TicTac

Is that after the first couple 'o scotch's when you then find yourself on said floor - easy access, type of thing??

While I agree that prepared food delivery would be as safe as eating in an empty restaurant, the question is - why chance it, by allowing multiple variables (unknown to you) potentially contaminate your food (most likely, unknowingly). The scary thing about COVID-19 is one can be asymptomatic while still having the virus and being a transmittable source to others.

Curious, do you all feel it is safe/smart to be ordering food from a restaurant (pick-up, or even worse - IMO - delivery)? @Shelby - If the proverbial sh!t hits the fan (more than it already has) and you cannot source dog food, all that meat from your husband's famous hunts is the best food source for any dog - raw! I learned a lot about this over the last year as a client of mine (who has a couple Sheppards) is adamant about the practice and claims it is their genetically preferred/ideal food.

Be cautious with those 'pre-washed' salad bags. There is often pieces of rotten salad hidden within - my wife once got sick from a box of baby arugula - ever since we diligently wash and pick through them.

I know you are a fan of mushrooms, see my 'faux' pulled pork dinner up-thread, I bet you would enjoy (as I also know we share a love for caramelized onions!)

Absolutely. We get ours at T&T Supermarket.

@KennethT - least you killed two birds and got your daily work-out in as well! With my little guy's Celiac diagnosis over a year ago now, we have channeled our inner Asian roots and have started consuming rice multiple times a week. Trying to be health conscious as well, we tried brown rice - no thanks. Found a great middle ground with health benefits and great taste to boot - Haiga rice: Many do not know about it, but I would highly recommend sourcing some if you are able to.

Last year we kicked most processed/refined sugar out of our house, this year the goal is to drastically reduce meat (fish is fine!) and dairy - I found the idea online for 'faux' pulled pork sliders.... King Oyster (shredded with a fork) and Enoki Mushrooms / Spanish Onions - all sauteed till golden. Tossed in a home made BBQ Sauce - served on GF (Aiden's does a great GF bread) ciabatta rolls; along side Ramp soup and a salad - creamy ramp/Meyer lemon dressing. My 7 year old gave it a 4/5 stars (and he dislikes mushrooms at the best of times!). Will repeat.

@Dante - A valiant effort (and something I would never attempt, so I offer this feedback with full disclosure of such!) I have eaten many soup dumplings, even from the famous Ding Tai Fung - and I would suggest trying to get your crimp at the top of the dumpling to increase the odds of soup retention - Seen here: Not sure what (if any) accompaniment you serve it with, but I would recommend either Chinese black (or pink) vinegar with julienne of ginger.

This event is certainly a great spur to 'clean out my freezer' (hey, I can participate in that thread now too!) Pulled out a bag of 2-3 lbs of frozen ramps and just cooked up a batch of potato/ramp soup. It's on the menu for lunch, probably fry up some onions and drizzle with mortar ground ramp oil.

Local organic farmers market was busy at 8:20 this morning. My favourite local farmer (and the guy who takes up 1/2 the entire space) had a great big sign saying 'Help your local farmers and stockpile HERE' - so I did (well, sort of) - lots of great easily stored fruits/veg (carrots, beets, cabbage, onions, apples, broccoli, dried fruit, beans, nuts) and a lot of citrus and leafy veg. Did basically a double shop - between the new haul of fruit/veg and all stored/frozen provisions, we are set for at least the next 3 weeks. The market is based in a local private school and threatened to close; I asked him what would happen in the event that they did not allow the market to use the school - he said he would just setup shop in the parking lot - love that guy. For locals, Shoppers Drug mart is still getting shipments of toilet paper - there is no shortage (got 40 rolls yesterday - at the wifey's command) as is Food Basics and other local chains. Just have to get there early in the day.

Slightly ridiculous... Producers of Toilet Paper in Ontario have already stated there are no supply issues. Case in point, my wife was slightly concerned that we were down to 10 or so rolls (*gasp* the horror!) so I grabbed another 40 this morning from Shoppers Drug Mart. I had a good laugh with a lovely lady waiting outside with me, that luckily I back onto a forest/ravine, so worst case scenario I will teach the kids how we go to the 'loo when camping - no shortage of leaves!! Will stock up on veggies/fruits/dried legumes at the farmers market tomorrow that have longer shelf lives (Cabbage, potatoes, onions, carrots, beats, apples, etc). Just in case they shut down my beloved organic market.

