Food Lion --lying again.....?

How could we forget the huge Food Lion scandal back in 97?  You  know the one, it accused them of recycling old meat http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june97/lion_1-15.html. I don't want to point fingers or make unfounded accusations, so I will let the photo speak for itself and then make my comments:

By the way, they got a little grumpy when I started taking pics of the meat which I don't know why I didn't think to do that before I went in, after all I am the queen of "Spotted" photos...BAM!

Ok, the facts: I bought these 2 packs of meat from the Food Lion over at the intersection of 210 and that road that goes to Fayetteville - I know, I've lived here for 7 years and I still don't know the names of roads. Anyway, it's over by #1 Chinese restaurant.

I got this ground beef yesterday afternoon about 4 pm. At 8 am this morning I opened the fridge to take this ground beef out to separate it. You can see the pink meat - yes dear, that would be the fresh meat. and the gray meat- that would be the old meat. What you can't see really well in this pic is that the pink meat is swirled throughout- when I suggested to the cashier that the meat department had recycled old with new he certainly was not appalled agreed. The pack underneath which the manager swiped away before I could get the 2nd pic it is even more noticeable. Hearing the world "marbling" was laughable and insulting.

Bottom line: I got a refund. They didn't deny it, the cashier just shrugged and to quote "ewwwwwwwwww". The picture speaks for itself. Food Lion Meat Buyers ---BEWARE.

Ever So Sweet Bakery, well mostly.

I love going to visit my family in Charleston (well, the 'rents stay in Summerville) because it gives me an opportunity to try new and different things. Ever So Sweet Bakery is right down from where they live and finally, they were open on one of my visits. Now that is not to say they were not open before, it's just either I was too late or too early to catch them open.

I was totally excited when I went in. The front showcase does over a wide variety of choice from bagels to cookies. Therefore I decided since this was my first visit and I had a 4 hour trip ahead of me, I would not only get a breakfast choice but several others to accompany my daughter, son and I on the trip.

I bought:
A popover w/ strawberry butter
a lime-coconut cupcake
a Carmel chocolate cupcake
a butter toffee cookie
a pecan cinnamon roll pull apart thing
lime curd tart

As you can see I pretty much went the gammet, especially since I had heard mixed reviews. Ok 2- one good and one not. I wanted to decide for myself.

To begin:
the popover -while it was excellent in appearance and looked exactly as a popover should, I don't think they meant for it to be that hard and crusty on the outside, maybe, but tobesure not. The inside was nice and moist which is par for a popover. I was just disappointed with the outside, it was nearly inedible. I am still very much on the fence with the strawberry butter. One taste I really like it, the next taste- I am not sure. Would I buy this again? The popover? probably not, the butter yes- maybe with some sort of toast though and not this.

lime-coconut cupcake and the Carmel chocolate cupcake- I am going to talk about these together because my just turned 6 year old loved the icing on both but said "why is the cake part so thick". Agreed. The lime coconut icing was very enticing to look at, it was very pretty as was the 2nd one. Well actually all the cupcakes were just beautiful, but what good is that if they aren't so good.
The problem here was the cake part. It was extremely dense. To the point there was really no crumbs and I was begging for water. I don't know that it was an isolated recipe error because both cakes, one yellow and one chocolate had the same density to them. Would I buy anymore cupcakes here? Definitely not.

The pecan roll- Definitely delish! It was huge and for $2.50 I would say definitely worth it. The topping was Divine and the pecan taste was prevalent which is what I love. It was more like a swirled giant muffin than a roll. I would more than buy it again.

Butter toffee cookie- the flavor was there, the cookie itself was ok but the stickiness of it made it difficult to eat. The gentleman working the front said it was one of his favorite cookies. I could see that if you get it right out of the oven, but the next day it is just a chore to eat. I should have tried the peanut butter one that he also recommended.

Let me say, I have saved the best for last. The Lime Curd Tart. There are just no words, but I will try. It was eye catching, appealing and enticing. At $5 I wasn't sure it wasn't going to be worth it, but I was wrong. It was definitely worth that and made up for the cupcakes!!

