August 2019 Update
The decade’s end is approaching, and I see no sign in sight of the advertising geniuses having re-built that span between the reality on the inside of the snack box and the label on the outside. The Snickers bar that I ate the other day was about 1/3 thinner than memory serves me, and about 25% shorter. The Chocolate Candy Crisis is almost beyond repair!
What’s even worse, according to the Climate Alarmists, chocolate is doing better than the human race. Chocolate has 30 years left on Mother Earth; we’ve only got 10!!
I suggest getting back to work in the kitchen, baking this autumn some of those traditional cookies long forgotten:
— Toll House — with the nuts;
— Peanut Butter — with a sprinkling of peanuts in the batter; and those fork tines on the cookie at crossed swords.
— Oatmeal. My favorite is the Everything Recipe. Toss in dried cranberries, dark chocolate chips, chopped pecans and dried coconut flakes.
As for my Dream Kitchen, it is being built without the Belize counter-top. That granite has moved upstairs to the bathroom counters. The Island will consist of Lapidus, a neutral slab with grains of copper and green. Think earthy. And think positive about the Vanilla Bean Crisis.
According to an online article by The Vanilla Queen, the price for vanilla beans has “softened” (like your butter, to room temperature), but it still has a way to go before the cost will reach the “affordable” category.
We all know what AFFORDABLE means! Furthermore, while the vanilla supply and its quality in Madagascar reached delicious heights, there remains a lot of unsold stock from the 2018 crop. Price manipulation, anyone?
On the patio of my temporary digs, my brand-new potted Meyer lemon tree looks to have a good yield this winter. It has at least 4 lemons! My old tree back at the Peach House must have hundreds now. Lemon may not be the new vanilla anymore, but I will still enjoy the lemon for itself!