Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce is one of those "home kitchen creations" that make it. The sauce was perfected by Bob Edson in 1968 after much trial and error. After getting many rave reviews from the friends and family members he gave it to, he decided to sell it in 1977.



Country Bob was kind enough to send me a couple of botttles so I could review it and I totally agree with his friends and family. The recipe I made was "Grilled Pork Tenderloin". The first thing you do is marinate 2 large whole pork tenderloins with: 1 cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup sesame oil, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of ground ginger, and 1 13 ounce bottle of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce. Marinate the pork for at least 4 hours in the refridgerator. Be sure to turn the meat every hour.



After marinating the meat, drain it reserving the marinade. Grill the pork for 2 hours in a covered grill over low coals, brushing with the reserved marinade about every 15 minutes. Discard any remaining marinade and grill the meat for another 30 minutes brushing occasionally with several tablespoons of "Finishing Touch Sauce" (recipe below). Let rest before slicing and serve with the remaining "Finishing Touch Sauce". This serves 6 to 10.

Finishing Touch Sauce: 1 (13oz) bottle of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce , 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon ground ginger.

The next "Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce" I am going to try is : Country Bob's Fantastic Baked Beans!! Sounds yummy to me!!

Teriyaki Chicken Legs

Ingredients

Chicken Legs:
1 dozen chicken legs, about 3 pounds, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted in a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned
Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Teriyaki Sauce:
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 fresh, hot red chile, halved
5 garlic cloves, halved
2-inch piece fresh ginger, smashed with the side of a large knife

Directions

preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper and drizzle a little olive oil on them to prevent sticking. Lay the legs in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until the skin gets crispy and the legs are cooked through.Meanwhile, combine the Teriyaki sauce ingredients in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat and reduce until slightly thickened. Pour the sauce into a large bowl. Dump the cooked legs into the bowl and toss to coat them with the sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve hot.

Comments

Tasty with the game, or perfect for those Patio parties.

Barbara's Buttermilk Honey Bread

Ingredients

1 1/8 cups water
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

Add ingredients to bread machine in order recommended by your bread machine. I use light crust, 1 1/2 loaf settings.

Comments

This is really good white bread with a hint of sweetness from the honey. I give it a 5 out of 5.
Barb

Dutch Ovens

We love to cook in our Dutch Ovens outside over charcoal, so we started a Dutch Oven categorie. The recipes in this categorie are written for the outside Dutch Ovens with charcoal for heat. We have two of these black cast iron pots in our collection, a #12 shallow, and a #10 shallow. The original pot is over 35 years old, bought originally in a Boy Scouts of America store in 1971.







By putting hot charcoals under the pot you can fry, or even french fry. With charcoal under the pot and on top of the pot you can bake. The top lid on these Dutch Ovens has a lip around the outside to keep the charcoals from rolling off.

Actually you can revise almost any recipe to use in a Dutch Oven.

One accessorie we have to use with our Dutch Ovens is the Volcano. The Dutch Oven slides right down into the Volcano stove, and this gets your Dutch Oven up off the ground, and safely contains the burning charcoal. The double insulation of the Volcano allows you to use this stove right up on top of a picnic table and greatly reduces the dangers associated with fire.





Outdoor cooking in one of these pots will amaze your family and friends, especially the baking.

Bread Machine Tips

Baking bread in a machine is really quite simple. You just add the ingredients and presto, in about three hours you have a nice hot loaf of fresh bread to eat. But there are a few things you need to think about. For instance, make sure that the paddle is properly seated before adding your ingredients. I also spray the paddle with a non sticking cooking spray so it doesn't stay in the loaf when you remove it from the machine. The bottom few slices will still have a hole but it will won't be as big if the paddle comes out easily. Another thing to consider when adding the ingredients tothe machine. You start by adding the liquids or wet ingredients, then all of the dry ingredients, the last ingredient added is always the yeast. That makes it easy.

