debnj3, The Wegman's near me in Manalapan is in an uproar right now. They have managed to spend at least 3 weeks, at this point, to rearrange just about EVERY SINGLE AISLE in the store. There are people with yellow T-shirts and lists attempted to assist shoppers in finding where everything has gone ...and not particularly successfully, either. The prices on nuts and "grains" (couscous, quinoa, etc) are much cheaper in TJs than Wegmans, but I do find Wegman's prices are lower than most of the other local markets. The Pathmark nearest me in Marlboro closed in October. I heard about the Top Tomato today, too. I have one near me in Freehold, but I haven't been impressed with their veggies and fruits. I actually like Livotis, on 34 in Aberdeen, for fruits, veggies and herbs. Sushipup - the LS organic red pepper and tomato soup is wonderful, too. Helene

I absolutely love ginger, but I wasn't able to post to this before. I also love ginger flowers and have several types of ginger in my yard now. The blue ginger is blooming right now (see link below), but I also have red and white gingers, none of which are edible, but some of the flowers have very nice fragrances that are quite unique. As for edible ginger, I keep a jar of ginger paste (from an Indian market) that I use in soups, marinades, and stir fries, but not desserts. For desserts, I use ginger that I keep in the freezer. I should probably grow edible ginger. I bought ginger snaps at TJ's last week-end (along with some other more decadent cookies), but I think I should have made them myself. They were good but not quite gingery enough. I don't have any dried ginger. Lars Here is a link that might be useful:

I love eggnog and make a good boozy cooked one. Fortunately (or unfortunately, perhaps) my family doesn't care for it so I stopped making it since otherwise DH and I drink it all. My recipe starts with 12 eggs so daisy_duckworth's recipe sounds much more manageable! I add dark rum syrup - a sugar syrup mixed 50-50 with dark rum - and a good brandy. Then I let it sit overnight in the frig. This softens the harsh liquor taste and smooths it out. Lightly whip 1 cp heavy cream - with daisy's recipe, it would probably be 1/2 cp - and mix into the eggnog just before serving. No extra sugar, please. I always find the commercial stuff barely palatable. Too sweet, too artificially thickened, too weirdly yellow. Freshly grated nutmeg, BTW, should always be used. Once I tried the Real Stuff I was never able to go back to the supermarket nutmeg. It's amazing what a difference it makes.

Such an interesting thread. Shee, that is alot of coke and it is kind of scary when you do actually look at what is IN a coke. Whoever mentioned diluting tea with water, I may get my hubby to try that. He drinks alot of water, but I sometimes think he might be drinking too much tea. Yes, artificial sweetners do have an awful after-taste and they are not good for you either. I've never been into the fizz, or bubbles (although I did used to like Fresca!). There are some flavored waters I like. I didn't acquire a taste for coffee either (we don't even make it in our home unless it's for guests!), but I can get into a good flavored iced coffee. I'm not one that needs a "kick" of caffeine, and it is hard on my stomach. This thread had me thinking, I don't even think we have any "coke" (soda, pop LOL) in the house, unless there is a sprite somewhere, I do like to have that on hand in case of tummy issues. I was looking at a magazine yesterday that had some fruit juice summer drinks that looked tasty. I do like the chick-fil-a frosted strawberry lemonade and would love to find a low cal, healthier version.