Toliver

I agree with this. The Von's down the street from where I live is smaller and doesn't have the atmosphere or square footage of another Von's that I usually give my business. I just wish more grocery options would open in town. I'd give anything for an H.E.B. to open here like they have in Texas. We've also been told that two of the Albertson's that closed here (that Haggen bought) will be re-opening as Albertson's. Apparently, opening them again won't push them into the "We're a monopoly" territory which is why they closed so many Von's/Albertson's in the first place. I wonder what the "365" stores will be like? Ghetto versions of Whole Foods? Or just stripped down versions?

My mom makes a ham (she bakes it off the day before...then reheats on the day of) for Thanksgiving. Though her hams are never as nice as a Heritage. Years ago she realized some people just didn't like turkey and so the ham was a good compromise. You'd be surprised at how many guests opt for the ham. Or both. edited to add: Old for T-Day: My mom always makes her giblet rice (which includes other body parts, too ) New: My brother is always trying something new. This year he wants to put a spin on the classic green bean casserole (which has never been a tradition with our family). Not sure how it will turn out...depends on his definition of "spin" I guess!

Snob appeal only lasts so long before the consumer decides they really want to save money when grocery shopping. That was why the Haggen Grocery chain went belly up when they moved into the old Von's/Albertson's grocery stores in my area. Haggen's prices were far too expensive (didn't someone in the company do any area-grocery-pricing-research before buying all the stores? Duh!). Customers stayed away in droves and now the Haggen chain is in bankruptcy and suing Albertson's. Good luck with that, Haggen!

I'm with you! I make tons of the original recipe Chex Mix for the holiday season. My family didn't get obsessive about it until I switched from the margarine my mom always used when she made the recipe to my use of real butter when I took over making the recipe. What a difference! I also noticed that different family members used to pick out different ingredients from the big bowl o' mix whenever they were near it. "Santa" gave them each their own Chex Mix with the extra addition of whatever ingredient they tended to pick out. For example, my S-I-L loves the cashews in the mixed nuts used in the Chex Mix. So her tailored gift of the mix included an entire jug of cashews from Costco. She practically swooned when she saw the gift bag o' mix I gave her.

Yes, it's that time of year again. The McRib is back.

Food companies are scrambling to follow the "herd" (consumers): "A Seismic Shift in How People Eat" The article also mentions the trend of pre-made fresh meals (as opposed to packaged and/or frozen meals). The Fresh and Easy grocery chain (now closing all of their stores and pulling out of America) featured a lot of fresh pre-made meals. All you had to do what take them home and cook/heat them. I'd say a good quarter of their store space was made up of displaying these meals. Trader Joe's has their pre-made salads, sandwiches and meals. Granted, it's not a large selection but who knows what will happen if this trend continues? A generation of cooks is giving way to a generation of re-heaters.

Too little change too late? The article: "Whole Foods Likely To Get Cheaper Soon, Offering More Sales"

My brother is the only one in our family who likes pecan pie and he said he was intrigued by this item in TJ's Fearless Flyer: "Pecan Pie Filling In a Jar" I suggested he stock up so he can have it year-round instead of just during the holiday season. edited to add: I am intrigued by these seasonal chips (click). I will have to buy a bag when I go to TJ's next week.

This is what my mom does with her dishwasher. She was tired of "milky" looking and/or spotted glasses. She now places a Tupperware-type container (it looks to be slightly larger than one-cup) upright on the top rack and fills it with white vinegar (she buys the cheapy jugs o' white vinegar at Costco). She hasn't had any issues with her glassware since she started doing that.

Yet another small appliance to put into storage when the novelty wears off: "Star Wars Death Star Waffle Maker"

The article is here: "No, really. This pencil grows into a tomato." It's a simple and interesting idea: Turning throw-away items into plant generators. I wonder what other landfill items could benefit by such an ecological transformation.

There's "Florence Lin's Complete Book of Chinese Noodles, Dumplings and Breads" It's been out of print for quite some time but you can find used copies, though they are even going for a premium price. Here's an eGullet discussion about the book (click). In fact, Googling "Florence Lin Dumplings" shows a few more eGullet discussions referencing the book. As for sourcing ready-made dumplings, I take it you no longer have access to the Asian markets you used to have access to. Trader Joe sells dumplings and char sui (sp?) that aren't too bad. My sister-in-law's mother buys her ready-made lumpia (Filipino egg rolls) in her local grocery store. If your local grocery stores don't carry a product you want, you can talk to the manager's to see about ordering them. They could always say "yes". edited for spelking

Make sure you measure properly. My mom bought an oven without doing this and when it was installed, she discovered that a lot of her sheet pans and some of her roasting pans didn't fit in the new oven...it was too shallow. Lesson learned!

I've heard that pigs raised on apples and acorns have great tasting meat. Not sure how doable that is for you...

And there's many different dishes you can make the from rotiss, chicken leftovers. The trick is to pull off all of the meat while the chicken is still warm. My Costco uses leftover rotiss. chicken to make up their ready-to-go meals (chicken fettuccine, etc) and the last time I was there, they were selling vacuum-packed packages of rotiss. chicken meat...no bones.

My favorite bacon quote: “They can have my bacon when they can pry it from my cold, dead fingers.” by eGullet member =Mark from the infamous "Bacon Aphorisms" thread. Everything seems to go in cycles. This dire warning of smoked/processed meats has reared its ugly head before and will continue to pop up ad nauseam. Sometimes it's not the finish line that matters but the race itself. And I'll do my life's marathon eating bacon, please.

Huge price drop on Amazon for the Instant Pot IP-LUX60 6-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker 6-Quart 1000-Watt. Not sure how long the sale will last.

Amen, Jaymes! In recent years, my oldest brother brought kicked-up-a-notch versions of stuffing and gravy along with his smoked turkey. This year he's informed me that he's bored by his sides and wants to try something new. I told him have it, as long as he continues to bring his stuffing and his gravy. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Yes, this, if you can. You might also try serranos for heat, though they tend to be skinnier and longer than jalapeños.

From the San Diego Tribune online: "San Diego on menu for new ‘Top Chef’ season" December 2nd & 3rd are the premiere nights for this new season.

Or "Mist of the Moors" (as in the Sherlock Holmes tale "The Hounds of Baskerville"). Happy Birthday, Kerry! Thanks for taking the time to post all of the great pictures.

New for the season: Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookie Butter.

Two words for you: Slap Chop

OMG! My brother would call those steaks "Fred Flintstone Steaks" because they were so huge. I would have loved to have been there for a big bite of that steak. However, it was majorly raw in the middle. I assume that because they were high-end steaks that even raw they would have been tender.

I tried their new Pulled Pork sandwich last night. Super MEH. You can order the sandwiches sweet, smokey, or spicy. I bought the smokey version and couldn't taste one whit of smokiness in the sandwich. And the entire time I was eating the sandwich (served on a brioche-like bun with coleslaw) I kept wishing I had the pulled pork sandwich that Costco sells which consists of the same ingredients though in a larger sandwich and much, much better tasting than the Wendy's pulled pork sandwich. Live and learn.