Gotten any fun stuff lately?

[Steve Irby]

After spending too much money on mediocre food while dining out recently I decided splurge on a few treats to enjoy at home.  Repurpose my dining dollars so to speak.  After a lifetime of buying generic olive oils I decided to get a selection of monovarietal olive oils to experiment with.  I enjoyed the vibe from https://oliveoillovers.com/ and ordered a selection of oils.  They offer free shipping on orders over $100 and offered a free 100 ml sampler for orders over $125.  I think I got out the door for $136 with an assortment of very promising products.  I've only tried the Grumpy Goats coratina oil so far but it is very tasty.  BTW Olive Oil Lovers did a great job packaging the order.

 

[blue_dolphin]

I suspect everyone who bakes is aware of these little flour duster gadgets but they were new to me.  I ordered this one (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) from Amazon recently and have been finding it quite handy.  Can be used for powdered sugar or cocoa but mine has been living in my AP flour canister. Does a better job than I do at tossing an even dusting on the counter when shaping dough. 

 

It was $6.99 and came in a nice little box so would make a good stocking stuffer or an added gift if you’re giving someone a baking book. 
 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

9 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I suspect everyone who bakes is aware of these little flour duster gadgets but they were new to me.  I ordered this one (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) from Amazon recently and have been finding it quite handy.  Can be used for powdered sugar or cocoa but mine has been living in my AP flour canister. Does a better job than I do at tossing an even dusting on the counter when shaping dough. 

 

It was $6.99 and came in a nice little box so would make a good stocking stuffer or an added gift if you’re giving someone a baking book. 
 

 

Ingenious little device.  I have one that I evaluated for Amazon a few weeks ago.  I have yet to do any baking since I got it.

 

[ElsieD]

55 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I suspect everyone who bakes is aware of these little flour duster gadgets but they were new to me.  I ordered this one (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) from Amazon recently and have been finding it quite handy.  Can be used for powdered sugar or cocoa but mine has been living in my AP flour canister. Does a better job than I do at tossing an even dusting on the counter when shaping dough. 

 

It was $6.99 and came in a nice little box so would make a good stocking stuffer or an added gift if you’re giving someone a baking book. 
 

What is the name of this gadget?  Because I am outside of the US, that link won't work for me.

 

Edit:  never mind, I found it.

Edited June 22 by ElsieD (log)

[Shel_B]

 

I was unhappy with the last Thai Hom Mali jasmine rice that I bought.  It was not as aromatic as the Super Lucky Elephant brand that I'd purchased some time back. I prefer organic items whenever possible, and had not been able to find the organic version of this rice even thoughI had it before. So I bit the bullet and got this ... I hope it's as aromatic as the previous batch of Super Lucky Elephant.

[Shel_B]

A recent post by @blue_dolphin reminded me of these dishes that I've not used in ages. I think I'll use 'em next week when I'll have a guest for dinner.

 

Edited June 24 by Shel_B
Adjust image (log)

[Shel_B]

Free Tomatoes ... fun!

 

 

Amazon sent me the wrong tomatoes, so I didn't have to pay for them. I ordered whole, peeled tomatoes. These tomatoes were packed and shipped from Modesto, CA, and were mislabled as whole, peeled tomatoes. They were sent to Houston, TX from Modesto, and then to an Amazon warehouse in Mississippi, and from there they made their way back to California, just a few miles from where they were grown and packed.

 

I'll use some of these in a soon-to-be-made chile.

Edited June 26 by Shel_B
Clarity of intent (log)

[&roid]

On 6/25/2025 at 4:32 PM, Shel_B said:

Free Tomatoes ... fun!

 

 

Amazon sent me the wrong tomatoes, so I didn't have to pay for them. I ordered whole, peeled tomatoes. These tomatoes were packed and shipped from Modesto, CA, and were mislabled as whole, peeled tomatoes. They were sent to Houston, TX from Modesto, and then to an Amazon warehouse in Mississippi, and from there they made their way back to California, just a few miles from where they were grown and packed.

 

I'll use some of these in a soon-to-be-made chile.

This serious eats recipe is one of my fave curries. It calls for fire roasted tomatoes so definitely worth trying if you have a can spare. 
 

https://www.seriouseats.com/pressure-cooker-butter-chicken

[Shel_B]

8 hours ago, &roid said:

This serious eats recipe is one of my fave curries. It calls for fire roasted tomatoes so definitely worth trying if you have a can spare. 
 

https://www.seriouseats.com/pressure-cooker-butter-chicken

 

Thanks for the pointer. I'm always looking for easy and tasty recipes, and I'm always on the lookout for something for the Instant Pot.

