FOOD

Covering the food and restaurant scene in and around Seattle is a tall order. Ask me, I know: I did it, in one capacity or another, for more than two decades, much of that time at The Seattle Times, where I kept a desk — and file cabinets filled with restaurant review notes — before retiring from that job in 2014.

I told Nancy Leson about the years of flops I'd had with a certain complicated, hard to follow and very chancy lemon meringue pie recipe. Then one day in the supermarket, I saw a better way on the back of a can of Eagle sweetened condensed milk: a recipe both simple, sensible and foolproof. Now I'll never make LMP any other way. This week Nancy and I talk about the wealth of good recipes available right on the box, can or bottle. And by the way...

Nancy Leson says her favorite thirst quencher is (in Philly-ese) "werter." Mine's just plain, unflavored seltzer. Except on special occasions. Like when I make a pastrami . Then, nothing will do but the officially sanctioned pairing for deli-style pastrami, corned beef or pickled tongue sandwiches.

Nancy Leson 's apricot tree, a Puget Gold she's had for 21 years, only puts out fruit about every five years. This was one of those years, and a bumper crop it was. With all those apricots the only thing to do was make apricot jam. There was just one problem. "Over the years," she says, “the one thing I have failed at is jam-making.” Not anymore.

If you know gardeners, sooner or later one of them will present you with a zucchini the size of a baby seal. When that happens, don't wonder if there's room in the hall closet. Make zucchini "crab" cakes. I told Nancy Leson about this years ago and she still hasn't made them. But you should. But first, "lettuce" praise famous gems.

"Hey Nance," I asked. "Do you ever go to the library any more — the regular brick and mortar library?" She sure does. "My Edmonds library has the biggest selection of cookbooks you can imagine." How big? "Bigger than my own personal collection." I've seen Nancy Leson's collection and can tell you that's a lot of cookbooks.

Nancy Leson says she's not the kind to clip coupons from the paper, "But I swear by that thing called the Chinook Book ." I was surprised to learn that you have to buy these coupon books, but Nancy says "You have to pay money to save money." All very well, but if those two-for-one pork chops you stocked up on are consigned to freezer limbo, never to be seen again, you've spent money to waste money. My totebag system of freezer filing prevents that and many of the other thousand natural shocks

As I suggested to Nancy, "Today I thought we'd talk about stuff that's really good for things you never thought to use them for." For instance? Squeegees. Sure, they're great for windows and windshields. But you know what else?

I'd never found a good way to make crushed ice at home. Pound the cubes in a dish towel? They fly out and what’s left sticks to the fibers. Put 'em in a Ziploc? It tears. The thrift shop '50s era crank ice grinder was awkward to use, hard to turn and yielded very little product. There had to be a better way. And there was.

In the dentist's waiting room, searching in vain for the latest Muffler Monthly I struck pay dirt in an old Sunset. "How to make a two-ingredient all purpose cleaner" with white vinegar and rosemary. Vinegar and water has been the sole cleaning solution in my kitchen for years but I hadn't thought to add rosemary. Since we have a rosemary bush the size of a small Christmas tree in the yard I gave the recipe a try.