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."
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!
To There and Back Again...
It was another quick trip. (What an opening line. It sounds like "It was a dark and stormy night...") But quick trips seem to be the only type we make out to San Francisco nowadays. At least this one was for a happy occasion - Pop's 82nd Birthday! Since only three of us six kids actually live in San Francisco, it's just about the only time all six of us actually get together anymore. It's a wild and crazy time when everyone gets together! The kids, the grandkids, the great-grandkids... We are not a quiet family...
We flew in Thursday, and immediately headed to Big Joe's on San Mateo Ave in San Bruno for a burger. Now, if burger quality is judged by the amount of napkins needed whilst enjoying a perfectly grilled burger, Big Joe's comes out waaaaaay on top. I used easily a dozen for my "Joe's Burger" a half-pound burger with avocado, bacon, and cheese. Not a diet plate by any means! Damn, it was good! It's the type of burger that has to be cut in half to even begin to try and eat it, and one has to take bites here and there to finally get it in ones mouth. It's just too huge to chomp right into. Stuff goes sliding about, hands get greasy and messy... It's pure heaven!
It seems every trip west is a food-fest of some sort, and this was no exception. We stopped by and visited with Pop and then headed over to my sister Eileen's for dinner. Knowing we had gourged ourselves at Joe's, she mad a simple but rich split pea soup with homemade cornbread. Yum-licious! It was still early by California time, but late by Pennsylvania time, so, fully sated, we headed to bed.
Friday was another fun food day! We headed down to Redwood City to see our friend Deb who works at DreamWorks! After a tour of the studio, we got to eat in the commissary! Free Lunch! It was "Tailgate Party" theme in honor of the Super Bowl. There was so much to choose from! I had grilled sausage on a really great french roll, potato salad, iced coffee... There was fresh fruit everywhere, salads, nacho bar... These folks know how to eat! sadly, Deb finally had to get back to work, so we headed back up the penninsula...
We did a bit of shopping at our favorite lamp store - Lamps Plus. (I really wish they would head east! We stopped in and bought a new light for the kitchen. It should be shipping any day now... ) Then into the city to meet everyone at the local watering hole.
Saturday was Pop's official Birthday - and the official party! That, of course, meant lots of food! We headed out shopping early. Not only was it a Saturday - my least favorite day to grocery shop - but it was also the day before the Super Bowl. Junk food junkies were everywhere!
Loaded with supplies, we headed back to Eileen's to start cooking. The party was at Judy's, but Eileen has a better-equiped kitchen. We did a baked ham, stuffed eggs, macaroni salad, potato salad, spinach dip in a hollowed out french boule. Loaded up with our goodies, it was off to Judy's.
Judy lives in San Mateo, just down the penninsula from San Francisco. Great weather, great old houses. She has lemon and tangerine trees in her front yard, camelias, jade plants. All the typical west coast flora that I miss! And a great house built in the '30's.
More food started arriving. Debbie made a great ambrosia, and a huge crudite with every assorted vegetable imaginable. Sadly, Mike dropped half of it in the street bringing it in. Oh well. At least the dip survived!
These trips are too damn short - and we eat waaaay too much. I love the second part!
Happy New Year!
What better way to spend New Year's day than with The Mummer's Parade , and the Three F's - Family, Friends, and Food?!?
Today we will be hosting Christmas Redux. A gathering of relatives we don't get to see on Christmas. More presents, more fun, and, of course, more food! This is an easy party for us, because everyone brings stuff! I'm making Hoppin' John (because I can't fathom Pork and Sauerkraut!!)
The basic is...
- 2 cups dried black-eyed peas
- 6 cups water
- 3/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 2 lbs ham hocks
- 1 cup rice, uncooked
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Soak peas in the 6 cups water overnight. Transfer to large pot and add onion, celery, and ham hocks. Cook, covered about 45 minutes. Add rice and pepper and simmer about 1 more hour. Remove meat from bones, stir back in. Serve hot.
Naturally, I can't just make the basic! It's rather boring, if truth be told... I start out by chopping up a package of thick-sliced Neiman Ranch bacon, and sauteing it with the onion and celery. I drain the beans and sub 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups water. Add the ham hocks and simmer. Then it's a cup of brown rice, pepper, and Louisiana Hot Sauce! Yumlicious!
There's also a turkey breast in the oven. It was from Victor's mom, who received it for Christmas from the place she lives. It had a "Gravy Packet" inside that I opened, smelled, and threw away! OMG! The only smell I got was chemical! I pity the family that actually would use such a travesty! I mean, heck, REAL gravy is just too easy to make! I shudder at the thought of eating that stuff!
I also made a very basic Sausage Bread Dressing, and will be making the Cherry Maple Sausage in Puff Pastryand the Ham and Gorgonzola Won Tons later on... It's going to be an easy kitchen day for us!
