I finally got my medium-sized ass down to Melt Mobile today. Of course I forgot to take pictures, I'm one hell of a reviewer, huh?
Right off the bat - this is super cool for Stamford. I don't know how these chicks managed to swing their spot but it's a real nice location and it's easy to get to. I parked on the 3rd level of the mall (Greyrock and Main) and walked through the "Shoppes at Old Main," where there's no fucking shops, and there it was. As I walked up to the truck one of the girls started gushing about my puppy Apollo, telling me he's the cutest dog she's ever seen. As a matter of fact she's right, Apollo is the cutest puppy anyone will ever see. He, of course, isn't too fond of trucks (or recycling bins) so my husband walked him around the park (skillfully avoiding a pit bull puppy) and I ordered. One Caprese (fresh mozzarella, prosciutto di Parma, fire roasted peppers, Roma tomatoes and pesto aioli on calamata olive bread) and one Mademoiselle (here I go again, the ever competent reviewer. Not sure of the ingredients and I can't find it on the FB Page - gruyere, brie, prosciutto, arugula and currant jelly on pecan bread...something like that). The two sandwiches and a water came to 17 bucks, not bad, and it took about 7-8 minutes for them to come out.
We hopped back in the car and went to Cummings Park to eat. Don't do that with a puppy, broken glass everywhere. Anyway...
The Mademoiselle was the first one I tried, and back before Bobby Flay put his stamp on Melt Mobile's menu this was the one I HAD to have. It's a beautiful sandwich with a perfect buttery grilled crunch, but the first bite didn't do it for me. I'm not sure any of the other bites did, either. I liked the arugula, but I think the salty meat took over and didn't quite work with the bread choice. And the cheese was lost. I did get one good bite that must have had a glob of jelly and that really brought home a wild game flavor for some reason - that was good. But I'm not sure if this sandwich works for me. Maybe my mouth got confused, that's always a possibility.
Now the Caprese - ho, ho HO! That mother fucker is one damn good grilled cheese sammich! One bite of that and I was moaning with pleasure in the middle of Cummings Park. That's kinda funny, go back and read that again...moaning with pleasure in CUMMINGS park. Okay, back to the sammich - the roasted peppers...oh, the roasted peppers. Oh, oh, OH! They were amazeballs (as the kids say) the tomato the perfect temperature, the olive bread, oh, the olive bread. Oh, oh, OH! I was moaning with pleasure in Cummings Park, I tells you. Amazeballs.
So that's that. Def check out Melt Mobile. Not only are they great for Stamford but they're great for your tummy. Even though I wasn't a fan of the Mademoiselle I am a fan of these lovely young ladies and their business. Two-Tits Up for Melt Mobile! I will be going back (probably without the puppy) to try the dessert melts :) Mmm... Dessert melts... Oh, oh, OH!
-HH
P.S. - This is possibly the most fun I've ever had writing a review. I had a great afternoon with my hubby, my puppy and Melt Mobile. What else can I say? Go, go, GO!
Thursday, May 10, 2012 Kudos to Fairway
If you follow my Facebook page you'll know I have been on and off the fence about Fairway in recent weeks. Where I live, in Stamford, we've only got one real neighborhood supermarket - Grade A/Shop Rite. We have been going there since we moved here over 10 years ago. There are good and bad things about Grade A. The good? Well, they always have a ton of cashiers working, you rarely have to wait long to get checked out. They also don't use pink slime in their beef, another good. I can walk there, that's good. And... well, maybe that's it. The bad about Grade A? Dishonesty in the prices. When something scans at the wrong price you're supposed to get it for free...not the case at Grade A unless you start yelling. My husband figured that out. According to state law there should be a sign telling customers about this law...but theirs is missing. My gut tells me the FILTHY RICH family that owns it likes to take advantage of the clientele - lots of immigrants, WIC folks and people who just may not know what their rights are. And there's always a stray woman from Shippan (the FILTHY RICH section of the town) in her fur coat and Mercedes wandering among the WIC folks at the top of the month with their carts full of crap...that they load into an Escalade... Yeah, not a fun place to shop.
