here's my two cents - first of all, if you're doing anything but fruit, tomatoes, or pickles, invest in a pressure canner - it's the only way to safely and reliably can non-acid foods [like my mom's soup veggie mix].

Never used a bubble remover [they have a name for that????], and have used regular tongs - and was very happy to get a tong-like lifter. much safer. never used a funnel but sometimes wish i had one [but never enough to actually go out and get one!].

I don't have a rack, and i use kitchen towels in the bottom of the pan, but sometimes things shift, with less-than-pleasant results. Lid magnet??? good grief.

also, make sure you have extra flat lids - sometimes you just need them, especially since you can't re-use them when the jar is empty.

We no longer have to put up foods in order to survive the winter, so i just do tiny batches of things that i really love and will use. having said that, i have A LOT of stuff to finish up on my shelves before produce starts really coming in!

I'm old - i started drinking it in the early 70s, because i was on Weight Watchers - and it was recommended as a way to have a 0-cal beverage with some flavor. And i admit that i got some strange looks when i ordered it in restaurants.

and then sometime in the late 80s i was with some work colleagues at a bar, and one of them ordered a 'lemonade' and received club soda with about 10 lemon slices.

I've been seeing Cabot Farms full fat PLAIN greek yogurt in the 2-pound containers. It's very hard to find full fat, flavored greek yogurt. i think i've stopped looking for it, in fact

I LOVE full fat Greek. and can tame my portions because it's so rich. BUT I buy either low fat or fat free [depending on price, number of grams of protein and carbs]. Then i take the low fat/fat free yogurt, and mix in a couple of spoons of plain full fat yogurt. It's worked out to be a better compromise -and i get more protein, as well

interesting Q! When my italian-american father died, we had a deli-catered event from his favorite italian deli. I'm sure we had ziti and cold cuts - and lots of wine. When my hoosier mother died, we went to one of her favorite restaurants, burgers, steaks, sandwiches, great reubens, and toasted her. The ladies at her Baptist church provided ham during the run-up to the funeral. the ladies at the catholic church provided nothing for dad's.

not judging - just stating the facts.

so sad. no more Pal's and the Claremont closed years ago. very good memories

thanks! I used to go across the street when it was run by a Dominican family. Oh my. they made a cuban sandwich that would make you cry - it was sooooo good. but they closed. And since then, I've just walked past Serenitas. I checked out the menu - have you had the barbacoa [the goat?]. My eyes are on the al Pastor and the carnitas. Authenticity?? HAHAHA!!!! some people would say my grandmother's red sauce from Colliano isn't authentic because it didn't come from ROME.

Maybe this weekend - a nice treat.

Oh thank you, ELA and Sdenred! I've walked past Selenita's a zillion times and wondered ... it always seems to have added a new decoration or blackboard, or more hats or more sparkles every time i see it. And that made me think it might be prospering. I'll have to haul out a couple of friends for a little party!

or maybe just swing by and get something to go...

hmmm. if the government makes a law in response to some outside agent - like the mob - does that make the government complicit? I'm not going down that path. The link below is a huge document that details the mob's activities as late as 1992 in bars [LOVE the internet]. If this were ANY other board besides a NY/NJ one, there's no way I'd post it. So many people in this country STILL believe that being Italian means you're in the mob. I've actually had people say that AT MY DINNER TABLE IN MY OWN HOUSE.

http://www.state.nj.us/sci/pdf/ocbars...

about liquor licenses - gee, do you think that the former hold the mob had over the restaurant and other businesses in the 20th century might have affected the laws in NJ?

So, maryanne - what do you think about the new branch of Carlo's in Ridgewood? A couple of friends are fans of the show and went the first week it was open, and had fun. Not sure if that translated to bakery excellence though.

