While window shopping on Main Street in Breckenridge a couple of weeks ago, I was drawn (and Rob followed!) to a small, bright yellow cottage that housed a real cook's paradise. The shop is known as Spice Merchants. With shelf after shelf of spices, spice blends, sea salts, various sugars and tea blends to choose from, it was tempting to try them all. Merchandise is displayed in glass containers with lids that you can take off to get a good whiff. The experience of this place is very interactive. Everything is vibrant and super fragrant. As I enhaled I could practically taste all the goodies that I'd making once I got these spices home. On the wall next to all these containers are premeasured sample packets of I'm guessing the most popular choices. You could also buy more in bulk if you wanted. Rob and I had a quick powwow and decided to pick out 1 sea salt, a rub, a sugar and a tea. Here's what we left with on this visit - because I'm sure there will be many more (at least by internet at www.spicemerchants.biz).
Chardonnay Oak Smoked Fleur de Sel was our first pick. The label of the packet we bought read "Fine French Fleur de Sel is poured into aged oak wine barrels to absorb the chardonnay nuances. The salt is emptied and then barrels are then fired to create the smoke-dried salt. A handmade process from start to finish, this is truly an artisan salt. Use as a fine hors-de-oeuvres salt." I tried a pinch rubbed into some salmon with a little freshly ground pepper and olive oil that Rob grilled on the Weber and it was exquisite. I will absolutely reorder this once the packet is empty.
Our sugar pick was Dark Cocoa Sugar. The idea behind this choice was to be able to create mochas at home. This one will not be a rebuy since I think you'd need the whole packet (about 2 Tbls. at $2.29 each) to make a real taste difference in coffee. I'm sure I'll think of something that will be a better use of this one.
OMG!! Just tried our tea choice this afternoon - Mayan Chocolate Truffle! It's caffeine free and made of chocolate chips, red pepper flecks, apple and strawberry. The smell of this tea in the packet and while it' brewing is intoxicatingly chocolaty! The store proprietor told us that some of her regulars add a spoonful of strawberry jam to sweeten it, instead of honey. I made it into iced tea and Rob and I shared with our friend Christy. That's how much we like her! :) It was amazing. First of all, no sweetener required. It was plenty sweet on its own. Chocolate is the first flavor that you noticed. I noticed the red pepper, but is was subtle and fit right in. The apple and strawberry came through too. We tried a pinch of the dark cocoa sugar about half way through drinking to see if it would enhance the flavor, but all agreed that it made no impact. Again, I think you need a bunch of it to make a difference. I'll keep looking for a better use for the cocoa sugar. But back to the tea. It is a definite hit and I will be purchasing more supplies in the near future.
Last choice will be tried tonight on Alaskan Wild Sockeye Salmon Filet. It's Cranberry Maple Rub. The label says "This is one of our newest products and works great for the holidays. Use this colorful (it's pink) and tasty blend to brighten up ham, chicken and pork. It can be used as a rub or created into a glaze. Made from cranberry powder, cranberry extract, maple powder, orange peel, garlic, onion, celery, cane juice, sea salt and spices." I can definitely spell the celery. Can hardly wait till dinner.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Yoga: In studio or at home?
In a former career life I had a stint as a certified personal trainer. I used to often hear people complain that they didn't have time to exercise. Until Rob and I became parents I secretly thought they were full of it. Now I know different.
Exercise is however one of the keys to my personal happiness and good health. Still, one of the challenges I face, living in Houston, is how to stay on a workout schedule in mid summer to late fall. The weather can be so oppressive! 90 Degrees at 7 o'clock at night? No thank you! The other 2 challenges are time and money. Not that I can't afford to join a gym, or go to exercise classes... but in my opinion, it's more fun to not spend money when you don't have to.
Among my favorite forms of exercise, that's year round and totally heat independent (except "hot" yoga - not for me) is, you guessed it: yoga. I think it is the fountain of youth. Great for stress relief.
