drucie's Profile
Where to find Pepperidge Farm bread (Temecula)
Hi! I have been unable to find Pepperidge Farm bread in any of the local stores. Anyone seen this around lately? I am in Temecula but also go pretty regularly to Riverside and north county San Diego. Thanks!
I left it out - safe to eat?
I made marmalade (kumquat.) This is a fast-jam recipe that you store in a regular container in the fridge - not canning/preserving where you boil the containers etc. The recipe says to let it cool then transfer to smaller containers, and that it will keep for 2 mos in the fridge or 6 mos in the freezer.
I left it to cool and forget it overnight so it sat out for about 11 hrs. Is it okay now to refrigerate/freeze as normal? Or do I need to toss it?
The only ingredients are kumquats & sugar.
Thanks!
Wineries in Temecula?
Do I know you LOL?! Maybe....small town! Agree on Wilson Creek unfortunately. They just added this new event center for weddings etc and it's a beautiful venue M-Th but even on those days can get crowded. The other one that is beautiful but unfortunately gets way too crowded (and with a horrible crowd of totally obnoxious drunks) is South Coast.
Wineries in Temecula?
If you just want to devote a day or part of a day to Temecula, I'd make Old Town a home base rather than the Rancho California Road area where most of the wineries are. Old Town is right in the midst of a terrific revitalization and it'll make a fun day, plus since you're posting on Chowhound I assume wine & food is your focus and there's plenty there in that regard.
Old Town is just a few blocks long so it's very manageable to park & walk/explore. Some high points:
* Temecula Olive Oil Company (Old Town Front Street at Main) - they have a beautiful store w/tasting room selling locally produced specialty foods. Also if you are doing more of a drive, pick up some of their dips, tapenades, oils etc and a baguette for a nice snack:-)
* Public House (Main Street about 1/2 block up from Olive Oil Co) - newish "gastro-pub" serving beer, wine and food in a converted old house --- BUT sit outside! They have a great outdoor seating area w/fire pits, music, family style seating and also a mix of comfy chairs, loungers etc. They also have an enclosed patio on the front with seating.
* Bank of Mexican Food (Old Town Front Street at Main) - good Mexican food, also have a fun bar scene on the patio
* Penfold's Building -- this is on Fourth & Old Town Front Street (NOT Penfold's Cafe, which is their older diner-style restaurant which is a locals spot for bkfst, but the Penfold's Steakhouse building) - this complex has the Temecula Cheese Co, which is a bustling real authentic super cool cheese shop with tasting; Jack's Nuts, which is the cutest place, with nuts, dried fruit, gifts; Temecula Spice Co - teas, spices etc.; Tesoro tasting room for wine.
Longshadow has a tasting room in Old Town about midway between the Olive Oil Co and the Penfold's building.
Now if you do venture to the wineries, don't try to do too many - just choose a couple whose wines you really like. Leonnesse has been well-reviewed, South Coast has some good ones, Baily, Stuart Cellars....but it gets SO crowded on weekends (including Fridays) so you may just want to avoid those times altogether. Any winery not on Rancho California is super close but make sure to Mapquest so you don't get lost (it can get confusing out there.) Palumbo is good. We were at the Lodge at Torrey Pines earlier this month and I was pleased to see A.R. Valentien serving a Palumbo meritage as one of three wines on their wine/cheese tasting/pairing. (Several of the Temecula wineries are specializing in creating Bordeaux-like meritages.) For eating at the wineries, the best restaurant out there is probably The Smokehouse (Ponte's.)
http://www.temeculawines.org -- Temecula Winegrowers Assn
Enjoy -- oh and I have a blog that covers (among other things) Temecula -- http://thanksgivingfeast.blogspot.com
Foodie needs places to eat between Temecula and Escondido
Specifically for bkfst: Penfolds and Swing Inn are both good for local color/flavor. Both are west of the 15 on Jefferson, which becomes Old Town Front Street (Swing Inn is in Old Town proper; Penfold's is on a stretch that is still Jefferson, on the outskirts.) Pancake House is not worth a trip IMO. Vallee d'Brume is good. They have pastries and also a menu w/prepared dishes like omelettes etc. The owners are Dutch and their pastries are in Dutch style and also French style. Also out at Ponte winery Smokehouse has good Sunday brunch.
