Margaret Pilgrim

We have a Trader Joe 5 minutes by car, 15 minute walk from our house. We used to shop it regularly but find better prices on organics and shelf goods at Grocery Outlet. I do return to TJ when I want young NZ rack of lamb.

Food processors are my tool of last resort. I detest cleaning them and resent having to pull from and replace in cabinet storage. I rely on a clamp-on-the-counter hand-cranked grater that lives installed in my pantry. FAST, effortless, breaks down into only two parts for washing. $4 at a PA flea market. It "shreds" into fine 1/3 inch shards.

Fage 2% runs full fat a close race.

Employing vertical integration, Costco has created its own chicken farms/butcheries, that guarantee their quality and quantity parameters. Consistent size and quality with moderate control over cost. Still, designed as a loss leader.

Thanks so much for this, Anna. It is great to hear your cheerful voice.

I served these recently with a prawn and octopus cerviche. Very successful pairing.

You think those areaddictive, try these (or other) chili and lime flavored.

Ooops. Wrong advice. Sorry.

A local "Irish Cream"?

If this doesn't resonate with you, you live alone.

@heidih Totally agree. Under normal circumstances I don't patronize Starbucks. But husband and I were visiting Portland OR in August during a (then) heatwave of 100F. We were parched and VERY cranky. i staggered into a Starbucks and bought us some kind of frozen coffee drinks. Very expensive, to me and in those days, but absolutely perfect first-aid. Memorable while I can't remember any other food or drink from that trip.

I can understand this. I don't like American/California lamb because we bring to market too late. The French harvest when the size of a respectable cat! as do New Zealanders, both of which I enjoy a lot.

Thanks for this! I adore German and French headcheese as well as Mexican cabeza, and would be up for making my own but sourcing and dealing with a head is over mine. Hocks I might be able to handle.

Excellent point that suggests multiple heights to accommodate cooks of different heights.

Workspace height is a deal-maker or breaker. My husband is big on mocking up construction projects using boxes of every size, including large appliance containers. Were I to replace our counters, I would have him mock up counters of different heights on which I can test different processes: kneading, stirring/beating, cutting/slicing/carving. They are not the same. As it is, I use standard counters for few operations, but center marble table top for pastry construction and sink for beating batters.

Addendum, in kindergarten, teacher asked the kids to share what they did on various days. Our son spilled the beans when he crowed that on Saturdays he went to garage sales, on Sundays to the Marin Flea Market.

Totally understand. Plus, garage and estate sales have supplied me with extraordinary treasures. As I look around my kitchen I spot a le creuset tagine, PA Dutch cheese grater, Atlas pasta maker, 80% of my cookware (mostly AllClad), ice cream freezers, 9 pieces of superb quality heavy copper cookware, several vintage crocks that hold cooking utensils. And that's without turning around. Looking down, I see my well loved 4 ply cashmere pullover. Were I to open my cupboards, I would find 100% dinnerware and even 18thC silver flatware from estate sales. Go, look, learn and just leave the junk behind. Happily, Second Hand Rose.

As we ask over and over when going to estate and garage sales, why on earth people bought all that unnecessary, often even useless STUFF!

Sorry about that, but I’m a STRONG believer that there are no bad foods, only bad cooks. Of course, husband says that particularly when traveling, I will eat stuff that you wouldn’t give your dog, or that you’d take away from him should he drag it home.

Try any recipe for Spanish gigantic bean tapas to become friends with Lima beans. I now sub fresh/frozen baby Lima’s for favas in many dishes since double peeling favas is not something I’m willing to do any more.

I have found that the better the provenance of the tomato, the thicker and tougher the skin. Maybe just our local products. Like dry farmed Dirty Girls.

My mom made pour-over coffee. We called it "drip". Used a Chemex pot. Don't think she ever went to Melitta. Can't remember when I got my first one, but I still have both a ceramic and glass one.

Only since 2012. Peet’s started out a NorCal company. We “cut our coffee teeth” on Peet’s.

My go to is a mix of Kenyan and Ethiopian beans. Yummy.

There is a Starbucks two blocks from my house. What i can't wrap my mind around is the number of neighbors we see walking home with several cups in cardboard cup holders in the morning. Whaaaaat? $4000 a year for luke-warm coffee? No coffee pot in the house? No know-how? Besides, we are loyal to Starbuck's competitor, Peets. Electric water boiler + French press + Peet's grounds + 5 minutes -> Good morning!