So Fairway opened last year some time...it's only a few minutes further away than Grade A. At first it seemed like a great store, then as time went on it seemed the prices snuck up. I don't know. I have trouble processing the prices of things sometimes. It hasn't quite taken the place of Grade A in my life. What's good about Fairway? Number one - The liquor store is RIGHT THERE! If you plan your parking spot right you can walk out of the store, into the liquor store and out to your car without any hassle. Fairway, of course, has a fancier selection than Grade A - you can buy British candy, any kind of cheese you can imagine, they have a thousand or so types of olive oil (some of them horrendously bitter, you can taste them all) and they have house made peanut butter. That is my current addiction.
They also have Wallaby yogurt, which I have learned to love. They have neat flavors like maple and pear. So when I drop my husband and Apollo off at the beach for a walk I rush down to Fairway and fill my basket with peanut butter, Wallaby yogurt and whatever else strikes my fancy. Imagine my surprise when I went in this week to discover the price on my yogurt had risen 20 cents! And was on sale 10 cents off! This immediately got my goat, so to speak. I actually ripped the sale sticker off the display to check the price. I was floored. Over twenty cents. Silly, I guess. But I had rationalised my trip with this yogurt. I was paying 75 cents a piece at Grade A for La Yogurt - 79 cents for organic yogurt at Fairway seemed like a good idea. But when it was 99 or 89 - suddenly I felt I was being played. And when I found I still had the receipts to prove the price difference I fired off an angry e-mail to Fairway. And I mentioned the cashiers there suck. They do. If there's any reason not to raise the minimum wage in Connecticut it's them. Slow as hell, they talk too much to the baggers...it's just not the right way to end the Fairway shopping experience.
Well, kudos to Fairway! They e-mailed me regarding the pricing - it seems I paid 79 cents during a special promotion, the usual price is 99 cents and the 89 cents was the on sale price. I give big props to anyone who answers my snotty e-mails. LOL. I'll admit it, I get snotty when I'm pissed. But the guy who answered me was very professional and he said he'd forward the e-mail to the store manager and that the problem with the cashiers was unacceptable. Truth be told I'd still pay the higher price for the yogurt, it's that good. And the peanut butter is my addiction, so I have no choice but to go to Fairway at least once a week.
So, what's the moral of this story? Speak up, I guess.
-HH
So Fairway opened last year some time...it's only a few minutes further away than Grade A. At first it seemed like a great store, then as time went on it seemed the prices snuck up. I don't know. I have trouble processing the prices of things sometimes. It hasn't quite taken the place of Grade A in my life. What's good about Fairway? Number one - The liquor store is RIGHT THERE! If you plan your parking spot right you can walk out of the store, into the liquor store and out to your car without any hassle. Fairway, of course, has a fancier selection than Grade A - you can buy British candy, any kind of cheese you can imagine, they have a thousand or so types of olive oil (some of them horrendously bitter, you can taste them all) and they have house made peanut butter. That is my current addiction.
They also have Wallaby yogurt, which I have learned to love. They have neat flavors like maple and pear. So when I drop my husband and Apollo off at the beach for a walk I rush down to Fairway and fill my basket with peanut butter, Wallaby yogurt and whatever else strikes my fancy. Imagine my surprise when I went in this week to discover the price on my yogurt had risen 20 cents! And was on sale 10 cents off! This immediately got my goat, so to speak. I actually ripped the sale sticker off the display to check the price. I was floored. Over twenty cents. Silly, I guess. But I had rationalised my trip with this yogurt. I was paying 75 cents a piece at Grade A for La Yogurt - 79 cents for organic yogurt at Fairway seemed like a good idea. But when it was 99 or 89 - suddenly I felt I was being played. And when I found I still had the receipts to prove the price difference I fired off an angry e-mail to Fairway. And I mentioned the cashiers there suck. They do. If there's any reason not to raise the minimum wage in Connecticut it's them. Slow as hell, they talk too much to the baggers...it's just not the right way to end the Fairway shopping experience.
