Watermelon Summer's Fruit

Yesterday's Times Dining section had another interesting article about watermelon. It;s the perfect fruit for right now. It's cool, crisp and sweet, perfect for these hot days.The piece had a variety of helpful hints too that are useful in picking out melon. Let's face it , there's nothing like the perfect wedge of watermelon.

The article written by Dining regular, Kim Severson, is really a homage to the fruit. She writes about growers trying to create the perfect hybrid. Growers are looking for seedless ones, with crisp flesh that has a vegetal but sweet flavor, more organic than candyish. There's also the quest for a thicker rind, which would make future melons better for shipping. The color ios also being improved with a greener rind and much more vibrant,pinker flesh.

Severson's article also has some interesting recipes, There's a watermelon surf and turf that includes halibut. That wouldn't be my cup of tea. I would prefer a fiery watermelon salsa. There's also a cucumber watermelon salad with pistachios that I could see accompanying grilled chicken. There are also tips about how to thump melon and how to distinguish a ripe melon;s sound (more tenor than bass according to Ms. Severson).

Watermelon is the best treat in this weather.It's not only cooling but it satisfies your sweet tooth.It's also healthy and low cal. You can eat as much as you want and not feel guilty!

Traveling Foodie Show

Today's Wednesday's New York Times Dining section is chock full of good articles. There's a few that caught my eye ,especially one that deals with traveling foods Yup, these are foodie faves that have to be sent in via relative or close friend. It's an interesting piece that deals with the lengths that foodies will go to to get their faves.

This hits home for me. I can remember asking my Gran for homemade barbecue from where she was in Indiana. Of course you don't get it here in Jersey (not the authentic , smoky kind anyway) and always begged her to bring several jars on her visits East.It was a thrill to open up the box that the large jars came in and start planning the next day's lunch. I also felt the same with my other side when my grandparents extended families came from Italy and Germany bringing good chocolate and cookies that you couldn't get over here.Mind you there are some things that are only found in South Jersey that we can't get here up in the Northern section. Every time I head down to Atlantic City I make sure I stop on the ride north to pick up authentic sticky buns .We also can't get scrapple here the way we can in Atlantic and Cape May Counties too.

The article written by Sarah Maslin Nir tells of the length people will go to to get their favorite out of reach foods. Fans of the famed Southern soda, Cheerwine, will drive for hours at a time to get this cherry drink. Other will enlist mothers to smuggle in foods over state lines, such is the case of one New Mexican who longed for the state's roasted chilis. Others will have the stuff shipped to them in special care packages like the one young woman who had a special lime juice sent from her gran in Florida.

Foodies will do whatever it takes to get their faves sent to them. I'm no different. Besides there;s some that 's so special about getting a package of hard to get treats from relatives or friends who care.

A Day In

These past few days I'll be staying in, thanks to visits from vets and phone installers. What's a foodie to do when they have to stay in. Plenty. There's a list of things any foodie can do when you're stuck in a house.

There's defrosting the freezer. This is perfect because you can actually figure out what those mystery packs are. They could be last year's burgers to snowballs the kids froze as a souvenir of Winter 2010. You can also make those frozen pizzas you had wanted to bake back in March. You can also eat those the icky flavor Popsicles the kids hate. After that you also clean out the fridge. There's probably jars of half eaten jam and salsa that should have been tossed ages ago. Also it's a good time to check out expiration dates too.

Another thing to do is try out some involved recipes you've always wanted to try. You can experiment with your crockpot ,creating everything from Swedish meatballs to stews. It's also a good time to makes sauces as well. Just don't try anything too complicated. You may be need to help out or need to guide the repairmen to where they have to go.

Don't worry if you're stuck in the house waiting for repairmen or doctors. Hang out in your kitchen, There's probably a million things that have to be done and now is a good time to do them.

Put Your Garden Into Breakfast

Recently I wrote about having an overabundance of fruits and veggies With it came a variety of ideas about what to do with your surplus yields. I forgot to mention that you can channel all these homegrown extras into tasty breakfasts that are full of freshness and vitamins. Best of all they;re a great way of starting off a day .

Veggies and eggs go hand in hand. You can whip up a nice crisp tomato basil frittata for a Sunday brunch or a spinach and onion omelet.Another fun thing is adding some herbs such as dill and tarragon to your scrambled eggs or even a sunny side up one. If you're growing mushrooms, then think about a breakfast mushroom cap filled with scrambled eggs , cheddar and bacon for something different.Remember you can also juice veggies too. Consider a glass of fresh made tomato juice or even one made from spinach and carrots to jump start your day.

Fruit is always a good breakfast treat. You're in luck if you're growing melon. Nothing beats a slice of melon and coffee or tea for a good slim down breakfast. Strawberries and blueberries are also good whether in a salad made in to preserve s or baked into muffins and scones. even just a side of fresh berries and cinnamon are a nice end to a savory breakfast.