When some relatives visited over the summer, we HAD TO [yes, they really did have to force me] go to Hoboken. They had fun - i forced them to walk along the water to ooh and aah at the NYC skyline. I wasn't terribly impressed by Carlo's baked goods, but customers were happy.

they must have hired some help - the times I've been there, it's been the owner's daughter and a 30-ish young man who knew all the cookies and pastries. hope they get the 'kids' trained!

Oh-so-many years ago, I learned to read from books that my aunt had brought home. She was an Air Force wife and had taught in Japan, Germany, and other countries. The books she gave me were British. In a few short months, I went from reading on a 1st grade level [at age 6] to 8th grade level at age 7. And I took the British spellings with me. So, my 2nd grade teacher had this kid who'd never been out of the country using 'colours' and writing 'labour' and so on.

She decided to skip me - so I never attended 3rd grade. But even though most of my British spellings are gone, I still 'rationalise' many things, and wear the color 'grey,' not 'gray.'

I'm almost [gulp] 60 years old. At this point, it's not going to change.

Find something else to worry about. As a professional editor and writer [waiting for the communal dissection], I find it a waste of time and energy to comment or criticize other people's grammar and spelling. As long as it's understandable, I ignore other people's errors. As for my own, I type quickly and sometimes my laptop doesn't keep up.

However, I am also the moderator of an online forum related to a particular healthcare topic. Every once in a while, someone posts a nearly incomprehensible message - poor grammar, full of misspelled words. Each time this has happened, the post is also full of fear and concern. The writer deserves to share in the discussion and I would NEVER dream of correcting a single word. Being literate or intelligent confers greater responsibility, and less arrogance.

BTW, I've only just recently learned what a SAMMIE is.

hush - stop telling people what a FIND this bakery is - :) :)

it's being discovered! i dropped by at around 11:30 for some cafe au lait [I'd just done a home inspection for a dog rescue group and had to do a report], and the place was ROCKING. With very little English being heard - most of the customers were speaking Italian. People were buying boxes of pastries, along with cakes. Almost made me want to throw a dinner party, just to have an excuse to buy a cake!

In any event, this place is getting traffic, despite its location. YUM!!

Just got home - O M G!!!!! i think i found heaven. Bright, light, sparkling clean. and they serve COFFEE., complete with some tables and some counter seating. they have a lunch menu - nothing fancy, but panini, salads, and pasta dishes should satisfy everyone's appetite, especially with DESSERT to look forward to.

Based on zhelder's post and what I saw, they change the offerings regularly. The cakes were beautiful, but i didn't see a Sacher torte [although, to be honest, i was more interested in the cookies].

I managed to escape with a few sfogliatelle and cookies [my life is simple], but they forced me to try one of their cannoli [it was hard to convince me - NOT!]. creamy filling [not grainy at all], nice crunchy pastry. wiht a tiny sprinkle of that orange peel. perfect! and a cookie - a coconut macaroon that was so crispy-creamy that it shattered at the first bite.

WARNING: I'm going to tell ALL my friends that we've found our new coffee shop. So the rest of you had better get over there before the invasion.

my one wish: that they sold some bread. deal killer? not at all - just a wish.

thank you! I'm going to head over there tomorrow - will let you know.

so you don't waste the trip - call them first. If they don't have them in the store you want to go to, they'll often deliver them to the store of your choice from their central storage in clifton. They are always sending their trucks from Clifton to Wayne and Fairfield, and they're willing to transport whatever their customers want. One of the things that keeps me going back!

BTW, what are you going to can in these enormous jars?

you are so kind! and that brunch - i don't know which made this old lady's heart go pitty-pat - the food or that nice young man [a colleague from Germany].

I dragged him off to ShopRite in Lincoln Park afterwards, where he engaged in a long discussion with the head of the new cheese department. Turns out that the young man was shocked at the extent and quality of the selection and the manager was only too happy to talk with him. And I got to shop in peace!

sorry to be late to this - Farm View Pork Store in Pompton Lakes

and just saying - if you try to make a sloppy joe at home with roast beef, add some blue cheese to the cole slaw. YUM!

hey fourunder - i've alwas valued your opinion, but you have hit a complete homerun wih this osso bucco commentary. THANK YOU! and I'm with you - i might have to make it, too. Will have to invite a whole bunch of people over, though. Sounds like a 2 PM Sunday afternoon dinner!!

