blue_dolphin

TJ's soft & juicy dried mandarins are not a new item but I had not tried them and don't recall seeing them mentioned here. Ingredients are mandarin orange segments, sugar, sulfur dioxide. Product of Thailand. They are very sweet but have a fresh tart orange flavor as well. They would be nice dipped in very dark chocolate but some of them are sort of stuck together so it would be a pain to separate them out for dipping. I've been enjoying a few for dessert with a handful of walnuts, some dark chocolate and um, a Manhattan.

That sounds really good! The last of my blanco tequila went into a batch of tequila por mi amante just yesterday so I'll need to restock. I'll look for the Dulce Vida as I have not tried it.

This has piqued my curiosity. I've never heard of it so I picked this up today: I'm heading out of town tomorrow but looking forward to trying it in a couple of weeks.

Mmmmmm. Two of my favorite combos in the last meals: Beets and their greens - I love how the slight bitterness of the greens contrasts with the sweetness of the beets. Beets and orange in salad - I like to marinate the beets in 1:1 OJ and rice vinegar and serve with fresh sliced oranges Thanks for taking us along!

I like a splash of ginger beer and a squeeze of lime in a tall glass of sparkling water. You could probably use half ginger beer and half club soda or sparkling water if the ginger is too much.

Resurrecting this to report my recent batch of Dark & Stormy popsicles. Very refreshing with a spicy little aftertaste. One 12 oz bottle of ginger beer (Trader Joe's) 3 oz Gosling's Black Seal ~ 1oz homemade lime cordial Yield = 7 small popsicles I filtered the mixture to remove sediment in the ginger beer that I thought might settle in the molds and give an unpleasant texture. I might dial back the lime cordial and use straight lime juice instead but they were good as is.

Anna, I'm curious how you liked the pickled onions? How does the simpler recipe compare to the Zuni Café version? I've been tempted to try that one but it seems so fiddly with the multiple blanching and drying steps. I'm wondering if you think the texture of the finished product is worth the effort? I've got some sweet onions from my CSA box and you've given me the idea to pickle some. Mine are white rather than red but when sliced, they have a blush of purple inside and might make a pretty pickle.

This is not near Old Forge, but depending on your route to get there, you might pass through Lake George and stop off at one of the last orange-roofed Howard Johnson's around. I'm hoping to make a pilgramage there to revisit my childhood with a clam roll and ice cream when I'm in northern NY later this month. It closed in 2012 but reopened in Jan 2015. Not fabulous food but it will be a trip down memory lane for me!

Thanks everyone, for taking the time to share your treasures and memories! Braun drip coffee maker - made in Germany (Braun AG Frankfurt) National Rice-O-Mat rice cooker - made in Japan (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.)

Per the USDA here: "The legal status of using the organic label in the United States for aquatic species, and the future of developing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certification standards for organic aquaculture products and aquatic species, are under review. Internationally, several certifying bodies have developed organic aquaculture standards." The USDA page provides links to more info on EU certifications for organic aquaculture.

This question got me thinking back to my first college and post-grad apartments and the items that I purchased then and am still using. I started another thread, Best investments from your first kitchen, to ask folks which items from your first kitchens you still use and consider good investments. Did you make good investments with your first kitchen purchases?

An egulleter equiping a kitchen for the first time recently asked, "How much did you spend on your kitchen?" In my case, it's been around 35 years since those days but I took a quick browse through the kitchen cabinets and spotted a few old timers that I still use regularly. I remember carefully considering and shopping for each of these items: Clockwise from lower right: 3 qt stainless Revere ware pan with steamer and double boiler inserts. This was the first new pan I purchased and I used it for almost everything in the beginning. I still use it and the steamer insert often. The double boiler doesn't get much use and is out in the garage.Mouli julienne grater/shredder. Still my go-to for shredding cheese. I recently repaired the knob with Sugru and need to watch eBay more carefully for a replacement.Wooden rolling pin. Nothing special but I remember picking it out and feeling like a real baker after making due with a broom handle or canned goods! I have others that I use for certain purposes, but I still reach for this one first.Braun drip coffee maker. I remember researching this purchase carefully and remembering my dad questioning why I'd spent $40 on this brand when he'd just replaced his for $15. It looks pretty ratty so I won't mind replacing it when it gives up the ghost but until then, I'm using it almost every day.National one-button rice cooker. I remember shopping for this in LA's Chinatown. I know I could get more functionality by replacing this guy but it still works. I use it once or twice a week for rice or other grains. I have other, older items that I received as gifts, inherited or purchased at thrifts or garage sales at various times but I remember choosing and investing in these items for my earliest cooking needs. And after this many years of service, I'm calling them good investments. Which of your first purchases are you still using and would consider good investments? Any dearly departed items from your first kitchen - things that you replaced, left behind or lost and now wish you could find again?

