Here we are the week before Memorial Day and I’m getting ready to publish. My eyes are dealing me mega pain right now. Can’t spend much time looking at anything. Very difficult getting the newsletter finished. I hope getting the info and pictures on here will go smoothly.

Spring is upon us. Our deck flower farm is filling with blooms. Makes my view everyday quite enjoyable. If I can keep my eyes open long enough to focus!

I have heard from lots of you about enjoying hearing about foods available locally and our take on them. We’ve looked at lots of frozen dinners this month with more to come. There’s an article in the works about how to make your own, too.

Be sure to check out the reduced sodium soup from Amy’s this month.

Don’t forget about the live links on these pages. I try to make that happen. Enjoy.

Progresso New England Clam Chowder

Traditional New England Clam Chowder won’t be on the Web MD list of recommendations. I get it. But if you are not too concerned about the extra calories, a bowl of this one a few times a year won’t burst your list. Besides it’s gluten free. Don’t have that slice of bread. Butter is OK however.

As Mark Twain told us – “Too much is just enough.”

Look for Progresso Rich and Hearty New England Clam Chowder. Basically heat and eat. We like to add a little cayenne pepper and a knob of butter. Feel free to stretch or thin the chowder with a few spoons of cream or half & half. There are plenty of potatoes and clams in the chowder already.

Progresso is the best of the lot we have tasted at a regular price point. A new size 18.5 ounce can is available at Kroger for $3.00.

We also gave Amy’s Chunky Tomato Bisque a try. Winner. Web MD would vote for this one. It has a thick texture with lots of sweet, ripe tomato chunks. It feels buttery. All we added was a splash of EVOO. It’s organic and light in sodium too. I shared the story of Amy’s with you in a recent newsletter. All prior issues are available to you along with the most recent.

Recent Wines

As most readers know, we really enjoy wines. Especially good ones! Beyond that descriptor, a new experience rates at the top of the list for us. Good values are great too.

Similar to last year, we ordered a case of wines to be enjoyed during the Spring and early Summer. We elected whites with a sparking or two. We’ve gotten so we drink more white wines than red. Just the opposite of 40 years ago. Plus I got a few selected bottles recently that included a few reds. We started on these wines. A couple are in this issue.

The first wine we tried was a sparkling. An unusual one. Fine French bubbles produced outside the Champagne region are often known as Cremant. Made the same way as Champagne.

Cremant are rich and creamy with lots of fine bubbles. Simply luscious. The fact that the various grapes used go beyond the Champagne trio adds to the possibility of variety. Same is true for the wider territory. That’s the “terrior” principle.

Ginglinger-Fix Crémant d’Alsace is from that region of France due east of Paris. Go to Disneyland and all the way to Strasbourg. There you are. Almost in Germany and north of some of Switzerland. You’ll find grapes like Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Auxerrois growing there. Often tall bottles of wine. Really good ones, too. Very food friendly.

This is the first Crémant d’Alsace we have experienced. It won’t be the last. I got 3 this time. I ordered 6 more already.

Another sparkling in this group was also an unusual selection. That’s a perk of wines picked by someone else. This one was Allegorie Rosaline. One of those wonderful rosés from Provence. Plus it had bubbles. What a bonus. Very fine ones. Plenty of them. The color is rich pink with salmon hues. Looks striking with light passing through it. To top that, it comes in an attractive tall bottle. A perfect hostess gift.

This one has lots of fruit with a solid dry core. It was perfect for us bubble lovers. It set off trout with butter and capers just right.  

A white we had was a gift from our friend and cooking class student Katie Crow. This white blend had a great name – Dove Hunt Dog White. It’s from Scout and Cellar. They are producers of sulfite-free wines. Important for folks who are allergic.

We sure enjoyed this wine. I assume the base wines are Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc made more interesting with a touch of Viognier. The label didn’t state. At around $25 it’s a reasonable value.

One of the special individual wines I found was Kaiken Indomito Malbec. It’s a red wine from Argentina. It has a bold red-purple color. Lots of aroma with hints of violets. Firm fruit flavors reminding me of strawberries. Like many malbecs there are tobacco, vanilla and oaky notes.

The name Kaiken is a spin on Caiquén, a wild goose from Patagonia, which flies across the Andes between Chile and Argentina. I had to make sure that was a goose on the label! We had our malbec with tender lamb chops hit with lots of garlic.

