FOOD BLOG

My Bedol Water Clock here tells me that it's 2:12.  I still don't understand how this clock works just on tap water. I will interview Mark Bedol this week.

I want to follow up on what I'm eating after shopping at Fairway Market here in Douglaston and using some new products, especially this herb and spice chopper, the Wet and Dry Grinder from ChefPro.  I have been randomly throwing in all kinds of herbs and spices for whatever proteins that I'm cooking.

Re the fresh herbs...I wanted to see if I could make a broth using the stems.  I used some chicken broth, added water, stems and a piece of fresh ginger that didn't look like it would do well in cooking anyway.  OMG.  I would have added some of the kale powder if it weren't that I had a glass of the green powdered drink that morning. 

I am so hooked on the chopper.  I did make some guacamole...chopped a bit of onions, cilantro and fresh tomatoes first.  Mashed up a fresh ripe avocado.  Mixed and added some fresh lime juice.   Keeping lime for zest to use in other dishes.  In fact, I'll be making a salad and concocting my own salad dressing grinding up some of the zest.

Dinner will be pork chops with apples.  My thoughts are chopping some fresh ginger, a small piece of cinnamon stick and heavens knows what else.  Add some canned crushed tomatoes.  I don't bother with a starch to lap up the sauce.  I simply use a spoon.

Cooking is quite easy using my NuWave PIC and this great fry pan that I got from Bialetta Aeternum. It's a ceramic and nonstick.  Induction base, aluminum, ceramic. Signature series from Chef Fabio Viviani. I'm being very careful with this pan using only tools that won't hurt the surface.  It makes it so easy to clean afterward...but must use liquid detergent or the smells from what I'm cooking linger to the next cooking. They are all like that.  Just need to remember that everything cooks really quick using the PIC. 

I'm having a late dinner while I watch another episode of Downton Abbey. 

FAIRWAY MARKET SWEEPSTAKES

Living in Queens, I am on a mailing list from the Queens Tourism Council.  I'm sharing something that I received about Fairway

With a convenient Douglaston branch, Fairway Market is one-stop shopping at its best with an extensive selection of fresh, natural and organic products, prepared foods and hard-to-find specialty and gourmet products, along with a full assortment of conventional groceries. Enter QTC's Facebook Sweepstakes this weekend for a chance to win this special meat package from your favorite (or soon-to-be favorite) market. A $199 value!  All you need is a Facebook account. Visit us at facebook.com/itsinqueens or see entry form here. Good luck! Open only to legal residents of the New York Tristate Area who are 18 years of age or older.

Enter sweepstakes by Sunday, February 16, at 11:59 pm.

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 

 

RARE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR MOVIE

RAISING THE TEMPERATURE AT THE QUEENS MUSEUM

I AM SPIRITLESS

With Super Bowl only a day away, I was not surprised that the public relations company that handles the Spirit Cruises informed me of a "Sailgate Party" and invited me to partake.  I had previously been on a few of their cruises which involved a sailing around the New York Harbor, food, drinks, and dj.

Living in New York, a sightseeing cruise is more than a "been there, done that".  But for anyone who has not experienced one, it should be done.  Some have themes, such as the time I went to see Spiro Gyra perform.

Let's begin with what was supposed to happen according to the public relations company that handles Entertainment Cruises.   I first thought that I would be going on the ship called the Bateaux, a more elegant boat that's mostly glass so that you can see everywhere and basically no body blocking the view....great for photos, too.   The boat was to be boarding at 11:30 a.m. and it was "first come, first serve" regarding seating.  I checked on all of this that day before, just to make sure.

The Bateaux was not sailing, but rather the Spirit of New Jersey and the seats were reserved.  I had to board up the ramp and then climb down a flight of stairs.  When I entered, I saw a handicapped bathroom.  WHAT?  How does one who is more handicapped than I get on board?  If there was a way to board directly to that main floor, why was it not suggested for me?

The theme of this party is Super Bowl, yet other than my wearing an outside Giants jacket, there was one couple that had a shirt or whatever that bore the name of the team they were rooting for.

So, what did this all have to do with Super Bowl.   The buffet had "tailgate" food.

I had met a staff member who said that she ran the food.  The food did start with hor's d'oeuvres being passed around and we were then served a shrimp cocktail. The shrimp was pretty tasteless.  Like it was cooked, frozen and then thawed out.  Okay, I have to admit that having Fairway's no-chemical shrimp spoiled me.

No problem with drinks...I tried a few of their signature drinks and they were quite tasty.

Prior to the buffet opening, we sailed over to the New Jersey side to pick up more passengers.  So, I guess it was the first time that I saw the New Jersey port. 

We sail and the "food" woman came over and offered to go to the buffet and get a plate of food for me.  I thought that was just nice of her.  She told me what was on the menu asking if I wanted....I turned down having a pretzel.  I asked as to whether they had chicken wings.  She asked how many did I want. I asked her if the wings are whole wings or wing parts.  She said that they were parts and very large.  I wondered why she thought that my asking for 5 wings seemed a lot until she brought over the plate.

It was a chicken breast.  (There was a pretzel on the plate as well). I asked if they had wings and she said that this is what they had.  I told her that I do not care for the white meat and she offered to get me another plate.  Now, my friend had a chicken leg.  Does this woman not know the difference between white meat and dark meat of  a chicken, let alone a wing.  No chicken was brought over. You would think she'd bring over a thigh, at least.

A bit later we saw a nearby person eating chicken wings.  My friend went up there to get them for me.  I also had spare ribs and an awful macaroni and cheese.   I think the use of Velveeta would have been far better than what was on it.  Not sure if it was the cheese as much as it being overcooked...not like the crunchy kind of overcooked....just overcooked.

All of the food was tepid....you know...on the warm side, but not quite warm enough.  I was not interested in building my own hot dog or having sausages.  Where is the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile when you need it?

People were dancing and it certainly appeared that everyone was having a fabulous time.  Birthday celebrations were announced.  It was a success for others.

I'm making my own Super Bowl party at home! 

RIDING IN AN OSCAR MAYER WIENERMOBILE

I received an email from a woman named Amanda Vazquez telling me that she had been driving around the country in an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and on her way back to Queens, specifically the neighborhood that she grew up in.  Her parents still live here in Woodhaven just a few blocks from my home.

Why not go for a ride around the area?   We stopped in a few places to take photos as well as allow people to take photos in front of the Wienermobile.

I was give a wienie whistle. It is shaped like an Oscar Mayer wiener mobile. You place it to your lips and blow.