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Three Twins Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Review – Yummm!

July 2, 2013 / / 1 Comment

(Note: This company has closed)

3twinsChocolatePeanutButterI found this gem of an ice cream at our local San Leandro Grocery Outlet for $2.  It was the first time I came across a three twins product, but I’m one of those people who absolutely loves peanut butter and chocolate (as I write this, I’m plotting to make my husband go and get me the ingredients for a peanut butter shake), so I had to try it.  I’m glad I did.

Unlike most ice creams of this type, this wasn’t chocolate ice cream with swirls of peanut butter or vice versa. Instead both the peanut butter and the cocoa powder are mixed together into a combined flavor.  I think I still prefer the traditional type, but this is quite good too, albeit more peanut butter would be better.  Then again, nothing stops you from adding your own.

My oldest daughter pronounced it the “best ice cream ever”, and while my youngest wasn’t as enthusiastic, this is a girl with a limited like for sweets.

Three Twins seems to be this century’s answer to Ben & Jerry’s.  The company is based in the North Bay and makes organic ice cream from locally sourced milk and cream.  They have four stores and they seem to mostly sell through Whole Foods (which would explain why I never heard of them).  In addition to regular flavors, they have some interesting sounding ones such as cardamon, lemon cookie and sea salted caramel.  They sell ice cream through their website for $10 a pint, so the $2 Grocery Outlet price is particularly tempting.

Buckhorn Grill Review (@ Stoneridge Mall, Pleasanton)

July 1, 2013 / / 0 Comments

This restaurant has closed

buckhornsandwichWhen my kids were younger, I used to take them to Yerba Buena Gardens and we’d often had lunch at the Buckhorn Grill in the Metreon.  I wasn’t super fond of that restaurant, but it served food they would eat.  So when my husband suggested that we had lunch at the Buckhorn Grill at Stoneridge Mall, after a visit to the Apple store, I wasn’t extremely enthusiastic.  But food options were limited and it was Father’s Day, so he had the right to pick the place.  I have to give him credit, he picked right.  Not only was the food at this Buckhorn Grill excellent, but it was reasonably priced.

I had the “bacon cheddar buck” ($8.50) and it was pretty much the perfect sandwich.  The roast beef itself was delicious, and the bacon and cheese complimented rather than competed with the meat.  Mike liked his “big buck” ($9), which came with caramelized onions and he also thought it was great, at least until he tried my sandwich.

My daughters had the burgers, and while the old one was pleased with hers (at least until she tried my sandwich), the younger one didn’t like it at all.  It was a plain burger, so my husband, who finished it, didn’t find it particularly exciting.

In addition to sandwiches, Buckhorn Grill offers platters of their BBQ meats.  A whole take home tri tip (feeds 5 to 6) is $25.  You can even order online.

Buckhorn has ten restaurants in the Bay Area/Northern California.  I think they would do great if they came to San Leandro, and if our business development unit at City Hall wasn’t so lame, they would be trying to entice them to come to town.

Buckhorn Grill
Stoneridge Mall
2245 Stoneridge Mall Rd.
Pleasanton, CA
925-463-2825
http://www.buckhorngrill.com/

 

Baked Pasta with Italian Sausage

March 2, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com and it’s absolutely delicious!  Heart attack worthy, but well, worthy.

  • 1 package pasta (penne, ziti, rigatoni or something of the sort).
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 1 lb mild Italian sausage
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (with garlic & basil if available)
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

Boil pasta until it’s al dente.  Drain and place in an 13″ x 9″ baking dish.

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and sausage and cook until browned.  Pour out and discard excessive fat.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute.  Add the white wine and deglace the pan.  Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato paste.  Mix well and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well.

Sprinkle both cheeses on top of the pasta and bake in a 350°F. oven for 20 minutes.

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Luigi’s Pizza and Pasta – Red Bluff, CA – Restaurant Review

February 1, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Mike, the kids and I have now gone to Luigi’s for dinner twice – once, in May 2012, when coming back from the Redding area after watching the amazing lunar eclipse, and more recently, last November, when coming back home from Oregon.  Both times we had quite a good meal.

There are two words to describe Luigi’s (OK, maybe they should count as tree): cheap and large portions.  Indeed, Luigi’s has the largest variety of pizza sizes we’ve ever seen.  You can get a 10″ mini – but also a 30″ “Big Luigi”.  It’s big enough for a large crowd.

I can’t recall exactly what we’ve had in those two occasions, but I know we’ve sampled both the pizza and the pasta and we’ve been happy with both.  The pasta seems freshly made (but I’ve only had their beef ravioli, $4.60), their huge meatballs are quite tasty and the pizza features fresh ingredients.

There is another pizza restaurant in Red Bluff I want to try, but this one is conveniently located by the freeway and easy to find, so I’m sure we’ll stop by again.