A wine we already had was a 1998 Whitehall Lane Cabernet. More lamb chops scented with thyme were served with the Cabernet. Aimee’s birthday dinner. The wine did its job perfectly. Beautiful scents everywhere. Rich flavors. Aimee sure pulled the right one.

Our last wine was a familiar one. We had not opened one in several years. 2010 ROAR Pinot Noir. It gets its name from the sound the wind makes coming through the valley. The wine sure roars too. Rich and full – flavor and color – for a pinot noir. Wow. We really enjoyed this wine.

With the ROAR we had a chicken roasted with potatoes, shallots, and garlic plus brightness from some lemon. A Bell and Evans chicken made it a quality dish.  

Grab an interesting bottle of wine when you see it. Keep it until the meal suits. Could be tomorrow. Might be another week or so. Maybe longer. It will be and help make good memories.

By next time, we will have had more of that special case of wine. Stay tuned. More good stories to come.

New from Domino’s – N Y Style Pizza

There has been all sorts of advertising recently about Domino’s New York style pizza. They used to have something called Brooklyn. It’s gone away. I thought it was the best product they had. The difficulty was who made it when you ordered.

Now we have New York style. It talks about a foldable slice. Sort of like you buy a slice of pizza from a sidewalk stand and walk away eating as you go. At least that’s the picture we are supposed to draw.

My friend Fred and I decided to try one for our Wednesday lunch. He went to the location on Gateway. He had ordered a medium cheese NY style. When he got there the person told him he made a large but charged for a medium.

Fred assumes his order will be wrong. He always says, “let’s see what we got.” Our order was correct. The time to check is while you are still at the restaurant.

We found the pizza OK but not what we expected from a NY style. The bottom crust was thick and limp. Folding was necessary if eating with one hand. It was saucy for the size crust. Not typical NY. Fred announced he liked it that way. The sauce had a nice bright flavor. Better than the last pizza I had there. The cheese was fine. Considering the sauce amount and thick bottom, the amount of cheese was just right.

We had a slice and a half each for lunch. It was warmed in the box and then left out on the table. The vote was not so good. Poor balance was the issue. All that depends on who makes it that day and what else is going on in the store and the maker’s life. Sometimes on how they like it or how the maker likes to prepare it. Perhaps the easiest is the choice. Perhaps avoid – but wait.

What about those leftovers. Here’s the story. On Friday, Aimee and I had the other slices for lunch. Since I subscribe that most pizza isn’t done when you get home or the delivery person gets to you, the pizza needs to be finished in your oven. Some take longer than others. In fact, pizza stores will under-cook on request so you can mostly cook it at home. This is a great trick if you need to get one now and serve it later.  

What we did was heat our oven to 350˚. Use the convection setting if you have one. Place the slices you want to eat now on a sheet pan. Place the pan in the upper part of your oven and bake for 10 minutes. We took the slices out and served them.

It was like a different pizza. The bottom was crisp and crackling. The cheese was melted through and was a part of the sauce. What was too much sauce was now manageable. You could hold it in one hand or fold with ease. You could stroll Broadway eating pizza and not trash your clothes.

Domino’s New York Style Pizza worked for us to finish cooking in our oven. 10 extra minutes turned it from a flop to a get it again. If you want more traditional style pizza and not soft and soggy, give this one a try. Cook it more when you get home. Eating right then? Ask the store to cook it more.

Frozen Dinners

Since I got back home from an extended hospital stay, I have yet to be able to stand. I’m working at it and there’s progress. But – I’m still lift chair or wheelchair bound. Sure makes working in the kitchen limited. Things are slow and often not easily possible.

Trying a few frozen dinners seemed like a good project. Here are some notes on the ones we’ve tried so far. There are several examples for next time.

There’s a company offering mostly Asian dishes. It’s called Saffron Road. We tried a few with mostly good result. Their motto is, “We keep the bad stuff out.”

The first one we tried was called Lamb Saag. Saag is a traditional preparation using greens – usually spinach here. We see Saag Paneer – Spinach and fresh Cheese. This dinner consists of lamb meatballs cooked with spinach with a mild curry seasoning.

It got mixed reviews in our household. It’s not too appealing on the plate. If it was served over the basmati rice that came with it, the dish would look better. The meatballs were tough. Needed a knife to eat them. Fork cutting was difficult. The flavor and aroma were very good. We will try again now that we know the deal.

