Katie Meadow

I've made Atlantic Beach Pie a bunch of times. I liked it with the saltine crust but my husband did not. I found a recipe that used a lemon biscotti to make the crust and that pleased us both. I imagine you could use any number of biscotti flavors, but I think a softer biscotti may work better than a very hard crunchy one.

And then there's Bridge Mix, always a sign of disappointments to follow when you see them in a bowl. Like raisinettes. I have no memory of Passover candy. My concept of Israeli candy is still stuck with Hannukah gelt. Worse even than Hershey's milk chocolate. For dessert at Passover my favorite tradition was meringues and strawberries. And a gluten-free walnut cake that everyone loved except me.

Sorry, not good enough! I don't need pix. But I do want to know what it was, and most importantly, whether or not you made it

so funny! It's been so long since I had canned salmon that I forgot about that little bone. The few times in the last 40 years we have opened a can I don't believe my husband even knew that little bone existed. I got to it too fast. Same thing when we have sardines on toast. I confiscate this little spines at once. My justification is that I need the calcium more than he does.

I too am a big fan of the Nyakers tin. I have tried smaller packs of the same and they don't stay as crisp as the big tin ones. I look the other way and pretend that there isn't a enormous quantity of what the ingredients lists as "vegetable margarine." But let's face it, you couldn't make such an affordable cookie using real butter. But they aren't graham crackers.

My experience is like yours. Either Honey Maid has gone downhill or my taste buds are too fussy. They are bland and too sweet to my taste these days. Always surprised that no graham cracker alternatives exist. You would think the time has come for those of us who seek nostalgic foods. Just think what good s'mores could be made with better graham crackers and decent bittersweet chocolate I have made Alton Brown's recipe and they were good, but a lot of work for a few graham crackers. And I agree, Bob's graham flour is very nice..

The smoked trout I've had from TJ's is not canned. It's in the fridge section. It is very very salty. The last time I bought it I could barely eat it, even in small amounts. Of course YMMV, and it is also possible that the product varies as well.

Which place on Clement do you like best for your takeout? A million years ago I lived a couple of blocks from Clement.

Has anyone done a taste test to compare the Nuri vs the Pinhais? The cans of Nuri do say Pinhais in smallish print. On Amazon the 4-pack variety descriptions are just the same. Both are 4.4 oz per can. If they are in fact the same origin marketed differently then the Nuri are a much better deal. I haven't been to Cost Plus World Market in a zillion years, but as far as I know they still exist in Oakland. Only reason to go there is to go to Bev Mo on the same trip, a couple of blocks away.

At least half the ideas suggested here are not what I consider "I don't want to cook" dinners. If I don't want to cook or if I am hungry and cranky for one reason or another, and let's say for the sake of argument there are no appealing leftovers in the fridge, my desperation meals are sardines on toast, grilled cheese and tomato sandwich, or, if I am feeling sorry for myself and also have no bread i can toast, then ramen. Apple and cheese works too, provided we have crackers. If my husband is willing to take the time to cook pasta I can handle waiting, but ordinarily we don't keep store bought sauces, so it would most likely have to be topped with butter, garlic and hard grated cheese, and fresh raw tomatoes if in season. These are all basically baby food. When you have a tired toddler (meaning me in emergency situations) it has to be something that takes less than ten minutes and involves no recipes, little or no chopping, no baking and most importantly no thinking.

That's lovely.

Wasn't there a thread once about three ingredients that were horrible together? Peanut butter, celery and raisins belongs there. Throw it into the compost pile and you will get ants on a log.

That's the one. It's a little fussbudget, but that's GH for you. And I don't know what planet her cambazola comes from, but mine isn't easily "sliced." And she is also a fanatic about Pepperidge farm white bread, which must have been a staple when she was young. I'm less attached, and just use a any pullman like bread.

Another excellent winter salad, slightly Waldorfian, is simply apples, celery and walnuts. But no mayo, just a tangy dressing of olive oil, lemon, dijon mustard, a very cautious smidge of honey, and a little salt to taste. Ordinarily I stay clear of honey in dressing, but this works.

I'm in! Is there a recipe handy? I know there are people who hate celery, and I'm always amazed. It isn't like they have an allergy, they just claim to hate it. My fridge is never without it. Potato salad and tuna salad and shrimp salad depend on it. How could you make red beans and rice without the trinity? And you would miss out on Gabrielle Hamilton's celery toast with cambazola. So harmless, yet so essential. Of course I have no medical reason to hate broccoli, and yet I hate it.

When my daughter was little there was a great place in Berkeley called Le Cafe Crayon (pronounced the French way for extra credit, please.) They had a room full of wooden trains and toys for your kids. Moms or dads could order a latte or cap or macchiato and you could buy, for pennies, a bowl of goldfish for your kid. A brilliant idea! Play dates for everyone.

Another vote for cold beets with creme fraiche. Borsht minus time. I like the idea or serving beets with smoked fish. And I like the idea of adding a dab of horseradish to the creme fraiche.

Or they could go the extra mile and serve oyster crackers.

One of my most memorable meals ever happened in a bar/restaurant in Waitsburg WA (that's the next town over from Walla Walla.) The cook was working with a portable stove. She had just returned from a visit to her father. who grew lots of lovage. She managed to pan fry a fantastic steak and served it with a lovage pesto. It seemed otherworldly to me, never having had lovage before. I think it was just crushed lovage and oil and garlic, but in truth I have forgotten. Anyway her husband and co-owner was the mixologist. After dinner the adjacent space turned into a music venue. Topping off the evening was a gorgeous French woman who was part of a cheesemaking collective nearby. She played the saw... No hecklers there (that would be dangerous) just rapt locals. The cheese people had a great tasting room and you could play with baby goats. It was late spring.

I know I'm not. Yes, those red yolks are fabulous. @liamsauntyou must have boundless energy. I am endlessly envious of all the east coast seafood. We have an ocean over here but clam varieties are limited. What I wouldn't give for a bowl of steamers.

And you must not forget the original Owl Cafe in San Antonio, famous for its green chile burger. Equally important reason to go that part of NM is the Bosque del Apache wildlife reserve. Fabulous birding

I have a vague memory of pix of @andiesenji's pantry but I have no idea what thread it was in. But she is the queen of space. The pantry looked brilliant. There was another shot of some secret torture chamber of hanging skillets though, that did call into question her ability to get rid of stuff. Oh yeah, and a separate museum room for every toaster I've ever wanted to own.

Anyone but you and I would say no wonder you don't eat corn. So, that must not be corn. But what is it?

I'm lucky to have a large kitchen with lots of cabinets. Some of the cabinets are very deep, which is great for large pots and pans, but not so convenient for smaller pantry items, which are stored ten deep and gets dark toward the back, so it is really hard to find what I need sometimes. The trade off is that I can store a lot of stuff and keep it out of view. However, I can't find most of the smaller stuff without an archeological excavation. Ideally there would be some deep cabinets for cook and bakeware, and a large wall of shallower storage for other items. Color is the fun part!

https://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-NS-ZCC10-Uncooked-Premium-1-0-Liter/dp/B00007J5U7/ref=sr_1_4?crid=22C6RVIEDL1AG&keywords=zojirushi%2Brice%2Bcooker&qid=1660261392&sprefix=zo%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-4&th= I have the 5.5 / 1 liter made in Japan. For the two of us I usually measure 1.5 go cups of rice. If I want enough leftover rice for fried rice I double that. That would be ample rice for 4.