Category: Food

Posted in Food, Travel

A little cheese with our wine

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We had time for some wine and cheese at the Antler Hill Village wine bar before our Christmas tour of the Biltmore House last night. The Fireside Ember & Oak Flight featured a Cabernet, red blend, and a Zinfandel. The cheese plate we ordered to go along with it was huge!

Before (a fourteen inch oval plate)

The generous slices of Swiss, Gouda, and Brie were joined by some balls of fresh mozzarella, dried cranberries, Marcona almonds, little bitty toasts, long crackers, peach preserves, and some coarse spicy mustard. And olives. Lots and lots of olives. When I ordered, the server asked if I’d like to add olives. “Sure.” There must have been about a hundred olives in the bowl.

After

We gave it our best shot. We made a respectable dent in the cheeses, nuts, crackers, and olives, but couldn’t finish it off.

Another option on the wine bar menu was a meat and cheese plate. We could have had all the above and three cured meats, too! And olives. Lots and lots of olives!

Posted in Food

Is it done yet?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash

When I put my sourdough bread in the oven to bake, I set the timer on the microwave. After I reheated some coffee in the microwave, I realized I turned off the bread timer. Fortunately I was able to guess how much time was left, and neither burnt the bread nor took it out too soon.

Sometimes I have Alexa set a timer on my Amazon Echo. Other times I set a timer in my phone, which is usually in my pocket. I’m toying with the idea of buying a separate magnetic timer I could attach to the oven or microwave.

How did people time their cooking and baking before smart devices and digital clocks. Of course we used to have a timer you twisted to the desired countdown time. But what about before that?

My research uncovered some fascinating techniques used to know when food was fully cooked.

Baking involved watching for browning to occur. It might be when beans or potatoes are soft. Sometimes it’s the smell that tips you off that the food is ready. I’ve learned to press on a steak to determine how done the meat is on the grill.

Older time-keeping methods included measuring the amount a candle melted, the movement of the sun against the wall, sand pouring through an hourglass filled with sand, and a dripping water clock.

With some food, like a pot of soup or stew, it really didn’t matter if you cooked it an extra half-hour or so.

With experience, cooks developed a sense for the passage of time, and knew when time was up. I would love to develop that skill!

Posted in Food

How did I ever live without a digital toaster?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’m a techie so this box on the curb next to my neighbor’s trash can caught my eye. My toaster is the cheapest one I could find on Amazon. But her’s is extra wide, digital, and smart.

I took a quick look at the user guide online. Twenty pages! The toaster may be smart, but some users may not be. The troubleshooting guide includes this instruction if the toaster won’t turn on: plug it in.

“Toasting tips” warns against putting buttered bread in the toaster. So noted.

There’s no more guess work. No dial to adjust the temperature. Perfect toast every time!

I like the shade option all the way to the right. You can choose to burn your toast if that’s your preference. That must be for the person who enjoys a well-done steak.

A long time ago, my college best friends and I all promised to buy each other toasters when we got married. In theory, we’d all receive at least four toasters as gifts. I think I was the only one who actually did it.

Posted in cookies, Food, Life

Taste-free cookies?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Anita Austvika on Unsplash

I actually went into the bank last week to get change for a twenty from a teller. I don’t do it often, but I wanted some smaller bills to pay for my haircut plus a tip.

Anyway, I’ve known one of the tellers there for a long time, and when I waved, she asked, “Are you still making cookies?” Of course we are. Our little cottage cookie business is doing okay. (Backseatgracebakery.com)

There was no one else in line, so we had a quick conversation. She told me her youngest daughter had asked about cookies. It might have been for a birthday or graduation. She quickly added, “But she’s got all those allergies.”

I said, “Well, we’ve made gluten-free, dairy-free cookies for my daughter-in-law.” Gluten-free flour is easy to find. We’ve also used plant-based butter in some recipes.

“How about nut-free and egg-free?”

“Well, I’ll have to make sure the flavoring has no nut products.” In my head I’m wondering if there is an egg substitute.

I texted my wife about the possibility of making gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free cookies. She replied, “Sure, but they’re taste-free.”

I can’t even imagine navigating this world with that many food-based allergies. You’d carry an epipen with you at all times, just in case. I would make all my own food, so I knew what the ingredients were. How could you ever go to a restaurant?

I don’t think she’ll be ordering cookies from us. We can do it, but the ingredients are pricey and the product isn’t tasty. Plus, our kitchen isn’t completely gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. The liability would be overwhelming.