Luigi’s Pizza and Pasta
75 Belle Mill Rd.
Red Bluff, CA
530-527-9227
Su-Th 10:30 AM – 9 PM
F-Sa 10:30 AM – 10 PM

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Steak Diane Recipe

January 20, 2013 / / 2 Comments

After 12 years (yes, 12 years), I have finally arrived at the “Fs” in my international cooking project.  And, of course, that means I must cook classic French food.  Finding classic French recipes is not as easy as it sounds – I have already explored several French regional cuisines and I don’t like repeating dishes.

I was happy when I came upon a recipe for steak Diane.  I don’t know why I immediately assumed it was a classic French recipe.  Maybe it was the name? The ingredients?  Though, as my 10-year-old daughter pointed out after a couple of bites, this dish is very close to the beef Stroganoff I’d cooked earlier in the week.  In any case, I made it, we enjoyed it, and it wasn’t until I started writing the recipe up that I took a look at its origins – only to find out that it’s an American invention.

Never mind, it was pretty easy to make and the kids enjoyed lighting the pan on fire.  Indeed, it lit on its own: the instructions said to tilt the pan away from you and light the alcohol with a match, but when I tilted it, I splashed some liquid on the burner (I have a gas stove) and suddenly the pan was ablaze.

The recipe I used came from the great Emeril Lagasse.  The key to making this dish is having each component ready and easily accessible from the stove top. I used tri-tip as it was 1/3 the price of tenderloin, but it was too tough for this cooking method (it was better on the Stroganoff, as it was thinly sliced for that recipe). I’d like to try it with tenderloin, though sirloin might be an alternative.  Instead of the “reduced veal stock” the recipe asked for, I used a combination of water/whine and stock concentrate. If you still want to have the flavor of veal, but don’t want to make the stock yourself, Cook’s Delight has a veal base. Finally, “someone” dropped my dish with the chopped parsley/green onions on the floor so I wasn’t able to serve them on the steak.  Still, it was delicious.

Steak Diane

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1 tsp. beef base (such as Better than Bouillon)
  • 1 lb beef tenderloin medallions
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 Tbsp. chopped shallots
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 8 – 10 oz sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup Cognac or brandy
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped green onions or chives
  • 2 tsp. minced Italian parsley

Instructions

Place the water, red wine and beef base in a small cooking pot. Cook over medium heat until the base dissolves completely, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in the saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown on one side for 45 seconds. Turn and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional two minutes. Remove the steak to a warm platter and cover with foil. Continue cooking the mushrooms until soft, a couple of more minutes.

Add the cognac and lit the pan on fire. Keep on the stove until the flame burns out and then add the cream and the mustard. Mix well and cook for one minute. Add the beef stock and cook for another minute. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mix. Return the medallions and the accumulated juices to the pan and turn to coat.

Before serving, sprinkle with the green onions and parsley.

Reindeer Hash Recipe (Poronkäristys)

January 6, 2013 / / 0 Comments

reindeerIt’s early January, Christmas is well passed and you don’t know what to do with the reindeer that Santa Claus left stranded on your backyard.  Well, here come the Finns to the rescue with a delicious (I’m sure, Santa Claus skipped me this year) recipe for reindeer hash.  It comes from the book Natural Cooking the Finnish Way, which, by the way, has quite a few really good recipes.

If you have kept your reindeer in the backyard, hopefully they are cold enough, but if not, do freeze the meat for a while to  make it easy to slice, and always do it across the grain, of course.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb bacon, cubed
  • 1 lb reindeer meat, thinly sliced
  • water
  • salt to taste

Instructions

Cook the bacon on a heavy frying pat over medium heat until the fat melts.  Add the reindeer meat and cook until browned.  Cover the meat with water and season with salt. Turn down the heat, partially cover the pan, and simmer for 2 hours, adding water if necessary.

Serve with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Lucky Supermarket’s “Pick 5 for $25” deal.

January 3, 2013 / / 4 Comments

5/13 Update: Lucky continues running this promotion from time to time, but the quantities of meat you get are lower, so the prices have increased. The ones advertised this week are noted in bold. Do note, that sometimes you find larger packets at the supermarket than those advertised.

I like to do my menu-planning based on the meat that’s on sale at my local supermarkets in a given week.  Not only does that save money, but it gives me a place where to start deciding on recipes.  Lucky’s has been offering a deal that has you buy 5 packages of meat for $25.  You can pick and choose between different offerings marked with the “pick 5” sticker, but you must buy at least 5 packages to get the deal.

