I picked up a package of Carr Valley Bread Cheese at my grocery store recently ($11.79/lb.). On the package it says it is good dipped in coffee or with jam. Really? I scratched my head at this but gave it a try, mostly because it’s pretty hard to find cheese I won’t eat.

The cheese comes in a slab, about 5 inches by 4 inches, roughly an inch thick. It is slightly browned on the outside. I warmed it in a pan before serving with some jam. It’s a very dense cheese that is very mild. I think it is the combo of the density and the mildness that has brought the comparison to bread. We tasted it plain and it was just ok. I put strawberry jam on it and it was fantastic. I can also definitely see that this would be good with coffee (which I don’t drink – but I can see it with tea or even hot chocolate).  I know, it sounds completely weird, but it was just really good! It was a great accompaniment to the light dinner we had of salad and scallops.

I picked up a package of Carr Valley Bread Cheese at my grocery store recently ($11.79/lb.). On the package it says it is good dipped in coffee or with jam. Really? I scratched my head at this but gave it a try, mostly because it’s pretty hard to find cheese I won’t eat. The cheese … Read more →

I grew up using Pam to spray baking dishes, baking sheets, etc. It’s super convenient and easy to use. However, it has a long list of icky ingredients in it. One of which is silicone. I really don’t want to eat silicone. I’m not a big fan of rubbing sticks of butter on my pans or painting them with olive oil. I even tried saving my butter wrappers to use, but it always annoyed me.

Enter the olive oil Misto. This is your own easy to use cooking spray alternative. You fill the mister with olive oil. You are supposed to pump it 10 times before using it each time. Then you spray. It works just as well as Pam with no icky ingredients.

Although you are supposed to pump it 10 times, I did that the first time and since then I usually give it about 2-3 pumps and it works just fine.

I am LOVING this product. It’s also much nicer looking than cooking spray, so it sits out on the recessed shelf behind my cooktop now.

I grew up using Pam to spray baking dishes, baking sheets, etc. It’s super convenient and easy to use. However, it has a long list of icky ingredients in it. One of which is silicone. I really don’t want to eat silicone. I’m not a big fan of rubbing sticks of butter on my pans … Read more →

I’m not a big granola/snack bar person. And now that I’m gluten-free I am even less interested in this group of food.  However, I’ve found one I really love.

You’ll never believe where I heard about Kind bars. I was flipping around the TV and cruised by QVC where I like to check out the kitchen things they are selling. They were selling Kind bars. When I heard that they were gluten free, my ears perked up. I checked my grocery store’s web site and found out they sell them. So, the next time I was there, I checked them out. They are mostly nut-based. Some have dried fruits in them (like apricots, blueberries, or pomegranate) with the nuts.  Some have dark chocolate, coconut or other ingredients with the nuts. The ingredients are all non-GMO.  The bars all contain protein and some contain brown rice. They look like a granola bar, but they are much thinner, so it isn’t as heavy a snack as it looks like. I’m kind of hooked on these. I’m eating them instead of grabbing a handful of nuts – which is much easier as an on-the-go kind of snack. I used to find protein bars to be too heavy and kind of yucky in my stomach. but these don’t make me feel gross and overly full.

Every time I go to the store, the selection seems to get bigger. Last week I brought home 12 different types to try.  Each bar is $1.49. You order boxes of them online – my store doesn’t seem to sell them in boxes.

I’m not a big granola/snack bar person. And now that I’m gluten-free I am even less interested in this group of food.  However, I’ve found one I really love. You’ll never believe where I heard about Kind bars. I was flipping around the TV and cruised by QVC where I like to check out the … Read more →

So, ok, I do buy jarred spaghetti sauce (which horrifies my Italian cousin-in-law). Sometimes I make my own (usually in summer when I have an abundance of tomatoes), but often I just buy a jar. I buy my store brand for 99 cents a jar. And it’s good. Really good. But I admit I was swayed when I saw Mario Batali was selling his own. And somebody (Real Simple?) declared it the best jarred sauce. And my mom started buying and liking it. So I tried it.

First problem. One jar = $6.99 (yes $6 more per jar than the store brand). I am all for paying for quality, but that’s ridiculous.

I opened the jar and poured it in a bowl. It was really thin.

We ate it with ravioli for dinner one night. No one liked it. At all. It was very acidic and had no natural sweetness to it. It didn’t have a lot of flavor. Comments included “this takes like canned tomato soup” “I can’t eat this” and “Why is this so bad?”

Sorry Mario. It wasn’t a winner at my house. We’ll stick with our store brand for now.

So, ok, I do buy jarred spaghetti sauce (which horrifies my Italian cousin-in-law). Sometimes I make my own (usually in summer when I have an abundance of tomatoes), but often I just buy a jar. I buy my store brand for 99 cents a jar. And it’s good. Really good. But I admit I was … Read more →

I stumbled upon these in the grocery store. They look like mini kiwis, minus the fuzz. They’re about the size of a big grape. They taste just like a kiwi, without the big seeds. They are very grape-like in texture. They are easier to eat than a kiwi. No peeling. Just pop them in your mouth. My daughter loves these!

I stumbled upon these in the grocery store. They look like mini kiwis, minus the fuzz. They’re about the size of a big grape. They taste just like a kiwi, without the big seeds. They are very grape-like in texture. They are easier to eat than a kiwi. No peeling. Just pop them in your … Read more →

We first had bison (also called buffalo) burgers on a trip to Colorado. We really loved the taste. My grocery store has been carrying ground bison for a while, so I decided to make them myself.  The bison I bought is uncertified organic (which means they follow standards, but have not yet been certified).  Bison meat is lower in fat and cholesterol, but higher in protein than beef.

