Pizza

One of my favorite finds at the HEB (here, everything is better) in Midland has been the house brand thin and crispy pizza crusts. Perhaps they have a regular brand at your store, but HEB stocks three different varieties in the larger size, including whole wheat, plus a three pack of individual sized crusts in original and whole wheat. If you love a thin pizza crust--and I do!--then these are for you. Just top with some sauce, your favorite toppings and bake for 10 minutes. Since they are par-baked, that's all it takes. Include some veggies and a green salad on the side, and you have a quick and pretty healthy dinner on the table in just a few minutes.

We had some leftovers seitan, so tonight we experimented with a BBQ chick-un pizza topped with sauce, garlic and thinly sliced onions. It was messy, like BBQ is supposed to be, but it was quite delicious!

The Last of my California Vacation Arrived

When we were in Long Beach, we spent some time at We Olive tasting all of the wonderful California olive oils. Of course, I couldn't bring any back because of restrictions on liquids, but John was kind enough to send it via the post and included a little something extra: Brunette Belgian praline spread. Yum, can't wait to taste it, but not sure what I should put it on. Toast? Pancakes?

I also can't wait to try the lime olive oil and the blackberry balsamic vinegar with pear...

We Olive

As a palate cleanser between sugar courses, we stopped into We Olive, a small storefront devoted to California olive oils of all types and flavors as well as a variety of vinegars and olive oil focused accoutrement.

Every bottle in the stores is available for tasting, so I worked my way around. I had a habenero infused oil that was fruity and hot on the tongue. I also tasted a lime flavored oil that was like a little burst of summer. I settled on a bottle of blackberry pear balsamic vinegar and a bottle of the lime olive oil. I am thinking some sort of fruity salad with the vinegar and something with avocado and tomato with the lime oil.

Shopping: Fresh Market

Last weekend, I went to three grocery stores in Indianapolis: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Fresh Market. I was excited because the Whole Foods was a newer, flashier one than where I usually shop in the city and I had never been to a Fresh Market before. You might remember it from Top Chef Miami, it's where they bought all of their groceries.

Visually, Fresh Market is very much like Whole Foods. It was kind of like, "what store am I in?" It's very green and white, with a dash of the organic, natural. They have their own store brand and lots of wonderful produce included great buys on blood oranges and pencil thin asparagus. I was surprised to find an array of Southern delicacies including several varieties of pimento cheese and some Southern vegetables you don't see everywhere, including Silver Queen corn. Yes, Silver Queen. It's really a family joke, which won't be funny to anyone but me: my family could have an entire dinner table conversation about corn, its varieties and the subtle differences in flavor and sweetness. When I was a child, Silver Queen was one of the preferred corns.

It was a fun shopping trip and I got some delicious things: chocolate-covered pretzels with toffee bits; an indulgent chocolate coffee which is the most aromatic I have ever had; a black and white cookie; tiny, thin asparagus; and blood oranges.

Pimento Cheese

I was visiting with my friend Sherry Dailey, who is on the Swope Board and happens to be from Texas. I'm not sure where our conversation was going, but somehow pimento cheese spread came up and I was lamenting the fact that these Yankee grocery stores do not carry it. (Of course, I could make my own, but I've been feeling lazy.) Sherry was sure that Baesler's Market stocked their own, but I had looked there and not found it. So sweet, she stopped at Baesler's and was able to track down the pimento cheese, which apparently they keep hidden. With the assistance of her clues, I'm sure to find it next time.

I hadn't had lunch, so I walked to my apartment and made a delicious pimento cheese sandwich. Thank you Sherry!

See this post for my favorite recipe for pimento cheese spread.

Mangez!

TJ

While in Indy, I also stopped by my beloved Trader Joe's--the place that almost makes up for the loss of Central Market. Almost.

I know I've mentioned it before, but Trader Joe's is a chain of small grocery stores that sells speciality items, many of their own production. You never quite know what you'll find, because they are always retiring past favorites while introducing new ones. You vote with your pocketbook. This is frustrating to some, but I try and approach it as an opportunity to be open to the gifts on the universe. In this case: delicious, edible gifts.

