Just sharing a few things that make me happy...
Salt Flakes - I got these Falksalt Sea Salt Flakes from William and Sonoma on clearance. I don't usually use salt but these flakes melt right into your food and add a really nice flavor! You don't need much - just a pinch. The lemon one doesn't taste that lemony but the rosemary is delish on meat!
Artichokes - I haven't been able to find a good artichoke in over a year. (Look for artichokes that are tightly closed and feel heavy for their size). Everyone is so intimidated by them but they're super easy to cook in the microwave. Just chop off the top 1/3 and stuff thinly sliced garlic and lemon in the leaves, I also pour a little lemon cooking wine over the top - put in a microwave safe dish with about 1/2 cup of water - cover and cook on high for about 5 minutes per artichoke. Poke the bottom with a knife - it should slide in easily - to check if their done.
Harvest Grains Blend from Trader Joe's - Easy to cook in just a few minutes. Adds a little variety to the usual couscous/quinoa side dish.
Urban Accents Mandarin Ginger Dryglaze - I originally bought this to glaze tofu (one of the suggested uses) and bleh. You can't cook the tofu long enough to melt the glaze and it ended up being a lumpy, salty mess. But then I used it on a pork tenderloin and YUM!
Farmers Market finds! I love my local farmers market in the winter/spring. That's our peak season in FL.
Beekman Vanilla Honey - We just got a new local cheese shop in town and I decided to give this honey a try and OMG this stuff is good! I put it in everything - cottage cheese, tea, oatmeal. They have savory blends too but I'm not sure what I would use it for. They have some interesting recipes on their website I might try
Those salt flakes sound delicious! As for the TJ's stuff, I'm so sad that we don't have Trader Joe's where we live. It's my favorite grocery store.
ReplyDeleteBTW...are you going to BEA this year?
Our TJ's is an hour away so I go a little crazy - especially with the cheese - and stock up when we go.
DeleteBf's mum gave us some weird salts..without labels! But maybe I should try them to see if they melt too
ReplyDeleteJust wing it! lol
DeleteThey are SO good. I can't believe I've never used them before. I will say that they're strong so use in moderation and crush them first.
ReplyDeleteNever seen the salt flakes here, but who knows - maybe I don't visit the right stores LOL. Thatk goodness I have you to teach me about unusual ingredients and obscure (um, not really - just for me) canine breeds ;D.
ReplyDeleteI found the Salt Flakes in the mall but I've seen the pink Himalayan salt at our Wal-mart. It's strange to see how *gourmet* foods are everywhere now.
DeleteI'm also lucky that our local Farmer's Market has some really unusual things - years before everyone else tries them.
Those salt flakes sound wonderful. I might need to invest! I haven't had a good artichoke in YEARS. No one in the family really cooks them. Sigh. Maybe I need to head over to your house! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou only need a very tiny amount. Crush and sprinkle them around your food.
DeleteI LOVE artichokes. And once I found this really easy method I make them whenever they are in season. I don't mess with all that trimming..just lop off the top and most of the pointy leaves are gone. And microwaving them stops them from getting so soggy.
But...just visit me! lol
I adore artichokes too :) That's my fave thing to eat and I might have to look into salt flakes
ReplyDeleteHappy to fin fellow artichoke lovers! No one near me likes them lol (other than Kevin)
DeleteI've actually never even tried Artichoke, never mind cooked it. Supermarkets just don't sell them and never thought to try a farmers market. I use something similar when I cook. Himalayan pink salt flakes and add them to a mix of cracked peppercorns and a little bit of olive oil and marinate steaks in it. It's delicious.
ReplyDeletelol I get the grilled ones from The Cheesecake Factory a lot. Most places don't have them on the menu and most recipes make them seem very difficult to cook with but they aren't really.
DeleteI had actually gone into W&S looking for the pink Himalayan salt and ended up with these instead. I'll try those next.
Oh the rosemary salt looks good. We usually just boil the artichokes and dip in a butter sauce to eat. My grandma didn't like them until my mom cooked it that way for her and she started loving the veggie. LOL Oh and btw... artichoke hearts on pizza... mmmmmm
ReplyDeleteAll of these look so good Karen! More importantly, you sound like you had fun shopping for these treats!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I was out last week so I missed your KMeader tweet. I'm glad you loved it, have you tried her series with Entangled? Book 2 was released just a couple of weeks ago. It's good too but it's a little different from her firefighters
DeleteThat dryglaze looks delicious. I'm also really jealous about your year round farmers market.
ReplyDeleteIt's not really year round. Most of the vendors leave in the summer because it's hard to grow then between he heat and the bugs.This is our peak season. So I get jealous of you guys in August lol
DeleteThe rosemary salt sounds so good! And I'm definitely going to try to make artichokes in my microwave- I do love them. That vanilla honey looks like heaven. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's SO much easier in the microwave!
DeleteOoh fun! I'm really trying to look into more recipes and ideas for things to eat. I want to be more healthy, but I also know I don't have tons of time to cook nor all the skills to cook everything I could want. haha So you know, baby steps.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
When in doubt - roast it lol
DeleteOnce I got the hang of it I actually found it easier to eat healthy. But I have a set of go to meals. Rice bowls or anything over a baked sweet potato is a quick healthy meal. And salads with beans and just a little cheese are filling.
How did I not know about salt flakes? I love salt - I cook to my family's low salt tolerance and then use a salt grinder on my food. But the flakes sound so fancy!
ReplyDeleteJen @ YA Romantics
*shakes head* You live in NYC...lol
DeleteIf you use them - make sure you crush and sprinkle. They're VERY salty but delicious!
LOVE artichokes. Good ones are hard to find here as well. I've never done them in the microwave. Totally going to try that next time :D
ReplyDeleteThat vanilla honey sounds super yum! I so need to see if I can get my hands on some and a few of the other things you've mentioned!
ReplyDelete