Quoting Ruth Haffly to Sean Dennis <=-

I use a mix of Publix, Wegman's, Lowe's, Sam's Club, Costco, Wal-mart,
and Lidl for whatever I need.

I don't have the time nor the inclination to run around like that.
I pick one store and do almost all my shopping there, saving money
by joining their loyalty program and planning my menus around their
fliers and on-line specials. It used to be the Co-Op but has been
Loblaws since it changed hands and improved. Perhaps once every
three months I'll hit the Asian store and stock up on their
specialty items.

For special occasions I'll hit up the expensive but excellent
independent butcher shop. (Once when Michael Loo visited us I took
him there and bought a 2 inch thick, 48 ounce Porterhouse, that they
cut from the loin on the spot and at our request trimmed away very
little of the fat. It was AAA, so equivalent to the top third of your
Choice grade, almost Prime. He was quite impressed with it. Roslind
got the tenderloin section and the two of us couldn't finish the
strip section between us in one session. Michael had cold steak for
breakfast the next day while I had black coffee.

I was there earlier in July getting dinner for Roslind's birthday
and picked up bacon wrapped scallops and chicken Neptune which is
basically chicken Kiev but with crabmeat in the filling. I rounded
things out with snow peas, a bottle of Spanish Cava, vanilla ice
cream, fresh blackberries and an M&M mile high frozen chocolate
layer cake. So six of her favourite things in a single meal.

Orange beef #3

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Szechuan Orange Beef
Categories: Spice, Chinese, Beef, Chilies, Fruit
Yield: 4 servings

BEEF:
1 lb Beef (rump is better than
Flank), cut into 2" x 1" x
1/4 inch slices
3/4 c Pure water chestnut flour
1/2 c Water
4 tb Vegetable oil
pn Salt
SAUCE:
1/2 c Beef broth
4 tb White vinegar
8 tb Sugar
3 tb Dry rice wine or
Pale dry Sherry
3 tb Mushroom soy sauce
3/4 ts Oyster sauce
1 1/2 ts Minced ginger
1 1/2 ts Minced garlic
1 1/2 ts Finely sliced scallion
1 pn White pepper
2 tb Cornstarch +
2 tb Water
GET READY:
Pieces of dried orange peel
Dried red chile peppers (cut
Into halves)
2 Coarsely chopped scallion
Bulbs
2 Coarsely chopped garlic
Cloves
2 tb Vegetable oil

This recipe is a modification of a recipe for Orange Chicken
posted by Russell S. Finn back in Dec. 1993. The suggestion of
using water chestnut flour to coat the beef was a great one (it
really is important to the dish).

Mix together all ingredients except beef. The coating will have
the consistency of thick gravy. Stir in the beef to coat; it will
not coat heavily, but that's okay. After it sits for a while, it
gets like wall putty. Let sit for 20-30 minutes; I do it the
night before and let sit in 'fridge overnight.

Heat oil in a deep-fryer, pot, or wok; enough oil to deep-fry the
beef. If you hold a wooden chopstick in the oil and tiny bubbles
stream from the tip of the stick, the oil is hot enough (I use the
highest setting on an electric burner). Add several pieces of the
coated beef to the hot oil and fry for 5-8 minutes (you may want
to remove a piece after 5 minutes and cut it in half and taste it
to see how you like it. I cook it for 7-8 minutes until parts of
the outside start to turn dark brown; it's a matter of personal
choice).

Put the first batch into the oven (on low) to keep warm while you
fry the rest. Prepare the sauce while you fry the beef.

Sauce: Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

After beef is finished and waiting in the oven, heat a wok on high
heat and add the 2 TBSP of oil. Add the dried chiles, pieces of
orange peel, and scallion (the Orange Chicken recipe calls for 5
pieces of orange peel and 3 dried chiles. I use 20 pieces of
orange peel and 25-30 chiles, but I like it hot. The heat amount
is your choice, but I would use 10 pieces of orange peel
initially. You can increase it next time if it's not "orangy"
enough for you). Stir-fry about 30 seconds; peel starts to give
nice orange smell and chiles start to darken. Add the garlic and
stir-fry another 30 seconds or so 'til peels start to brown and
chiles turning black. Stir up the sauce mixture and add to the
wok. Stir constantly until sauce thickens and starts to bubble
(1-2 minutes). Add the pieces of beef and stir until thoroughly
coated. Serve with rice.