Vegetarian in San Diego..
Is it still the Zone or is it something else now? I think half of it was a bakery. When it was the Zone it was only mediocre but haven't eaten there in at least 2-3 or more years.
CSA in San Diego with lots of good fruit??
We have been with Morning Song Farm (http://www.morningsongfarm.com) since summer and it's great. She is in Rainbow and delivers to a few locations including here in Temecula where I live. I am not sure how far south into SD she goes. She has a lot of unusual tropical type fruit and each week fo r the past few mos we've been getting large bags of macadamia nuts too. Mmm. Thumbs up.
Vegetarian in San Diego..
Longtime vegetarians -- we eat at Cafe Athena (on Garnet, Pacific Beach) a lot. Great menu, very varied with dishes to please the meat-eaters in your party as well. Nice casual friendly atmosphere. They have this one appie that's really good -- spanokilemonato - spinach, garlic, lemon, cilantro. Simple yet delicious.
public house in old town temecula
Excited to be trying something new. Anyone been here yet? Everytime I'm in Old Town I am intrigued by this romantic looking place. We are going there this weekend. Looks like they specialize in a locally grown/produced menu as much as possible. Husband loves beer & pubs and I love wine so we should be good:-)
http://www.publichouse.tv
help me recreate simple sweet potato recipe
I want to make this as a side dish at Thanksgiving. I am drawing a complete blank for some reason on the details of how to make a really simple candied yam dish. What I want is long slices of sweet potatoes/yams in baking dish dotted with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon/nutmeg and brown sugar. The part I'm blanking on is: do I bake the sweet potatoes first, then cool them before slicing and then re-bake them? Or will it work to use raw slices and bake for longer? Duh! I just can't remember. When I try googling I keep getting recipes where the potatoes are baked then mashed, which isn't what I want. Also help w/quantities please -- 25 people (20 adults, 5 elementary school age kids) - moderately heavy eaters. Thanks!
Vegetarian main course for Thanksgiving
Hi Laura - My husband, kids and I are vegetarians and the extended family, with whom we always celebrate Thanksgiving, are not. Lately I've been hosting here at our house. Here is a good fall/harvest themed entree that works equally well for carrying to someone else's house or serving on your own table. Non-vegetarians like this dish as a side dish too. This is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Vegetarian Celebrations by Nava Atlas.
Pueblo Corn Pie (Serves 6-8)
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med green or red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 c cooked fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
2 1/4 c canned or cooked pinto beans
2 c chopped ripe tomatoes, or 14-16 oz can diced tomatoes, lightly drained
2 tsps chili powder, or to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
Cornmeal topping:
1 1/4 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. grated jack cheese, optional
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add onion and saute until it is translucent. Add the garlic & bell pepper and continue to saute until the onion is golden brown. Add the corn kernels, pinto beans, tomatoes, and seasonings. Stir well and simmer for 10-15 mins. Season to taste w/salt. Remove from heat.
Bring 5 c water to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan or double boiler. Slowly pour the cornmeal into the water in a thin steady stream, stirring continuously to avoid lumping. Add the salt and cook over very low heat, covered, for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375 deg.
Oil a shallow 1 1/2 qt baking dish and line the bottom with half of the cooked cornmeal. Pour over it the skillet mixture and sprinkle with the optional grated cheese. Top with remaining cornmeal, patting it smoothly. Bake for 45-50 mins or until the cornmeal is golden brown and crusty. Let stand for 10 minutes then cut into squares to serve.
pomegrante vinaigrette
Temecula Olive Oil Co makes a pomegranate vinegar: www.temeculaoliveoil.com
If you are near either of their locations I highly recommend a trip to their tasting room.