Also arriving will be a baked ham, homemeade mac and cheese, salads, pepperoni bread, antipasto platters... Plus stuff I just can't remember right now!
I don't think anyone will walk away hungry.....
And nobody did!
Hors d'oeuvres for 4 or 40?!?
It's no secret that I have no idea how to cook for two - or four, for that matter! I think it's a combination of being raised in a large family, cooking professionally for so many years, and - probably more significantly - I'm just neurotic about running out of food!
Which brings me to last night... Our dear friends David and Linda were over last night. They only live an hour away, but we seem to only see each other twice a year - once at Christmas - our house - and once in July - their house. We chat on the phone, email, etc., but never really seem to find the time to get together more often. Dumb.
We decided that since we all love hors d'oeuvres - and since we usually fill up on hors d'oeuvres before dinner - we would just do a meal of hors d'oeuvres! An endless supply of small, tasty foods. Tim Tapas. Dineen Dim Sum. Lots of finger foods! I had a slight plan formulating in my mind for what to serve, but it all came together while shopping.
David loves little cocktail weenies, but Linda never buys them, so... #1 was
**Cocktail Weenies in a honey mustard sauce. (1/2 cup Bone Suckin' Mustard and 1/2 cup honey.)
**BBQ Meatballs - Small meaballs glazed in BBQ Sauce.
**Gorgonzola Torte - store bought from TJ's
**Shrimp in garlic butter and parsley - Rock shrimp sauteed in butter and LOTS of garlic and a handful of chopped parsley thrown in at the last minute.
**Baked Brie with apricots and almonds - Brie covered in Apricot Sauce with almonds
**Paper wrapped chicken although this time around, I used chix breasts, chopped almonds, soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions - a quick version, because it was a spur-of-the-moment-I-don't-have-enough-food addition.
**8-bone rack of lamb - the little chops make a perfect hors d'oeuvre!
**Lox on pumpernickel with a dill cream cheese and caramalized red onion - Whipped cream cheese with dill, worcester sauce, and a pinch of garlic spread on the bread, topped with lox, and then topped with caramalized red onions (once available at TJ's - I bought 10 jars when I found out they were being discontinued!)
**Pork sausage with cherries and maple syrup, mushrooms and leeks in puff pastry REALLY Easy - and yummy!!
And for dessert...
**Profiteroles with fudge sauce - soooo easy to make!! and...
LOTS **cookies and candy.
Needless to say, we had LOTS of food - and just enough leftovers for lunch today! (For four, but we're growing boys - we'll eat it all!)
The only time I really thought about taking pictures was when I was frying the paper Wrapped Chicken - and I couldn't run out of the room to get the camera, with boiling oil on the stove!
I really do have to think about pictures more.....
Cookies and Lost Christmas Presents
Once upon a time - before I worked in retail - the cookie baking was very organized. That was then, this is now... It's December 21st, and we're ALMOST finished. This is the latest we've ever been still baking cookies! Oh well... It keeps me off the streets...
A few misshaps, like the whole tray of walnut cookies that broke, but since we always eat the mistakes, anyway, it has a happy ending!
We have been rolling and cutting, filling and dipping whenever a spare moment arrived - and there haven't been enough of them!
Today I make the Amaretti and Aunt Dolores' Rum Balls, and then start dipping and decorating in earnest.
And while all of this was going on, we had another panic going on in the house. We lost a present!! Now, we have a bit of a reputation for opening presents early. We go to Victor's sister's for Christmas, and we don't want to lug everything up there, so... we open early. Okay... there is a REASON to open presents early... One can LOSE them if one doesn't!
Bowing to peer pressure, we decided NOT to open Victor's Secret Santa present early. What a mistake. Three days of panic have ensued. Simply put... we put the presents under the tree with our gifts and things we had to mail out. We were being good little boys. We packed up all the stuff to mail out - and then noticed the small present from Victor's fabulous and wonderful Secret Santa was missing! Can we say "Panic" boys and girls?!?
What to do... What to do?!? We thought for sure it had gotten into a box headed west! Oh my gawd! What if it was like a sex toy sent to my father?!? (Well - he could probably use one, but I digress...) A lost present is like one of the worst things in the world. We felt like shit.
Early this morning we took one more look for it - AND WE FOUND IT!!! It was UNDER the tree skirt!!!
We were so excited we opened them!
It's an "A Christmas Story" lamp and a really cool ashtray from "All Things Sicilian." Life is good!
Cooking, Baking, Work, and Christmas
Oy vey, it's been busy! It seems I've been spending an inordinate amount of time running around, but have I really accomplished anything?!? When I stop and think, I guess I've done a lot - but there just seems like so much more to do....
I got presents and packages in the mail (THREE trips to the post office!!!), presents wrapped and under the tree... more cookie dough made... shovelled snow... and dinner every night...
