short notes:
will brady's ruminations
will brady's ruminations
2009-01-20
not so random acts
Smiling Buddhas and Friends
Portents of Spring
Our Happy Meal
Yankee Doodle Dandy
End of the parade
Smiling Buddhas and Friends
Portents of Spring
Our Happy Meal
Yankee Doodle Dandy
End of the paradeMy friend Pat and I went driving about yesterday talking about everything from hiding brie in the fridge's beer bin to the rights of Pagans in prisons and the military.
We did our civic duty by almost shopping at Circuit City. Seems to me that Management of Circuit City must be working on the premise that "he who dies with the most toys, wins" since few people were buying due to the non-sale level prices on things. We both agreed we could get better prices at Wal-Mart, Kaplan's Computers, maybe even Ocean State Job Lot, but at least we went and looked.
We went to A Dong Supermarket in West Hartford [here's how to get there] and supported the Asian food business. I bought several items I'd not previously heard of, along with powdered lemongrass [for cooking] and Gunpowder Tea [which I already knew about]. Just walking the aisles was a visual treat.
We ate at a small pasta and pizza place in Newington, where we were served much more food than we could eat in one sitting. This resulted in the competing scents of star anise seeds and Italian steak sauce hitting our noses once in the confines of the truck cab. Far worse things could happen, eh?
We committed a couple of random acts of kindness, including shoveling out cars for the infirm without their prior knowledge. Afterward, we commented to one another of the marked propensity of the mews media to pander to fear at the cost of letting the world know of all the good, often selfless acts done by people on behalf of one another [and yes, I realize that just by mentioning that we dug out the parked cars, the act ceased to be a selfless one].
But, really, when violent, scary, disgusting actions
taken by others are no longer notable because they seem everyday for hearing of them so frequently, then they are no longer news. The positive actions, in my opinion need to be more frequently headlines, and not in a condescending or pandering manner.
Our sojourn ended where it began, at the sanctuary that is Pat's place, a small but strangely spacious cottage situated atop a huge boulder; a feat of engineering that most town zoning boards would probably disapprove of these days. ...oh, and I can't forget, Pat finally washed her car so that the black color it long had is now a dusky gray ...or is it a new car altogether?
We did our civic duty by almost shopping at Circuit City. Seems to me that Management of Circuit City must be working on the premise that "he who dies with the most toys, wins" since few people were buying due to the non-sale level prices on things. We both agreed we could get better prices at Wal-Mart, Kaplan's Computers, maybe even Ocean State Job Lot, but at least we went and looked.
We went to A Dong Supermarket in West Hartford [here's how to get there] and supported the Asian food business. I bought several items I'd not previously heard of, along with powdered lemongrass [for cooking] and Gunpowder Tea [which I already knew about]. Just walking the aisles was a visual treat.
We ate at a small pasta and pizza place in Newington, where we were served much more food than we could eat in one sitting. This resulted in the competing scents of star anise seeds and Italian steak sauce hitting our noses once in the confines of the truck cab. Far worse things could happen, eh?We committed a couple of random acts of kindness, including shoveling out cars for the infirm without their prior knowledge. Afterward, we commented to one another of the marked propensity of the mews media to pander to fear at the cost of letting the world know of all the good, often selfless acts done by people on behalf of one another [and yes, I realize that just by mentioning that we dug out the parked cars, the act ceased to be a selfless one].
But, really, when violent, scary, disgusting actions
taken by others are no longer notable because they seem everyday for hearing of them so frequently, then they are no longer news. The positive actions, in my opinion need to be more frequently headlines, and not in a condescending or pandering manner.Our sojourn ended where it began, at the sanctuary that is Pat's place, a small but strangely spacious cottage situated atop a huge boulder; a feat of engineering that most town zoning boards would probably disapprove of these days. ...oh, and I can't forget, Pat finally washed her car so that the black color it long had is now a dusky gray ...or is it a new car altogether?
Labels: foods, groceries, photos
¶ 11:18 0 comments
2008-06-25
cusine
In this day and age of herbs fresh picked from the garden to cook with, the pre-packaged spaghetti spice concoction Spatini got taken off the market some time last year, a product I [or my parents] have used in cooking since 1963.
Since I live some distance from grocery stores, I tend to buy in bulk. As a result, it wasn't until today that I learned the only place I can now pick up a box is on e-bay, an option I don't consider particularly efficient [or desirable] when buying powered spices. Nonetheless, I put a bid on one of the offerings that does not seem out of line compared what I remember paying in the past.
