Lancaster County Farmers Market at 6:00am
Let the traditions begin!
One of my more favorite ones is getting up right before the butt-crack of dawn and heading down to the Lancaster County Farmers Market a few blocks from home to pick up my pre-ordered 30+ pound Thanksgiving Turkey. That's right... 30+ pounds!
The farmer's market at 6:15am was a typical mob-scene. It may be the only time I actually don't mind the chaos and confusion of shopping. There's just something about the throngs of people - mostly in good humor - all shopping for food that makes me smile.
The system at Rittenhouse Poultry, where I've bought our turkey since moving here, is organized confusion. A score of people are in front of the counter, with even more folks behind it. There's no real "line." Someone shouts out for tickets, a throng presses forward and hands tickets over. Turkeys are found, names are called. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It takes less than 5 minutes to get your bird. These folks are good.
One woman behind me asked if I was in line. I explained the system to her and she started bitching and moaning, calling it "unacceptable." An older woman in front of me turned to her and said "These people are working their asses off. This is our tradition and we like it. if you don't, go to Acme and get a frozen bird."
The first woman's jaw dropped. Several folks heartily agreed with her, laughing and generally making a good time out of the chaos. Everyone was complimenting the folks behind the counter. Honest, heartfelt "Thank you's" and "Happy Thanksgiving" was heard everywhere. The complaining woman quickly understood she was outnumbered and shut up.
And then there was the woman who said she didn't have a ticket, but she had ordered her turkey last week. The woman behind the counter said they don't take orders without giving a ticket. (They don't.) The woman insisted she had ordered a turkey, but was not given a ticket. This was going nowhere, so the counter woman then said. "Okay. We lost your order, what size turkey do you want?" She was much nicer than I would have been.
I got and paid for my 31.5 pounder and took it out to the car. No way could I carry that thing and still shop!
Back in, I headed to the bakery section. 2 Italian baguettes, a half dozen bagels, and a couple of kaiser rolls were all I needed. (I'll be making pumpkin rolls tomorrow.)
Then off to the produce section for some leeks and the multi-colored mixed cauliflower and broccoli. It shall make a lovely gratin. I bought some cold cuts (we have to eat today, too!) and walked around a bit to see if anything else struck my fancy. With all the food we're already planning, I figured I had enough.
Other than a couple of typical Main Line "I'm more important than you" folks, the people were upbeat and in good moods. You really could tell the regulars from the once-a-year shoppers, though. The regulars were relaxed and having fun. The once-a-year folks were harried and confused.
I ran into several folks I know from work, and we chatted and shared what we're cooking, and for how many.
And I was home by 7:00am.
Hannaford Brothers
Copied from the New York Times...
November 6, 2006
The Package May Say Healthy, but This Grocer Begs to Differ
By ANDREW MARTIN
For many grocery shoppers, the feeling is familiar: that slight swell of virtue that comes from dropping a seemingly healthful product into a shopping cart.
But at one New England grocery chain, choosing some of those products may induce guilt instead.
The chain, Hannaford Brothers, developed a system called Guiding Stars that rated the nutritional value of nearly all the food and drinks at its stores from zero to three stars. Of the 27,000 products that were plugged into Hannaford’s formula, 77 percent received no stars, including many, if not most, of the processed foods that advertise themselves as good for you.
These included V8 vegetable juice (too much sodium), Campbell’s Healthy Request Tomato soup (ditto), most Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice frozen dinners (ditto) and nearly all yogurt with fruit (too much sugar). Whole milk? Too much fat — no stars. Predictably, most fruits and vegetables did earn three stars, as did things like salmon and Post Grape-Nuts cereal.
At a time when more and more products are being marketed as healthy, the fact that so many items seemed to flunk Hannaford’s inspection raises questions about the integrity of the nutrition claims, which are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration — or possibly about whether Hannaford made its standards too prissy or draconian. Either way, the results do seem to confirm the nagging feeling that the benefits promoted by many products have a lot more to do with marketing than nutrition.
Furthermore, the rating system, introduced in September, puts the grocery store in the awkward position of judging the very products it is trying to sell, not to mention the companies that supply the foods. In fact, most of Hannaford’s own store-branded products did not get stars.
A New Look
The TJ Recipe site has been bugging me for a while. What started out as a simple recipe site for work has changed and grown over the past several years - and the underlying structure was getting a bit unwieldy. There are now over 600 pages of recipes! And still growing!
