blue_dolphin

I agree. It's summer when I start buying cases of this. Bought a case at Binny's last weekend for $5.99/bottle. With the case discount it's pretty much $5/bottle. Another fan of Vinho Verde in the summer. One of my friends refers to it as "daytime wine". I've been enjoying the $3.99 Vinho Verde they've been carrying at Trader Joe's.

What a great opening line! I can imagine so many ways to finish that story (I don't really belong in this thread. Just popped in to see what other people are eating while nibbling on my own dinner: the other half of the "Mediterranean Chicken Pita" that I bought for lunch from the cafeteria)

This is my experience as well though I now have an electric wall oven. I had some great older gas stoves in rental apts. Some of the newer low end stoves have lower power burners and I found them disappointing. I'll add that the idea of a gas dryer was most alarming to me at first, but gas has generally been less expensive than electricity in this area so you'll probably find it in rentals.

Not especially healthy, I'm sure but I'm partial to the cranberry shortbread cookies. I thought they were a seasonal holiday item but they're still available in my local stores. I HATE when that happens. Two of my recently dearly departeds are the Artichoke Lemon Pesto from the refrigerated case and the Mixed Grilled Vegetable Bruschetta that came in an hexagonal glass jar. I'm still hoarding a jar of the latter so I can try to replicate it.

Thanks for posting this! I tried the asparagus pesto yesterday after seeing it in Bittman's Minimalist column last week and it was great - the flavors said, "Spring!" to me like basil pesto says, "Summer!" I tasted it on some crusty bread while I was waiting for the pasta to cook and it was so tasty I almost skipped the pasta! Tonight, I'm going to try the spinach and chickpea dish from smittenkitchen that you posted earlier. I'm hosting a group for drinks after work and that and the leftover asparagus pesto should be nice to spread on toasted bread.

This is hardly a feat but... 10 dozen bite-sized quiches. I'm now aware that pre-formed pastry is available but I'm still not doing it again!

Faced with a Danish Kringle from Larsen's Bakery in Seattle, I can't stop myself. Probably a good thing I don't live there.

In one of the offices I worked in, we used the Sunbeam Hot Shot to heat water for coffee, tea and soup. They heat up to 16 oz of water in about 60-90 sec and tended to last about 5 years or so with fairly heavy use.

I just bought a 1960's home with a recently (2008) remodeled kitchen so none of the choices were mine. I have this Blanco 1 & 3/4 sink, with 8" and 10" deep basins and I really like the extra depth on one side. It also has a pull out faucet, something I'd always wanted, and it seems to be working fine. If you've always wanted granite countertops, then go ahead and get them. Home buyers do seem to expect them so they should add value to your home. This is the first time I've had granite. My last few kitchens have had tile and I'm so happy to be free of the dreaded grout. I have no complaints about the granite so far. Mine seems to be the color of crumbs and is very easy to take care of.

This is hardly haute cuisine (more like a Campbell's soup casserole) but there's a recipe in the Enchanted Broccoli Forest cookbook for Pasta with Marinated Artichoke Hearts that I adapt from time to time. It's handy when I'm asked to make dinner in an unfamiliar kitchen because it's easy to grab all the ingredients in any supermarket. Not sure how it would work with a BIG jar of artichokes because you start by draining the liquid into a skillet and then gently saute a pile of thinly sliced onions in the drained-off marinade, which provides most of the seasoning. I believe the recipe adds a bit of extra olive oil and butter; sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I usually add some sliced mushrooms, something green (like zucchini or asparagus), some red bell pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Meanwhile, cut up the artichokes and add them to the pan when the veggies are about cooked. Once all that's warmed through, remove the pan from the heat and stir in some sour cream and your cooked, drained pasta. Sprinkle with a bit of parmesan. Sometimes I add shrimp or scallops. Or bacon. I suspect leftover chicken would work, too.

I don't have a dedicated freezer, only the top part of the fridge. I am going to clean it out though because I'm moving. We'll see if there's anything interesting in there. You might try the recipe from last week's NYT article titled Duck Confit, and Hold the Fat that describes a method for confit without adding additional fat. I'd like to try it myself but I'm unlikely to find any duck legs in my freezer since I've never bought any! Though I must say braised duck legs with cherries and port sounds awfully good....

I have never even tried to make my own pie crust. I buy Pillsbury All-Ready Pie Crusts and fit them nicely into my glass pie pans so they look homemade. I re-cork partial bottles of wine, stash them in the fridge and consume them 3, 4, even 5 days later - well beyond the recommended 24 hours. And I think they taste OK. We're talking < $20/bottle wines, so maybe they weren't all that great to begin with

I don't think California's any different from anywhere else in the US with respect to home cooking. Some people do, others don't. On the produce front, once you get here, visit a half dozen or so of the local farmer's markets and draw your own conclusions. They've all got their different personalities. I recommend visiting the Santa Monica Wednesday market and the Hollywood Sunday market for starters. And for strawberries, this isn't the best time of year for them, but look for Harry's Berries at the farmer's markets.

