Category Archives: New Things

The Little Sandwiches

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Little french bread sandwich with jamon

One of my favorite discoveries in Europe was these little French bread sandwiches that had either jamón or prosciutto on them.   They were typically just a couple of euros and absolutely delicious.

We first discovered them during a layover in the Madrid airport but we also saw them all over Germany and Italy.

When I had it in Madrid, it was around breakfast time and it seemed like what everyone was eating.   Why can’t we bring this to the USA?  Instead of the Egg McMuffin, why can’t McDonalds serve this?

Taste the Currants

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Red Currant Harvest

Growing up, I heard people talk about going berry picking, and I read stories about berry picking, but I never actually did it. I considered it in the realm of our rural past, maybe something done somewhere out in the country, but as far as I was concerned, those little sweet treasures that topped our cereal and filled our pies came from the grocery store.

Well, where I live, summertime is a berry-picker’s paradise. In my in-law’s garden, among other beautiful growing things, there’s a row of raspberry bushes, a couple of cherry trees and a big bush bursting with red currants. The relatively warm summer over here has yielded a huge crop in all regards, and we’re reaping the benefits. Everyone in the neighborhood seems to be doing the same thing, so it’s not just eccentrics or a grow-your-own trend. And even though my in-law’s cherry tree produced plentiful fruit (they left a ladder there for us to simply help ourselves whenever we had a break), neighbor’s  have been coming by to share their yield of various cherries.

The best surprise, though,  has been the currants. I’ve known about currants, but they’re more widely available here in Europe – currant jam and juice is about as common as strawberry jam and apple juice. The are little and round, and one of the delights is their convenience and durability. I’ve permanently soiled several of my shirts spitting out cherry seeds, but the currant seeds are small and easy to eat with the fruits. The fruits themselves taste like tart raspberries, but their consistency resembles grapes. In fact, in local slang, currants are called “traeuble,” meaning, little grapes. Thus, with their hard skin, they are fairly resistant and last a little longer than raspberries and their easy to freeze for the winter. Like grapes, they burst in the mouth when chewing, which makes for a refreshing, not to mention tasty, summer snack.

Of course, currant season doesn’t last for ever, and this past weekend, my mother-in-law and I picked the bush clean of currants to gather as many as we could before they fall off. We harvested over three huge bowlfuls of these little berries, frequently munching as we went along (that’s when they taste best, she advised). We froze most of the currants; as durable as they are, there’s no way we’d be able to eat all of them before they went bad. The frozen currants will be used for future cakes and jams. We’ve been enjoying the rest all week, piling them on our morning muesli or mixing them with yogurt or quark for dessert.

It’s also a tasty argument for eating things that are grown close to your own house. Simply speaking, they taste better than things that have been preserved and transported. Are there any fruits that grow well where you live? Add them to your backyard, and prepare for berry picking season.

Using CSA Kale for Kale Chips

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Kale Chips

As we talked about before, for the last few weeks, Lauren and I have been getting our CSA half shares.  We go to a local church, which hosts the CSA pickup in a fellowship hall, and pick up the fresh veggies.

It’s super interesting.  We totally end up getting a bunch of stuff where we have to figure out what exactly it is and how we’re going to use it.

While I’d heard of kale before, it’s definitely not anything that we had bought before.  Here we were with multiple bunches sitting before us.

A few of our friends had talked about kale chips before.  After a quick Google search, Lauren found a recipe and had a few batches ready to try. And yes, they were delicious.  They’re super light and airy but quite tasty.

I could totally see someone taking a bag of baked kale chips to a movie or sporting event.

What else would you make with kale?  What are fun things that you’ve gotten in your CSA?

(Photo by Joyosity)

Go Find Magnum Ice Cream Bars.

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Saw a movie with Lauren last night. During the commercials before the movie, there was an ad for Magnum Ice Cream bars.

Lauren told me about how she had had Magnum bars when she traveled abroad, that they were amazing, and had recently come to the United States.

So… We went the store and sought them out. It was just our luck.  Harris Teeter just started stocking them. They were $4.99 for 3 bars which is kind of expensive but it was a special treat.

We ended up getting the double caramel bars. They were super rich and oh oh so good.

These are definitely not your everyday ice cream bar. When you’re done eating it, you feel kind of guilty.

