A truly stellar BLT once came to me toasted on the inside only. I truly appreciated the tender outside, the delightful crisp inside that stood up to the succulent tomatoes, deeply smoky bacon and leaves of “WTF is it with you people and your god-damn romaine” ICEBERG lettuce.

Another one I just remembered: Argan oil. Not for skin and hair alone. A friend gave me a bottle of culinary Argan. It has a nutty flavor, brought out be toasting the nuts before pressing. Drizzled on hummus, roasted veggies, vanilla ice cream. On the expensive side, but really unique.

When I pull up my Lifehacker RSS feed every morning, I can tell by the headline it’s a Claire story. And I’m sure as hell gonna read it. Amid the miasma of news, Claire always, always makes me smile and lets me live vicariously through her gustatory explorations.

I splurged during the early months of the lockdown on an olive oil tasting kit from Olive Oil Lovers. Can’t recommend it enough. I still buy pick 6 sampler packs from them. Also, Castelines Noir olive oil, made from black olives, is amazing.

I just finished reading the book again, I think there are some interesting things that could be updated from a modern point of view. The four countries are coded by color and have beings of different types (Munchkins and Winkies in the first book, Quadlings and Gillikins in later books), the Wizard requires everyone…

I wanted to experience it “as is” and the hot lettuce kinda ruined it. I can’t see how anyone at the Taco Bell R&D lab thought that was a good idea. Future purchases sans lettuce por favor.

I was given a bottle of lemon grass white balsamic that was my gateway. I also have a bottle of Anjou pear white balsamic from WeOlive. I drizzle it into carrot ginger or butternut squash soup. Bonus, the stuff has an indefinite shelf life.

This was, by far, one of the best articles I have read in a long, long time. Just a pleasure to read.

I started doing this for carrot-ginger soup, which melted down in 20 minutes. It goes in all my pureed soups.
Another way to make a “creamy” soup is to add 1/2 a can of cannellini beans, a tip I got from an Ellie Kreiger recipe. The baking soda breaks down the skins, the beans add fiber and protein.

I investigated this idea a while ago, I learned it needs a power source with a GFCI outlet. That’s tricky, not all kitchens have an outlet that close to the sink. Also, you can’t connect one to a faucet with a built in sprayer, which I have. I’m a renter, my DIY options are limited. I wish I could have one, I can’t…

I’m going to try this with my favorite Hebrew National hot dog, the garlic-y goodness would be perfect with the pickled veg. Inspired idea!

Carl’s Jr does a charbroiled chicken club that surprised me. Very juicy, tender and tastes like chicken. Make sure they go easy on the mayo (or go without).

If one lined the loaf pan with plastic wrap, the whole thing could be sliced like a semifreddo, perhaps served with a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

I’ve done something similar with vanilla yogurt. Does wonderful things to pancakes.

I can commiserate with those Chicagoans who watch a show about Chicago and see nothing but “wrongs.” Try watching “Woke” when you live in San Francisco. Neither Vancouver (Season 1) nor Atlanta (Season 2) bear any resemblance to the city I’ve called home for 30 years.

Not sure where you are shopping, but I can buy produce by the piece (3 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes? Nope.) I bought Panko at the Dollar ($1.25) Store. Substitute broccoli or bok choy for the asparagus. Or chicken for the beef. The 3 lb bag of frozen tilapia in my freezer is my best purchase in ages. My last shopping…

Compared to my Dad, I’m a doorstop. I make up for it by helping him with all his tech stuff.

My Dad started backpacking in the 1970s with my brother and other friends. Every summer, a different route through the Sierras. He ordered a range of freeze-dried meals from Mountain House to try before making a big purchase. Of course, us kids were the taste testers. (Mom would have none of it.) He started a fire in…

Making the world a better place, one condiment at a time.

I have been very fortunate, my landlord has been really cool. When I moved in, I told him that he would only hear from me if I couldn’t fix a problem myself. I’ve been here since 2004, he’s never raised my rent (which includes utilities). At the beginning of the pandemic, I voluntarily raised my rent to offset my…