Kitchen Surprises

 I gotta have my morning espresso.   Not coffee...espresso.  And lately I've been adding the shot of espresso from my expensive automatic machine to a cup of French press coffee.  Quite the process.  I almost need a shot of espresso BEFORE I put together my morning cuppa.  However!  Last night 4 a.m'ish I was reading David Lebovitz' blog, and learned that he uses the humble Bialetti Moka stovetop espresso maker.   So at 4:15'ish, I'm prowling the upper reaches of my kitchen cupboard because I have one of those!   Shall I make this story longer?  OK.  I always find product reviews helpful.  There were lots of Bialetti Moka reviews on Amazon, with good tips on how to use the little pot, which is so simple it doesn't come with instructions and I hadn't used it in years (omg, I can't stop talking).  After feeding the horses this morning it was time for the throwdown between the DeLonghi and the Moka.  I did gussy things up with frothed milk from the DeLonghi.  TA DA!  The Moka won.  This little gem costs $25 bucks, and is small/light enough to pack.  No more wrapping a bulky French press in bubble-wrap for my carry-on. 

The next kitchen surprise was putting together a good dinner from CostCo that called for no cooking.  Yes, yes, I know CostCo is full of pre-cooked temptations, but always look at the ingredients.  I was considering a package of Guy Fieri "Skirt Steak "; the first listed ingredient was WATER!  Huh?  I don't think so.  I've been eyeing these rellenos on past trips to CostCo and decided I wanted to try them (still $13 for 4 stuffed peppers is not a slam-dunk decision).  Now, I need the main course.  After drooling over the chicken penne Alfredo, and the chicken & dumplings, I got serious on the salmon with pesto butter.  Came in a foil pan already for baking.  Add some bread, salad, wine, a CostCo strawberry cheesecake and dinner was delish.