Would be interesting to see how the bars compare to other high-end chocolate bars like Dove or Haagen Dazs.

Have you had them? What do you think?

Is it me or does the summer make ice cream just always sound good?

(Photo by Like_The_Grand_Canyon.)

Magic Hat Brewery’s Spring Seasonal – Vinyl Lager

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Was at the beer store this weekend and little bit surprised to see that Magic Hat Brewery had already introduced their 2010 Spring Seasonal, Vinyl Lager, considering I had to trapse through snow to get to the store.

Now that I have it back at home and have drank a couple, I have to say that I really like this easy drinking amber lager.  It’s quite delicious.

Go to your local liquor store, pick up a 6 pack, and let me know what you think.

Here’s a little promotional video that Magic Hat did for the Vinyl release:

Navigating A New City’s Food Scene With Yelp Mobile

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Lately, when I travel, one of the things I try really hard to do is avoid the restaurants that just appeal to the tourists and really go to the places where the locals go.  I want to eat what’s going to give me a flavor of that local culture.

Now, I have had some success with doing this by just wandering.  I remember when I was in NYC, I was looking for a cool indie non-Starbucks coffee shop.  I happened to find my way to Think Coffee in Greenwich Village.  I was very happy about this but it’s not easy to replicate.

Last weekend, I was in Boston, wasn’t meeting with friends that I could ask for recommendations for a few hours,  so I decided to use Yelp on my iPhone as a way to guide my noise.  I was looking for a good latte and a sandwich.

I found my way over to Cafe L’Aroma in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.  I was thrilled with the results.  Not only was I able to get a really quality latte, I was able to get a great sandwich.   It was a turkey sandwich with this cranberry bread.  Mmmmm…  It was about $12 all together, which isn’t bad considering.

I was impressed with how Yelp was able to steer me in the right direction.

Have you used it before to find new places? How has it worked for you?

New Kabob Shop in Dupont Circle

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Like most Americans, the right sort of marketing will get me in the door. Last week, I forgot my usual packed lunch and was wandering the Dupont Circle neighborhood when I came across the Sacrificial Lamb, a new kabob and pizza joint on 17th and R, NW. It’s a basement deal with only counter seating inside (though it has a handsome patio, which I’m sure will be useful in the spring), but my love for Kabobs, the affectionate dinginess of the place (any restaurant that doesn’t look like it has a team of marketing experts determine the design is a plus in my book – unless of course the marketing guys figured that out and are using my useless quest for authenticity against me) and the name (that’s where I’m a sucker) drew me like a magnet. I like the thought that the sheep used to make my Kabob was ritually sacrificed (though this caused no small amount of controversy in the New Testament). In any case, a sheep was sacrificed so that I would pay someone a small amount of money to enjoy a tasty sandwich.

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, it would not surprise you that I my taste for Kebabs began in Germany. Germany has a significant Turkish minority, who wrapped Turkish meats and vegetables into flat-bread to serve as fast food to hungry Germans and other pale-skinned visitors. Doener Kebabs are available in any German town and train station, and, should you backpack Europe on a budget, they only cost 3 to 4 Euros (and as little as 1 Euro in the poor-but-sexy East).

According to the owner, the Sacrificial Lamb Kabobs are more South Asian – he described it as a hybrid of food you can find in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. (I believe he was from Pakistan) On my first visit, I ordered a Lamb Kabob and fries. The Kebab was delicious – more saucy and less spicy than its Turkish-German cousin. The meat was good, and the vegetables were not immaculate, but the whole combo was stupendous. I regret that I ordered a side of fries – these were no better than the fries in the back of your freezer and their more South Asian sides looked more appealing – particularly the spinach. Before I left, my host let me try the butter chicken, which was their opening special. Delicious – the chicken is wrapped in this tasty, tangy, slightly-spicy red sauce with none of the fried, high-fructose sweetness that you’ll find on the end of a toothpick in a shopping mall.

The butter chicken is exactly what I bought when I went back yesterday, this time with a side of spinach, rise and chickpeas. A tasty treat in a Styrofoam tray. It was still on special, which meant the whole thing was around about $6.75 – just under $10 when you throw in a diet Snapple plus tax. Non-special meals run about $10 on their own. As the name implies, they do have pizza there, which you can get cheaply by the slice, but frankly, like the fries, it did not look special or appetizing. I say, drop by, and see for yourself – but stick with the South Asian specialties. I may “forget” my lunch more often.