Static cookbooks, like The Family Reunion books, were commingling with actively changing recipe collections. The back-end of all of this was starting to drive my somewhat orderly mind crazy.
So..... A new organization and a new look! The change may not be overly evident to the user, but it shall be a far cry easier for me to maintain!
So take a gander at the new site. I'm still looking for fun recipes to add to the collection, so send off a few of those, too, while you're at it!
Clemen's Market, Italian Sausage, and Polenta
This past Thursday found me getting a picture taken for my new driver license. I can't believe we've been here over 5 years already! The renewal process is a bit strange in Pennsylvania. One can renew a license at an "Auto Tag" store or online. I chose the online option, only to find out that I still had to go to the Photo Licensing Center to have my picture taken! So much for efficiency!
The center is in a strip mall in Frazer, about 15 miles from us down Rt 30 - Lancaster Avenue. I was in and out in about 10 minutes, and noticed a Clemen's Family Market in the center. I have heard of Clemen's, but had never been in one...
I'm not quite sure what the hype is all about, because i don't think I'll be making the trek back there again too soon! The store was nice enough, I guess, but walking in, it was dark. Really dark. With a brown open, exposed ceiling and low lights - and flowers abounding, it was decidedly cave-like walking in. Not unwelcoming, but not welcoming, either.
The first area I walked by was the in-store bakery. Some great looking products in cases, a plethora of donuts and bagels, lots of freshly baked breads and bagged rolls, and a stand-alone display of different sandwich rolls. Rolls with no price. I looked and looked, walked up and down, checked some more. No price. No posted price for me means an automatic no purchase. i walked over to the produce section.
It was colorful and the produce was nicely displayed. Pricey, too. I had done my major weekly shopping the day before, so really didn't need any more fresh stuff, anyway. I started walking the aisles.
One of my more favorite things to do is walk the aisles of a quiet grocery store. I love walking by products and 1) mocking them for their partially hydrogenated, overly processed, mass-consumerism, or 2) stopping and finding new and unique products hiding amongst the mass-produced junk. What i found strange about this store was how disjointed the aisles were. Walking down an aisle, out of the blue, would be shelves full of items totally unrelated to anything else in the aisle! In my way of thinking, items should at the very least compliment one another in an area. Finding vinegar with the cereal is not my idea of efficient cross-merchandizing!
I walked by the deli counter twice, and kept seeing the guy back there - with his plastic gloves on - scratching, fiddling with his hat... My third trip by, I saw a different guy pulling on fresh gloves. I ordered some sliced ham and sliced cheese. He changed his gloves when he finished.
I made it over t the meat department and did find a huge box of Italian Sausage on sale, or rather "discounted 50%" with my Clemen's card. I picked one up. I grabbed a couple more items - some red wine vinegar I keep forgetting to buy, a loaf of Italian Bread (the only one that didn't have high fructose corn syrup in it!) and made my way up to the cashier - a very helpful older gentleman who ran over to the customer service desk for me to get my discount card application.
He was actually the best thing in the store! He explained the card to me, told me about other places it is good, showed me the 'extra $5.00 off" discounts for spending $40.00. And he thanked me for bagging my own groceries.
As I said, it wasn't a bad experience, but it wasn't a great one, either. And since the store is definitely out of the way for me, I'd have to make an effort to go there - and it just didn't seem like it would be worth that effort.
Which brings me to dinner tonight! I cooked up a bit of the Italian Sausage - and it was very good!
I was feeling a tad lazy today! We had taken the puppy to the dog park, and got home just before the latest torrential downpour hit! (We actually received 2" of rain in less than an hour!) It was cool in the house, so, looking into the well-stocked 'fridge and finding most of an onion and most of a bell pepper all nicely wrapped, a pound of mushrooms - and my package of sausage - a bit of a sausage fry was in order! And... with a bag of polenta in the cupboard, a sausage fry over creamy polenta was definitely the ticket!
I sliced up 8 chunks of sausage, and sliced the onion and pepper into strips. Threw them into a skillet with a handful of sliced mushrooms, a splash of olive oil and some fresh garlic. When everything was nicely browned, I added a can of diced tomatoes and a bunch of fresh basil from the garden and let it simmer.
Meanwhile, I made the polenta. 2 cups of milk, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup of polenta. i cooked it, stirring now and again, and then added a tbsp of butter and a handful of shredded cheese.
