[Hello from Costa Rica]

11 hours ago, kayb said:

Hi, Tropical Senior! You might look in to ordering spices from Penzey's or Spice House. 

 

Of course, if I had to choose between an array of spices and the beach...

 

 

I would love to be able order spices and other things but unfortunately Costa Rica has a terrible customs system. First, if it's green leaf something or a seed, they want to send it for analysis that you pay for. Second, their tax system is such that you pay almost as much in taxes as the product cost. Third, things get lost all the time, in other words, if it's something they want they just take it. It's almost impossible for an ordinary citizen to go to customs to pick something up so you have to deal with a Courier agency that further adds to the cost. If you want something from the states, you just about have to have a friend bring it in. For example, I wear a 38D brassiere and I have a friend from Argentina that brings a specific brand in for me from Buenos Aires. Thank you for the suggestion and believe me, if it were feasible I would certainly take it.

[Hello from Costa Rica]

1 minute ago, blue_dolphin said:

Welcome to eGullet, @Tropicalsenior!

There's a lot of information on making condiments here on eGullet and a lot of eG members make their own.  Are there particular condiments that you want to make or ingredients you need to find good substitutes for?  

 

Here are a few previous discussions you may want to check out:

Making Your Own Condiments: Mustard & Others

What condiments do you make?

Basic Condiments (Mayo, catsup & mustard) and Basic Condiments Q&A

 

The search function may help you find past discussions on various individual condiments, herbs and spices.  If you can't find what you're looking for, don't hesitate to ask.  There are a LOT of very knowledgable and helpful people here!

Thank you so much for all the information. I am interested in everything and I will check all of these out. And I am finding out about all these great people.

[Dinner 2017 (Part 6)]

On 8/13/2017 at 6:14 PM, Norm Matthews said:

 

That sounds like the same recipe. Mine had ground beef, yellow onion,  taco seasoning, cream cheese,  jumbo pasta shells,  enchilada sauce, salsa, cheddar and, mozzarella.  My recipes are almost always posted at the blog address listed at the bottom of my posts.

Thank you for letting us know about the blog address. Your food always looks great and it is good to know  that we can have the recipe. I am new to this whole Forum business but I am going to see if I can do the same.

[Dinner 2017 (Part 6)]

On 8/11/2017 at 6:06 PM, Anna N said:

 It would take much more than a liberal amount of MR to persuade me to spend an hour and a quarter stirring.  Without the Instant Pot there would be no polenta in this house!   Just saying. 

I agree! The instant pot is the only way to go. I have a lot of time on my hands but I can think of a lot of ways that I'd rather spend it then stirring cornmeal for an hour and a half.

[Hello from Costa Rica]

I live in Costa Rica so I am unable to find a lot of the spices and herbs and Specialty Foods but can make a special dish really special. I would be interested to know the substitutions and homemade condiments that others have used in my situation. I like to cook good food and I believe that this forum is going to help me a lot.

[Dinner 2017 (Part 6)]

On 8/7/2017 at 7:51 AM, Shelby said:

LOL I tried that....it didn't work.

My husband hated stroganoff so for years I fed him beef with mushroom sauce and sour cream. He loved it.