Make sure breakfasts also benefit form your harvests. It's a nice way of adding not just variety but taste flavor and most importantly vitamins. You'll start the day feeling healthy thanks to to all those bumper crops!!!

NOTE: Foodie Pantry will probably be off for a few days due to technical difficulties. (thanks to me getting a DSL line installed.I may be back online Wednesday or Thursday!)

Pepper Time

This is the season when garden are starting to yield large harvest of peppers. They;re fun to grown and relatively easy to . The conundrum is what do you do with them? Luckily this garden veggie is as versatile as the tomato. it can be eaten raw or cooked. sauteed or grilled.

Most poepl,e incudlign myself, love them raw. They're a great crudite , served with other raw veggies like tomatoes cauliflowers and green beans dipped into a ranch or buttermilk dressing. To me they're refresing this way. i also love them in a salald. I think both the red and green give a certain flavor along with texture that you can't get from other vegetables. Of course even a grilled pepper sala d is good too. If you re going to grill, slice them open an drizzle with olive oil and then butterfly them. ThePiedmontese usuallyhave their roasted ones with an nachivy sauce _ which is heaven. However you can just add salt and pepper to yours along with red wine vinegar. Serve this salad as a side for steaks and ribs.

Stuffed peppers are classic however they are a bit labor intensive during the dog days of August. Go the microwave route then. Instead of the usual parboiling and oven baking for forty five minutes, it just takes fifteen in total . Stuffed peppers are a great meal on weekdays when you want to give your family a tasty and satsifyingn meal in no time. Stuffed pepper s lend themselve s to all kinds of variations. You can sub in the grorund beef with lamb or pork. Add salsa instead of tomato sauce along with subbing in brown rice for white.

If you have an over abundance of peppers this harvest season, don't worry. They can be made into a variety of tasty dishes everyone will love. Best of all they're no fuss ones- perfect for these hot , steamy , August days.

Jersey Shore Food Fest

New Jersey has always been primarily known for it's fruits and veggies. This is the Garden State, after all. However the eastern part, th e part that embraces the Atlantic also is knownn for its; foods. No matter where you go from Sandy Hook to Cape May you're bound to find fun and yummy food.

The one thing that amazes me about the Jersey Shore is the number of hot dog and hamburger stands. Ona recent trip through Monmouth Beach and neighboring Long Branch; I was astonished by the fact that every corner stand offered fast food. Of course in that area The Windmill. a family owned chain reigns supreme. They offer a whole cornucopia of ribe eye steaks, chicken,burgersand dogs. They sell the last two in vast quantities with people ordering two and three at a time. They evn have special rolls made for their super long hot logs. I love these however just fell in love with The Windmill's bacon burger.Even the bacon is grilled!

The Jersey shore has long attracted Italians (an d not the kind you see on the crass MTV show) and Italian restuarants abound. It's somehwat of a traditiion for th e North Jerseyians or bennies to always order a spaghetti and garlic bread dinner.Italian cuisine lends itself to seafood too and its' here in Monmouth. Atlantic Ocean and Cape May Counties where you'll get the best lobster fra diavolo and spaghetti with clam sauce.

Lately the Jersey Shore is making the news - unfortunately not for its' fun foods.When you visit , discover the vast wealth of stands and restaurant down there. It's the best vacation any foodie could ask for.

Baskin Robbins True Comfort Food

I've only just rediscovered Baskin Robbins ice cream. It was a big part of my college years and hanging out of the local malls. I used to love getting th e bubble gum flavor which is August's flavor of the month. What I also love about the company is that nothing has changed. They've stayed true to themselves and their recipes since the mid 1940s.

The orginal concept was thought of by two Southern California brothers in law, Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins. Both had their own separate ice cream parlors that produced a multitude of different flavors. Upon the merger they had thirty one flavors, an anomaly for that time. The brothers in law were also shrewd enough to bring in the crack Carson Roberts (no relation to me) advertising comapny. They gave the newly formed company their cheery packaging and 31 flavors slogan. The company was bought out by the Dunkin Donuts group in the mid Nineties. That's why so many Dunkins have a Baskin Robbins attached to them.


I love Baskin Robbins because it' true ice cream It's thick and creamy . It's also innovative in it's flavoring with new spins such as Cotton Candy and Oreo Mint . I also like that they can still make old fashioned sundaes and malts for relatively low pricing,. Baskin Robbins also has cakes and quarts . The first is good when you have to get a really pretty birthday cake and the second is perfect for when you want a hit if ice cream late ight or during your favorite TV show.

There' nothing like scoop of Basin Robbins ice cream. It' really is comfort food . Baskin obbins ice cream out there that still has old fashioned goodness.