Favorite Food Spotlight - GoPicnic

I've been on a journey the last few months to exercise every day and to be more mindful and healthy about what, when and how I eat. At the same time, I think I've pretty well established that I'm a food enthusiast, so I guess I'm learning that moderation is a virtue worthwhile embracing.

That's all background to explain the dilemma I faced in the Lambert St. Louis Airport yesterday during a layover and how my new focus on moderation led me to a wonderful new product: GoPicnic Ready-to-Eat Meals.

 At that moment in the airport, I was not entirely hungry, but I also knew it would be a while before I could eat so I looked around at my options - the usual variety of fast-food restaurants and a few other "airport" restaurants. They're all geared toward convenience and taste and offer few (if any) options that are truly healthy, so I thought a package of nuts could tide me over. So I looked for one of those newsstands that also sell packaged snacks and tchotchkes and found a "Paradies Shop," all happy with my packet of almonds and a diet coke. (Moderation is still an effort for me - so go with me on this)

Then I glanced around at the souvenirs and I stumbled on a display of "GoPicnic" options and was floored when I found one of my favorite new healthy snacks - hummus with whole-grain crackers. I saw the variety of the contents and then saw that it was selling for $5.99 (about what a fast-food meal would cost). To me, it was a no-brainer. I put the almonds back, then paidfor my GoPicnic and diet coke and went back to my gate.  As expected, about 30 minutes later on the flight I got hungry, so I opened my GoPicnic. 

Wow! There are many nice things about what they have in the package, like the Hummus being sealed in a package that opens with a little tear at the top, so you can squeeze the hummus onto the crackers. That's very important considering how little space you have in a plane seat.

Each of the other packages were easy to open and enjoy by pouring into your mouth - an advantage again because of the space constraints in a plane seat, but also because there's little need to directly touch the food so you don't need to worry about washing your hands before or after your meal. The dry-roasted edamame were crunchy and flavorful, the fruit & nut mix had a nice sweet-savory balance to it, and the dark chocolate square was 72% cacao - high enough to be healthy, low enough to taste good.

The clincher for me was the nutritional profile of this great new product - the whole thing has 400 calories, 18g of fat, 350mg of sodium, 39g of carbs, 25g of protein and 12g of fiber.  Low enough on the "bad" stuff - calories, fat, sodium and carbs; high enough on the "good" stuff - protein and fiber (with iron and calcium to boot!). Whether those numbers fit within your target criteria, one thing's for sure - it's a far healthier option than any fast food meal. I found it both tasty and filling, so I will not look for GoPicnic whenever I fly and hope some of the airlines start carrying it.

The whole package is light, portable and low-maintenance because it's slightly larger than a paper-back book (about 1.5 inches thick, 5 inches wide and 7 inches long) and requires no heating nor refrigeration.

 

Another nice surprise is the sudoku puzzle on the inside, and their fun nudge inside the flap to "Go ahead - eat the chocolate first!" I'd already eaten the chocolate by time I saw that little suggestion, so I was probably destined to become a fan of this new product. They also appealed to reach out to them via email at feedback@gopicnic.com, so I plan to send them a link to this post.  I am traveling back in a few days, so I will be looking for GoPicnic again and hope to try one of the other options.

 

I encourage you to look for GoPicnic and try it - I think you'll like it.

 

 

 

Restaurant Spotlight - Superdawg

The northwest side of Chicago has a classic 1950's style "hot dog joint" known as Superdawg. It's actually been around since 1948 and probably has not been updated since then.  It has a vintage atmosphere, with the drive-up stalls that you can pull your car into and order off the menu from your car.

The menu is straight-up diner fare with a heavy emphasis on Chicago-style hot dogs, polish sausage and similar items.  Their french fries are crinkle-cut and touted as being "never frozen," in fact you can hear a recording of one of the founders of Superdawg on their website FAQs tell you about their fries.  Whatever the case, they're delicious and you get a bunch of them with your order.

Their items are served in individual boxes that fall right in line with the whole 1950's theme of the place.  What's most noticeable, however, is the cult-like devotion that its patrons have to the place.  My good friend Barry has been a fanatic for Superdawg since he was 9 years old and he says he's never ordered anything but the Superdawg.

The original Superdawg is tantalizingly close to O'Hare airport about 1 mile north of the Kennedy Expressway off the Nagle Av. exit. They've now branched out and have a second location further out in the Northwest suburban Wheeling.  Both locations have the same vintage atmosphere and the same menus.

It's definitely worth a visit when you're in Chicago!

