Well, I just wandered into the kitchen to get a bit of lunch and came out with the following:

- a little ramekin with three varieties of Japanese pickled vegetables
- another one filled with peanuts roasted with thai chilies and garlic
- a fistful of chicharron(s?)
- a bowl of tomato/roasted red pepper soup.

And somehow....it's all working together for me (salt hound that I am). Mmmmm - makes me want to surf Travelocity for good deals...!

Oh, that's funny. I have a similar issue when I'm making scrambled eggs or looking for something to toss with plain pasta. There's always a jar of something random in my cabinets or refrigerator. I come up with some potentially horrifying (to the non-traveler) and impossible-to-duplicate combinations.

Chicharrones go with EVERYTHING!
They are a true gift from heaven!

Have ever try puree spam with pineapple jelly over a toast? Yum, Yum!

Wow. Pureed spam and pineapple jelly. I don't even know how to respond to that!

I thought I was an adventurous eater, but maybe not. Though I will cop to loving Spam musubi. It's a salt thing.

Pureed SPAM sounds like something out of a horror flick.. aren't you reprocessing already processed meat? I jest.. I do believe it may do well with a mask of pineapple jelly. Is this like some sort of Hawaiian pate I've never heard of?

But for me:

Sel de Gris(French Gray Sea Salt).. amazing stuff.. in a salt cellar on my stove.

I refuse to use white, granulated sugar anymore.. I'm sort of a slut for pure cane or turbinado sugar for all my baking or coffee sweetening needs.

I also refuse to use preground anything much.. especially pepper! Freshly cracked pepper.. and I keep a mortar and pestle on hand for all those other pesky hard hulled herbs and spices.

Capers are a mainstay as well as a bad bottle of red table wine for cooking... lurking next to the extra virgin and balsamic.

Travel has made my tastebuds sensetive to the overprocessed and chemically enhanced nosh that Americans are fed and forcibly sold to the masses that keeps on shelves for months if not years. Thus, I'm a fan of making my own preserves and pickles just to know there is nothing but pure fresh farmers' market goodeness in those jars.

There is nothing better than FRESH breads and cheeses and meats and herbs... oh, yes.. Wisconsin has made me quite a snob for good aged cheeses as well..

Alright, well, I won't make this a blog. Cheers, all.

Then try putting in a blender or food processor: a can of Spam, a 8 oz of roasted peppers (also called Spanish roasted peppers), ten stuffed green olives, two garlic cloves, three tbs of Chez Whiz and some crushed pepper. Spread over bread and I am sure your salt thing will be satisfied.

quote:

Originally posted by kate in nw:
Wow. Pureed spam and pineapple jelly. I don't even know how to respond to that!

I thought I was an adventurous eater, but maybe not. Though I will cop to loving Spam musubi. It's a salt thing.

Uhhhhh... Cheese Whiz?

No, no - CheeZ Whiz. I mean, come on - use the GOOD stuff...don't you watch Rachel?

Okay, and for the record...? There's salt, and then there's sodium.

I know, Spam is sodium, but I still like it in musubi. Sue me. Woman can't live on artisinal bread and heirloom meats and veggies alone. SOMETHING has to go with cheap beer....

Uhhh.... no, I don't, actually watch Rachel, ever.

I am terrified of her overwhelming glee and utter ignorance; not a healthy combination.

To each..

Those organic pancakes that come out of a can are a wondrous invention, though.

labellegoulue, is Sel de Gris the sea salt from Guerande, Brittany, France only? Or does it have a broader definition? What type of stores tend to carry it? Do you use coarse or fine Sel de Gris? I saw it advertised both ways online.

My wife and I in San Diego have used unrefined sea salt for years but nothing this specific. Is the difference strictly in taste or are there also other benefits such as nutritional?

Sel de Gris.. is a generic term towards the unrefined, clay-ridden salt. As far as I know, it isn't city specific.

It's outrageous to try and buy the stuff in fancy jars and tubes.. or whatever they market it in, as at your local Super-exclusive-Sonoma. Buy it, online, in bulk. Best.