We do have a rolling pin that we only use for gluten-free flour. We bought it when our niece came to visit so we could make some quiche for her. We keep that rolling pin in a zip lock bag for those times when we need to be gluten-free.

Plant-based butter is a little greasier than real butter. The cookies are look a little gray, but taste pretty good when flooded with delicious icing.

How do you cater to clientele for whom every day eating is a hazard? I’m not sure you can.

Posted in Food, Life

A skinny chicken

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Want to get a rotisserie chicken for supper?”

You never have to ask me twice. At our favorite grocery, where shopping is a pleasure, I love the smell of the birds roasting and frying just beyond the deli counter.

And they smell so good. Which one should I choose? Lemon pepper? Mojo seasoned? I chose a good old-fashioned oven-roasted. It’ll pair well with tonight’s Caesar salad.

I didn’t look at the price tag in the store, so when we got home and I pulled the chicken out of the bag to put on a serving plate, I noticed it wasn’t as cheap as it used to be. Three dollars than just a few years ago. I also noticed that there wasn’t as much meat on the chicken as I remember. This was a skinny chicken. We call it a “Haitian chicken.”

Chicken was the typical supper entree when we traveled to Haiti on medical mission trips. The chickens that were running around there were definitely hormone- and antibiotic-free. They were very skinny and always cooked until well-done. There wasn’t a lot of meat on those bones.

On one bus ride back to our lodging, the driver suddenly veered off the road. A man was standing there holding a live chicken whose legs were tied together. Our driver handed the man a few dollars and he tied the chicken to the roof of the bus. It was part of our supper that night.

Candy bars are smaller. There are fewer chips in the bag. The chickens are skinnier, too.

Posted in dogs, Food

A delicate balance

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I did a double take as I passed by the kitchen and saw a pile of homemade Loaded Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies balanced on a teetering plastic container lid. What could possibly go wrong?

What could possibly go right? A lot of dump trucks have been rumbling by our house on the way to construction sites up the street. Wire baskets in the kitchen from time to time, nudged little by little towards the edge by traffic vibration. The house shook when a neighbor brought down a dead tree in the lot next door. I think our dogs are aware of this. I’m certain they were thinking, “Just one more truck and those are ours!”

That’s one scenario. Here’s another. I can imagine the smaller, older dog encouraging the taller pup, “Just go over there and take a sniff. Just a little one. No one will know.” Just in case you’ve forgotten, our taller pup is an eight-month old Great Dane, whose chin is as tall as that island countertop. Her sniff is more than enough to send that stack flying across the kitchen floor. The little dog is quicker. I figure he’ll get four while the big dog grabs two. And just like that, everyone goes back to their respective sofas happy.

Neither dog has figured out how to open the kid gate that keeps them out of the kitchen. I saw the cookie stack long before they did and stabilized the pile for the low, low price of just one cookie. So you can still order some from the Backseat Grace Bakery.

Posted in Food, shopping

I can’t believe someone returned those

Posted on by William Douthwaite
What’s wrong with this picture?

If you’re going to Walmart, would you take these back for me?”

I know, no one ever wants to hear those words. However, bundling your errands into one trip to Walmart is better than multiple trips. And the return had already been initiated online, so it should be a quick scan and go.

Scan and go, yes. Quick, no. Five people stood in line ahead of me at the Service counter. I used the time to see what I could notice. I hadn’t yet decided what to write about today. But Walmart never fails to give me an idea. Today was no different.

The Walmart service counter is surrounded by piles of returned items. Boxes of diapers, an aquarium pump, a charcoal grill, colorful plastic eggs, a potted plant, and a package of underwear filled metal shelves on both sides of me. And one thing that really caught my eye: a package of double stuf Oreos.

I know. I did a double take, pulled out my phone, and got the photo. I couldn’t believe it, either. Oreos? Really? Who’s going to return Oreos? That’s just not right.

Okay, I know it’s one item from what looks like a whole cart of healthy food choices including soda, chips, Skittles, and ranch dressing. Maybe someone forgot their debit card and left this all behind. Maybe they got a call and had to leave the store before they could pay for their groceries, and left them in an aisle. Maybe someone made a snarky comment about their New Years resolution to eat healthier. “Fine. I’ll return them!”

Or, maybe someone at home wasn’t happy. “Why did you get double stuffed Oreos? You know I only like the regular ones! You’re so selfish. You only think about yourself. I’m not paying for them. Take them back!” Apparently someone did.