You can also serve this dish over a bed of broccoli which has
been stir-fried or lightly steamed (still crunchy, but not raw).
The water chestnut flour is the key to the crunchy coating. You
can remove the orange peel after it's done if you don't like to
eat them, but they taste good if eaten together with a piece of
beef and a couple of peppers,

Recipe by: Pete Herzer

From Chile-Heads-L


MMMMM


Cheers

Jim


... Ahh, Summer. Every Canadian's favourite week of the year.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fidonet Messaging Since 1991 bbs.docsplace.org (1:135/392)

Hi Jim,

I use a mix of Publix, Wegman's, Lowe's, Sam's Club, Costco, Wal-mart,
and Lidl for whatever I need.

I don't have the time nor the inclination to run around like that.

We don't go to all of those at once. The last few weeks most of our
shopping has been at Wegman's with some stuff we usually get in bulk at
Sam's. Steve also hiked over to Lidl to get some mozzarella cheese
(ended up getting a number of other things) for a pizza.

I pick one store and do almost all my shopping there, saving money

Wegman's is that store for us but for things like laundry detergent,
fabric softener, paper goods, vitamins, etc we go to Sam's.

by joining their loyalty program and planning my menus around their
fliers and on-line specials. It used to be the Co-Op but has been
Loblaws since it changed hands and improved. Perhaps once every

I don't plan my meals around the fliers/on line ads. Most of the time
I'll pull something from the freezer and build around that, usually
using whatever I've picked up at the farmer's market.

three months I'll hit the Asian store and stock up on their
specialty items.

Our Asian stores are down in Raleigh so we don't hit them up very often. Usually for specialty stuff that lasts a good while around here, rice
and other basics usually come from Wegman's.

For special occasions I'll hit up the expensive but excellent
independent butcher shop. (Once when Michael Loo visited us I took
him there and bought a 2 inch thick, 48 ounce Porterhouse, that they
cut from the loin on the spot and at our request trimmed away very
little of the fat. It was AAA, so equivalent to the top third of your Choice grade, almost Prime. He was quite impressed with it. Roslind
got the tenderloin section and the two of us couldn't finish the
strip section between us in one session. Michael had cold steak for breakfast the next day while I had black coffee.

I know there's one of those in Raleigh but we've not checked them out
yet.

I was there earlier in July getting dinner for Roslind's birthday
and picked up bacon wrapped scallops and chicken Neptune which is basically chicken Kiev but with crabmeat in the filling. I rounded
things out with snow peas, a bottle of Spanish Cava, vanilla ice
cream, fresh blackberries and an M&M mile high frozen chocolate
layer cake. So six of her favourite things in a single meal.

Sounds good. My birthday was a couple of weeks ago; since it was church
night, we just went over to the local Greek and Southern place. Steve
got their fried flounder and I had the calabash fried shrimp. A few days
later we went over to TR for prime rib--had stopped at the place we used
to get it cheap ($9.95 when we first moved to WF) but they'd
discontinued it last year when the cost of beef went up so high. Last I
knew (last year), they were charging $26.95 for it--I think they lost a
lot of customers.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... It works! Now, if only I could remember what I did.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Quoting Ruth Haffly to Jim Weller <=-

I don't plan my meals around the fliers/on line ads.

I certainly do; I can save up to 20% overall in seconds without
driving around.

Most of the time I'll pull something from the freezer and build
around that

But bulk purcahses of sale items is how the freezer gets filled in
the first place. I try to limit my freezer goods to what will fit in
the freezer compartment in the fridge and keep the chest freezer
unplugged as it costs about $30 per month to keep it running. I also
prefer to shop often and buy fresh as freezing lowers the quality of
some things.

using whatever I've picked up at the farmer's market.

