Let me clarify my earlier comments. It's not that I dislike TJ's. Nothing I've eaten from there is bad. It's just nothing special. I don't see the point, for me personally, in going to a smaller store with a more limited selection for items that aren't better than I can get at the big stores. It's just an extra stop. At the store near us, since the pandemic began, there's been a line outside the store (even in 20 degree weather) because they're limiting the number of customers in the store. There's no way I'm waiting in line, regardless of the weather, to buy groceries, unless they are amazing things that are worth waiting for.

So hopefully no one is taking my comments as dislike or judgment. Just doesn't work for me.

Corky, you nailed it. They were a mess, and you're right, there was next to no sauce. I do make enchiladas from scratch, but saw them regularly referred to in this thread and thought it would be a convenient thing to grab for a lunch time meal. I think the packaging says one has 290 calories, but a fair amount of sodium so I'm not sure I would want to eat two in one sitting. Though I may have done just that with the first one I ate, which in retrospect was fairly gargantuan. now I'm going to be craving enchiladas and we'll have to make them next week from scratch. Though I may just do a lazier enchilada type pie/casserole.

Now I am thinking that it has been a while since I have made enchiladas (or the casserole) from scratch too. Fortunately my freezer is full and I would normally freeze at least half because it is too much for one person. Maybe the feeling will pass. :p
290 calories for one does sound like a lot but it was hard to tell how big they are when looking at the package although I am sure my homemade ones are equally high in calories!

Store entry lines are a huge factor for me - I tolerated them early in pandemic when there was no choice; I used my FlyerTalk skills for navigating line efficiency which meant early time shopping etc. I definitely eschewed stores during spring / summer 2020 because of the queue and my phone calendar indicated store queue etc.

now I can shop and avoid queues so it’s easy for me to go to Costco Trader Joe’s et al with no queue! Phew. I only learned this via FlyerTalk skills for finding flights and upgrades back in 2007-2010.

My TJ's down here still limit capacity and sometimes I have to wait about 2 or 3 minutes (mostly before big food days such as Super Bowl etc). As everyone on here told you, the lines at first were never an hour wait. I think about 10 or maybe 15 minutes at the most during peak time. WF still limits capacity but it has been a long time since I had to wait longer than 45 seconds. I was and am still more interested in a safe shopping experience than worrying about spending a few minutes in line but I was also not going to 5 different stores every few days for one thing at each store. Actually many places other than grocery limit capacity still. I went to Home Goods a few days ago and they had a posted customer limit and a person with a counter at the door to keep track of going in and out. I am fine with all of this.

Interesting. In the early days, about a year ago, places like Target and the grocery stores had people posted to count and enforce limits here. I haven't seen anyone doing that anywhere around here since maybe last summer, except for TJ's. I can almost guarantee it's not happening, nor do I think it's required here. So waiting in a line at TJ's in below freezing weather makes it stand out in a bad way, IMO.

But it does seem like California is operating on a much different set of rules and guidelines than the rest of the country.

Edit to add: Forgot the reason I came here :). Tonight we decided to try buffalo chicken stuffed spaghetti squash. Basically all the good stuff you'd put in a wrap, but instead it gets mixed with the squash "noodles", stuffed back in and baked for a few more minutes. Wish me luck.

Spaghetti squash just tastes icky to me...I have tried because I would love a pasta substitute ( no thanks on the zoodles etc either). But maybe the tasty buffalo chicken will help. A couple months ago I think all stores went to capacity control...clothing, bookstores etc. Now I still see some with a posted max capacity but I don't know if it is enforced....my nail salon for sure is doing it. Ralph's & Vons have one door to go in & one to come out and once in a while I while see them limiting people, Costco lets everyone in but that wasn't the case last spring but their lines went fast too. TJ has upped their capacity but it is still limited and I think this is what WF is doing too. But as you pointed out, we aren't waiting in snow to get in!

I like TJ's but I don't buy a lot of their prepared foods. I typically shop their produce section, the meat section, and the seasonings. I like some of their pre-cut produce mixes and their marinated meats. I also like their flowers. A single friend likes TJs because she can get a lot of items meant for a solo for a reasonable price. But it's definitely not for everyone.