The lime curd tart had a marshmellowish meringue on top that my daughter couldn't get enough of it! The crust was buttery and an awesome base for the tart. The filling, was key-limish but not like the pie. I love lemon curd, had never had lime curd, but I definitely want some more. I think the tartness of the curd with the over the top sweetness of the topping worked more than I could have hoped for. After the disappointing cupcake, I was about to be pee oed that I had spent all that money on not so good bakery stuff. But the lime curd tart was definitely redeeming for this bakery. Would I buy it again? Ya damn skippy I will.

Pricewise, I would say the cost was pretty decent. The popover was $2.50, the cupcakes $2 apiece, the cookie $1, the pecan roll $2.50 and the tart $5.

Overall I would visit this bakery again- for the lime curd tart alone, but also probably for some of the bagels. Definitely don't think the cupcakes would be worth another try just because as stated, they were 2 different types but the density issue exits in both of them. They make cakes here too, I have to wonder if they are the same- hopefully I will get a chance to try those at a later date.

I will also mention 2 other things: I was disappointed that they didn't make their own tea. They did have a bottled Italian sweet tea that was doable. Also, there were a few customers there that were definitely regulars as they said everything there was fantastic. I would argue with that kind sir, but I wouldn't push it too far because there are few things there that I thought were over the top delish!!

Ever So Sweet Bakery- Yeah. I'd go there again, especially because they are less than half a mile from my parents.

Cultural Recipes

I am always very open to trying new and different food. Jewish food is not new to me of course, but I do like sharing what I have had from different cultures with my friends and families. I love noodle kugel. It's so funny when I say that word (or name) to my circle of friends now because a majority of them will respond...noodle whattt??? Some of them will even respond, just make it, you never steer us wrong. God bless them!!

So when I was at Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue I developed a love of the Jewish people, religion, food and culture. I miss it very much. I am always seeking ways to bring that feeling of warmth back to my life, at least in between visits to Charleston, SC! Enter the Shiksa!

I found this website called www.theshiksa.com . Tori Avey is a Jewish Convert who is apparently amazing at Jewish food! I took her recipe for noodle kugel and it was uncanny how it tastes exactly like the noodle kugel caterer Helen Goldberg makes for Brith Sholom Beth Israel events (and at my own wedding reception at the shul!!)

I made a huge pan of the kugel and it warmed my heart that my friends embraced it! Granted, when people here it is a sweet noodle thing, they are apt to turn their nose up to it because it is a foreign concept, however they willingly tried it. With great success. The only difference from The shiksa recipe is I used Captain Crunch on top (it is kosher and I was out of vanilla wafer) but everything else was exactly the same.

the recipe is here http://theshiksa.com/2011/07/13/vanilla-noodle-kugel/


I can't wait to make it for my mom and niece when I go back to Charleston. They will be happily transported as well!!

I plan on trying the Challah recipe next, I am hoping it is comparable to Marcie Rosenbergs who caters also at BSBI and the Charleston Jewish Federation (sells Challah there too). The ingreidents seem like they would be what is in her top secret recipe for Challah. Wish me luck!!!

New products

I love trying new products. And introducing my child to new products too. So when I found Honest Kids juice pouches I was kinda excited. They are healthy, they look pretty...what could be better!! So I bought the grape and the berry lemonade. Took them home and guess what...my 5 year old actually said "the flavor is weak". What? I thought he was just saying that because he wanted soda. I tasted it myself though. He was right. That stuff is NASTY and I would not force him to drink either of them- I tried both. Don't waste your money!!

However, this trip to the grocery store was not a total loss. I did find Nature Valley granola thins. I bought the dark chocolate (was there any doubt?) and the peanut butter. Of course the first one I tried was the dark chocolate. O_M_G. FABULOUS!!! and healthy too!! I couldn't get enough! I tried the peanut butter one too. Just as good and peanut butter lovers will think its divine. Myself, Ima chocolate girl. So-they are on sale right now at FOOD LION 2/5. I am buying 4 more boxes but all chocolate- I love to snack and the box says they will keep for 8 mos (according to best by date)....Well worth the money!!!

