Margaret Pilgrim

I grew up on the California coast, surrounded by strawberries, apples, apricots, peaches, berries of all kinds. We used fruit at its peak and without adulteration. I never, ever add spice to a fruit pie or cobbler or, heaven forbid, compote. But many, maybe most people do. I remember almost bursting into tears when presented with a huge punchbowl of fresh fruit at a French country inn. They brought it to the table to serve. Cherries and every kind of berry you could think of. Paradise. Then I took a bite and all I could taste was cinnamon. It ruined it for me. Same for pies. So that's my hang up. Spice to me is a cover up for over the hill product. What do you prefer?

I have been reading this thread with interest. Granted that the ambient temperature of my kitchen throughout most of the year would qualify it as a wine cellar, but I usually cook up much more rice than we need for a meal, leave the remainder in the covered (Le Creuset) casserole at room temp. DH will come down and scoop out a bowlful, add raisins, milk and sugar and nuke it for breakfast; I may heat up a bowlful before adding avocado and salsa; some may get fried or enjoyed under some gravy. But it looks find and smells sweet, my two criteria for whether or not food is edible. No, I wouldn't give it to guests.

@blue_dolphin IMHO, most restaurants want to and think they are sending out good product. I have trouble bringing to their attention that they aren't. Most of the time, tables around us are happily chomping down the same plate I am leaving. Usually I just chalk it up to my choosing the wrong restaurant.

I've increasingly become a simpleton re cooking equipment. My standard food processor stays in the cupboard while I reach for the Oster + processing attachment now retired or my Bamix Pro emmersion blender. I wholeheartedly endorse both.

Can i enlist? Do you have to be drafted? Invited? I wash a mean dish.

I can see this happening. While we don't have Dollar Stores in town, we do have and are totally spoiled by Grocery Outlet. We have come to depend on GO for many basics: dairy and eggs, bread, produce, some wine. What is unnerving is that we have upped our game at GO. We now essentially only buy organic products which are super expensive at our carriage trade local super. eg organic beets, bunch of 3 are 2.99 at GO, 5.99 at the super. But don't cry for our super. It's doing just fine, thank you, with all those who wouldn't consider going to GO.

Addendum, pork belly was wolfed. Gravy was great. Munchkin who hates potatoes surrounded two helpings of mash with gravy. Went on to a large cut of apricot slab. Tomorrow, pizza and peach pie

Son and young grandson coming to the country for a "work weekend", which has extrapolated meaning of they work outside, I cook. Rising into the 90s today, so I jumped the gun and roasted a piece of pork belly at dawn. Continued by popular request with a fresh apricot tart Our lunch today, peaches with brown sugar and sour cream

As a flea market and garage sale junkie, I come across quite wonderful kitchen tools at give-away prices. Professional mandolins fall into this category, as they are too complicated and limited in appeal for dealers to fool with them, and non-cooks who received them as gifts usually toss them along with that other workhorse, the food mill. Over the years I have owned probably a half dozen really good German and French mandolins. I lovingly bring them home, pet them, talk to them and put them away. Once I left one out on the counter for months, thinking that would encourage me to use it. Uh, uh. Fortunately I have a friend who has a used kitchen item shop and she readily buys these from me at multiples of what I paid and still finds good mark up. Finally I discovered the Japanese ceramic hand held mandolin. I have collected several, one is adjustable for 4 thicknesses. These gadgets are so, so easy to grab and use that I am sure that I use one or another several times a day. They rinse clean in seconds, have no parts and store standing in a corner or in the country I have a high hook, above child or clumsy civilian height, where one hangs. I can't recommend more strongly. This guy is a oaf but he does show the product well.

Absolutely agree that "sets", as presented by manufacturer or retailer, are neither efficiently useful nor a good value. What I was suggesting was a carefully and personally selected group of cookware in varying sizes and shapes. I would add some Staub enameled cast iron. Hopefully someone in the family has some old Griswald or Wagner cast iron skillets to contribute; far superior to new.

Does he have a serious battery of pots and pans. Our d-i-l originally said she had enough for starters but when pushed to list in a registry selected a range of All-Clad that will last essentially a lifetime. Your d-i-l's may prefer another brand but something that will last is always a good investment. (I hate to give good wine glasses!)

Could no longer stand it so decided to "fix me some hot crash potatoes with dill sauce". No pics because my plate while delicious would take a distant third to robirdstx's. But many thanks for the inspiration. I'll do better next time with larger than marble potatoes and fresh dill. (When I lamented to DH that I had forgotten to pick up fresh dill, he commented, "That is definitely a bourgeois tragedy.") Since this was personal indulgence night, I made DH a batch of Subway Sweet Onion sauce for his hamburger steak. Another really close but no cigar. Still, was appreciated.

Nice choice. Lodi wines are vary tremendously and many are equally under appreciated.

Reminds me of a baffling conversation I had re eggs. A woman working with a family member was telling me of her favorite eggs, ones her mother taught her to make. "Bastard eggs". Boggled, I told her I had never heard of them. "Of course you have. You fry eggs in butter and you keep spooning the melted butter over them until they're done the way you like them.' Oooooookay. I get it!

"Cold pink cucumber soup", that's what the menu said. But I didn't expect it to be quite this pink. Wonderfully refreshing. I thought longingly of it one rare 100degree day and called the restaurant. The kind and bemused chef shared the concept of his soup. Essentially, cold borscht. Beets, cucumbers, beef broth, sour cream, dill. Served with more sour cream and fresh dill. One of my workhorses for hot weather lunch.

Our go-to on a scorching night in the country. Raw tomato sauce (tomatoes, red onion, garlic, basil, herbes des Provence, balsamic, soy, evoo.) For those who've live around here, this was stolen from the Flea Streer Cafe (Alemeda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park) in the '80s. This is a universal sauce that is also superb on grilled bread, boiled potatoes, by the spoon... This hot/cold combo always pleases on even nights with little appetite. Usual greens

Whose?

What's the condiment?

While i really don't send food back, I often leave a large portion of something i don't like. Rather than complain, i explain that the serving is very large. The only time i was crossed on this was at a horrible 1* Michelin restaurant in a French village. I had ordered venison '3 says". That poor deer had died in vain. Such bad treatment for product. I quit about a third of my way into the plate. The head of the dining room came over and asked about my meal. i told her that it was lovely but just too large for me. She said, "Take your time and eat slowly and you will be able to finish your plate." I smiled with grit teeth, not telling her that there was not time in the universe for me to finish that plate.

That's not a taco; it's a vertical nacho.

Back to mere mortal food, another delicious stop at our sweet taco truck, Waterloo Road, Stockton, CA. Same super delightful young women. My order of Tripas made them very happy. DH's burrito bowl (tortilla-less burrito) was huge and satisfying. My two tacos, divine. Huge pile of grilled sweet onions with each. Simple pleasures.

No, no, it's not the edge fat that bothers me and, yes, it's easy to remove. it is the interior fat that's a problem when cold.. We have two wonderful butcher shops in our neighborhood. They specialize in prime beef. i no longer buy much from them anymore because their meat is just too rich for us.

You like "you guys" better?

Interesting point. I too love cold steak, which makes super marbled beef problematic. Those dissolving points of fat that are so delicious when a steak is served hot/warm become, to me, disgusting globs of cold tallow when cold. A happy medium, perhaps?

I might kill for those potatoes...