Yeah, so weird. We don't even have anyone outside counting now, except at TJ's. I don't believe we have any retail capacity restrictions other than restaurants and events. If we do, they aren't being followed anywhere.

I'm not a fan of squash. Spaghetti squash is the only one I'll buy at the store. To me, it doesn't have a lot of it's own flavor but takes on whatever flavors you add. I'll eat the others if served, but don't seek them out, including pumpkin pie. And the actual Zoodles are a No. We've had the spaghetti squash with pasta sauce and it's good, but it's not pasta. Honestly, we treat it like a vegetable rather than pretending it's something else. Anyway, if you cover something in wing sauce, I figure it has to be good.

Funny thing, for everyone teasing Gaobest about veggies, it's kind of the opposite in our house. We eat mostly veggies and protein, and not a lot of carbs or sugar. It's not some kind of health kick, although we're aware of the pros and cons, it's just what we prefer.

I was going to be in a different part of town & a friend was going to meet me for dinner at a nice restaurant in Santa Monica. She cancelled so I ended up going to Tito's Tacos....a real greasy spoon take out place that has been around for 60 years. The tacos are kind of crappy (unrecognizable beef) but really addictive. Great salsa and fresh fried chips. This place has a real cult following & always has a line---I have been going for years. I used to pay $1 for a taco with cheese (85cents without cheese) and today it was $4.40 for one! Packed on weekend nights...good drunk food.

And I complain that my favorite taco place charges $3.30 for their shredded beef with cheese tacos.

Going sleazy requires you to get the 2 for $1 Jack in the Box tacos.

I've had those too but aren't the JIB ones 99cents each?
yeah, I hadn't been to Tito's in over a year and was shocked at the price.

Leftover Detroit style pizza
mixed green salad

As a follow up, we loved it. You couldn't taste the squash at all. If we didn't know it was in there, we would have thought it was just more shredded chicken. So basically it adds a little more nutrition and greatly reduces the calories from a tortilla or bread, but still fills you up. That said, probably not a good reason to try it if you don't like the squash :).

Now, I need to ask for some help. We have been trying to go out to eat either Friday or Saturday night since restaurants re-opened here. Given that today and tomorrow are cold and rainy, we decided to stay home this weekend and make something either new or more "upscale" than we would normally eat. But at this point I'm stumped, and need ideas. Here are the rules:

- It can't take more than 3 hours to make, including prep time
- Ingredients must be easily accessible. So for example, no caviar, because I can't run to the grocery store after work and get good caviar.
- Rough budget of <$100 for 2 people (similar to what we'd pay at a mid-range restaurant). Obviously lower is better :).
- I don't expect you to provide a recipe, just the idea....something you love

If I can't figure something out in the next 4 hours, we'll probably order delivery instead. Thanks!!!

I think the texture of spaghetti squash is icky to me...but glad you liked it....i wish i did.
these will require a grocery store trip:
paella
osso bucco
zuni cafe roast chicken
roast duck
prime rib w/Yorkshire pudding /popovers
lasagna
baby back ribs
anything ethnic...Mexican, Indian, Asian

requires subscription.

cassoulet
risotto
chicken chili
chowder in bread bowl

Paella and lasagna are standing out to me. Thanks for all the great ideas. I love cassoulet but not sure my wife will go for that one, same with the duck. Prime rib is in the freezer and probably on the menu next weekend. Risotto is another one we haven't had in a while. I'm leaning toward paella since I've never made it before. That would require some good seafood, and I'm not making that trip this afternoon. So I'm now thinking about doing paella tomorrow night. It may be takeout tonight, but Saturday night paella would be a huge success. Way to come through on the ideas!

I don't have a paella pan, but I have a good, large stainless steel pan with maybe 2.5" sides. Will that do the trick? Otherwise a smaller cast iron.

I think the wider the better so I say yes on the stainless steel pan. The thing I like about paella is that you can be totally flexible with the ingredients. The only seafood I use in it is shrimp & sometimes scallops as well. I don't like mussels or clams so don't use them. I use chicken thighs usually and either chorizo or polish sausage or andouille (if I can find it) but again, use what you like. I use roasted red peppers from the jar and frozen peas at the end.
Now I want to make it too! Maybe when vaccinated friends are able to come over again since it is impossible to make a small amount.
Another thought--pasta primavera since it is springtime and you like veggies.