(PS: The owner is looking to rent a parking space in Dupont Circle – if anyone reading could help him out, give him a call at 202/797-2736. Order yourself some butter chicken, while you are at it)

My First Experience with Caviar

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A couple of weekends ago, I was walking through one of the neighborhood markets by my apartment here in Washington, DC.  I noticed on one of the shelves in the refrigerated section that you could get a small jar of Icelandic caviar for $7.

My perception had always been that caviar was this crazy expensive thing that you’d never see in neighborhood grocery store and you absolutely wouldn’t see it for $7.  I guess I had thought it’d be more $30-40 dollars.  I couldn’t stop myself from picking up a jar.  I just wanted to try it.

According to Wikipedia, Caviar is “the processed, salted roe of certain species of fish, most notably the sturgeon (black caviar) and the salmon (red caviar).”  It’s fish eggs.

So… last night, while watching TV, I pulled out some crackers and tried it. :-)   It’s this tasty salty fishy spread.  It was pretty good.  I want to read up about more ways that people recommend eating it.  I will report back.

Have you had caviar before?  What’d you think? How did you eat it?

(Photos by berzowska)

Mackinac Island Fudge Ice Cream – One of Michigan’s Sweetest Treats

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I’ve been in Michigan for the weekend.  A good friend of mine from college got married.

While I was here, I thought I’d dive into some of my favorite foods that come from my home state.

Mackinac Island is a very small island that covers about 3.8 square miles in the Northern most part of Lake Huron in Michigan.  Mackinac Island was a military outpost during the War of 1812.  Now it’s a vacation retreat for families from all over the area who are looking to get away and absorb a little bit of  great local history.

When you walk up and down the streets, you’ll see lots of candy shops filled with amazing fudge.   It became so popular that the fudge became known as “Mackinac Island Fudge.”

Well a person, who can only be described as a genius,  made the brilliant decision to put it all into ice cream.  Hence, Mackinac Island Fudge Ice Cream was born.

Over the weekend, I was out running some errands with my parents, who still live in Michigan.  We picked up some Mackinac Island Fudge Ice Cream that’s made by Hudsonville Creamery, which is based out of Holland, MI.

It’s DELICIOUS.  It brought back so many amazing memories of walking down to the corner convenience store in the summer growing up and getting ice cream cones with Mackinac Island Fudge Ice Cream.

If you love chocolate, vanilla, and fudge, you’ll LOVE this ice cream.  The next time you’re in Michigan seek it out.  It’s well worth it.

McDonald’s Coupons

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For all of my complaints about American shoddiness, I do visit the local McDonald’s more often than I care to admit. The reason is simple: coupon. In this economy, one can never save enough money, and “Mickey D’s” is one of the more recession-proof American institutions. The coupons are decent too. It’s not like some of the clothes coupons we get in the mail. “Buy 5 pairs of jeans, get one free,” or such similar salutes to the excess that got us into this mess in the first place. The coupon booklets we get in the mail once per month are good deals and get the thrifty eater in the front door.

Speaking of excess, Septembers coupon booklet promotes the new 1/3 pound Angus burger. You probably have not missed the advertisements that say “please to meat you” and remind us that “bigger is better.” The promotion implies that blue-collar McDonald’s is serving patties that compete with your favorite local burger dives. I was skeptical, but I also had a coupon.

If I am going to give my body for unhealthy, pant-size-increasing food, the taste should be worth the sacrifice. I’m even  willing to try deep-fried butter or chocolate-covered bacon for the sake of novelty. But there was nothing novel about my 1/3 pound Angus burger from McDonald’s, even the one with bacon. It tastes any other McDonald’s burger, which ain’t worth the heart-attack. If you want a burger with a taste larger than the side effects, come on down to Capitol Hill and visit Good Stuff Eatery. If you want to save money by eating at Mickey D’s, I recommending a grilled chicken snack wrap. They are cheap, filling and good tasting. Moreover, you won’t feel like a bucket of grease was dumped in your stomach afterwards. There’s no earthly reason to buy a 1/3 pound Angus burger from McDonald’s. Unless, of course, you have a coupon.