Gotten any fun stuff lately?

[Shel_B]

Finally got around to replacing the old behemoth which was also a Panasonic and which gave us more than twenty-three years of good service. It would have cost more to fix than many contemporary new ovens, and while it was hard to let go, the time had come to replace it. I've been without a microwave for about eight months, and surprisingly I didn't miss it very much.  The only thing I really missed was not being able to heat up my favorite TJ's frozen entrées. The new oven cost less than half of what a repair to the old one would have. It's not quite as powerful (900 watts vs 1200 watts), and while it's just about as big inside the outer dimensions are quite a bit smaller. Bought it directly from Panasonic and, OTD, saved about 12% compared to Amazon.

 

Edited Thursday at 12:01 PM by Shel_B
Clarity of intent (log)

[weinoo]

 

Giving a couple of "modestly priced" Balsamic vinegars a try...these are IGP, not DOP, so while not top, top quality, supposedly quite good.

 

The 3 gold medals - on the left: (tried this one last night on some Vanilla ice cream - it was quite good).

 

Made from sweet, sundried grapes and aged in oak barrels. The aromas and flavors of plum jam and red fruits blend with hints of honey and vanilla, creating a dense and sweet product. Ideal as a fresh dressing for both savory and sweet dishes.

 

The one on the right:

 

Aged for a long time in acacia barrels, it offers a deeply aromatic flavor with scents of ripe fruits, accompanied by notes of tobacco, roasted coffee, and hints of wood and honey.

 

Giusti

Edited 15 hours ago by weinoo (log)

[weinoo]

 

Ice cream mentioned in above post...still some of our favorite, and available from a bodega around the corner.

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

thank you for the tip on the balsamic.

 

I decided to get the smaller bottles , of the 1 , 2 , and 3 stars version.

 

once I work w these , as I bet they are very interesting 

 

I can imagine going back to a small 4 star.

 

thanks.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Ice cream mentioned in above post...still some of our favorite, and available from a bodega around the corner.

 

Used to be my favorite commercial brand.  Was superseded by Van Leeuwen.

 

[weinoo]

10 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Used to be my favorite commercial brand.  Was superseded by Van Leeuwen.

 

 

I'm sure it's (V L) good (though I've never tried it), and I can walk around the corner to one of their shops, but if I were to walk to their shop on Ludlow Street, I'd just walk another 1/2 block and have Il Laboratorio's gelato.

 

 My problem with Van L might be encompassed by this:

 

Quote

 

The American private equity firm Nextworld invested $18.7 million in the company in 2020. Van Leeuwen opened their 30th store in 2022 and has over 70 stores as of December 2024.^[3][4]

In November 2022, Van Leeuwen entered a settlement agreement with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. The chain agreed to comply with a New York City law that banned retail stores from refusing to accept cash as payment and to pay $33,000 in outstanding civil penalties. Van Leeuwen had been violating the law since it went into effect in November 2020 and did not appear for any administrative hearings.

 

 

Both McConnell's and Il Lab are still basically small company held.