Q: Call me a crazy Yankee transplant but, from time to time in days of yore, I used to buy hot boiled peanuts in and around Atlanta at various sidewalk stands. But I haven’t seen any such vendors in a very long time. I’ve read that some Asian grocers sell them fresh and already shelled, but I haven’t seen them in the farmers markets where I sometimes shop. Canned boiled peanuts are OK but just not the same as the ones I fondly remember being fished out of a bubbling briny cauldron and handed to me in a soggy brown paper bag. Please help before my next boiled-peanut-gotta-have-fix! Thank you. — Chris Drake, Atlanta
A: Chris, while freshly boiled peanuts might seem more scarce these days, they're not impossible to find. However, you might have to dip them out of a slow cooker rather than the cauldron you remember. D's Nuts N Butts is a small local start-up that offers handcrafted boiled peanuts and a slew of barbecue fare. Currently, you'll find the boiled peanuts in a handful of gas stations just north of Atlanta proper — Johns Creek, Cumming, Buford. Check out www.dsnutsnbutts.com, go to the home page and scroll down until you reach the map. Click on the locations for exact addresses where you'll find slow cookers filled with warm boiled peanuts — plain and flavored.
Q: Never thought I’d have to write to you, what with Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s right near me, but I miss buying Saga blue cheese. It used to be everywhere; either in wedges or small wheels at Costco. So far, I have not laid eyes on it. It is a brie-like cheese with blue veins; delicious, creamy and mild with a tang. Can you help? Thank you for your time and consideration. — Alleen Deutsch, Atlanta
A: Saga offers a fresh, delicate flavor of blue cheese that makes it an ideal choice if you want to introduce blue to someone who thinks it’s too strong a cheese. And, for fans, it provides the perfect companion to a fresh baguette and a glass of wine. This Danish cheese, which does team brie and blue, is made from cows’ milk and boasts a creamy texture. The most popular label of Saga cheese was Arla — a large co-op based in Denmark. Recently, Arla moved Saga to its Castello brand, and that’s the label you’ll see most often locally. You can find it at Buford Highway Farmers Market, 5600 Buford Highway, Doraville, 770-455-0770. Castello Saga blue brie is stashed on aisle 21, gourmet cheeses, and a 5-ounce wedge sells for $4.79.
Q: Our nearest Kroger has stopped stocking Montgomery Inn barbecue sauce. I discovered this product many years ago in Cincinnati at the Montgomery Inn restaurant. It is different from southern sauces in that it has vinegar and less sugar. Can you locate a nearby source? Online shipment costs as much as the sauce. Thanks. — Bob Perfetti, Johns Creek
A: The family-run Montgomery Inn is not only in the restaurant business, but this Ohio staple also is known for its mail order foods, including barbecue sauce and ribs. It also snagged the title as one of the top 10 barbecue restaurants in the country. Montgomery Inn barbecue sauce is available in two sizes at Kroger, 3651 Peachtree Parkway, Suwanee, 770-418-2377. You can select from the 20-ounce bottle for $3.99 or the 18-ounce for $2.79.
Q: I am looking for a product called Boots Botanics foot butter. I have searched everywhere and wonder if they stopped making it. I used to get it on www.drugstore.com, but no help there. Thank you for your help. — Marilyn Mitchell, Clayton
A: Marilyn, I spoke to someone at Boots and was told that the Botanics foot butter was, indeed, discontinued. I received information on another foot butter that comes from one of Boot's other brands, Champneys. Like Boots Botanics, Champneys Spa Treatments foot butter also includes shea butter and mint oils. You can order a 5.9-ounce jar for $8.99 through www.us.boots.com. I also found another mint-scented foot butter that, along with shea butter, contains cocoa seed butter. You might want to check out Bath Nation cocoa-mint foot butter. A 2-ounce jar sells for $11 through www.bathnation.com.
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