MEAL ON PIC

Having a NuWave oven and Precision Induction Cooktop can create a bit of laziness on my part when it comes to creating my meals.  For instance, the other day I decided to have some fresh Borsht.  I took a huge raw beet, pealed it, cut it in small chunks and placed it in the twister blender that I opted for with the NuWave oven. I usually use this small twister blender to make my smoothies. I added water and blended it enough to break down the beets into very small pieces so that they would cook faster.  I guess I could have used a grater but since I was using water anyway....

I the meantime, I cooked up a couple of hard boiled eggs. I don't have a small enough pot to cook eggs on the Precision Induction Cooktop so I used my stove top. 

I then placed the contents of the blender into a large pot that I use on the Precision Induction Cooktop and added salt and sugar (just enough so that the beets don't have that "root" taste). I simmered it on like a medium heat, while I got the rest of the additions together.  I pealed and sliced up the hard boiled eggs (don't you hate when it doesn't pull away from the shell) and chopped up some fresh cilantro.

The soup took all of about 15 minutes to cook (this depends upon how soft you like your beets).  I had placed the hard boiled eggs and now the soup in the refrigerator (after it cooled down). 

Now, the main course....pork chops.  I used two frozen chops. When I buy pork chops, I place the chops in portions and freeze (tightly).  I sliced up about an inch of onions.  I'm not big on onions...as they don't seem to like me.  But I wanted to add flavor with fresh items.  I also sliced up an apple (didn't peel it) and sliced up and inch of fresh ginger.  I used a pan on the PIC.  I put it on medium high just to saute the onions, ginger and apples (even though the pan is non-stick, I like to saute in a bit of olive oil).  I then placed the frozen chops in the pan and turned it to medium low...to read 275 degrees.  I put a lid on it.

I sprinkled sea salt on the tops of the chops and just let it cook. Twenty minutes later I removed the lid and turned over the chops and then let it cook for about 15 minutes more.  I tested the chops to see if anything was still pink, especially near the bone.  I like "sweet" so I sprinkled a bit of sugar on the tops after they were cooked to allow the sugar just enough time to melt.  Wow was this good.

As for the soup...I took it out of the frig, spooned it out and topped it with slices of egg, cilantro and a big dollop of sour cream! 

This is certainly enough for two people or leftovers for the next day!

JAZMO IS MO JAZZ AT IRIDIUM

What or who is Jazmo? The Bedford Hills based, much buzzed about and highly acclaimed new intergenerational rock band who will make its New York Premiere at the world-renown IRIDIUM (1650 Broadway at 51st Street, NYC) on Tuesday, January 8th at 8:00pm and 10:00pm.

The band whose members include Jeff Lasdon (vocals/harp/lyrics), Michael O’Keefe (drums/vocals/music), David Toy (guitar/vocals/music/lyrics), Paul J. Magliari (bass/vocals) and Al Orlo (guitar) will be introducing their new songs that are being readied for the recording studio and a new CD.

Here’s the scoop on this.  The songs that they will be singing are:
Cuz We Want To, Someone To Tell,  Love Songs,  Better Than This,  Heart Collector,  For Sale City, Sal Mineo,  Cigs and Beer,  The Blue Note,  The Bird of Babble-On,  Molecules,  Giving It All Away, The Other Side of the Map,   Angry Game,  and  The One Mistake.  

BIRDY, Downtown’s Empress of Song, and guiding Mantra, will be featured as the evening’s Special Guest Artist and JAZMO fully intends to blow the roof off the underground uber club, as they bedazzle the room full of expected record industry czars and impressively expanding fan base.   

