Slow To Catch On
This also could have been called “The High Price of High Prices.” On one level I know how this works, but on another level I find it completely flabbergasting.
Just yesterday I went to Target looking for a stopwatch, a kitchen oil can, and organic baby food. I didn’t have enough grocery items on my list yet for a trip to an actual grocery store. But I did need butter.
When it comes to dairy products, I prefer to buy things made from the milk of cows that are untreated with rGBH/rBST. I had thought the chance of finding such a butter at Target was small. But I’ve mentioned before that I am a prisoner of hope.
Lo and behold, not only did they have such butter, but it was their store brand. That means that it was cheaper than their already cheap price for Land O’ Lakes. I dutifully checked the ingredients and the fat percentages, just to make sure this was good stuff, and it fulfilled my stringent criteria. Usually I expect to pay a premium for this kind of butter, and do so happily. This was an unexpected surprise.
It all just leaves me with one big question. If Target is doing this, why can’t our local grocery chains?
Ask the Profussor – Falling
Thing have really picked up around here since the last Ask the Profussor. The Fresh Market has become a regular stop in my grocery shopping rotation. StanfordSteph inspired me to organize the Tour de Donut (which is this Saturday for those who are interested). I wrote another post for All Over Albany, and at least in theory another one is in progress.
I thought when Young Master Fussy was back in school, I would have more time to do more stuff. But thanks to our CSA I’m still cooking like a madman. The tomato bread salads of summer are gone, but the savory bread pudding with a salad of mixed greens continues to be a household staple.
All of this is to say that I have yet again failed to keep up with questions as they have been asked. So to set things right, today I attempt to answer all the unanswered questions from the past three weeks, because if I don’t do them now, I’ll just have more to do later. Just a reminder, if you want to make sure your question is answered, please make sure to use a question mark at the end.
Thank you for your continued support. Your comments and questions keep this going. Although I suppose I would continue to do this even in a vacuum. It might just be grumpier. Now onto the answers.
Pure Puree
I love being a member of my CSA, but it’s hard. Above all else in the Fussy household, we abhor waste. Especially when good food is involved. It has something to do with honoring ingredients, yadda yadda yadda.
But what do you do when there are just so many vegetables?
How can one family make a dent in that volume of produce?
The answer involves my trusty Cuisinart food processor.
This is another case where once one understands the technique behind a certain preparation, a recipe isn’t really required. What follows are a few ideas for all kinds of fun you can have turning fresh, space-consuming vegetables into tasty purees that have all manners of uses.
Sound fun?
Perennial Wine Favorites
Last week, twelvebottles got me thinking. Not on cocktails, but on wine. While it is true that I am not loyal to certain brands of wine, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have some producers I go back to time and again.
twelvebottles has his list of producers, and I have mine.
The important thing I was trying to capture last week is that there are so many good producers of high quality wine in the marketplace, that it doesn’t make sense to get hung up on any one brand. I just was reminded of a story where a West Coast transplant found himself in the Northeast. He went crazy trying to find Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It’s a great beer to be sure. But all of that time and energy he spent looking for his old favorite could have been channeled into finding a new love. It’s not like the Northeast is bereft of great breweries.
The question, then, is what makes a wine one of my favorites? If you have been reading for a while, the answer will probably not surprise you. My favorites meet at the intersection of taste, value and availability. Certainly there are better wines out there. But these are unimpeachable, and you have a fighting chance of finding most of them at a wine store near you.
An Old Friend in Albany
How does one give a visitor the best impression of Albany? My oldest friend ADS decided to come up from Washington D.C. for Yom Kippur. It’s a little odd, but then again so is he.
Last time he was here, I did a passable job at showing off our culinary landscape. There was Fish Fry, Capital Q, wings from the old Scubbers and the Ale House (back to back), Dewey’s Diner, Bella Napoli donuts and pizza from Marissa’s.
Regrettably one of the days we have together will be spent fasting, but that just means the rest of the days are all the more important. I thought since you all have been so giving recently that I would share some of my thoughts, and see what you all had to say. Perhaps I am overlooking something.
Not Gonna Do It, Wouldn’t Be Prudent
First, I need to say I was wrong. Dammit. I hate being wrong. But at least on those rare occasions when I am actually wrong, I own up to it.
Mirdreams had a different reading of the SunnyD Official Rules, and looking back over them in the bright light of day, I realized I was wrong. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on my part that I could have my cake and eat it too. But thank goodness I didn’t send that note.
In this case, and in many others, goodness comes in the form of Mrs. Fussy.
She’s like my Jiminy Cricket, and reminds me to stay on the right path. After all, the FUSSYlittleBLOG wasn’t created for me to just vent my spleen about things that tick me off about food. The idea was, and still is, to help change people’s mind about what it means for something to be good. But if I’m just an a-hole, I’m not going to be effective.
This isn’t censorship per se, because I occasionally don’t listen to the things Mrs. Fussy suggests. She’s a good bit more sensitive that I am, while I’m pretty unflappable. But when she told me the letter I wrote late last night, “really does not come off well” I decided not to send it.
And you are not going to see it either.
Yellow No. 5 & No. 6 Make it Sunny
I’m guessing if you are reading this, you aren’t likely the kind of person who drinks a lot of Sunny Delight. There is a vague memory kicking around in the back of my head that as a child, I once convinced my mother to buy a bottle of the stuff. And perhaps I’ve had it a couple other times over the course of my life.
Honestly, I haven’t even noticed this product on store shelves, and haven’t given it a lick of thought until yesterday. I hadn’t even noticed that the name of the product now seems to officially be SunnyD. Surely wikipedia could tell me when that happened, but I don’t really care.
So when Young Master Fussy brought this classic beverage to my attention yesterday, I was curious about what went into the stuff. But even approaching it with low expectations, I was still appalled to read the ingredients.
However, it served as a good lesson to the kiddo about how food manufacturers tinker with products to try and make them seem like something they are not.
Tour de Donut
Despite my better judgment, it is on.
Nominations for the best cider donut have closed, and I have tallied up the results. When all was said and done, there were ten local orchards that were nominated. I am going to try and take on the Herculean task of visiting half of them in one day, and determine who makes the best apple cider donut.
You know, for those of us who think criteria can be created to measure such a thing.
And I’m taking you all with me. Well, anyone who wants to come. But you’ve got to buy your own donuts. And provide your own transportation. So really, I guess I’m not taking you anywhere. But still, you are all invited.
Most of the details of this ridiculous plan follow. All except for the date and time of course. This is in part to help keep a tally of how many people are coming. Those details will be sent via email for anyone who is interested in testing their physical stamina and psychological endurance.
Curious to see if your orchard made the cut?
Not Quite the Staff of Life
What the hell happened to bread? It’s been a while since I wrote a post like this. I think the last one might have been about smoothies. But it is also redolent of an older post on yogurt.
One of the reasons I feel compelled to bring it up is because there are plenty of conscientious eaters out there who take for granted that their bread is wholesome. After all, whole grain bread was at the base of the food pyramid before it shattered into radians.
Now whether or not you think your bread is wholesome depends on what you think of the ingredients that are in it. Part of the problem is that ingredient labels on sliced sandwich bread are ridiculously difficult to read, especially if you are shopping with children in tow. But if you take a close look, you may be surprised by what you see.
FUSSYlittleBLOG 