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Archive for May, 2009

Big S Farms Salsa arrival!

Thanks to Missy’s great salsa recipe contest a couple weeks ago, I received a big box full of spiciness on Wednesday! I didn’t get a picture of the box, but it was pretty great…one huge box, full of packing peanuts, with a much smaller box packed inside. Inside this wonderful smaller box…3 jars of salsa and 3 bottles of hot sauce (and some recipe cards)!! Thanks to Vance from Big S Farms!

I am crazy about salsa…if there are tortilla chips and salsa in the house, I will probably want to snack on them. If I snack on them, they will probably disappear. I’m ok with this. It’s delicious! On the Big S Farms website, they describe their Gourmet Habanero sauces and salsas:

Our habanero sauces and salsas are crafted with a perfect balance of heat and flavor to make the perfect taste treat for even the most discerning palate. Each product is made with all natural habanero varieties and ingredients.

I’m contemplating a big Mexican feast this weekend, since I have so much salsa and hot sauce on hand. Perhaps perhaps perhaps. As I try all the varieties, I will definitely be reviewing them here and letting you know how I used them in my meals!

However, we already have two jars of salsa open in our fridge (one we bought a while back and one my parents had at their hotel when they were in town). It seems silly with two half-eaten salsas already on hand to open another jar. But it was new! We had to try it!

So we chose the Medium salsa for a blind taste test of salsa brands!! Matt and I are big fans of taste tests…does anyone remember when Diet 7up had a promo where you could fill out a form online and get a can of diet 7up, sprite zero, and diet sierra mist delivered to you? It was 2 years ago, I think? Anyway, we were EXTREMELY excited about this, and ran to the computer to fill out the form as soon as we saw the commercial. I don’t even think we had to talk about it…the commercial ended, we looked at each other, and we ran to the computer.

We didn’t see the package for a while…and when we did, we had mostly forgotten about it. I went to UPS to pick it up and since it was a package, I had to open it right away…I called Matt from the car, VERY excited. Not only that, they were whole cans of soda! I got 3 cans of soda in the mail! Awesome! He was just as pumped, and we soon were blind taste testing away!

We set up a pretty elaborate scheme with 6 cups. Each of us filled up the others’ cups and marked them with a sticker on the bottom. The taste test revealed some interesting results. From best to worst, Matt’s choice was: Sierra Mist, 7up, Sprite. Mine was: Sprite, 7up, Sierra Mist. We had reverse preferences! My favorite part is that despite the fact that this was a 7up promo, neither of us preferred the Diet 7up over both of the others…promo failed!

Needless to say, Matt was up for a salsa taste test.

I set the test up like this (sorry for the fuzziness):

6 chips, 3 salsas (Big S Farms Smoke on the Mountain, Trader Joe’s Medium Salsa, San Juan Salsa Mild), 1 glass of water.

First, Matt closed his eyes while I fed him the salsas in a random order and then I recorded his preferences. Then Matt fed me the salsa in a different random order…I had to turn around because I am really bad at keeping my eyes closed for things like this.

THE RESULTS (from most to least favorite):
Matt: Big S Farms, San Juan Salsa, Trader Joe’s
Mallory: Trader Joe’s, San Juan Salsa, Big S Farms

We are reversed again!! I think this is hilarious.

I was sad that I didn’t like the Big S Farms salsa! It had a strong flavor that I couldn’t pinpoint and I just wouldn’t be able to snack on that! I think I preferred the TJ’s because it is the thinnest and simplest, without a lot of “fresh” flavors…this sounds strange, but I grew up snacking on this kind of salsa, and it’s the one I can eat with tortilla chips for hours on end because it’s so addicting. I think the Big S Farms will be ridiculously better in meals, and I can’t wait to try it out! We both agreed that we liked the San Juan Salsa brand…we used this in our breakfast burritos over the weekend and it looks homemade…chunky and finely diced (similar to a salsa I made recently). Matt said his top two were really close to one another, almost tied…and I really enjoy the San Juan Salsa, I just couldn’t snack on it on a regular basis.

No matter what my fussy salsa taste buds think, Big S Farms won the Matt Taste Test! Hopefully he will snack on it, and at least I know he will love it when I use it to make some Mexican food! Have you tried Big S Farms? If not, click over to their site  to order your own or find some recipe suggestions! I can’t wait to see how its unique flavor works with other things, especially when heated up! (This makes me consider another taste test…salsa con queso dip! Matt, can I count you in?)

Falafeleftovers

I love leftovers! I am extremely satisfied by using up random bits of leftover things throughout the week and get really frustrated when food is wasted or spoils. So last night’s dinner was very fulfilling for me.

