I have discovered
Aldi's. I'd seen them, but didn't know if they were any good. Plus, they have a decidedly "low rent" reputation. Some friends of ours do most of their shopping at Aldi's, and after several absolutely spectacular meals, I've started shopping there as well. An unexpected bonus is how Aldi's uses regional suppliers for their products, meaning I'm able to support smaller farms and businesses, get food with fewer ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup
and save some money.
Because Kansas has stupid liquor laws, I can't buy beer or wine there. My friends live in Missouri where the liquor laws make more sense, and they can get both beer and wine. My friend J gave me some beer once without telling me where he got it, and it is damn good beer. It's from some brewery in Germany (where Aldi's is from) that's been around for 500 years or something. They make an exceptionally balanced amber ale, the equal of Fat Tire and better than most others. Their Pils is a joy on a hot afternoon, and their lager not only doesn't taste like cat piss smells, but is actually good!
So consider me an Aldi's evangelist.
On another food-related note, I have discovered that taking cheese and adding heat doesn't quite make a sauce. Notions like this are why God invented Google, and I should try to remember that.
I'm mildly jealous of people who can carry a mug of coffee around with them all day. If I could, I would start the day with a bright and lively Latin American cup, probably Guatemalan or Mexican, switching over to Tanzanian or possibly Kenyan - maybe - by late morning, Ethiopian throughout the afternoon and early evening, and then finish it off with either an Arabian or Pacific at night. But 3 mugs is my daily limit for coffee, and I'm not talking about those big abominations, either, just regular mugs.
Some people think that fermented foods aren't able to go "bad." Let me disabuse you of this notion. Sauerkraut and Kimchi, both fermented cabbage foods, are quite able to go bad. Another product that is seriously able to go bad is yellow pickled radishes.
These things are so capable of turning that if they do, you can - hypothetically, of course - put them in TWO Ziploc Freezer bags, a plastic grocery bag that you then tie
and you can put them in the freezer to wait for trash day,
and you will still smell them, even when the freezer door is closed. The key is to buy them in the smallest packages possible. My wife and daughter love them - my daughter so much that we have to limit how much she can eat at one sitting. I really don't like them, even when they're "fresh."
Ergh.