We also tried the Moroccan Chicken and Potatoes. This one got high praise. Looked good and had a very pleasant flavor. Chicken cubes could have been more tender. Get this one.

Korean BBQ with Chicken Meatballs is OK. Nice flavor with good heat. Downside is the meatballs. Not as tough as the lamb but still quite chewy. Very attractive in the plate. Good light lunch split for two.

All in all Saffron Road products are worth giving them a try.

We also tried some dinners from Michael Angelo’s. This line had good variety with an Italian direction. One we had was billed as Baked Ziti. This is not the traditional pizza parlor dish we know. Ricotta and dairy mixed with the pasta plus sauce; then baked with cheese on top. The result has a pink ting. This one is more tomato sauced pasta that’s covered with cheese and baked. It’s good and very Italian-American. The sauce is a little sweet. Overall cheesy, tomato yummy.  

Michael Angelo has stuffed manicotti. The tubes are not too big so stay together with the nicely flavored ricotta.

Then came lasagna with meat sauce. Layers of sauce and cheese slathered within the slabs of pasta, topped with more cheese. A touch messy to eat. Is there any other way?  This is a 46-ounce box. Serves 3 to 4. For us a dinner and a lunch for 2.

We also had a vegetable lasagna from Michael Angelo. It came with a red sauce and plenty of ricotta and melty cheese. This one is quite substantial.

Michael Angelo’s frozen dinners are fun and generous. Very American Italian-American. Heavy on the sweet sauce. Note that these in the large size take a long time in the microwave. Over 30 minutes. Not a quick prep time for these large dinners.

The third brand for this month is Stouffer’s. How could we not try these the first time around. Note their web address – goodness.com. Wow.

Stouffer’s Lasagna. You could open a restaurant with this one. Especially a buffet offering. Hard to beat. We had the meat lover’s version. It’s even more chuck full of saucy goodness. Oh yes, and cheese. Very American. Very good. Plus the meat lover’s version has 20g of protein per serving. Lots better than a powder to get what we need.

Perhaps even better is Stouffer’s Veggie Lover’s Lasagna. It’s made using white sauce and plenty of veggies. It’s much lighter than its meaty cousin. Yet it’s very satisfying. It also looks really good on the plate.

This one is a winner. It works as a main course or a side in a smaller portion.

We also went down the classic American dinner road. The first was Stouffer’s Meat Loaf and Mashed Potato road. It’s traditional beef and pork meatloaf with ample brown gravy. Mashed russets are along side. There is a good size portion of both servings. This is exactly what you expect. 

The last Stouffer’s this month was Chicken a la King. I’m not sure if King Charles would heartily approve but would certainly give it a go. This American classic is served over rice. Yellow is this version. Onions, red peppers, green peas, celery and asparagus in a rich cream sauce with chicken chunks.

Gosh, my mouth is watering just writing about it. Basic fare very well done. Dinners and Shoney’s come to mind. Simply a plate of goodness. Next month we will look at a few more frozen dinners and entrees. Handy to have and sometimes surprisingly good.

A Quick Stop at Arby’s and Again

As I told you last month, we made some visits to Arby’s in Opelika to try their Reuben sandwich. Let me remind you I don’t write about a restaurant until I have been at least three times. We have been to Arby’s even more than that now.

Lots of fast food places are big on what’s known as LTO – Limited Time Offerings. This is often a way of trying out a product to see it will work. If it does, it goes on the menu full time. If not, it was just for a limited time.

Arby’s has their share of those. But they have another marketing feature that can be generous. These are features for that month only. Some are good for once each week that month. Yes, you have to sign up to see what the special is.

Back a couple of months the deal was a free sandwich when you bought combo of any kind. Got that – free. Our Reuben was free. Our $11 combo got me a free $7 Reuben. That was a deal. I used that one another week. It’s worth becoming an Arby’s follower to check up on those.

Another Arby’s sandwich that all our tasters enjoyed is the Gyro. The beef slices are tender and the seasoning is very tasty. It’s easy to toss the extra pita at the ends. Warm it in the oven and make sure to get the special sauce for them. The $6 gyro was free that day. Look at the check on the bag. We’ve already gotten one at regular price. The marketing trick worked.

We were not happy with a chicken tender dinner. Small and overcooked tenders. This is not Arby’s focus.

