Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Are You a Forager Shopper

Do you dedicate one day of the week to go food shopping. Is it more of a treasure hunt for bargains as you drive  from one grocery to another? Then you may be a forager shopper. Is this a good thing? Or bad? There are pros and cons to it.

Many people do spend a whole day foraging for different bargains. Another reason for their madness is that certain stores may have something the others don't I'm familiar with this. I know that Acme has an oatmeal and flax hot cereal that Stop and Shop doesn't have. If I need ingredients for baking I will most definitely head to Stop & Shop which probably has the best stocked baking aisle.Vegan cream cheese? Then i go to Shop-Rite. Yet I won't go to all three stores in one day. To me that's kind of a waste of gas and time. I have a full day everyday. To take away precious minutes from cooking or work is silly. Yet many do this , preferring to have a completely stocked kitchen at all times. An idea like this may work in a big city like Paris or London where there are a variety of stalls that stretch blocks and food shoppers have to traipse from one end to another. New York and other big American cities have long avenues where there are still butchers and green grocers. There's a lot of  traveling  simply because there aren't any fully stocked grocery stores in these areas, only specialized shops.

What about the bargain side of foraging shopping? Do you really want to go gadding about for the best price for tomatoes or pork chops? This can be tiring, especially on the busiest shopping days - Saturday and Sunday.  Then there's the fear of having the store sell out of what you want. The best bet is down loading the stores' apps. These alert you when there are sales and buy one get one free. It's a great way of planning your shopping experience. Also club cards help in discounts too. Many stores such as Stop & Shop, Foodtown and Shop Rite have them in both card and key chain charm form. These give you instant discounts which are always welcome. Another way of catching all the good bargains is scanning the circulars in your local papers. Write up a list of what you need at one particular store and get everything there. If they don't have one item, wait til you go to another store to get it (unless it's immediately needed for that day's eating).

Is foraging shopping a good thing? That depends on the shopper. it can be too much , especially on the weekends. The best bet is sticking to one store at one time. It makes it easier to shop and makes life easier too.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Easy Cooking From The Sunday Times.

Many think cooking a chore. It involves too much time and effort to create a delicious dish.Then there's the endless clean up afterwards. Yet imagine having recipes that are not only flavorful but also relatively easy to cook up. You can. The Sunday New York Times put out a keeper issue One/Pot/Pan /Skillet yesterday of simple dishes.

This is a compilation of all the Wednesday Food section writer's recipes.There are twenty-four recipes that can make for an easy supper, lunch or even brunch.Best of all they're made in either a single skillet, pot or pan.There are meat recipes along with vegetarian options too. Best of all you won't find yourself tied to the kitchen sink for thirty minutes to an hour. These free you up.Another plus is that there are little tips at the bottom of every recipe. The feature everything from pro tips to fun facts and substitutions along with additions and slow cooker instructions. I really like this extra and plan on making many of the recipes. They're the perfect winter ones too. I definitely want to try the shakshuka with feta one. This North African egg dish is a one skillet blend of spicy tomato- red pepper blend and eggs.Cumin and paprika add fire while  crumbled feta on top keeps the dish cool.Another must cook is Kay Chun's baked barley risotto with mushrooms and carrots. This is a mix of different mushrooms, from white button cremini and shitakes cooked in a Dutch oven with carrots and pearl barley.it's first cooked on top of the stove and then popped into the oven for thirty minutes.

There are some delicious meat recipes here too. They can easy be made meatless thanks to vegan beef crumbles and Beyond Meat sausages. There is a cheesy baked pasta with sausage and ricotta by Melissa Clark. It's chock full of ricotta and crushed tomatoes all cooked and baked in one skillet.Another  hearty , rib sticking dish comes from Sam Sifton and is based on Los Angeles chef Roy Choi's mother's recipe. It's Korean braised short rib stew or galbijjim. This tasty stew can also be cooked in a slow cooker or even an outdoor cooker. They're marinated in a mix of fresh orange juice, mirin,a type of rice wine along with apple juice and garlic cloves. A variety of mushrooms are added to it as well. Sheet pan lovers will appreciate Ali Slagle's sausage and Brussels sprouts with honey mustard.The name says everything. It's these ingredients plus Yukon gold or red potatoes drizzled with a homemade honey mustard sauce. It's zinged up with mustard seeds. Another sheet pan recipe is roasted fish with roasted peppers. Again this is another Melissa Clark recipe that has hake fillets cooked with sweet red peppers and black or green olives.

