Trader Joe's doesn't know beans about lentils

Photograph ©2014, Lori Korleski Richardson

I was going to make a refreshing green lentil salad from Patricia Well's "The Provence Cookbook" last week. Jim said he would go to Trader Joe's and get what I needed. Well, he came back with a bag that said "Small Whole Green Lentils." They didn't look very green to me, but I thought maybe it was just a variation in color.

No. They are not little green lentils, as you can see by the photo above. They cooked up exactly like regular lentils, only smaller, too mushy for salad use.

Luckily, the ones I ordered through Relay Foods were the correct ingredient, and that salad was excellent.

I sent in a product feedback form to Trader Joe's. We'll see if anything is done about this misrepresentation.

Ooolala - coffee with an extra kick

Using up the remainder of my Peets espresso grind Italian roast, it seemed a little strong. I thought back to my favorite afternoon drink in Provence, the cafe noisette, a small cup of espresso with a dollop of rich cream. Not having any cream on hand, just my ordinary 1 percent milk, I foamed it up and, playing off the literal meaning of noisette, added a shot of Torani hazelnut syrup. Umm, that hit the spot. Noisette, although it means hazelnut in French, refers to the color of the drink rather than the flavor. But I love the flavor of hazelnuts as well.