Topic: What are you eating / What did you eat.

[8ullfrog]

I like to experiment with different foods. For instance, I could make my own refried beans, but instead I've been buying different brands to see which ones I like best.

One interesting technique I saw recently was someone who sheet pan cooks his ground beef, then he breaks it up with gloves. I've never done that before, but I might try it some day.

I don't like walking to the grocery store as I have to cross an artery to get there, and a lot of people make right turns without looking at that corner. I don't want to get hit.

So I buy a lot of weird poo at dollar tree.

I also find this contrast highly amusing. Smokes is hitting up a place that has a century of tradition and innovation. I'm eating packet meat.

[6pairsofshoes]

I get why you'd shop there, since it's easier than getting run over by inattentive drivers.  They don't have a wide selection of basic foods there, sadly, so much of what's on offer has been messed with by someone else.

I just heated some turkey from last night's dinner and had a can of Green Giant corn.  I probably got it for free with some kind of CVS Thanksgiving deal years ago, but I'm trying to use up what's in the pantry.  I wish I could drop off some of our excess for you but you might as well be on the moon, given the distance.

[8ullfrog]

I have good access to canned kernelled corn.

[6pairsofshoes]

I was thinking of other food stuffs.

[8ullfrog]

ah, the shortages I run into are strange and nebulous. For instance, the only tomato juice I've been able to find lately is from the state, and it is some truly vile stuff.

I got some very nice horseradish and had one of the most watery bloody mary's I've ever had.

The lack of decent cheese selection has me reconsidering grocery delivery.

[6pairsofshoes]

If it comes to that, Trader Joes has a reasonably good selection with reasonable prices.  I used Instacart once.  They got me two pears as big as my head.  So I wouldn't advise using them for produce, but standardized, off the shelf items are probably ok.  If you haven't used them before they do have some introductory discounts, but they charge you for their services.  I'm pretty sure TJs doesn't deliver.

I'm having the usual cream scones with new citrus marmalades.  They both turned out well.

[8ullfrog]

Basic turkey sandwiches for dinner, just bread, lunch meat, swiss, onion, shreddice, mayo and mustard, salt and pep.

Normally I'd have sliced tomato on it, but I'm trying to give tomats a break for a bit. Recently had pizza kick my ass with heartburn so I want to apologize to mister stomach.

Honestly, the simple things in life are often the best. Working in the deli only really changed up my sandwich layer choices, and that's about fighting the soggy.

Weird question, but do you have a mandoline you'd recommend? All the ones I look at are that flimsy plastic poo with a razor molded in, and I don't want to risk my hands on one of those pieces of poo.

Looking for a personal rec instead of something off amazon.

[6pairsofshoes]

I don't own a mandoline.  I have some good sharp knives and when I have tons of slicing to do, like with segments of citrus with rind for marmalade, I cram stuff in a food processor with a slicer blade but it's not fine enough for what you probably want to do with it.  We mostly buy presliced lunchmeat so that's not an issue.  Everything else we just cut up by hand.

I'd stay away from the cheaper models of mandolines.  Sometimes America's test kitchens rate them and that might be a good guide.  I'd also check craigslist as sometimes people buy them decide they don't want to use them and then get rid of them for free or lots less than the usual retail price.