We of course do not have a farmers market here. No farms!

Swiss Chard and tarragon make this vegetable soup a little
different:

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Farm Market Soup Stew
Categories: Vegetarian, Soups, Beans, Potatoes
Yield: 10 servings

2 tb Extra virgin olive oil
6 md Carrots; halved lengthwise,
-cut into 1/2 inch lengths
3 md Onions; 1/4 inch dice
4 Garlic cloves; minced
2 Leeks (3 inches of green
-left on); well washed and
-cut into small dice
1 sm Head green cabbage; cored
-cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Russet potato; peeled, diced
1/2 c Green split peas, dried
8 c Vegetable broth
1 c Parsley, flat-leaf; chopped
1 ts Tarragon
2 ts Thyme
Salt and pepper
4 md Zucchini; 1/2 inch dice
3/4 lb Swiss chard or spinach; cut
-crosswise into 1-in slices
6 Plum tomatoes; seeded, diced

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add carrots,
onions, garlic and leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes to
wilt vegetables, stirring occasionally. Fold cabbage, potato and
split peas into vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes. Add broth, 1/2
cup parsley, thyme, taragon, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil,
reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 15
minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Add Swiss chard and cook 5
minutes. Stir in tomatoes and the remaining 1/2 cup parsley; cook
5 minutes longer. Serve piping hot.

Parade Magazine, Oct. 24, 1993

Posted by Deeanne

MMMMM


Cheers

Jim

... Best COVID sport? Fencing. You get to wear gloves AND a mask.
... If somebody gets within 6 feet of you, you can stab them with a sword!

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
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* Origin: Fidonet Messaging Since 1991 bbs.docsplace.org (1:135/392)

Hi Jim,

I don't plan my meals around the fliers/on line ads.

I certainly do; I can save up to 20% overall in seconds without
driving around.

We used to get the Raleigh newspaper in hard copy, with local grocery
fliers in the Wednesday edition. Now we get it on line so I'd have to
search each store's ads, each week. We do get a local paper but it only
carries fliers for Lidl and Food Lion, 2 stores I don't plan meals
around.

around that

But bulk purcahses of sale items is how the freezer gets filled in
the first place. I try to limit my freezer goods to what will fit in

I'm trying to use up the stuff in the freezer so it can get a good
cleaning and defrosting.

the freezer compartment in the fridge and keep the chest freezer
unplugged as it costs about $30 per month to keep it running. I also prefer to shop often and buy fresh as freezing lowers the quality of
some things.

I usually like to have the chest freezer semi stocked with soups, stews,
etc for easy meals once it turns cold. We only have a 7.5 cubic foot
one, doesn't cost that much to run.

using whatever I've picked up at the farmer's market.

We of course do not have a farmers market here. No farms!

I know, and I appreciate having the market in town. It's the first place
we've lived that has had one so accessible so we've bought quite a bit
at it over the last 12 years.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... I DID Read The Docs! Honest! Oh, *That* page...

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Ruth Haffly wrote to JIM WELLER <=-

I don't plan my meals around the fliers/on line ads.

I certainly do; I can save up to 20% overall in seconds without
driving around.

We used to get the Raleigh newspaper in hard copy, with local grocery fliers in the Wednesday edition. Now we get it on line so I'd have to search each store's ads, each week. We do get a local paper but it only carries fliers for Lidl and Food Lion, 2 stores I don't plan meals
around.

I''d be willing to bet that each store/chain has an e-mail service that
will send a link to their ad and coupons every week. And no paper to
get rid of. I get weekly flyers from Hy-Vee, Meijer, Schnuks, and of
course, County Market. I will skim them for good buys on stuff I use.