My local stores, perhaps with the exception of Target, all have employees at entrances enforcing limits.

I need a good Tito's fix -- that may be on the agenda this weekend.

The key to paella is a large flat-bottom pan. We do it in a 24" pan and an 18" pan (and for some dinner parties, do two versions and use both pans). I love paella!

We went down to our "local" for a drink and got one of their new menu items -- kimchi fries -- so now I'm not sure if I'm going to have dinner. If I do, I'm reheating purloo, which is the NC/SC version of paella. Ours has king salmon (from Sitka Salmonshares...such a beautiful piece I should have made sushi with it), smoked trout and bacon.

It's chilly enough out that we came home and I made a fire. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the last one of the season, and it's the first in at least 6 weeks. I'm finally getting feeling back in my fingers.

Anyone planning a special Passover seder? Three years ago we did a blow-out for about a dozen friends (Mr. CE was the token Jew). Two years ago we did a restaurant seder at Aba in Chicago, which is the best of the LEYE seders I've tried. (Mon Ami Gabi's is lousy.) We just realized Passover begins tomorrow night and we'll be at Topolobampo for Mr. CE's non-seder birthday dinner. Galit's seder looks awesome but is only tomorrow and is sold out. Any good Chicago (or suburb) recommendations for a Sunday take-out seder?

The normal tacos are 2 for .99, or 2 for 1.29 depending on location. I think they have a deluxe taco that is .99.

Fish tacos
Flour tortillas
raw organic carrots / celery

popcorn
Girl Scout cookies


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My local Walmart which has three or four times the square footage of a Publix Supermarket, has a long line of people waiting to get in, even at 10pm. Meanwhile, no one limiting people at Publix, and they have removed the one way arrows down the aisles. They never really enforced the one way aisles for all the months it was posted. People do still have to wear masks and socially distance themselves, but with the vaccinations being more populated, how much longer do you think this will be required.

Spoke to my brother the other day about how Australia is handling Covid-19. He told me most of the country has no restrictions except for the Melbourne area, where he lives, because being an island country, and the restrictions on outsiders visiting, there has been very few cases of Covid-19. He is leaving Coles who recruited him from the USA in 2017, to joins Woolworth's. I hope he finds what he is looking for in his job.

Getting back on topic:

Had Olive Garden takeout. My wife doesn't eat much, so we can cheat. I ordered the Create your own w/Angel Hair and Meat Sauce. I order the Chicken Gnocchi soup as my included side. I then order a kid's meal Spaghetti and Meat Sauce with the included side of Spaghetti and tomato sauce. She will usually get two meals out of the Kid's portion, so we save money, and she consumes the soup over the two meals. If we dined in, she would usually eat a quarter of the full size meal and we would spend double in the restaurant. No harm/no foul in my opinion.

Bon app!! We discovered the joy of Olive Garden Italian salad dressing at Safeway. Oh so great and currently on sale for $4.99 instead of $5.49. It’s a bit rich in sodium & calories (to be expected) so I definitely must measure out the 2 tbsp portion and we eat it every 3-4 salads with olive oil & red wine vinegar as the majority dressing.

A friend of mine returned from Europe and got out of quarantine last week, I went for lunch with him on Friday at a local pub, he couldn't believe how normal life was.

Back on topic, last night was dinner at one of my favourite Viet restaurants "Phamish"

Blue swimmer crab dumplings
Beef la lot (beef in betel leaf)

Chili lemongrass chicken
Sesame lamb
ocean trout
crispy pork

I was full as a state school.

Happy Pessach. So ace

brisket (in oven) - prepped & baked in-house
apple charoset - prepared on Shabbat evening
Citrus charoset - prepared on Shabbat afternoon
gefilte fish (wise sons)
chrain (purple horseradish) (wise sons)
matzoh ball soup (pizzeria Delfina)
matzoh crackers (Streit’s Egg / Maneschevitz white / Yehuda white)

coconut macaroons (wise sons)
girl scout cookies (fetched 6 more boxes today)

too full for dessert.