Into the bowl it went, with the sausage and peppers on top. A healthy grating of Locatelli on top, and it was a yummy dinner!
Puttin' On The Ritz!
There’s something magical – if not downright decadent – about sitting on a tropical beach, steel drums playing in the background, and eating and drinking to your hearts content! Uniformed waiters with silver trays of hors d’oeuvres and drinks plying the crowd. Neon colored tables dotting the white sand… The glorious sunset over the ocean…
Sound like heaven?!? It was! Welcome to the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman!
We were at The Ritz-Carlton for 5 days of fun and relaxation, compliments of Victor’s company! He was nominated for – and won – his company’s President’s Club Award for 2005! Along with about 35 other employees and their SO’s or guests, we were about to embark on a five-day food-and-fun extravaganza, Ritz-Carlton style!
The opening night “Barefoot on the Beach” reception set the tone for the week! It was an eclectic array of food, to be sure! Fresh yellow tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and chiffonade of basil sat next to tropical fruit. Mixed greens were dressed with pineapple infused white balsamic vinegar… Coconut breaded grouper with mango salsa competed with jerked chicken and chunks of flank steak with red and yellow peppers in an Asian/Island inspired sauce. The freshly baked rolls were light as air…
Desserts included rum cakes and build-your-own sundaes, with every imaginable topping! It was approaching midnight when we finally said goodnight…
The following morning greeted us with a group breakfast. Fairly typical buffet, but the stand-out was the pastries. Okay, I admit that I’m a pastry fanatic and barely noticed the other foods, but for once I actually didn’t over-indulge. I was on my way to 5 glorious hours in the Silver Rain Spa…..
Well into the afternoon, after being steamed, sauna'd, massaged and pampered, we headed to “7” the resort’s casual dining restaurant overlooking the ocean. We started with a calamari appetizer and then I ordered a blackened grouper sandwich… just to die for! We actually ate light (well... 'light' is relative, I guess...) because in just a few hours, the Gala Awards Dinner was about to commence!
A lounge by the ocean was in order and we trekked off for a bit of sun and relaxation, first stopping off at Bar Jack for a cool drink…
The awards dinner was everything one would expect it to be – and more! Liveried waiters passing every conceivable food… Miniature Beef Wellington?!? Scallops in bacon?!? Fresh melon and prosciutto?!? Satay’s of jerked chicken and beef?!? I was stuffed before dinner began! But that certainly didn’t stop me from enjoying another wonderful meal! Our first course was a napoleon of perfectly sliced red and yellow tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella atop a crusty crouton. Drizzled with a simple oil and vinegar dressing, and topped with a chiffonade of fresh herbs…
The entrée was a New York steak – perfectly medium rare – with a puree of Yukon gold potatoes and (I think) basil (chives?!?) I’m having trouble recalling the vegetable… It was a julienned-blend-of-something-extravaganza. But the overall presentation was tres unique! Two 12” random-formed crackery breadsticks stuck out of the potatoes and vegetables, giving the appearance of I dunno… antennae or wings… Even after all my years of hotel food and beverage, it was an impressive presentation! A simple, but elegantly presented crème brulee for dessert… The awrds given, the last cup of coffee consumed, we headed upstairs, with smiling stomachs...
The following morning room service arrived with a simple breakfast of lox and bagels, a platter of fresh tropical fruits, and a brioche French toast! Glasses of chilled mango juice, and a pot of coffee later, we were on our way to swim with the Stingrays!
The luncheon on the catamaran was a simple cold cut buffet, and after swimming and snorkeling, we needed a bit more substance after arriving back to the hotel. Off to Bar Jack, the pool lounge for a bite…
Lunch at the Bar jack is a ‘box lunch’ – Bento Box, that is… I had a chicken salad club on grilled ciabatta, served with a tuna salad, peas and carrots – and a moist, light brownie! Victor opted for a chicken satay with a mahogany Asian sauce that was to die for! Served with rice, it also came with the tuna salad. His dessert was a rum spice cake. Fully sated, we headed to the beach…
Cocktail waitresses sauntered back and forth with their trays of iced concoctions. And then a gentleman arrived with frozen washcloths for us to cool our weary brows. Frozen washcloths. You heard me right. Frozen washcloths. I could really get used to this. But… we had to head back up to the room… More food was on the way!