When we made falafel from scratch the other day, Matt had 3 patties for lunch the next day, and we froze the last four for later use. Tuesday, I took them out of the freezer and defrosted them in the fridge, and then popped them in the toaster oven to heat up while I put together the rest of dinner, which largely came from our CSA box this week!

Falafel Chop Salad

• 1 head Red Leaf Lettuce, washed and torn
• Salad Dressing to Coat (we used parmesan pepper or something like that)
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, chopped
• ¼ small white onion, chopped
• ¼ block Beecher’s Flagship cheddar, chopped
• 2 small pitas
• Olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Italian seasoning
• Grated Parmesan
• 4 leftover falafel patties 

1. Toss lettuce with dressing, just enough to coat lightly. Split between two plates and top with veggies and cheddar.
2. Brush pitas with a light coating of olive oil and garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan to taste. Place these on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until toasty (10-20 minutes…keep your eye on them!). Remove from oven, let cool for a minute, then quarter.
3. Toast falafel patties on a tray in the toaster over until warmed through and re-crisped.
4. Serve salad topped with crumbled falafel and pita crisps on the side.

Super easy! I topped each of my pieces of pita with a heaping pile of lettuce and veggies and cheese and ate like a mini open-faced sandwich. So delicious and really satisfying for our tummies…also very very filling. We debated putting some leftover black beans (from breakfast burritos this past weekend) on the salad as well, but I’m glad we didn’t, since I probably wouldn’t have finished.

Matt gets no carrots because of his OAS… stupid allergies! Also, speaking of Matt, he did an adorably wonderful post about the Mallory Color Guessing Game, which he made for me when we started dating and he taught me hexadecimal! Fun!

Back to the blog with a review!

After a long weekend relaxing and exploring some new (and some repeat) places, I have lots to write about from the past few days while my parents were in town.  I’m holding off because my dad took lots of pictures and I want him to send them my way so I can include them in that post.

In the meantime, a review of a new restaurant!

Tangerine

Across the street from our apartment, we’ve got a 7-Eleven, Santa Fe Cafe (decent New Mexican cuisine), Zeek’s pizza (a local, OK chain),Chef Liao (yum yum yum Asian food, with award-winning pot stickers) and a few off-the-wall type places. When we first moved in, there was Phinney Market and a Pottery Store in the same building  as Santa Fe Cafe, but both closed.  We were especially sad about Phinney Market, as it was a great place to pick up small things, shop locally and grab a delicious sandwich once in a while.  BUT, Phinney Market opened back up, under new ownership, and it seems better than ever…excitement all around!

So, that is not the point of this post, so enough about Phinney Market. 

Soon after the pottery shop closed, there was a sign announcing a Thai restaurant coming soon…soon meant several months, and I spent the entire time dreaming about having Thai across the street.  I envisioned mountains of pad thai and kee mao noodles piled on our kitchen table.  Fried tofu dancing around our apartment.  Thai iced tea running through the streets.  Let’s just say, I love Thai food and I was excited about the prospect of having it so close…that makes me seem less crazy.

Well, just a couple weeks ago, on a gorgeously warm and sunny Sunday Matt noticed Tangerine open! It was crowded and people were sitting inside and outside at cute little tables.  The interior blended into the outdoor seating with the help of a mechanical garage door-style store-front.  We had plans that night, but we vowed to go later in the week….during the week it didn’t seem to be open!  My guess was that as a new business, they were taking it slowly and opening up on days when there would be some guaranteed traffic.  So we held off.

My parents were going to be in town the following weekend, so I figured we wouldn’t get a chance to try it out then.  I underestimated just how sleepy my parents would be coming from East coast time, and we ended up having Friday night free for dinner.  We trotted over to Tangerine like good little local diners…they only take cash right now!  I should have predicted this, but I didn’t, so we failed to have cash on us. We went with something else.

Tonight, our normal “Thai Tuesday”-turned-“International Tuesday” with a regular group of friends was cancelled due to travel plans, illnesses, job-related interferences and other interruptions.  Rather than being healthy, abstemious and smart (ie. eating leftovers from our fridge), we decided to indulge and try Tangerine since Matt had noticed they are open during the week!

It was rainy all day and pretty chilly this evening, so needless to say there was no outdoor seating.  We started with Thai Iced Tea (my favorite!) and admired the cute interior of a space that used to be a tiny, cramped pottery studio and storefront.  So adorable in there…pretty minimal decorations, mirrors on several walls, deep colors, cozy and very inviting.  The server was friendly and even though he was juggling a few tables at once, did a great job of keeping tabs on us throughout the meal.