Opelika Arby’s is like lots of quick serve. It depends on the employee and how much they care. Or don’t. My friend Fred went there for a deal back in April. I was treating that day. He found the store dirty. The condiment needed help. Very messy. Dripping ketchup. The manager who gave him my order was very pleasant. Food was well-packed and had my name on it. Yet cleaning was not important to her. The old restaurant saying of, “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean,” is hard to enforce. Now it’s a high minimum and basically a guaranteed job in fast food. Oh, well.

It’s worth putting Arby’s on your lunch list. Take a look at the monthly specials. Could be the thing to do.

Bonus – A Quick Dessert

For me there’s little better for dessert than ice cream. Chocolate please. The dark rich kind. Obviously there’s a child alive in me somewhere. If you want perhaps a step up, consider a slice of Edward’s Chocolate Creme Pie. They come packed 2 individual slices to a box. Yes, it’s OK to have a entire smallish slice. But you can split one after a meal.

The bottom crust is chocolate! Lots of creamy goodness inside and fancy piping on top. You are not pretending you made it yourself. Have one and enjoy. There’s another one in the freezer just in case.

May Special Dates

Of the number of food personality birthdays in May, there are two that really stand out. Perhaps the most famous of which is James Beard. He’s an American food icon. His many writings left the legacy of excellence by which you remember him. From his home in Greenwich Village New York City, he became known throughout the world as the source of food and cooking inspiration. His knowledge was immense as was his body.

These days there are many James Beard award winners in the food industry. If you have one of these on your wall, the public knows that you have achieved a milestone. Plus there’s a James Beard Foundation and a Scholarship program. His legacy lives on.

May is also gives us the birthday of Masaharu Morimoto. He is famous for his many appearances on the TV food reality show Iron Chef. He is a large personality who is medium famous worldwide. He has ridden this situation into the restaurant business. There are over 20 restaurants in his worldwide empire. Maui, Waikiki, Jakarta, Napa, Bordeaux, Philadelphia, Mumbai, Vegas, and more. Yes, he’s that well known. In fact, there is now a location in Atlanta at Phipps Plaza. Sa’Moto is open every day.

In May, we lost the legendary New England chef Jasper White. He walked the walk. Lived in Boston. He and his wife raised their children there. In 1983, he opened Jasper’s, his restaurant right there on Boston’s waterfront.

Jasper’s wasn’t yet another seafood spot with the same menu as every other one. White’s was a sort of “haute cuisine” menu where there weren’t any. After that chapter, he spent time with the famous Legal Sea Foods and helped expand its operation.  

By 2000 Jasper opened Jasper White’s Summer Shack in Cambridge. This spot was seasonal and feature family-style fare. Gone was “Jasper’s” upscale cuisine. Well almost. His famous pan-roasted lobster was on the menu. By 2017 Summer Shack was sold to the Lyons Group. White said goodbye to the daily restaurant business.

During his career, Jasper managed to pen a few cookbooks. My copy of  Jasper White’s Cooking from New England was quite worn. Read from cover to cover and back again. I hope some Auburn High Culinary students have used my copy regularly. When we moved from 8^th Street, I gave my over 200 cookbooks, notes, stains and all, to the Auburn High Culinary program.

Other books from Jasper White include Lobster at Home, Fifty Chowders, and The Summer Shack Cookbook. One of my favorites is his Shrimp and Fennel Chowder. You can use lobster or crab instead. Plus it has bacon!

June Classes

It’s tomato time in the kitchen classroom on Northbrook. We’ll be taking a re-look a 2 tomato dishes from the past by special request. It’s been several years. Lots of new people since then. My friends John and Mary Ann Cleveland have been waiting on a look at tomato pie. New dishes will be on the agenda as well.

I arranged for the first 50 pounds of tomatoes just yesterday. Bound to be a hit.

As usual our Sunday classes are at 2:00. Mondays are at 1:30. Thursdays at 6:00 in the afternoon. Special classes by arrangement. Let me know if you need another time.

Dates are June 16, 17, 20, 23, 24 & 27. Need to wait until July? Speak up now. I’ll make it happen.

Until Next Time

Thank you for taking time to read my newsletter. I appreciate each and every one of you. Please take a minute and pass along a link to your friends. It’s free. You won’t be sticking them with sales solicitations. Just interesting info they can help mold.

Do let me know if you have ideas or suggestions for future issues. There are things in this issue as a result to requests from readers.

Also remember I pen a weekly column in the Auburn Villager. Please read and consider a subscription to this longtime local paper.

Keep Cooking – Keep Exploring.