Dinner was another treat! The group was broken into smaller groups and we headed out to some local restaurants. Our group headed to The Reef Grill … Appetizers were Crab Cakes with a jerk mayo and something else wonderful that I can no longer recall… And I was sober!
Entrées this time around were Honey Soy Glazed Sea Bass with a Thai Curry Sauce, and Coconut Grouper with Pineapple Salsa. Dessert was the local favorite Tortuga Rum Cake, served with vanilla ice cream and crème fraiche! The cake was moist and dripping with Tortuga rum… the ice cream that perfect consistency… the crème fraiche added that extra leap into gastronomic heaven… I was too full to move. I wanted more…..
At 7:00am the following morning, there was a discreet tap on the door. Room service had arrived with breakfast! Now, 7:00am may seem like an ungodly hour when one is on vacation, but we’re early risers, and we had jeeps reserved to explore the island! The early bird gets to eat more!
The waiter rolled in our table and began to explain our meal. Lobster frittata with asparagus and a lobster cream sauce, fingerling potatoes fried with peppers and onions… Eggs Benedict with eggs that actually had a runny yolk! A perfect hollandaise sauce… More mango juice, more coffee… I was beginning to get used to this! Really used to this! Granted, i was going to need a new wardrobe, but what the heck. Fat is beautiful in some cultures!
We picked up our jeep and headed out on our own… Into George Town for a bit of souvenir shopping was the first order of the day… Quaint and quiet best describes George Town. The low buildings and colonial look belie the money, for it is banking that The Cayman Islands are famous for. Tourism pulls in a distant second!
We stopped off at the Cayman Islands National Museum, and although it was closed for renovation, did pick up a few trinkets at the gift shop. And then it was on to the north end of the island…
Driving on the opposite side of the road didn’t prove to be difficult, at all. Of course, the roads were virtually empty. I couldn’t imagine trying to pull it off in Piccadilly Circus, but we managed quite well.
We ended up at Rum Point because, well… we were hungry again, and the place had been highly recommended. Again, we weren’t disappointed! I dived into Conch Fritters with a spicy mango mayonnaise while Victor went for a blackened mahi-mahi sandwich. We ran into several fellow travelers and spent a quiet afternoon laughing and joking, and eating….. and eating…..
A leisurely drive back to the hotel, and it was up to the room. We needed to rest up a bit, because Havana Nights was coming up! So we ordered a snack... Imported cheeses and fried calamari... We joked that here, "imported cheese" could mean Kraft Singles... but this is the Ritz-Carlton, after all... No such processed cheese food sullied our plate. Instead, it was a wedge of assiago, fresh mozzarella, muenster, and an excellent Camembert... Bottles of Perrier to cleanse the palate... Nap or shower?! We had to start getting ready.....
Papagallo Restaurant… What an experience! Again, we were greeted with uniformed waiters with trays of food and drink. Three bars were set up. Outdoors, there were beers and wines, inside the main bar was full-service, and off to the side was a Mojito bar. Mojitos… what a concept! Oh yum.
Right inside the foyer was a gentleman who looked to be 80. He was hand-rolling Cuban cigars! Free Cuban cigars! Perfectly rolled free Cuban cigars! I’ve died and gone to heaven – again!
The main dining room was a riot of color! HUGE fresh floral centerpieces on vibrant table cloths. Sparkling crystal – and food! The plated hors d’oeuvres included plates of fried plantains, frites, ciabatta-like sandwiches… A half-dozen varieties of rolls… and this didn’t count the food being passed by the wait staff! Letting the belt out by yet another notch, I dived in...
We were summoned to the buffet where whole grouper shared a carving station with a whole roasted pig… chicken fritters, seafood fritters, vegetable fritters… a marinated beef that was so tender it melted in your mouth. Shrimp cocktail, salsas and guacamole, rice dishes, and the best Cuban Black Beans I’ve ever tasted! There were salads for days, but I didn’t want to waste precious stomach space on foods I could get at home! I can do salad any time...
Speaking of stomach space… I was beginning to feel a bit full before heading off to the buffet, but did that stop me?!? Of course not! I was on a mission here! I had to taste everything! And by golly, I did! Er… almost… I really did try to just take small tastes of the different foods, but my taste buds overruled my brain. It was just too wonderful to stop.
And then… Desserts. Why they don’t put the desserts out first is beyond me! It’s my favorite part of the meal, and I hadn’t saved any room for them, at all! No two ways about it, I was going to have to take one for the Gipper… Belt out another notch... I heaed to the dessert table...
