Shel_B

My Matzo Ball Ducky - Not rubbery at all

I agree 100% about the corn chips. https://forums.egullet.org/topic/155097-trader-joes-products-2017–/page/66/#findComment-2456583

A bowl of smokey, porky ramen for lunch: Finely diced smoked pancetta fried in the cooking pot with a dollop of ground Calabrian pepper packed in oil. Cooked in a chicken-pork stock, added smoked black pepper, topped with grated Pecorino Romano. Glass of hearty, room-temp black tea for the beverage.

I've decided to get these: (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) Small size, good reviews, I've seen them in action and liked what I saw. They've not arrived yet.

I've found it, or another similar brand, at Giovanni's in El Cerrito. However, it's hit and miss, and Giovanni's doesn't have a regular web site. I'm very close to the store, so I sometimes just pop over to see what's in stock, but it might be easier for you to just buy online. Here's a source that I use frequently for quality Italian ingrediemts: https://www.gustiamo.com/tomatoes-piennolo/?utm_source=mailchimp Zia Pia carries a similar product: https://ziapia.com/products/vesuviello-piennolo-520g?

I love these tomatoes! About once a year or so, I order a few jars of these great Italian tomatoes. They were introduced to me in the mid - late 1980's by the manager of a small, local Italian specialty shop. They had, I think, three, maybe four stores, and carried some great products from Italy. These tomatoes just blew me away ...so every now and then I grab a few jars and use 'em for special dishes. I cook them very lightly, closer to just being warmed or heated than cooked down. Just thinking about 'em makes me smile.

Whole Wheat Fusilli with Brussels Sprouts Charred in Olive OIl with Smoked Pancetta and Lightly Dusted with Young Pecorino Romano and Piment d'Ville. Earthy and Smokey ...

Restrooms! I'm not much of a Safeway shopper, but I've lived in the area for more than fifty years, and during that time I've visited all of the local Safeways and have used their bathrooms several times. There has not been a single time that I can recall that a Safeway bathroom has been clean and pleasant to use. The TJ's rest rooms have always been clean and acceptable to use. There are any nmber of older women who, while not actually shopping in the store, come in to use the bathroom. Sweetie had done that when she was in the area of the store, although she was a TJ's regular, and several of her friends and others that I know have done likewise. Trader Joe's has cleaner and better maintained restrooms than Safeway.

TJs is in 43 states, has more than 600 locations.

And let's not forget their tasting kiosks, and the Fearless Flyer newsletter ... informative, funny, and a worthwhile read.

Service and a stong motivation to have happy and satisfied customers. In no particular order, you can return anyhing at any time, no questions asked. Tangentially, I was at the dairy case one day looking at something and unsure if I wanted it. One of the staff saw me, said that I should go ahead and try it, and if I didnt like it, it would be no problem. I didn't even have to pay for the item first. I was told thatTJ's wants people to try new-to-them items. They have some unique items, things you'll not see anywhere else. And their prices are lower than nearby markets, like Safeway. I can sometimes buy at Costco prices without having to buy Costco quantities. The staff is always happy to help and offer suggestions. I've never encountered a grumpy staff member. TJ's is a pleasant place to shop.

Many years ago - mid - late 70s or so - I had a few acquaintances and friends in the entertainment business, and we'd always "do" lunch: "Hey, let's do lunch tomorrow ..." It was almost show-biz vernacular. It ain't new, it ain't Gen Z, and it's still going on ...

Late to the party ... I use a strainer and a stainless steel bowl. Put rice in strainer, add water through the rice, swish it around, rinse, repeat as needed, drain as appropriate. The pics below show an 8-inch strainer and the Grip n Whip bowl, but any bowl will work well as will most appropriate-sized strainers. I don't see a need to purchase a specialized rice rinser for so simple a task, especially when one probably has everything needed at hand anyway.

Funny or Sad?

TJ's Palak Paneer with a Twist A few days ago, I made a batch of chickpeas in the Instant Pot, used most in a dish I made for a neighbor, and was left with somewhat more than a cup that called to me from the back of the fridge, "Use me. NOW!" I put the garbanzos into a small pot, added about a cup of frozen spinach, roughly mashed 'em up and added Smoked Piment d'Ville ground pepper, some thinly sliced and minced jalapeño that lives in the freezer waiting to be sliced and diced and added to various recipes, and a teaspoon+ of recenty made garlic-ginger paste. Meanwhile, the Palak Paneer was heating up in the microwave, and was then added to the ingredients in the pot, stirred, tasted, adjusted, and enjoyed for quck and reasonably healthy lunch. The mashed garanzos added an earthiness to the dish, the peppers a little heat and smokiness, and the rough mashed garbanzos and paneer cheese contributed texture.

