The Husband gets to pick all the new events for next week- it’s the beer lover’s paradise all week plus three days, starting November 3rd and running through the 11th.
They love their beer so much here that an official “Beer Week” is Ten Days Long. Seven days? Bah! Clearly not enough time to properly celebrate the brews.
Here’s a great article by Ian Anderson writing for the San Diego Reader. It is full of events and information around one of San Diego’s favorite past times, next to identifying which air craft Miramar MCAS is flying over head, water temps at Swamis, and arguing over who serves the best carne asada fries.
San Diego Beer Week 2015 article by Ian Anderson in the San Diego Reader… click the pic to link
What’s going back to the store? THIS stuff. Yechhh!
Let’s get this review out there, right away: I wanted to scrape my tongue free from the residue of this vile paste. When we tried a small taste, I wanted to spit, but International Guy looked betrayed, “This stuff used to come in packets with your frozen ‘egg rolls’ when you were a kid?” Now I’m sure he is thinking terrible things about what Americans will let their children have access to via their kid’s frozen snacks.
As a matter of fact, there is no more American story than that of the founder of the company that made the favorite frozen egg rolls of my youth: Jeno Paulucci. The Italian frozen food genius.
From his 1993 obituary in the Washington Post:
“His first great success was a company called Chun King,” Ford said during his dinner address. “What could be more American than a business built on a good Italian recipe for chop suey?”
Luigino Francesco Paulucci was born July 7, 1918, in Aurora, Minn. His father was an iron miner and his mother, Michelina, ran a grocery out of the family home. During Prohibition, his mother sold bootlegged wine and also ran an illegal bar. After selling Jeno’s to Pillsbury, he founded Luigino’s and started the Michelina’s brand of Italian foods, named for his mother.
Mr. Paulucci donated millions to charities, public projects and other philanthropic efforts. He often visited his ancestor’s northern Italian village, where he paid for new bells to be installed in a church.
“They’re the biggest damn things in the world,” Mr. Paulucci told The Post in 1978. “The people there are still mad at me. It’s impossible to sleep very late in the morning.”
From the Michilina website, click to be linked to their product locating service!
Oh, and the goofy little egg rolls are still available- under the Michelina line at some stores! If you want a taste of your frozen food childhood, click the picture for a link that may just be a blast from your past.
“Korean Brand Pork and Potato Stew”Yea! Instructions in English, too…
A few months ago we picked up a frozen stew that was recommended to us by a friend of The Girl. After he promised that it would not be rocket-hot spicy, I was game.
I figured it would be good if served with some rice, so, while the rice cooked in my steamer (a laughably small steamer, according to our resident rice expert International Guy), all I had to do was heat up the stew in a micro-safe dish.
Smells pretty good…
Between The Husband, International Guy and me, we all decided that it isn’t too bad. It’s not too great, either. I think it would be good choice if you had a cold- just enough spicy heat to help clear your head. The potatoes didn’t fare too well with the defrosting, as potatoes are wont to do. But, the broth had a decent flavor. The pork smelled great, but was stringy and dry. And it was more of a soup than a stew- no need to serve over a rice or noodle.
Li’l Turtle Dude says “Go ahead, try something new today!”
Overall, I’m game enough to try one of the other flavors by this brand… but then again, I’m making myself get around to trying new things for the fun of it. I can say that I highly recommend trying new things for no reason in particular.
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Waffles are here for the season!
Pumpkin waffles crisp and warm from my toaster oven… waiting for my maple syrup and candied nuts (inspired by the box top).
No pie spices, so you can sprinkle on your own. But they do pack a big pumpkin-y flavor.
I like these waffles, and would definitely buy this product again.
The Boy came downstairs, however, and politely turned down these waffles and asked if he could instead destroy my kitchen make waffles from scratch. The Delicious Level of his creations are directly proportional to the Remaining Mess in the kitchen.
Vista may host the oldest and longest running Farmers Market in the San Diego area, but La Jolla has one of the best- the La Jolla Open Aire Farmers Market. A couple dozen international food stalls serve breakfast and brunch foods for you to snack on while you shop at a wide variety of produce stands- organic and conventional. Need to pick up some specialty oils, vinegars, or specialty food treat for a gift (or a treat for yourself)? La Jolla’s Farmers Market has you covered. To top off the variety of vendors the market includes upwards of forty or more stalls selling hand made clothing, trinkets, art, and the odd collection of curios for sale.
One guy dives shipwrecks, for instance, and has a small table of items he has brought up from the ocean floor. He’s dived all around the world and has brought up literally millions of dollars worth of gold and artifacts. Go visit him and ask questions- he’ll tell you about the most expensive individual find, oldest, surprising, and the dive that made him the independent hobbyist that he can be today. It was quite fascinating to hear his stories.
Smit Farms sells at several markets I visited this week, and I bought their cherry apple cider at Mira Mesa’s market, their onion and garlic pistachios at the Ocean Beach market, but The Husband was the one to cave in to their produce this time. The apple samples pushed him over the edge- we are now the proud owners of two pounds of honey crisps and one pound of those delicious grapes.
Anyone selling cage free eggs had great prices here- as a matter of fact, they were some of the best prices that I can recall from all the local markets. Some of the egg vendors really appreciate it if you can bring back the cartons and reuse them, how’s that for reusing and recycling?
This is a wonderful, lively, varied, great place to shop. We know people that spend the entire morning and afternoon here in La Jolla- they attend their church’s early service, eat a nice breakfast at Harry’s Coffee Shop, then hit the Farmer’s Market. I think they have a great thing going, for sure.
Did you know that Kashi foods started in La Jolla?Beautiful bracelets and colorful gifts for sale. Fabulous prices, too- those bracelets are $1 each! From Ariela’s Unique GiftsI didn’t know “chayote” were a soup squash…Never tried a guava… holy cow, they were delicious!
More than one person buying from Belinda’s Cocina swore to us that they eat here every weekend because it is The Best Mexican Food in The Entire Area. Our chile relleno and chorizo burritos were fabulous.
The chorizo burrito (right) didn’t stand a chance against The Hungry Husband. It was indeed DELICIOUS! So was my chile relleno burrito (left).
branching out... on a limb 