Still want more info on Jazmo?  “JAZMO’S roots are firmly planted in the legacy of intergenerational rock and the power of poetry. Longtime partners DAVE TOY and MIKE O'KEEFE had been making music in the Toy Studio for decades after abandoning their electric punk project ‘Dressed For Success’. The band was an 80's fixture in such N.Y.C. venues as CBGBs and The Ritz. 1995 found the two friends still dedicated to their music but in need of lyrics for their tunes. ENTER JEFF LASDON. A retired promoter from Boulder, Colorado, LASDON was eager to share his poetry from his days of study with Beat Poets Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs.  Words hidden away for 30 years were the genesis of a marriage between LASDON and TOY.  In LASDON the two original JAZMO players had adopted an illegitimate child who would eventually morph from wordsmith to songwriter to performer.

Through a generous dose of patience TOY and O'KEEFE allowed LASDON to fulfill his childhood fantasy of playing in a rock n' roll band.  Call in old friend renaissance bassist PAUL MAGLIARI and JAZMO is a living breathing experiment gone awry!  Operatically trained and downtown rock songbird, BIRDY, has given the JAZMO songwriters a true rock 'n roll diva.  Songs written expressly for BIRDY are hits waiting to happen. This egg incubated by JAZMO and now ready to crack promises to produce a bird of another feather.”

Let’s not forget BIRDY, an astute businesswoman who is taking over late night downtown Manhattan.   An operatically trained singer, she left that world to record her own power pop ballads on a record label she is building to her own specifications where she will globally export herself, as well as other carefully considered artists, to a world she is convinced is patiently waiting for the next new tsunami of sound.   A studied artist in her own right, she has begun designing make-up that is as prophetic as it is strikingly stunning.  Birdy has most recently received high critical acclaim for her two Special Guest Appearances at the prestigious downtown event, ’Oh! You pretty Things: The New Romantics.’   Channeling Siouxsie and The Banshees, she blew the roof off Le Poisson Rouge.  She is currently meeting with Click Models.

For reservations call 212-2121 or log on to www.iridiumjazz.com

PEAPOD FOLLOW UP

I called customer service today as I was still trying to get to talk with someone at the head office at Peapod.  Let's take a for instance at a restaurant.  Health issue occurs and you tell the waiter. You are appeased but the information never reaches the owner no matter how important, because someone doesn't really want to own up to the situation created.  So, I don't get to talk with someone beyond "Consumer Affairs".  

I had been given a claim number to talk with someone from the insurance department.  I had made a comment last week that I had a concern of the possibility that in regards to the chicken, that it was poked or perhaps someone could have access to using a syringe and injected something.  Hey, with what's going on these days you just can't be surprised!  I wanted them to look into something!  

A few calls later got me the insurance department.  There was nothing to handle since I did not actually file a complaint with something that actually happened as a result, other than extreme distress and throwing out food.   So, we are now back with the consumer affairs department.  I keep getting the excuse that "things happen in transit".  

I called the New York State Agriculture Department to file a health issue complaint.  They will follow up on this in a week or two.  I called Newsday to see if they would be interested in writing about this.  They are not really interested since nobody got very sick or died!  The "if you see something, say something" doesn't work in this case.  We have to wait for someone to get violently ill or die first.  How many people just simply do not take the time to complain?

Peapod does not seem to have any intention of handling the health problem itself.  They did refund my money for the first mishap, of which I had to throw out food anyway.  It did not seem to matter that I wrote about this incident, talked about it on my radio show, etc.  She simply asked me what could be done for me and then offered to take off $25 off my bill.  I basically threw up my hands and told her that I wanted a refund on this last order as well for the distress alone.  They just simply don't "get it".  She did the "we gave you hundreds of dollars worth of food and that shows that we care". WHAT?  Perhaps it is a few hundred dollars to include the markup!  And with a company that shows that they make a lot of money, it is most likely a write off and should only be written off on the cost that Stop & Shop paid for the items.  

I agreed not to buy anything else via Peapod and that is not an issue for me.  The issue still goes to what I feel is a health hazard!   It's not all about appeasing me, but what steps are taken to make sure that this is NOT happening to anyone else.  My complaint and video should have been enough to take steps.  How long does the food sit on the truck from the time it is "shopped" until it arrives to my house?  If it is sitting in its own bin, what exactly is happening that products with a health issue of salmonella poisoning aren't being looked at?

