Darienne

You? Never!!!

To me, the main problem always with mashed potatoes is that they are mashed. My Mother didn't make them either. Ed loves them. His Mother made them. What else is new?

Oh, the list is not neat and tidy and has cross-outs and re-writings.

It's really quite casual. All incoming paper gets recycled into scrap pieces and I scribble on these in pencil. So each Saturday, after Ed shops for the groceries, something I can no longer do (and is always full of surprise, some good...some not so good), I start a new sheet, simply scribbling down whatever foods he bought which must be paid attention to, while carrying over last weeks remainders. And if stuff gets ignored and starts to go, I roast it and freeze it for making soup. We eat a lot of soup. So the weekly scribble might say: broccoli, cauliflower, avocados (2), asparagus, red potatoes, russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, grn onions, celery, romaine, carrots...etc, etc, etc... I look at this list every day when we have our quick morning meeting. Then I have a long established list over the cellar freezer with the contents therein, updated every few...months?...when I know it's way out of date. Dishes are kept in those big grocery store colored plastic bags or some net or cloth bags and the legend is on the list. For instance we are having frozen enchiladas for lunch with frozen guacamole (yes, this is the way we live now) and they are in the 'romaine bag'. Not ideal...but it really works. I have read that North Americans throw out 30-40% of food purchased. We throw out almost nothing. Of course, I don't work outside the house and don't have growing children. That makes a huge difference. OTOH, I am ancient and increasingly decrepit and we have two full time dogs.

"deliquesce". Wow! New word for me. I keep a running list of the foods that I have on hand which must be eaten or go bad by a certain time, like potatoes and avocados and you name it. I know it sounds like an impossible task to those who don't do it...but it works for us. I worked as a researcher for years..nay decades...and so it's second nature to me to live by my "green grocer" skills. diminished as they now are. (I use the term "green grocer" because once a professor of my acquaintance (whom I didn't like much) once publicly applied this term to another prof whom I admired immensely for his incredible memory and thinking abilities.)

How on earth does undeclared cashew get into this lasagne where it doesn't belong? https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/vicentina-fine-foods-gourmet-brand-meat-lasagna-recalled-due-undeclared-cashew?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23&

Sorry to belabor the point: in other words, you do cap yours...

"The strawberries should be left whole and NOT capped." Does not 'capped' mean leave on the stem and leaves?

We bring Tostitos Kaki Mochi and I always put paper strips with the recipe on it under the bowl. The contents are gone before I know it and all the recipe strips are gone.

We buy the best grocery store quality that we are aware of...Gay Lea Gold Sour Cream...and then I immediately mix a large dollop of lemon juice into it to make it as close to what was available when I was a kid and the sour cream was REAL. Helps a lot. Never had liquid forming in this mixture.

On Ed's suggestion we tried something which, believe it or not, has made quite a difference in the already purchased muffins. Left a package open to the air overnight under a gauze covering to discourage all insect forms. And we both tried the muffins this morning. Far less light, fluffy or moist...better on all these counts. Still not bake shop or homemade quality, but so much improved that I was quite taken aback. This is worth knowing....

Spanakopita immediately springs to mind. But then I make it to go with Moussaka which is yet another thing to be contemplated and I can't see making these dishes for only one. The other thing I mainly used feta cheese for is a part of a Tri-pepper salad. I am not the most adventurous cook.

Of course too sweet. Ca va sans dire. Oddly enough the sets of muffins from two different sources had the same characteristics. They were just too light and too fluffy and too moist for words. And of course not enough inclusions. The blueberries in the blueberry muffins were so far apart. And the chocolate chips in the banana muffins were definitely not generous. Size was not a factor. As for flavors...they were what Ed bought. I was not expecting wonders...but...they were just unacceptable...to me anyway. The years during which we built the new living room and had such extensive repairs done on the old farmhouse, we had one group of builders after another traipsing through our lives, I made at least 500 muffins. I knew that because I completely emptied one of those 500 muffin papers cylindrical cardboard containers. Now I liked my muffins. So apparently did the men. We'll try the Metro muffins. Thanks, @ElsieD.

We are hosting what will definitely be the last Dog Weekend in August and a young man who from Delaware has brought as his contributions in the past these amazing bakery muffins. I've never tasted such excellent muffins and I know they cost a king's ransom which he can ill afford. So the magnanimous hostess said we'll buy Costco muffins this year and thus save him the trouble. No, alas I cannot add muffin making to the list of things which must be done. But no, now he is bringing the Costco muffins. So Ed bought two varieties of Costco muffins today for us to try and on the word of a lady standing next to him in Super Store also bought some Farmer's Market muffins. Her husband loves them. I asked Ed if he asked the lady if her husband also liked Cheese Whiz. He did not. He should have. OK. I'm not going to be polite. I thought they were horrible. Well, half-polite...that's not the adjective I originally used. Does anyone know of any grocery store muffin which passes muster?

Orville's for us with no problems. Ed makes popcorn at least twice a week.

I'm listening.....

Thanks Mitch.

And if I'd been asked...I would have recommended the Snowdon Deli. It's where Ed and I used to go. Just down the street from the Main Florist. My Grandmother started the store many many decades ago on the Main (St. Laurence). As for the St. Viateur bagels...I agree with you. We bought ours on Decarie, near the Snowden Deli.

Husband Ed and I meet every morning to discuss the day's agenda. On my "Food" paper, I keep a running list (messy) of vegetable and fruit items on hand, just so that this kind of thing does not occur. And it's worked out very well.

I can't say that I never will again... Last night Ed made me what we call a Road's End Coffee. And it's made in the blender. However, apparently whoever washed and put away the blender last time...months ago I think...did not fasten the apparatus together properly and 12 ounces of hot coffee, chocolate drink mix, vodka and PJ (Panama Jack, a fortified wine which is a creme liqueur) splashed all over one end of the kitchen. Not conducive to good times... Then this morning there was no freshly brewed coffee. Oh dear, the coffee pot had finally died. Apparently not. I forgot to put water into it. Doesn't work well without coffee. Of course, none of this was helped by the stupid argument we had next......

YES!!!

Well put, sir.

You are not alone in this one, @kayb.

I had no idea of what I was asking with my question. Asking on a gourmet cooking forum, I should have known better. I don't know what our son intends to grill. I don't know what kind of hibachi he is bringing. I suspect it will be fairly small. He barbecues a lot at home, but uses propane only. He simply asked could we buy some charcoal and I thought...what kind of charcoal do I buy? Heidih had it correctly...just a small grill with regular grocery store type charcoal. I just had no idea what sorts of charcoal were to be bought in grocery stores. Thanks for all your trouble. You and all the others who answered this question.

Welcome to eGullet, Anu. Glad to have you aboard.