You also need to be watching the dough as it is mixed in the machine. There can be times when the dough is either too wet or too dry. When you mix dough by hand you get a "feel" for the dough but when you use a machine you need to learn what "looks" right. If the dough is too dry you can add whatever liquid is in the recipe a tablespoon at a time until it is right. Or if it is too wet you can add a tablespoon at a time of flour until it is the correct consistency.

Bread that rises, but then caves in during baking usually indicates that you should either cut the yeast and sugar or use a shorter baking cycle.

If your bread comes out with large air bubbles it is an indication of too much yeast.

Anyway, there is a solution to any problems you might encounter. Finding those solutions might require some trial and error, but that is part of the fun and challenge!!

So if you have a bread machine collecting dust in the back of the cupboard, it is time to bring out and give it another try.....pretzel bread would be a good first attempt!!! I guarentee you whole family will love it!!

Pretzel Bread

Ingredients


1 envelope yeast
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons gluten
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups thin pretzel stick halves
1 egg white
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces beer
1/4 cup warm water


Directions


In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients in the order listed, mixing well. Place the mixture in an electric bread maker and process on the white bread cycle.


Comments


I got this recipe out of the "Ultimate Beer Lover's Cookbook" with the authors permission. Instead of putting the ingredients in a bowl and mixing them, I put them directly in the bread machine starting from the bottom and ending with the yeast. It turned out great!!
Mary


I made the recipe in my bread machine. Of note: This is a 1.5 lb loaf recipe and you should have your beer and other ingredients at room temperature for most bread machines. An excellent recipe that is almost too indulgent. Great with soups or stews. Try Wisconsin "Beer Cheese Soup". You may have to look for that one until I submit it.
Wendy

Kathy R.'s Shrimp Dip

Kathy R.'s Shrimp Dip


Ingredients
8 ounce package of cream cheese
1 can of shrimp, mashed
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons french dressing
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, chopped

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together. Serve with chips, pretzels, crackers, or veggies.

Comments
I originally got this recipe from my friend Kathy R. 40 years ago. I have yet to go someplace with it and not had anyone ask for the recipe. It is definately a keeper!!

The other day I was hungry for something different....so I decided to try this recipe I found in Health Magazine for zucchini fries. Why I didn't take pictures I'll never know but...next time.

Here is the ingredient list:

2 zucchini-cut into 3 inch sticks

1 egg white

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded paresan cheese

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Whisk and egg white in a small bowl and add the milk. In another bowl, mix the cheese and bread crumbs. Dip the zucchini sticks into the egg mixture then roll in the breadcrumbs. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, place the zucchini sticks on the sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Makes about 32 fries.

These are really good and healthful too. There's always more room for veggies!!

Dangerous Coffee Mug Cake

A few days ago I did a blog on www.rexandmary.blogspot.com about this coffee mug cake.

This is a fun recipe to have and it is pretty scary to have cake available anytime of the day or night when that sweet tooth urge hits. Anyway I am going to repeat the recipe here.....even if you have read it on Rex and Mary.....keep reading....there is a surprise (a nice one) at the end of this blog.

The recipe:

4 T flour (not self rising)

4 T sugar

2 T baking cocoa

1 Egg

3 T milk

3 T oil

3 T chocolate chips (optional)---(ya, right)

Small splash of vanilla

Mix the flour, sugar, and cocoa in you coffee mug. Add the egg and mix well. Pour in the milk and oil mixing thoroughly. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla.

Cook in a 1000 watt microwave for 3 minutes---the time might need to be adjusted slightly for your specific oven. The batter might rise over the top of your mug but don't be alarmed, it won't spill over and make a mess. Allow to cool slightly and tip our on to a plate. EAT!!

