Category Archives: food

Public Service Announcement: #DoUsAFlavor

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Henry and I decided to take a little bit of a break from packing… or thinking of packing… to do everyone a public service. He’s going to tell you what the best flavor is of this summer’s Lay’s Do Us A Flavor campaign.* (Because everyone needs a snack after camp. And there’s nothing wrong with walking out of a store with four bags of potato chips after you’ve already eaten dinner.)

First up: West Coast Truffle Fries

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“It’s ok. It’s a little cheesier than I thought it would be.”

 

Next up: Greektown Gyro

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“It’s not bad. Not bad at all. It has a lot of spices to it. It tastes like a gyro. It’s good. It sort of tastes like a pizza.”

 

And then: Southern Biscuits and Gravy

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“Wow. Wow. That was a lot better than I thought it would be. Can I have another?”

 

Finally: New York Reuben

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“The aftertaste is better than the firsttaste. A lot better.”

 

In the end, it came down to two: Greektown Gyro vs. Southern Biscuits and Gravy

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“I liked Southern Biscuits and Gravy the best because I liked all the flavors mixed into it. I liked the firsttaste and the aftertaste.”

 

*This experiment was heavily influenced by an episode of my new favorite podcast, Food News. So worth a listen.

mmmmm, mmmmm good!

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ok, so we rarely cook meals that aren’t in some way already prepared. there’s just no time. back to brooklyn by 6 to pick up the boy, home by 6:30, then everything has to get done before his bedtime routine starts at around 7:30 or so. it’s a frenetic pace that leaves us both uninterested in doing any serious cooking. freshdirect’s pre-prepared and pre-packaged food is a lifesaver, and it’s also kept us from going grocery shopping for years. considering divorce is an option just about every time we make a trip to ikea, it’s not such a bad thing.

with our last order, we chose to buy all the ingredients for freshdirect’s published recipe for ginger ale pork chops. it’s not for the non-carnivore but it’s absolutely delicious. take some pork chops, way more ginger than you would ever imagine keeping in your kitchen at one time, some walnuts and raisins, and a half cup of heavy cream and you’re all set.

it doesn’t sound very appetizing, i know, and once we got all the ingredients in front of us it was almost a non-starter. but it ended up being a fantastic meal. freshdirect menus, here we come!

EDIT: in case you need to be logged in to see the recipe, here it is (from “the new basics” by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins). the best part about freshdirect is that you can buy all the ingredients to any recipe with one click. love it.

ingredients:
4 loin pork chops, about 1 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup ginger ale
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup slivered crystallized ginger
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Sprinkle the pork chops all over with the ground ginger.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet, and brown the pork chops over medium-high heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a flameproof baking dish.
4. Add the ginger ale, fresh ginger, and crystallized ginger to the skillet, and cook over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour this over the chops, transfer to the oven, and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the walnuts and raisins over the chops, and bake an additional 15 minutes.
6. Transfer the chops to a serving platter and keep warm. Add the cream to the baking pan and place it over high heat. Cook, scraping up the brown bits, until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chops, and serve immediately.