One Pot/Pan/Skillet is a must keep. It's chock full of easy , unfussy recipes that you can make any time. Try any of them today and be free from all the clean up afterwards.


Saturday, February 15, 2020

Supersized Supermarkets

Imagine a store that feels like it's the size of a football field. It has everything , from all sorts of fresh and frozen foods to books, toys , soaps and detergents. That's what the Keyport, New Jersey Stop &Shop is. Now here's the question - do we need  super sized grocery stores?

As we all know I'm a big Stop & Shop fan.I will always choose my local one, on the Hackensack-Lodi border over my local Acme and Shop-Rite. Don't get me wrong. I like those two other stores. They each have something Stop & Shop doesn't have but for a large variety  especially for baking- Stop & Shop wins hands down. They do have the some of the best  tasting baked goods and a wide range of fresh fruits and veggies, perfect for my cooking needs.I like their in house brands such as Nature's Promise and Taste of Inspiration. Now imagine my delight when I walked through the double the size one down at the New Jersey shore. Mind you I just stopped in for a pit stop and a bottle of water. I walked out with much more. The Keyport Stop & Shop has the dimensions of what seems like a football field. The aisles are twice as long as the Hackensack-Lodi one. It was amazing to get almond milk and see that I had a large variety of choices to choose from. I would have spent an hour just on the natural food aisles alone. Honestly I even spent more than enough time browsing and restraining myself from buying other things like shampoo and paper plates. These last two, like everything else, offered a wide array to choose from.

The thing is with super sized stores is that they may give us way too many choices. I walked in to this Super Stop & Shop with just the idea of one bottle of water. I walked out with much more.I can only imagine what would happen if I lived near it. It's one thing to have a well stocked kitchen ; it's another to have a hoarder's paradise. I know I would buy items and foodstuff I may not need but felt like I would. Does this mean that smaller grocery stores like Foodtown are better to shop at? Yes and no. I've been to some of the Foodtowns, now mostly located at the Jersey shore. They're much smaller than the superstores, reminiscent of the A&P's that once dotted the landscape.They're  easier to move around in. It's not a hike to get from one end of the store to another and then make the trek  out to the parking lot. Then there's the whole concept of choice. A smaller store has less variety , hence less temptation and dithering about what to buy.It's also cheaper. You don't feel the need to try every flavor and every brand. You may not have the wide variety of fruits and vegetables but then again, you don't have to deal with picking over and rotting and moldy unsold produce.

Yes, the larger Stop & Shop store is a home chef's dream. It is dazzlingly huge. Yet it's also a bit too much. However it does pose the question  which is better- a larger store with endless choices and more temptation or a smaller one, with less variety and no temptation?

Friday, February 14, 2020

Give Your Heart A Treat

This is the day when hearts abound. They're everywhere , from cards to the shape of  our chocolate packed candy boxes. Yet what about the real deal? What should we give our own hearts? Healthy and tasty foods, from meals to treats.

Since I've been on the cirrhosis diet (by the way, it turns out I have gallstones - which hopefully will break up naturally) I've discovered that healthy foods can be delicious. They're also easy to transform into all sorts of variations. Take plain Greek yogurt. Add maple syrup and put into a Slushie cup and becomes a yummy ice cream. For a savory spin stir in some cumin and onion powder for a really flavorsome dip for raw veggies. It also makes a great party dip for baked potato chips and pretzels.Veggies are other transformable ingredients. Of course the healthiest option is a salad, chock full of all sorts of goodness but veggies are also great cooked. A light but filling winter dish is ratatouille. This classic Provencale favorite is just a mix of eggplant, onions and tomatoes. They're sauteed in olive oil and flavored with garlic and herbes de Provence. It can be good on it's own, with the juices sopped up with a whole wheat baguette or as filling for whole wheat crepes or galettes.Don't discount your mom and granny's stuffed pepper recipes. Fill these vitamin packed gems with brown rice and beans. Season with garlic and oregano to really make the flavors pop.

