mels's Profile
Sheep's milk products in CT
I agree with the recommendations for a good cheese shop. Also, if you are in the neighborhood of a Whole Foods, they have lots of different sheep's milk cheeses, goat milk, goat milk yogurt, etc.
Grocery tomatoes
I try to avoid tomatoes out of season. Once they hit the refrigerated truck, grocery store tomatoes are useless, if they were even flavorful to begin with. When I have a hankering for tomatoes off season, the Campari tomatoes or the pints of grape tomatoes are my best bet, though they are nowhere near a good, in-season tomato. Still better than run of the mill hothouse ones though.
Why is the Olive Garden so reviled?
Fowler, it is not the Midwest as a whole that has no local food joints, just this one particular area I travel to often. It is a very small city with a "backwoods" reputation with the locals in surrounding towns.
Why is the Olive Garden so reviled?
I am in the same boat. I don't always eat at chains when traveling for work, but I do get stuck eating at them more than I would like. There are several reasons. The first is as sunshine842 stated above- no transportation in a suburban office park. The second, is I generally travel with others. My vote isn't the only one that counts. If three people with one rental car want to go to Chili's and I don't, guess where we are going? Lastly, I end up many times in an area of the midwest where chains are more pervasive than in other areas. Many times there isn't an option for an interesting local place.
Lest anyone think I am knocking the midwest, I am not. It is a specific town/city that I go to a lot with ZERO choices for food. Believe me, I've tried.
Foods you dislike buying—but sometimes need to
I buy the powdered stuff. It turns rock hard once opened, so I keep it in a zip top bag. It works well enough. I always have it on hand since like other posters, I usually only need a small amount that doesn't justify me letting the remnants of a quart go to waste in the fridge. I usually use buttermilk in cooked things like waffles, biscuits, sauce for smothered chops, etc. and honestly can't tell the difference if it is fresh vs. powdered.
Why is the Olive Garden so reviled?
A former client of mine made packaged Italian-American type foods. They supplied Olive Garden with their lasagna (as well as Target's Archer Farms lasagna). There is no doubt that Olive Garden is just doing a reheat on foods.
Rudy's in New Haven
Say it ain't so! Rudy's went upscale??? That was my dive bar of choice in the late 1990s where friends and I would down pitchers of very cheap beer.
What are your FAVORITE meals or dishes to enjoy when it's HOT outside?
My staple hot weather meal is one where I usually have all ingredients already on hand: Tuscan Tuna and Bean Sandwich. It was originally a Gourmet magazine recipe and I have made changes over the years to suit my tastes. essentially it is canned tuna in oil, lots of parsley and lemon juice with a bean spread that has kalamata olives, garlic and red onion. Top it with some greens (watercress, arugula, or whatever you have on hand). The original Gourmet recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tuscan-Tuna-and-Bean-Sandwiches-234263
I also love buffalo chicken salads in the heat of summer. Grill up a piece of chicken (b/s thighs or breasts), slice it up, then toss with wing sauce (I go traditional, with a mix of Frank's Red Hot and a little melted butter). I then take a big ol' bowl of salad chock full of whatever veg is in my fridge, toss with a little blue cheese dressing, then add the chicken on top.
Question from a novice sausage maker
I agree with Uncle Bob. I trim the pork butt but not crazily.
Your best fajita marinade
I like to use flank steak too. My favorite marinade recipe, which I think I got from some Tyler Florence recipe years and years ago, for the steak is all of the following ingredients, blended with an immersion blender or regular blender:
Juice from 1 orange
Juice from 2 limes
1/4 c. olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3 chipoltes in adobo sauce
3 T chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
Blend it up and toss the steak in.
Dieting during work travel
I am also a work traveler and lost 30 pounds over a year ago and have kept it off. Most of my travel is to the midwest (think chain restaurants as far as the eye can see in small cities, as well as lots of airport food) but I do some bigger city traveling. I didn't do WW but I was counting calories via an app on my phone (MyFitnessPal). My hotels are generally also a mixed bag- some have a fridge, some have a microwave, some have neither.