Spatini's removal from market shelves has prompted an irate response from other users, many of whom report having been faithful adherents to Spatini's unique taste for 30 years or longer. As noted above, I include myself in that crew.
Spatini's faithful have circulated an online petition asking Lawry's to resume making the spice mix. Others have posed what they think are close approximations of the old Spatini mix recipe [see Glenna Anderson Muse's version, for instance].
Another anonymous
recipe suggestion is as follows:
of Unilever NV] made their own spaghetti sauce blend, which I have tried but never thought it compared to Spatini. I've also since purchased some McCormick blend but have yet to find out if the finished flavor comes close. And I plan on trying Ms. Muse's concoction in the near future.
But my guess is that none of them will compare. So I have dutifully signed the petition in the remote hope that Lawry's will re-market the stuff. Thy could sell it in boutique eateries, along with Kraft dinners [something I've actually seen for sale at a very chi chi shop in Montreal].
[UPDATE 6/30/08] In ten hours I'll know whether or not I got outbid on my effort to get some of this product.
In this day and age of herbs fresh picked from the garden to cook with, the pre-packaged spaghetti spice concoction Spatini got taken off the market some time last year, a product I [or my parents] have used in cooking since 1963.Since I live some distance from grocery stores, I tend to buy in bulk. As a result, it wasn't until today that I learned the only place I can now pick up a box is on e-bay, an option I don't consider particularly efficient [or desirable] when buying powered spices. Nonetheless, I put a bid on one of the offerings that does not seem out of line compared what I remember paying in the past.
Spatini's removal from market shelves has prompted an irate response from other users, many of whom report having been faithful adherents to Spatini's unique taste for 30 years or longer. As noted above, I include myself in that crew.
Spatini's faithful have circulated an online petition asking Lawry's to resume making the spice mix. Others have posed what they think are close approximations of the old Spatini mix recipe [see Glenna Anderson Muse's version, for instance].
Another anonymous
recipe suggestion is as follows:1 beef bouillon cube (crushed with kitchen mallet) or 1 tsp of bouillonLawry's spices [a subsidiary
1 and 1/2 teaspoons 10x sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of ground black pepper
(apparently this is the amount that's in one packet)
of Unilever NV] made their own spaghetti sauce blend, which I have tried but never thought it compared to Spatini. I've also since purchased some McCormick blend but have yet to find out if the finished flavor comes close. And I plan on trying Ms. Muse's concoction in the near future.But my guess is that none of them will compare. So I have dutifully signed the petition in the remote hope that Lawry's will re-market the stuff. Thy could sell it in boutique eateries, along with Kraft dinners [something I've actually seen for sale at a very chi chi shop in Montreal].
[UPDATE 6/30/08] In ten hours I'll know whether or not I got outbid on my effort to get some of this product.
Labels: discontinued products, foods, marketing, spaghetti sauce, Spatini
¶ 22:01 1 comments
2007-12-30
culinary oddities
I found my Buddha's Hand on the rejects rack at the Middletown Stop & Shop. There were two in a green Styrofoam tray for the attractive price of 75 cents [US]. Nobody working in the Produce section knew what it was used for, but I bought it anyway. Made for an intriguing ornament in a fruit dish on Christmas Day. That's it "holding" a tangerine. The fruit has a distinctive, albeit subtle, citrusy scent. Quite pleasant, actually.
When I got home I Googled Buddha's Hand and learned that it's used as a garnish for various Chinese and other Asian cuisine dishes. It's also made into a candy, rather like one might do with lemon or orange rinds after boiling in a sugar syrup. Caroline Carter writing on San Francisco Foodie provided a recipe for this confection that's quite simple.
The magazine Flavor and Fortune provides a brief history and a couple of recipes about and for the use of Buddha's Hand citron. The article noted that one Buddha's Hand can sell at Balducci's in New York City for $10 [US] so I got quite a deal
When I got home I Googled Buddha's Hand and learned that it's used as a garnish for various Chinese and other Asian cuisine dishes. It's also made into a candy, rather like one might do with lemon or orange rinds after boiling in a sugar syrup. Caroline Carter writing on San Francisco Foodie provided a recipe for this confection that's quite simple.
The magazine Flavor and Fortune provides a brief history and a couple of recipes about and for the use of Buddha's Hand citron. The article noted that one Buddha's Hand can sell at Balducci's in New York City for $10 [US] so I got quite a deal
Labels: citrus fruits, foods, garnish
¶ 07:41 1 comments
