When I was young, my mother insisted that my brother, sister and I eat dinner together every weekday at 5:00. Actually, she never called it “dinner,” she called it “supper.” Supper at 5:00 was our routine throughout my childhood. My father, on the other hand, had supper when he came home from work. My mother would sit with him while he ate. My br …
Lately I have been astounded by the number and variations of supermarkets on Long Island. When grocery shopping at home I generally frequent Stop and Shop or Trader Joe’s. I go to Stop and Shop when I need more mainstream items. Trader Joe’s is my “fun” supermarket. When I have time, I love to browse Trader Joe’s aisles and see what new and interes …
I was recently shopping for food to have in the house for the times when my grandchildren were over. As I looked up and down the aisles, my eyes were struck by a familiar can, Chef Boyardee Beefaroni. I picked up the can and smiled. I could still hear the commercial in my head, “We’re having beefaroni. . . beef and macaroni. . . beefaroni is fu …
For me, Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes. It’s also about the frame of the turkey but that’s a blog for another day. We generally host Thanksgiving and serve “traditional” side dishes. For us, that includes sweet potato casserole, with the melted marshmallows, a string bean casserole, with the Durkee fried onions, my husband's stuffing w …
Is there a food you have an absolute aversion to? For me, it’s cooked carrots. I absolutely love raw carrots. I eat raw baby carrots by the bagful. I often go through a bag weekly. The moment you put a little heat under a carrot, however, I cannot look at it, let alone eat it. My husband finds my aversion to cooked carrots humorous. In fact, …
What has happened to salt? I know it’s not a healthy preference but I like salt in my food. My husband will laugh at me because he has caught me salting my food before I even tasted it. I have noticed, however, that most restaurants no longer have salt on the table. You have to ask for it. And, it’s generally taken almost as a criticism of th …
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to travel. One of my favorite aspects of travelling is to learn about the location’s culture. I love to learn about the locals day to day life. One way we found to do is to take food tours. What people like to eat seems to teach us so much about their customs. I love watching “Somebody Feed Phil” on Netfli …
When did canned fish, other than tuna fish, become chic? As a kid I loved canned sardines. Not the ones canned in tomato sauce (ick), the basic sardines canned in olive oil. But I never, ever, brought them to school for lunch. The most notable reason was, probably, the smell. But I also was afraid that the other kids would make fun of me for lik …
Several years ago, I purchased an egg cooker. Essentially, it can make seven hard boiled eggs at a time. It can also poach eggs but I, almost always, use it to hard boil eggs. When I brought it home, my husband laughed and asked why did we need that gadget as it’s easy to make hard boiled eggs on the stove? Since that time, he has seen me use it …
Now that Thanksgiving is over I can make this confession. My favorite part of the turkey is frame, which I never gnaw on in public, only in private. During dinner, with others, I eat only the white meat. My preference for the frame came from my childhood. As a kid, my sister, mother, and I would clear off the Thanksgiving table while my brother …
Everyone takes their coffee or tea a different way. In the fall and the winter, I have hot coffee with an artificial sweetener and, if I’m home I will probably put in a flavored creamer. My husband, on the other hand, will generally only drink on Sunday mornings. For him, I add a scoop of hot chocolate mix (his personal favorite is Godiva) as well …
This past week my husband and I took a day off during the week. We drove to Brooklyn for lunch. For the past few months he has been craving a roast beef sandwich from Roll N Roaster. Roll N Roaster is a fast food sandwich shop famous for their roast beef in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. My husband grew up eating their roast beef sandwiches. From t …
My youngest daughter is getting married in October in Rockland County. Next Sunday we have to travel up to the bakery to taste the different choices for her wedding cake. Then, after we all taste the assorted cakes, frostings and filling, we, along with my daughter and her fiancée and his parents, have to choose the type of cake, filling, and frost …
In preparation for an upcoming trip to Italy I came across an interesting article, the subject matter was Europeans’ complaints and observations about American food. While the article was not relevant to the information I was looking for, I couldn’t help but read the piece. One item on the list truly surprised me. Apparently, the majority of the …
For all those “smokers,” out there I need tips. After years of asking for a smoker for Mother’s Day, I finally got one. I always understood my husband’s hesitancy in buying me a smoker. Anyone who knows me, knows I do not eat meat. But I do eat poultry and fish. And every summer when he opened up the bar-be-que, I just wanted to be able to smoke …
It's Monday, Monday. Let me know what you think about. . .