Victor was back in San Francisco for 3 days, so the culinary offerings at home were a bit stark. I just don't feel like making wonderful meals just for myself. Chili burgers with lots of cheese suffice! (I was on a hot dog kick for quite a while, but I can't always find good, old-fashioned, skin-on hot dogs around here!)
I did make a pretty good pot roast Wednesday that was dinner two nights in a row. There's still a bit more in the 'fridge.
The major cookie-baking day will be tomorrow... We are soooooo behind. Oh well. On the other hand, what's Christmas without a few panic attacks?!? ;-)
Off to work...
Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market
It's a great place to spend the day - and a lot of money - but the quality... oh...my...goodness... The quality is unbelievable. Fresh. Organic. Wonderful.
The Ferry Building opened in 1898 as the main departure/arrival point for the billions of ferries that plied the bay before the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges were built. In 1957, the Embarcadero Freeway went up in front of it, and sealed its fate for the next 42 years - until the 1989 earthquake. The freeway was supposed to circle the city and connect the bay and Golden Gate bridges, but when the folks saw what it had done to the waterfront, they said NFW! and it became a long offramp to Broadway Street. I have vague recollections of it being built. the plan was also to make 19th Avenue a freeway from the peninsula to the GG Bridge. (We lived on 19th Avenue at the time!) Anyway... The freeway came down, the Ferry Building went through a multi-million dollar renovation, and the Ferry Plaza Marketplace was born!
The shops are all high-end inside, with an organic farmer's market outside 4 days a week. Everything from Stonehouse Olive Oil (I LOVE their Blood Orange Olive Oil!!) to Caviar, and Cowgirl Creamery to Peets Coffe and other great foods. A fun side note.. I used to work for Tsar Nicholai! Well - I worked for California Sunshile Fine Foods - which is the umbrella company for all the different ventures. I was the shipping manager, shipping gourmet foods all over the world, as well as purchasing all of the specialty produce at the produce terminals in SF and at thr airport every morning at 4:00am. I also ate a LOT of really, really, really good caviar!!! It was a fun job!
But I digress - again...
The Farmer's Market itself is just plain awesome. There are scores of booths set up selling everything from Watermelon Radishes to Brussell's Sprouts still on their stalk. Every imaginable (and a few unimaginable!) fruit and vegetable all lovingly grown in Northern California.
It's a must-stop and must-see if you're ever in San Francisco!
Dungeness Crab
Start with 30 pounds of fresh Dungeness Crab, minutes off the boat (THANK YOU, NICK!!) add fresh, hand-made ravioli from The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market , add Family and Friends, and a good time is assured!
We flew to San Francisco over the weekend to visit my dad (I'm a San Francisco Native who moved east!) and my sister Eileen decided that since Crab Season just started, we should do a crab feed Saturday. Her best friend Renee's son Nick works down on the piers, and was able to score 30 pounds of fresh crab for us at a ridiculously low price. (It really helps to be a native San Franciscan!) It was a really quick trip - we flew in Friday morning and flew out Sunday morning. Not even enough time to get a proper jet-lag!
Victor and I headed down to the Ferry Building early Saturday morning (more on that later!!) to do a bit of shopping and see what we could find to compliment the feast, when we came upon a vendor selling fresh hand-made pastas. He had a dozen different varieties, and every one looked better than the last, but we decided on Arugula, Pear, and Goat Cheese Ravioli, Porcini Mushroom Ravioli, and 3 Cheese Tortellini. They were a great choice!
There's just nothing better than fresh crab slathered in butter and garlic (keep it simple!) along with crusty San Francisco Sourdough, and fresh pastas with a fresh sauce! Victor - the resident Italian - made a fresh tomato sauce that complimented all the pastas. His original plan was to make three sauces, but... one simple sauce sufficed quite nicely!
The crowd included Eileen and Mike and their son Sean, my brother Mike and Debbie, with their kids Bill and Katie, and Bill's friend Nick (another Nick!) my sister Judy, with her son Justin, and her daughter Jennifer, with 5 year old Tommy, Renee and Tim - parents of Nick our Crab provider) and last, but not least, my crab-hating father. We started eating early - and continued eating well into the night. Judy supplied a decadent Chocolate Cake for dessert, and a good time was had by all!
On a side note... Friday morning, upon arrival, we went up to the rental car counter to pick up our car. Chatting with the woman behind the counter, she handed me a map of the city. I laughed and handed it back, saying I was born and raised in the city. She immediately replied in thrue San Franciscan fashion "What School?" (All San Franciscans immediately ask 'what school' - meaning high school.) I said Lincoln, she said she went to Star of the Sea. Year? '69. She knew my ex-sister-in-law and all sorts of girls I know and knew! We talked about mutual friends, et al, as the line grew behind us. I miss San Francisco!
