Lolli and Pops A New Fashioned Candy Store

Everyone of a certain age  has memories of their local candy store. It was a place to enjoy favorite treats and to try new concoctions. Sadly they went the way of Main Street America - that was until Lolli & Pops came along.This is an old fashioned candy story with a modern twist.

I discovered this fun paeon to all things sugary on a trip to my local mall. I hadn';t been to it in a long time.(three years!!!) and was curious if it had changed. It had and one store stood out  -Lolli & Pops, It looked intriguing .It smelled heavenly.The aroma of chocolate lured me into this Candyland of a shop. At first glance it looked like James Candy in Atlantic City. There were homemade sea salt caramels, homemade marshmallows, cocoa dusted truffles and rich bars, filled with peppermint or nuts. Those alone were dazzling but other treats caught my eye . British sweets such as the tangy Wine Gums and creamy Maltezers, There were marshmallow gummy treats from China along with rice candy (!). Mexican Chupa Chup lollipops shared the spotlight with German Kindereggs.There's a whole section dedicated to gummy bears  with even a giant seven foot bear in the middle of the display.. Every color, every flavor was there  in plexiglass tubs waiting to be put in plastic bags to take home.Not to be outdone, there was a section devoted to American classics, that is a shrine to every Yank's youth  Cow Tales, those brown and white wonders share a shelf with those crazy Eighties Pop Rocks and traditional Necco Wafers.You can satisfy a Smarties craving at Lolli & Pops too..

Chocolate is big here. I  bought the dark chocolate covered dried cranberries. but had the choice of other milk and bitter  chocolate goodies. The cranberries were tasty with the right amount of chew and glossy chocolate. Next visit ,I'm definitely buying the chocolate covered blueberries. Other fun aspect of the store is that you can also buy macarons in almost every flavor imaginable.Again these are on my radar to try and to gift. They also have rich petit fours - definitely unusual for a sweet shop. Alongside of these are hand dipped caramels , bonbons of every flavor and orange slices.It wouldn't be a candy store without candy bars.Lolli & Pop's have ones that have toffee laced through them as well as ones riddled with almonds and peppermint.Some are filled with unusual flavors such as pretzels and potato chips. The store even has its' own hot cocoa, sold in quaint old fashioned milk bottles.Again another fun thing on my radar.What is great about Lolli & Pops is that they also make up  amazing gift baskets. They are reasonably priced and reflects every candy and chocolate lover's passion.

Lolli & Pops are the new old fashioned candy store. Chocoholics and sweets lovers will have a field day here. They really will feel like a kid in a candy shop.

A Crock Of Goodness

This was the Christmas when I received my first (!) crock pot.

It's a small  one, meant for cooking meals , desserts or even snacks for two .The brand is Crockpot  bought at our local Target. It's something that I wanted after covering a New York Times Food section piece on the Instant Pots. Those have a variety of settings and can do a  wide array of different slow cooking methods. Unfortunately they were 1) too expensive - I didn't want my family to spend seventy dollars on a gadget I'll  onlyuse a few times a year and 2) something that's going to take up most of my kitchen table. This one was inexpensive - only$8.99 and small enough I can effortlessly put on my kitchen counter.The crock is also super easy to clean. I don;t have to wrangle a large pot in my sink.I also don't have to deal with heaps of leftovers either.It makes enough for two which is perfect.

Of course I had to get Linda Larsen's The Complete Slow Cooking For Two

 (Sonoma Press)I love this book. As you can seen from the crock picture, I'm making her apple-pear sauce. I've always wanted to make apple sauce. There are some legendary stories in my family's culinary history and I wanted to add to them. Besides it 's a low calorie dessert that I made just a smidge healthier by adding agave syrup. I am planning on making chili soon in this along with a tasty sounding Indian cauliflower-potato soup along with rice stuffed peppers.There's a great tomato soup recipe that I'd love to make as well. Rice pudding comes out at its' creamiest when slow cooked and Ms. Larsen's book has several recipes I want to try. her lemon rice pudding as well as her  chocolate cherry lava cake. There is even some yummy sounding bread puddings too.