She did the "this happened to you on both occasions and now you want your money refunded the second time" as if I am making this up.  Good grief!  I'm not looking for free food....I want safe food....for me and anyone else who shops Peapod!!!!!

PEAPOD'S GOT A LEAK

Peapod is a food shopping and delivery service that uses Stop & Shop.  The way it works is that you go online choose from all of the items available.  Most items that you are looking to buy that you would buy at Stop & Shop are available.

I go to a Stop & Shop located in Forest Hills in Queens.  Peapod tells me that the location they use is above a Stop & Shop in New Hyde Park, which is located in Nassau County, pretty much just over the border of Queens.

I go through the steps to place the order and set up a window of time that the order will be delivered to my home.  The truck arrives and one guy rings my doorbell and brings several bags of food, etc. into my kitchen as I tell him to simply place it on the floor and I will handle the rest.

He doesn't tell me that there is a substituted item and one that was out of stock as he is supposed to do.

I notice that each of the bags are double plastic bags and seem to be separated by the types of items.  The first thing I do is check to see what goes into the freezer and the refrigerator. 

There is one bag containing pork chops.  The chops, as you would buy them, are in the usual type of tray with the "sealed" thin plastic wrap.  The whole chicken, in a separate bag, is sealed in that heavy plastic that you need a knife to cut open.  I had placed both bags on the bottom shelf of my refrigerator so that I can freeze portions of pork chops as well as decide as to whether I want to cut up the chicken or leave it whole.

After putting everything away, I decided to cook up a pork chop.  I open the bag to find that the pork blood was leaking all over the bottom of the bag.  I certainly complained to Peapod and did get some satisfaction.  However, the next day I decided to open the bag with the chicken and make a decision.  That bag was swimming in chicken blood.  Peapod had apologized saying that the seal around the pork could have opened due to the shipment being rattled.   How in the world can the chicken blood get out of that heavy plastic wrap unless a hole was poked? They could not come up with an answer.

I was livid and after a few conversations with Peapod I had told them that I would have to file a complaint with the health department.  They then said that they were going to have their insurance company call me.

It should suffice to say that I had to throw out items that might have come in contact with the pork and chicken.  As a gesture of good will, they said that they would not charge me for that delivery and re-ship the same list.

The food arrives and again I ask the guy to place it on my kitchen floor.   I pick up the bag (single plastic bag this time) with the pork chops and place it on my kitchen counter to check.   Guess what?  You got it!  Not only is the pork blood swimming in the bag but I look back at the floor where the guy placed it and there is now pork blood on the floor.  So I now have to clean up not only the counter top but the floor.

You would think that they would have made sure that there was no leakage.   This time I took photos and video, which I will upload soon. I certainly will not feel badly about filing a complaint with the health department.  Oh...the chicken was not leaking.

According to Peapod, "Our mission is to build a strong foundation of consumer confidence by offering safe, wholesome, and high quality foods from clean, modern, and attractive facilities. At Peapod, LLC we actively promote safe food handling through established policies and procedures, associate training, and educational programs."   If this is true, how does this happen twice and if the second bag with the pork chops leaked on my floor before I picked it up, where else did it already leak in the truck? 

I want to make it clear in the video...I said, "Stop and Shop" when I meant to say, "Peapod".  

LES MIZ DEFINITELY NOT A SNOOZER

Les Miserables has certainly had its version in film as a non-musical, on Broadway as a musical and can now be enjoyed at a favorite movie theatre near you in a star studded in-your-face musical.   In fact, if you take advantage of viewing it at the AMC Theatre in Fresh Meadows (Horace Harding Expressway and 190^th Street) , your reserved seat is a plush reclining chair (reclines to various positions) with a cup holder.  So relaxing that it is best not to go if you haven’t had a prior good night’s sleep as the running time is 157 minutes…you figure it out.