Creamy flan… Rum cake that dripped rum, chocolate mousse, a Cuban bread pudding that was perfect in every way. My eyes were glassy and glazed over... I was wonderfully miserable.
And then the music really started! Sexy, sultry Cuban dancers took to the floor and performed some of the sexiest dirty dancing I’ve ever seen! Hot, sultry… electrically charged… It was great.
The dancers headed into the audience to drag unsuspecting victims up to the stage. Any other time I would have been eager to go – I love to dance – but not this night. The only salsa that was happening with me had mango in it… Mango – not Tango…
With the grace of an elephant about to give birth, we left… We had an early flight out the next day, and I needed all the time I could get to digest this week.
The following morning came way too soon. Bags were packed and picked up by the bellman as we headed downstairs to our last bit of food before our flight.
I can’t recall ever eating so much in a mere five days! Nor can I recall more beautiful sunsets, a more professional and courteous staff, or a more perfect time, shared with some truly wonderful folks!
I wanna go back!
Is It Really Organic?
It seems everyone wants to buy organic these days - and seem to be willing to pay a lot more for it. But are you really getting what you're paying for?!? I have my doubts.
Ask most people what comes to mind when they hear the word "organic" and they will probably come up with something like a small family farm, free of pesticides. Bountiful, nutritious crops being raised with love and care. They probably don't envision factory farms laser-leveling their fields to be able to mechanically harvest. But that is rapidly becoming the state of organic farming.
Don't get me wrong. I applaud the concept of pesticide-free produce, but I'm NOT willing to pay a premium price for something factory-farmed - especially since the term "organic" is being misapplied - in my not-so-humble opinion.
USDA Organic now means that only 95% of a multi-ingredient product must be organic ingredients. A rider to the 2006 Agricultural Appropriations bill, written in obscure legal language, effectively nullifies a 2005 Court decision affirming OFPA’s ban on “synthetic ingredients” in processed organic foods while reinforcing a loophole allowing the use of hundreds of synthetic processing substances without review. It gives the USDA unprecedented power to grant “emergency exemptions” to allow non-organic ingredients without citizen review when organic ones are deemed not commercially available. So... is it organic?!? Or, rather, how organic is it?!?
And then we have folks who incorrectly believe that "organic" automatically means "healthier." According to both the USDA and the leadership of the $6 billion organic industry, organic certification is only an accreditation of production methods used by farmers and not an assurance of food safety, quality, nutrition or health.
In other words, an organic "Pop Tart" is still a "Pop Tart." Even Consumers Report questioned the wisdom of paying more for processed organic foods like cereal or bread, which have limited nutrient value and aren't always fully organic.
How "organic" is that milk you're paying twice the amount for? Is it coming from "happy cows" like you see on the California Cheese commercials? From a local dairy farm? Probably not. The above rider also allows dairies to use non-organic replacement animals!
USDA National Organic Program Standards require Outdoor Access and Pasture for Organic Animals and Livestock. Sounds pretty basic, right? Well... Would you be surprised to lean that more and more organic milk is coming from factory farms keeping their cows in confinement feedlots and barns? Oh, they're feeding their cows certified feed, but is it "organic milk" if the cow is in a pen and not in a pasture? Is it worth twice the price?
Not to mention that most organic milk u=is ultra pasteurized to prolong shelf life. Ultra pasteurization destroys proteins which is why ultra pasteurized heavy cream has to have carrageenan added to make it whip.
And then we have "free-range." One would think that free-range chickens have spent their short lives outdoors, enjoying the sunshine and grass, and fresh air. Well, it actually means that they had "access" to the outdoors - whether they ever went outdoors, or not. So much for the myth of happy chickens.....
Like "weapons of mass destruction" - a phrase that was never defined, leaving the individual to conjure up his or her own worst nightmare - "organic" and "free-range" have been equally co-opted. The vision of what we want to believe - and are paying premium price for - is not necessarily reality.
In a society that has put quantity over quality, it becomes the responsibility of the individual to look beyond the hype and labels. And if you're willing to pay more for "organic" make sure it truly is what you think it should be.
Reading Terminal Market
Wednesday was Victor's birthday. We decided to take a trek into the city and play. We just don't get down there enough - and there really is so much to do! One of our most favorite places in the city is Reading Terminal Market. The market has been there since well before the turn of the LAST century. The place is great! And huge! 78,000 square feet of food! Definitely my kind of place!