This crockpot is going to change the way I cook meals and make dessert.It will definitely be incorporated in my routines. I'm  looking forward to trying more recipes and  sharing them.

Cabin Fever Recipes

January is the month to stay indoors. Between monster snow storms and negative temps, it doesn't pay to go outside - which means time indoors. Instead of bingeing on TV or playing games, think kitchen. There's a lot of fun foods to cook and bake.

A snow day in can bring forth the urge to bake. Have plenty  of flour and sugar.available as well as baking staples such as eggs,milk, and sugar. Kids love cutting out and decorating cookies. Sugar and butter cookies are easy to make and cut out. They can have fun creating edible snowflakes or snowmen.If you did this for the holidays just past, then think about sandwich cookies. Vanilla cookies can have a dark fudge buttercream filling or vice versa. You could also make Lindser tortes if you have any raspberry jam.Brownies are another cold weather fave. Always have one or two boxes of mix around . They're wonderful with hot tea or coffee after a morning of shoveling snow. A day in can also mean honing your decorating skills.Spend time either on a cake or cupcakes, creating leaves and rosettes or trying new techniques such as striping or creating frosting ribbons. If you want something a tad healthier, think galettes. These are free form pies  usually filled with apples. You can also sub in pears too along with changing the crust to chocolate. They can even be miniaturized for a fun dessert.Kids can also make candy during these frosty days too. Homemade fudge is always welcome as are homemade sea salt caramels and chocolate covered pretzels.

Savory foods can also be cooked up when it's better to stay indoors. Most home chefs usually make pizza when everybody is indoors. It's what everyone loves and it can be customized with pepperoni slices or olives. Try calzones for a different spin. Their name means big sock in Italian and that's what they kind of are They are little sacks of pizza dough filled with creamy ricotta and ham.it's baked like a pizza until the dough is crispy and puffy  and then served with marinara sauce. A Mexican lunch or dinner is always welcomed, Stock up on taco kits . These are fun for kids and they can easily assemble a taco dinner. Another fun snack is guacamole . This is a great treat when watching TV or playing games.For a more sophisticated turn try mole. You can use the cocoa powder that went into holiday baking for this.It's combined with tomato sauce, cumin,  garlic and chilis. for a creamy, mouth watering sauce.It's best over chicken but can also be used to jazz up leftover pork or roast beef. Days indoors also are great to make grilled cheese. Jazz it up with tomato slices and bacon. Give it a French flair with frying up  Croque Monsiuers, This is Gruyere cheese and sliced ham on white bread and fried in butter. Give it ore of a Gallic boost with  homemade pomme frites. It's even better if you have it with  French cider or Stella Artois.

The cold weather means staying indoors. Don't get cabin fever. Bake - or cook something interesting t get rid of the doldrums. You'll be glad you did.

Jewish Cooking Redefined

Mention Jewish cooking and images of chicken fat - schmaltz and oily latkes come to mind along with a heavy Eastern European influence. Healthy and international dishes never enter the picture. Until now. A new cookbook sets kosher cooking in a hipper, more worldly light.

Paula Shoyer, creator of the famed Kosher Baker blog along with being named as A Woman To Watch in 2015  has written The Healthy Jewish Cookbook ( Sterling Epicure Publishers 2017). This is a great book, a mix of traditional Jewish cooking with  modern and international twists. This is a must have in any kitchen, regardless of religion. The books starts off with a page one meal planning and introducing kids to preservative free foods. It's written in a straightforward style that many novice home chefs will appreciate.Other pluses is that she recommends using whole wheat pasta and and mixing whole wheat into recipes calling for refined white flour.She is a stalwart advocate of always  cooking with  fresh ingredients.The cookbook is also sprinkled with tips from  feeding the elderly to serving buffet style at a Thanksgiving dinner. There is extra advice on how to clean leeks and dealing with yeast. The book is divided into such sections as Appetizers and Salads, Soups and Sides. I like the fact that she puts vegetarian with fish and dairy main dishes. She also keeps kosher by separating the meat recipes in a chapter all their own

