Foodie Pen Pal! Ninth Month – April 2013

That’s right! Foodie Pen Pals is back! And it is reveal day once again

This is part of a program called Foodie Pen Pals in which every month I get/send a basket from/to another foodie from around the country. Then, every month, everyone reveals who their pen pal was, what they received, and get to see what everyone else got on the same day

This month I received a fantastic package from Erica Richardson of The Land of Salt.

Erica seems to have pretty varied tastes from her blog so I was so excited to see what she would send me.

First off she sent me a combination of what you have heard time and time again are some of my favorite two ingredients to combine… quality caramels and quality salt. In her letter to me Erica said this is the only salt she uses now. I can see why. A little bit goes a long way and it is quality. I know most people assume all salt is the same… not so. The crystalization is able to change flavors and textures, the coarseness of the grind changes the way a dish cooks. Quality salt is a must and this one did not disappoint. I think we all know I combined these two to make an awesome salted caramel sauce, but I have a lot of salt leftover that I have been using as I cook.

Next she sent me some amazing oils, vinegar, and honey, all local to her. I always have a use for great balsamic vinegar and olive oils, so these were a welcome treat. The Balsamic is going to be used for a grilled flank steak and the oils for all sorts of creations. As for the honey, I had a taste, it is superb. Sweet, smooth, and sultry. As for what I am going to use it for… I will let you know when I decide.

Finally, Erica sent me something I very rarely treat myself to. A gourmet spicy sausage… salami style. I rarely treat myself to these because I am often disappointed at the quality. NOT THE CASE HERE!!! This was my favorite item of the package. A wonderful spicy after kick, great flavor, fantastic texture, not dry at all. I ripped into this as soon as I opened the package and it barely lasted for anyone else to even have a taste. Thank you!

Thank you so much Erica for a truly wonderful Foodie Pen Pal package. Please check out what she got from her pen pal and her fantastic blog, thelandofsalt.com.

As for what I sent, my pen pal recipient was Judy Thompson. Judy does not currently blog, but I will be doing a special SECOND REVEAL DAY later this week that includes what I sent to Judy

Why the second reveal day you ask???? Because Judy was so nice and thoughtful that she sent a surprise package back to me! What did she send? Tune in later this week. Also included in that post…

A MAURPOWERFOODIE GIVEAWAY!!!! In order to pay it forward for the kindness of Judy sending me a package back, I am going to giveaway a duplicate of the package I sent her to one lucky follower. Details to come in that post, so pay attention and you too could get a MaurPowerFoodie Penpal Box.

Well, thus ends my ninth Foodie Pen Pal experience, and again it was an extremely positive one. I can not wait till May’s list is revealed and I get to do it all over again, month after month. If you want to take part in this program check it out:

Be sure to stay tuned for the big reveal each month, the second reveal this week, and the GIVEAWAY! Until next time, this is Jason “MaurPowerFoodie” signing off… Thanks for reading.

Foodie Pen Pal! Eighth Month – March 2013

That’s right! Foodie Pen Pals is back! And it is reveal day once again

This is part of a program called Foodie Pen Pals in which every month I get/send a basket from/to another foodie from around the country. Then, every month, everyone reveals who their pen pal was, what they received, and get to see what everyone else got on the same day

This month I received a fantastic package from Victoria Shimmons of Reluctantly Skinny (A problem I would not be reluctant about in the least.)

Victoria may concentrate on healthy recipes, but you would never know it from the absolutely amazing package of treats she sent me!  For those of you who know me, you will know just how well this package fits to tastes. So… What did she send me? Good question.

First off she sent me something I use for A LOT of different purposes… high quality Apricot preserves. Not only is apricot the most commonly used preserve in my house for bagels and toast, I also often use it on my chicken, meatloafs, and pork chops. PLUS, for those of you who have had my BBQ, or saw me on MasterChef, the most popular of my BBQ sauces in my Peach Apricot Habenaro BBQ sauce, which uses none other than a quality Apricot Preserve like this one. Great thing to receive.