Jessie takes the other path and has spent days cursing the name of Trader Joe's to the heavens, pouring ash and bramble on their grocery bags and enacting symbols of vengeance as she drives past their store. And its all my fault.

Those of you who helped me celebrate my birthday this year will remember the lovely and delicious champagne bar, where we had assorted liqueurs and mixers to make a variety of fizzy cocktails. One of those choices was preserved hibiscus flowers: anemone like blossoms that floated to the bottom of the glass, adding flavor and color, plus a little snack at the end of your drink. Jessie was going to do something similar for her graduate thesis exhibition opening and I suggested the hibiscus flowers, which she remembered they stocked at Trader Joe's. But not that day. Not for her party. There was cursing and weeping and wailing, much like the end of days. Luckily, I told Jessie she could find some at Whole Foods, which she did, so the day was saved. But not her patronage of Trader Joe's. And, the problem was exacerbated during my visit to Madison and our trip to the store, where what did she find? You guessed it: preserved hibiscus flowers. Reader, I swear she grabbed the bag of petite petals, threw them on the ground and began to stomp upon them, all the while uttering phrases not heard since the trials at Salem over three hundred years ago. She had to be forcibly restrained and escorted from the store by the manager and her husband, babbling to herself all the while. Thankfully, in Madison not a single person took any notice at all.

Today, as I passed the dried fruit section, I spotted a bag of hibiscus flowers and, thinking of Jessie, made a sign to ward off evil. I then happily bought dried Bartlett pears instead.

What else I got:
Their excellent chocolate
Organic brown sugar
King Arthur's flour
(I'm making brownies tomorrow.)
Tortellini
Precooked brown rice
Precooked beluga lentils
Pomegranate soda
Cider
Citrus body wash
Natural peppermint toothpaste with fluoride (half the price of Tom's.)

Mangez!

Foods I miss in Austin....

....would be far, far too long. I did a similar list when I left Wichita, but for Austin, it will have to be a top ten.

1. Breakfast tacos--yes, I am addicted and just this morning suggested to my little diner on the corner that they add them to the menu. Particularly, from Elsi's.
2. Protein 2000 from Veggie Heaven.
3. Hot dogs from Dog Almighty.
4. Central Market. Sigh. Do I need to say more?
5. Vietnamese food, particularly Sunflower by my house.
6. The pastry case at Mandola's, particulary the angenetti (cakey, lemon cookies.)
7. The Steeping Room--if you haven't been, then get yourself there.
8. Boxes of vegetables from my CSA.
9. Having friends over for dinner.
10. The giant Asian market up the street.

Mangez!

Blue Dahlia and Mandola's

Yesterday I met Molly for lunch at the relatively new Blue Dahlia Bistro on east 12th street. It was a lovely warm January day, so we dined al fresco on their beautiful patio. The menu is primarily sandwiches and salads, but presented in a truly elegant fashion with wonderful bread. They also serve breakfast, and I'll certainly be back to try that at some point.

I had a black bean salad which was studded with lovely pieces of avocado, mango and covered in a citrus and cumin scented dressing. Molly had a turkey sandwich topped with a chutney and presented open faced on a board. It was a delicious and relaxing lunch.

In the afternoon, I had a work appointment at Mandola's and treated myself to some of the sweets from their pastry case. They have some many to choose from, plus gelato, fresh cheeses and many other wonderful items in their grocery. I selected an agnetti cookie (which I almost always get) which are the little donut shaped ones in the middle of the case. They're covered in a lemony icing and are just the right texture: not too soft, not too hard. I also had a small sfogliatelle, which is a filled with a citrus-flavored ricotta with a shell of filo or some other think pasty. WON-derful.

Blue Dahlia Bistro
1115 E. 11th St.
Austin, TX 78702
512.542.9542

Mandola's
4700 W Guadalupe St # 12
Austin, TX 78751
512.419.9700

Have you tried...

