Maison Rustique

Many condolences to all her family and friends.

I bought this yesterday. No immediate purpose in mind, just spotted it and thought it was worth a try.

I have to tell you about our "adventure" yesterday, as it does pertain to Trader Joe's. I took Mom to lunch, then we went to Trader Joe's. When we came out, there was a car angled in back of my car and the one next to it. Emergency flashers were on and no one in it. I glanced around and didn't see anyone, but proceeded to put my groceries (including frozen/refrigerated items) in the trunk. Still no one. Cars were fighting to get around the car. I told Mom to get in the car and stay there (She has dementia and isn't terribly steady on her feet--wanted to keep her out of harm's way.). I took the cart and went back toward the stores. Saw a woman unloading or loading kids and stuff into her van. I asked if she had seen anyone that looked like the car belonged to them. No, but she suggested I ask in TJ's or Maurice's next door. I went into TJ's and told the guys in the management cubicle. One said he'd call Mall Security, but they take so long to show up that it would likely be gone before they got there. Another one said he'd come out with me and see if he could figure out what to do, so that I didn't lose all my food I'd just bought--it was 93 degrees. As we walked out, the woman in the car next to mine (also blocked) was just walking up and went ballistic. The TJ guy walked up to the car and was starting to open the door when a little old man (with all sort of medical equipment attached to him) came tottering out from somewhere and said he couldn't get the car to move. (Where was he and why didn't he come out when I was wandering around trying to find the owner?) The other woman started yelling that he shouldn't be driving and she was right. She was not young either, but there are just way too many elderly people who are convinced they can still drive, but can't drive well and in the case of an emergency do not know how to handle it. I hope he has family who will take care of him and take away his car keys. The TJ's guy said he'd be back. He went in, got 3 other guys and they came out, popped the car into neutral and pushed it into a parking space. My heroes!! I sent kudos to TJ's corporate for hiring great people and next time I go, will try to think of a special treat to take for them. I also got a call from the "Captain" at this particular TJ's thanking me for letting corporate know about their great employees. OK, back to talking about food...

I just bought one this week, but have not had it yet. Will report on it when I do, though that may not be very soon. Have a lot of dining out/events over the next week.

I know I have had them, but not terribly recently. At least a year or so ago, which means I can't remember any specifics. I can say that I didn't race right back to buy more, so would guess that I wasn't that impressed.

New to me at TJ yesterday. I had some in my morning kefir and I really like it! Coffee Flour

A new Aldi recently opened near us (Kansas City, MO) and it is this new model. It's wonderful! It isn't as convenient for me as the one I usually shop, but when I happen to be over that way, I stop in.

They're here!! I can't wait to spend some time with it. Just flipping through, it looks fabulous!!

Mine is due to be shipped next week, if I remember correctly. I participated in the Kickstarter campaign. We love Paula!

I bought these bangers, too. My husband loves bangers & mash, so will interested to see if there is anything special I should know.

I completely agree on the red peppers, but will add green in there as well, plus say it isn't just frozen veggies, but also in restaurant meals. We had 2 meals out last week and both entrees I ordered had so many peppers in them that they completely over-powered everything else. I felt like I had pasta primaredpeppers--very few other veggies in it. The other was a stir-fried shrimp and veggie thing that also was mostly red and green peppers--in that one, the green peppers flavored the entire dish.

It is probably different for me every week and definitely seasonal. During warm weather, we eat lighter and often will just have a nice salad and maybe some grilled sausage and bread. No, I don't make the sausage myself--but it is from a small local butcher using local meat sources. And I don't bake the bread either. In cooler weather, it just depends on workload. Sometimes I use part prepared foods (canned, refrigerated, frozen)--maybe refrigerated pasta with either something I've concocted myself or with "emergency" pasta sauce from the pantry. We are currently without a CSA membership, but do have some nice places to buy good farm-fresh produce. We get a Butcher Box from Local Pig which has a great variety every time--and always a prepared item, too (Last week was stuffed peppers.), but prepared in a good way. I find that getting things like this and CSAs keep me cooking better and using fewer commercially-prepared foods. If I've paid for it, I'm going to use it!

Just jazz it up with something. Maybe some hot sauce or whatever you feel it needs to make it better.

I used this when I was in a hurry and wanted to make creamed onions (which I always make with cheese in them). I used TJ's frozen pearl onions defrosted and added them to the fondue. No one was the wiser.

Already cooked, but will be having black-eyed peas later. I forgot to order them from Rancho Gordo, so have Melissa's fresh.

I haven't used mine enough yet to experience this situation, but would it help to store it with an open box of baking soda in it?

Something like this? http://zekesbarn.com/2016/11/06/rum-raisin-toffee-bark/

I had bought one of the knock-off IPs at Aldi a couple of months ago. I haven't used it all that much as I found it "difficult" to learn and with no previous experience, I wasn't sure if IP instructions could be followed exactly. Long story short, yesterday I bought the cyber Monday deal on Amazon (DUO). One of the things I want to try is yogurt and the other is cheesecake. A friend had recommended a Fat Daddy push pan rather than springform, as she said she found the latch on the springform made the pan more difficult to get into/out of the IP. I meant to order a push pan yesterday, too, and then forgot. My question is, do any of you have experience with this? Do I really need the push pan or can I manage with springform?

Around 16 years ago we had a kitten who was gravely ill. She had to take a lot of meds and couldn't really chew. I would puree raw liver and put her meds in it to get her to "drink" them. It was not pleasant; I can't imagine eating raw liver either. (Sadly, we lost the kitten at 9 months old. Happily, her sister Jitterbug is still with us.)

Holy cow! That takes nerve!

I bought both of these on my last trip to TJ's, but haven't used them yet. I'm glad you posted this because I'd honestly forgotten I got them! I need to pull them out so I try them soon.

I haven't eaten at an Arby's in decades. I just never cared for their "meats" which were processed and pressed rather than roasted and sliced real meat. My husband stopped at an Arby's a year or so ago when he was traveling and raved about whichever sandwich he had. I had forgotten about it until I saw this thread. Maybe I will breakdown and give them another try the next time fast food is a consideration--although I don't go for fast food very often.

I suppose my opinion doesn't count due to the why, but I never ate it for decades because of sensitive teeth. My teeth are a bit less sensitive now, but I just never developed a taste for anything extremely cold--ice cream, frozen drinks or even drinks with a lot of ice. I might try a bite of it with cake or pie if it was very melted. And then, just a bite really. I'm not overly fond of very sweet foods either, so it is a double whammy with ice cream.

I've been following along this thread occasionally, thinking seriously about getting either an IP or the one that has the clay insert. Well, I was at Aldi this week and they had their Ambiano version for $39.99. I decided to go for it--will be a good test to see if I like it and will use one enough to invest in something better. I figure that I've spent more than that on a bottle of wine, so I could certainly go for this little test. It is washed, but I haven't used it yet. Need to figure out a good first thing to try. Probably something with Rancho Gordo beans since I've always got those on hand.

Glad to hear they are good. I bought them just before we left town, so haven't tried them yet.