Friday, February 13, 2009

More Spices


After weeding the raised bed and cutting the grass I spent the morning organizing and labeling my bulk spices. Another project crossed off my "To Do" list.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Penzeys and British Gourmet in Scottsdale



*** May 2011 Update - I am getting lots of hits on an old entry for Penzeys and British Gourmet so I thought I'd post an update. Penzeys has relocated to Tempe Marketplace. The store is fabulous and they are planning a location in the west valley as well. Sadly - British Gourmet has closed.***


Two of my favorite food related shops are located just about a mile apart along Hayden Road in Scottsdale. British Gourmet is on the south west corner of Hayden and Thomas. They carry all sorts of food items that are difficult to find outside of the UK. HuzBen is a big fish and chips eater and loves the malt vinegar they stock. I usually treat myself to a bottle of black currant flavored soda. They carry many more British food items than CostPlus, as well as candy, beauty products, soap, teas, and baking supplies. British Gourmet has a small freezer section when you can also pick up things like steak and kidney pie.

Half a block north of British Gourmet is Penzeys Spices. I ordered their products online and I was thrilled when they decided to open a store front in Scottsdale. They only sell the highest quality spices and spice blends. Products come in various sizes so you can buy a small shaker of something you want to try out, or you can purchase a larger quantity in a cellophane bag if you want to refill a bottle you purchased previously. (The "green" way to go!) Penzeys also sells empty bottles so you can experiment with blending your own spices and herbs.

Monday, February 09, 2009

More George Foreman Chicken


I love onions, but Vidalia onions are a particular favorite. Last week at Costco I purchased Oak Hill Farms Vidalia Onion Vinagrette Salad Dressing and it is tasty! It's great on salads but my favorite way to use it is to coat boneless chicken breasts with the dressing and grill them in my George Foreman Grill. The dressing is so full of flavor that you don't even need to marinate them in the dressing, just brush it on and grill. For an extra kick you can add a thin slice of onion on top if the chicken about halfway through the grilling time.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Tomatoes from the garden


Looks like we were successful at winterizing the raised bed veggie garden this year. The tomato plants along the end of the garden that looked half dead a few weeks ago are now completely green and covered in blossoms. Today I picked the first of this year's Sweet 100 tomatoes. Tiny, but tasty.