It's no secret that I love Target. Almost everything that I have is from there including their food. They have two great divisions, Archer Farms and Market Pantry. Archer farms is the more upscale and "gourmet" if you will and offers interesting treats and sweets. Market Pantry is more basic, offering everyday staples. Together they bring in an extra fun factor at this store.
Archer Farms is the more upscale of the two. With their candy line , Choxie, Target brings gourmet treats at good prices. The brand is made with the best ingredients and there's no skimping on taste. I am madly in love with their Chai cookie, a buttery version of the German classic pfefferneuse. It's a rich blend of cinnamon, cardamon and clove mixed with premium butter and flour. I can finish a bag off in one sitting. The raspberry version comes a close second. I also love the Archer Farms chocolate chunk cookies. This is a yummy blend of crunch and bittersweet chocolate. For the savories try the sea salt and barbecue flavored potato chips or the salt and pepper pretzels. This last is a neat mix of traditional salt pretzels dusted with a fine coating of black pepper. They're like little fireballs but oh so good.
Market Pantry is the more down to earth version. They have everything from frozen pizza to eggs to popcorn. They're great for supplying you with pantry and fridge basics like cookies, crackers and soups. I'm a big fan of their popcorn and 100 calorie packs of cookies. The popcorn is by far the best of any fo the microwave kinds.It has a not too buttery taste and is lightly salted. Another plus is that the entire bag pops , unlike some other brands that leave you with half the pack unpopped. The cookies are great!!! My favorite are the cappucino ones but I'm duscoveringthe chocolate chips ones are pretty tasty too.
The next time you head to Target go straight to their food section. This company has a dazzling array of good and delicious in house brands. Try them. You'll then think twice about Target beging your go to store for clothing and appliences.
Showing posts with label chai spice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chai spice. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Spice Up Your Summer
If you want to turn your summer into a spicy one then think about adding peppers and other hot flavors to your cooking. This season is the perfect time to experiment with fiery marinades and atomic rubs. Heating up your cooking is also a great way to keep grilling fresh too. That extra jolt add livelines to tired old wing and rib recipes.
What adds zing to summer cooking? Try any kind of red or chili pepper. These are great both as a dry and wet ingredient. You can mix dried chili with cracked black pepper and a little salt for some spice. Also a pepper marinade would be good on any kid of red meat such as steak or beef ribs.You can mix sweet and fiery as well Add some ground ginger or even cinnamon to the mix. Toss in a little brown sugar to a cayenne pepper rub for an interesting burst of sweet and hot. If you prefer hot with zest then add some garlic or oregano to t he rub.
Another way of spicing up your meals is by marinading them in a fiery sauce. You can make your own or add to a mix. A dash of red pepper flakes take the sugary edge off any bottled barbecue sauce. Some cilantro mixed into a garlic and lemon marinade will give chicken and fish some bite. You can also try a dash of tequila for extra oomph or some a tablespoon of bourbon (this is more for barbecue sauce).Experiment with tastes and ingredients until you achieve the flavor you want.
Add some wallop to your dull barbecue this year by adding some heat and zest. It will make for not only memorable meals but for some new favorites.
What adds zing to summer cooking? Try any kind of red or chili pepper. These are great both as a dry and wet ingredient. You can mix dried chili with cracked black pepper and a little salt for some spice. Also a pepper marinade would be good on any kid of red meat such as steak or beef ribs.You can mix sweet and fiery as well Add some ground ginger or even cinnamon to the mix. Toss in a little brown sugar to a cayenne pepper rub for an interesting burst of sweet and hot. If you prefer hot with zest then add some garlic or oregano to t he rub.
Another way of spicing up your meals is by marinading them in a fiery sauce. You can make your own or add to a mix. A dash of red pepper flakes take the sugary edge off any bottled barbecue sauce. Some cilantro mixed into a garlic and lemon marinade will give chicken and fish some bite. You can also try a dash of tequila for extra oomph or some a tablespoon of bourbon (this is more for barbecue sauce).Experiment with tastes and ingredients until you achieve the flavor you want.
Add some wallop to your dull barbecue this year by adding some heat and zest. It will make for not only memorable meals but for some new favorites.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Pfefferneuse A Christmas Treat
Germany and Holland practically invented Christmas. Thanks to them we have the Christmas tree and plates of sweets. They also gave us pfefferneuse or pfeffernusse, the staple of many a cookie tray. What would the holiday be without them?
Pfeffernusse means peppered nuts because there are ground walnuts and almonds in them. They originated in Holland where they were called pepernoten. Germans also loved the richly spiced taste of these cookies and incorporated them into their holidays sweets.They were brought here in the mid 1800's when waves of German immigrants flooded the US. They are a cookie not for the faint hearted. Pfeffernusse are richly spiced with cardamon, black or white pepper and cloves. They may taste too medicinal for the average shortbread or butter cookie lover.
If you do love these spicy little rounds the question is to bake or to buy? Pfeffernussesare about as labor intensive as any other spice cookie. Only German bakeries really carry truly authentic kinds. If you do get the mass produced store bought variety, then you're stuck with hard little lumps that have an unpleasant taste and glue like icing. (although Target has a chai spice cookie sold year round that actually comes very similar in taste to real homemade pfeffernusse) . The best bet is visit your local bakery if there's a good German or even Dutch one in your area. If not bake up a batch for the holidays.
Pfeffernusse is a holiday treat that can't be missed. Have a few for a very old fashioned Dutch or German Christmas.
Pfeffernusse means peppered nuts because there are ground walnuts and almonds in them. They originated in Holland where they were called pepernoten. Germans also loved the richly spiced taste of these cookies and incorporated them into their holidays sweets.They were brought here in the mid 1800's when waves of German immigrants flooded the US. They are a cookie not for the faint hearted. Pfeffernusse are richly spiced with cardamon, black or white pepper and cloves. They may taste too medicinal for the average shortbread or butter cookie lover.
If you do love these spicy little rounds the question is to bake or to buy? Pfeffernussesare about as labor intensive as any other spice cookie. Only German bakeries really carry truly authentic kinds. If you do get the mass produced store bought variety, then you're stuck with hard little lumps that have an unpleasant taste and glue like icing. (although Target has a chai spice cookie sold year round that actually comes very similar in taste to real homemade pfeffernusse) . The best bet is visit your local bakery if there's a good German or even Dutch one in your area. If not bake up a batch for the holidays.
Pfeffernusse is a holiday treat that can't be missed. Have a few for a very old fashioned Dutch or German Christmas.
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