Now for the surprise I promised. I have been playing with this recipe. As it is written this VERY DANGEROUS cake is 1045 calories!! Yikes!! I have been playing with this recipe and have gotten it down to 630 calories, still a lot but if you split it with someone it is not actually that bad. So what did I do....in place of 4 T of sugar used 2 T of Splenda Sugar Blend which cut the calorie count by 80 calories and in place of the oil I used 3 T of Unsweetened Applesauce which made 340 calorie difference!!

I must admit that the texture of the cake is changed somewhat, but it is still recognizable as cake and tastes just as good!! Another variation I have tried is using the powder from instant fat free butterscotch pudding instead of cocoa and butterscotch chips in place of the chocolate.....that is also pretty tasty.

Please give it a try and let me know how it works for you!!

Calorie King

As you all know, I recently came back from vacation. I had a wonderful time and was priviledged to be able to see and visit with all the people I love. I am very blessed to be able to do that!!

Now comes the down side of that wonderful vacation...I gained 14 pounds! Yes I gained about 2 pounds a week and that is no joke. I guess when you eat like a pig and drink like a fish you pay the consequences!

So since coming home, I have been calorie counting. I bought this wonderful book from Calorie King called "calorie, fat, and carbohydrate" counter. I am impressed with this book because of the amazingly huge amount of information in it, including fast foods, restaurants, packaged foods, and alcohol. This is all in addition to the normal meat, cheese, fruits, and vegetables. What a wonderful little guide! There is also a web site: http://www.calorieking.com/ that you can get more assistance from. Cool!

So I am keeping my daily intake to 1200 to 1400 calories a day, and after the first week I am proud to be down 2.6 pounds!! As the days go buy I plan to share pictures and recipes of some of my "low calorie" meals.

Wish me luck!!

Back Again !

Well, I am back from vacation and ready to get back to work on my food blog.....yup I was really gone for almost 7 weeks!! If you have any interest as to what we did during those 7 weeks you can find out by reading this blog: www.rexandmary.blogspot.com.

Our wonderful neighbors brought us some great chicken and pineapple skewers the other night that he made on the grill. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of these wonderful creations because we had some camera malfunction but I will tell you all about them.

I really dislike most BBQ sauces because number 1, I don't care for the liquid smoke flavor and number 2, I don't like the taste of vinegar.

Getting back to the neighbors chicken and pineapple skewers, they had a marvelous BBQ sauce that was neither smokey or vinegary. Anyway I begged him for the recipe and here it is.

The sauce which consisted of 1 cup of ketchup, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of honey, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 whole garlic cloves, and the juice of one lemon. Combine those 7 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer, cook about 10 minutes until thickened. Set the sauce aside to cool.

Now you cut 8 boneless chicken thighs into 2 pieces and thread alternatively on skewers with pineapple chucks. When you have all of the skewers threaded with the chicken and pineapple chunks, brush them with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.

Now discard the garlic cloves from the sauce and brush the skewers with the sauce. Reserve 1/2 of the sauce to use for dipping after the skewers are done. Cook the skewers on a grill about 10 to 15 minutes until done.

This is a really tasty recipe and the combo of the sauce and pineapple is truly wonderful and I don't even like pineapple all that much.

I sure regret not having pictures of this recipe, but I will be making this one soon and put some up then!!

On Vacation

This poor blog is going to be neglected for the next 6 to 8 weeks. We have to make a trip home to Wisconsin to spend so time with my 87 year old Mother who was recently in an auto accident. I will blog when I can but probably won't be much.....but will be back strong the end of October!!!

Also does anyone have any idea how to get rid of the spammers that leave numerous comments that have to be deleted daily??? They are driving me wild. And what they write in unintelligible. All they do is leave a list of web address-at least that is what I think they are.

None of it in English. Does anyone know how to get rid of them???

Would appreciate any and all help with that!!

Mary

Pork Roast

The other day we grilled a pork roast. I have several rubs in the cupboard but am interested in experimenting with different seasonings. So I decided to come up with my own rub.



This is the "naked" roast.