About 2 1/2 years ago I was super stressed by my job. As if by some miracle a yoga studio opened up right across the street. I had only done yoga at a gym prior to trying classes at Joy Yoga and I don't recommend that approach. In the gym environment, when classes are free you don't always get the same level of instructor and classes tend to be very crowded. Just my personal opinion, I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions. I do love Joy Yoga, on Washington, just 4 blocks east of Shepherd, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great yoga studio... but I have a story about my experience there with the crow pose....I am athletic, but I have major klutz tendencies. If there's a way to hurt yourself, chances are I will either do it, or almost do it. Anyway, near the end of a Sunday morning Gentle Yoga class the instructor had us do the crow pose. I had never done that pose and don't remember the instructor doing a particularly good job of talking us into it. Did I mention I am competitive???? Well, I saw someone in the back of the room doing the pose and thought, "If she can do it, them so can I." I don't know why I thought that, but the next thing that happened was I heard my face hit the floor. Long story short, it was not a good situation. I looked like I was in an abusive relationship for several weeks. But, I was back after a week to continue classes. I'm just that tough and I don't like to quit. :)-
So, I contintued going to yoga, 3 times a week, for another year, at $90/month.
Then I had another accident. This time it had nothing to do with yoga. I happened to be walking out the door of my townhouse and got my shoe heel caught in the door stripping. My foot came out of my shoe and in an effort not to fall or drop anything (purse, blackberry, lunch, briefcase) I twisted my right foot and ended up putting all of my body weight on it, breaking 3 bones. So, yoga was completely out for several months. When I was ready to go back it wasn't the same for me. Classes seemed too crowded. I was behind all the regulars in fitness level. I minded rushing to make the 6 PM class on Tuesdays. The economy had taken a downturn and I thought, I'd rather have that $90 each month for something else.
I didn't think of it right away, but eventually I came up with a solution that I love. I got a couple of yoga DVD's: Rodney Yee's "Yoga for Strengh & Energy" and Denise Austin's "Yoga Body Burn." I have a room downstairs that doubles as gym, yoga studio and guest room. I can do my yoga whenever I feel like it, with excellent instruction (one-on-one). I had already invested in yoga clothes and mat. For about $30 more I have all the variety I currently desire. I also found out that if you subscribe to Netflix you can download exercise videos to try as part of the subscription. Bonus!
Here's my disclaimer: If you've never tried yoga I would recommend starting at a good yoga studio for the personal attention you will need as you learn the poses. Once you get those down you can decide whether or not to continue in studio or at home. Namaste
Exercise is however one of the keys to my personal happiness and good health. Still, one of the challenges I face, living in Houston, is how to stay on a workout schedule in mid summer to late fall. The weather can be so oppressive! 90 Degrees at 7 o'clock at night? No thank you! The other 2 challenges are time and money. Not that I can't afford to join a gym, or go to exercise classes... but in my opinion, it's more fun to not spend money when you don't have to.
Among my favorite forms of exercise, that's year round and totally heat independent (except "hot" yoga - not for me) is, you guessed it: yoga. I think it is the fountain of youth. Great for stress relief.
About 2 1/2 years ago I was super stressed by my job. As if by some miracle a yoga studio opened up right across the street. I had only done yoga at a gym prior to trying classes at Joy Yoga and I don't recommend that approach. In the gym environment, when classes are free you don't always get the same level of instructor and classes tend to be very crowded. Just my personal opinion, I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions. I do love Joy Yoga, on Washington, just 4 blocks east of Shepherd, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great yoga studio... but I have a story about my experience there with the crow pose....I am athletic, but I have major klutz tendencies. If there's a way to hurt yourself, chances are I will either do it, or almost do it. Anyway, near the end of a Sunday morning Gentle Yoga class the instructor had us do the crow pose. I had never done that pose and don't remember the instructor doing a particularly good job of talking us into it. Did I mention I am competitive???? Well, I saw someone in the back of the room doing the pose and thought, "If she can do it, them so can I." I don't know why I thought that, but the next thing that happened was I heard my face hit the floor. Long story short, it was not a good situation. I looked like I was in an abusive relationship for several weeks. But, I was back after a week to continue classes. I'm just that tough and I don't like to quit. :)-
So, I contintued going to yoga, 3 times a week, for another year, at $90/month.
