I started the Aquavit today, and I noticed that the recipe calls for lime leaves in the ingredients but doesn't say to add them. I have lime leaves, and so I put them in. I went to the store today to buy vodka for this, but I neglected to buy ginger. Then I thought that perhaps I could use some of the ginger paste in a jar that I have until I remembered that I had quite a bit of fresh frozen ginger in the freezer, and so I used some of that. That's the first I've used frozen ginger, and I really like how easy it is to peel. I'm going to keep freezing ginger, although in many meals (such as curries and things with lots of ingredients), the ginger paste in the jar works fine. Yes, my limes are yellow, and they are sweeter when yellow than when they are green, as well as much juicier. I marked a date for when I have to strain this and put it in the freezer, and I'm thinking that I might have to start another batch before this one is ready. This seems like a nice alternative to a martini, and Kevin might like to have one when he comes home from work - providing he only has one! We already went through the limoncello that Renee (Bubbe) sent him, and he's still got the glass, but I think that glass is too large for the Aquavit. BTW, Kevin said you are supposed to drink whole gulps from the shot glasses, but I don't think that would be necessary. How do you drink your own Aquavit? Lars (Picture taken with my new camera, but I blurred the background in Photoshop, so that you won't see dirt on my door!) I experimented with the ISO settings and found that the 1600 ISO makes rather grainy pictures. BTW, this jar used to contain kimchee, and it seemed the perfect one to use - it holds one gallon! (My limes are rather large.)

Now that we are getting such beautiful local peaches, I made a double batch of cubes this morning for poolside drinks later today. BELLINI FREEZE 4 fresh ripe peaches, peeled 1/2 cup sugar 2 Tbs. almond liqueur 1 (750 ml) bottle Asti Spumante or other sweet sparking white wine, chilled Remove peach pits and quarter peaches. In blender or food processor, puree peaches and sugar until almost smooth. Add almond liqueur; process 2 to 3 seconds to blend. Pour into a 9" X 5" loaf pan. Cover with foil or plastic wrap. Place in freezer, freeze until almost firm, 1 to 3 hours. Cut 3 lengthwise rows and 8 crosswise rows through partially frozen mixture. Replace cover and return to freezer; freeze until firm, 1 to 3 hours. Place in refrigerator to soften slightly 10 to 15 minutes before serving. To serve, place 3 pieces of frozen mixture in each of 8 sherbet glasses or champagne glasses. Pour wine over frozen mixture. Serve with a spoon. Makes 8 servings.

romy718 Heinz ketchup - I bought Hunts once. DH asked "what's this bottle of divorce doing in the frig?" That is hystericaI, am crying laughing! Things that you will always see in my kitchen: Spices/BakingStuff -Coleman's Ground Mustard,Old Bay -David's Kosher Salt,Peppercorns -Italian Seasoning,Herbs de Provence,Cumin, Chili Powder, Pico de Gallo, Stubb's Spice Rub,Red Pepper Flakes, Coriander, Turmeric, Cinnamon S(sticks and ground), Whole Nutmeg, Parsley, Tarragon, Cloves (ground and whole), Ginger, Allspice,I could go on... -Vanilla Extract, Almond Extract, Rum Extract, Molasses, Karo (Light and Dark), Powdered Sugar, Sugar, Flour, Corn Meal, Brown Sugars, Baking Powder and Baking Soda Pantry -Tomatos and potatoes (usually red skinned and not baking), Vidalia Onions (I grew up in GA, accept no substitutes), shallots, garlic -Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves and Fig Jam, Orange Marmalade, Local honey -Canned and Packaged Soups(for "sick" nights), Beef/Chicken/Fish Stocks (I'm lazy), Bottled Pasta Sauce (lazy nights) -Canned Whole San Marzanos, Packaged Crushed and Diced San Marzanos, La Seur Young Peas, Corn, Various beans (pinto, black, chickpeas, etc) -Panko and Bread Crumbs -Rices (whole wild, white, Spanish for paella), thin spaghetti, couscous -Raisin Bran, Grape-Nuts -Peanuts (no salt), pistachios, almonds, local pecans -PAM -Thomas Gourmet Foods Marinades, Marsala Wine, Various Olive Oils, Balsamic Vinegars, Rice Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, Truffle Oils, Almond Oil, Fish Oil, Vegetable Oil, Chili Oil, Lea&Perrins (Light and dark), Tabasco, Cholula (Regular and Chipotle), Soy Sauce -Canned/Bottled San Peligrino, Club Soda, Dewer's, Stoli, Pinot Grigio (to be moved to fridge), Red wine ALWAYS in my Fridge -Bacon, Prosciutto -Eggs -Organic milk, creamer, butters -Crumbled bleu and feta cheeses, block Cuba Cheese Shoppe Extra Sharp White Cheddar (thank you, Daddy!), mozzarella, block of Parmeggiano-Reggiano, shredded Parm -Capers, prepared horseradish, pesto -Duke's Mayos (my entire family is from Richmond, VA and I lived in SC for 20 years. I'd probably get arrested if I had anything else in my fridge), Heinz Ketchup, Grey Poupon, Ranch dressing, plain Chobani, Hummus, Robert's Famous Chicken Salad (from Robert's Market of course), Palmetto Cheese pimento cheese -Carrots, celery, blueberries, strawberries (I freeze fresh ones for the off seasons), various fruits and veggies (lettuces, kale, melons) -Chicken breasts and thighs -Fresh caught salmon, drum, shrimp. Jumbo lump crab in the summer. All either from the dock or the seafood shop by my house. -Homemade cheese straws and Callie's biscuits are in the freezer in case we have unexpected company.

I know your question was intended to Inquire about things we don’t normally purchase to eat, but I’ll expand it to include things we normally buy but not in huge quantities. By that, I mean, I never thought I’d see the day when I would buy 25lbs of flour, but um, not only have I, but we’ve already almost used it all up! At the very beginning of this, Dh decided to make a sourdough starter. I could not find it anywhere locally in the store so I ordered it from Sams Club, but it was only sold in 12lb bags. It was so cheap, I bought two. Not only has Dh made multiple loaves of bread already, we’ve also used the sourdough discard to make pancakes a few times and last week Dh used it to make sourdough soft pretzels. Regarding tubes of garlic, etc., I’ve had a difficult time finding fresh ginger. I usually get a large piece and store whatever remains of the root in the freezer. I was at Trader Joe’s last week and couldn’t find any fresh, but as I was passing through the frozen section, I noticed a package of frozen ginger. It’s packed in a tray like an ice cube tray and each cube is a tsp of ginger. While I’ve bought the refrigerated tube of minced ginger, once open, it doesn’t have a long shelf life in the fridge. No more wrestling with trying to peel a knobby root of ginger! As for canned chicken, when my kids were younger, they loved tuna fish sandwiches to the point where they wanted to take them every day to school. I wasn’t keen on them eating tuna (Mercury) that often. On a whim I bought canned chicken at Trader Joe’s one day and prepared it the same way as their tuna. They never seemed to notice but they were young enough not to question it. I haven’t bought it in years.