We decided to split an appetizer of fried tofu and a red curry with chicken.  The menu at Tangerine does not have the vast array of dishes you’ll find at a lot of Thai restaurants, but everything they did have sounds great!  The server also told us about a special curry they make with red curry and duck that they roast right there in the restaurant.  We’ll definitely be trying that one out! So many things on the menu looked amazing…I’m surprised we held back and only ordered one entree.

The fried tofu appetizer was decently sized, with 10-12 small pieces, a few fried veggies (carrots and broccoli) and a light and spicy sauce.  I enjoyed it, though I wasn’t blown away…I’m still learning to love tofu, and our “regular” Thai place has this AMAZING fried tofu in their dishes that I just can’t figure out how to replicate.  Apparently, neither can any other restaurant, because I have yet to find a tofu that challenges it.  Maybe I’ll have to ask them for their secret! I did like the snacky-ness of the tofu dish…little bite size pieces with a zingy sauce…I could definitely see myself craving this at certain times.

Our curry came out with a big bowl of jasmine rice shortly after we finished our appetizer.  Curry is always dangerous, because most places will keep refilling your rice bowl, and the curry will keep getting soaked up by that rice.  I’m definitely glad we split this…I’m still feeling full a couple hours later! Next time, we’ll just go with a dish…no appetizer.  We ordered medium spice (2 stars on a scale of None-Five), and I’m glad we didn’t go any higher…it was definitely hot! The only thing I would have changed with the curry is to add some veggies (onions and maybe a few more red peppers).  It was primarily chicken and bamboo shoots, both of which there was a generous amount of, but only a couple pieces of red pepper that we found, and no onions (which I am crazy about).  But the taste was GREAT!  Red curry is so flavorful, and this particular one did not disappoint.  I’m pretty sure we were both contemplating licking the bowl clean 🙂

The price was also pretty reasonable…not crazy cheap, but way within range for a quick takeout curry or pad thai.  I’m crossing my fingers that they can get some frequent customers and take advantage of summer zoo-goers so they can stay in business!  I know we’ll be going back! 

Hooray for supporting new, local small businesses!

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Hooray also for fun blog contests!  Jenn at Prior Fat Girl is giving away Holey Donuts! I am dying to try these, so hopefully I get lucky…but I’m also contemplating splurging and ordering some for when my old roommate is in town in August.  They look amazing!

Super Easy Homemade Pizza

I love homemade pizza crust…it makes me really really happy. The problem is, I usually am not in the mood to make dough. So I have a ridiculously easy pizza method I use when we want that quick dinner bite of pizza. Just as easy and fast as heating up a frozen pizza in the oven (or toaster oven), and you have more control over the ingredients, which is always a good thing!

I use a homemade, Crockpot marinara that I usually make in giant batches when canned tomatoes are on sale, or when we have herbs at the end of the summer to use up. I freeze the sauce in small freezer bags in two-serving portions. Perfect for heating up and throwing on top of pasta for a quick dinner for Matt and I. Also perfect for defrosting the day before and using for pizza! Since we only made two small pizzas, there was still lots of sauce left, but that’s something that you can easily heat up and throw on some pasta or veggies or whatever you like for marinara (dipping sauce for breadsticks??).

Here it is:

 Top 2 whole wheat pitas with about 2 Tb of marinara, spaghetti or pizza sauce. Sprinkle on a little Italian Seasoning and Parmesan Cheese. Add toppings of your choice (we used what we had leftover in the fridge…pepperoni, bacon and some sautéed onions). Top with shredded Italian Cheeses (mozzarella, provolone, asiago, whatever you like). Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown.

 That’s it!! Let it cool for a few minutes, slice and enjoy! So easy! Pitas make amazing mini pizza crusts because they have a doughy chewiness, but also get nice and crisp when you bake them in the oven. If you’re just doing one pita, you can also just throw it in the toaster oven, which makes it even easier.

We’re crazy about pizza and are always looking for new ways to fit it into our meal plans! Since we had falafel on Monday night, we had leftover pitas, and this worked perfectly. It’s not NY style pizza, but it will definitely hold us over.

I am looking forward to the next chance we get to go to Queens together (I have NO idea when this will be) so we can share some Napoli pizza, right across the street from where Matt grew up. Look how happy it makes us! (Please note our awesome fake smiles.  We have perfected this artform.  Also, who thought it was a good idea to eat a giant pizza before we went to Herhey Park that day?? It seems like poor planning, but it was delicious!)

My parents are flying into Seattle this afternoon, so it will be a busy weekend of eating out rather than much cooking at home, so we’ll probably be a little sparse on the blog side of things, but maybe some new places will pop up to review!

Have a wonderful sunny weekend!