Katie Meadow

My hopes that Heidi will suddenly log in and tell us it was all a mistake are dimming. This is awfully sad.

Looks and sounds good, although I find him and his show really. unwatchable. Zucchini might be life-changing only if a giant one hit and killed you or someone you loved.

You didn't post that and I didn't see it.

I agree with many recommendations above for roasting poblanos. Pick thick, flattish ones when possible. Don't over-roast or cook too slowly. You don't want the flesh to cook and soften too much; unless they have structure they will be the devil to work with if you are going to stuff them. You want the chiles to blacken fast. Since they are typically available in the fall, I have found that roasting them on an outdoor grill on a relatively high flame is easier and gives better flavor than doing it under the broiler. I've never oiled the chiles first, so I can't speak to that. And lastly, although when I lived in NM it was pretty common for people to put the just-roasted chiles in a plastic bag, I have found that a better system is to lay the chiles out flat on a cookie tray right after roasting and cover them with a pretty damp, (but not soaking), towel. That should not take more than 15 or 20 minutes. The bag method doesn't work any better and it has the disadvantage of making a lot of steam, which means your chiles will be a little watery, which you don't need.

We do our major shopping haul at Berkeley Bowl, a large and always very busy market in the East Bay. There is no self-checkout, which is good by me. They have more checkers than baggers, so we just move in and bag the stuff ourselves, with weight equally distributed as possible and heavy bottles or milk containers or unbreakable vegetables on the bottom, other vegetables and delicates on top layers. The checkers appreciate it and we get it the way we want it. We load the belt accordingly and pack two or three bags simultaneously. We are very organized shoppers; I plan about six days worth of meals at a time, and then we coast for a few days with leftovers, makes pot of beans, shop for fill-ins, etc.for another few days. Major runs, which are typically four bags at a time, happen approximately every ten days, as needed. One of my superpowers is knowing how to pack or box up anything for maximum efficiency. My husband does the shopping these days, He's a graphic designer and we designed a printed Berkeley Bowl list of all our usual suspects. It's organized by how he moves through the aisles. Really clever, right? And verging on OCD.

I like green beans cooked to death with bacon.

Do you think it was always the case that NY Chinatowns had live Dungeness from across the country? My parents did not shop in Chinatown when I grew up. There were many Chinese restaurants within a short walk from our apt and my mother was not an adventurous cook. If memory serves, which it often does not, if Dungeness crabs were on the menu, my mother would have ordered one. The creative mix of culture, habit and memory grows ever more entwined and unreliable. . @MetsFan5, the best technique I learned was to put the live crab in the freezer for just a few minutes after which time they are very easy to handle.

I admit I know absolutely nothing about sous vide, but wouldn't cooking a live crab sous vide mean a long slow death?

sorry, yes, correct: west coast US and Canada

Just in case anyone swallowed that trickster @liuzhou's recent post about the UK city of Dungeness, know that Dungeness crabs are only found on the US west coast. You are as unlikely to see them in England as in China: "The name “Dungeness” comes from one of the most fertile habitats of this species: the Dungeness Spit, a sandy stretch of land in Northwest Washington. The Spit and surrounding community is located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and named after a desert-like beach of the same name in England." I moved to CA in the mid 1970's. Growing up I thought all crabs were blue claws that we we fished for as kids on Long Island with butterfly nets. What a shocker to discover Dungeness crabs! The big meaty Dungeness were plentiful then and the season, November thru early spring was reliable. Over the years one thing or another has caused these crabs to decrease in number. Periodic oil spills could ruin a season, but most years I couldl go down to Oakland Chinatown and buy them live for under $2 lb. Those days are, of course, long gone. The price of picked crabmeat as per @Margaret Pilgrimis pretty scary. For many years now the season has been either cancelled or delayed. This year it is for two reasons: the meat quality is poor, and there are a great many Humpback whales migrating along the coast who can get tangled up by the crab-trap lines. . When my daughter was little she needed to go to a ENT specialist in SF and we would treat ourselves to a whole crab at a Chinese restaurant near her doc's office. I thought of it as a splurge, but a relatively modest one. And I learned how to cook live crabs at home, overcoming the ick factor. I haven't had Dungeness crab for several years now. It was awfully good.

Yes, that's what I was thinking, one of each. Believe me, at $30+ a pop he'll drink it and like it.

My mother never used eggs in her stuffing and I've never done it either. I know the idea is't uncommon, but I can't see the reason for it. Does it come out like savory bread pudding? I guess I never felt the need for a binder, preferring my stuffing to be a bit jumbly. If it's moisture that is needed try an apple cut into small squares mixed in. If you carefully sew up the front and main openings that provides plenty of moisture.

I have some jazzy colorful plastic chopsticks which I don't use. I also have a couple of pairs of lovely gifted ivory ones that have remained buried out of sight for years. I like wooden chopsticks best. I tend to use the cheap wooden unvarnished ones by default. Also I would suggest that those who are just learning to use chopsticks go for wooden ones that are often shorter and easer to grasp than ones that have slick finishes.

Thanks. More questions, bear with me! I'm really asking because I am trying to put together a gift of canisters and coffee for my hard-to-shop-for husband. He usually gets a dark French roast and brews it pretty strong in a variety of methods. I drink minimal amounts of coffee, perhaps a cup two times a week. My husband drinks a couple of cups every day. Let's say I order two 12 oz bags of "moderately" priced coffee (enough to qualify for $50 free shipping; do you think it will stay fresh in these canisters for at least three to four weeks? That is just a wild guess as to how long he takes to go through it. I am making the assumption that Sig Eater and you both drink coffee daily, so our shipment would last a little longer than yours, based on a shipment of 1.5 to 2 lbs. I'm bad at math and far too lazy to really keep track of how fast he goes through it. Thanks again for the help!

What are your favorites from George Howell? Also, how much coffee do your order at a time? Do you store more than 12 oz of beans at a time in that vac canister?