ONE PRODUCT LEADS TO A SHOPPING

New house ware products were presented at a “Sneak Peek” show as a preview to the annual Housewares Show coming up at Chicago next month.   Wet & Dry Grinder by Chef Pro www.chefprousa.com  led me to think about grinding whole spices and fresh herbs for various cuisines or just experimenting.   OMG my rubber chickens played with it!  Glad it wasn't plugged in at the time.

Needless to say, I dashed to the Fairway Market in Douglaston.  Hmm…new look in the health food area.  Forgot my camera but Chris, a floor manager, took a photo for me. 

 

Take my shopping cart to begin in the produce area for fresh herbs of sage, savory, oregano, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, cilantro and ginger.  Never had savory.   The cilantro reminds me that I can make guacamole and get avocados, limes and tomatoes.    Machine will chop the tomatoes as well.

     

That bottle of Naked Mighty Mango juice sounds really delicious.  I think it jumped into my cart.  Oh well.

Pass the deli and cheeses to the bakery.   Just had to get a couple of their almond cookie/cake…whatever it is.   I continue pass the coffee (OMG, you could stand there for hours just wafting the aroma) and seafood to the butcher.   Did I ever tell you that they make their own bacon?  

What proteins work best to experiment on?   Center cut pork chops, chicken wings and baby back ribs.   I’m about to go to aisle 6 for the whole spices when I notice the display of Fairway brand of artichoke hearts, hearts of palm and fire roasted red peppers.   Into my cart they go.  

I’m told that Fairway has their brand of spices, both whole and ground, in aisle six.   I thought about Chinese Five Spices as I got star anise, anise seed, cloves, cinnamon sticks and something called grains of paradise, a peppery one.  Another newee for me to try.   Cardamom, nutmeg and one ground sweet Hungarian paprika sounded like a good idea. 

Alongside the spices were various dried seaweed products, one of which was a sort of snack, like nori with olive oil.   Since I love sushi I might as well get a jar of pickled ginger.  

I would have bought wasabi if it weren’t that I recently received a sample of real wasabi form a company called…Real Wasabi.   The stuff we’ve been getting is a combo of horseradish, mustard and green coloring.   The real stuff doesn’t clear your sinuses.    Grown in the mountains of North Carolina, it’s a different horseradish…the real one.  Will be experimenting .   www.realwasabi.com

 

Off to the dairy for Fairway’s eggs, organic milk and new Greek Yogurt.   One is plain and perfect to marinate a pork chop or two along with some canned crushed tomato and with a combo of some of the herbs and spices that I grind. 

 

I think I hear my name on the loud speaker being called to the ice cream aisle.   I am a milkaholic and do not want a sugar substitute.   Here’s one I haven’t tried yet.   Three Twins Ice Cream.   Lots of flavors.  I read the ingredients.  Everything is organic, there is no palm oil or soy oil in the one that has Mint chocolate.   Let’s go for Dad’s Cardamom and Milk Coffee as well.   No guar gum or that other stuff.    You have to peel off a plastic thing around the top to open it.   That’s good.  It means no one opened it to check it out.   I did sample when I got home.   Graeter’s…I’m over it.   Three Twins and Mr. Green Tea are the best.   Three Twins is more of a dessert vs. Mr. Green Tea being palate cleansers. 

I ‘m just about ready to depart when I see a woman in the checkout area giving out some sort of liquid sample of a product called Garden of Life.   Raw organic green super food.  I’m game to try them all.   Can of the stuff holds a thirty day supply as you mix a scoop with water or juice.   Energizer had things like Yerba Mate, Maca, Baobab fruit and Cordyceps….whatever they were.   Tasted okay.    There was one with just green things.  Palatable.    They all have lots of green vegetables.   A chocolate one and an apple one were my favorite.  Okay, let’s see how they fair when having one each day.  They are on sale until March 5^th.  That means that I don’t have to buy fresh veggies to juice for a few months.   www.gardenoflife.com   

 

I had previously partaken in kale chips that I encounter here at Fairway and contacted the company located in Brooklyn.   Along with various flavors to include one with coconut and cocoa, they sell kale flakes and kale powder.   I’m thinking chicken broth.  Throw in ground fresh ginger with few other ground spices along with some kale powder to make for a tasty appetizer.   www.thekalefactory.com

All were packed in Fairway bags.  www.fairwaymarket.com