The poach pod? I haven't yet, but I might pick one up just to see how it works. According to the instructions, you simply crack an egg into each pod, then float them in simmering water until the eggs are done. It seems these would work well and give you a pefectly poached egg, but I'm unsure if the rounded shape would be ideal for preparing Benedicts, etc.

Yes, that's right. They went ahead and made your life a living hell by creating this awful product. What is it? Munchies. One bag of chips that contains a mixture of Doritos, Cheetos, Rold Gold Pretzels and SunChips. In one bag. Apparently, there is a cheese fix mixture (note the use of the word fix), a flaming hot mixture and a ranch mixture. Of course, you could buy four bags of chips and make this yourself, or you could buy this one bag and eat the entire thing in one sitting. That is what I would do if I were stupid enough to buy a bag. Which I'm not.

Eating and Shopping in OKC

Last weekend I made a quick trip to Norman, OK to visit my friend Stephanie and see some other pals. We set off a thrifting adventure, then stopped into Super Cao Nguyen Market for something to eat and got sucked in the most wondrous, amazing Asian market I have ever seen. And I have been in many, MANY Asian markets.

At the front of the store they had an enormous section filled with Buddhas, Virgins, Jesi (the plural of Jesus is Jesi, right? I mean, would you say Jesuses? I wouldn't.) and more Quan Yins than you could count. While this amazing display might look like the altar of the store, it's actually just a display. The more modest resident altar is discreetly tucked away by the entrance. Blink and you'll miss it.

This lovely, lovely Quan Yin (available in various sizes and even in solid pink) has a bisque finish and stands upon a pink lotus flower. The store was packed with them and I wanted to load up the whole basket with every last one.

The beauty of the Asian market isn't found simply in statues and art objects, but in every little packaging detail you encounter. For your consideration: parrot soap, pigeon mushrooms and baby corn.

And stainless steel Chinese soup spoons! These are really one of my most favorite things. They look great on the table and can be used as a conventional utensil or piled high with some savory treat, hors d'oeuvres, or an amuse bouche. If you find these, buy several sets because they are inexpensive and you will grow to love them.

We also encountered lots of French and German items, such as these candy sprinkles in a repetitively dramatic display. Stephanie said her mom had been searching for these and now she knows where to find them.

And let us not forget grooming! The nose tweezers look dangerous, but we were fascinated by the packaging.

Then we did some actual eating. Stephanie had some shrimp spring rolls and I opted for a vegetarian bahn mi which was delicious. Perrier? Well, Vietnam was a French Colony. So bring on the sparkling water, spring rolls and delicious sandwiches on crusty French bread!

Saturday night, Stephanie and I threw together a little meal for some friends. We made my easy, breezy peanut noodles with all sorts of different add-ins, some sauteed baby bok choy, egg rolls from Costco and some dumplings.

For dessert? Delicious, creamy, wonderful cupcakes from Central Market.

Here's the recipe for my peanut noodles, reprinted from a couple of years ago.

Recipe: Spicy Peanut Noodles
1/2 cup peanut butter (I use Peter Pan Plus 8)
2/3 cup tamari soy sauce
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Oriental sesame oil
4 heaping spoonfuls of minced garlic
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger (lazy me uses the bottled stuff)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

24 oz. udon noodles (or plain spaghetti works just fine)

Cook the noodles per directions, but you want it a little chewy--not too done. Drain and cool. Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl (I use an 8-cup measuring cup.) with a whisk until smooth. Place cooled noodles in a large serving bowl, pour sauce over and toss to coat. You want to prepare this a couple of hours ahead and then allow to chill in the fridge-that way the noodles soak up all the peanutty goodness. Bring to room temperature and you may need to add a little warm water to the noodles as you toss to loosen. Garnish as desired. Doubles easily.

Level 5 Vegan

Food Fight, an on-line vegan grocery store out of Portland, Oregon, sells all kinds of wonderful things. They have vegan caviar (pretty good, I put it on buckwheat pancakes with sour cream), vegan haggis (haven't tried this and don't really want to) and all manner of other vegan treats. They also have a new button that says Level 5. What is a level 5 vegan? The highest level of compassionate eating--someone with a nearly perfect attainment of vegan goals. Here's a full description. I think I'm going to convert...

