I finally found mangosteens!
@browntown: Thanks, that cleared that up! Darn, though. I'm not a Canadian, and I'm on the wrong coast for a road trip. I'll keep hunting -- and thanks for sharing. :)
@browntown: Thanks, that cleared that up! Darn, though. I'm not a Canadian, and I'm on the wrong coast for a road trip. I'll keep hunting -- and thanks for sharing. :)
The Chipotle location does tend to matter a lot -- The one across from my work is so-so, and I've become a lot less enamoured of the chain since that one opened. That said: I don't care much for Chipotle's beans, but I like going with a 'fajita' burrito -- they give you sauteed peppers and onions instead, and I've rarely not liked those particular veg. I'm also partial to the carnitas, which has very rarely been flavorless or dry (but, it happens sometimes).
Most importantly, though, I've never once been disappointed in their guacamole. There are days I stop in just for a bag of their lime chips and a side of guac. YUM.
Overall.. Not sure I'm a fan of the price tag, but it IS a filling meal once in a while, provided you've got a good location to stop in.
Just about any pasta served with browned butter and cheese: A few of my favorites are gnocchi browned in butter and then liberally dusted with asiago, anything spaghetti-like with butter and mizithra, or even just pasta shells or rigatoni tossed with butter and parmesan. YUM.
... I sometimes use olive oil instead of butter, because I really do fear for the state of my arteries, but. I still love the combination.
Like dbcurrie and SavtaShayna, I've made the Toll House cookies -- but I'm also rather fond of French's green bean casserole: Growing up, my mother made it, exactly as directed by the package. Now that I cook for myself, I've dressed it up a little -- but the original still has a special place in my culinary heart. :)
Also, rice crispies treats! Can't forget those, though it's been years.
I've only had freeze-dried mangosteens, thanks to Trader Joe's -- but with all the fresh mangosteen love going around the community, I'm really interested in trying them. Mind, I realize we're probably in entirely different locales, but: Where did you find them? China town run / local grocer's / farmer's market / what have you?
I'm sad to say I haven't been here in years, but I harbor some seriously good memories of Filippi's Pizza Grotto: There's more than one (and the concensus seems to be the Little Italy one is the best), but the one I personally can vouch for is the Mission Gorge location.
I used to always get the meatball ravioli: Like I said, haven't been there in years, but when they say meatball? They mean meatball. Singular, but as large as my fist, and with some seriously flavorful sauce. Their cheesecake was also very, very tasty. -- My parents tell me they loved Filippi's pizza, but I could never get away from my favorite to try it.
Bring an appetite if you go. There's lots of food.
I'm with Chew on That, though I also like to add a pat of butter before foiling it up. (And I'd love to take onepercent99's suggestion, but I prefer not to get a mouthful of cornsilk and I haven't the talent to strip it and get the husk to go back on cleanly. Alas!)
I was just reading about a similiar issue in the LA Times last week, where a bloom of bacteria off the West Coast wiped out billions of oyster larvae (link here, but I can't recall whether it makes you log in or not) -- Effectively, the culprit out here is a strain of bacteria called Vibrio tubiashii, which is harmless to humans but fatal to baby oysters, and attacks their free-swimming larval stage before they settle to the seafloor, latch onto rocks or other oysters and grow thick shells. (Wild oysters are even more vulnerable than the farmed ones.)
To me, this sounds like it may not be just a local issue. :(
Honestly? I think the buffet casserole would be my first choice, followed by the dutch oven -- but yeah, it's all Le Creuset and you can't REALLY go wrong with the stuff.
Good luck choosing!
I'm personally fond of the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange: I've only just started using them earlier this year, but I've already got some really tall heirloom tomato plants from the seeds I put down in May.
I swear by the carrot cake recipe on the back of the Soft As Silk cake flour box....it has mayo as the 'secret' ingredient...the best carrot cake I've ever tasted.
So I made "Marcus's coconut cookies" on the package of free trade sugar. They were supereasy to make and very, very good - a slightly less chewy macaroon.
Those Bisquick package recipes were what I had in mind when I started this thread. I remember that cheeseburger pie recipe and always wondered if it was any good.
...Parmesan cheese and a 'southwestern' spice mixture are added along with the butter...it sure works for a local vendor I find at festivals and sports events (they'll sell you containers of the spice here, tho I think most of you can come up with your own)
I went there a few times and their burritos are big, "organic" and they taste ok, but they did not leave a "OMG I can't wait to go back" impression on me. If I want a chain food burrito I go to Taco Del Mar.
I like them both and crunchy or creamy it's all good to me. My favorite is Adam's Old Fashioned.
I like the corn bread recipe from the back of the Quaker cannister. We also like to make the Cheeseburger Pie recipe from the back of the Bisquick box (it reminds BF of deep dish pizza sorta).
The first recipe I ever made from a food label was for Noodles with Peanut Sauce from the label on a bottle of hot chile oil my mom purchased for stir-fries when I was quite young. I still make it (or at least my own variation of it) to this day.
i like the potato salad recipe on the back of the hellmans jar!
oatmeal cookies off the quaker oatmeal box. its the only recipie i use. awesome best oatmeal cookie ever. sometimes i use craisins and raisins together. mmmmm. also ronzoni fettuccini package used to have a really good (with eggs and cream) alfredo recipe.
when i was a kid, i used back of box recipes all the time. i made many, many batches of the chocolate chip cookies on the back of the toll house package. the bisquick box coffeecake was a staple after school snack.
more recently, the cornbread on the back of the indian head cornmeal bag.
Some years ago Quaker Oats had a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip bars on the inside of the lid. My grandma cut it out, but I loved them so much I soon started making them myself. I brought them into the office one day when I worked at a newspaper, and the food editor couldn't stop raving about them - and she wasn't big on sweets. She couldn't believe the source of the recipe.
Website: http://bansidhe.vox.com
Location: Los Angeles
About: Asian and Italian flavors, good dim sum, sushi, sashimi: I can never say no to caprese or most insalate & antipasto. I like 'odd food'- Unexpected flavor combos or non-typical colors are fun. I can't stand celery, clams, or most eggplant.
Favorite foods: sushi, dim sum, kung pao chicken, caprese, rare steak, tuna, potatoes, spring onions, garlic, homemade potato chips, bacon, wontons, soba noodles, daikon, bell pepper, mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, crusty bread, capers, onions, tiramisu, dessert
Last bite on earth: Either something fun, unusual and entirely new, or comfort food like a rich french onion soup.