Of course everyone is on the Beyond Beef bandwagon. The patties and crumbles are supposed to be healthy and good for you , right? Think again, Yes, they're purposely loaded with such mineral as zinc and Vitamin B12. Yes, they get you from eating bad for your heart beef but they have some drawbacks too. According to The Harvard Health Publishing from their medical school the burgers are also heavily over processed and high in saturated fats. A better substitute is a turkey burger which has 170 calories and only seven grams of sodium. Beyond Burger has a whopping 390 grams of the salty stuff while the Impossible Burger has 370 grams. If you do want a fast food burger then stick with a plain one. Ask for one with no mayo or ketchup because these are loaded with salt. Only have it with lettuce and tomatoes and nix the cheese and bacon. As far as with meats at home, think chicken breasts fried in an air fryer. (another treat for your heart an air fryer. This is a very good investment).Just pound the breasts firsts then brine them for a few hours. It's then rubbing them with olive oil first and a dry rub of your favorite spices and herbs. End your meals  with seventy to eighty percent dark chocolate. You can mix this in Greek yogurt or almond butter for a sweet heart healthy dessert.

This Valentine's Day treat your heart to  delicious dishes It's easy to  create tasty and healthy dishes. It;s just a bit of creativity and knowledge of what's good for it and you.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

The Chocolate Guide Part Two

Tomorrow is the biggest day of the year for chocolate. Yet what's the best to get and what can you make with it? There are a number of different brands and a delicious amount of recipes. Any home baker can create a tasty treat for his or her beloved.


Yesterday Melissa Clark wrote a very informative article in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Readers got to understand the bean to bar movement along with the difference between a bean to bar chocolate maker and a chocolatier. She also explained the cacao percentage and why some 74 percent bitter chocolate is not as bitter as one at 64 percent. There were fascinating comparisons between what African chocolate and South American chocolate tasted like.Yet which brands are the best? She wrote a sidepiece on the best kinds along with some interesting recipes. Of course the best is Valrhona which is also what's known as a B company which requires them to have a positive impact on its' community, its' workers and the environment.One of the oldest is Kahkow now in Brooklyn, started in the Dominican Republic in 1905. There is also Dandelion the up and coming San Francisco chocolate comapny that only has two ingredients cacao and sugar. The big cities such as New Orleans, Boston and Los Angeles all have good chocolatiers such as Acalli, Taza and Letterpress but also out of the way areas also are producing excellent bean to bar creations. There is Fruition, way up in the Catskills and Dick Taylor's tucked away in Eureka, California. Sudbury Mass gives us Goodnow, a chocolatier that blends in maple syrup in their bars.

There are some amazing recipes too. For a truly romantic dessert try Ms Clark's chocolate tahini mousse. It's actually a parfait blend off chocolate and tahini. The second is a tangy mix of the condiment and creme fraiche. The chocolate one is a mix of bittersweet chocolate mixed with an unusual ingredient for mousses - confectioner's sugar. Heavy cream is added to both for body and texture. You can also put candied cacao nibs on for decoration. Then there are the cookies. One is cocoa nib sables with flaky sea salt.It is a lush recipe calling for one cup European cultured butter and cocoa nibs. Think a French version of a chocolate chip that's drizzled with dark chocolate and sprinkled with flaky sea salt like Malden. Another must bake is bittersweet brownie shortbread  - a layering of the best of flavors.The shortbread is the classic recipe calling for one and a half cups of unsalted butter while the brownie is also the traditional recipe. The shortbread is first baked as the brownie mix is created.Then the brownie is slathered on the cookie , sort of like a brownie pie or tart. The whole thing is baked for another half hour before it's cut into bars,

What to get your sweetie? A creamy mousse or mouth watering cookies and bars would fill the bill. What a great way to celebrate sweet love?

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Your Chocolate Guide Part One

The world's most chocolatiest holiday is only two days away and most bonbon buyers probably have no clue as to what to buy. Should they go sustainable for their sweeties? Where was it sourced? Not to worry. There's a guide to help.