Well, kudos to Fairway! They e-mailed me regarding the pricing - it seems I paid 79 cents during a special promotion, the usual price is 99 cents and the 89 cents was the on sale price. I give big props to anyone who answers my snotty e-mails. LOL. I'll admit it, I get snotty when I'm pissed. But the guy who answered me was very professional and he said he'd forward the e-mail to the store manager and that the problem with the cashiers was unacceptable. Truth be told I'd still pay the higher price for the yogurt, it's that good. And the peanut butter is my addiction, so I have no choice but to go to Fairway at least once a week.
So, what's the moral of this story? Speak up, I guess.
-HH
Friday, May 4, 2012 If You Haven't Noticed...
...I haven't been too focused on the blog. It's been months since I made a dinner party video and, quite frankly, I've lost some of my passion for food. Some of this can be blamed on my diet (still only 10 pounds gone), more this can be blamed on my puppy Apollo and the rest can be blamed on my being a playwright. The good news is I have a fantastic full-length play called Showers of Happiness. I'm currently working on the third draft. It takes place at a baby shower and, of course, food is a big part of the structure. For some reason all my full-lengths have food as a big part of the focus. I also recently became a member of a theatre workshop (Theatre Artists Workshop, to be exact) and I'm looking forward to the possibilities that brings. So, I'm back in the theatre world. I apologize, but that's gonna split my attention.
Yesterday was the National Day of Reason and I watched last year's video. I was appalled at how much I don't look like me from a year ago...at least I don't feel I look that good. So I went on a walk to the beach - I'm determined to get myself back into some sort of shape. This summer I'll be taking an actual fitness class! So I will keep you updated on my progress. I have 6 months before I turn 40. I'd like to be in good shape for the big day.
In other news, you can see me in Season 2 of Scenes from the Movies. Filmmaker Mike Field was kind enough to plug me in a great article on Milford Patch. The Alternative Control crew (me included) mentioned Mike when we did our radio interview last month. I love how we've all come together from different fields of entertainment (music, theatre, film). I dunno, I just think it's super cool.
As always you can check out my articles and others on Alternative Control. We've got a great thing going - people writing up thier musical influences. TWO mentions for Sugarland. Gotta love a metal blog with a taste for country. I did apply to sing with Jennifer Nettles on Duets (Pixie encouraged me) but I didn't get a call. That's fine, because I don't want to leave my baby :)
So the hiatus kinda continues. But rest assured, my creative talents are still going to good use. Plays are food for the soul. Especially my plays. LOL. I tend to think they're all brilliant. I wrote a short one the other day called The Tale of Yield and Tire - mark my words, that play is going places. As is Showers of Happiness. So stick with me, folks. The entertainment is gonna keep coming - in many forms. Some edible, some just mouthwatering.
-HH
Yesterday was the National Day of Reason and I watched last year's video. I was appalled at how much I don't look like me from a year ago...at least I don't feel I look that good. So I went on a walk to the beach - I'm determined to get myself back into some sort of shape. This summer I'll be taking an actual fitness class! So I will keep you updated on my progress. I have 6 months before I turn 40. I'd like to be in good shape for the big day.
In other news, you can see me in Season 2 of Scenes from the Movies. Filmmaker Mike Field was kind enough to plug me in a great article on Milford Patch. The Alternative Control crew (me included) mentioned Mike when we did our radio interview last month. I love how we've all come together from different fields of entertainment (music, theatre, film). I dunno, I just think it's super cool.
As always you can check out my articles and others on Alternative Control. We've got a great thing going - people writing up thier musical influences. TWO mentions for Sugarland. Gotta love a metal blog with a taste for country. I did apply to sing with Jennifer Nettles on Duets (Pixie encouraged me) but I didn't get a call. That's fine, because I don't want to leave my baby :)
So the hiatus kinda continues. But rest assured, my creative talents are still going to good use. Plays are food for the soul. Especially my plays. LOL. I tend to think they're all brilliant. I wrote a short one the other day called The Tale of Yield and Tire - mark my words, that play is going places. As is Showers of Happiness. So stick with me, folks. The entertainment is gonna keep coming - in many forms. Some edible, some just mouthwatering.
