The Leslie Show

New England Style Hot Dog Buns

Was thumbing through The Bakers Catalogue this morning, when I was reminded of something I had forgotten about:  New England-Style Hot Dog Buns.

We lived in Massachusetts from 1990-1996.  The hot dog buns are different, there.  They're sliced vertically (through the top) instead of horizontally (through the side), and the sides don't have crust on them.  It takes some getting used to, but they actually make a lot more sense this way, as the hot dog is more supported from underneath and the fillings are less likely to dump out.  Also, I just learned today, that you can grill the sides.  (YUM!  How come I never did that?  Now I gotta go back to New England.)

You can make your own by ordering this pan from The Baker's Catalogue, or you can order some already made through mapleandmore.com

A New Website I Love

I spend a LOT of my time planning, gathering the materials for, and then preparing meals.  It's a LOT of work figuring out what you're going to have for dinner, let alone whether or not it's nutritious.  Well, a colleague of mine at eWomen Network has a new online service called "HastyChef.com", and it's helping to streamline the whole "what's for dinner?" process for me. What it does, basically, is do your meal planning for you.  But not only that:  It gives you the recipes, gives you tips for optimizing the preparation, and makes you a grocery list.  The recipes are quick, easy, delicious, and you can customize them!  I strongly suggest you give their 2-week free trial a spin.  If you don't like it/don't find it useful you're out nothing!  But if you want fast, easy, delicious meals that are also super good for you... I think you'll really like it. Best of luck to NJ and the HastyChef crew!

Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!

A few months ago, on a coupon and whim, I joined the Zingermans Bacon of the Month Club.  Once a month this very large, insulated, express-shipped box arrives on our porch, and once you peel through the massive layers of protective packaging, there sits a humble little pound of gourmet, artisanal bacon. You know what's wrong with that? NOTHING!  (And everything, all at the same time.)

I have to thank Tony Chor for this find:

Jim Gaffigan and Bacon | Funny Jokes at JibJab

Yummy Snack!

I have recently been trying to improve my diet, and have been seeing a nutritionist who is helping me to eat healthier.  Among other things she has suggested I forgo gluten and dairy.  What's that leave?  Steak and booze!  (Just kidding, Angie.)

So, having to be more discerning about my snacks, I have stumbled upon a good one:  Sahale Snacks Soledad Almonds.

These guys are a local company, and they make different nut and fruit blends that are really unusual and tasty.  I've also tried the Ksar blend (good, but the harissa is a little funky to this midwestern girl's palate) and the Dauphine blend  (not bad, but sometimes a honkin' big chunk of walnut is not for me), but the Soledad Almonds are the ones that make me crazy.  Sweet, crunchy, and a litle bit spicy.  Mmm-mmm!

Greetings from Merry Olde England!

I'm way behind in posting about this trip, and will have to do some back-blogging when I get the chance. 

It's Thursday and we've been in London since Monday.  After our great African adventure, we were extremely happy to be surrounded by comfort and convenience.  Chris got us a room at the May Fair Hotel, in the Mayfair district in London.  Oooh, it's so posh!  We flew in overnight from Johannesburg on British Airways, so we were tired, and we were especially grateful that our room was ready for us at 10:30 in the morning!  We went right upstairs and zonked out in a beautiful bed with fat, fluffy pillows and crisp, clean sheets.  Aaaah.

After an absolutely marvelous lunch at Amba Grill (the hotel restaurant) we were refreshed and ready to go do some sightseeing.  We popped back up to the room to grab Chris' cameras, and got a bad shock: 

They were gone.

Someone had stolen them right out of his luggage.  Foolish of us to check them, and a mistake we'll never make again, but not one lick of help from British Airways, to be sure.  (For the full story, read Chris' entry here at duffergeek.com)

A tremendous bummer!  But, we had four days to go in London, and we decided to shake that shock off the best we could and enjoy our time here. 

Tuesday was Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Avenue Q in the West End.  Fabulous!  So far we've walked everywhere.  No cabs or tube.  Sore feet, but we are happy to be moving.  (Our safari was a great experience, but it was quite a bit like being on a cruise.  Two buffets and one lunch a day, and driving everywhere.  No walking.  We felt like veal being prepared for slaughter.)

Wedesday we signed up with Evan Evans Tours for a day trip to Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, and Dover.  The weather was, to be British about it, splendid, and we had a really nice time.  Got to eat some really good fish and chips (though, to be honest, I've come to accept that even when they're really good, I still am not crazy about fish and chips). 

(to be continued)

Chicken-Fried Bacon

Disgusting! An outrage! I can't wait to try it!

HapBEE Mother's Day!

Just wanted to show off the cute beehive cake I made yesterday.  Got all the stuff for it from Williams-Sonoma.  God, I love that store.  It's a very rich, sturdy (that's important) sour cream vanilla cake with a honey glaze (but, of course!) and a lemon drizzle.  Happy Mother's Day!

Fee, Fi, Fo, Pho!

Ever play the game where you have to choose one food to eat for the rest of your life?  What would yours be?  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?  Spaghetti and meatballs?  Ice cream?  For years I have answered this question by saying "sushi", but I wonder if sushi's position is being usurped.  Or, usouped, as it were.  Because while sushi is delightful and delicious, there is a dish I'm already well on my way to being something I eat all the time anyway.  That something is phở, or Vietnamese noodle soup. 

There are so many phở (pronounced "fuh") houses in and around Seattle that I sometimes forget that they're not everywhere.  But they should be.  Phở is a delicious, nutritious soup (usually beef but can also be chicken or veggie) that has a clear broth base, then a pile of rice noodles, then scallions, onions, cilantro and meat. It is usually served with a side plate of garnishes (jalapeño slices, fresh basil leaves, a wedge of fresh lime and crunchy bean sprouts) to doctor the soup as you see fit (I throw it all in there!) It's got a clean and fresh taste, like most Vietnamese food (they're not big on the rich saucy stuff like the Chinese and the Thai are), and it's quite inexpensive.  You can get a good sized bowl around here for less than $5.  One of my favorite accompaniments is a glass of cafe sua da, which is a sweet, creamy iced coffee drink that provides the perfect counter to the hot, savory, spicy soup.  Now that's a happy meal!  And it's only about $7-$8.

Without setting out to do so, I go out for phở at least once a week.  I just get a craving for it and it's so cheap and yummy and convenient that it's not hard to do.  Desert island food?  Hmmm.  Sushi is amazing, but I just might have to switch to phở.

Food Slut

Just read Ann Bauer's great piece in Salon, about how the hedonistic pursuit of food can become empty.  I've definitely been there, on a smaller and slightly less glamorous scale.  After a while, it's just food.  Ranking and reviewing and assessing food and meals...sometimes, it's like chasing smoke. But I, too, go back to it after stepping away for a while.  It's hard to resist the glamorous high of an exquisitely prepared restaurant meal.

Last Hurrah

Kate gets her braces put on tomorrow morning.  She is NOT happy about it.  As a last hurrah (before they're verboten) I made a batch of extra-sticky caramel apples.  Zach gets his on in a week.