Here I am applying my rub.......



Here is the roast and if I do say so myself, it tasted pretty good!!

This is what I used in my rub:

1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash table blend, 1/8 t paprika, 1/4 t tumeric, 1/8 t ground mustard, a spinkle of tarragon, and a sprinkle of dried basil leaves.

My winter project will be to learn more about herbs and spices and how to use them to enhance dishes. Ought to be interesting!

Pickle Pak

What's new in the world of pickles???

Yup, pickles have gone the way of pudding, jello, and fruit.....little indivual pickle paks!! I had a coupon for Mt. Olive pickles so decided to get the paks. Mostly because they amused me. Don't ask me why....just one of those days I guess!

Aren't they cute?? You can eat the whole container for 10 calories. Now that is what I call "figure friendly"!

Thai Shrimp Gyoza

At Trader Joe's the other day I was looking through the frozen food section and found Thai Shrimp Gyoza. It sounded good so I decided to try them.



You can pan fry, steam, or microwave these. I chose to steam them.





Here they are in the steamer. They taste like egg rolls, which I really like.



These are the entree I made the other day to go with the Thai Shrimp Gyoza. Have you ever seen those bacon wrapped small fillets at the the store? That is what is in these puff pastry bundles. Sort of my take on Beef Wellington.



To avoid the pastry becoming soggy on the bottom, I just cut the bottom out. It was the best solution I could think of to avoid "soggy bottom".



Here is the "Beef Wellington" and steamed Thai Shrimp Gyoza. It was all pretty good...I will try this again!!

Trader Joe's

A day off and a trip to Trader Joe's!!!!! What could be better than that?? I am feeling a little sad because we will soon be heading South for the winter and there isn't a Trader Joe's in Bullhead City. Sure wish they would correct that oversight!



Trader Joe's puts out a flyer every other month. This is the current issue. As you can see, it is emphasizing "dinner-in-a-hurry" options. The flyer is 15 pages and showcases several products they sell. Trader Joe's does not have "sale" items, instead they charge "reasonable" prices each and every day. And to be perfectly honest, I have found that they do have very reasonable prices. At least I surely haven't found anything outrageously expensive.



Like a lot of other retailers these days, Trader Joe's is on the "eco-friendly" bandwagon. They have reusable shopping bag options. Not only are they reusable, they are cool looking and fun. The shopping bag in the middle is priced at 99 cents and just plain fun looking. The two bags on the sides are both insulated. The black and red one has a five quart capacity and keeps cold foods fresh for up to 5 hours, more if you put ice packs in it. Is is the first insulated bag they offered, as far as I know and was 5.99 when I bought it. That one is no longer available. The blue and black one is their new style and has an 8 quart capacity. I like the squared corners, it not only holds more but it is easier to pack. I just bought this one today for 6.99 which I think is a good price for it.

This is my very long commercial for Trader Joe's today!!

Peachy Cake

Today was a day off so we decided to bake something in the Dutch Oven. Since we had some fresh peaches, they had to be the main ingredient...



I just sliced three medium peaches, sprinkled them with cinnamon and nutmeg, then made a simple syrup with brown sugar. Those little squares are butter....everything tastes better with a little butter!!! Just ask Paula Deen!!



To make life easier, I used this mix to put on top of the peaches, the only adjustment I made was to puree a peach to add to the mix and omit the oil. Otherwise, I followed the package directions.



Spread the batter over the peaches and sprinkle it with the cinnamon streusel packet. Then place the cake in the Dutch Oven.



Here is the Dutch Oven in the Volcano being baked with charcoal. This is one way to keep the kitchen cool on hot summer days!!



This is what I ended up with. It was good but if I make it again, instead of using a simple syrup, I would use brown sugar and to make a caramel sauce. But just sitting out on the patio and fooling around with the Dutch Oven made for a nice summer afternoon!!