Favorite food spotlight - Sodium-Free Chicken Bouillon

I am one of those individuals whose family health history dictates limiting my sodium intake, so I am always on the lookout for salt substitutes.  Table salt (sodium chloride) has a fairly simple chemical composition - one molecule of sodium (Na) and one molecule of chlorine (Cl), and its effect on the body is also fairly simple.  

Sodium promotes fluid retention, so people who work outside in the summer might take salt tablets to prevent dehydration if they perspire heavily.  Sodium also raises your blood pressure, so it's probably something everyone should minimize.

There are salt substitutes that work well, and almost all of them are made with potassium chloride (KCl).  That seems to work well since the potassium molecule is chemically similar to the sodium molecule. Some people claim that they can taste the difference, and maybe they can, but for me the taste is similar enough that I like potassium-based salt substitutes.

That said, I'm highlighting Herb Ox brand chicken bouillon because of the way it's packaged. It comes in a little box and has little individual packets with enough bouillon for a cup of broth.  It's seasoned with potassium-based salt substitute so it truly is sodium free.

What's really handy is that the bouillon is powdered (so it's not a hard cube), so you can sprinkle it onto your food or into a pot while you're cooking. I like to sprinkle it onto omelettes and it gives it a really flavorful boost. The little packets are about as big as Equal or Splenda packets and they're that easy to rip open and sprinkle. It's available at Harris-Teeter with the canned and dried soups.

Another brand that is similarly packaged and also sodium-free is Wyler's (also sold as MBT brand), which Publix supermarkets carried when we shopped there in Tampa.  Both brands also come in a beef version - also sodium-free!

Hit the mark with an egg in a hole

Egg in a hole with a diamond-shaped hole.

One of the breakfast favorites at our house is the egg in a hole.  It's amazingly simple and somehow different from the routine in a way that makes it special. At its simplest, it's a hollowed out piece of bread with an egg fried in the middle.  Here's how it's done:

• Take a piece of bread (I prefer the wide-pan whole grain varieties) and spread one side with butter or margarine.
• Place the bread in the pan with the buttered-side down.
• Spread the other side with butter or margarine.
• Cut out the shape of your choice - circle, square, triangle or diamond - and place the cut-outs in the pan to the side of the main piece of bread.
• Put the pan onto the stove and turn the heat on high, letting the first side get a head-start on the egg to get nice & crispy.
• After a minute or two, crack the egg over the hole and slowly pour some of the egg white into the hole so it pre-cooks slightly and helps keep the egg all together in the hole.
• Once that pre-cooked layer is down, dump the rest of the egg into the hole.
• Turn the heat down and let the egg slowly cook in the hole.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the egg is mostly cooked and not runny, flip it over and try to get the back side of the bread crispy.
• Remember to flip over the cut-out pieces of bread as well.
• Serve with the little bread cut-outs.

Lilly was the one that brought the egg in a hole to our breakfast repertoire, having learned it from her Aunt Cilla on a beach trip. Alex informs me that his boy scout troop knows this as "Bullseye Eggs." If you haven't served an egg in a hole at your house yet, give it a try some time as a nice surprise.

Enjoy!

Favorite food spotlight - Greek yogurt

The time has come for me to spotlight another one of my favorite foods, and this time I'll sing the praises of Greek yogurt.  The brand shown to the left happens to be a brand they sell at Costco, so we always buy it in a big, 36 ounce tub because that's how it's sold.  Once upon a time, we'd wonder how long it took us to use it up and then we slowly discovered how versatile and healthy it is, so we no longer worry about it going bad before we finish it.

Let's rewind the clocks a few years when Greek yogurt burst onto the scene (that's poetic license for "Harris Teeter started stocking it in Raleigh, NC"). Anyway, these little containers of "Greek yogurt" started to show up in the store, and they were much more expensive than all the other yogurts, so I rolled my eyes and assumed it was another ploy to squeeze more money out of us poor, hapless consumers. It also reminded me of the many times I'd go to my Aunt Olga and Uncle Nick's house to find her making home-made yogurt (he's Greek, so this simply one of the things my Aunt did), but that childhood memory did not help me overcome my consumer skepticism, nor did I ever appreciate what she was doing, but I digress.  Nonetheless, I ignored Greek yogurt for quite some time.

Then one day last year, we were at Joey and Olivier's house and they served up a nice Indian chickpea dish they made with homemade curry and coriander pods.  Then they plunked the industrial-size bucket (yes, from Costco) of Greek yogurt on the table.  So I started asking questions and discovered that they were using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for quite some time.  I decided to try it and immediately discovered that Greek yogurt is a wonderful substitute for sour cream.  The taste is very similar, and since it's thicker than what we know as "regular yogurt," it really holds up when cooked into a dish or even just added on top as when I first ate it.

