Day 178: Abba-Zaba

I recently read Steve Almond's book, Candyfreak, which was a very exciting read for me. I mean, it's about candy! You see, Steve Almond, a self-proclaimed candyfreak, got a taste of candy factory euphoria and set out to visit as many candy factories as would let him in. Not many said yes (the kind of candy competition you see in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with spies and trade secrets and such, is not fiction), but of those that did, one was the Annabelle candy factory, producers of my all-time favorite candy bar: the Big Hunk.




Annabelle also produces the Abba-Zaba, a candy bar I thought I'd sampled until I read Candyfreak and read its description: taffy, stuffed with peanut butter. I guess I'd simply seen a lot of Abba-Zabas in my day. They are usually merchandised next to the Big Hunk, after all. So today, while feeling completely bowled over by allergies (or maybe I'm getting sick, I don't know), I bit into one. I've got to tell you, it's pretty strange.

Who thought to put peanut butter inside taffy? I'm not saying it was bad. It was just something I would never have imagined. If it were nougat, like the Big Hunk, it would make a little more sense to me. But it does seem to be vanilla taffy, which is pretty close to the Big Hunk's chewy nougat. It took me a long time to eat, and the most interesting part was when the peanut butter oozed out from between the layers of taffy. Texturally strange, but satisfying. I think that's what I loved about it, and why I tend toward old-timey, off-beat candy. A Snickers is completely boring to me. The country's favorite candy bar isn't really on my radar. Maybe because I've had too many of them in my lifetime, I don't know. Maybe because they're too easy to eat and thus too quickly gone.

Days 176 & 177: Nothing Special

So, last night I tried Thai chicken pizza. Pretty good. Not as spicy as I expected, but yummy.

Today, I finally had a nectarine. It was sweet and super juicy, but I don't think I ate it right. I'm not really used to eating stone fruit, so I kind of ate it like an apple. Didn't want to get a mouthful of nectarine pit.

Sorry if that's not too exciting.

Day 175: More Peachy Pops

Sometimes, I get on a kick and work as many variations on a theme as I can. I had a muffin kick a few years back. Now, it's popsicles.

Tonight's batch was particularly tasty. And SO simple. For two popsicles:

1 1/2 cups peach slices
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp sweetener

Blend well. Freeze in popsicle molds. Enjoy.

I really had no good reason to combine peach and pineapple other than I had them both in my freezer. So I thawed them, hit them with the lemon juice to prevent browning, and blended them with Splenda (sugar would work the same, maybe even better). Yum, yum, yum.

Day 174: Spring Cleaning

I've been trying to clean out my cupboards and freezer this week, and so I've decided to skip grocery shopping for the time being and make do with what I have hanging around. So tonight's dinner consisted of a lovely filet mignon, leftover from a box of steaks my mother-in-law sent a while back, canned green beans that I doctored as well as I could (my husband must be responsible for their presence in our cupboard because I can't recall ever wanting to buy canned green beans), and a rice concoction made with wild rice mix, butter, onion, garlic, frozen spinach, and some crumbled feta that's been in our fridge just short of too long. I was surprised to find that it turned out to be a pretty good meal. Even the green beans were okay, since I sauteed some garlic and heated them up in that, plus I added some kosher salt. Plus, they helped me practice my food tossing. You know--mixing things in a pan just by flipping the pan's contents over on themselves. I've been using a method Julia Child recommends in Mastering the Art of French Cooking for learning to flip omelettes: I put a handful of navy beans (also something that needed to be used from my cupboard--score!) in a sautee pan and I've been practicing flipping them. According to Julia,

A simple-minded but perfect way to master the movement is to practice outdoors with half a cupful of dried beans. As soon as you are able to make them flip themselves in a group, you have the right feeling; but the actual omelette-making gesture is sharper and rougher.

So I practiced with the green beans, too, since I didn't mind if I lost them (I generally hate canned green beans) but I found that I'm getting good at this. Anyway. Here's the recipe for the rice, which I'm counting as my thing I've never had before for today.