I couldn’t find a list of what items were available with this deal, so I decided to go to Lucky’s and look for myself.  I noted the cuts, the maximum weight of the packages available under the deal (and note that some may be over 50% heavier than others) and the original price, so that I could see what were the maximum savings that you could accumulate.   These varied from 13-cents a pound for leg quarters (which you can get for even less at Grocery Outlet) to $4.75lb for boneless New York steak.  I will have to pay more attention to prices, but I don’t think the prices on this sale are lower than on other sales, and you have to buy $25 worth of meat to take advantage of this deal (which, honestly, is not hard unless you are buying chicken).

Lucky says you can pick “from over 60 cuts”, though I only found 21 at the Lucky’s in San Leandro (I can’t imagine I missed more than a couple).   Here is what you can get, at least today, though I don’t think the offerings vary that much.

  • Salmon, packages up to 1.15lbs ($4.35lb), regular price $6lb.  Potential savings up to $1.65 per lb. Now, up to 12 oz, price increase 33%
  • Large shrimp, ~1 lb packages, regular price $9lb, on sale at Safeway for $7lb.  Potential savings up to $2-$4lb.
  • Foster Farms chicken thighs, bone/skin in, packages up to 4.7 lbs (~$1.05lb), regular price $2lb. Potential savings up to 94cents lb.
  • Foster Farms leg quarters, up to 3lbs ($1.66lb), regular price $1.79lb.  Potential savings up to 13c lb.  Note: These are often available at Grocery Outlet for $1.30lb.
  • Foster Farms drumsticks, up to 4 lbs ($1.25lb).  Didn’t note original price.
  • Foster Farm boneless chicken breasts, packages up to 1.7lbs (~$3lb), regular price $5lb.  Potential savings up to $2lb. Now up to 20 oz, price increase 25%
  • Foster Farm boneless/skinless chicken breasts, packages up to 1.5lbs ($3.33lb), regular price $6lb. Potential savings up to $2.66lb
  • Foster farm thin slice chicken breast fillets, up to 1.25lb ($4lb), regular price $6lb. Potential savings up to $2lb
  • Foster Farm ground turkey, 2lbs ($2.50lb) No original price on package.
  • Foster Farm ground turkey breast, 20 oz ($4lb).  No original price on package @ Lucky’s, package on sale at Safeway for $6.  Potential savings $1 on 20 oz.
  • Foster Farm white turkey lunch meat, 2lbs ($2.50lb) No original price on package.
  • Lamb shoulder chops, packages up to 1.17 oz (~$4.25lb), regular price $6lb.  Potential savings up to $1.75lb
  • Laura’s Tri-Tip, packages up to .7lbs ($7.15lb), regular price $8lb. Potential savings up to 75-cents lb. Note: tri-tip steaks at Safeway are on sale for $6lb, for a savings of $2lb over Lucky’s
  • NY Steak, bone in, packages up to .9lbs ($5.50lb), regular price $10lb.  Potential savings up to $4.5lb. Note: NY steaks are often on sale at Safeway for $5lb.
  • NY steak, boneless, up to .8lb ($6.25lb), regular price $11lb.  Potential savings up to $4.75lb.
  • Seasoned boneless NY steak, for carne asada, up to .8lbs ($6.25lb), regular price $11lb.  Potential savings up to $4.75lb
  • Chuck cross rib steak, thin cut, up to 1.5lbs ($3.33lb), regular price $5lb, on sale for $4lb at Safeway.  Potential savings 70c to $1.66lb.
  • Petit sirloin steaks, up to 1.25lbs ($4lb), regular price $5lb, on sale at Lucky’s for $4lb.
  • 85% lean ground beef, up to 1.3 lbs ($3.85lb), regular price $4.29lb.  Potential savings up to 45c lb.  Note: Safeway has 93%lean ground beef for $3lb. Now up to 1.5 lbs, price down
  • Pork loin chops, boneless, up to 1.5lbs ($3.33lb), regular price $6lb.  Potential savings $2.66lb
  • Country style ribs, up to 4 lbs ($1.25lb), regular price $1.88lb.  Potential savings up to 38c lb

2012 Christmas Eve Dinner

January 2, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Every year since my kids were born (except for 2005, when we visited Argentina) I have made an elaborate, multi-course Christmas Eve dinner.   I start the menu planning by deciding what meat I will feature as my main dish.  I want something eye-catching that I wouldn’t normally cook.  Trouble is, after so many Christmas Eves, I’ve run out of choices.  I’ve done standing rib roasts, boneless prime ribs and regular roasts.  I’ve cooked beef Wellington and plain beef tenderloin roasts.  I’ve done turkey, goose, pork tenderloin and leg of lamb.  One year I made the most delicious rack of lamb.  Earlier in my marriage, I once even made Ethiopian food for Xmas Eve dinner.  And last year, I made short ribs.

I don’t like repeating dishes – thus my Xmas Eve dinner problem – but I was in a big conundrum this year.  My kids won’t let me cook any cute animals – so no lamb, venison, ostrich, duck – and none of us are that fond of pork, so that leaves beef (chicken is just not impressive enough for Xmas Eve dinner).  And I really didn’t want to do a roast (nor spend the money to buy top-quality beef).  I thought about making oxtails, but the kids balked and, truth be told, after a couple of experiences with really tough oxtails, I wasn’t that willing to risk it.