Next she sent me Biscotti. While I have yet to find a biscotti to rival my Mom’s homemade recipe, this was a fantastic flavor and great quality. Chocolate and caramel (which in my humble opinion, one can never go wrong with), this bag of crunchy goodness was gone in only 2 days! I just could not help myself…. SOOOOO GOOD!

Finally, Victoria took a trip to a local chocolatier and sent me two amazing finds. First, as I have said many a time when I receive these, one of my absolute favorite bites, salted caramels. From the label on the box, I had a great feeling about these. I was able to contain myself to indulging in only 1 per day till they were gone, but that was a difficult challenge. As for the next item, it was something I had not experienced before… “Tiger Bark”.  Similar to a peanut butter fudge (which I love), this had a slightly different texture. It wasn’t quite the same melt in your mouth as fudge, instead it was somewhere between a dissolve and a melt, which I actually did not mind at all. Plus, the flavor was out of this world. Put a small chunk of this on a cracker, or a pretzel, or an apple…. **drools**. Two absolutely fantastic gifts to complete a truly MaurPowerFoodie tailored package, perfect for tantalizing my taste buds.

Thank you so much Victoria for a truly wonderful Foodie Pen Pal package. Please check out what she got from her pen pal and her fantastic blog, ReluctantlySkinny.com.

As for what I sent, my pen pal recipient was Emily Dicks. This package was quite possibly one of my favorite I have sent, so I hope she enjoyed it. Be sure to check out her blog to see what I sent her at “It Bakes Me Happy”

Well, thus ends my eighth Foodie Pen Pal experience, and again it was an extremely positive one. I can not wait till April’s list is revealed and I get to do it all over again, month after month. If you want to take part in this program check it out:

Be sure to stay tuned for the big reveal each month! Until next time, this is Jason “MaurPowerFoodie” signing off… Thanks for reading.

The Iron Bridge @ 100 Church Hill – Sandy Hook, CT

Last week I posted a teaser trailer posing a very important question…. Did I find a new Best Burger in CT.  Some of you may remember when I took my trip to Pub 25 for an inside look at the building of my favorite burger in the state. Well, I was told that I had that right there, in the same town there was competition I had not tried yet. The “Home of the Burger & Brew”, The Iron Bridge @ 100 Church Hill.

So, I  took a trip to the Iron Bridge to try this Burger & Brew deal. First things first, if you are looking for a good deal, this is it. $9.49 gets you a 12 oz gigantic burger, curly fries, a fried onion brick, and a mug of draft beer. It is so much food, I could not finish it in one sitting after starting of my meal with the soup of the day, a sheet crab & corn bisque.

When Iron Bridge says “Soup of the Day”, you can tell they mean it” Fresh ingredients and made that day. With a little bit of Cajun flare, this bisque had great depth of flavor and just a bit of kick on the after taste. The owner Ray, told me they have one regular who lives all the way up in Hartford and makes the trip just to have this soup when it is on special. After my soup, I knew Pub 25 might actually have competition for its crown, so I took a trip into the kitchen to see where the magic was made. What did I find…?

…A plethora of fresh, hand formed burgers larger than a fist. These monstrous creations looked great. A little bit leaner than your average burger with a 90/10 ratio, I could still see that a lot of thought, time, and trial went into making these burgers exactly how Ray wanted them to be. The next step in the process is to season and flame grille these babies. Flame grilling gives you great flavor and a nice slight char on the outside. I went back to my seat and waited for the delivery of this…