Edited June 27 by Shel_B
typo (log)

[Shel_B]

Piment d'Ville, Espelette peppers grown in Boonville,CA

These arrived this morning as a gift from my sister. They are the same peppers as the Basque peppers, but grown in Boonville, California, about 120 miles north of San Francisco. As far as I know, the area around the village of Espelette and the farm in Boonville are the only places in the world that grow these flavorful peppers commercially.  Many cooks and chefs feel that the Boonville Barn Collective peppers are more interesting, and I'm inclined to agree.

 

Edited July 3 by Shel_B
Clarity of intent (log)

[Katie Meadow]

10 hours ago, Shel_B said:

Piment d'Ville, Espelette peppers grown in Boonville,CA

These arrived this morning as a gift from my sister. They are the same peppers as the Basque peppers, but grown in Boonville, California, about 120 miles north of San Francisco. As far as I know, the area around the village of Espelette and the farm in Boonville are the only places in the world that grow these flavorful peppers commercially.  Many cooks and chefs feel that the Boonville Barn Collective peppers are more interesting, and I'm inclined to agree.

 

There was grower at the Berkeley Farmers' for several years that sold fresh Piment d'Esptete peppers. They were delicious. I haven't been to the BFM in several years so I have no idea if those people are still there.

[Shel_B]

46 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

There was grower at the Berkeley Farmers' for several years that sold fresh Piment d'Esptete peppers. They were delicious. I haven't been to the BFM in several years so I have no idea if those people are still there.

 

I reached out to Krissy at the Booneville collective and asked about fresh and whole dried peppers. I'll probably hear from her after the weekend. I tasted a fresh one once at the ranch of an apple grower in Philo. 

 

If you want fresh peppers, you'll have to wait until harvest, around October-November.

Edited July 4 by Shel_B (log)

[paulraphael]

On 6/5/2025 at 3:39 PM, Shel_B said:

A few bottles of some of my favorite hot sauces were delivered a while ago. Just in time, I might add. The last dregs of the garlic pepper sauce were used this morning.

 

The green one's become my favorite. Followed by the standard red hot sauce. I haven't tried that garlic pepper one ... how is it?

[blue_dolphin]

On 7/3/2025 at 10:22 AM, Shel_B said:

As far as I know, the area around the village of Espelette and the farm in Boonville are the only places in the world that grow these flavorful peppers commercially.

I suppose farms that sell at farmers markets or their own small shops don’t count as “commercially” but here’s a link to a 2014 LATimes article by David Karp that mentions several sources in SoCal:

Local Espelette powder comes to L.A. farmers markets.

I believe most of them (Kenter Canyon Farms, Weiser Family Farms and Windrose Farm at the SM farmers market and Farmer & the Cook Market in Ojai) are still selling the products.  Not sure about Little Fresh Farm. 

[Shel_B]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

I suppose farms that sell at farmers markets or their own small shops don’t count as “commercially” but here’s a link to a 2014 LATimes article by David Karp that mentions several sources in SoCal:

Local Espelette powder comes to L.A. farmers markets.

I believe most of them (Kenter Canyon Farms, Weiser Family Farms and Windrose Farm at the SM farmers market and Farmer & the Cook Market in Ojai) are still selling the products.  Not sure about Little Fresh Farm. 

Thanks for the informtaion.  I'll have to read it all later as I've gota zip outta here now, but the small piece of the article that I read touched on something I wanted to address after posting my opinion of the differences between Piment d'Espelette and Piment d'Ville.

 

However, I am very pleased to know that there may be other sources for this great pepper available. TTYL ...

[weinoo]

 

Walked over to Chinatown (wait, I sorta live in Chinatown, so I only walked a few blocks west on Grand Street) to restock a few pantry items, along with some ginger, mangoes, etc.  Never tried anything from the Ning Chi company, which is located in Taiwan.  

[weinoo]

After having some lunch, walked over to Essex Market, and my favorite cheesemonger.  The Tour de France just concluded (today) their stages in the Pyrenees, and Formaggio Essex had just gotten in a delivery (which also included my favorite potato chips from Spain)...

 

 

The Comté - delicious as always.  The Pyrenees' cheeses are just fantastic.