From its inception, it has been a mecca for Philadelphians and tourists alike. It has survived depressions and redevelopment. It stays on top of food trends, yet stays loyal to fresh, honest food.
It is a maze of aisles and stands, food stallls where freshly prepared foods compete with produce, cheeses and fresh meats, poultry and seafood. It's a gastronomic delight. A feast for the senses. I rather like the place a lot!
It's a place where every conceivable food is available in one place, from Asian to Middle Eastern, local Amish to Imported Italian. Coffee roasted on premise. The scents overwhelm the senses. The colors, the sounds. The crowds... Yes, it is a busy place!
We resisted the urge to just buy everything in sight! Having just stocked the larder, we weren't in dire need of anything, but I did want coffee. A pound of Vienna roast Sumatra (fabulous!!) and a pound of "San Francisco Blend" (so-so) were the first purchases.
We meandered through the cavernous hall, looking at this, commenting on that. It was a great way to while away the afternoon...
We then headed to the back of the hall where there's a seating area and an old upright piano. A woman was playing a pretty rough rendition of "The Blue Danube." Okay... REALLY rough! It only added to the charm.
Methinks my Wednesday shopping trip is going to be back into the city. And I can take the train right in!
Clogged Drain
Yesterday, Victor's mom noticed some water on the floor by the 'fridge. I brushed it aside, saying it was probably just an ice cube. Today, the water was back - and we hadn't gotten any ice cubes! Oh no. A clogged drain!
I took off the grill at the bottom of the 'fridge, and noticed it hadn't been cleaned very well, lately. Let's see... We moved in here 5 years ago, the 'fridge was delivered May 6, 2001... Okay, I haven't cleaned the grill since - never.
Out came the vaccuum cleaner to start the process... And then out came the repair manual to see what and where things were located. (Okay, I may not clean under my 'fridge very often, but I have EVERY repair manual for every product I have ever bought. Neatly organized and categorized.) I mean, I can't be a fanatic about everything!
The manual was extremely helpful! The first thing it did was tell me where the drain was located. And then it gave the most marvelous tip! Hot water - not boiling - mixed with some baking soda, and a turkey baster! Yes, boys and girls, a turkey baster! Fill it with the water, put it in the drain hole, and squirt!
VOILA! In mere seconds, the drain was running clear! There was ice build-up on the very bottom, so a bit of the same water and baking soda cleared that up, as well. Then, as long as I was in there, I pulled out ALL the baskets, cleaned them, the runners, the walls... and put everything neatly back. Surprisingly, there weren't any freezer-burned-science-experiments in there! I do work the food in-and-out pretty well, and about once a month, I don't buy any groceries and just work out of the freezer for a few days. (See?!? I really can utilize systems!)
What was interesting, was the manual stated you should do this during your "yearly cleaning." Yearly cleaning..... Riiiiiiiiight.....
I suppose at some point I'm going to have to get on a schedule.
In the meantime, the freezer and fridge are all cleaned out - top to bottom, inside and out. I have a year to think about this.....
Egg Coloring 101
Egg coloring is fun. And while you may not need a couple of kids in the house to color eggs... It helps!
Tradition since we moved back east is to have the kids over to color eggs the night before Easter. We get a few pizzas and settle in for a couple of hours of mess-making. Egg kits have changed little over the years... Oh... there's Star Wars kits, car-making kits, and every other theme one can imagine, but the basic is still there - color disks, the smell of vinegar, and the box that has the punch-out back to hold the eggs. I feel like Tevye singing "Tradition."
A Proper Cuppa
I've never been a huge tea drinker. Oh, back in the '70's I did my share of herbal teas and gallons of Constant Comment. But, it was living in Tahoe and smoking lots of pot, too. It was what was expected. And for a while in the 1980's I was buying loose tea from a place called "Cherokee Tea" in St. Louis (they're long gone...) But, usually, given the choice, I'll have a cup of coffee. Most commercial American tea has just been too bland for my taste. Just as with coffee, I'm not a huge fan of "flavors" of tea (the aforementioned Constant Comment, excepted.) They all have their place, but, when I want a cup of tea, - just as with my coffee - I want a cup of tea. No milk, cream, sugar, sweetener. Just tea.
