Shelling Peapod

I have heard about this new service Peapod,It's a food delivery Stop and Shop that you order on the Internet. Then it;s delivered to your door. A friend of the family uses it even thought she lives in Manhattan. She receives even fresh fruit and vegetables too along with Stop and Shop's excellent array of fine baked goods.

I like this idea very much. One , as we all know, I'm a big Stop and Shop fan. I love their stuff , from the veggies to the meats to their organic brand Nature's Own. They have a wide variety of national brands too and there's always an array of stuff to choose from. I love the idea of food being delivered to my door. This is nothing new. My great aunt used to have this done back in her day. My schedule now is so hectic. I don't have time to head over to my local stores , whether they be the A&P or Stop and Shop. My schedule just doesn't allow it now. There's something infinitely practical about having groceries delivered when you're too busy to do the actual shopping.

Soon I will try Peapod. It just makes sense to me to do this. I have to devote all my time to the house and family.Going shopping will take away from that and force me to work well into the evening. That I can't do. The time I spend away from the house is too valuable. That's why I'll try Peapod.

Cold Spring

Foodies,

Thsi foodie has gotten the first really bad cold fo Spring. I am so dope d up right now I don't know if I'll write anything lucid or give the recipe for something odd like ocelot pancakes or pizza topped with herring and old shoes. (which sounds like a strange Northern European wedding custom)

I 'll be back tomorrow, hopefully better and less dopier.

Liz

New Orleans Back In Style

Yesterday's New York Times Dining section featured an interesting article by
Sam Sifton, about New Orleans. Thanks to the HBO series Treme , people, especially foodies are becoming interested again in this amazing town. It's about time people got back to it and rediscovered the great melange of creole and Cajun cooking.

The city is vibrant as ever with old stand bys like Maldina's still serving a good mix of Italian and regional cooking. There is also the Vietnamese influence. They came here as refugees after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and like the Cajuns adapted the area and brought their own spin to the local foods. Now there are many shops featuring the Vietnamese sandwiches,sort of similar to po' boys. Of course New Orleans is nothing without Emeril Lagasse and his restaurant is still thriving. Some people felt he had abandoned the city after Hurricane Katrina but he is back generating good meals and money for recovering New Orleans

If you have the time, visit this grand dame of Southern Cities. The atmosphere is phenomenal. So is the food.

Yes, I Did It

Last night's Eggs Benedict turned out to be not bad. The eggs were little dry but that's because I fried them instead of poaching. They and the fakin" bacon had a better taste and were crisper. This was a nice contrast to the Hollandaise which was uber creamy. I was surprised that I pulled it off.

Tonight I'm just going to reheat Chinese .(it's been a rough day here) and just sit back.I will be writing about the Times Dining tomorrow. It has a lot of interesting stuff in it that's worth discussing .

Now tonight go and did what I did. Conquer your culinary fears

Making The Impossible

Even though I've made Eggs Benedict before I always see it as a challenge. Why, you ask? it should be easy. It's not .It's poaching eggs, microwaving fake bacon along with whipping up Hollandaise sauce and toasting the English muffins.There's four cooking processes at once acting here and it all has to come together to form one perfect dish.

Funny how individually the four techniques are the easiest in the world.Yet combined - it has to be a strict ballet with every step orchestrated to go with the next.Poach the eggs to long and the yolks will solidify. Leave the muffins in the toaster too long and wind up with a burned mess. Don't whisk the sauce too much and yuck - lump city. That's why I meet this dish with trepidation.

I can't spend too much time on today;s entry. I have a whopper of a dinner to prepare. Making Eggs Benedict may seem simple enough. Yet it's more complicated than roasting or baking.
Wish me luck

Never Underestimate A Sandwich

WIth so much going on at my house these days I find it hard to cook. Right now I have a plumber snaking out my kitchen drain and trying to get rid of gook from hell. There's no way I can try to make a decent hot lunch. Besides I have to sort through a million things of junk that was stored underneath the sink. What to do?

Sandwiches. Luckily there are two sandwich shops in my area where I can pick up a hot or cold sandwich. I can get either bacon and eggs or a hot pastrami. There's also the chance of a hot roast beef or turkey ,with gravy in the cards too. That's what I love about sandwiches. They may belittle but they're just as filling as a regular dish of pasta or stew. Plus they're also easy to pick up and grab.

These times are crazy for me. I'm relying more and more on my local fast foods and grocery stores for quick easy help. Luckily I can also rely on my local sandwich shops to give me a hot, decent lunch. They 're easy to get to and easy to pick up. That's right up my alley.

When In Doubt - Microwave!

Lately I havne;t had any real time to cook. As much as I would like to make scratch meals involving fresh veggies and meats, I just can't. That's when I resort to microwave dinners. Yes some of them have more salt than the Dead Sea or as much nutrients as a Twinkie but they are fast. Not to mention tasty too. Stouffer's or Marie Callendar's provides me with that hint of home cooking without all the fuss.

Tonight I seriously thought about making home made baked mac and cheese. This would be ideal if I didn't have to shop, launder cook and a variety of other little things that eat up my time. I'll just opt for something that can be popped into the microwave, nuked and will provide a satisfying dinner.Maybe if I feel like it I'll add a green salad with a homemade thyme dressing.

Yes, thank heavens for microwave dinners. I can toast up paninis in seconds, heat up pot pies in minutes and create a full blown meal within half an hour. Don't be ashamed if you have to resort to microwave dinners. They;'re a blessing to anyone with a busy schedule.