Humphrey's has a quarter page ad in each Sunday's paper - so I see it
in my e-edition. I note with some sadness that the matriarch of the
Humphrey clan, Iona, has passed. She was 86. Her daughter Hope will
continue the fifth generation to run the store.

https://www.humphreysmarket.com/Public/ad/weeklyad.pdf

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Brat Burgers - UDD
Categories: Pork, Herbs, Vegetables, Condiments, Breads
Yield: 6 Servings

MMMMM------------------------BRAT PATTIES-----------------------------
2 lb Ground pork
1 tb Kosher salt
1 ts Sugar
1 ts Grated nutmeg
3/4 ts Ground black pepper
1/2 ts Dried ground ginger
1/4 ts Coriander
1/4 ts Celery seed
1/4 ts Ground marjoram
1/4 ts Dried ground sage

MMMMM------------------------BRAT BURGERS-----------------------------
6 Pretzel buns; or other
- burger buns
Sauerkraut; from a bag, not
- from a can - UDD
Red onion; sliced
Ketchup; optional
Coarse ground brown mustard

BRAT PATTIES: Combine ground pork with all brat patty
seasonings.

Optional but recommended: Let rest overnight if possible
to allow flavors to meld.

Form into 1/3 pound patties, or size of your choice.

Tip: Use a digital scale for consistency and press the
patties flat with a plate bottom and wax paper to
prevent sticking.

Cook burgers on medium heat to create an exterior crust
on the burger while giving time for the interior to come
to temperature.

Cook until the brat burger patty reaches 160 degrees,
flipping once during cooking. Approximately 7 minutes,
depending on patty thickness.

UDD NOTE: I only make these if Humphrey's is out of
their bratwurst patties and I have to make my own or
use Johnsonville (a poor substitute)

BRAT BURGER: Toast buns while patties are cooking.

Place brat burger on bun and top with onions,
sauerkraut, and condiments.

UDD SUGGESTION: Fry an egg using your egg ring as for
an Egg McMuffin. Add it with a slice of yellow cheese
to your brat burger.

RECIPE FROM: https://www.foxvalleyfoodie.com

Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen

MMMMM

... So tasty that you can actually hear baby angels singing.
--- EzyBlueWave V3.00 01FB001F
* Origin: Tiny's BBS - telnet://tinysbbs.com:3023 (1:229/452)

Hi Dave,

We used to get the Raleigh newspaper in hard copy, with local grocery fliers in the Wednesday edition. Now we get it on line so I'd have to search each store's ads, each week. We do get a local paper but it only carries fliers for Lidl and Food Lion, 2 stores I don't plan meals
around.

I''d be willing to bet that each store/chain has an e-mail service
that will send a link to their ad and coupons every week. And no paper
to
get rid of. I get weekly flyers from Hy-Vee, Meijer, Schnuks, and of course, County Market. I will skim them for good buys on stuff I use.

Yes, probably so; I've never checked.

Humphrey's has a quarter page ad in each Sunday's paper - so I see it
in my e-edition. I note with some sadness that the matriarch of the Humphrey clan, Iona, has passed. She was 86. Her daughter Hope will continue the fifth generation to run the store.

Sounds like they've been going longer than Wegman's. The latter started
as a farm stand, became a store in 1916.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... MEMORY...The thing I forget with.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Quoting Ruth Haffly to Dave Drum <=-

But for optimum freshness it's still best to buy local. I'd rather
buy local than something that's been trucked cross country in a refrigerated truck.

That can really limit your choices and variety, especially here,
especially in the wintertime!

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Black Currant Jam
Categories: Jams
Yield: 6 pints

18 c Black currants, stemmed and
Rinsed (about 6 lbs.)
6 c Sugar
1/2 c Honey

Put some of the currants in a large kettle, Heat over low heat,
crushing with a potato masher to make some juice. Add remaining
currants.

Heat to boiling, simmer one minute. Stir in sugar and simmer,
stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add honey, simmer 4 minutes longer.
Test for set. Then put in jars.

MMMMM


Cheers

Jim


... If you don't save room for pie I'd question all your life choices.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
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Hi Jim,

But for optimum freshness it's still best to buy local. I'd rather
buy local than something that's been trucked cross country in a refrigerated truck.

That can really limit your choices and variety, especially here, especially in the wintertime!

I know, but in my case, I can (and do) buy a lot more local produce than
out of the area, especially this time of year.