I really liked this one of JP's home kitchen design tips from that article, "there should be good light, good music and a good view, if possible, and a place for your guests to perch to drink wine and watch you work." Unfortunately, I've only got the music part sorted out thus far !

Thank you for sharing this. I clicked the link yesterday then got distracted by soccer and dinner. It was a treat waiting for me this AM and I enjoyed reading it with my first cup of coffee. Great read.

Whenever I bring a bag of flour home from the store, I slide the bag into a zip-top freezer bag and seal it up so any little critters will be confined to the package they arrived in. AP or other white flours stay in the pantry. WW and speciality flours go in the freezer as they can go rancid. If it looks and smells fine, I use it.

I gotta say I love this description - it's perfect! When traveling in China a few years ago, I found bottled green tea was more readily available and cheaper than bottled water and more refreshing to boot. I gotta try making some iced green tea. Thanks for the reminder.

The Negroni popsicles are very refreshing. At first, they seemed more grapefruit-y than Negroni-y so I mixed up a Negroni for a side-by-side comparison. I forgot to get out a plate for the popsicle so they didn't stay side-by side for long: Indeed, they do have a nice Negroni flavor. More research may be necessary

I'm sure I would never be allowed on the island to begin with - I just put a batch of Negroni popsicles in the freezer!

Here's a link to the NPR story on egg prices that I heard last week. They quote a McDonald's spokesperson as saying, "Our ability to provide our customers eggs is not impacted," so I'm glad my airport breakfast habits won't be impacted, even if the price is!

I like all of the TJ's frozen croissant variations I've tried. Very light and crisp and make the house smell divine! Thanks for reporting on the truffle almonds. I love the version with rosemary and try to keep some on hand to put out for unexpected guests but if I spy them in the cupboard, I end up treating myself to a nibble and soon enough, they are gone!

Thanks Nancy, for asking this question. I have a lime tree and tend to use them for most recipes calling for lemons. I had a hollandaise failure recently and thought it might have been due to lower acid in the limes but I think it was just operator error. And thanks Shel for pointing to the Bayless ricotta with lime. I'd like to give it a try.

I remember listening to something about this on a Good Food podcast a couple of years ago where the physician who was interviewed identified psoralens as the family of chemical compounds responsible for "margarita dermatitis." She mentioned celery pickers as being at risk of a similar reaction.

I wouldn't think so since the jar isn't porous but I haven't made any incendiary pastes so I haven't needed special cleaning - just a twirl with regular dish soap and water . I have a some recipes that call for a few ancho or pasillas made into a paste where I find that smaller container very helpful. I've also made the paste that Kenji described on Serious Eats which could go into the larger jar but they seem to get more evenly pureed in the smaller Twister jar.

Ditto that. Also, chili pastes. The spatula that came with the Twister jar is very handy with the big jars, too.

This is more of an wintery cocktail and it is on the sweet side, but I enjoyed spiced rum in this Sidecar variation called the Cable Car, that I found on Chuck Taggart's website years ago. He credits Cory Reistad of the Drake Hotel in San Francisco, though Difford's Guide credits Tony Abou-Ganim of the same establishment. I don't think anyone should drink alcoholic beverages that they don't like. If it was a gift from someone who knows your taste, you might ask the giver to recommend some uses for it.