Breakfast: I eat it on my own. Even if a meeting includes breakfast, I eat before I leave the hotel on my own time that way I don't need to eat the bagel/muffin/pastries spread or whatever else may be put in front of me. I start with a bigger breakfast, that way I can eat a lighter lunch. Many times I am either at a Hampton Inn/Residence Inn type place that provides a breakfast and have healthier options available (hard boiled eggs, yogurt, fruit, etc.). At full service hotels, I usually go for eggs and whole wheat toast. In some cities, I can run to a nearby Starbucks or other coffee chain for a decent breakfast (calorie-wise). See my Starbuck's note below.
Lunch: Are you avoiding carbs, have a gluten allergy, or just don't like bread? Usually the sandwich chip combo is provided to me as well. Generally I eat half the sandwich and will eat fruit if it is provided.
Dinner: Even at the crappiest chain restaurant, I can find something relatively healthy, even if it calls for a "sauce on the side" request, or I ask them to replace french fries with whatever veg they have on hand. There is always some sort of grilled chicken or grilled shrimp option which is my default if nothing else on the menu looks agreeable.
I always have almonds on me but it sounds like they are too high calorie (or high points, rather) for your liking. Also, Starbucks are a lifesaver for on the go meals, either in airports or on the ground. Their protein plate is fantastic, for 300-odd calories I get a hard boiled egg, cheese, fruit, natural peanut butter...it has been my travel savior many of times.
Edited to add: If you get stuck in chain restaurant hell as I often do, there are smartphone apps that have chain restaurant nutrition aggregated into one app. Very helpful for looking up a restaurant on the fly to see how you can get out of there for less than 800 calories!
What the heck happed to Chicken?
Yup- I am in CT too and can always find breasts, thighs, or whatever cut with skin.
In Search of a Nice Dinner in CT
So the vegetarian is not vegetarian since they eat fish, so that opens up more possibilities. What is the price point you are looking at?
The absolute best restaurant in the Hartford area in my opinion is On20 (they only do Friday night dinners). However, it is pretty pricey. More moderate priced but always a solid experience is any of the Max restaurants in the Hartford area. J. Gilberts in Glastonbury is really good- a steakhouse but they have seafood as well. Their salmon is absolutely wonderful.
Middletown opens up a whole load of other restaurants...
Praise for my new Bosch dishwasher
That's what I am using too- the Finish Powerball that I picked up at BJs. I can't believe how clear my glasses are as opposed to my old dishwasher. I wish I ditched the old dishwasher sooner!
Favorite Frozen Food?
I also love fish sticks. Most people like to look back on childhood with a disdain for the humble fish stick. Oh no. No, my friends. I LOVE fish sticks. As I have grown older and more aware of what goes into my food I opt for ones with minimal ingredients, like Dr. Praeger's brand. But I still love them!
Praise for my new Bosch dishwasher
I researched as much as I possibly could about dishwashers before purchasing my new Bosch. I must have read every dishwasher thread on Chowhound and other websites. Now I finally pulled the trigger and made the purchase, I thought I would post a review and pay it forward.
I had a dishwasher that was slowly disintegrating. It was a Kenmore that came with the house and the coated wire baskets were beginning to disintegrate and expose rusted metal. It didn’t clean unless all dishes were pre-rinsed rather well. I did not want to spend more than $1,000 total so out went the highly recommended (and highly priced) brands like Miele.
I ended up settling on Bosch, specifically the SHX55R56UC. We have had it for a month now and I love it. It is incredibly quiet, cleans dishes extremely well (even when food is caked on), and all glasses come out perfectly spotless. I know with the removal of phosphates from dishwasher detergent, some dishwashers don’t perform as well as they used to. I am using Finish detergent and Jet Dry rinse agent (as recommended in the user’s manual) and all is sparkling.
Fingers crossed this dishwasher has a good long life. If not, I will revive this thread to sing a different tune.
Favorite Frozen Food?
Stouffer's mac and cheese was a childhood favorite of mine!
So far I have found Evol to make the best frozen burritos, especially the pork and green chile variety.
Also, I have never been disappointed with an Amy's frozen meal.
Where can one get brisket (raw) near Milford, CT
Many times you can get it at Whole Foods at the butcher counter.
american chinese food cravings?
