Midlife

I got an Anova Pro for Christmas and was turned off that they DO now charge for the app. It’s US$9.99/year, but the Pro can be controlled directly on the unit without the app. I sprung for the app because that’s pretty cheap and I’m lazy and because it does give you access to cooking info (though I think the Joule’s app is much better for that).

‘Technically’ yes, but that wouldn’t make very much starter. You don’t need a whole lot but you do need more than that.

My local store says the Bleu Cheese Potato Chips were a seasonal item only and will not be back. There was some degree of internet mixed reaction to these, but I became addicted. Gonna need some counseling.

Just paid US$2.99 for a dozen large white eggs here in SoCal. Prices seem to be all over the place. Must be regional as supply has been affected.

Read this book recently. It, and the octopus documentary mentioned above, kinda made me take octopus off my food list. https://www.thornwellbooks.com/book-reviews/remarkably-beautiful-creatures/

Spicetrekkers appears to be in Canada and I’m in the US. Not sure about how buying from them would work.

Penzey’s has a salt-free Tuscan blend that I’ve been considering as an alternative if nothing more promising turns up.

My wife and daughter spent a week in Italy last year and I was gifted a bag of a really good Italian spice blend they bought somewhere near Milan. I’ve run out and, sadly, didn’t keep the bag. I’ve found a few possible subs on Amazon, but thought I’d reach out here to see if anyone has a great reference for a product I can buy in the US at a reasonable price. There are lots of US-made blends around, but the one they brought me seemed to be way more flavorful than any I’d used before. TIA!!!!

Ouch!!! I need to check if my Joule works in our new home. Have a similar issue when we moved recently and had to resort to a T-Mobile 5g Gateway for internet (only reasonably priced choice here). Our Epson printer does not like 5g and T-Mobile customer support has been unable to find a work-around even though they say the gateway has a built in 2.5g capability. If we want to print anything from our phones we have to email it to a laptop that is hard-wired to the printer. Annoying!

Been using this for a while. It’s not a true aged balsamic at all, but it’s a simple, easy way to brighten up some veggies with dinner.

cooking wine, msg, chicken bouillon powder, water, soy sauce, maltose, granulated sugar, salt and potassium sorbate. What, in that list if ingredients, woujd be “burning hot”?

I think I’ve got it now. I think the majority (maybe only) of the time I see “broccoli” on a Chinese restaurant menu it’s in Beef w/ Broccoli and at a “Chinese-American” restaurant or a Panda Express, and is definitely western broccoli. I just assumed it was because the restaurants were playing to American preferences. Come to think of it, Gai Lan IS served as a separate dish with a sauce. So my issue is really simply whether or not the place has Gai Lan on the menu, with Broccoli Beef being legitimate.

Interesting. Would you happen to have a thought as to why it seems that Western broccoli is served almost entirely at ‘Americanized’ Chinese restaurants in the US, and you don’t usually find it at the more regional cuisine-based Chinese places? At least that’s been my experience. I’ve been known to judge a place’s ‘authenticity’ by the type of broccoli served. Am I wrong?

Is it grown for export or consumed locally?

Is it possible that the post you quote is referring to the ‘western’ type of broccoli we see throughout the US? That’s what is served as ‘broccoli beef’’ in most Americanized Chinese restaurants here. Wondering if the “broccoli” grown in such large quantity in China is Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli).

I’ve never quite understood why markets offer partially husked corn. Is it so that customers can see that third or so of the kernels to know it’s good looking? Or do they do it to cut down on those who insist on pulling part of the full husk down to check it? My guess is that wrapping the partially husked ears in paper towel for microwaving would be just fine, but might mean less flavor imparted from the husk. Any first-hand experience with that?

Are we discussing the movie? My media app says there’s also a series that is newer.

I get it. Thanks. So my next question would be - why don’t those mini pepper packs have any green ones in them? Personally, I don’t like the taste of green ones, but all the markets sell the large ones in all colors.

Any horticulturalists or gardeners here that can explain why the bags of mini peppers sold in most US supermarkets contain red, yellow and orange peppers, but no green ones? Are the minis a different variety that doesn’t have a green variant?

No, they’re not.

I went to college in Riverside, California and there was a popular shop there called D’Elia’s Grinders, so it’s not just a New England thing. Just checked and they’re still in business 55 years later, so pretty popular.

I just watched a really good documentary that will help a lot if you are interested in the ‘how’ of wine. It’s called A Perfect Vintage and is available on the streaming services FreeVee, Roku and Prime Video. It showcases the 2013 vintage in the Napa Valley but goes deeply into terroir, vineyard management, harvest, winemaking and is extremely well done featuring winery owners and mostly winemakers. Very educational. Drops of God (the series) is very good too and it goes more into tasting wine.

We’re lucky enough to have a Wild Fork retail store just 3 miles from us. At first I was put off that everything is frozen but, if there’s a taste difference, I haven’t found one. The variety of proteins is huge and they now stock a large number of pre-cooked entrees and sides at competitive prices. One of our regular meals is salmon filets and WF has them in 4-packs where all 4 are similar size and shape. I’ve been frustrated that the filets at Trader Joe’s, while not frozen, are usually a mix of center cuts and end pieces at what is a higher price. im a WF fan.

So I made the Chicken/Chili burrito tonight. I cooked it with some salsa and cheese and it was pretty good. It would probably have been better if I’d microwaved it or not cooked it in foil (in the oven). The bottom of the burrito stuck to the foil and I could only eat the parts I could pry loose. I only ate one of the two so I’ll get another chance at it soon. 😜