Topped with sauteed onions and bacon, by creation was complete. So first I had to go right for the burger. Juicy,  well cooked… This is a great burger. Now, when it comes to burgers I have found there to be two major schools of thought. First, let the meat talk for itself… keep the seasoning light, and just make sure you use fresh, quality meat. This is what Iron Bridge does and they do it extremely well. I would liken this style of burger to the home of the original Hamburger Sandwich in the Country, right here in New Haven, CT… Louis Lunch. Very simple but very tasty. The second school of thought is to try and enhance the flavor of the meat with the right seasoning blend. Big, bold flavors that play with your taste buds. This is the style of the burger at Pub 25. So which is better? I will get to that in a little bit. First, back to this meal. As I mentioned, you also get curly fries (these were pretty standard, but perfectly cooked with a nice crunch but not overdone) and an Onion Brick. This onion brick, to me, was the highlight of the meal. Think crispy onion straws to the EXTREME! They take a bunch of very thinly sliced onions, dip them in a perfectly seasoned beer batter, and fry them together into a brick of unhealthy, fried goodness. Crispy on the outside, and nice flavorful onion on the inside, what makes this special is not only how well it is cooked or how well it is seasoned, but the fact that the batter does not overpower or hide the flavor of the onion. Over all, this was a fantastic meal.

So now, onto the verdict… Did Iron Bridge take away the throne from Pub 25? Well… this all goes back to those two schools of burgers (see how I tied everything together), and my personal preference are those big, bold flavors offered by Pub 25. Just remember, this is a matter of opinion. Iron Bridge still offers a great product and is well worth your trip to try it for yourself and make your own decision. I know I will be back to try some of the other dishes I saw make their way out of the kitchen while I was there.

While Iron Bridge may be “The Home of the Burger & Brew”, it is not the home of my favorite burger in CT. Pub 25 can keep that title…. for now.

Until next time, this is Jason “MaurPowerFoodie” Maur signing off…. “Om Nom Nom… mmmmm…. Burger….”

Foodie Pen Pal! Sixth/Seventh Months – October/November 2012

First and foremost, I am sorry for my delinquency in my posting. Between a hurricane and a NorEastern that caused to losing power, the loss of my beloved computer (and purchase of a new beloved computer), and the performance in a Light Opera, I have unfortunately fell behind. However, that just means I need to make up for it with some awesome new posts… Starting with FOODIE PENPALS!!!

This is part of a program called Foodie Pen Pals in which every month I get/send a basket from/to another foodie from around the country. Then on the last day of the month, everyone reveals who their pen pal was, what they received, and get to see what everyone else got

In October I received a fabulous package from Brandy Gamez. Brandy sent me a fabulous package filled with many things I never would have bought or tried for myself. This is one of the great things about this program. We all have different tastes and get to share those tastes with complete strangers, introducing them to foods they never would have eaten otherwise. First of the wonderful note.

Then… the food! Brandy sent me some amazing rice thins.  A great healthier cracker that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Some Ranch Pretzels which provided me with the perfect at work snack. An olive tapenade that is being saved for a special occasion with friends. Some smoked oysters, and you all know how I love everything smoked. A wonderful package of gelatin (I will wait till the post to show you what marvelous plans I have for this amazing ingredient. And then, the ingredient I never knew I would like… SEAWEED CRACKERS! This healthy snack substitute is flavorful and enjoyable. I may be looking for these in a store near me once I finish the ones I got.

Thank you so much Brandy! I loved my package and hope you got a great one too. Check out what I sent to Maeve Bartik of Adventure with Maeve.

Now, onto November (at least I am only a day late with this one). In November I got a wonderfully seasonal package from a Meg Mullaney of In the Kitchen and On the Run. Be sure to follow her on twitter @kissthecook_meg. I got some fantabulous Thanksgiving treats just in time for the holiday. First her pretty in pink letter to me

And of course, the food!  Some wonderful breakfasts in the form of pumpkin bars! Yummy! Then a cranberry apple butter which I have been delightfully spreading on my toast. An amazing box of cranberry pistachio biscotti. Now I must admit something, my Mother makes the greatest biscotti in the world. Nothing I have ever tasted is as good. That being said, this was still delicious and finished off by myself rather hastily.  The extend bar and coffee are being saved for a desperate all nighter when I need to prepare for a trial, or a holiday party, or something of the sort. Then finally some baked Jalapeno Cheese Crunchies (these may have been from Brandy talked about above, the boxes got mixed up at one point, but I think I got it together right). These are like high quality spicy cheetos. Which makes them the perfect late night TV watching snack.