Tacos Oaxaca

Tacos Oaxaca is located in Lillington, NC, right as you are coming down 401 from Fayetteville. When I first moved here 9 years ago, it literally looked like a run down mobile home that was set beside of the road and left for....well...just left. Being from Charleston, SC, I had never seen a "taco trailer" as my husband called it. When I began working in Lillington, I soon grew tired of the usual fast food places and the other Mexican place in town (which seems to become more and more like an upscale Taco Bell every day)...so I decided to go to the "taco trailer".

When I went, I took a Hispanic friend with me as my Spanish was ok then, but I feared they would not understand me. Good thinking on my part. At that time, I got the beef taco and the tlayuda. Both were very, very good and simply unforgettable. So much so that I always wanted to go again, but never got around to it- until this past Saturday.

My MIL mentioned to me that there was a write up in the paper about Tacos Oaxaca. Oh yeah..a reminder it was there. So last Saturday, armed with my now well honed espanol, I took my son and went to Tacos Oaxaca. The cashier there does speak fluent English. Good to know, as I know some people haven't gone there because they didn't speak Spanish and didn't know how they would handle the language barrier.

On this trip, I got the al pastor (pork) taco and the beef tongue taco. I also got the sopas. Everyone raves about tongue tacos. Being that it isn't something I eat on a regular basis, I expected something off the wall fabulous.It was good, but probably not something I will get again. For me, it was a bit difficult to get past the fact that I was eating TONGUE. The al pastor tacos were outstanding. Just the right amount of seasoning

The front taco is the tongue, middle beef and back al pastor

The sopas I would say are definitely my favorite besides the tacos. They have home made quacamole, but it is not the same as what you might get in the general public, it is more like a home made verde, but it's made with avacados. It's good, but I don't like that higha heat level, however people I know that have tried it are crazy about it! But since I get most of my food to go, when I add my home made quac to it, I could just eat a million sopas! They are the same sort of bottom that the gorditas have, but there is a top and a bottom. The filling is chicken with lettuce (which I leave off) tomatoes(leave these off too), cilantro, onions, and avacados. And of course the Oaxaca cheese! Yum!!

I recently tested the buritos. They were a little dry for my taste. They were good though. And pretty nice sized for the price. I got the beef, which had refried beans, beef, cilantro, cheese and salsa.

I tried the tlayuda a few months ago. It is pricey but well worth it. A ton of food to eat!! It was the first thing I tried here and it was good enough to make me want to try more. 'Nuff said!

A very, very, very picky eater friend of mine had the sincronzadas.It has ham, Oaxaca cheese, tomatoes, onions between 2 tortillas with a sauce. She said it was divine.

Overall, I like all the things I have tried here. They have definitely upgraded the reputation they had when I first moved to this town and the food is well worth it. Don't be put off by the smallness of it or because it is authentic. They have people there that speak English and if not you can just point to the pictures and it's all good!! GET YOUR EAT ON at Tacos Oaxaca

coffee...sweet coffee...F W Bean

It's hard to find a good gourmet cup of morning in this town. McDonalds is good for iced mocha latte but being I quit them for lent..I was on the prowl for other options....that would be

FW Bean @ 810 South Main Street, Lillington NC. My first drink was the chai latte - iced. Amazing! They offer tons of other options in tea and coffee. Next I've tried the sweetened tea-I think they said it was a Red tea-THE BEST I've had. In need of being brought to life? The iced red eye is def the way to go!!! The iced mocha...just the right kick for morning start up. And I haven't even gotten to the muffins!

The muffins are the bakery option they offer. They are HUGE and beyond delish! My fave is the banana nut but the french toast comes in close 2nd!

Prices are way more reasonable than Starbucks, the quality is much better than those the fast food places offer. If you are a true coffee snob (I am and proud of it) this is your place!

F W Bean is well worth the trip downtown!

chocolate-chili cupcakes

I am always looking for some funky flavor tastes. Here is my newest thing I made last nite. Nothing special but definitely fabulous!

1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix

1 cap full of Chili Powder

1 container cream cheese icing

Make cake according to box directions -substituting soda water for regular water. Add chili powder. Bake according to directions. Pipe cream cheese icing on top. Viola!!!

Fabulous!