Alexia Olive Oil/Rosemary/Garlic Oven Fries

Some people think potatoes are boring but I think some people are wrong. These oven fries don’t taste processed/prepared at all. In other words, people could totally believe that you made them yourself. They took about 15 minutes to cook in my oven. My only complaint was that the potatoes were kind of dry; next time I’ll try cooking them with a light sauce or with the main dish.

Price: grrr can’t find my receipt..$3ish?

Where: most supermarkets, specialty stores, www.alexiafoods.com

Rating:

-Carey

Can’t Stop Reading About Food

Ruth Reichl is now officially my hero. Not only does she know basically everything in the world about food, but she is also an incredible writer. I could not put this book down. I love reading about her experiences as the New York Times food critic and how it affected both her family and her friendships. The job is not as glamorous as it sounds; in effort to disguise herself to the restaurants, Reichl sacrificed her own individuality and personality as she morphs into the character of her disguse. The book includes some of Reichl’s restaurant reviews and favorite recipes.

Rating:

-Carey

Yay! Another Food Book Review!

For those of us born in a post-Julia Child world, this book gives a wonderful American gourmet history, especially about foodie notables Alice Waters, James Beard, Wolfgang Puck, and several others. It was informative and a relatively quick read; author David Kamp clearly did his research. One definitely has to be interested in gourmet eating to enjoy reading this though–I’m not sure how well topics such as the rise of Chez Panisse or the demise of Lutece would resonate to non-foodies. Also, though not a focus of the book, Kamp does shed some light on Food TV and vindicates Emeril Lagasse as actually quite a good chef. I’d recommend a snack while reading–all the discussion of fine dining made me quite hungry.

Rating:

-Carey

It’s Fall! Thus Time for Apple Butter + Apple Cider

I finally woke up early enough to go to the Waverly Farmers’ Market (I live in Baltimore) on Saturday and was really excited to buy some apple cider. Reid’s Orchard Cider (Ortanna, PA) is great–sweet without being too sweet and very refreshing. Also at the Market are several products from Lewis’ Orchard (Cavetown, MD). I had previously bought their apple butter at a local specialty store and saw several other varieties at the market, such as pumpkin butter and pear butter. Once again, I have no complaints. Good stuff.

Price: apple cider-$3 for half gallon, apple butter-$3.99 (at the specialty store)

Where: Waverly Farmers’ Market, 32nd Street and Barcalay

Ratings: for both

-Carey

Morningstar Farms Spinach Artichoke Veggie Bites

Gross. At first, I was starving so I managed to lodge two full bites down my throat before I realized how revolting these were. Then, I threw the rest away, including the rest of the box I had not yet cooked. I was hoping for some kind of similarity to the spinach and artichoke dips I often get at restaurants. Too bad this was not the case.

Price: $4.29

Where: most supermarkets and specialty stores

Rating:

-Carey

Tangy Mustard Seeks Love at First Sight

***featuring guest blogger, In-and-Out burger lover, Preet!***

So I walk into the local grocer, hoping for a nice little sandwich (reuben for the win) to uplift my dreary day. It’s raining out, of course, and the weather matches my mood, which, oddly enough, is a pretty normal occurrence in The Greatest City in America. Coke? Sprite? Mr. Pibb? No. I’ll go for the Dr Pepper, but only because he doesn’t use a period after his title. Naturally (ha), I reach for a bag of Kettle Brand potato chips. But today, just like the cute girl in Psych Lab, something catches my eye. Why the hell is this bag of chips orange? To be honest, I really didn’t care; the color enough got me. I walk home through the rain, sans umbrella. Three years and no umbrella; color me hopeful. I make my way to the TV, turn on Good Will Hunting (it’s always on Encore, probably 24/7 on EncoreDamon). I sink into the couch, and spend about a minute opening the big ass bag of Kettle chips. At this point I’m a little mad I chose the Hardest Chips to Open in America. After stabbing the bag with my keys I take a handful and pick the best looking chip of the bunch, only to later realize that every single chip that comes out of the bag would be better than any chip I had ever eaten. And you know how sometimes you have an epiphany or think you’ve finally found love at first sight and you embellish every moment when you retell the story to you favorite gal-pal? I’m not doing that. These chips are really that good. There’s a kiss of dijon in each bite, countered by a dose of honey. All natural (like me). No trans-fats. If I had a one-nighter with these chips, I would call them the next day. No games. I push the chips on pretty much everyone I know that’s willing to try them; I haven’t had a single disappointed customer (save for my dog, but Yogi doesn’t enjoy vegetables like I do). I also carry a bag with me almost everywhere I go. One time I packed the chips instead of my keys; locked myself outside for a few hours… but at least I had my new best friend(s) with me. People tell me that they know what love really is, but I doubt they have what we have. <3

Price: $2.39

Where: most supermarkets and specialty stores, www.kettlefoods.com

Rating:

-Preet

Wing Time Mild Buffalo Sauce

Maybe it was just because I hadn’t had buffalo sauce recently, but throughout my meal, I was making sighs and moans of delight (good thing I was dining alone…). There is absolutely nothing wrong with this sauce: the mild still has a great sharp flavor, but not sharp enough to make you sweat (though I do recommend water).

Price: $4.99

Where: I bought it at Superfresh, www.wingtime.com

Rating:

-Carey

Nature’s Path Organic Hemp Plus Granola

I felt like I could taste the earth in this granola. It did not feel processed or artifical whatsoever and was a bit of a departure from, say, a Chewy bar. It has a decent flavor and makes an easy and quick snack. But, it was almost a little too “natural” for my palate.  Also, in case you’re curious, the box explains that hemp seeds have been used in food products since the early 1990s and hemp and marijuana come from two different kinds of cannabis plants.  And, it is much more nutritious than its “outlaw cousin.”

Price: $2.39

Where: Trader Joe’s, health stores, Whole Foods, www.naturespath.com

Rating:

-Carey

Stonewall Kitchen Traditional Biscuit Mix

Just as the box said, these biscuits are good for breakfast or dinner.  All you need to add is a cup of whole milk (I used skim and it was fine) and a stick of butter.  And, cooking time is only 10-12 minutes.  The biscuits were the perfect consistency and buttery without being too buttery.  Only problem was that they cooked slightly faster on the top and bottom than in the middle, but that was most likely the fault of my not-so-great oven.

Price: $3.99

Where: specialty food markets

Rating:

-Carey

Nature’s Promise Natural White Cheddar Puffs

I’m impressed–I never really thought that a supermarket store-brand product would be so tasty.  The puffs were nice and airy and had just the right amount of white cheddar flavor.  Great to have just a handful of.  And, of course, there’s no trans fat or artificial additives.  I’m hooked.

Price:  $2.09

Where: Giant/Stop & Shop
Rating:

-Carey