Pack Your Dirty Underwear Away From Your Peanut Butter! April 15, 2008

Travelling foodies beware, not only does the title of this post make perfect hygienic sense (please, I don’t want to eat anything that has come into close proximity with dirty laundry), the densities of peanut butter and cheese are similar to that of the explosive Semtex, meaning packing these foodie goodies into your checked suitcase will almost always set off the security scanners and result in a manual search of your luggage (information courtesy of the airport luggage system design seminar I attended tonight).  So if you’re freaked out by the idea of TSA agents going through your undies and other potentially embarrassing items, keep that wedge of pecorino in a separate bag!

Soda, All Grown Up April 3, 2008

It may seem like I’ve dropped off the face of the earth, but I am still alive (just insanely busy lately).  In fact, I passed that quarter of a century mark last weekend in San Francisco, where I enjoyed a very grown up soda (now that I’ve achieved this age) at Lulu Petite in the Ferry Building.

Grown up Soda (GuS) in Extra Dry Ginger Ale tasted like a low-sugar version of Canada Dry with concentrated, tightly packed fizz.  In other words, the carbonation felt more like champagne than soda (therefore, no post Dr. Pepper burping syndrome).  The flavor of the ginger was distinct and crisp, really refreshing.

Just as I started to regret leaving San Francisco without trying some of the other interesting GuS flavors (like Dry Meyer Lemon and Dry Cranberry Lime), I saw on the GuS website that this soda line is available at Central Market.  Sweet!  Or rather, awesomely dry.

A longer San Francisco trip food report coming soon, I promise.

Frozen Lasagnas From Dallas Based Veroli Foods March 9, 2008

Dallas Based Veroli foods, founded by first generation Canadian-Italian Lidia Caschera, has added new frozen entrees to its line of products. 

Veroli products are entirely natural and contain no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, or added sugars.  Foodies will be glad to know that these lasagnas are prepared in a way consistent with the tastes of the Lazio region of Italy (where Lidia’s family is from), and thus are lighter fare than your typical grocery store frozen lasagna (no excessive cheese or large chunks of ground beef).  Veroli manages to achieve a truly al dente pasta in these frozen lasagnas, unlike the popular major competitors whose pasta is often gummy.

Following the directions on the box, I had a slight issue with the wateriness of the sauce making the lasagna too runny on my first try with lasagna with meat sauce.  Leaving it in the oven 5 or 10 more minutes longer than the box prescribed time helped that issue when I tried the three cheese lasagna.

The two types of lasagnas, meat sauce and three cheese, are available at local Central Market locations (soon to be at Whole Foods).

Essence of Chicken? February 26, 2008

Saw this while standing in the checkout line at the Tian Tian 88 Supermarket in Richardson this weekend:

Essence of chicken drink…. mmm… refreshing.  Purchase comes with ONE free dinner plate!

Anyone have any clue what the heck this is?

Top 7 Bites of ‘07 December 30, 2007

It’s the list of the most delicious things I ate in 2007.  The foods that still induce a bit of saliva when I think about them. 

7. Fresh Muscat grapes from Central Market
6. Twice cooked pork from Sichuanese Cuisine
5. Fried goat cheese balls with honey from Malaga Wine & Tapas Bar in Austin
4. Crispy seared pork belly with sesame glaze from Abacus
3. Open fire grilled chicken from a no name restaurant in Piste, Mexico
2. BBQ pork and duck from First Chinese BBQ
1. Steamed mussels with sweet chili, coriander, and oyster sauce from Straivagin in Glasgow

What was your favorite, most memorable bite of 2007?