And then we visited England a couple of years ago. Having a "when in Rome" mentality, I found myself drinking tea all the time. And it was good. Strong, rich flavor. Not the weak, bland colored water I was used to drinking. We brought several boxes back, and started imploring friends to bring us back more when they traveled across the pond. I started searching out different "English Breakfast Teas" and "English Afternoon Teas." Good, solid, black tea.
We were out west for my dad's birthday and ran into Cost Plus to see what was new. We practically lived at Cost Plus when we lived out west. We have furnished half our home from them and I was shopping with them way back in the '60's. But I digress.....
I noticed a box of tea. PG Tips. The box said "A popular British blend of the finest Assam, Ceylon, and Kenyan teas which produces a rich and refreshing flavour. The definative traditional English tea." Okay. Sounds like what I'm looking for!
Fast-forward... It's a great tea! And it comes in these neat "pyramid" pouches that, again, according to the box, gives the tea leaves 50% more room to move around than a flat conventional tea bag. So the tea bag works like a miniature tea pot. This allows for all the freshness to be released for the best tasting cup of PG."
I dunno if it's the tea bag or not, but it's a great cuppa tea!
SoupBase.com
Okay, I admit it. I'm a food junkie. An ingredient junkie. I just can't seem to get enough. There are just so many things out there, and so little time to make everything I want to make. That doesn't mean I stop, though! And sometimes fate has a way of stepping in and sending me off to new and exciting places.
Case in point... I received a phone call at work the other day asking about a particular Greek Salad recipe we had made. It was a busy day, I was trying to cook food, answer customer questions, and talk on the phone. I didn't recall the recipe off the top of my head, so I mentioned the website. All our Demo recipes are there. Search for ingredient, and all is good.
When I got home that evening, I had an email from the woman saying she couldn't find the recipe on the site. It seems the dressing she was using came from another store! not unusual for us. Folks shop at several different stores, and, like me, often confuse one from nother. I sent her back an email with the sad news that we didn't have her recipe, but I did offer to call around to a couple of the local stores and see if I could locate it. it sounded really good.
Received a lovely email back. She had remembered where she had originally bought the product. As a 'thank you' she sent me a link to one of her favorite places "SoupBase.com"!
Now, I must admit I don't use bases. They're usually nothing but salt-and-chemicals, and if I want that, I can use bouillon cubes. {{{shudder}}} But Soupbase sells Minor's products, and Minor's are some of the better bases on the market. I've used them in the past, and appreciated the no MSG, lower sodium versions, etc. And they do have a pretty rich flavor, for a base. So... One container of Clam base, cie vous plait!
While perusing the site, I also noticed BakeWell Cream! I haven't seen that in 25 yerars! It's like a baking powder without the baking soda. You can use as you would baking powder, but add soda to each batch of baked goods. It made a pretty good biscuit, if I recall correctly. Add one can.
And then I noticed Melipone Mexican Vanilla. Now, I *really* like vanilla. The vanilla blurb on the website stated "Melipone Mexican Vanilla is an authentic half-century old Mexican formulation that is made in New Orleans by Chef Reginald. It is named after the Mexican Melipone bee which pollinates the vanilla orchid. In Mexico, as in other warm climates, consumers demand more vanilla flavor intensity. This concentrated vanilla is 3 to 4 times stronger than ordinary vanilla and has a full-bodied, rich and creamy taste. Its unique formulation has a distinctive and delicious flavor and aroma which is retained at high baking temperatures as well as at the sub-zero temperatures of ice creams. It is especially delicious when added to coffee, milk, and other beverages. Add one to the shopping cart, please...
This was on Wednesday. Today, I get home after a birthday party for a friend, and what's awaiting me on the front porch?!? My shipment! Talk about fast and efficient! And what's really cool, is there is a cook booklet of recipes fror each of the items I purchased! There must be 60 recipes using the Bakewell Cream, and 40 or more using the Clam base! Plus a newsletter, and all sorts of other goodies!
The company has a lot of stuff I don't think I'd really be interested in, only because I make my sauces and gravies from scratch, but they also have a lot of things that really are fun and unique. And if prompt and friendly service means anything, then SoupBase.com is your place to shop. I know I'll be visiting them, again.
It's not like I haven't been cooking lately...
... it's just that I've been really busy updating our Totally Joyous Recipes site. It's close to 500 pages of recipes and food fun - and every page has to be redone individually. I'm taking everything off Microsoft FrontPage and recreating it in Dreamweaver. Once completed, I'll be able to update things easier and change things quicker. But for the rime being... It's work!