Maison Rustique

@shain My mouth is watering!

Thankfully, when I find a recipe online that I like, I save a copy of it on my PC, so if I had a favorite recipe for something, I've still got it. I stopped subscribing to BA a while back as I found little of interest in their newer format. They obviously target a vastly different audience than 69 year old women.

RIP and thank you for always sharing your knowledge and experiences with us.

I'm a browser. When I shop, I do take a list of items I absolutely, positively need, but I enjoy taking my time to go up and down the aisles and see what's new. (I try to avoid high-traffic times when I will likely piss-off people trying to get in/out quickly.) That said, these kinds of lists for TJ's are convenient for my sister. She lives pretty far from TJ and works, so she doesn't get to shop there often. She will browse these lists and their flyer and give me a list, so I can pick up the stuff she wants when I go.

I'd be happy to taste-test any of the recipes you decide to try. 😊

I seem to cut too deep or not deep enough. I just don't have the right touch.

I can't recall ever seeing Campari tomatoes at Aldi but may be wrong. Things come and go there. They used to have large packages of them at Costco and Sam's, but not sure I've noticed them there lately either.

Would someone please give me a name for this cookbook?

I'm also not a fan of the Ajika, but I thought maybe I just didn't really know how to use it best. I bought the Green Goddess but haven't tried it yet. I do like the Umami. I used it a lot when it first came out, but it has moved back on the shelf for a while. I'm a sucker for new spices and always trying new things. I need to find some neighbors who also like to try new things so we can split jars to try them so they don't go bad when I get the next new favorite.

We had just moved here to KC when the gathering took place. I had the tickets purchased and then we had a huge water disaster and had to spend that weekend trying to deal with rescuing soggy unpacked boxes of treasured items, dealing with the responsible party (Culligan), etc. We didn't get to attend any of the events and I've always been so sorry about it. I keep hoping there will be another one of these days.

Mom used "wooster" sauce a lot and so do I. I must have gone through dozens of bottles in my lifetime. I'll have to try it in salad dressing.

I'd love that recipe, please.

I subscribed to both Misfits and Imperfect for a short while a year or so ago. I stopped because of delivery and quality issues--mainly that things weren't kept cold/frozen with Imperfect and I think it was quality with Misfits. I have been getting emails from Imperfect at least twice a week wanting me to come back--significant discounts on the first 2 orders. I got one that talked about all the improvements they have made in both quality and shipping. I have to wonder if their business is hurting. I suppose it might be since people are out shopping more now than they were when COVID was worse. I don't hear anything from Misfits, so I guess they don't miss me. LOL! I see all the photos here and it makes me think about it!

I always wear aprons. I have tons, both new and old, though got rid of a few while back. Those Rough Linen aprons look almost like the aprons I got at Trader Joe's. I love them! I bought a couple for myself and one for my sister.

I post a cookbook from my collection every day on Facebook. Look what is coming up tomorrow.

Oh, why did I downsize to the Bean Club Light version! 🤥

I used to make a smoked salmon spread with this--everyone loved it and always asked me to bring it to parties. I want to say it was from the BH&G cookbook. Been a few decades since I made it. That earthquake was a doozy. A friend who lived in Toluca Lake lost much of his extensive wine collection.

Very light touch in anything you want to have a smoked flavor. Here are some recipes. They even have it used in cocktails. Not so sure I'd try that, but maybe I'm wrong.

They did not have taquitos. They also did not have the cultured butter from Brittany that I have gotten addicted to. I saw no place on the shelf for it, so it has probably been discontinued. Harumph. I picked up a jar of this tomato soup with dumplings to try but I see now it got mixed reviews. I'll taste and doctor accordingly. I also got pre-mixed Negroni on a whim. I tasted it last night. It is a little sweeter than most Negronis are when I order them out. I almost never drink cocktails at home, so I will likely end up tossing most of this at some point, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Got a new bag of the dark russet potato chips. Also was happy to see that they had dukkah again. I got hooked on it a few years back, then they discontinued it. Now, if only they would bring back the fennel, propylis and myrrh toothpaste...

I'm going to TJ's today. Last time I went, I felt like they didn't have much but I can't remember now what was missing. Not sure I have tried their taquitos but maybe I will. If they have them.

Last time at TJ's I got a package of the Cacio e Pepe ravioli. We had it last night. I made a chicken, asparagus., mushroom blue cheese/alfredo-type sauce to go with. It was delicious. Fast food.

That is amazing. One of the reasons I cancelled Misfits and Imperfect was that the meat/fish were defrosted by the time I got them and I had to throw them out. I use ice packs in my cooler, but things just don't stay frozen if it is in the 90s. Maybe I need a new cooler.

I got the Hatch chili flakes last time, too. We aren't super-spicy food eaters, so I seldom buy fresh peppers because I end up wasting 95% of them. I put the chili flakes in the last batch of chili I made and it was really good. Butter--have I mentioned before the TJ's cultured butter from Brittany? OMG! It is so good. I am really hooked on it. I wish they would open a store closer to us. It is just far enough that I can't but frozen foods unless it is really cold weather. Even though I rake a cooler, the frozen stuff just doesn't stay frozen in warm weather months. I need to make a trip next week and get some of those scallion pancakes. I always enjoy using my ancient TJ's bags when I go. Since they only opened stores here a few years ago, my bags from 30-40 years ago are like collectibles. The cashiers often say, "Oh! Where did you get that TJ bag? I've never seen that one!" 😄

I love extra brown foods. These chips are great. If you haven't tried them, try Extra Toasted Cheez-its--either the real brand or the Aldi knock off. Both are good.

Easier (and cheaper) to just buy very long straws to use in the bottle.