My Sister's Deli A Woodland Park Gem

 woodland Park is a beautiful suburb of Paterson ,New Jersey.it has a woodsy , almost upstate new Yoro Vibe thanks to it being located onGareett Mountain.  The area is loaded with all sorts of great eateries 

ONe of these is My Sister's Deli owned by Dorotea and Maria. This is more of a quick place to have a good  hot or cold lunch.You CNA sit and enjoy a sandwich or a hot meal with the kids. Granted the menu shortens on the weekend and you can;t get their tasty soups but the sandwiches make up for it

There are so many choices to choose from along with having customized sandwiches - which I ordered. It's big on paninis and sandwiches filled with fresh mozzarella ,tomatoes and cold cuts. You can get hot or cold of the first and they would feed two people. My sister's Deli also has a wide range of breakfast sandwiches featuring pork roll and cheese along with a wide array of omelets.

I ordered a custom sandwich of grilled chicken and tomato on a Kaiser roll. The chicken was so juicy that it deliciously soaked through the roll, amping up the flavor. The chicken was cut into bits which gave each piece a grilled crispiness. It was perfection. I could have ordered fries or onion rings with it but the sandwich itself was more than enough.I definitely will come back for a second time and many to try their chicken nuggets along with bringing home one of their many flavors of homemade muffins.

My Sister's deli is a great place to get any kind of sandwich  or meal hot ro cold. Head to the beautiful Garrett Mountain to eat here. It's worth the trip.

My Sister's Deli is located at 150 Rifle Camp Road, woodland Park ,NJ. You can reach it either by taking Route 80 west to Rifl e Camp Road or Route 46 West via Rifle Camp Road.

Feeding A Summer Cold

This is day three of a summer cold. It is miserable for anybody, for a foodie like myself is just torture.
Unfortunately the appetite lags as my taste for food goes south. What do I eat without upsetting my stomach. What can  perk up those taste buds?

Bouillon cubs have definitely become my best friends. So far I can get broth down and I always recommend having these culinary lifesavers in the kitchens.There are also excellent  for cooking rice in to give them flavor as well as being the base for light soups. Noodles or any pasta are also good because you can make a simple, easy to eat lunch or dinner. Try a light butter sauce or if you're feeling a bit more peckish add sliced fresh tomatoes, preferably the plum kind and maybe a dash of oregano. Toast is a must have.It's good with butter or just dry ,and it's an easy  meal to get down. Crackers are another , They good , just eaten on their own along with being filling. Smear jam on them for an easy dessert.I also always have fresh ginger on hand. It's the best bet in making a stomach and throat soothing tea.

One of the best things about a summer cold (if it can be considered that) is that you can feed it with fresh fruit. Any harvest, from peaches to melons are good, bursting with vitamins and antioxidants, Cut the fruit into bite sized pieces so  they 're easier to eat. Remember , that you'll have a loss of appetite to even going through a watermelon slice will be a chore. You would think that the season's fave ice cream would be the perfect antidote for a cold. Not true. Ice cream is dairy which causes phlegm = more gook to deal with when you're already snot laden. Go for Italian ice or popsicles. These are water based and are easier on your system.Somehow they're also more soothing too.Another  must is drinking water. We have to anyway to stay hydrated however a cold also dries you out too. Have fresh water, infused with  melon or lemon to make it more refreshing. Both hot and cold tea is also good.

A summer cold is the ultimate bummer. However by eating light and healthy you can make it tolerable. It'll be a small glitch in an otherwise bright season.

Tea Redefined

Tea is one of those ordinary must haves that no one thinks about and is used daily. However there much more to it than just a morning drink or a soother after a hard day, There are different types and different ways to brew this bunch of exotic leaves.It's more than just a  cup, it's a work of nature's art. meant to be sipped , not guzzled.

Newcomer Susan Chira wrote about this ancient and fascinating drink in yesterday's New York Times Food section, For years the beverage took a back seat to coffee, especially since the growth of Starbucks. That's all changing thanks to the same company buying Tea-vana, a throwback to the tea emporiums of the 19th Century. Tea sales have reached 11 billion last years and sales will most likely increase/ thanks to more and more restaurants featuring  the drink.    Teas vary and with them taste as well.Just as with grapes for wine and champagne where teas leaves are grown influence how they'll taste. Everything   from  elevation to soil quality , origin to age are important on how the final product will taste. There are even comparisons of the leafhoppers in oolong leaves have comparisons to botrytis,the fungus that is attached to Bordeaux wines. Even the prices are hitting the same stratosphere as the wines, An aged pu-erth is a whopping $45,000 for one cake of compressed tea leaves.New Yorkers can experience less expensive but still delicious leaves at such hangouts as Fang. This tea house, run by a Taiwanese family has more than seventy teas to try and at a more reasonable price range of five to ten dollars.

Tea lovers can try gourmet teas at home. There is a how to with the article, on how to brew a proper pot.It starts with the water. If the water is too hot it can burn the leaves and ruin the flavor. The temp for white tea should be 180 degrees while green tea should be brewed with water that's been heated to between 175 and 180 degrees.The same heat should be applied to the Japanese match a tea.Oolong tea requires more heat, from 175 to 200 degrees because of the way it's prepared.They're partially oxidized and deliberately bruised to release oils and flavor, then heated to set the taste. They range from the green teas to more heavily roasted kinds. Black tea is the hardiest, and has to be brewed to a near boiling 200 degrees.This is because they're completely oxidized. This is done by taking oxidized leaves and allowing them to wilt, then are rolled. This exposes the oils to the air. if you're lucky to have the unusual puer-eh tea them cook it to a rolling boil of 212 degrees.Also avoid putting tea in balls or infusers since they're too small to allow the leaves to expand and release their full flavor.  For iced tea go the cold infusion way,Take one tablespoon of loose tea, put in a pitcher of cold water and  let   it steep overnight in the fridge.

Tea isn't just that cup that's sipped after a hard day or as a thirst quencher on a hot day. It's a complex beverage that's as layered as a fine wine. Try  an oolong or white or the puer-eh and discover this.