If I were a whore, I would be paid to endorse the following products. But I’m not getting paid, I have no relationship with these companies, and I don’t think I have ever even met anyone who works for these companies. I just want to share with my readers some of the love that goes into my dishes.

Products that I love:

- Applegate Farms Sunday Bacon: The price of this bacon has almost doubled at my co-op in the 4 years that I have been using it. I periodically get fed up with the price increases and I will stop using it for a week or two. And you know what? My food tastes not just different, but noticeably inferior. So I go back. On Wednesday I used it to make Bacon-Wrapped Jalapenos Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes, and Bacon. On Thursday I used it in a Cobb Salad. Always remember the first rule of cooking: Bacon Makes Everything Better. Come to think of it, maybe that should be the first rule of therapy as well.

- Armstrong Plain Green Olives: These Sevillanos are big, meaty, and brined perfectly. According to their website, Armstrong makes 45 different gourmet varieties. I don’t know why - they are perfect just plain and simple. Why muck up a great thing?

- Pillsbury Refrigerated Unroll-and-Fill Pie Crusts: I am lousy with pastry. It is a serious big gaping hole in my repertoire. Each January 1st for the last three years I resolved to take a pastry class – somehow, it never happens. If you don’t work with pastry crusts frequently, they can be a nightmare. Practice really does make perfect when it comes to pastry. When it comes time to making a quiche or a pie, and I don’t have the patience for several attempts at getting the crust right, I turn to Pillsbury. Sure, it isn’t organic and it isn’t local, but I don’t feel the need to be a culinary saint 100% of the time. These are 10x better than any frozen pie crusts I’ve ever tried. And easy enough that even a pastry moron like me can use them.

- Stahlbush Island Farms Frozen Super Sweet Corn– To help compensate for any guilt I might have for using a Pillsbury product, I use this corn during the 10 ½ months out of the year when I can’t use fresh corn cobs. Stahlbush is local (Oregon), they practice sustainable farming techniques, and they package their products in natural paper. All of which wouldn’t convince me to buy this product if it weren’t so damn good. Picked at the peak of season and flash-frozen, this corn tastes like August.

- Thai Kitchen Roasted Red Chili Paste – I use more than one of the Thai Kitchen products, but I use them mostly out of convenience. I don’t have the time to run to the International District to buy better, more “authentic” (for me, “authentic” should always be put in quotes) products every time I am cooking Thai. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t bad, I just know I can find better. I would still buy the Roasted Red Chili Paste, however, even if I were living in a mountain village outside of Chiang Mai. It is relatively mild, meaning I can use more of it in a dish, delivering a flood tide of its wonderful flavor. More than just chiles, it is tantalizingly complex, with a strong overnote of peanuts. I wonder how it would taste in a milkshake. Or a doughnut. Or ice cream. Or a yogurt smoothie. Or a pound cake. Or.......

- Wellshire Farms Chorizo Sausage – With 65% less fat than other chorizos. True, this is not as good as a true Spanish chorizo. Fat is an important component in any chorizo – you just don’t get the same mouth feel without it. Nevertheless, if you need to reduce your dietary fat and you don’t want to give up sausage, this is as good as it gets. Redolent with spices and exploding with heat, I love using this in my Black Bean and Chocolate Soup. Reduced-fat and gluten-free, these links also have no added artificial flavors, colors, food starches, or fillers. At this moment Seattle is getting dusted with snow. I can think of no better way to warm up than a grilled chorizo on a potato roll.