Fig Balsamic vinegar. This stuff is great for dipping rustic breads as well as great over vanilla ice cream. We gave it away as Xmas gifts and everyone we gave it to is raving. I bought it locally at a gourmet food store. Also, I recently discovered LaTortilla Factory whole grain tortillas. Yummy! We have a panini maker and use it occasionally. I love this recipe for all panini sandwiches. It turns a bland panini into a special sandwich. I know it is measured by oz. I just guess. It is wonderful! Balsamic-Mustard Vinaigrette Combine in a blender: 4 oz. balsamic vinegar 4 oz. vegetable oil 1 oz. Beaver brand sweet and hot mustard 1/2 oz. Italian seasoning 1/4 oz. red pepper flakes Blend on medium to high for 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer to a squeeze bottle for applying to bread and seasonal greens. Remainder may be kept in an airtight container for two to three weeks.

Hoi An looks fascinating; I wish we had gone there. I bought mine in Saigon (oops, HCMC). You should have seen me pantomiming what I wanted to the hawkers. I'm sure I was amusing. But once I found people selling kitchenwares, a woman understood exactly what I meant (even though I sort of had it sideways) and went rummaging through a mountain of stuff -- I was afraid of an avalanche -- and pulled out a bundle of them tied together. I knew that was it; your description of a leaf-shape was perfect. It seems to be called a "dao bao." Here is a link that might be useful: article with a picture of dao baos

Listen my 75 year our aunt from FL visited my husband and I in MA and asked us to allow her to take us out to dinner...She is Italian and we drove two towns over so she wouldn't be disappointed. We expected a beautiful Italian meal...instead what we got was pathetic...the service was poor, the food was poor and I had lasagne that tasted like it had been made ahead of time, sauce poured over it and heated in the mircowave...when we decided we had had enough and didn't want to finish, we asked the waiter to cork the wine and he brought out bill, my 75 year old aunt ask for the manager ..we had discussed at the table how awful the food was and how awful the service was but we were shocked that this little old lady stook up to this manager... . she told him just what she thought of his food, the service and the how embarrassed she was that she had expected to give her nephew and niece a beautiful a beautiful meal.. .He said, we had a large party in the party room and the kitchen and wait staff was overwhelmed...and I asked if that meant regular customers shouldn't have been warned at the front door that the food and service would be bad and he said, I tell you what, we will cover the cost of you bottle of wine tonight and hope that you will come back next week or next month and let us show you what a real meal here is like... My Aunt stood up and said, Thank you very much but it was this meal that we couldn't eat and that I want you to take care of not the bottle of wine...we just spent over $100 dollars for food that was barely edible and cold and I do not want to be charged for it.... I want you to take this bill and tear it up....The manager took the bill and tore it up... Now was she being pushy, nervy, probably you would consider that she was...but she is also a mild mannered little old Lady and she didn't go in there and expect to fight for a dinner...she never raised her voice or refused to pay...and she damned sure wasn't begging for a free meal....she just asked for what was right...and she got it..

Me too -- HUGE smile! Your challahs are so gorgeous, loves2! Wow -- I am going to aim for yours next week. We only do a four-strand braid; I'm going to have to look up how to do a six-strand because yours are so beautiful! (ours only used three cups of flour but is long and skinny because for the strands I left Challah ben Challah up to his own devices) I wonder if our challah is wiggly because of my youngest on my back ... or maybe it's because we like reptiles! It's really because a four year-old helped me OOPS! I mean I helped my four year-old transfer it onto the cookie sheet. (just a standard cookie sheet, but on the diagonal) Your husband has some good eyes! Yes, those ovens are Gaggenau but they're 30" wide (their new models). They're not steam ovens. I really, really like them. I hated paying for them! But I really like them. I LOVE the side-opening door. I LOVE how quickly they heat and how quickly (and quietly) they cool down. I love how cool the doors stay. I love how when the oven is on, the interior light is on the whole time -- no fiddling with the "light on" "light off" button. I love how large the glass is (how big the viewing area). But, I think the convection is just so-so -- areas cook faster than others and I still have to turn the cookie sheets. And I think it's crap that these expensive ovens don't come with full-extension gliding racks (or whatever they're called) like other much less expensive ovens do (Electrolux comes to mind). Yes, I am Tacky McTacky to keep bringing up the cost but I can't help it -- other than our cabinetry, they were the most expensive thing in our kitchen. And I had to think long and hard (and on and on -- my husband is part-saint to have brooked my hand-wringing) about getting them. But, whenever we talk about our kitchen one of our absolute favorite things is those side-opening ovens. So, I guess that's what we paid for! How do you like your ovens? (Miele, right?) I am so sorry if I am getting you confused with someone else, but I think I recall when your kitchen was being installed your wondering if you'd made the right choice for your oven. ??? That's not quite it, but I can't get the specifics straight. I want to tell you, your posts about your kitchen really influenced my planning. You were the first person I read who talked about zones and how it would impact you with your children (I mean impact in a good way). My kiddos are so little so I didn't know enough to envision what it might be like with older children (and hopefully more of them!). I took your experiences to heart, I really did. Thank you so much for all your forthright feedback!