A simple breakfast: fresh blueberries with yogurt, made-fresh-this-morning mango-orange juice, Ethiopian blend coffee:

Interesting to note, Serious Eats just posted the results of their hot dog test and Boar's Head was the winning frank. I was seriously disappointed to see that. https://www.seriouseats.com/hot-dog-taste-test-11735425? https://www.seriouseats.com/hot-dog-taste-test-11735425?#toc-overall-winner

What is the difference between a soup spoon and a tablespoon? What's a tablespoon used for, or intended to be used for?

I used to buy Boar's Head hot dogs, but after reading about their health and safety issues, I stopped buying them and any other of the company's products. I won't support such an operation. There are many other options available. Why would anyone be confused about this issue?

@Smithy Great writeup and useful pics. I've a TJ's run planned for tomorrow, and I have freezer space and a freshly loaded card in my wallet ... I've wanted to try the Chiles Rellenos, so that'll definitely come home with me. You mentioned salsa ... I tried this one a few weeks ago and was quite pleased with it. Taste, heat, and texture were to my liking. Generally, I don't buy salsa, but it's always nice to have a jar in the pantry. It made a nice salsa rice side for a mild chicken dish I made, and it goes well with TJ's dipper corn chips. I'd like to try the green chili chicken and the chicken mole as well. Maybe the birra, too.

Something very simple for the evening meal tonight: Almond cashew milk sweetened with one plump Medjool date. I don't have a clue about the staining shown in the image. The bottle was perfectly clean before adding the nut milk, and the milk doesn't show any discoloration in the drinking glass, nor does it have an off or odd taste <shrug> This was an experiment as I was running low on almonds and didn't want to open a fresh package. I had an opened bag of cashews left over from a recent chicken tikka masala dish, so I added them to the mix and ended up with a 2/3 - 1/3 mix of almonds and cashews. Soaked those puppies about 10 hours with one complete change of water, threw a quart of 34-degree filtered water into the blender, added that plump date and a three-finger pinch of Diamond Crystal. Whirred it around, filtered it, and crossed my fingers for the best. The result was quite good ... I had no expectations, just a hope that the mixture would work out, and it did. Going forward, considering the price of the almonds and the deal I can get on cashews, I may just make this blend more often. Not long ago, I found a local source for fresh, refrigerated coconut chunks, so almond-coconut milk will go into the rotation along with the more usual straight almond milk.

@JoNorvelleWalker Why is your floor sticky? Do you need extra traction? My sister sent me a pair of sticky socks for those "traction emergencies." Note the grabby traction dots:

In 1969 I spent time living and working in Chinook, and spent time in other towns along the high line, and had the opportunity to learn how to cook venison. If memory serves me, I posted about that experience here. Additionally, over the years I've had occasion to cook ground bison meat which I've always understood should be cooked in a fashion similar to venison. In any case, right or wrong, I've always cooked it low and slow and on the rare side. I was actually taught how to cook venison steaks and meat (nothing ground, though) and developed my bison cooking technique by reading about it and by trial and error. Your comment about "cursing all venison" suggests that venison includes more than just deer meat, and includes elk, antelope, and similar species. Is that correct? In any case, my original post about how to cook ground elk and goat was more directed to getting some recipe ideas rather than just how to cook an elk or goat burger. Somewhere in the dusty corners of my mind there's an echo of blueberry sauce being a nice complement to certain game meat. Suggestions?

I'm going to take issue with the point that milder olive oil is less flavorful. My friends at California's Bariani ranch make an early and late harvest oil, from the same olives. And while the late harvest is "milder," i.e., less bitter, it's still very flavorful. IMHO, the reduced bitterness and bite allows more of the olive flavor to shine through. At Francis Ford Coppola's vineyard, where some years ago he began growing olives, I encountered the same experience. Well grown olives from well tended trees still produce a very flavorful oil from late harvest, olives. I've had the same experience with Rancho Milagro's oil. I liken the experience to using late harvest grapes to make various wines. The old Mt. Veeder late harvest zin, for example, produced a symphony in the mouth while, by comparison, the earlier harvested zin came across like an orchestra tuning up: more intense (more noise) but the musicalty was missing. By diluting a good quality, late harvest olive oil, you may be missing out on the subtleties brought to the table by the aging process. YMMV (and seemingly it does). I tend to go for more subtle flavors rather than strong, hit-you-in-the-face intensity. Different strokes, different folks ... but I urge you to experiment with different late harvest oils. I think some people confuse flavor with intensity.

That burger certainly photographs well About the cashews, just yesterday it was suggested to me that for an even creamier/smoother result, soaking the cashews (preferably raw cashews) in hot/boiled water for about an hour would be helpful.