Then I had another accident. This time it had nothing to do with yoga. I happened to be walking out the door of my townhouse and got my shoe heel caught in the door stripping. My foot came out of my shoe and in an effort not to fall or drop anything (purse, blackberry, lunch, briefcase) I twisted my right foot and ended up putting all of my body weight on it, breaking 3 bones. So, yoga was completely out for several months. When I was ready to go back it wasn't the same for me. Classes seemed too crowded. I was behind all the regulars in fitness level. I minded rushing to make the 6 PM class on Tuesdays. The economy had taken a downturn and I thought, I'd rather have that $90 each month for something else.
I didn't think of it right away, but eventually I came up with a solution that I love. I got a couple of yoga DVD's: Rodney Yee's "Yoga for Strengh & Energy" and Denise Austin's "Yoga Body Burn." I have a room downstairs that doubles as gym, yoga studio and guest room. I can do my yoga whenever I feel like it, with excellent instruction (one-on-one). I had already invested in yoga clothes and mat. For about $30 more I have all the variety I currently desire. I also found out that if you subscribe to Netflix you can download exercise videos to try as part of the subscription. Bonus!
Here's my disclaimer: If you've never tried yoga I would recommend starting at a good yoga studio for the personal attention you will need as you learn the poses. Once you get those down you can decide whether or not to continue in studio or at home. Namaste
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Lunch out vs. Dinner in
Rob and I tried The Broken Spoke Cafe for lunch today. It's been right down the street from us for 3 years and we always thought it had a diner menu so we stayed away. Today we looked it up on the Internet, examined the menu and decided today was the day to give it a try. It was presented as "Belgium in the old 6th ward", which sounded pretty delicious. We got there right as they opened. After we were seated the owner greeted us and informed us that they didn't have bread for sandwiches, that someone had gone out for it, but that it would be about a ten minute wait. We were okay with a short wait. Rob had his eye on the curried chicken sandwich, but the owner told us they didn't have it on the menu anymore (but it was on the menu). So Rob ordered the daily special: "Beef Diablo with pommes frites" and I the Salade Nicoise. Bread showed up while we were eating and was delivered by a cute, flirty Belgium guy (part owner, bartender, who cares!?). I have to say, he was the most exciting part of the overall experience, unfortunately. My salad was, in a word, uninspired. The tuna was dry, the green beans, not French, but frozen, the olives were canned and not Nicoise. The Diablo sauce was good and spicy, but the beef was a bit chewy and the fries were too salty. Both the owner and the Belgium guy came by to check on us - nice touch. Ladies, if you want to be flirted with by a cute Belgium guy, I highly recommend this cafe. For cuisine, I'm driving right on by next time.
In sharp contrast was dinner at home tonight! I tried the fish taco recipe from my new favorite cookbook, "My Father's Daughter" by Gwyneth Paltrow. Beer battered cod (I used Shiner Bock beer for a Texas touch)with homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, salted cabbage and lime crema on corn tortillas. My oh my! It was delicious! Score one for the home team. That's what I call having it all.
In sharp contrast was dinner at home tonight! I tried the fish taco recipe from my new favorite cookbook, "My Father's Daughter" by Gwyneth Paltrow. Beer battered cod (I used Shiner Bock beer for a Texas touch)with homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, salted cabbage and lime crema on corn tortillas. My oh my! It was delicious! Score one for the home team. That's what I call having it all.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
My first post!
This is my first attempt at blogging. So here goes... These days my life is about having it all, yes...but with balance. I do love food, but I firmly believe the old cliche "you are what you eat." So indulging is limited and balanced by regular exercise and cutting back to follow a splurge. Most days I do my best to be "good". I like healthy food choices. I have my Mother to thank for that. I also have her to thank for the gift of genetically high cholesterol. Diet and exercise keep me from joining the ranks of people my age on cholesterol medication. Rob(hubby extraordinaire) taught me the joy of sleeping and I rarely get less than 8 hours sleep at night. I feel like I'm meandering... But this is the first post. More to follow about great things to cook. Did I mention I love to cook? More on favorite wines, exercise and things I like to do in my daily quest to have it all.
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