kayb

Tuna poke and lobster rolls. Best offer I've seen. I'd love to try to make that one.

Carved the underside of the last joint of my ring finger halfway to the bone on a mandolin. Cut a sizeable wedge-shaped flap off the side of my thumb immediately after having my knives sharpened, as I was trying to get the pit out of an avocado. Slit the palm of my hand trying to pry apart two frozen hamburger patties. Vast majority of those and other smaller mishaps due to my own inattention.

"...the mistake of going to Costco hungry..." Boy, do I know THAT one. Even though I don't have a Costco. Sams and Kroger are about as bad.

I'm going to a watch party that's also a fundraiser for a Congressional candidate, so whatever they serve. Some of my faves to have served in the past include: Pulled pork sliders Ham and cheese rolls Reuben sandwich loaf (triple rye bread, rolled thin, layered with corned beef, kraut, cheese, thousand island, and the edges of the bread sliced into strips and woven over the top and baked) Boiled fingerling potatoes, cut in half and topped with sour cream and caviar Beer-candied bacon A nice variety of cheese and charcuterie on a big board Crostini and my favorite fig tapenade. A big pot of vegetable beef soup Brownies Not necessarily all on the same menu, but those are some that have gotten good reviews over the years.

Could not turn down the brunch cookbook. I love brunch recipes -- just reading and salivating over them, let alone cooking them.

Oh, yum.

I wish I liked bell pepper. I love the look of stuffed peppers. But I can't stand that bell pepper taste.

There are arguments to be made in both directions. If there is a site that I know I can find every variety of spicy condiment, I'm going to go to that site when I want something spicy, regardless of what else it has or does not have. I'm sure there are people to whom an all-spicy site would be attractive. It would also have the effect of limiting your inventory and thus your cash investment in stock. But for me personally, I like to browse, and I'm likely to buy more of "oh, that looks good" than what I went to the site for. So the broader site is more appealing to me. I think it's a balance you have to strike with how much money you want to invest in ongoing inventory.

The dog does not look a bit sorry. I hope his/her stomach wasn't too upset. The cake is a work of art, as are all your confections. I am in awe.

Ah. I should have realized that. Used to see them around this part of the world; haven't in a long time.

Don't get me started on vision statements, particularly when a government agency does them. Much fluffing up and proclamation, and damn little meat on the bones. I'm very curious about the future of agriculture in CA, given the water availability situation. Not so much the almonds and avocadoes, but more the lettuces, grapes, fruits of the Central Valley. We have three major commercial growing areas for those crops in the US, and two of them are running short on water. I live in an area in nearly the same latitude, which is very economically depressed, and which has an abundance of water. It's a potential economic driver I'm looking at for the Lower Mississippi Valley, and I think it has the potential to turn this part of the nation around.

What @Anna N said. That's gorgeous.

I like it on graham crackers. But I tire of it quickly.

A poached or fried egg on a leftover baked potato with cheese and bacon is one of my favorite breakfasts. Sometimes I'll just bake a couple of small potatoes -- tennis ball sized -- and flatten them with a potato masher, brush the top with butter, sprinkle with salt, pepper, cheese and bacon, broil it, and then top with an egg. Tough to beat.

Do you shred and dress a big portion of cabbage all at once, or do it as you make your sandwich?

Well, yes...sorta. It heats only from the bottom, not from the sides, so the cooking is a bit different. Also, I've read where people experience a bit of difficulty in getting the cooking setting (low, normal, high) adjusted to suit them. But mostly, the reason I retired the crock pot is that the IP negates 85 percent or more of the reasons for using it. I might well try the onions in it, though. There are still things I don't want to make in the IP; I made carbonnades a la flamande the other day, and I started them in the Dutch oven on top of the stove before moving them to the oven for a low, slow four-hour braise. Some things are just better cooked that way.

I love cabbage shredded like that and dressed with oil and vinegar on a sandwich. Most any sandwich. And on a taco.

H'mm. I had wondered about the texture issue for onions in the pressure cooker, having noticed how diced onions almost disappear when cooked at pressure. Like @Anna N, I don't think I'd care for that texture. I've retired my crock pot since I got the IP, so I may have to try the oven method. I love the convenience of having frozen bags of caramelized onions close at hand. Going to caramelize some today. I'm thinking beef, barley and mushroom soup today.

I am so jealous. Memphis Farmers Market will open the first of March, I think, and I will make a weekly pilgrimage down there until ours opens up here. There's also a new one an hour away from me that's doing a lot of work in greenhouses, so I need to get over there as well.

Worked with a chicken grower/processor who wanted to put in a hatchery, growing houses, and a processing plant for the Asian chicken market. Different breed of chicken than domestic, he said, and they're grown for longer (16 or 19 weeks, I forget which) vs 10-12, fed a different diet, and butchered differently; just eviscerated, defeathered, and then hung with feet and head still attached. My farm chickens are semi-free range. They're fenced in, but it's a big fence and they roam pretty freely within it, accompanied by a few cows.

Publix Super Markets: 77% -- Don't have it in my area (don't think they operate west of the Mississippi Wegmans: 77% -- Ditto. Aren't they mostly Northeast? Trader Joe’s Market: 75% -- Closest one is in Nashville, though we are alleged to be getting one in Memphis H-E-B: 69% -- Not in the state ALDI: 68% Had one in town for a couple of years. Shop here a lot. Good option for dairy and cured meats, cheeses, most produce. Harris Teeter: 66% -- not in my region Hy-Vee Food Stores: 65% -- not in my region Costco: 65% -- none in Arkansas. There's one in Memphis, but I've never been WinCo Foods: 62% -- Not in my region Whole Foods Market: 61% -- Closest ones in Memphis and Little Rock, though we do have two good natural foods markets here. Fry’s: 58% -- Never heard of it Kroger: 57% -- Dominant grocery chain in my area Target: 56%-- One here is not a Super Target with groceries. Winn-Dixie Stores: 54% -- not in my region ShopRite: 53% -- not in my region Food Lion: 52% -- not in my region Albertsons: 49% -- had some in Memphis for a while, but no more. Meijer: 49% -- not in the region Sam’s Club: 49% -- Don't like their groceries, with the exception of some frozen convenience stuff. Have found produce to be poor quality, meat a little better. Cheese is in too large quantities for me to effectively use. Ginat Food Stores: 43% Never heard of them Safeway: 39% You don't see a lot of them around here. Stop & Shop: 38% not in this region Wal-Mart: 31% other dominant grocery chain in region. Horrible. Meat quality is awful. Produce quality is awful. I'll buy stuff that's packaged and shipped in, but that's about it. We have a couple of local/regional chains, Hays and Harps. Both are adequate, but significantly higher priced than Kroger and Aldi. Harps is the closest grocery to me, so it's often my default when I'm in the middle of something and need milk in a hurry, or a loaf of bread on the way home from church.

A po'd vulture or carrion eater that wanted beef instead of chicken?

Tried a new one the other night, when I made veggie fried rice and chicken meatballs. Froze helpings of rice, accompanied by meatballs, in foil pans. Reheated in CSO, from frozen, 45 minutes at 350F. Pretty doggoned good.

I get by a lot of evenings on cheese and fruit and maybe some salami or proscuitto or whatever I've got in the fridge. Or potato skins; I can easily make dinner off potato skins, stuffed with cheese and bacon. And liquid fruit, nightly.

Looks like a perfectly cooked burger.