My Kitchen Aid blender handles the frozen pumpkin, mango chunks and banana just fine. Either thawing partially or freezing in smaller pieces would help if the blender struggles. I put the spinach in raw, broccoli too. Pumpkin and beets get cooked. I use 1/2 cup pumpkin + 1/4 - 1/2 of a banana + about 50g frozen mango chunks + a sprinkle of cinnamon + a grating of nutmeg blended with nonfat milk, soy milk and/or OJ Edited to add that I sometimes throw in a few pieces of fresh carrot to give this smoothie a little more of an orange color With spinach, I use quite a bit. 100-150g fresh baby spinach + 1/4 of a banana + 50g frozen mango or pineapple chunks blended with OJ and maybe a few ice cubes. This smoothie is a brilliant green color and has a fresh "green" taste but the spinach flavor is not overpowering. Mature spinach would probably have a stronger flavor than the younger leaves bagged for salad that I usually buy.

I agree on carrots working with most fruits and throw them in often. I also do: Beets (cooked), blueberries or raspberries and cranberries (I buy extra at this time of year and keep in the freezer. A handfull of frozen cranberries adds a nice tang to smoothies Pumpkin, mango and/or banana with nutmeg and cinnamon. I freeze leftover cooked pumpkin in half cup blobs and store in a zip-lock Spinach, mango and/or banana and/or pineapple with OJ - No milk or yogurt in this one Broccoli (raw) with Trader Joes' Very Cherry Berry mix (cherries, blueberries, blackberries, respberries) plus a big handful of cranberries. This one is the most ...um... vegetal tasting. The berries don't quite overtake the broccoli, but I'll have it for breakfast on a day when I know I'll be stuck in planes and airports or otherwise without much access to green veggies all day. All the above get a chunk of tofu, too.

FWIW, last week, I listened to a piece on KCRW's Good Food that described a recent taste test of vanilla extracts by Cook's Illustrated. Their conclusion was that high temp applications (like baking), drive off many compounds that differentiate various extracts. Low temp applications (like puddings or custards) allow more distinctions to be made. They said that in speaking to pastry chefs, they learned that "many buy an arsenal of vanilla extracts, using cheaper imitation for baking and pure for confections made with moderate or no heat, such as puddings, pastry cream, and buttercream frosting." Their overall winner was McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract, certainly readily available. I've always thought that keeping a few vanilla beans in the sugar jar added a certain complexity to even baked goods, but who knows?

Salmon Croquettes? Not common at my house. But Tuna Croquettes (made with a mix of saltines and bread crumbs, and formed into little log shapes) were a Friday night dinner regular. My recollection is that the usual sides were mac & cheese (baked, with a crust of the same saltine/bread crumb mix) and green beans.

Wow, that's a lotta eggs! Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I'm enjoying it greatly. Not to worry, you can go back and change it when you write the book!

Here in Ventura county (north of LA) most items would be no problem. The little non-chain market nearest my house is now owned by a Middle Eastern family and serves a primarily Mexican and Filipino clientele so they stock an interesting range of items that I used to have to hunt around for. --Pomegranate molasses - yes --Sumac - yes --Aleppo pepper - yes --creme fraiche - yes, at any big super --Mexican crema - yes, everywhere --Spanish smoked paprika - probably yes, though I bought mine from Penzeys --miso paste - yes, although the selection varies from 1or 2 to many varieties depending on the store --sherry vinegar - yes - 10 years ago, this used to be a problem for me to find but it's now at Trader Joes and big supers --duck (fresh or frozen) - frozen, easy. Haven't looked for fresh but I'm sure they'd be available from Asian markets closer to LA --duck fat - haven't seen it --pancetta - yes --less common pig parts - Some Now, my parents live in rural Northern New York and I'm guessing creme fraiche, pigs feet (perhaps other pig parts, too) and maybe frozen duck would be the only available items on the list. I'm not big meat eater or cooker so I have no butcher experience. I've driven by a number of nearby places with names like Carniceria El Matador‎ but have not stopped in to investigate.

I've used bean cooking water to cook pasta, especially when making pasta with beans and greens. I add a cup or so of the bean/pasta water to the greens as they cook to make a nice sauce. More bean/pasta water makes it into a soup.

This is my reason for looking for a bottom freezer model, too. I often just put veggies on the bottom shelf rather than reach all the way down to the bins. How's the noise factor on the Jenn Air? I have a small place and am hoping for something quiet.

The lab where I work has white/ivory epoxy resin benchtops. Gives the lab a clean, bright look compared with the usual black. I expect newer materials have improved but ours are about 15 years old and there's significant yellowing, apparently due to exposure to bright light. In areas under the skylights, there are clear outlines where equipment sat in the same place and protected the surface from the light. Benches farther away from the windows still look quite white. Aside from that, and a few scratches from dragging/pushing heavy equipment across the surface, they look pretty good. No burn or scorch marks, dye stains, etc. The matching epoxy resin sinks have all been replaced with stainless steel after they developed cracks. Most likely caused by people (who should know better) dumping dry ice or liquid nitrogen. Not an average household hazard.

I'm also curious about LG. I've been looking at this one which also has the 2 freezer drawers. I want a counter/cabinet depth model. I bought my current fridge 27 years ago. I've been waiting for it to die but I guess I've gotten my money's worth. Its longevity's probably due to the simple design - no icemaker, no water dispenser, etc.

I toss a handful or two of frozen cranberries into smoothies and go through a few bags that way. I like the cran-cello idea from Katie. Or maybe some cranberry-infused tequila? Hmmmm. If cranberries are still on sale, I'll try both!

Same here. Tub of 2% purchased at Trader Joes. I didn't notice the change in manufacturing location until I spotted this thread and checked the label.