Mangez!

Addictions

With the opening of the Museum, moving and other business, I haven't really been cooking a lot lately. At least nothing new. I have, however, found some wonderful new snacks at the store to which I have become totally addicted.


Whole Foods sells these wonderful, crispy 'chips' as part of their 365 store brand. They have several flavors, but I'm southern so of course I prefer BBQ. I could eat the entire bag by myself. (P.s. They're building a bigger and better WF five minutes from the house. Excellent.)


John (aka Twisted Tigger) introduced Danette and I to these wonderful snapea crisps when we were in Chicago in March. Luckily they sell them at several stores here, but I brought a couple bags back with me on the plane just in case. They are basically sugar snap peas that are reconstituted with rice, etc. which makes them very delicious and crisp. They're fairly healthy as well. Blame John. There is also a Caesar flavor that isn't as good.


The BEST soda in the world is Central Market's CM Organic Italian Soda. It comes in five delicious flavors, but blood orange and pomegranate are currently tied for first place at my house (with lemon a close second). The citrus flavors have large chunks of fruit floating in them! Look, you can even see it in that tiny picture!

If you come and visit, pack an extra bag because you'll want to take home some goodies on the plane.

Mangez.

I Said "Probably" My Last Post...

...but you should have know better.

Last week I made a trip to Austin to look for a place, which was very fun. My new apartment is in Hyde Park and there is a bus route that runs right into campus and to the front door of my new office. Perfect! Plus there are lots of restaurants right next to the house, including Mother's Cafe and Garden (which my new co-worker Jennifer says has the best veggie burger in the world) and Hyde Park Bar & Grill which supposedly sells battered fries. Decadent! There are also several coffee shops and various niceties that will make Austin an easy transition. I met Jennifer and Gabrielle (another of my new coworkers) at Dolce Vita for coffee, but they also have a case full of luscious looking gelato and another filled with pastries. Morning coffee on the way to work?

Also, while I was there I popped into Central Market to have a little peek at what is supposedly the best grocery store in the country. Friends had told me about this place, and I had read about it in magazines and guide books, but nothing prepared me for the reality of the monster that is Central Market. What I found:
At least a dozen different varieties of apples
FOUR kinds of fingerling potatoes
A great sauce bar with all sorts of treats
A cheese shop bigger than my house
Pastries, cakes and more
Olives? Why yes, an olive bar with over twenty varieties
Breakfast tacos in the cafe on CM's homemade tortillas
The chef's case where you can pick up food to go

It was amazing and I know everyone is SICK of hearing about it, but it is fantastic and I can't wait to shop there. I also popped into the Wheatsville Co-op, which was all bulk items and BO (as you would expect), but lots of great things in the deli, freezer and nut butter bar with about ten different types of nut butter. You'll be seeing me there as well!

Thursday night, my friend Katie's Austin pals April and Angie were kind enough to meet me for dinner. We went to Polvos for Tex-Mex and it was delicious! They have an awesome salsa bar and my veggie enchiladas were super-tasty. Only problem was that our waiter was grumpy, but we didn't let that bring us down. After, we popped into LoveJoy's Tap Room for a beer where their friend Josh caught up with us and then over to Casino where we sat upstairs in a room decorated in a cheap, hell motif. Fun! Austin is going to be great...

Mangez!

big YELLOW bowl on the move

Believe it or not, I'm relocating the 'corportate offices' to a city that loves food--Austin, TX. There is so much to eat there, I don't know where I'll start. I'm looking forward to shopping at Central Market (The grocery store of grocery stores. I was reading in a guide book that they stock 175 different olive oils. 175!); Whole Foods Market, which is based in Austin and features the largest store in the company; and Wheatfield Co-op. Plus tons and tons of great restaurants, bakeries, take-out....I'm going to get HUGE.

This will probably be the last post until I get settled in Austin.

Mangez!