What is also striking is the globalization of her kitchen. Yes, she has a healthy and modern takes on brisket (treating it like bouef bourguignon) baked latkes and tsimme but there are recipes influenced by every corner of the globe.Home chefs will love her Vietnamese chicken noodle soup, a kosher take on pho .Dark miso paste and tamari soy sauce lend color and flavor to a home made chicken soup. There's also a recipe for coq au vin, the traditional French that has Chef Shoyer's spin. She makes this dish lighter by subbing in a white wine for a red. Lamb lovers will enjoy her Japanese lamb chop recipe fiery with jalapeno peppers and ginger.  Italian cooking is sort of similar to Jewish and she has many recipes. A cold winter warmer is her Pasta Siciliano , rich with eggplant and pasta, along with her Ribollata, bread soup. Indian and Moroccan  dal and lemtil  soup recipes also figure greatly in the book..Chef Shoyer is well known for her baking. Her dessert recipes don't disappoint. The  picture of chocolate rugelach looks heavenly as does the one featuring  her carmelized apple strudel. There are also bread recipes such as a gluten free challah and whole wheat onion one. Home bakers will flip for her rosemary focaccia which would be great dipped in peppery olive oil or marinara sauce.

The Healthy Jewish Cookbook  is the book to have for the New Year. It is full of good for you recipes that any home chef or home baker can make. Best of all it marries Jewish  tradition with international dishes.

The Raw Water Movement

There's a new trend that's dripping into the New Year  - raw water. It's actually not really new. Unprocessed water is what the world drank before the government took it over and loaded it with chemicals. Now many are embracing this most ancient of refreshments.

Nellie Bowles, who usually reports on the doings of Silicon Valley for The Times contributed this piece. It's an interesting one that raises a lot of questions about what comes out of our faucets and what we buy by the bottle. Since the Fifties our water has been saturated with fluoride to strengthen our teeth and reduce cavities. Many, including the owner of a raw or unprocessed water company, Live Water, Mukhande Singh believes that our water has been poisoned with these essential minerals. He believes it is a mind control drug used to create a more docile America. Surprisingly, the alt-Right agrees with him too, Alex Jones, the bombastic conspiracy theorist and founder of the right wing website, Infowars also believes such. People are starting to believe it too., with many buying unprocessed water and foregoing even bottled spring water. Again, according to Mr. Singh, waters like Evian and Fiji are what's considered dead water. There is no live probiotics in it which help with gut health and keep the body regular. Another minus for bottled water is that it is treated with ultraviolet light and ozone gas to remove "helpful " algae.

Unprocessed water  - calling it raw brings up a negative image of raw sewage - has health professionals worried. Like unpasteurized milk, it comes with a few risks, Dr. Donald Hensrud, director  of  the famed Mayo Clinic's Healthy Living Program has qualms about this new movement. His fears are real.Without any treatment, water has deadly and chronic risks. It is a breeding ground for Ecoli,  bacteria, viruses , parasites and even carcinogenic compounds. He points to underdeveloped countries where there is sad evidence of this.Again, as with unpasteurized milk, the very young and old are the most susceptible to the dangers Unpiocsesed water sellers do not comply with the various state  and FDA laws regarding water processing. These safety regulations allow water in bottling plants to be randomly tested to make sure that are no harmful contamenments going out to the general public. Still people are willing to take risks, Unprocessed water has a sweet taste - Those who grew up on well water will know this taste well It is also reportedly more refreshing and thirst quenching than any glass of tap or bottled H20.

UNprocessed water may be the drink of 2018. As with raw food and unpasteurized milk, it is a return to a purer source of nutrition. If it was good for our ancestors, it may be good for us too,

Country Style Ribs For The Urbane Cook

One of the best cuts of pork to cook and eat is the country style rib. These can be made in  variety of ways. They're  a great meal on these frigid night, hearty and rib sticking. It's a nice change up from the usual winter fare.