Tofu

Like millions of other Americans, I have weight issues...so I routinely look for a vegetarian main dish to make on occasion. So what am I going to do with these ingredients?



I am going to try a new main dish: "Seared Tofu with Garlic, Swiss Chard, and Pine Nuts". I got that beautiful Swiss chard at the Farmer's Market on Tuesday.



Step one is to toast the pine nuts until they are golden brown.



Step two is to coat firm tofu in soy sauce and pepper, and sear in olive oil until golden about 2 minutes on each side. I used lemon infused olive oil to give it a little more flavor.



Next step is to saute the garlic about two minutes, add the chard and cook until it is wilted. That takes about 30 seconds.



This is what the finished dish lookes like, fried tofu on a bed of Swiss chard topped with pine nuts!! And it was really tasty!!

Here is the complete ingredient list. I got this recipe from the Weight Watcher's website.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces firm tofu, drained, and sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
6 Cups Swiss Chard

Tahoe Mountain Soap Company

So what does a soap company have to do with a food blog??? Good question....it just so happens, they are a vendor at the Lake Tahoe Farmer's Market and the vendor I selected to feature this week. So sorry to digress from food, but in my defense, these all natural soaps have ingredients such as oatmeal, honey, lemon, cinnamon, rosemary, peppermint and vanilla. So I guess technically I can put The Tahoe Mountain Soap Company on my blog!!





The sign actually says it all. They also have a web site http://www.tahoemountainsoap.com/.



Some of the soaps made by The Tahoe Mountain Soap company are Honey Citrus Scrub, Cocoa Butter, Apricot Oatmeal, Lavender, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Peppemint, Eucalyptus, Mandarin Lime Calendula, Oatmeal Rose, and Apricot Vanilla. With that selection everyone can find one that suits! And for people like me they have two soaps that are unscented.



Handmade Moisturizing Lotion is another product made by the Tahoe Mountain Soap Company.



Rock Island Sea Wool Natural Sponges are also offered by the Tahoe Mountain Soap Company. I'm pretty sure this giant one is for display only!!



Ah, these are more like it!! Also notice the natural lava pumice stones...my helps to keep my heels smooth!! Take some time and check out the website: http://www.tahoemountainsoap.com/.

Stuffed Onions

The other day we made stuffed onions in the dutch oven, using the volcano and charcoal.



They sure turned out good and aren't they pretty??

To make these beauties, take your onion (and the reds were better than the whites) and make cuts in them both ways so you have created a series of squares, being careful not to cut all the way through the onion. Then cut garlic cloves into slivers to wedge in between the slices. Using Superior Touch "Better Than Bouillon", dab the top of the onion so you have a little stickiness on which to sprinkle a small amount of McCormick's Chicken Rub. Drizzle the whole onion with a small amount of garlic infused olive oil. Place in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 2 hours. If baking this in a regular oven, wrap it in foil and bake for 1.5 hours. This recipe is definately a keeper!!

Grateful Bread Company

As promised, I was at the Farmer's Market on Tuesday. This weeks featured vendor is The Grateful Bread Company.



This wonderful bakery is family owned and operated. It has been open for business Sacramento for 19 years....must have good stuff there!!



A example of the fast variety of breads they make.....I bought a loaf of volkornbrot...now I have never heard of that before, but it is heavy rye sourdough bread. This bread is VERY dense and really tasty!!



As you can see, they have lots more than bread!! Next week I intend to buy one of those great looking blueberry scones!!



Those cheesy garlic bread sticks are really, really good!!



More of their wonderful bakery products. The gals that operate this booth at the Farmer's Market in Lake Tahoe do six Farmer's Markets weekly in Northern California. They use organic flours and ingredients whenever possible without any added fats or sugars which makes their breads a perfect vegan product. Their products are also hand made...no machines at The Grateful Bread Company!! They hand knead all of their doughs. This bakery has wonderful products made daily by hand....how could they not be successful?? Oh and I will let you know how good the blueberry scones are next Tuesday!!