Vinaigrette: 2 parts oil to 1 part acid (e.g. vinegar, lemon juice.) Start w/acid in small bowl and slowly whisk in the oil. Season with salt & pepper. You can add herbs (tarragon goes well with vinaigrette) or mustard.
roasting a 22 lb turkey- please advise
Another question - what is my best gravy option if I'm deep frying?
roasting a 22 lb turkey- please advise
Thanks for replies! We will be 26 people - 20 adults (2 of whom are vegetarians) and 6 kids (3 tweens and 3 elementary school age.) We are big eaters, too!
I bought a large-sized fryer (35 qts) from Lowe's. I was a man-magnet shopping in Lowe's and several guys stood around giving advice and they steered me toward this one for its very stable base.
Since deep frying is so much quicker than standard, I suppose it would be fine to do 2 (or even 3?) smaller birds.
Henry's has a category on their order for for their organic birds 20-22#. They usually have Foster Farms but they are changing suppliers this year to an organic variety. They didn't have specific brand info yet (or pricing - I'm curious.) They'll know by the end of the week, they say.
My dad & husband are in charge of the logistics & safety. I don't even want to know lol. The big attraction for me is freeing up oven space for the sides. This way not only won't the bird be inside my oven, it won't even be in the kitchen or house. Woo hoo!
roasting a 22 lb turkey- please advise
I am doing a 20-22# turkey this year too. (Ordering a fresh turkey.) I plan to deep fry it - advice? Do we have a thread on deep frying turkey? This is my first year doing it.
Easy homemade pizza?
I know you say you don't want to make crust, but you might possibly reconsider if you had a super easy & quick recipe....just in case:
This recipe is from Vogue magazine, of all place (Feb 2005 issue.) It is super fast. Start it the moment you walk in the door, then while it's rising for 45 min you can do other things. Once it goes in the oven it's done in 10 minutes.
I could even eat this crust as flatbread, it's so delicious. I don't always make this with bufala mozzarella. I'll sometimes grate regular mozzarella (low-moisture part skim - the kind sold by Precious or Frigo in a ball) instead. You can experiment with sauceless (just cheese) or cheeseless - just sauce & toppings. No homemade pizza will turn out well unless you use a pizza stone. Also this recipe calls for 450 deg but I set my gas oven to 500 (as high as it'll go) and set the pizza stone on the floor of it.
Ingredients:
1/4 c white wine
3/4 c warm water
1 pkt active dry yeast
1 T honey
1 tsp kosher salt
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 c tomato sauce
10 oz bufala mozzarella
To taste: sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil leaves
Serves 4.
1. Combine wine, water, and yeast in large bowl. Stir until dissolved. Add honey, salt, and olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Add 1 c flour and make a wet paste. Add remaining flour.
2. Knead dough on a lightly floured board for 2-3 mins.
3. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and cover with towel. Let rise 45 min.
4. Form dough into 4 1/4" thick discs, 11" in diameter. Layer tomato sauce and mozzarella.
5. Bake at 450 on a pizza stone for 10-15 min, until dough is lightly browned.
6. Sprinkle with sea salt, olive oil, and basil to taste.
Fresh Turkeys for Thanksgiving in San Diego?
Glad to hear good feedback from Henry's. We are up in Temecula and I am leaning toward ordering my fresh turkey from them. I was just talking to Baron's on the phone and they sound totally scatterbrained and claim they really don't do special orders -- just come in 2-3 days before Thanksgiving and "they'll have a good assortment and if not ask them to check the back." Not super confidence-inspiring.
I saw an ad in the paper for a butcher shop in Poway that is "taking holiday meat orders now" - anyone know of this place?
PS - Alice Q - I am a big fan of your blog:-)
Better than bouillon?
Another Better than Bouillon fan here. I am vegetarian and use their vegetarian flavor regularly. The ingredients list is very good - better than bouillon in that regard as well:-)
Temecula Area Eats...a Few Quick Notes
Wrong Rosa's! The Rosa's directly across the street from the olive oil co (NO RELATION to the chain Rosa's you were at on jefferson) is wonderful. It's called Rosa's Cantina.
Also in Old Town - the Baily family (of Baily winery) has Baily's Old Town Front Street with casual streetfront dining downstairs and a fancier place above. Great food, great wine, very good atmosphere.