John Willoughby, a regular contributor to the New York Times Food section and cookbook author, wrote about these beauties for today's cooking section. Country style ribs weren't so desirable years ago.It's actually not a rib for starters, more a blend of both white and dark meat..Butchers had truble selling this cut.It didn't look as lean or smooth as other pork cuts. It usually wound up in sausages or secreted in the bottom of a package labeled loin chops.Sometime in the late Sixties or early Seventies a clever Chicago butcher, Cliff Bowes, came up with the idea of fashioning these chops into s strip of ribs. To achieve this he butterflied them and cut through the ribs. Home chefs can identify them by their shape. They  are a slender section of rib that curves nicely at the bottom.Some of them have a flat ,  little two or three inch section of bone along one edge. Not to worry.It just means that the chop was cut from the section of shoulder that was adjacent to the rib. Just remember that this cut does have , more fat, more connective tissue and more dark meat.

The recipes Mr. Willoughby gives are perfect for this time of year.The first one has the braised with chipotle.. They're first rubbed with a spicy mix of cumin, coriander, ground chipotle peppers and cayenne. Cinnamon gives it it an earthy sweetness. The rubbed ribs are then braised in a Dutch oven Onions are garlic are added. To counterbalance this is orange and lime juices. The ribs are then simmered for an hour and fifteen minutes. The sauce is the ladled onto the cooked ribs along with pomegranate seeds. The other recipe has pears and sweet potatoes. This is a stew that also has fennel and onions  The spice is caraway seeds and allspice for a distinctly Slavic European vibe. The pork is cut into one inch cubes  and sprinkled with kosher salt. These ar e left to stand for one hour before. They're then dried and sprinkled generously with pepper.Again the cubes and the bones (please save them) are browned in a dutch oven. After al the cubes and bones have been browned add the fennel and onion to the pot. All the other ingredients , including the meat and bones, are then added, along with chicken stock and simmered for an hour. Guests can put a dollop of mustard on their portions of stew if they want.I'd just serve this with wamed rye bread and butter.

Country ribs are a great dish.for these cold winters night. Serve them with a spicy chipotle sauce or a mellowed stew, sweet with pears , squash and fennel. either way, they are filling and satisfying.

Pomelos - The Best Citrus Fruit Ever

January is the time for citrus. Grapefruits, tangerines,clementines and oranges reign supreme  in the produce section yet there a new royal on the scene - the pomelo or the Chinese grapefruit.This beauty is not only super healthy but super tasty. It's the perfect sunny snack on a cold winter's day.

The pomelo resembles a grapefruit on steroids.Imagine if a bowling ball and a grapefruit had a child together.It would be this.:

Its" Latin name is citrus maxima or citrus grandis It goes by a variety of different names such as pamplemousse , pummelo or  pommelo. The Hawaiians call it the jabong while the British call it shaddock as they have for the last three centuries. It was named for a Captain Shaddock who introduced it to Barbados and Jamaica.. One theory about  pomelo's comes from Tamil, a dialect found on the Indian subcontinent, another is that it is a combination of pome - apple and melon. It is one of the original four citrus fruits that others derive from.It is a native of South Asia where it is eaten with salt.It's also sliced and put into salads whille its' juice is used in drinks. There is a warning however. Pomelos are famously known to lower blood pressure. Check with your doctor first if you can eat it if you're taking any blood pressure medications.It is good in cold weather because it has a larger dose of vitamin C than the other citrus fruits

I love this fruit. It's got a mild orange like flavor and it's far from being sour.  The only problem is peeling it. I was surprised to learn that the peel can be candied or dipped in chocolate. The rind is similar to an orange's, only a tad thinner.The correct way to peel it is making four to five slits in the skin  and start peeling. I usually just make one long slit and work at getting the skin off.  The problem with the pomelo is that it has a thick pink underlayer that kind of resembles compressed cotton candy or asbestos. This too has to be peeled away.in order to get the pulp.The slices are large. One person can't eat an entire one at once. Split it and put it in the fridge for the next day It can be juiced for a refreshingly light citrus drink. It can also be turned into a granita or Slushie too. Pomelo pulp can be used in salads too, giving an orange-y sweetness to a spinach or field green ones.The juice can be used in shrimp and scallop dishes as well.

The pomelo is a huge drop of sunshine on a cold January day. Buy one and enjoy it's light and refreshing  taste. It's the perfect antidote for all this snow and ice.