.

The Vietnamese peppercorns are sort of a "standard" here in the States, although Kampot (and Quang Tri) are my everyday peppers. Here the Kampot is a bit more expensive. What's the price difference between Vietnamese and Kampot where you are?

Lunch today ... I wanted to try out the new microwave oven, learn its operation and get a sense of the proper timing for cooking various items. This morning a stop at TJ's netted several frozen entrées upon which to practice, and this was the first such item I tried: By cooking in stages, it was fairly easy to arrive at a good cooking time. I added a few frozen (TJ's) broccoli florets that were diced into small pieces as well as some diced orange Bell peppers (also purchased at TJ's) that were previously frozen. The entrée was already seasoned satisfactorily. Overall, a nice experience with the new microwave and a quick, enjoyable lunch.

@haresfur thanks for your suggestion. It's not what I'm seeking now as I want to make my own marinade, but y'know, there's always a time and a place for a quick and easy technique. I can get the Beerenberg sauce here easily enough, and it might be nice to try it.

Are you suggesting I use your technique?

@C. sapidus That chicken dish looks and sounds great. I may try playing around with it. As I close my eyes and taste it, I'm thinking some pasilla de oaxaca might be a nice addition (maybe not for you, but I like smokey flavors), and while the difference between Mexican oregano and Rancho Gordo's Oregano Indio may be subtle, the Indio may be nice to try. FWIW, I prefer it to regular Mexican oregano in many dishes. Pasilla de Oaxaca is sometimes hard to come by. One source that's been dependable thus far is https://oaktownspiceshop.com/products/pasilla-de-oaxaca-chiles-whole?

I'll take a look at the linked recipe. I found a couple of links to Leite's Peri Peri chicken recipe(s) and have cataloged them for future reading and notes. It will be interesting to see how they compare to the shrimp recipe you linked. I'm so glad for your contribution here. 👍

Wasn't aware of her version. I'll take a look. When working on developing and learning a recipe, I like to look at many optios. Muchto be learned that way. Thanks for the pointer.

Kampot-peppered sharp cheddar on TJ's Pain Pauline toast with medium-strength Burundi Turashobora coffee.

Thanks for the tip. I have access to the fresh birds eye chilies and have several recipes to make the marinade, two of which are shown in the videos I linked. I wanted to post the recipes but I understand that there might be copyright concerns. I'm fine wrt ingredients. I'm really looking for comment on these recipes and perhaps some suggestions based on one's experience making the dish.

While I've heard of this chicken dish, I've never tried making a version nor have I looked into various recipes and techniques to make it. Yesterday, a friend asked if I could make it for her and I poked around for ideas. I couldn't find much - only a couple-three recipes that looked like the direction I wanted to explore. Most offered just putting a sauce (often bottled) on already roasted chicken. Some offered a recipe to make a sauce, also to put on already roasted chicken. Two or three allowed for making a marinade for the chicken, and then roasting the bird after marinating. This is the direction I'd like to take. These are the two recipes that interest me the most: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNw1rkjuwwk&pp=0gcJCY0JAYcqIYzv https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38AMhDfhuYY Of the two, were I to follow the recipes as made, I'm inclined to follow the first recipe in part because of the early brining of the bird and because the timing of the cooking and the technique used seems to offer a more succulent result and eliminates the heavy charing on the chicken. For those who've made the dish (not just poured sauce over a roasted bird), perhaps you can comment on these recipes and offer some suggestions based on your experience. This is a dish I'd like to experiment with and learn to make well.

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I looked at their selection and price. Pretty good on both counts. I'll have to do some comparison shopping. Thanks for mentioning them.

I recounted this story to my sister earlier today and just now decided to post it here. Interested to know if anyone's interested in such things, y'know, personal stories and experiences.

All black pepper is Piper Nigrum. Well, the long peppers are piper longum. There are so many varieties of piper nigrum, and the differences range from subtle to remarkable, that I'd not consider them essentially the same except, perhaps, in a scientific sense. Nice to get your point of view.

I don't understnd the "essential sameness" you ascribe to the Tellicherry and Kampot peppers. I'm familiar with both, and have had them both here at home many times. The Tellicherry has always been the larger peppercorn of the two, and their flavor profiles are not even close, at least to my taste. There are situations in which they'd not be used interchageably. I agree, terrior plays a role in a pepper's characteristics, just as it does for wine grapes, coffee beans, and chocolate (cacao). Oaktown's description of Single Origin seems pretty clear to me. In what way is it vague to you? It's a description that I've seen before for other single origin products.

I use Kampot frequently. The local spice shop carries it. https://oaktownspiceshop.com/collections/peppercorns/products/kampot-black-peppercorns What kind of listing is that from Amazon? It states Kampot pepper tellicherry ... what is one actually getting? I'd certainly be hesitant to order from that listing.

Geat variety: https://spicetrekkers.com/shop/peppers