So why bother?  We'll it's actually a matter of nutrition.  Take a look at the nutritional information in the pictures below. On the left is the Greek yogurt and on the right is "reduced fat" sour cream.

Notice that the serving size of the Greek yogurt used to calculate the nutritional value is one cup (yes, c-u-p. One cup.) and by contrast the sour cream is two table spoons (two itty-bitty tablespoons).  In order to compare, you can multiply the values for the sour cream by 10 to get equivalency.  So here's how the math breaks down for one cup of each:

                          Greek yogurt     "Reduced fat" sour cream

Protein grams             23                                20

Fat grams                     0                                 20

Calories                    130                              350

Carb grams                   9                                30

Cholesterol mg             0                              100

The math is clear and the taste is similar, so for me it all adds up to a better way to enjoy fajitas, stroganoff, pörkölt (Hungarian beef stew) or gulyás (goulash). I also add it to red pasta sauce to make it a rosé sauce (I promise a post on this later).  And Greek yogurt is very filling because it has so much protein, so sometimes I will serve myself a cup and mix in a little Splenda or honey, or grape jelly and it makes for a great lunch or heavy snack.

Enjoy it with impunity!  Tell me what you think.

Spicy kebabs skewer the old dinner routine

I found myself working from home one day last week and it occurred to me at the last minute that if I wanted a fighting chance of everyone eating dinner at the same time, I'd have to hop to it.  So at 4:30, I found myself faced with the prospect of either taking the easy route with some prepackaged something or other, or trying a traditional meat-vegetables-starch dinner from scratch.  I opted for the latter.

So I quickly grabbed some chicken breasts and plunged them into a sink full of warm water, which I find defrosts meat quicker and more evenly than our microwave.  And then I drew a blank. I had an utter void of any inspiration for what I could realistically do with these chicken breasts.  So once they thawed out, I patted them dry and laid them out on the cutting board.  And still had no ideas.

I tried closing my eyes and imagining something we'd not had before at home and that would also fall within the acceptable range of our picky eaters at home, and I still came up with nothing. Then I decided to simply focus on what might simply be tasty, and the next thing I know I was dusting the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, cumin and then cayenne pepper for a good kick.  I turned them over and did the same thing and suddenly it hit me - I should put them on skewers!

I started to dice the chicken, and I sprinkled a little more cayenne to be sure they had a kick, and then I skewered them.  I heated the grill so it would sear the meat at first, and then I quickly put the flames on the lowest setting so the chicken cooked slowly.  I rounded out the meal with steamed broccoli and rice, but any other green vegetable would also do nicely, along with couscous or quinoa.


When I put it all on the table at 5:45, the broccoli and rice sparked no reaction. But then when I went to the grill and brought in the kebabs, everyone perked up at the novelty of it.  And then we took our first bites - yum!  It's amazing how delicious the simple and straightforward can be!

So it turns out I found a way to skewer the old routine.  Lauren's out of town, Lilly is at a friend's house tonight and I have two of Alex's friends spending the weekend with us, so I plan to skewer dinner for them all tonight.  I expect I'll get the same reaction to the novelty. I'll just have to keep the boys from turning the skewers into weapons and playing at the table. That's a whole different challenge, but I think I'm up to that one, too...

The Massengill Manhattan

I work with a great guy named Russ Massengill, and it turns out that he likes to entertain.  I learned this one day when a group of us went out for some after-work beverages and Russ started boasting about how he had come up with the "perfect" manhattan. As he described it, I became interested because it sounded so simple, and admittedly I've always been a little intimidated by mixed drinks, but I thought I could manage this one. 

We had some of our neighbors stop by this past weekend, so I quickly assembled a "tasting committee" and started pouring.  And we found that this was indeed a mighty good drink. Our committee found the drinks to be a little strong, so I added chilled filtered water and that seemed to take the edge off.  I also have a strong preference for cold drinks, so keeping the booze in the freezer is my tweak to this recipe.

So for your imbibing and entertaining pleasure, I present the Massengill Manhattan:

Put these ingredients in the freezer at least 2 hours before serving:

• 2 shots     Bourbon (preferably Wild Turkey 81)
• 1 shot      Cointreau (orange liqueur)

Put these ingredients in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving:

• 2 shots    Chilled filtered water
• .5 shot     Sweet vermouth
• 1 dash     Maraschino cherry juice
• 4 dashes  Angostura bitters

The Tasting Committee

Pour the above into a stainless shaker filled with crushed ice. Swirl well and then pour into a frozen martini glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and add ice as needed.