Title: Black Currant Jam
Categories: Jams
Yield: 6 pints

That brings back memories (not neccessarily good or bad). Our next door neighbors had red currant bushes. They didn't can or anything like that
but gave my mom the OK to pick the fruit for jelly (never jam) making.
She delegated the picking job to us kids. I wasn't that fond of the
jelly, haven't had it in years, but put in plenty of non volunteer hours
for it. Had to do the same with dandelions every few years too, so my
folks could make wine (which us kids weren't allowed to drink after all
the work we put into it).

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... I'm clinging to sanity by a thread. Hand me those scissors.

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

Quoting Ruth Haffly to Jim Weller <=-

That can really limit your choices and variety, especially here, especially in the wintertime!

I know, but in my case, I can (and do) buy a lot more local produce
than out of the area, especially this time of year.

My definition of local is B.C. vs. California! [g]

Seriously, I agree local is best whenever possible. I am as you know
a huge advocate of truly local fresh water fish bought right off the
boat from the fishers vs supermarket seafood.

dandelions ... make wine

Very tedious, barely worth the effort.

(which us kids weren't allowed to drink after all the work we
put into it).

We got little glasses, the size based on our age. Even then I
preferred sherry!

I have just discovered that there is a beekeeper in the Rocky
Mountain foothills who is making good quality floral scented honey
and currant wines commercially, some of which use dandelions. Spirit
Hills Winery is owned and operated by a French immigrant family. My
step daughter Raine has joined her kids here yesterday and brought a
bottle of rose petal honey wine with her. We haven't opened it yet
but you all can read about it here: www.spirithillswinery.com It's a fascinating read about who and where they are, what they do on their farm besides wine and the original kinds of wine they have developed.
Their wines are sold only in Alberta, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands (the French guy's wife is either Dutch or Flemish) and
for some obscure reason Taiwan. They get great reviews in Europe,
but are more or less unknown here.

Cheers

Jim

... Hey you late night drunks: you can't make a bloody mary with ketchup

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fidonet Since 1991 www.doccyber.org bbs.docsplace.org (1:135/392)

Hi Jim,

That can really limit your choices and variety, especially here, especially in the wintertime!

I know, but in my case, I can (and do) buy a lot more local produce
than out of the area, especially this time of year.

My definition of local is B.C. vs. California! [g]

I know, just a matter of perspective. When we were in HI, we had to have
a lot of stuff brought in, either by air or ship. The threat of a dock
worker's strike or hurricane made people run out and stock up on rice,
toilet paper, etc. We did have some locally grown fruits and vegetables
but had there been a major crisis, it would not have been enough to feed
the population.

Seriously, I agree local is best whenever possible. I am as you know
a huge advocate of truly local fresh water fish bought right off the
boat from the fishers vs supermarket seafood.

We used to do that when we lived in Swansboro. Now we're about 150 miles inland; still a possibility but not a probability.

dandelions ... make wine

Very tedious, barely worth the effort.

(which us kids weren't allowed to drink after all the work we
put into it).

We got little glasses, the size based on our age. Even then I
preferred sherry!

I'm not much of a drinker but do remember sampling some peach schnapps
my FIL made some years ago. You could just about chew the peaches. (G)

I have just discovered that there is a beekeeper in the Rocky
Mountain foothills who is making good quality floral scented honey
and currant wines commercially, some of which use dandelions. Spirit
Hills Winery is owned and operated by a French immigrant family. My
step daughter Raine has joined her kids here yesterday and brought a bottle of rose petal honey wine with her. We haven't opened it yet
but you all can read about it here: www.spirithillswinery.com It's a fascinating read about who and where they are, what they do on their
farm besides wine and the original kinds of wine they have developed. Their wines are sold only in Alberta, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands (the French guy's wife is either Dutch or Flemish) and
for some obscure reason Taiwan. They get great reviews in Europe,
but are more or less unknown here.

Sounds good---and more local to you than to me. (G)

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Our necessities are few but our wants are endless...

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)