There are actually those who have never seen a version of Les Miz (as we have no learned to call it).  So here is the plot, quoted from Wikipedia. “In 1815, convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is released on parole by prison guard Javert (Russell Crowe) after serving a nineteen-year sentence. He is offered food and shelter by the Bishop of Digne (Colm Wilkinson), but later steals the Bishop's silver during the night. He is caught by the authorities, but the Bishop says that the silver was given as a gift, and secures Valjean's release. Genuinely touched by the Bishop's love, grace and generosity, Valjean breaks his parole and vows to start an honest life under a new identity. Javert swears he will bring the escaped convict to justice.

Eight years later, Valjean has become a factory owner and mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. Fantine (Anne Hathaway), one of his workers, is discovered to be sending money to her illegitimate daughter, Cosette (Isabelle Allen), who lives with the unscrupulous Thenardiers (Sacha Baraon Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter) and their daughter Eponine (Natalya Angel Wallace), and is dismissed by the foreman (Michael Jibson). Left with no option, Fantine turns to prostitution. During an argument with an abusive customer, Javert, now a police inspector, arrests Fantine, but Valjean intercedes and takes her to a hospital.”  Editor’s Note…this is around the time that Hathaway sings, “I Dreamed A Dream”.

Later, Valjean learns that a man believed to be him has been arrested. Unable to condemn an innocent man, Valjean reveals his identity to the court before departing for the hospital. There he promises a dying Fantine that he will look after her daughter. After escaping Javert, Valjean finds Cosette and pays the Thénardiers to allow him to take her, and promises to be like a father to her.”

Nine years later, Jean Maximilien Lamarque, the only government official sympathetic toward the poor, is nearing death. Students Marius Pontmercy (Eddie Redmayne) and Enjolras (Aaron Tveit), together with street urchin Gavroche (Daniel Huttlestone), discuss fomenting revolution. Later Marius catches a glimpse of Cosette (Amanca Seyfried), now a young woman, and instantly falls in love with her. Meanwhile, despite Cosette's questioning, Valjean refuses to tell her about his past or Fantine.”

At a café, Enjolras organizes a group of idealistic students as Lamarque's death is announced. Meanwhile, Éponine (Samantha Barks), now Marius's friend, leads him to Cosette, where the two profess their love for one another. Lamenting that her secret love for Marius will never be reciprocated, Éponine fatalistically decides to join the revolution. Later, an attempted robbery of Valjean's house makes him mistakenly think that Javert has discovered him, and he flees with Cosette. As they leave, Enjolras rallies the Parisians to revolt, and Cosette sends a farewell letter to Marius.”

Enough with the plot.  What I truly enjoyed about this version is being able to clearly see the expressions of each actor as they sang…if you haven’t seen the Broadway show…there’s no dialogue.  Add the sets that you simply can’t get from a Broadway version as well as knowing that these actors are doing their own singing and a good job of it.   I never realized that Hathaway had a singing talent until now and I cannot imagine that this movie will not win loads of nominations (let alone, awards).   Not to missed!

Here’s the logistics.  The AMC Theatre in Fresh Meadows charges a mere $6 for shows before noon and this one appears to be starting the run at 11:40 a.m. Seats are reserved so give yourself an extra 15 minutes if you want to skip the previews. You may not be able to get a 32-ounce cup, but there are free refills. Not only do they have machines that dispense a wide variety of sodas and water, but you can add a flavor.  I chose Sprite with a cherry flavor.  

Food area has a little better than your typical movie food, such as packaged hummus and turkey slices with crackers as well as chicken sliders.

Just steps away from the theatre is a new restaurant called Bud’s Ale House. Had to check it out for lunch.  You know how difficult is it to find a restaurant that uses fresh chicken wings?  Get this. Available on or off the bone with or without breading and your choice of sauces. Choose 8, 16 or 24 pieces. Sauces are: Southern Gold, Sweet Teriyaki, Lemon Pepper, Chesapeake, Kick ‘in Bourbon, Bud’s Specialty, Spicy Buffalo, Chipotle Citrus, Cayenne Pepper and Cannonball BBQ.  Blue cheese or ranch for dipping.  

