Category Archives: Good to know
Soul Food Friday: THE Italian sandwich gets franchised!
The real Italian courtesy of amatos.com.
So last Saturday I found myself in one of Vermont’s outlying areas, in other words, I wasn’t in Portsmouth or Burlington. And I was hungry — OK I was slightly hungover, but the nights are long and cold in northern New England, and if there isn’t much going on during daylight hours, there’s even less of it after 8 pm and accessing it requires at least an hour’s drive, which makes slumping against the baseboard heater in your hotel room with a fifth of Jameson’s about the only game in town as far as I can tell.
So with an hour to kill and a grumbly gut, Mr. S and I made our way to West Lebanon’s signature eatery, Maplefield’s, which sounds like a quaint inn with a fireplace and a big floppy dog, but which is in reality a gas station, albeit of the gourmet variety with tables. It was with heavy hearts that, having located it, we slopped through the door prepared to make do with a hot dog or Twinkie for brunch. Instead, I at least, found myself at the pretzel gates of culinary heaven as I lurched ecstatically toward the counter of the Amato’s franchise, located just behind the display of motor oil and windshield wiper solvent. I am not exaggerating when I say I choked up and may even have shed a tear or two.
Beets: The uber tuber
Don’t waste your greens!
Went our for dinner and had a delicious beet salad last night, and I was reminded how much I love these little gems. Now, I know they’ve gotten a bad rap, but honestly I don’t know why. They’re sweet, but not too sweet, and they’re loaded with lots of healthy nutrients I can’t be bothered to look up the spelling of. You know, whatever it is you get from dark colored fruits and vegetables. So, I thought I’d take a mo and mention the mighty beet and offer a bit of advice on preparing them.
Quick note: There seems to be a mania for raw beets at the moment, but that is just wrong. If you want to shred ’em and eat ’em raw, that’s between you and your god. Personally I never would. Call me a conscientious objector on the issue.
So right off quick, set your oven to 425 degrees.
Take your beets and lop off the leaves, leaving about an inch of stem on each beet. If the greens are fresh, you can wash them and steam them. They are absolutely delicious with a pat of butter and a drizzle of red wine vinegar. If you’ve never tried the greens, do so immediately. Some say they’re the best part of the veg.
Straighten up, you salty dogs!
Welcome to No Sodium Wednesday.
courtesy latestbookreviews.net
Today, I’m adding a new page to my site even though it’s starting to look like the inside of my underwear drawer (an overcrowded, crazed jumble of random cast-offs and mania-inducing clutter, which I suppose is also a pretty fair description of my mind, come to think of it), but I do this in the name of service to mankind. Really, I am all about selflessness, just ask me.
So here’s the thing: As I have mentioned in the past, some people are sensitive to salt and some are not. If you have high blood pressure, you need to deal with it, no question. Sodium is also a problem for people with kidney disease. One of the the simplest things you can do is cut back radically on sodium, though it’s easier said than done because it is in EVERYTHING (breakfast cereals, condiments, dairy items, processed foods, and restaurant meals to name but a few).
GOOD TO KNOW: White corn meal = Best corn bread. Evah.
It’s all about the blonde!
So tonight we had easy fish stew for dinner and I decided to make the usual corn bread to accompany. Imagine my surprise when I retrieved the old reliable Indian Head corn meal from the pantry only to find I’d picked up white corn meal rather than the usual yellow during my last trip to Fairway!
You know, btw I hate Fairway. I swear their floor plan is designed to induce psychosis. For example:
ME: “Excuse me, where might I find the cinnamon?”
FAIRWAY GUY: “Well it depends what kind you want. You can get it in aisle 5 with the imported spices or back in the produce section with the Spanish seasonings. We also have some in the organic food area of our annex, or you could just mosey over to aisle 114B where there should be some next to the domestic pie filling.”
ME: “I’ve been running around here for thirty minutes in search of one freaking jar of cinnamon. I don’t even know where I am and will need a St Bernard and a gallon of whiskey just to make it to the check out. Can you just get me some goddamned cinnamon?”
FG: “Ma’m, have you been drinking?”
It’s always the same.
Anyways, I was feeling far too lazy to run down the the Las Americas bodega to get the usual yellow product, so I threw caution to the wind, poured another glass of wine and decided to roll with the white stuff. One of these years I’m going to get a working camera to share the fruits of my labors, but until then, you’ll just have to take the word of the Slattern family that the white cornmeal makes a far superior corn bread. Lighter, finer and altogether more pleasing. It’s not difficult to make — just use the recipe on the back of the sack.
If you’re too lazy to click the link, read on to see the recipe just as it appears on their site. Foolproof.
Kitchen Slattern 