So I decided to go for short ribs again.  There are many ways to prepare them, after all, and they are a crowd favorite.

In all, my menu went very well, I think it may have been my most successful menu so far, as everything I served was good-to-great.  The two favorites seemed to be the shrimp salad, that accompanied the soup, and the cheese course.  It’s sort of sad that that would be the star of a meal I spent 2 days preparing, but there is little you can do to compete against good cheese.

As usual, I eliminated one dish from my planned menu: the fish.  I had originally planned to make the leek tarts as an amuse bouche, but they ended up being too big for that purpose, so I turned them into an appetizer instead (and made the eggnog the amuse bouche).  I could still have gone with the fish, but given that it needed last minute cooking – which meant more time away from the table for me – I skipped it.  I think it was a good choice, both time and flavor wise.

Here is what the meal ended up being:

– Eggnog

– Plantain and Coconut Soup with Shrimp, Tomato and Avocado Salad

– Individual Leek Tarts

– Lemon Sorbet, as a palate cleanser

– Wine-Braised Short Ribs with Cocoa and Star Anise

served with garlic & plain mashed potatoes and braised red chard

– Assorted Cheeses

– Peanut Butter Trifle

And there you go 🙂

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Plantain and Coconut Soup with Shrimp, Tomato and Avocado Salad – Recipe

January 2, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I wanted to make mushroom soup for my 2012 Christmas Eve dinner.  Mika wanted butternut squash soup.  I figured I’d compromise and find something else.  For some reason I was set on having a savory fruit-based soup, so when I came across this recipe I felt I had found gold.  It got amazing reviews, and I’d had great luck with other recipes from Emeril.

As things turned out, I was not too happy with the soup.  I felt it tasted mostly of chicken broth, with only hints of coconut and none of plantains.  If I was going to serve it, I felt I had to fix it – so I ended up adding the rest of the coconut milk from the can as well as 3 bananas and some nutmeg.  The results were much tastier than before, and Mika was pleased.

I don’t eat shrimp myself, but according to my guests and my husband, the shrimp salad was delicious – both by itself and when combined with the soup.  This is high praise coming from my husband, as he doesn’t like either tomatoes or avocados!

Plantain and Coconut Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp.  olive oil
  • 1/3 cup small diced salt pork
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 small celery rib, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 4 tsp. curry powder
  • 4 large yellow plantains with slightly green tips and some black spots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • 1 can  coconut milk
  • 3 small bananas, coarsely chopped
  • salt & black pepper to taste
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 2 Tbsp.  lime juice
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Heat a soup pot over medium heat and add the oil.  When hot, add the salt pork and cook until crispy, about 6 minutes.  Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and curry powder and saute for 30 seconds.  Add the plantains and the stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the plantains are soft, about 45 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the coconut milk and bananas.  Puree the soup, either using an immersion blender (easiest) or in batches, in a regular blender.  Return to the pot, taste and adjust seasoning.

Just before serving, reheat the soup and add the lime juice.

Place the sour cream in a small serving bowl and sprinkle the cilantro on top of it.  Serve the soup with the salad (recipe below) and sour cream on the side.  Before eating, combine the three elements.

 Shrimp, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and diced
  • 1  tsp. creole seasoning
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 2 tsp. chopped garlic
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup diced avocado
  • 1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

Season the shrimp with the creole seasoning and set aside.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat.  Add butter and melt.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, avocado and cilantro and mix.  Turn heat to very low.  Season with salt and continue cooking until the shrimp is completely cooked through.

Marga’s 2012 Christmas Eve Dinner

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Eggnog Recipe

January 1, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I’m not the hugest eggnog fan in the world, but I wanted to have something to serve my Christmas Eve dinner guests when they first arrived.  For some reason eggnog came to mind.

This recipe, from Alton Brown, was fairly easy and pretty tasty – if you like eggnog.  It was a bit too nutmeggish, however, so if I made it again I’d reduce the nutmeg to half a teaspoon.  It wasn’t too sweet, which I appreciated.  I followed it pretty closely, but as I needed both an alcoholic and non-alcoholic version, I only added the Bourbon at the end.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 3 oz bourbon

Instructions

Beat eggs with an electric mixer until they lighten in color.  Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar and mix until completely dissolved.  Mix in the milk, cream and nutmeg.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.  Add the remaining sugar and continue beating until hard peaks are formed.

Mix the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture.  If you are making both alcoholic and non-alcoholic eggnog, pour into separate pitchers and add the bourbon to one.

Refrigerate until serving.

Marga’s 2012 Christmas Eve Dinner

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