The Preview

This is kind of a "cop out" blog. My son is visiting this week , from Wisconsin so, needless to say, my time will be kind of short. Equate that to "my blog will suffer" due to time constraints. After all, I also have a job I have to show up at!!

But here are the highlights of the week...

Tuesday, I will be back at the Farmer's Market and featuring another vendor. AND I am thrilled and honored to be mentioned on the home page of Dedrick's Cheese website. They put a link to my blog and the post I did on their very impressive store. Thank you for the link!! I appreciate it!!

Wednesday we are taking my son to Virginia City to see the sights.....and I also intend to introduce him to Trader Joe's. He likes to cook too!!

Thursday we are going to Placerville to tour the wineries (more blog material I am sure!), a brewery, and of course the tasting room of Winterhill Farms that has the certified extra virgin olive oils. Dedrick's Cheese Store is also on the agenda!! I am looking for some Manchego Cheese for some recipe I recently read.

When we get back from Placerville, Rex is grilling rib eyes and making "Lori Thomson's Easy Delicious Stuffed Onions". This recipe can be found at www.winterhillfarms.com website. That is where I got it and it sounds good, I'll let you know Friday or Saturday after we have them. I will also be making some roasted beets and a salad recipe my son gave me. I hope I will have room for it all!!

This is how my week is starting to shape up, I don't intend to neglect this blog, but daily posts just might not happen.....keep checking though. Please!!

Micro Cooker

Recently we received a small micro cooker from Pampered Chef. It was a gift from Rex's daughter.



It took me a while to appreciate this pan, but I just love it. I went on the Pampered Chef website to look at it. The recommended use for it is sauces, microwaving chocolate chips, melting butter, and heating soups. See those wonderful holes in the lid?? The vented lid can double as a strainer. I use this pan to steam veggies in the microwave. The pan is wonderful for that!!



Don't those veggies look yummy??? And so healthy!! I am the only one that eats them so this small micro cooker is the perfect size to make just enough steamed vegetables for me--and I'm worth it!!

The Popcorn Patio

Since we have been having so much time off of work, we have been spending a lot of time on our "patio" or should I say the concrete slab beside our RV in the RV park. Rex sit beside that big gASS grill being inspired.



For some reason the grill made him think of popcorn and not just any popcorn-it had to be white popcorn. So we made a trip to the store and found popcorn that didn't come in a microwavable bag. Who knew Jolly Time popcorn comes from Sioux City, Iowa?? For some reason I found that really interesting.



This heavy, very old pressure cooker works wonderfully on the big gASS grill for popping popcorn. So does the "Ove Glove", that grill throws off a lot of heat!!



Look, there was hardly any old maids and do you see even one burned kernal??? Nope, it was perfect...



Doesn't that look like a delicious BIG bowl of popcorn?? In the white cup is melted butter and in the clear container is grated Parmesan cheese. Being the adventurous people we are, we also had some with sugar and some with just butter and salt. The batch with sugar, while tasting like caramel corn on the kernels that the sugar landed on, it tended to just burn the bottom of the plan---we are not trying that flavor again!! The dishwasher (me) hated it.

Anyway it was really fun to make popcorn the old fashioned way. It is not as hard or as time consuming as you might think. Try it, it was fun!!

Oh just a note about tomorrow....my usual Farmer's Market blog will be missing. I have to work. I have to work 6 AM to 2 PM, so I won't be able to go to the Farmer's Market, but I am pretty sure I will be able to go next Tuesday!

the Next Food Network Star - week 9

This season is now history and quite frankly, I was surprised. Aaron was not the contestant I felt would end up with his own show. While I have always been impressed with his food, I never felt he had a camera persona.