-HH
Monday, April 23, 2012 Is It Ethical To Eat Meat? - My New York Times Essay Contest Submission
So the New York Times put out a call for essays on the subject of the ethics of eating meat. I, of course, jumped at the chance to make my case in a humorous yet slighty intelligent manner. My mother was once published by the Times. It looks like I will have to wait for that honor - I was not one of the six finalists. But here it is anyway. Enjoy \m/
Why is it ethical to eat meat? Well, you wouldn’t want to
let it go to waste, would you? Waste is a sin and that makes wasting meat
unethical. Why waste a perfectly good complete protein? I mean, you could
combine some incomplete proteins, like rice and beans, for complementary
proteins, but if the meat is already sitting there going to waste… I mean, what
are you going to do with the meat, just throw it out so it rots in some
landfill? You can’t compost it. Are you going to bury it? Like a proper burial
in a cemetery? That’s kind of a waste of space, don’t you think? I suppose you
could put it in the freezer but that’s kind of a waste of space, too. You could
keep a ton of uneaten rice and beans there, instead.
Actually, you know who might be interested in eating some
of those rice and beans? Some of those heritage breeds that are going extinct
because of the rise of commercial farming; I bet they’d love some rice and beans
and maybe that spot of land you were going to bury them in to live on. It’s
quite a shame, the loss of the family homestead. Maybe people have become so far
removed from food production they’ve forgotten how important domesticated
animals are to agriculture and to our survival as a species. Not only do they
provide meat, they provide the power to plow the fields and the nitrogen to fuel
them. Pigs root, chickens scratch; every animal on the farm has a job, and most
of them roast up nicely. And even Hunter/Gatherer societies ate meat; I’ve never
heard of Gatherer/Gatherer societies, have you?
Gee, if every community committed to saving just one
heritage breed we could save them all, asses to turkeys. How hard can it be? Get
a few Narragansett turkeys or Midget Whites and throw them in a coop. Let them
lay some eggs and sit on them (the turkeys, not you) and then let the things
grow up for a bit. Once they reach a certain age you’ll have to check them for
the breed standard. You don’t want to breed sub-par turkeys. The ones that don’t
live up to the standard of the breed that your community is trying to preserve
you cull. Cull is a nice way to say kill – or you could give them away as pets,
not to be bred. But let’s say someone in your community wants a nice turkey
dinner for some special occasion. They contact the butcher, the butcher contacts
you, you both decide who will do the dirty work and for what price the butchered
turkey will sell, the family gets their turkey dinner and money has exchanged
hands – leaving you and the butcher able to feed your families. And someone gets
a turkey feather tuffet to sit and eat their rice and beans on.
Yes, I skimmed over the killing part a bit. It’s not
pleasant, but unpleasant doesn’t automatically mean unethical. Over thousands of
years man has learned how to utilize every part of the animal he killed, to not
let any of it go to waste. They even made pink slime somewhat edible. (Don’t
worry, man will find another use for pink slime; scented candles, automobile
fuel, something like that.) And rice and beans will never go out of style. But
here we are with dozens of breeds of domesticated farm animals who may go
extinct if we don’t make an effort to save them. And, yes, that also means
eating their meat.
Sunday, April 22, 2012 Sophisticated Sunday Morning Cookies
Here goes - (measurements are BY WEIGHT, get a postal scale)
4 oz olive oil
7 oz white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
-------------------
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping Tablespoon of sour cream
-------------------
6 oz AP flour
1/8 teaspoon powdered rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5 oz oats
1 Tablespoon milled flax seed
-------------------
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
zest of 1/2 a lemon
So the lines, again, are indicating your mixing. You don't even need a mixer for these, a rubber spatula will do. Mix the first three, then add the second three, then add the dry ingredients (that have been whisked together.) When the batter is almost all the way mixed add the chips and zest - this helps prevent over mixing. I used an ice cream scoop to portion the dough onto cookie trays - I got 17 cookies out of it. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.
These are really DDelicious. The rosemary isn't overpowering but it is present as you bite into the cookies crunchy exterior. The lemon is barely detectable, yet it helps the cookie come together in your mouth. If you eat them warm the dripping chocolate chips will remind you of old school cookie commercials but these are like no cookie you've ever had. Seriously good. Try them.
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