Melissa Clark got the enviable job of tasting and writing about the varieties of cacao for today's New York Times Food section.It's a keeper article, very informative with a few recipes to try. (we'll get to those tomorrow).There's an interesting section on how chocolate is made. It starts with cacao or cocoa beans that grow inside pods, surrounded by fleshy fruit. The fruit surprisingly tastes like mango crossed with a pear and lychee (and not what you'd expect) After harvesting there the beans which then are fermented, Chocolate makers grind it down to create a chocolate liqueur. However it gets more complicated with the phrase "bean to bar". This began with the craft chocolate craze that started in 1996 in San Francisco.It was John Scharffenberger who created it along with Robert Steinberg who studied at the famed chocolate shop , Bernachon, in Lyons, France. A bean to bar maker is not the same as a chocolatier. The first makes chocolate from the beans while a chocolatier buys pre-made chocolate then melts and combines it with other ingredients. It's the base of such confections as truffles and praline along with a variety of other sweets.

Chocolate buyers and lovers should understand some of the language involved. For example what is single origin chocolate?Ms Clark explains it as a chocolate with beginnings in one area. The beans could come from just one farm or several sharing the same terroir (the chocolate industry uses the same terms as the wine industry). A chocolate's origin can tell the eater something. Latin American beans tend to be complex with notes of dried apricots, dark fruit and fresh berries while African ones tend to be fudgy with notes of raisins, coconut and coffee. Then there is the cacao percentage on the label. In ordered for something to be labeled chocolate here in the States it has to be thirty percent. Historically that percentage was always printed on the candy's back. That all changed in 1986 when chocolate giant Valrhona introduced the Guanaja kind which had a seventy percent cacao content. That's confusing too. A company's 68 percent may taste stronger and less sugary than its'74 percent. The percentages include both cacao solids and cocoa solids.If a chocolatier adds extra cocoa butter then that gives the finished product a smoother texture. The overall cacao percentage will increase but not the bitterness.In some ways it just depends on what chocoholics will like and what will appeal to them. A silky texture or semi- sweet flavor.

Finding the right chocolate for your sweetie is a lot harder than you think. As with any complex and layered food, be aware of the variety and what's out there. That should help you find the right treat for your sweet.




Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Sweet For Voortman Sugar Free Cookies

If you're trying to watch your weight or you just want to cut back, then consider Voortman Cookies. These gems are sugar free yet taste just as delicious as a regular sugar filled cookie. Honest. These are a great boon to those on restricted diets. They satisfy both the sweet tooth and the need for crunch.

Being on a cirrhosis diet I had to give up regular cookies. Not that I'm a big Mallomar or Oreo fan but once in a while I do want a cookie or two as a dessert or a snack.I looked up and down on my local cookie aisle.I found Voortman's with a a big sugar free sign on them. I had to try them, dreading the taste. Turns out the shortbread I bought was just like regular shortbread.I had to try more.
I love oatmeal so I had to get the oatmeal which was amazing. They tasted liked my Mom's old fashioned oatmeal cookies, buttery ,oaty and crunchy,
Of course I had to try anything chocolate too.
I bought their fudge brownie chocolate chip which was a thousand times better than the regular sugar kind. The flavor was a rich, earthy cocoa with a satisfying number of chips.
Voortman is actually a Toronto bakery started in 1951 by two young brothers, William and Henry Voortman, fresh from Holland. They brought Dutch recipes with them and created such classic cookies as their almond windmills and Simply Social sugar cookies. Their array of cookies and wafers are as varied as any other cookie company. They have oatmeal stripes and fudge striped almondettes.They are known for their variety of wafers that include citrus flavors. Yet it's their sugar frees that shine. The flavor comes from maltilol, a sugar alcohol used in gum and mouthwash to sweeten them. I want to tr y their orange creme and lemon wafers along with their fudge stripes next. A bonus is that maltilol is actually O.K. for cirrhosis (however not OK for diabetics).

If you crave a cookie but can't have one because of dietary restrictions, think again. Reach for a Voortman's sugar free cookie. They're even better than the sugar kind,a truly tasty treat for any sweet tooth.