To get these ingredients, you'll have to go to the liquor store for the Bourbon and Cointreau. The Vermouth and Angostura Bitters are both sold in the wine section of our local grocery store.

As with any good recipe, you should take this as a starting point and tweak it as you go along, and be willing to make changes based on what your guests like. 

I invite you to share your thoughts with a comment, or if you're active on Twitter, Tweet the URL of this post with a shout-out to @RussMassengill.

Cheers!  JB

Restaurant Spotlight: Everybody's Pizza

Years ago and before having children, Lauren and I lived in an in-town neighborhood of Atlanta called Virginia-Highland and we soon became regulars at an awesome eatery called Everybody's Pizza. Virginia-Highland is recognized far outside Atlanta as a chic center of urban coolness and Everybody's Pizza was one of the institutions at the center of the neighborhood that defined the whole area because (as implied by the name) you could find "all types" in there at any given time. We make it a point to visit Everybody's whenever in Atlanta out of nostalgia, but most definitely because they have incredible pizza.

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Our two favorites are the "Paradiso" pizza and the "Thai Chicken" pizza crisp. The Paradiso is made with chicken, pesto, 4 cheeses, roma tomatoes, onion, house roasted chicken and toasted sesame seeds. The ingredients are nicely balanced so it has a flavorful delivery in every bite, and by toasting the sesame seeds they intensify the sesame flavor in a way that really adds to the mix. The picture to the left shows a pizza that is half "Paradiso" and half "Everybody's" (with pepperoni). We ordered that split to appease a skeptical child, who enjoyed the pepperoni and also wholeheartedly agreed that the "Paradiso" is an outstanding pizza.

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The "Thai Chicken" pizza crisp has a satay-like "Thai peanut sauce" where on a traditional pizza you might have a tomato-based sauce. There's chicken, peanuts and fire-roasted garlic and red peppers where you might find sausage or pepperoni on a traditional pizza. It does include cheese as well, and they finish it off with a sprinking of bean sprouts that make a cool, crisp counter-point to the spice in the sauce. It all rests on a very thin, crispy crust and the overall effect is light and quite delicious. The Thai Chicken Pizza Crisp also received the skeptical child seal of approval, so I present it here as something worth traveling to Atlanta for.

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Another favorite of ours at Everybody's is the Greek Salad. It has a nice vinaigrette, plenty of feta cheese crumbles with kalamata olives and is definitely big enough to share. As if the pizza and salad were not reason enough to visit Everybody's, they also serve Foster's Lager on tap. Great food and great beer - enough said, as far as I am concerned.

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In a sense, this post is as much about nostalgia as it is about sharing a great food find because since our last visit, I've come to find that Everybody's has closed their Virginia-Highland location and now can only be found nearby at Emory University's Emory Village (the original location). I am grateful Everybody's continues on, but I'm saddened because I associated Everybody's with all that was unique and appealing about Virginia-Highland.

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When we lived there, our house was just a short stroll away from Everybody's, and we were only the second owners of the house. Being young and motivated, we tackled the renovation of our 1939 bungalow in such a way that we did not have a fully functioning kitchen for almost two years. As a result, it's no understatement to say we were "regulars" at Everybody's and other places nearby. When not in Home Depot, we'd be around the corner at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in the pottery studio. We'd often show up ravenous at Everybody's in studio clothes and covered in clay, but never feeling out of place because we'd also see other people dressed similary (the neighborhood is known as an enclave for artists and writers).

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On our last visit with the kids, I came to realize in retrospect that we were part of the "local color" that makes the area so appealing. The kids were not impressed, but I can only hope that at some point they have the opportunity to become part of the "local color" somewhere. I think "local color" is what makes memories more vivid and life more interesting.

Favorite Product Spotlight: Egg Patties

I'm sharing a wonderful product that I was introduced to by Lauren's sister, Becca. It's a brand called Good Food Made Simple and this is their Egg Patties product.
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They are frozen patties of mostly egg whites mixed with a small amount of milk for texturing. They're basic and flavorful and super-easy if you need a quick breakfast on the run or any other time you need a good protein-filled snack.
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Here in North Carolina, you can find them at Harris-Teeter in the frozen breakfasts area (by the Eggo waffles and Jimmy Dean Sausage Biscuits). At $3.69/box it seemed a little pricey to me at first, but I figured the 6 patties in each box equal about 1 dozen eggs, but this way there's no cracking, not yolk separating, no heating and no pan to wash. I'm liking this deal!
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I usually microwave them up at about 35 seconds, flip it over, and then another 35 seconds. Then I eat it with two pieces of whole wheat toast, which is truly my kind of quick meal - fast, easy and delicious!
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I've included a shot of the nutrition information panel here to help you decide if this product is for you. Good Food Made Simple also has an oatmeal product line, which I have not yet tried. My main obstacle there is just how fast easy and convenient instant oatmeal already is. I may end up eating my words and coming around, but I just can't go there yet with oatmeal.
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Let me know what you think, and especially if you've found some similar products out there.

