Grocery Nirvana

I can imagine a sauce for game too but have not experimented personally.

There's no nothin' near me. There's a Wild Oats in Memphis (2 1/2 hrs. away), but it does not impress me.

For ginger beer, my favorite is Bundaberg's, which is an Australian company that also makes excellent rum (probably sugar too).

Not sure about particular producers or vineyards, but I've never had a Chianti Classico disappoint. Montepulciano is also nice robust red.

We try to drink organic milk, but are hard pressed to find any in our neck of the woods that isn't ultra-pasteurized, which makes it taste really cooked. If you ever come across Strauss Family dairy milk or cream (it comes in glass bottles and I think may only be available on the west coast), it's to die for: organic and pasteurized, but not homogenized, the cream floats to the top and is heavenly.

Another nice surprise was how inexpensive the coffees were. I paid $5.99/lb. for the three I got above; only the Kona was really expensive. That's as cheap as I can get it at Sam's, really, for higher quality.

I taste-tested the cheeses last night and the Red Dragon was very nice, creamy with little pops of mustard flavor. The cheddar with whisky and the Ubraico Del Piave kind of made my eyes bug out, but in a good way. Very strong.

I drink organic milk (cos I'm preggo and all, thought it might be a good idea, otherwise I don't really drink milk), either Horizon or Organic Valley brand, whole. They sell something in glass at the whole foods near me but it was always so expensive that I never even looked at it to see if it was unhomogenized or not. I like the Horizon organic butter a lot; I think it's the best readily-available american-style butter out there. I usually get european-style butter though.

Ginger ale/beer: I would like recommendations too. I like Reed's Extra Ginger but it's still too sweet for me. I should put some lemon juice in there to tart it up some more. When I was in Jamaica, I got some really standard ginger ale and it was tremendously sweet but had a really full ginger flavor too.

Someone was just telling me about this the other day. I said, "But it has the happy jumping cow!"

Last night I made an herb compound butter (thyme and marjoram from the garden + the organic butter I bought) and made slices almost all the way through one of the Italian loaves. Stuffed the slits full of compound butter and slices of the gruyere I bought, wrapped the loaf in foil and baked it until the cheese was melty.

Also: boiled fingerling potatoes tossed with butter, lots of chopped dill and chives; steamed snow peas with just a sprinkle of salt; broccoli rabe (blanched briefly, shocked in ice water, stir-fried with lots of garlic, a little soy sauce and a dab of sesame oil).

It was really nice to get back in the kitchen. It was the first family meal I'd made since late July.

Definitely make gravlax though ASAP! My Finnish friend always has a batch going; it's very easy.

A different friend had a ginger beer/ale blind tasting and one of the surprise favorites was Goya. "Jamaica's Finest" is reportedly great but I've never had it. The Caribbean kids in my neighborhood (and therefore me by default) drink cans of D&G, which is very nice, especially with rum. Definitely sweet though. My friend brews her own and it is VERY gingery.

I believe the Dekalb market had Jamaica's Finest; I'll look for that, and Goya too. I'll try freezing some of the dill in ice cubes; I'd really like to be able to do boiled new potatoes with dill throughout the winter, and it seems like dried dill would not produce as good a result.

The main reason I want to make gravlax is because I want to recreate the Eggs Benedict from the Dipsea Cafe in Mill Valley; they used gravlax instead of Canadian bacon, and it was one of the best things I've ever eaten. (On a later visit, they ruined it by adding a grilled portobello mushroom -- too strong.)

Really a must-see-to-believe, along with Pike Place Market.

The raspberry ginger ale is very good! A slightly more pronounced ginger flavor, nice lip-burn.

Ginger beers and ales

Barritt's Pineapple Ginger Beer. A delicious combination of ginger and fruit flavors. Sharp, not too sweet, with great tang and complexity. (Available at Beverages & More, Galco's, Mel & Rose Liquor & Deli.)

Blenheim Ginger Ale. Blenheim makes two kinds: hot, as in clear your sinuses and make your eyes water before you've taken a sip, and not so hot. There's a whole school of ginger ale machismo, and while Blenheim's doesn't burn your mouth, a whiff would revive a person midfaint. (At Bristol Farms, Galco's, the Refresher, Sainsbury Deli.)

Ginger People Ginger Beer. Made with "natural ginger juice" in Monterey, Calif., this is a mellow, not hot, version with a lovely gingery nose and a fresh-ginger flavor. It's not too sweet, with a soft finish. Would make a great mixer. (At Cost Plus World Market stores, Mel & Rose Liquor & Deli.)

Jamaica's Finest Ginger Beer. From the Natrona Bottling Co. in Natrona, Penn., this is a lip-numbing ginger drink, hot in the mouth as opposed to eye-tearing. Exhilarating and fun; made with cane sugar. (Available at Galco's, Sainsbury Deli.)

Red Rock Golden Ginger Ale. Made in Atlanta since 1885, this sugar-sweetened regional favorite has great ginger flavor and a hot finish (too hot for some). (Beverages & More, Bristol Farms, Galco's, Mel & Rose, the Refresher, Sainsbury Deli.)

Reed's Extra Ginger Brew. A very different ginger ale with a richer, softer texture than most and a less-aggressive edge. Balanced, flavorful. A Southern California original made with fresh ginger, lemon and lime juices. (Widely available at health food stores and delis, including Erewhon Natural Foods, [323] 937-0777; Galco's; Mel & Rose Liquor & Deli; and Rainbow Acres, Marina del Rey, [310] 823-5373.)

Thanks!