So i was “testing out” i.e. eating the sh*t out of a product (icing) that has our cocoa powder in it and it’s really yummy; I must have eaten about a cup of it and then I saw it: high fructose corn syrup! Rats. Guess I won’t be cramming any more into my gullet. I can’t believe I didn’t read the label first, I always do. Sigh, it’s a shame because that was some serious yum.
A friend just sent me this incredibly comprehensive list of chocolate and chocolatiers. It even goes so far as to tell you which chocolate brands are carried at specific grocery stores. It’s awesome, but it only covers NYC and boroughs, so those of you still in the area should take advantage of it!! Go forth and eat chocolate.
I went to visit the Kate-N-Gabe this weekend in NYC, which was awesome and they rule all the schools. They just so happen to live right next to Doughnut Plant, who make the most amazing donuts (I like to spell it donut, not doughnut, even though that’s the more proper spelling). We had an assortment, but my favorite had to be the coconut cream, which is a cake ‘nut and not a yeast-raised one. Maybe that’s why it was so good albeit dense (the yeast donuts have a lighter texture if dense isn’t your bag). Also, the cream distribution was really good in the coconut cream; evenly deposited throughout the donut, not just a big gooey wad in the center. My favorite part about the experience was when a woman asked for a Boston Creme donut and the DP guy said, “You’re in New York, no Boston Cremes.” Haha, nice work, Doughnut Plant.
So once again the warehouse dudes score big time and share with yours truly. This time instead of bacon, it was piles of snacks, my favorite being the Cheez Croc-o-Doodle from Wise. I love how hip the Croc is, with his gold chain and his devil-may-care attitude! I also love that I’ve had a cheez doodle mustache for the past 3 days. Sweet Life.
I’m embarrassed that it’s been 2 months since last I posted. Shameful! But to be fair, I’ve been very busy at work and I started taking a chemistry class because I’m thinking it might be time to get my masters in Food Science. But, I’m still working things out and it’s a bore, so I’ll spare you the details.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned Claudio’s balls to you before, so sorry if this is old news. I think mozzarella cheese is ok at best and I wouldn’t typically nosh on a hunk of mozzarella if given other choices…that is until I tried a mozzarella ball from Claudio’s from the Italian Market section of Philly (is that it’s own section? I’ll say yes). This mozzarella changed my world! It is perfectly buttery and salty yet mild in flavor and the texture is almost that of farmers cheese; so fresh, soft and velvety that I could eat it for days just as is. The best part is that you can watch them make it right in the shop. Claudio will instruct you to eat it at room temperature and eat it that day; he’s the expert and I do what he says — he hasn’t steered me wrong yet.
First, I’d like to wish everyone a happy new year! I think this is going to be a great year, so don’t disappoint us, 2009. My poppy’s good friend makes the most amazing honey-it tastes good and it’s from local hives, so it helps with allergies (you ingest pollen from local plants and increase your tolerance to them). I adore honey in general, but Spitzer’s honey is special and I got a big ol’ jar of it for Christmas! Lucky me.
I just came across a very disturbing article about Chinese honey laundering; who knew that was even a thing?! Apparently, the Chinese use an antibiotic to keep their hives healthy but this chemical is potentially fatal to people and has been banned in food by the U.S. The way honey exporters have gotten around selling this tainted product is by shipping the honey to other countries like Russia and India and calling them Russian and Indian products. Tricky tricky. And it’s awful because many honey importers and producers here don’t test their honey for harmful chemicals. So, buyer beware! It is nearly impossible as a consumer to know where the honey has come from unless of course you have a local apiary that you can buy that sweet sweet nectar of bee butts.
My new tattoo. All I really wanted to do Tuesday night was go bowling with Liz, but this happened instead. I do love hot dogs!! Liz and Mike both got them, too and others are to follow.
I told my friend Farley about my dog tat and he sent me this sweet link to the drive-in movie song, featuring a weiner. I love it.
Wednesday night we reinstated “Family Dinner” night and I tried my hand at these yummy little cheesey toasts my yoga instructor made for us one class. She said she used blue cheese, leeks, garlic, butter and capers and smeared it on slightly toasted bread, then threw it back in the oven to make warm. This is what I did:
3 large cloves of garlic
1 large leek
1/2 stick of butter
1 package Danish Blue cheese (maybe 8oz?)
About 2-3 tablespoons capers
I put all of this in the food processor until it was fairly homogenous and spread it on my toasts then put back into a 350 F oven until it was nice and melty. I think I went overboard with the garlic; it was quite spicy and maybe there were just too many alliums involved. Also next time I think I’ll leave it a little bit more chunky/rustic. All in all not a bad little appetizer. I’m so glad family dinner is back!
It has been an obscenely long time since last I posted. Shame on me! Since then I have picked 18 pounds of apples only to convert it to apple butter, made sauerkraut, let it ferment and then canned it. That’s a long time! I’v also gotten my wisdom teeth out, had more oral surgery and haven’t been feeling like eating all that much, which might also explain why I haven’t been writing about food (except on delish.com since I am contractually obligated). But, I’ve found a couple rad websites about cake: Bakerella has these sweet cake pops that I want to be friends with and Cakespy is another cute site that won me over by naming 50 ways to kill a twinkie. Can they ever really die?
Now that I have my kraut ready, I need to find a good German butcher near me to get some killer brats from my New Year’s Day dish. I LOVE new years and robots, but that’s a different story.
It’s been a while since my last post, I’ve been busy trying to get a new car. I heard from a guy that runs a site all about Chocolate beer. It’s really cool, he not only reviews beer but he also has a ton of recipes on how make your very own chocolate beer. Check it out and if you brew any, don’t forget your pal Jenna.