Well - Ontario, Canada (and I believe most other provinces) just announced that they are closing all schools for 2 additional weeks after the March break - head government Dr's, while not quarantining people to their homes, are suggesting people do not attend large public spaces where people gather. Luckily, the madness that has ensued down south has not spread to such an extent here - I saw toilet paper at the Chinese supermarket today - 12 rolls for $8. Will trade for TJ's products

What is more concerning is that people do not have more than a couple weeks worth of TP at home!? 😄 But seriously, this whole stock up on hand sanitizer is ridiculous.... If there is an outbreak and say things get as bad as they are in Italy/China, people are going to be staying home - why on earth would they then need hand sanitizer!? If anything, get yourself some extra soap - certainly more effective and then you wont need to fight over moisturizer! On the food topic, I would like to say that I purposefully did not participate in the 'clean out your freezer' challenge for a situation like this, but that would not be entirely true. But it certainly does help to have a chest freezer loaded to the brim with frozen vac pack'd meats, soups and other odds 'n sods....just in case.

Makes me miss the place we had in Scottsdale growing up. Had an orange and grapefruit tree with the most amazing fruit ever. Sadly, not going to happy up in the Great White North! I am under 50 and would happily take some (though shipping would probably be more than the fruit itself!)

@scamhi - Looks really good. What's the sauce?

My bet is China

While Dave makes some good points, the one I will strongly disagree with is with regards to the 'gas is overrated as a culinary fuel'. Not only can I get the best sear with a gas range, I also have tremendous flexibility in control and applications of the gas (easily roasting peppers right on the burner, for example) Granted with the advent of induction its ability to control temp is superior, but you do have good temperature control capabilities with gas as well. Not to mention when the power goes out, I can still cook! Splurge on your range and hood - the rest, get as high quality as the budget will allow without having to 'splurge'!

I am impressed by your intestinal fortitude. A 'meal' like this first thing in the morning would destroy my gut. lol.

It certainly is. It just would involve an electrician, mess, and me getting annoyed/stressed out (I detest having trades messing up my place!) Until wireless electricity comes to fruition, I will simply move a couple feet to another countertop and blitz things there.

It is what it is at this point. If it really bothered me I could have a few run to the island. It just means that my electrical needs are moved to one of the other counter tops. My island is a bit different in that it is a half hexagon essentially, with room for 6 to sit around the outside - but not in a straight row - obviously (makes for more engaging/intimate dinner parties, etc)

I did not necessarily want a microwave when I gutted this place we are in, but my wife did. To me they are big, clunky and serve little purpose. She likes it for convenience... (I do all the cooking - shocking, I know). So I put it mounted in the kitchen island! Out of the way, accessible, and not in my face! I splurged on my range (a Wolf) but felt it wise to save on the fridge/dishwasher so went with Kitchen Aid for both - happy choice, both have served us very well (knocks on wood). My only regret was not putting an electrical outlet in my island, and I continually kick myself on that one!!!

When we were out that way for our honeymoon on the trip back from Kauai, we stayed at the Grape Leaf Inn in Healdsburg - a fantastic little B&B who has the most amazing 'hidden' wine cellar for happy time treats. We stayed there specifically due to its walking distance from Cyrus, a destination for us at the time. Not sure if they are still around, but if so, do yourself a favour and head there (It is still in my top 5 all time meals). Love the dispensary recc - though I have a feeling 10 years ago it might have not been around!

Love these types of meals - especially Vietnamese rolls! A local place has a $25 'platter' which includes a plate of various (pick your own) meats/fillings (I typically get bettle leaf w/ beef, spring rolls and house made pork sausage or grilled chicken) and a plate of greeneries (lettuce, herbs, pickled things, etc) and then the rice paper rolls. Great deal, feeds 2-3 people easily. I too am in the Nuoc Cham fan club.

Big differences to be found! Be it salt packed/brine vs vinegar - young small capers vs. large (some over an inch!) caper berries - with multitudes of sizes and textures in between I prefer small'ish vinegar'd capers. But the large berries on the stem are a nice treat at times in salads.