1/2 cup wild rice mix
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth
1 box frozen chopped spinach, drained and squeezed to remove excess moisture
1/4 cup feta cheese (though more would be good, too)
kosher salt, to taste

Sautee the onion in the butter until translucent; add garlic and sautee about one minute longer. Add wild rice mix and sautee about two minutes, until it starts to smell nutty. Add chicken broth and bring to boil; reduce to simmer and cover; cook until broth is mostly absorbed (time will differ depending on rice mix; mine took about 40 min). Stir in spinach and cook until water is completely absorbed. Add feta and stir until spinach is heated through and cheese is distributed. Taste for seasoning. Enjoy!

Day 173: Ginger Peach Popsicles

It's officially summer! Yay! Also, I finally bought some popsicle molds! Double yay! I love frozen treats in the summertime, but I like to be able to make my own, so I can play with flavors and control ingredients (and calories). In my first popsicle attempt, I went for ginger peach, which turned out to be light and refreshing, something of a palate cleanser. Not the most dessert-y popsicle, and not creamy or incredibly sweet, but definitely pleasant on the tongue. Here's how I did it:

1 1/2 cup frozen peach slices
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
4 tablespoons Splenda
1/2 cup water

Whip these up in a blender, pour into popsicle molds, and freeze.

I do think the use of frozen peaches made the texture fluffier than it would have been if the peaches were fresh, but it also necessitated the use of water, which, of course watered it down (and made it need a little extra sweetener). For my next batch, I'm going to try to concentrate the flavors a little more; I've got some peaches and pineapple at the ready, and my blender is in the dishwasher. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, it'll be delicious.

Day 172: Lingonberry

When I bring home souvenirs, I usually bring home food. Which means that my main souvenir from Disney World came from the little shop outside "Norway" in the Epcot World Showcase, though it's actually Swedish in origin: lingonberry preserves.

I did bring this stuff home with the intention of having it as a thing-I've-never-had-before, but I didn't think I'd be having it so soon. I've been cleaning out my pantry, freezer, and fridge, and I'd planned to finally eat an old Lean Cuisine with salmon pasta for lunch, but butterfingers that I am, I dropped it on the kitchen floor and, incidentally, my foot. Thankfully, I was not burned. Also thankfully, I got to try my preserves, which otherwise might have sat on the shelf for quite a while, which would have been tragic because they are delicious.

I can only describe lingonberry preserves as mild, but that doesn't mean they were flavorless. Sweet, a little tangy. Just perfect, really. I often feel assaulted by the sweetness or sourness or seedy texture of preserves, but the lingonberry did not offend on any account. I had them on plain white bread with a little butter underneath.

Apparently, lingonberries are also called "cowberries," which I find slightly less appetizing and far less exotic. They're also known as mountain cranberries, though they really don't seem to have any of the extreme flavor I associate with cranberries, though what I picked up from Wikipedia is that they are quite tart, thus the reason for making them into jam instead of just eating them raw. They've got good Vitamin C, A, and B, and their seeds even contain Omega-3 fatty acids. So, wow! My lunch-in-a-pinch turned out to be great tasting and great for me.

Day 171: Playing Ketchup

Today, I tried something I don't think I ever could have conceived of: banana sauce, and not in a dessert-type way. This stuff is more akin to ketchup, and I assumed at first that it must have tomatoes in it because it is red. (Why is it red? It's naturally brownish--most likely from the oxidized bananas and spices--and it just looks better if it's dyed red.) And basically, it is a little like ketchup. I tried it on a hot dog. It's sweeter than ketchup, and maybe a little thicker with more watery runoff, but it's still tart and tangy like ketchup and it worked well with my lunch.

Apparently, banana sauce is popular in the Philippines, and has its origins around WWII when tomatoes were in short supply. The answer? Make ketchup with bananas! Pretty ingenious, really. Except somehow, this stuff didn't stick (Nutella has a similar story, but it's hugely popular, though I do believe it fell out of popularity in the US for a long time and was most likely brought back by the foodie boom). It's pretty good. You can't expect it to be just like Heinz, but it doesn't need to be. It's a perfectly good sauce of its own merits.

You should try it. You can find it at Cost Plus World Market (a major supplier of things I have yet to try).