Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I like to cook rice in chicken broth with slivers of onions, a can of drained mushroom pieces and some caraway seed. I have done this for years and it has always gone over well with my family. Some folks might not like the taste of caraway, but it is well liked here in my house in recipes featuring sauerkraut and apples, rye bread and in white rice. Try it, you'll like it.

Here in Michigan of course you wear a coat, usually nine months out of the year, but I guess I don't go to the kind of restaurants who have coatchecks or have $14.00 soup/sandwiches. But, if I were to ever go to the restaurant that has these things, of course I would tip the coatcheck girl if I used that service. A tip for your table service is expected so I have to assume that the coatcheck girl, and, the lady in the restroom who hands out the towels would also be tipped. If you don't want to tip these people, then don't go to this kind of restaurant. You'll save a lot more money buying the $7.98 bowl of soup and sandwich at a lesser restaurant, which is probably just as good as the expensive one. Do you buy a $14.00 bowl of soup and a sandwich just to impress someone? Certainly laying your coat on a chair just to save a couple bucks would sure impress me. NOT!

I feel like somehow i've been living on another planet, one without a Wegman's. I've never even heard of it. Here in Michigan, we have Meijers and I love it!! The one in my neighborhood has the most wonderful produce department of any store in the county. I am a fresh fruit and veggie addict, and when I go to Meijers, everyone working in the produce knows me by name and they never fail to wave and say hi. I have been a faithful shopper there since they opened about twenty years ago. I buy very little at deli's but it's a nice one. For the best deal on canned goods tho, I go to Aldi and save at least half of what I would spend at any other store. Clean store with wide aisles and a good selection at 39¢ to 89¢ a can, and a GREAT frozen section. I do buy some veggies there too because it is quality and quantity all at a low price. But Meijers? I would cry big tears if they closed up.
susi

JerseyWarren, you are SO right! I live in Flint, Michigan and if I want a hamburger I still go to Halo Burger where they make them the same as they did back when I was a kid in the forties. When I want Italian food, I make it here at home. If I want Mexican food, I make it here at home. Having lived a few years in Queens, NY, my Neopolitan landlady taught me how to cook Italian, and having lived many years in Texas, I know how to cook mexican food. I have pretty much given up eating in restaurants that can be found in any city in the US and just stick to the same little places where I ate in the different places I have lived that have been carried on by the families who started them so many years ago. Nothing can compare!! And, I love beets AND goat cheese!
susi

Being a cardiac bypass survivor times 2, I really watch my fat intake. Well, I really like grilled cheese sandwiches to accompany my tomato soup, so I have modified a few things and have still come up with an acceptable version. Kraft Fat-Free singles are the closest i've been able to find to the real fat-laden thing so I take two slices and put them in between whole wheat bread that I've brushed with olive oil. The cheese melts nicely and isn't rubbery. If you've got a cholesterol problem, try a grilled cheese sammich this way and change your way of eating. Since i've changed my eating style to lo fat and I go for daily walks, I have dropped from 191 down to 137 lbs and have not felt deprived at all.

Making enchiladas is very simple without breaking the tortilla. I always lay mine in a skillet with hot oil for just a couple seconds on each side, remove and lay them on paper towels to soak out the oil, then I dip them into either red or green enchilada sauce( which has been warmed up) before filling and rolling up. I fill, roll, and place in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish, cover with the remaining enchilada sauce, chili, shredded cheese and diced onions, cover and put in the oven. These enchiladas are delicious and you fill them with whatever you want.

Well, being as how I only drink coffee every other am, alternating days with strong tea, I could give up coffee. I only drink one cup anyway. But, pasta???, are you crazy?? I could no more give up my pasta than I could fly! I probably have at least a dozen boxes of various pasta in my pantry right now.