I sawsome this season, but I'm not sure where. However, I looked in only THREE places for jars: Corrado's, Jones Hardware in Pompton Plains, and Walmart [of all places! I was hijacked there by a friend]. ONE of these had them. I'd start at Corrado's first - they expect everyone to can large amounts of tomatoes. good luck!

I've read all 98 responses, and most of them have raised some interesting, and valid, points. i agree with those who said that restaurants migrate to the middle-of-the-road taste level. And remember, we've had a lot of in-migration over the years, including people who think that garlic is exotic [it's true - i've met them].

Red sauce - now THERE's a debate. Any red-sauce italian place will feature the sauce that the chef grew up with, and there's huge variation right there. My grandmother taught me no fewer than 4 red sauces [marinara, meat, veggie, and bolognese - yes, the meat and bolognese sauces are very different].

I've run across italian restaurats that have had menus similar to the one posted from Calabria - it's sort of a surprise to stumble across. Bistro 202 in Lincoln Park is one such surprise, but I've also noticed that the years since they've opened, they're moving to more of the traditional red sauce selections and less of the more Italy-style dishes. But, if you come in with a special request, they'll do their best to accomodate.

In the upper left hand corner of the state [Warren, western Morris, Sussex] there are quite a few farms that have gone old school: Berkshire pork, heritage chickens, local cheeses, beef, rabbits, lamb, etc. and i KNOW they're selling to restaurants, but I don't know which ones. I don't go out to eat very often,. and when I do, I usually stick close t home.

So, keep on looking. there IS great food out there - probably not where you expect it to be, though. I remember a wonderful jazz brunch at the old grist mill in Andover. local ingredients, a focused, proud chef, a bottle of champagne, and a very nice young man to share it with. Dirt parking lot, behind a bunch of closed stores, including a plumbing supply place.

You're supposed to cook meatloaf in a pan? My mother - and my dad's mother - always shaped meatloaf on a cookie sheet. I'm lazier than they were, so i always line the sheet with foil and spray it. More recently, though, I've been shaping the meatloaf into large meatballs so that i can freeze them individually.

Gotta confess, I never thought of using a loaf pan!

Glad to help! i hope you enjoy it. BTW, I think I forgot to mention that they supply Rosemary and Sage with meat. And Bob the Butcher will also tell you how to cook it. thank goodness! i never would have made it through that barbecue without his advice. We also swap recipes in general - can you tell my family has been going here for a long time? :)

Here's more info about Farm View Pork Store. It's basically right in the center of the Pompton Lakes business district. http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3718180...

It's been in existence for about 60 years now, The current owner trained under the original owner, and bought the store about - oh I'm gonna say about 25 years ago [maybe a little longer]. He has his own smokehouse, which means he makes his own bacon and smoked pork chops [divine!]. He also makes homemade soup, ham salad, and a few other things, and has some imported German specialties. He also does special orders [we've always ordered hams for Easter and for Christmas from him - excellent!]. Prime beef. grinds his own hamburger. Trains local kids in the butcher trade. loves dogs, too..

PERFECT!!!! you're a star...

With 4 people, it's really easy to go way overboard with food - no one is eating huge amounts these days [except some teenagers, i think]. With pasta as the star, consider going fairly light on the antipasto, add a nice salad. Would you consider taking your husband's gorgeous pasta and making a baked dish, like lasagna or canneloni? you could use the lamb [or whatever you substitute] ragu as the filling for either of them and it's do ahead- with fewer pans to wash afterwards.

no matter what, pour some nice wine and enjoy.