Thank you so much Meg for the amazing holiday package. Hopefully you got some fantastic stuff as well.

Well, thus ends my sixth and seventh Foodie Pen Pal experiences, and again it was an extremely positive one. I can not wait till December’s list is revealed and I get to do it all over again, month after month. If you want to take part in this program check it out:

Be sure to stay tuned for the big reveal on the last day of each month Until next time, this is Jason “MaurPowerFoodie” signing off… Thanks for reading.

Foodie Pen Pal! Fifth Month – September 2012

Another last day of the month (a day late… sorry), which means another Foodie Pen Pal reveal day.

This is part of a program called Foodie Pen Pals in which every month I get/send a basket from/to another foodie from around the country. Then on the last day of the month, everyone reveals who their pen pal was, what they received, and get to see what everyone else got

This month I received a fantastic package from Christina Becker of “Cooking Something Up”. Christina did something I have done with most of my recent packages, simply walk around the store and buy things I would want for myself and then send them. But we have more in common, she also is in law school and I am a couple of years out of law school practicing in CT. What a coincidence! So… What did she send me? Good question.

First off she sent me something I can’t get enough of… Good BBQ sauce! Now I tend to make my own BBQ sauces, but it is always helpful to have a good bottle in the fridge to use in a pinch or when you don’t want to spend the time making it. This one did not disappoint. I may have to take a trip to the “Twin Cities” to try their BBQ first hand, because if their fresh BBQ is even better than their jarred (as I expect it would be) it is worth trying. Next were the Touch of Salsa CornSticks. As so often with Foodie PenPals. This is something I have never seen nor tried before. They were a great snack. I bit of spice, good flavor, great crunch and perfect for munching on while watching the game.

Next she sent me two of my favorites. First a bunch of cinnamon sugar pita chips. I love pita chips and this is my favorite flavor! They were fairly immediately devoured… Thanks! Then comes my favorite flavor combination, sweet and salty. Christina sent me a absolutely delicious sea salted caramel. I often get this flavor cupcake at Crumbs bakery and can not get enough of it. Yum! There was one unfortunate casualty in this box (which actually happened to me a couple of months ago) in that the jar of Green Olive Salsa that was in the box broke. Fortunately, Christina was smart enough to have wrapped it in a plastic bag so it did not end up getting all over everything else.

Thank you so much Christina for an amazing Foodie Pen Pal package. Please check out what she got from her pen pal and her fantastic blog, “Cooking Something Up”.

As for what I sent, my pen pal recipient was Jennifer Kindred. This package was similar to the one received by me, extremely random, but I also wanted everything so bad, I bought one of each for me too! Jennifer does not blog yet, but has volunteered to do a guest post for my blog! I am looking into how she does that now and hopefully once I do, she will share it all with you

Well, thus ends my fifth Foodie Pen Pal experience, and again it was an extremely positive one. I can not wait till October’s list is revealed and I get to do it all over again, month after month. If you want to take part in this program check it out:

Be sure to stay tuned for the big reveal on the last day of each month Until next time, this is Jason “MaurPowerFoodie” signing off… Thanks for reading.