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Homemade pepperoni/Italian sausage pizza (the halfsies are because we each like different amounts of sauce/cheese/meat)
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I love home made pizza. There's something nice about the conviviality of everyone getting involved in the process; lay out the ingredients and everyone builds what they want. My dream is to put in a wood fired pizza oven, but I hate baking and I feel like unless you're willing to bake bread it's a bit of a white elephant. (I'm also fairly certain wood fired anything is not allowed by the council)

if it’s legal and your dream, then I say go for it. Pizza 1-4 times a month? Then the pizza oven will be much fun.
I’m satisfied with oven pizza enough that I’ve lost desire to get it at any restaurant or to ever go to a pizza restaurant. I only made one exception on a mega-rare day in January when I had such a busy intense work day that I went to the nearby Costco to get a slice before fetching my child from school (Costco is a 3-minute drive from work!).

Last night we had our first truly indoor dining experience in 376 days... Celebrated Mr CE's birthday in Topolobambo's library. Prix fixe dinner, delicious and felt very safe. They've installed a big air filtration system and all of their staff have been vaccinated.

Tonight we've pulled leftover brisket out of the freezer, also have leftover matzo ball soup and just bought some gefilte fish so we'll have a Passoverish dinner.

St. Louis cut pork ribs. I usually smoke them, but can't be bothered today. Instead I'll bake them with a rub, covered on low heat, and then finish uncovered on high heat with a bit of sauce. I'll also probably do a broccoli slaw on the side. To keep it keto, the rub, sauce, and dressing will all be no sugar.

Leftover Pessach

brisket
matzoh ball soup
charoset
gefilte fish with chrain

mixed green salad

Coconut macaroons
Girl Scout cookies

Since you say you are concerned with the health aspects of foods.....
Have you looked at the ingredient list on those girl scout cookies? :)
I quit eating them long ago partially due to that, and there are just so many tastier healthier sweets out there.

i’m sure that I would find so many worse things to eat. I’m going to enjoy these with citrus or other fruits for awhile before getting any other form of desserts - no doughnuts for awhile :-)

Out of curiosity, which variety of Girl Scouts cookies are kosher for Passover?

We had Michael Solomonov's Abe Fisher Passover Meal Kit, delivered by Goldbelly (our kitchen remodel is almost complete, but our Wolf range won't be delivered for another three to four weeks, so we couldn't cook from scratch). I'll rate the meal at a B-; the brisket was way too fatty, the sweet potato and apple kugel was soggy and bland, and the chicken rillette and the flourless chocolate almond tart with pomegranate were way too salty, the latter tasted as if they substituted salt for the sugar, yes, it was really that salty. The everything spice matzo pieces were really good, the matzo ball soup was the best I've ever had and the carrot walnut charoset was sublime, more like a carrot salad that my grandmother used to make. The rest was OK. The portions were generous and it was a great value, but I expected better from Solomonov.

Pork katsu and stirfry vegetables.


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The only ones I liked at all were the Samoas, and one box a year was plenty. But hey, if you really like them enough to buy dozens of boxes, enjoy.

Are you under the impression that it is ok to eat 18 boxes of girl scout cookies as long as you have fruit with them?

Thanks for all the paella tips. In the end, I was outvoted by a narrow 1 to 1 margin and we went with lasagna. Still an excellent choice. But paella will be on the menu some time in the next few weeks.

Same for us this weekend. Partly because I'm trying to use up all the wood that's stored on my patio before it warms up though.

The arrows were silly. Much safer to pass by someone in the opposite direction for 2 seconds than to stand behind them for 5 minutes going down the aisle. Most places here took those out a while ago. But to your question, I think some of the crazy rules will be around long after most people are vaccinated. It will take 1-2 generations before life returns to the way it was 18 months ago.

First - wow, that's a long time! We did eat inside last summer when things were open, but even then it was mostly outside to enjoy the weather. We did the Topolobampo thing last summer in the library and loved it. It seemed like such an intimate, special experience. Kind of like the first time I flew upstairs on a 747 and it felt like a private plane to Europe.