I like this new(er) place for pizza -- Spuntino's - in the shopping center on the corner of Rancho California Road and Meadows Parkway (with Baron's.) it is owned by a restaurant family in town who also own two other restaurants - Gourmet Italia and in Murrieta Gourmet Italia North. This place is teeny tiny but there are tables & chairs outdoors (shares a patio with a Starbucks that has outdoor seating) and their pizza is great. They also have a small deli/market and a counter with to-go Italian deli food.
Also -- new(ish) Italian -- Francesca's Italian Kitchen - on Hwy 79S (recently renamed Temecula Parkway) a mile or two east of Hwy 15. Very good food! Great wines. My neighbor is from Italy and he reps coffee & espresso so he knows all the inside dish on what Italian places are good and he ran over to tell me to try this place. I'd already discovered it and we both are like, "Why is everyone in town going to Romano's Macaroni and Olive Garden when we have this place?" It'll probably go out of business because nobody knows about it, unfortunately. it is so good!
Places to Eat Near Desert Hills Outlet Mall [moved from L.A. board]
If you are with folks dead-set on going to an outlet you might want to consider the one in City of Industry instead. They have a great selection and it's not so far (depending of course on where in the greater LA area will be your home base.) If you are planning a trip to the Palm Springs desert area then Cabazon is right on your way....otherwise not really.
Help Please - the slow creeping beginnings of Jewish New Year cooking Angst
That makes more sense, Rockycat -- what I googled said it was because nuts make your mouth produce saliva that interferes with prayer. The explanation around egoz itself makes sense.
Mac and Cheese w/ lite cheddar?
The thing with the cheese is how it will melt. I actually don't like using all regular cheddar in mac & cheese because I find it doesn't melt as nicely as a blend where I mix in a little bit (maybe 3:1 quantity of cheddar to something really smooth & melty.) My mac & cheese recipe calls for American cheese which I guess I could buy at the deli counter (they don't sell it in blocks where I live; just prewrapped single slices) but I haven't tried that. I think I have a mental block against American cheese lol.
Another thing about the cheeese is that if you have a casserole-style mac & cheese (kind that cuts into wedges vs kind that you scoop out with a spoon), it might not set up just right. The casserole kind sets in a type of custard and the cheese sort of aids that process (so does the butter and milk so altering those proportions could change the end result.)
Personally I'd just eat it lol. If your recipe serves 8, that's just 1 oz cheese per person - very reasonable.
If you still want to experiment with homemade mac & cheese (which is practically THE easiest quick crowd-pleasing dinner I find I can make - people just love it - plus it's great to give to others, or bring to potlucks, serve to kids, etc etc) -- google "president reagan macaroni and cheese" for the reicpe I love, which is an old clipping from the OC Register that I inherited from my mom (mine is so old it's "Governor Reagan's Macaroni & Cheese" but now this is a well-known recipe circulating as President Reagan's.) Politics may differ but it sure is one tasty mac & cheese;-)
Jewish or Italian to-go deli south OC
We are having a very casual family get-together and I want to bring in deli food -- probably bread and/or rolls and an assortment of meats, cheeses, condiments etc with some side salads. We will be in Capistrano and I'd love to find someplace within 15-20 mi if possible (I'll drive a bit farther if I need to.) I need someplace open Sundays so I can pick up right before we eat (I'll be traveling 1.5 hrs from my house to the event and plan to pick up on the way.)
Help Please - the slow creeping beginnings of Jewish New Year cooking Angst
Rockycat, that is so interesting about the nuts. I had never heard of that before you posted then I got curious and googled. Do you think that is more of an Ashkenaz thing? (I am Ashkenaz by blood but grew up non-observant and my Jewish traditions come from extended family like cousins aunts etc who married Sephardic, Rhodesli, Greek men so holidays etc are based on what I saw with them - maybe that's one of the many different traditions between Ashk. & Seph?)
re: baking -- definitely anyone who lives in a city with a Jewish bakery should not pull her attention away from cooking by baking challah or desserts! Bakery challah is so good and you'll be busy enough so don't worry that it's bad to buy it - it's *better* to buy it! I have a good recipe for lekach that I can post - it's so good. It actually tastes better if you make it a few days ahead and it freezes and thaws well too.