A MaurPowerFoodie Challenge: July/August 2012

Last month I announced my first ever MaurPowerFoodie Challenge and you got to pick 5 mandatory ingredients! The ingredients picked were Brown Rice, Garlic Chives (Thank you Michael Chen, fellow MasterChef Season 3 competitor), Cantaloupe, Buttermilk (Thanks to Ben Starr of MasterChef Season 2), and Pickled Whitefish from Ikea (Thanks a lot Abe… from law school). Another subscriber, Dave Miller, of MasterChef Season 1, did not get his ingredient of miso in before the other 5, but I went ahead and decided to use it anyways. So here I am, with an odd combination of ingredients to say the least, but I came out with a killer dish in the end! This month I made a Buttermilk Battered Fried Pickled Whitefish, over a garlic chive and lemongrass infused buttered brown rice, served with a cantaloupe miso broth. Anyhow, I am sure you are dying to know how I made it, so let’s go step by step.
First, the broth:

I started with a whole cantaloupe, which I juiced. Take a look at this melon. Ripe, fresh, and delicious:

I then sauteed some garlic in a bit of olive oil. I added a little bit about three stalks of chopped green onion. I also put the stems in there to get some more flavor out of them, but remember to remove them at the end. Next, add the cantaloupe juice (I used 3/4 of the melon’s worth and then poured myself a glass of the rest of the refreshing nectar). Bring this to a boil and add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Then add just a little bit of hot pepper sesame oil. Remember, a little bit of this goes a long way, so no need to be heavy handed. So it looks like this:

Now, remove from the heat (VERY IMPORTANT! YOU DO NOT WANT TO BOIL THE MISO). Add 1 1/2 tsp of white miso paste and stir allowing the miso to dissolve completely in the broth. Set aside and simply reheat when ready to use!

Next we have the Brown Rice. This is pretty simple. Take 1 cup of brown rice, 1 cut up stalk of lemon grass (big chunks are better because you are removing it after cooking), some finely chopped garlic chives, 2 cups of water, and 1 tbs of butter and put it all in a pot. Bring to a boil. Stir once, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 50 minutes.  Remove top, remove lemongrass chunks, and stir.

Next is the buttermilk batter. Again, really easy. First take 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tbs of garlic powder. Sift the dry ingredients and put in a large mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, lightly beat 1 egg and then add 1 cup of buttermilk to the egg and mix together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until you have formed a smooth, liquid batter… like this:

Finally comes the roughest part of this challenge. Doing something with pickled whitefish from Ikea. And yes Abe, I even went and got it from Ikea… See:

This stuff is extremely salty and slimy, so I wanted to do something to get some of the moisture and salt out of it so it did not simply fall apart while it was frying. I simply took the pieces of fish out of the pickling juice and let a paper towel sponge out some of the moisture and salt along with it.

After I had sponged out some of that moisture came the easy part. I heated peanut oil up to 350 degrees, battered the fish, and fried it in the oil.

This leads us to the assembly of the plating. First a nice circle of rice in a bowl, leaving enough room around the sides for the broth.

Next a few pieces of the fried whitefish on top of the rice.

Then add broth around the sides of the rice, pouring a little bit on top of the fish (we don’t want to soak the batter and get rid of that amazing crispy outer shell).

Finally, I topped it off with a little bit of caviar and there we have it!

In my first MaurPowerFoodie challenge I think the score definitely goes MaurPowerFoodie: 1; Challenge: 0. While I am very happy with how this whole dish turned out, the best part was that broth. It was killer! I will most definitely be using that broth on a regular basis. Rich in flavor and color, definitely make yourself a nice cup of cantaloupe miso soup, maybe with some shrimp.

Which leads us to the next month’s challenge! Remember my 5 mandatory ingredients are up to you and based on the first 5 comments to this post (provided they are available to me at a somewhat reasonable price). You must follow the blog AND leave a comment on this post for me to use your ingredient suggestion. One ingredient per person. Then I will take the ingredients and in September make my dish and do a post about it. Then, on that post, I will take suggestions for the next month’s challenge ingredients. Be creative but also be thoughtful, because as fun as it would be to watch me squirm with some odd ingredient combo’s, it would also be great to give you all new recipes you can use at home when looking for something delicious. Remember, for me to use your ingredient, you must BOTH follow the blog AND leave a comment on this post. I will definitely use the first 5 ingredients and then as many of the others as I can.

