kayb

Traffic is another consideration. They're counting on the WalMart draw to bring some number of curious shoppers through the doors just to look. Once there, they're counting on their prices, which are lower than WalMart on many items, to keep them coming back. Milk (any fat content) is $1.50 a gallon at my Aldi. Half and half is 1.69 a quart. Heavy cream is 1.69 a pint. Butter is 2.99 a pound. I will rarely, if ever, buy those products anywhere else BUT Aldi. They also tend to have lower prices on cheese, and a better variety of sausages. I will rarely ever buy groceries at WalMart (I don't GO to WalMart when I can avoid it; something about it seems to bring out the incipient stupidity in every individual who walks through the doors), an when I do, I NEVER buy produce or meat. Even when I was still buying the big frozen bags of chicken breast or leg quarters, I could swear those from WalMart were a lesser quality than those purchased at Kroger. And don't get me started on their produce. It's awful.

Had to get the first one. I love me a pig.

The IP is busy cooking apples for apple butter. Which is not what I ought to be doing two days before T'giving, but the apples did not wish me to wait. Still, i have tomorrow to get the rest of it done.

Oh, those are PRETTY!

Never thought of gochujang with sweet squash. Thanks. I'll try that.

Ooohhh. One of each, please.

I, too, was curious about tenderness and texture. Sure is pretty, though. I love to slice leftover rare eye of round in thin slices, marinate it in a mixture of red wine, olive oil and oregano, and then use it in sandwiches. Little restaurant in Memphis does the, serves with lettuce and olives, and calls it "Greek beef." It's habit-forming.

Lovely. I dated an Argentinian for a while, and he always contended he'd take me to BA. Guess I should've stuck it out with him until he had a chance to do so.

Love the greenhouse. Would love to have one. I'm thinking of a small version, more like an oversized cold frame, to go on the east side of my house (as there is no room on the south side; my very narrow lot runs E-W). Or I may just put together a big cold frame that I can assemble/disassemble within the garden itself. Should be able to just build the panels and rig some sort of hooks to fasten them together, then anchor it to the fence, yes?

I have not tried it with challah, but I have had success making bread/rolls to the baking stage and then par-baking; baking it until it's formed, risen and crusted over a bit, but not fully done inside. Then you can finish it up with 10-15 minutes the next day right before dinner.

1. Get a 6 1/2 oz. Coke in a glass bottle. 2. Get a single-serve bag of salted peanuts. 3. Pour peanuts into Coke. 4. Drink. If I had a dollar for every one of those I'd consumed as a kid...

Found a recipe for a shortbread cookie with minced maraschino cherries, dipped in melted white chocolate and sprinkled with red sanding sugar. I think those may have to be added to the rotation. Got the stuff t'other day to make the Raincoast Crisps. They were a favorite in last year's baskets. And I always make extras...

Note it down in your @rotuts Commemorative Notebook! That would be well and truly disastrous. Of all the small electrics I've purchased because of this group, the CSO is the one I use the most and the one I could least well live without. I'll be in the checkout line right behind you.

Settling in and anxiously awaiting all the details about all the meals, snacks and in-betweens! (and more jaracanda trees would not go amiss, either; those things are gorgeous)

I failed to mention I had a gracious plenty of wine. However, none of my football teams cooperated by winning. Well, one did, but they weren't on TV.

Why we love the Instant Pot, part 5,924. We decide at 4 p.m. we want hot roast beef sandwiches for dinner. We grab two packages of frozen stew beef from the freezer; toss them in the IP frozen with some wine, some onion, some beef broth and some herbs. We saute some mushrooms (thanks, whoever posted the tip on dry-frying first, then adding the butter and wine; that worked nicely!), and we caramelize some onions. We thaw out burger buns and grab the sliced Swiss. Assemble, toast in the CSO, add pickles and go!

War Damn Eagle! (Because I loathe Alabama on prinicple, and Gus Malzahn is a good guy.) My favorite day of the year is New Year's Day, because I get up early, cook my greens and black eyed peas, and make up a whole horde of snacky stuff to munch on all day while watching football. I have a feeling sausage rolls may make an appearance then, if not before. The other favorite is silver dollar sized latkes, topped with a schmear of real sour cream (usually I sub Greek yogurt) and caviar. The CSO, by the way, also excels at reheating latkes.

Intriguing. Not a dish that would have occurred to me, but certainly one I'd like to try.

Little people are antithetical to serious cooking. Why I didn't get into serious cookery until they were grown. They do have their good points, though. You can get another pricy duck. Littleness is priceless, and all too fleeting.

Everybody may know the answer to this, but I dont. How do you keep it from turning dark while it's mellowing in the fridge?

Love those things. Hadn't thought about it, but leftovers would be excellent the next morning beneath a poached egg...

Love that cabinetry wall. Anxious to see the finishes you've chosen.

Thanks, @Anna N. I will be getting in touch with my duck hunters.

I made the major mistake of going to the grocery when I was hungry. I have enough cheese, charcuterie and otherwise to host a couple of decent parties, now. Lunch was about half of an Aldi panino, with crackers and pickles.

That makes me think. I have duck fat in the fridge. Duck season opens here either this weekend or next (though it's been warm enough I haven't seen any ducks, yet). Most hunters will take only the breasts of their game birds. I'm thinking about putting out a call to my duck-hunting buddies for duck legs. Wonder how wild duck confit would taste? With any luck, I can get a couple of breasts and try wild duck breast pastrami.