I made bison burgers with the bison from our grocery store. It looks almost exactly like hamburger. The taste is very close as well, but it tastes a tiny bit gamier, has a cleaner flavor, and also it always seems to have a hint of grassiness to that I notice when I buy milk from grass-fed cows. I like both of those flavors as do others in my family. We will likely be buying more bison in the future.

Have you tried bison?

We first had bison (also called buffalo) burgers on a trip to Colorado. We really loved the taste. My grocery store has been carrying ground bison for a while, so I decided to make them myself.  The bison I bought is uncertified organic (which means they follow standards, but have not yet been certified).  Bison … Read more →

Let me first be clear: no one asked me or paid me to write this post and I bought the product myself at full price. I don’t get any kickback and have no relationship with this company other than being a customer.

I have been waking up in the morning with a sore neck. A few weeks ago, it was so bad that I was in agony for days, with limited range of movement. I have tried every pillow we have. I’ve gone to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and stood in front of the pillows, clueless about what would work or what to buy. It was deeply confusing for me because I sleep in every position: stomach, side, and back within each night and most of the higher end pillows seem to be geared to one type of sleep.

I was just resigned to the fact that my neck was going to be a problem. A writer friend mentioned she had bought My Pillow and that it changed her life. When I saw how much it cost ($99 for king size), I dismissed it. Then I hurt my neck again sleeping and I was ready to try it.  There’s lots of explanation on their site about this, but basically it is filled with small pieces of foam (medical grade they say), so you can move it around and change its shape to mold to your head and neck. The best part is that it does not compress. You arrange it, lie down, and it stays that way all night long. Since I started using this (over a month ago) I have not woken up with a sore neck once. I also had been waking up with a sore ear. Whichever ear I slept hurt when I woke up. This problem is also now gone. I love, love, love that I can adjust it as needed and it stays put. When I roll over in the night, I can change the pillow to support my head in that new position.

There are instructions on their site about what pillow to buy for your size and needs.  I’m just crazy about this product and am so, so happy to be sleeping well and waking up without pain!

Let me first be clear: no one asked me or paid me to write this post and I bought the product myself at full price. I don’t get any kickback and have no relationship with this company other than being a customer. I have been waking up in the morning with a sore neck. A … Read more →

I picked this in the U-pick section of our CSA this week. I’ve never had them before and never heard of them before either! They are also called ground cherries. Inside that brown husk is a tiny fruit that is like a small cherry tomato. It’s almost like a cross between a cherry and a tomato in flavor. Some of them are quite sweet, while others are sour, which I find perplexing, because I’m not really able to tell which will be which!

We only have a small amount of these, so we’re eating them raw, but I think they would make a really nice quick sauce for pasta if you cooked a bunch of them down with some olive oil.

Have you tried husk cherries?

I picked this in the U-pick section of our CSA this week. I’ve never had them before and never heard of them before either! They are also called ground cherries. Inside that brown husk is a tiny fruit that is like a small cherry tomato. It’s almost like a cross between a cherry and a … Read more →

I had never heard of this until this summer, when my aunt mentioned it to me. We then visited a Mennonite shop in the Finger Lakes and when I noticed it in the case, I had to buy some. I didn’t know what it was and did some research when I got home. What I’ve learned is that rolled butter is made from whey cream instead of sweet cream, which is a byproduct of cheesemaking. I also learned that nearly all the rolled butter sold in the US is made in a factory in Wisconsin (Alcam Creamery). The butter is made in a (mechanical) churn, then it is handrolled into logs and wrapped in waxed paper for sale. You can see a video here.

The thing that mattered to me was the taste. Would it be better? I think it does have a slightly deeper flavor than store-bought butter, but it wasn’t enough to knock me off my feet and start ordering this by mail. My next butter adventure is going to be sampling some European butters from the grocery store, because I noticed that the butter in Italy was much better than what we have here, so I want to try some at home.

I had never heard of this until this summer, when my aunt mentioned it to me. We then visited a Mennonite shop in the Finger Lakes and when I noticed it in the case, I had to buy some. I didn’t know what it was and did some research when I got home. What I’ve … Read more →

Frozen yogurt bars are all the rage. We first tried one on Amelia Island, Florida this winter. We loved it so much we went two nights in a row. If you aren’t familiar, the concept is simple. There is a wall of self-serve soft frozen yogurt machines. You take a cup and put in as much as you want of any flavor. Then there is a toppings bar with candy, fruit, syrups, cookies, even cereal. You pay by weight. It is the ultimate do-it-yourself sundae.

We next encountered this in Naples, Florida and after we got back, discovered one had opened up near us and now there is a second one in our general area. We’ve been to one a few times and my daughter has been to the other. Each time the flavors are different (cookies and cream, white chocolate macadamia, chocolate, mint, mango, strawberry, vanilla, tart, watermelon, peanut butter, and more).  We also love that they use compostable spoons (made of cornstarch).  You decide how much yogurt you put in the cup and you can mix and match any flavors you want. I love the topping bar because I can add two M&Ms, 3 mini peanut butter cups and two dabs of hot fudge – I get lots of different tastes without getting more than I want.

Have you tried a frozen yogurt bar?

Frozen yogurt bars are all the rage. We first tried one on Amelia Island, Florida this winter. We loved it so much we went two nights in a row. If you aren’t familiar, the concept is simple. There is a wall of self-serve soft frozen yogurt machines. You take a cup and put in as … Read more →