The creative juices are flowing, so let’s get this party started. Until next time, this is Jason “MaurPowerFoodie” Maur signing off.

 

Foodie Pen Pal! Fourth Month – August 2012

Another last day of the month, which means another Foodie Pen Pal reveal day.

This is part of a program called Foodie Pen Pals in which every month I get/send a basket from/to another foodie from around the country. Then on the last day of the month, everyone reveals who their pen pal was, what they received, and get to see what everyone else got

This month I received a fantastic package from Shelby Suzuki aka “Everyday Vegan Girl”. Shelby sent me a package of many things I would never have bought for myself before but plan to by now. Thank you for introducing me to so many new and wonderful products. First up as always is the wonderful note sent to me by Shelby. As she said, I better like coconut, almonds, and chocolate… luckily, I LOVE all three. **Spoiler alert** The note has a list of all the items received, so if you want to be surprised, skip over it.

So what were these wonderful treats. First up, an item that does not appear in any pictures because I accidentally ate them all first… (my bad) Inca Corn Nuts. Salty, crunchy, and the perfect movie snack. So much healthier than popcorn and in my opinion tastes better too without getting all stuck in your teeth. Then we have  a Cocoa Almond spread. Much like Nutella, it is versatile and delicious. Absolutely love it and use it a few times a week. Then an almond butter. I love nut butters, but I so rarely by them for myself and when I do it is usually peanut butter. So having a bit of variety was fantastic. Then was the organic food bar. Chocolate and coconut… yumm. I am not usually a big fan of these bars, but I must admit. This one was pretty good. Worked perfect one morning when I was running late and needed a quick bite to eat to hold me over till Lunch. I may look into some of the other flavors of this brand and try them out. Then came one of the biggest surprises of the box: the chocolate sundae began candy bar. I am not sure if it really tasted like a chocolate sundae, but it did taste quite yummy. I nice crunch, sweet and salty mix. I would definitely eat more of these. Finally, one of the most unique items in the box, ginger chews. These candies have a great deal of spice but are so different and simply superb. Only for those that enjoy ginger and spice, but if you do… GET SOME!

Next we have a wonderful cranberry almond trail mix. Great salty and sweet mix (my favorite flavor combination) with a bit of tartness thrown in for good measure. Quality trail mix that I really enjoyed. Bare Naked really does have some wonderful products. Then, one of my favorite ingredients to use both in cooking and as a drink mixer… Pineapple juice. Try it with some Disaronno, I call it the “Nutty Hawaiian”. My favorite drink. Speaking of favorites, my favorite item in this month’s package, these SunTree cinnamon almonds. Almonds coated with cinnamon, vanilla, and cream cheese. Each bite was like eating a mini Cinnamon Almond Cheesecake. I MUST FIND MORE OF THESE. They were so good. Really… Please tell me where I can get some more… Om nom nom.

Finally, last but certainly not least was a great addition of the homemade variety. Shelby’s very own Coconut trail mix… WITH RECIPE. This mix had a great crunch, a tad bit of sweetness, and I have made it since and will make it again. I could not help but grab a handful as soon as I opened the package before I even took my pictures. Take a look!

Thank you so much Shelby for an amazing Foodie Pen Pal package. Please check out what she got from her pen pal and her fantastic blog, Everyday Vegan Girl.

As for what I sent, my pen pal recipient was Tasha Malcolm. This package was a bit more random, but definitely a lot of fun items, some of which were inspired by items I had received in the past. To check out what it consisted of, head over to Tasha’s blog!

Well, thus ends my fourth Foodie Pen Pal experience, and again it was an extremely positive one. I can not wait till September’s list is revealed and I get to do it all over again, month after month. If you want to take part in this program check it out:

Be sure to stay tuned for the big reveal on the last day of each month Until next time, this is Jason “MaurPowerFoodie” signing off… Thanks for reading.