blue_dolphin

How much $$$ was it for how much feta?

One recipe, two lunches. Triple citrus tomato salad (or soup) from Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage. I made the salad version of this recipe first with some pretty heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market. The tomatoes marinate in a mix of lemon, lime and tangerine juices while you prepare the garnish which consists of crispy ginger, garlic, and chilies and the oil they’re fried in plus a sprinkle of fresh chives. The juices left in the plate were so slurpable that decided to try the soup version. It’s not as stunning as a colorful array of heirloom tomatoes but it’s just the ticket if you’ve got tomatoes that are too ripe to slice nicely. The soup gets a dollop of yogurt before adding the crispy, fried garnish and its oil which is just as delicious here as on the salad. I chilled the soup to just below room temp, not icy cold but the recipe says it can also be served warm. A nice alternative to gazpacho. Edited to add that both lunches were accompanied by an ear of corn on the cob. .

I think most people also think primarily of sweet galettes, though I have quite a few savory galette recipes in my cookbook collection. In the book's intro, Rebecca has this to say about what she’s calling a galette:

Toast, spread with Silver Goat chèvre, topped with black mission figs. Toasted walnuts on the side. Figs & walnuts both from the local farmers market.

Community Supported Agriculture. Generally, you sign up with a farm, pay a set fee for a season and receive a regular box of produce. Variations abound. See more here.

I wish someone would make square or rectangular containers in a range of sizes that use the same lids. Deli dishes fit this description with sizes from 8 - 32 oz, varying in height but accepting the same lids. I find square or rectangular shapes store more efficiently in the fridge or freezer. I had a bunch of very sturdy 16oz square Rubbermaid containers I used for my work lunches and also as @rotuts describes to pre-freeze sauces, beans, etc that I'd remove and vacuum seal. I bought them about 30 years ago and am down to my last few. They served me well but now I’ve got a mishmash of different brands and random takeout containers that take up a ton of space and annoy the heck out of me when I need to find the right lid. Thirty years is probably asking too much as I probably won’t last that long myself but I wish I could find something fairly durable to invest in. Any suggestions?

The TJ's Greek feta is my preference as well, though for slightly different reasons. If they’re out, the Israeli is an acceptable option.

I recently purchased Galette!: Sweet and Savory Recipes as Easy as Pie (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) by Rebecca Firkser and it looks like it will be fun. There's one basic dough recipe used throughout, with options for adding flavors or other flours like cocoa, buckwheat, etc. The wide range of shapes and sizes she uses is very appealing to me. Everything from an XL sheetpan size for parties to individual servings in folded squares or muffin tins to a deep-dish version baked in a springform pan to accommodate lots of filling. First on my list to try is the Rotisserie Chicken, Potato, and Chèvre Galette which Rebecca describes as a chicken pot pie on vacation in France. She offers a Buffalo wing variation with blue cheese instead of chèvre. Maggie Hoffman recently hosted Rebecca on her Dinner Plan podcast to chat about the book and other things. You can listen to the podcast and find the recipes for the chicken galettes I mentioned and a pretty summer tian galette here: The Dinner Plan: Rebecca Firkser’s Best Advice for Cooking on a Budget You can scroll down on this page on the author's website to find a carousel that includes several pages and recipes from the book: https://www.rebeccafirkser.com Other recipes: Sour Cherry and Campari Galette Sweet Cherry and Lime Galette Sugared and Peppered Plum Galette

Ah, I knew about the one store liquor or wine license rule and that TJ's had one wine shop in NY but didn’t realize it had closed. Luckily, you have many superior options close by!

Trader Joe's had a nice private label Bandol rosé earlier this summer @12.99. I polished off my last bottle over the weekend. Unfortunately, I think it’s sold out now but it’s worth trying if you happen to spot any.

Braised Romano beans with anchovy, chile flakes, and fancy olive oil from Sunlight and Breadcrumbs by Renee Erickson with a fried egg on top. A very luxurious and flavorful version of these silky beans!

As long as you weren’t stark nekkid, I’m sure you’d have been better dressed than anyone else you encountered in the wee hours! If they sent up coffee packets, I’m sure there would be no filters…or no cups…or… When I traveled a lot for work, I kept a ziplock that tucked neatly between the handle rails of my carry-on with tea bags, oatmeal, single-serving pucks of peanut butter and jam (hoarded from my work cafeterias) some of those Wasa crackers sure to survive a nuclear attack, prunes - almost as durable (and yes, as effective as the Wasa), plastic utensils, several folded paper towels, wet wipes, etc. It got me through a LOT of unexpectedly late arrivals when I needed to be at work very early! Those in-room coffee makers always gave me pause though. If I wanted to use them for hot water, I always ran 3 cycles of water through to get rid of the stale coffee smell. I think you were likely saved by the ineptness of this operation!

I can’t say that I’d drive that far to Trader Joe's but I drive a similar distance to Asian markets, as do my Asian friends. If you’ve got a decent cooler with frozen ice packs, then frozen foods should be OK. My friends always bring 2 coolers, one with ice packs for the frozen stuff and another one (or insulated bags) for refrigerated stuff that shouldn’t freeze. Finding the time? Unfortunately, I can’t help with that!

Toasted crumpet spread with plenty of butter and ginger preserves. July Flame peach from the farmers market. Black coffee.

Another bean/tuna combo: Seared rare tuna with mashed flageolet beans and radicchio from A Twist of The Wrist by Nancy Silverton This was very good though I prefer the version with harissa and baby limas, also in this book that I posted just above. I made this with Rancho Gordo flagolets instead of canned. Per the recipe, the mashed beans get a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, that’s good but it’s the charred radicchio leaves that really benefit from the added sweetness and acidity so I added more.