The three "pilots" were all very, very good. I admit, Lisa was my choice, but Adam's pilot was really good as evidenced from the laughs he got and the compliments on the beer can chicken. I actually loved his idea of having an Internet chat with someone on his show and tweeking their recipes or giving them a recipe they would like to make. This was a very innovative idea, I felt. So my hat's off to Adam for that wonderful idea.

Lisa's show was also good, but she is, in all honesty, working on a level far above most of us day to day cooks. While I don't think that is a bad thing, I think she is more suited for a program on the "Fine Living Network". Are they listening??? Her personality really shown through in this pilot and it is very satisfying-playful, approachable, and likable. Everything the judges said they wanted from her.....she is champagne!! (That is a reference to Rachael Ray-she always says she is beer!!)

So now we are on to Aaron--the winner. He was still stilted in front of the camera, but much better than we have ever seen him before. I can see why he was selected, his food as usual was really appetizing and I will be trying out some of his recipes and I was shocked that his show will debut next Sunday night. I will be watching!!

Congratulations Aaron.....

Humble Pie

Humble pie, does that sound familiar??? I have spent the last hour looking over a lot of the blogs found on "The Foodie Blogroll". They all are so sophisticated and professional. I am just someone that likes to cook and eat. I am not a fancy cook like most of these other bloggers. Makes me wonder if there is a place for my simple blog. Guess I'll just keep plugging away and hope it lasts...

Debbie Meyers Green Bags

The reason I was at Bed, Bath, and Beyond last week was to buy Debbie Meyer Green Bags. I am sure you have all seen the infomercials. After reading a fellow food blogger that highly recommended Debbie Meyer Green Bags, I decided to buy them. These bags are made with natural mineral that absorbs and removes ethylene gas. It is actually the release of this gas that causes produce to spoil.



Since purchasing the bags, I have stored tomatoes, bananas, pepper, broccoli, peaches, and spring mix. I am happy to report that all of these items have stayed fresh beyond the time they normal keep for me.

I did not realize it until I read it on the box, but Debbie Meyer also has CheeseBags, ColdCuts Bags, and BreadBags. I think I will be trying them also!!

V & A Honey

At the Farmer's Market today, I found a honey booth. The proprietor of this booth is Dave Cole.



This sign sort of says it all doesn't it? I have some of the lip balm and like it very much. You have to apply it less frequently than Chap Stick.





These beeswax candles have many different scents and burn cleaner than most candles.



Beeswax and honey have become mainstream ingredients in the cosmetic industry.



These honey straws come in many different flavors. I particularly liked the licorice flavored honey straws. I will be buying more next Tuesday!!



Honey, in many different flavors. Honey is the only food products that doesn't spoil, they even found some that was still edible in the tomb of King Tut!! Now isn't that impressive??

I talked to Dave about his honey and honey products. He has 140 hives near Gardnerville, NV which is about 25 miles from Lake Tahoe. He figures there are about 50,000 bees per hive, now that is a lot of bees!! Dave said he harvests the honey about two times a year. I am impressed by the diversity of this product. This sounds like a really interesting industry!! Not to mention a sweet one!

Rachel Ray Moppine Towel

Like most Food Network stars, Rachael Ray has her own line of products. Cookware, cook books, knives, and now a "moppine towel". I was in Bed, Bath, and Beyond in Carson City Friday and they had moppine towels on special for $7.99 so of course I had to buy one.



They had this towel in orange strip, orange, bright green, and black. I had to have the orange strip. That was my favorite.



This "moppine towel" is touted as a all in one oven mitt and kitchen towel. From this picture you can tell that the opposite corners are thick oven mitts.



This picture demonstrates how you can use the hot pad portion of the towel holding a pan. You can also use this towel to dry dishes or wipe counters. I found this moppine towel to be handy and I liked having the towel barrier between me and a hot pan. It makes a lot more sense after using it than it did watching Rachael use it on her show. Actually I think I may buy another one, always like to have a "back-up".

Tomorrow is the Farmer's Market--have to select another vendor to feature, it will be fun!!