fatnsassymama's Profile
Blue Cheese made with Penicillin mold?
I have a friend who, like myself, is allergic to penicillin. I have a mild allergy, but he has a severe one. We went out to dinner recently and we both love blue cheese dressing, but he decided he didn't want it with his wings because of something he had heard from an EMT friend of his. Apparently, some blue cheeses are made with penicillin mold. I do know that some hand-made pepperonis are subjected to a penicillin wash as part of the curing process, but I had not heard of penicillin mold being used for cheeses. Is there any truth to this, and if so, should such cheeses be labelled for us poor slobs who might suffer from said allergy?
Ok, I did a little digging and found out my answer was yes, I could proibably eat it but my friend with the worse allergy may have a problem because he's also lactose intolerant. So now I wonder about the pepperoni.
fuddruckers???
My first and so far only experience with Fuddruckers was last year, when I was out in the Danvers, MA. area with some friends. There is a furniture store called Jordans which has a Trapeze school in it, as well as a Fuddruckers. The idea being, if you can have fun there, you might spend more time and therefore more money on furniture.
I was completely blown away by how fresh the burgers were. The fries and onion rings were wonderful. My only complaint was the milkshakes were too sweet for my taste, but that may be due to the fact that I have lost some of my taste for plain, raw, sugary treats. I enjoyed just how fresh everything was, no wilted lettuce or soggy tomatoes. The pickles were nice and tasty, too.
Can I really save money by joining Costco?
It really depends on your purchasing habits. I only occasionally buy at Costco. I have a small family (3 of us) and we plan our Costco purchases according to the budget we have. We buy our cat litter, toilet paper and paper towels, bulk meats and cheese, milk and eggs there. Also any snacks that my family tends to eat a lot of, and if there is a big party coming up I stock up there. The problem comes with storing all that you have bought. Unless you have a way to store the bulk foods and rafts of toilet paper, it's not going to make much sense for you.
Sturbridge
One town west in Brimfield there is Francesca's, very good Italian food and very family friendly. Publick House does have an amazing bakery. There is the Picadilly Pub on Rt 20, family friendly and decent food. Cracker Barrel if you don't want to take chances on unknown fare, and family friendly but the food is kind of heavy to me.
Question about Fitzwilly's in Northampton
I haven't gone there in almost 16 years. I went once when I was pregnant with my son, and after waiting 15 minutes for a waitron to bring a menu, then another 15 minutes for someone to take our drinks order (by then it was our dinner order as well) and almost 30 minutes before food came out, I decided I never wanted to go back there. The food had been good, but it was not worth waiting an hour for. From what I understand from people who have gone there recently, the food and service has declined.
Walking Distance to the Prov. Biltmore
Corner of Wilmington and Union is a place called Tazza, nice place to have breakfast or dinner. I had Eggs Florentine and was quite pleased with it, nicely poached eggs and a light but lemony hollandaise sauce. They have some fabulous veggie options as well. Also there is a place on Fontaine street called McCarthys pub and grill, had excellent crepe-like pancakes with plenty of fruit options. Dinner we had at Tazza and they had an amazing butternut squash soup, also some great pasta dishes, and the prices were quite reasonable. It's in the arts district, about 2 blocks from the hotel.
STAFFORD SPRINGS
There is John Henry's, La Petite France bakery, and Arizona Pizza all on Rt 32 in Stafford Springs. There is also a place called Wild Apples but I think it's just a banquet facility. If you take Rt 32 to Palmer, MA (about 20 mintues drive north) you will find Steaming Tender, a nice restaurant in and old train depot. Further west on Rt 20 (which connects with 32) you will find CJ's, which has excellent fish. All are about 30 minutes from Stafford Springs. I do not know how good the Chinese restaurants are in Stafford Springs.
Brownies in Muffin Tins- The Ultimate Corner Brownies?
I have seen the liners for the tiny muffin tins, you can get them at the craft store. I use the ones they sell for putting candies in, they are just the right size. I also use the Wilton Cake Release stuff to get things out of the tiny muffin pans and it works well.
