Toliver

My mom had a microwave (that she eventually gave to me) that would beep once every minute after the "nuking" time was over until you opened the door to remove the item you were heating. She loved that reminder beep and now regrets giving the microwave to me as her new microwave doesn't have the reminder beep and she's always forgetting that she had reheated her coffee in the thing.

Yes, I am aware that refrigeration makes the bread stale faster. But during the summer when it's 110F° outside your home and 88F° inside, leaving bread on the counter leads to moldy bread all too quickly. By keeping the bread in the refrigerator, it does prolong the life of the bread even though it does go stale. But if I make toast out of that bread, staleness becomes a moot point. Your mileage may vary...

No. No to freezing loaves of bread in your small freezer. Bread stays outside the refrigerator on a kitchen counter or in a bread box. It should go inside of your refrigerator if your local temperatures make that undo-able (like during the summers here where I live). If you can't eat bread quickly enough before it all goes stale/molds, then eat what you can then make croutons, bread pudding, bread salad (Panzanella) or bread crumbs from the rest. Your freezer real estate is small and doesn't need bread bricks taking up room in it.

In response to the increase of the San Diego minimum wage, which took effect on January 1st, some area San Diego restaurants have started adding surcharges to the bills of their diners: "San Diego restaurants enact surcharge, leaving bitter aftertaste" That last bit about "not made known to customers beforehand..." is the big issue, IMHO. If you're a San Diego restaurant and you want to tack on a surcharge to every one of your diner's bills to make up for having to pay a higher minimum wage, then alert the diner's with a sign as they enter your restaurant or legibly post it on the front of your menus. Then there are no surprises for your diners. Of course, you will likely have less customers with such a surcharge but that's the price you pay for being in the San Diego restaurant biz. Thoughts?

Ice trays take up room. Can you do without ice? Or can you afford a small counter-top ice machine? Once ice making and ice cube storing is removed form your small freezer, it opens up that much room inside for storing other goodies.

I made something similar at Christmas time but it was very trailer-trashy compared to your recipe. My recipe was a package of white chocolate chips, melted and poured out onto a cookie sheet (I use either wax paper or non-stick foil on the cookie sheet).. Then sprinkle 15 crushed Oreo cookies over the white chocolate and press the cookie (and crumbly bits) into it. Then sprinkle on crushed candy canes and press them into the white chocolate/Oreo bark. Let dry/set up then break it up into bite-sized pieces. I agree with you...it's a quick way to get rid of candy canes!

Another Kindle book/cookbook: "Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen" by Laurie Colwin $1.99 U.S. It's part of their "feel good" books sale.

Someone at the New Year's Eve party I attended brought a package of the Chocolate Strawberry Oreos. If you like Captain Crunch Crunchberries cereal, you will love these cookies. That's what their flavor brought to mind. Interestingly, the usual chocolate sandwich cookies of these Oreos were quite crispy, as if just baked. I liked that more than the Crunchberry flavor.

My own tradition of normally making corned beef and cabbage on New Year's Day was waylaid by a Christmas gift of smoked brisket from my oldest brother. He did this last year, as well. If he keeps this up I may have to start a new New Year's Day dining tradition. Whatta rough life I have...

The eGCI had a Knife Sharpening "class" if anyone wants to go over the basics: "Knife Maintenance and Sharpening" Chad Ward,who headed the eGCI knife sharpening class, eventually wrote a book on the subject: "An Edge in the Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Knives—How to Buy Them, Keep Them Razor Sharp, and Use Them Like a Pro"

I bought one of my older brothers a Chantry Knife steel (officially, they call it a sharpener but it's really just some cylindrical steels at an angle and on springs). He's thrilled with it. Then I bought my oldest brother an Onyx Paleta (aka Popsicle) mold, some extra wooden sticks and two books on Paletas/Popsicles ("Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice & Aguas Frescas" and "People's Pops: 55 Recipes for Ice Pops, Shave Ice, and Boozy Pops from Brooklyn's Coolest Pop Shop"). That will keep him busy for a while. Edited to pluralize

Currently in limited release: Chocolate Strawberry Oreos I'm not a fan of Black Forest/chocolate-cherry flavor but this new chocolate-strawberry combo sounds like it could be good. Anyone in Kansas try these yet?

My niece baked me a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. They're the puffy kind (click here or here for the recipe) and they're delicious. I am portioning them to make them last longer ("yah sure you are!" ). I also received some Trader Joe's seasonal Dark Chocolate Stars (dark chocolate-covered shortbread stars) and a box of their Iced Gingerbread Men cookies. And I received a gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond which will go towards something kitchen-related. P.S. if you are ever in the San Diego area, you must go to the BB&B Mission Valley location. It is a 2-story stand-alone building that used to be a Saks Fifth Avenue that went out of business. It was the first BB&B that I ever went to and, silly me, I thought all BB&B's were the same as this store...wrong! DOH! ) The kitchen department inside is huge. They also have inside a wine and small craft beer area next to a World Market Cost Plus food item area. On the opposite side of the store is a sundries area (body washes, shampoos, foot powder, lip balm, etc). It's quite an impressive version of BB&B's.

An early Christmas (really, an early Valentine's Day) present: "Christmas Has Come Early: Red Velvet Kit Kats Are Here"

Great looking bread...Picture perfect!

I was signed in to Amazon and I am a Amazon Prime member, so correct on both counts. My apologies to you and other eG members.

That's the price I get in my smile.amazon.com link (benefiting eGullet). I get the same price (click) when I go to the regular amazon,com web site. Odd that you don't get the same price as I do... edited to clarify and to add: Maybe I'm getting that price as a "thank you" from Amazon for the amount of money I've spent there buying Christmas presents this season. Thank goodness for the Prime Member benefit for free 2-day shipping on most items. Made the membership price completely worth it.

Psst... "Hubert Keller's Souvenirs: Stories and Recipes from My Life" Kindle Edition $1.49 U.S.

I tried them last week. Very disappointing. Hardly cheesy at all and as tots go in general, they were a big fail, as well.They were more like tot "crowns" with a bit of cheese on top, then breaded and fried. Surprisingly not crunchy at all. Pass on these...shame on you BK!

Makes me wonder what kind of mental/self-worth issues these kids may have when they get older after being "chopped" on a televised cooking show? Can't be enriching or good!

This. I have previously posted about this but I was in a Subway sandwich shop when the employee making my sandwich stopped to answer the phone. She hung up the phone and started to go back to making my sandwich and I yelled at her to stop and put new gloves on. "You touched the phone!" Idjit. I also cringe when I see them cleaning the odd bits off the counter with their gloved hands as they slide my sandwich down the counter, then continue to make my sandwich.

Pre-orders, eh? Do you have a website where other...uhm...folk can order some jam? I'm just sayin'... How did the yuzu citrus mix turn out? Is the flavor what you expected?

On Amazon, the Silver Palate Cookbook Kindle edition...$1.99. I'm just sayin'....

Damn you, TJ's! I ventured into my local TJ's last week and found they had their seasonal goodies: Dark Chocolate-covered Shortbread Stars and their (Iced) Gingerbread Men. I caved. Both items contain huge quantities (great for parties, not for a single consumer ). I am slowly nibbling my way through the Chocolate Stars. >sigh< I have the spine of a zoodle.

More info on the continuing saga of ATK v. Chris Kimball: "Chris Kimball pushes back at America’s Test Kitchen, claims he was forced out"