Swiss Cheese Fondue

This is the best cheese fondue I've ever tasted and it is absolutely perfect cold weather food. Before we had kids, Lauren and I went to visit Michelle while she was studying in Switzerland and we actually went to the town of Gruyere. While there, we tried fondue at "the best restaurant for fondue," and also at Zermatt and a few other towns. We always found it disappointing because we were already used to this phenomenal recipe.

So please take that as a warning that this recipe may make eating fondue anywhere else than at your table always a little disappointing. As a positive, though - it's actually easy to make. Lauren's mom Nancy added this to their family cookbook after she got it during the 1970's from "The Cheese Shop" in Georgetown, Washington, DC (which has long since closed).

You will need a fondue pot, so if you don't have one, then see if you can borrow one. If you can't do either, then make do with what you have and think about how you're going to keep the mixture heated. One option is to put the pot on your table on top of a trivet, and then take it back to the stove to reheat when needed. Another option is to use a pyrex or a stoneware bowl that can be popped into the microwave when the cheese gets cold. I don't recommend either option and would suggest you just get a fondue pot because fondue is a social occasion that's fun and you don't want to interrupt it every few minutes.

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. Gruyere cheese
3/4 lb. Emmenthaler cheese
1/3 lb. Appenzeller cheese
2 cups Chardonnay wine
1/2 cup Kirschwasser (cherry brandy)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. flour
1 clove garlic
2 french baguettes (day-old if possible)

More about the ingredients: this is a very easy recipe, but you need to be precise. There are very few opportunities for substitutions because each ingredient has a specific flavor and/or function, so make sure you have all the exact ingredients and the exact proportions. Believe me, it's really worth getting it right.

• The flour helps bind the ingredients as the cheese melts so the oils in the cheese do not separate. Do not leave the flour out or the whole pot will be a separated mess of cheese solids, oils and heated white wine.
• The kirschwasser has to be cherry brandy and cannot be "cherry flavored brandy" because the latter tastes like cough syrup and will ruin the whole pot.
• The wine must be chardonnay because it needs to be very dry - a fruity white wine like a riesling or even a pinot grigio will make the whole pot sweet and not fit for eating.
• Even the lemon juice and the garlic add flavors that are noticeably missing if you leave them out.
• Each of the cheeses have their own wonderful flavor and this is one place you might use substitutions. While Appenzeller is harder to find, it's worth searching for. If you cannot get Gruyere, you can consider using Comte but try that substitution after first having made it with Gruyere. If you cannot find Emmenthaler (also known as "Swiss Cheese" - the kind with the holes), try Jarlsberg. But again, it's worth making the exact recipe the first time so you know how the substitution changes the fondue.
• The baguettes should be crusty and the reason why day-old bread is better is because it's firmer and can be cut more quickly and precisely into quarters. For variety's sake you can try boiled new potatoes, apples, broccoli or anything else that's chunky and can be dipped. In my opinion, there is nothing better than the crusty baguette because of the texture and the way it holds onto the melted cheese.

Once you have all the ingredients, see if you can sweet-talk someone nearby into doing the tedious task of cutting the baguettes into bite-sized chunks. If nobody is around to delegate to, do it yourself in advance and consider pre-testing the wine for quality assurance purposes while you do that. Depending on the girth of the bread, you can cut it into half-inch slices that are then cut into either thirds or fourths.
Then, pour the wine into a pot and let it slowly heat it to just shy of boiling. While the wine heats, peel the garlic clove and slice it in half. Rub the garlic clove all around the inside of the fondue pot. Then, shred the cheese into a big bowl. Sift the flour onto the shredded cheese and dredge it thoroughly by mixing it all together by hand.
Once all that is done, turn back to the pot and add the lemon juice. Slowly add handfuls of cheese while constantly stirring, making sure the cheese is melting. Once all the cheese had been added, keep stirring until it has a uniform off-white color and consistency that's not runny and not lumpy (a little thicker than split-pea soup). Transfer the mixture to the fondue pot and call everyone to the table to enjoy.
I strongly recommend serving this foundue with a salad chaser for roughage. As you can imagine, all this cheese is a sure-fire way to slow down your digestive system and following up with a nice, leafy salad is a great way to help move things along, if you know what I mean.
Give this a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!