Appetizer?  Bud’s Irish Nachos.  No nachos but piled high kettle cooked potato chips…yes, they make their own.  Just thick enough for the piled high fixings of queso sauce, crumbled bacon, Pico de Galo, sour cream and scallions.   Show them your movie ticket stub and get 10% off your bill. 

NETFLIX NIXED

Netflix wanted me back and willing to give me a one month free trial.  Competition is high with video rentals in both being sent snail mail and streaming online.  The deal is that for one month I can get a DVD sent, send it back and get another one, until a month later.   I can also stream as many movies, tv shows, etc. as I want.  Needless to say the streaming movies are not any of the latest and there are not many shows that if I have already missed, is most likely not important enough for me to see. 

Fios, for instance, offers free "on demand" stuff, mostly tv programs, so if I missed an episode of Glee, I could see that.  There never seems to be a movie on demand that I want to see for free.  Fios claims that the movies that they have on demand that you pay for come out before Netflix. 

The advantage to any of this is that you can sit at home in your underwear, if you choose, stop the movie, prepare your meal, go back, stop the movie, continue preparing you meal.....you got it.  The cost is pretty good as it is not per person as in "going to a movie theatre". 

Then, again, there is your "plan" with Fios, Directtv, etc. that can include a whole bunch of premium movie channels. 

So, let's get back to Netflix.  I received a movie on Friday.  It skipped a bit and was annoying to watch. I let them know.  I send it back on Saturday.  They can't receive it on Sunday and I don't get an email on Monday that says that they received it.   I call Netflix and speak with supervisor  Michael, number 87341750.   It occurred to me that if they didn't receive it on Monday that they certainly won't receive it on Tuesday, a holiday.   They will most likely receive it on Wednesday and send out the next one on my list, which I won't receive until Thursday, the earliest.  

I'm asking, in order to view Netflix as something that I would continue, to send me the next two on my list at one time.  After all, they wouldn't want me to get the sense that for the offered price, I wind up with one per week, even though I send it back the next day.

Michael is not a very good public relations person.  He and the first person I spoke with just keep telling me that there is a three day period for them to receive the DVD back and if they don't they could look into considering it as being lost.  That and their not accounting for the postal days.  This has nothing to do with the conversation on hand.  He just didn't want to give me a free DVD.  "If we do this for one customers, etc."

When the exact date hits I will cancel.  They are certainly going to ask me why.   I will tell them that Netflix's staff is totally clueless when it comes to public relations and wanting to keep a customer.

CARNIVAL MADE MY STOMACH TURN

There is a Chinese Restaurant on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven called Carnival House.  They've been around for a long time.  I tend to get something there if I want it delivered, although I haven't placed an order in quite a while. I didn't have a menu, concluding that I must have thrown it out.  I guess there was a reason.

I was simply in the mood for some boneless spare ribs and fried chicken wings.  One thing that I remembered about this restaurant was that when you buy chicken wings they are not wing parts, but whole wings.  The last time the price was about $3 for 4 wings and they were not small sized wings.

Was it a change in management or simply not caring about quality?   The boneless ribs had a bit of a weird taste.  Considering the size of the take-out restaurant that has a few tables, I believe that the rib slabs are already marinated when they receive them and they simply brush the slabs with a packaged bbq sauce and place it under the broiler.  When done, they slice it up.

The wings were an even bigger....or should I say "smaller" disappointment.  I received 4 regular sized wings and certainly not worth a buck a wing.

If you place an order that's $10, they give you a choice of a free can of soda, egg roll or soup.  They didn't ask me and delivered a can of just about un-fizzled Coca Cola.  I don't drink carbonated beverages, let alone Coca Cola.

So I wound up costing me over $10 (tax and tip) for an "Un-happy Meal".   For that price I could go to the Genting Palace and get a lunch of all you can eat dim sum!

Oy, I don't feel too well. I think the restaurant made my stomach turn.