I don't expect that much from American-Chinese cuisine and I don't mean that in a negative way. I know exactly what I'll be getting and once in a while, I want those deep fried chicken chunks doused in gloppy General Tso's sauce (or whatever dish I may be craving) with a side of pork fried rice and a standard egg roll (with a packet of duck sauce, please). For me it is a comfort food type thing. I grew up eating Friday night take-out every week and it was either Chinese or pizza. It's like dissing mom's meatloaf...even if it isn't the best meatloaf ever, it is still mom's meatloaf, the one that tastes like childhood.
The craving hits a few times a year and when it does, I indulge. I tend not to overeat heavy foods like that for fear of my stomach revolting, so a standard combination meal of meat and rice, my husband and I split it with no harm done.
Latino Food
A coworker of mine has been raving about La Kerencya on Franklin Ave in Hartford. I haven't made it over there yet so I can't personally vouch for it, however I trust this particular coworker's restaurant recommendations. It is a Peruvian restaurant:
http://www.lakerencya.com/
Treated Shrimp
If you have a Whole Foods near you, that ingredient is on their list of "unacceptable ingredients" for sale in their store. So all of their shrimp will be free of it.
Define "Grinder"
I grew up just west of New Haven and there is no clear definition of a grinder. They can be hot, cold, on stale bread, on fresh bread...a grinder is a hoagie, a sub, a wedge, a torpedo, depending on where you are from.
I never heard of this "ground up lettuce" business. Even if that woman is right, they will always be known as meatball grinders to me, piping hot with no lettuce in sight.
Why do in season oranges sometimes taste good, sometimes not, by the time I get them?
That is a great question and I would also love to know the answer. I am also in the northeast and find in season citrus from the grocery store to be very hit and miss. I had some great oranges from Whole Foods, as well as mediocre. I had some great oranges from Stop and Shop and also some awful ones. I feel like I am rolling the dice whenever I buy them.
Website for Personal Recipe Storage?
I use Evernote. You can use it on desktops, laptops, tablets, or any mobile device, which is awesome because that means I have all of my recipes with me at all times (provided my cell signal is good!).
CSA - how many chowhounds use a CSA
Two adult house, we do a 1/2 share here in Connecticut. It costs $625 for pickups from June through December (25 weeks). 50% payment due in March, the remainder on first pickup in June. I have no idea how many pounds we got each week...depends on the vegetable. My farm also includes fruits like berries, apples, pears, house-made cider, etc. that others do not.
It is fun to design the meal around the vegetable and when the CSA is in season we definitely eat much more veg and fruit. We like all produce for the most part so nothing gets wasted. It has made me learn how to cook things I never really tried to cook before (radishes, collard greens) and in turn has made me a better cook.
Potato Chip Afficionado
+1 on Cape Cod Chips. They are my favorite for dipping. I do hold a grudge that they discontinued my favorite, Firecracker Barbecue. Instead of the god awful sweet barbecue flavor favored by Lay's and the like, these were tangy and spicy.
I am partial to kettle cooked chips. I much prefer the thicker chip and nice crunch. I won't even touch plain old Lay's and that variety. Too wimpy and half the bag is potato shards.
Kettle Chips salt and pepper variety is pretty fantastic. Deep River potato chips are also quite good.
Honey
I also buy local honey from a local one man show beekeeper. I prefer raw honey. Sure, it crystallizes when it gets too cool but goes back to its normal liquid state quickly when warmed up again. I don't know where you are located but if you are in the US, most states have some Agriculture Department (or equivalent) that will have a list of beekeepers around you. many local farm stands in my area also sell honey produced locally.
Chicken Fried Steak recipe?
My coworker raves about Alton Brown's recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chicken-fried-steak-recipe/index.html
Any ideas on making cereal similar to discontinued Tr. Joe's Oat & Wheat Brn Swirls?
I am devastated to see you never received a response about this. That cereal was highly addictive and I limited myself to one box every once in a great while so I didn't constantly binge on those things. Now it's gone! Have you since found any replacement product or recipe for something similar? I am with you, Cracklin Oat Bran is nowhere near the deliciousness that was the Oat and Wheat Bran Swirls.
