Margaret Pilgrim

Canned is good enough for Rao's, it's good enough for me.

Not a rant at all. Just a scream of frustration that we all experience and understand. i grew up in coastal California with backyard tomatoes that I thought were ordinary until I grew up and away and realized that they were quintessential and possibly not to be experienced again: a totally vine ripened beefsteak tomato, still warm from the sun, off the plant 5 minutes. Same for strawberries. Same for clams from Monterey Bay. And the list goes on. But we do what we can with the #$%^ that we are able to access. ETA totally forgot the Blenheim apricots 5 miles away that my father used to buy by the "lug box".

Pragmatic response, I will do the research suggested above, plan what I think the best pairing and have another compatible bottle close at hand in case the old timer has gone off. Nothing lost, since it's either a good quaff or not.

Re crappy tomatoes. Slice and sprinkle with SUGAR before salting. This is a 150 year old practice.

Beans ARE gorgeous. At Ferry Plaza, RG had a big bin of mixed beans for customers to run their finger through. It was like fondling thousands of jewels.

They work! Some 40 years ago I served a ground portobello lasagna for a Friday night dinner party, catering to several devout guests. One man took a bite and left the rest. The next day his wife explained that he never ate meat on Friday. I thought he just didn’t like it, but, no, he thought it was beef!

If we are allowed to diverge from proper patés and terrines, I toss out a showstopper (perhaps variation on Child's chicken liver mousse) RUMAKI PATE. Venerable Trader Vic restaurateur served an addictive hors d'oeuvre called rumaki. Subsequently, it has made its way into a paté that is stupid easy to make and killer. So with only a saute pan and blender, do try Rumaki Paté. Pot notes: do not overcook livers before blending. And serve on baguette slices.

Indeed. Since covid, all we do is wash hands. Why worry about a pound or so of ground beef in the mix. Just "wash on, wash on..."

Ah, maybe thawing?

Salmon, yes. But burgers or meatloaf?

We need the backstory for this. I can't put together a scenario where I would be juggling ground beef near/in an open dishwasher. This takes your esoteric storage methods to new heights.

Sweet Italian sausage with giant Limas, fresh tomato, chard. Just EVOO and kiss of garlic -> a fabulous bowl. Will definitely repeat.

Delighted to read this. Bon appétit!

i set a timer every time I put a CI pan on the flame to dry.

Yeh, there are simple solutions for just about everything I do wrong. Many close at hand ready for use.

When I feel like wearing a hair shirt, I recall the number of rather favorite things I've broken when pulling down a stack of plates/layered flat objects. Somehow, when a shelf is full, there always seems to be room on TOP of a pile of somethings. Not always visible and NOT safe storage!

I always cut cookie batches by 2/3 because my attention span only lasts through one bake; the next bake is overdone and the last is burnt.

And scare the behoozits out of us!

These are two of my constant travel companions, for maps, menus, et al. The "tortoise" one I bought, the black one I made from one of those magnifying glasses that fold into a little case. I wear them instead of jewelry. Both look close to smart and certainly fill a need. There are many kinds offered on the internet.

Good idea. This stylistic catastrophe is quite prevalent on websites. White script on a yellow background, for instance, seems particularly popular at the moment,

Aaaaaarrrrrrrrgggghhhhh! I absolutely agree and DO NOT GET IT! It's not even a particularly interesting or attractive stylistic gimmick.

A friend had a collection of Diek Van Erp art deco hand crafted copper vases and pots, all with deep patina. His mother came to visit, and i guess you've figured out the rest. He was relatively calm about the whole thing. They're only "stuff" and you've only one mother.

I know every building you show us. I'm not quite in tears, but am so very happy for you (and sad for me!)

Asparagus with truffled goat cheese. Oeufs en meurette (poached eggs in essentially beefless beef stew sauce)

I love that kid!