Do you think this bag made it back to the shelf? Or does the night crew share them when it’s break time?

Posted in Food

Review: JoJo’s Country Cafe in Deland, FL

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The cool, breezy morning had given way to a hot summer day by the time our grandson’s baseball game was over last Saturday. We didn’t mind the early drive to the field, but now we were hungry. A quick search of nearby restaurants on a maps app guided us around the corner to JoJo’s Country Cafe in Deltona.

As we pulled into the strip mall parking lot, we saw JoJo’s, along with the usual tattoo place, barber shop, 24 hour coin laundry, and other assorted businesses. Tucked away between some hotels and a housing addition, the strip mall had been there a while. Our initial reaction: “Sketchy.” But it got decent reviews, so why not give it a try?

JoJo’s is a typical breakfast and lunch place. The coffee was hot and strong, but only tasted average. My wife and I split “JoJo’s Platter”, which included eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, and toast. We added a pancake, too. The good was good. As I told her, “It’s hard to get breakfast wrong.”

I thought the decor was interesting. There was no rhyme or reason to the stuff hanging on the walls. There were some old photographs, a US Flag, a bible verse, some old signs, and a framed flower. A few old Uline catalogs were scattered around. I guess people like to page through those. (Actually, we did that, looking at some boxes and shipping materials.) None of the coffee mugs matched. In fact, ours advertised banks in Texas. I’ll bet they purchased these at a thrift store.

It was 10:30 on a Saturday morning, and we were the only customers there. The restaurant must be crowded on weekdays or earlier in the morning. Only one other couple wandered in for some lunch.

On a shelf behind the counter, my wife noticed large boxes of cereal. Nothing appeared on the menu, but we could have asked for a bowl of Cheerios or Raisin Bran. Neither of us have seen cereal offered at a restaurant for a while.

Overall, JoJo’s wasn’t a bad place for breakfast. The average reviewer gave it four out of five stars. That sounds about right. I doubt we’ll ever be in this neighborhood again, so I’m glad we stopped in.

Posted in Food

Lemonade? Yes, please!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Laura Chouette on Unsplash

A while ago, I joked with my barber, “The only thing you need cash for anymore is a haircut and drugs.” When I wrote about this, I came up with a list of scenarios where cash makes sense.

But I left one out. The lemonade stand. While walking the dogs (yeah, I know, a lot of life happens walking the dogs) we happened upon a garage sale around the corner from our house. We were excited to see big bags of Legos and other kids toys. Once we got home, we got some cash at the ATM, and headed back, happy that those items hadn’t sold yet.

After I grabbed the two five-pound bags of Legos, a “Lemonade” sign caught my eye. Yes! A young lady was standing at a table behind a bowl of ice and a jug of lemonade. Her eyes lit up when I said, “I’d like a glass of lemonade.”

When she filled a red solo cup with ice, her older brother said, “Whoa, not so much ice!”

“It’s okay; I like a lot of ice!”

After she filled a second cup with ice for my wife, she asked, “Can you help me pour it?” The unopened gallon jug of lemonade was a little much for her to manage, so I filled the two cups and left two dollars in the bowl on the table. She then said, “You need a napkin,” and unfolded a lemon-shaped napkin for me to put my drink on.

I asked, “Did you make this lemonade?”

“No, we bought it at the store.”

As we talked for the next few minutes, I learned that she was five years old and had just finished kindergarten at the school up the street. Her older brother would be in fourth grade next year. their family attended a church just across the street from the backyard.

After a few sips, the young lady asked if I needed more. I said, “Not yet.” But I assured her that the people poking through the garage sale merchandise would see my drink and want some lemonade of their own. She started getting some cups of ice ready just in case.

A few months ago we drove past a corner lemonade stand on the way to my daughter’s house. I so wanted to stop, but had no cash. I said, “I really should keep a few dollars in my wallet.” Either that or let your kids have a QR code on the sign for digital payment.

A lemon-flavored beverage is mentioned in the history of 12th century Egypt. The first lemonade stand was set up in New York City in 1879. I’ll bet kids have been selling it ever since. Believe it or not, some states require a permit to sell lemonade. I would hope that local law enforcement would have more important things to do that shut these down.

My memories are hazy, but I think I had a lemonade stand when I was growing up. If so, mom would have supplied the cups, ice, and lemonade. Pure profit for us!