Ah So sauce...Am I the only one
My husband is from New York and he says Soy Vay is very similar to Ah So. (I buy Soy Vay at Trader Joe's.) I personally don't like it -- too sweet. Ah So has a cute/funny label though;-)
Any cookbook recommendations for Gluten-Free Baking?
Not a cookbook but you might want to give the blog Karina's Kitchen a try -- she calls herself "the gluten-free goddess" and her recipes are really good. She has many that are similiar to what you describe. You can subscribe to her feed and get almost-daily updates with new reicpes.
Looking for the best VEGAN Cookbooks...
I cook from Vegetarian Celebrations all the time, and I have 2-3 go-to recipes from Vegan Gourmet (tempeh burgers with mango salsa is amazing - so good! I cannot serve it without people asking for the recipe.) But in general, I don't like crunchy granola, natural/healthy tasting foods. That's just not my style of eating or my taste preference. A lot of vegan & vegetarian cookbooks seem to use ingredients that I just don't cook with. My preference is for dishes that just happen to fit in with what we eat - no faux meats, no substitute ingredients, etc.
So, most of what I cook on a daily and weekly basis are recipes I've collected over the years that just happen to fit in with vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, but are from regular cookbooks & magazines. I love Sunset and have a ton of Sunset recipes, for example. I have a bunch from Gourmet, Bon Apetit, newspaper clippings, friends, etc. My favorite pizza recipe was clipped from Vogue. Most of these I've made so often I can make them by heart. I also cook from the Gourmet cookbook (Ruth Reichl-edited big yellow thing.)
I forgot to add this other cookbook I use ALL the time - though it's vegetarian, not vegan, and most of the dishes do use eggs, or cheese, or butter (everything uses butter.) It's French Vegetarian Cooking from the "In a Nutshell" series and it is a wonderful little gem. I have two other books from this series and they are nothing special but this one is just terriifc.
Temecula area eats
In no particular order...
Francesca's on 79S/Temecula Parkway for Italian (my Italian neighbor reps Gaggia coffees and gives this the thumbs up - I love their food though I did have an overly salty meal there once; Spuntino's (in the shopping center with Baron's on Rancho California x Meadows Pkwy - I highly recommend Baron's for produce & specialty items, too) - Spuntino's is owned by the family who owns Presto's Gourmet Italia and Gourmet Italia North in Murrieta and Spuntino's is an Italian market/deli which happens to make amazing pizza and also prepared to-go Italian deli items.
Also for pizza try Filippi's Pizza Grotto on Jefferson x Rancho California which is the local outpost of the one in SD Little Italy.
Baily's in Old Town - they have "white table" restaurant upstairs but I really like the atmosphere & food of their downstairs casual restaurant.
Rosa's in Old Town across from the Temecula Olive Oil Co -- NOT the Rosa's Tortilla Factory fast food which is also on Jefferson/Old Town Front Street several blocks north! Great authentic Mexican food.
Scarcella's in the shopping center with Armstrong where Orchard's market used to be Rancho California x Ynez) - Italian with martini bar that has been around forever & ever -- great food.
Fish House Veracruz - chain but a reliable family favorite.
Seems like all the wineries have restaurants -- the ones that get the most local raves are the Smokehouse (Ponte) and Carol's at Baily's.
Sushi - I go to Sushi Camp on Hwy 79S/Temecula Pkwy. They have a few varieties that are more in the style of Korean sushi (I think someone involved in this operation is Korean - not sure the details) - always super clean and reliably good food everytime we're there.
Hope this helps! I write a blog about life in Temecula and sometimes write about local businesses & restaurants -- http://thanksgivingfeast.blogspot.com -- there is another local gal who writes a blog and she covers more restaurants than I do -- http://ihearttemecula.blogspot.com
Looking for the best VEGAN Cookbooks...
I'd add Vegan Gourmet to the list. I have the original and I have heard people don't like the revised version as much but I haven't seen it so can't compare. I also love Vegetarian Celebrations by Nava Atlas. Virtually all of those recipes have vegan modifications available.
