My local stores no longer carry Canfield's! I thought maybe they didn't make it anymore. Anyway, yummo! I think that anyone who likes chocolate would like this.
Just discovered great pickles from Rick's Picks - lots of different varieties and shipped without breakage. Great for a crispy, savory low-calorie treat http://www.rickspicksnyc.com
N.O. Brew Coffee Concentrate...Crack for coffee lovers!
I discovered this in a New Orleans grocery. N.O. Brew Coffee Concentrate is made in Harvey, LA - it's the real deal. Just add milk, cream, or half and half...and you have the best fancy latte ever! Out of your own refrigerator...No calories, No fat, No sugar...just a big jar of deliciousness.
It's my go-to pick-me-up in this hot, Southern summer when I want a treat. Since I'm doing Atkins, I dilute a little heavy cream with water and add to the concentrate with lots of ice.
Great flavors...mocha, french vanilla, decaf available on-line. They're super-nice and ship it to you quickly and cheaply.
Trader Joe's almond butter -- mmmmm. I made a dessert with a sprinkling of cocoa and some SF whipped cream on top, along with the almond butter. It was yummy!!
Trader Joe's pesto - spread on top of a beefsteak tomato, top with mozzarella, and broil for 5 minutes. Yummy!
I completely refuse to eat most supermarket cheese since I started buying artisan cheeses online. DH frowns at the bill...but smiles when he tastes it.
I also buy different finishing salts.
Williams Sonoma has the best steak/chop rub ever. Their coffee and spice rub is a staple in our house.
Really good quality, raw honey is a favorite around here as well.
We buy 1/2 cow once a year (which we just lost due to Hurricane Gustav ). It is cert. organic from a local farm. The cost isn't THAT much more, but enough that we don't eat meat every day of the week. We also buy organic chickens and eggs at the local farmers market. Last week, I saw fresh goats milk and cheese, so I'll have to pick some up. It makes meat so much more enjoyable!
Oh, and I don't drink often (well, never right now) but when I do....I don't drink cheap stuff. We splurge on beer (franziskaner is our favorite) and wine. It makes our drinking experiences much more enjoyable and something to remember!
Like barbara, i love the specialty mustards. i love dill mustard and some of the hot ones too. Some of them aren't available locally so I stock up when I find them.
Pickles too. I'm lucky, my mom makes the best ones ever. And the price is right, she always makes me a few jars. And her sourkraut is the best ever.
'm so jealous Amanda!! Think next time your FIL goes to Italy he could stock up for all of us?
I'm a regular TJ shopper and big fan. I always find something new and delicious there. And their prices are good. I find some pretty good stuff at T.J.Maxx too.
We have a few farmers markets pretty near and I usually find some interesting things there too.
I like to make weight loss/maintenance a game. It's fun to find things that help
Spices from Penzey's (http://www.penzeys.com). I redo all of my spices every year to keep them all fresh. It's a worthwhile expense to me.
I so agree-IMHO there are no fresher spices than Penzeys. I am lucky that their Dallas store is around the corner from my office and next door to my hairdressers so I stop there frequently. I highly recommend a subcription to their magazine...so many good ideas! We had taco salads for dinner last night (I make the taco meat with ground turkey breast and ground sirloin in equal proportions) and I use their taco seasoning-its the best! We also have some awesome bulk spices here in Dallas at Sprouts and Central Market.
Pepper Belly's Dirty Jalapeno olive relish with garlic and their Habanero salsas are a MUST in our house-my bf and I put them on everything. Actually, I have quite a collection of hot sauces. We have the Zest Fest here in Fort Worth every September (sponsored by Chile Pepper magazine) and I stock up each year with fresh sauces straight from the vendors...we like spicy and hot.
There is a fig balsamic vinegar that I buy in Williams Sonoma that is so good on grilled veggies. Actually I like a number of their oils.
Josephs Oat Bran & whole wheat pita bread is also a must. A whole pita is only 60 cal, 1.5 g of fat and 5 g of fiber- only 1 ww point! Also the Western bagels are good too for only 1 WW point and now you can get them (and their english muffins) in WalMart.
I almost forgot- Bell Plantation's chocolate PB2. It is SO GOOD and so much more diet friendly than regular or reduced fat peanut butter. It comes dehydrated (the oil is pressed out) and you mix with water. A serving is 52.2 cal, 1.42 fat g, 1.03 fiber g and 3.85 protein g-compare that to 11-17 g of fat for 1 T of regular pbs...its hard to find in stores (only 2 in Dallas carry it but their website has case specials.
Last edited by Arlene Dallas; 11-02-2008 at 04:25 PM.
I discovered this in a New Orleans grocery. N.O. Brew Coffee Concentrate is made in Harvey, LA - it's the real deal. Just add milk, cream, or half and half...and you have the best fancy latte ever! Out of your own refrigerator...No calories, No fat, No sugar...just a big jar of deliciousness.
It's my go-to pick-me-up in this hot, Southern summer when I want a treat. Since I'm doing Atkins, I dilute a little heavy cream with water and add to the concentrate with lots of ice.
Great flavors...mocha, french vanilla, decaf available on-line. They're super-nice and ship it to you quickly and cheaply.
I completely refuse to eat most supermarket cheese since I started buying artisan cheeses online. DH frowns at the bill...but smiles when he tastes it.
where do you buy your cheese online? just curious. i love cheese but haven't really been introduced to anything "real"...lol.
Raspberry-Chipotle Sauce:Fontana Farms is one source for it, they also sell it (although a different brand) at Cost Plus. It's great on chicken and in sandwiches. I also make little pseudo pizzas with pitas and use 1 tbsp as a topping instead of tomato sauce. It's very spicy so a little goes a long way.
I bought this today solely because I of this post! It sounded so good (Raspberry + Chipotle, how could you really go wrong?) that I had to go over to cost plus and see if they carried it. To my delight, they carry it not only in the big bottle but in a tiny sample size jar as well! I know you mentioned three examples above, is there anything else special you use it with? What do you put on the pita pizzas?
Hi, I'm new here...I love this thread...my favorite topic! Food!
I can't suggest many products to purchase ready made, but I do have some ideas for things to make yourself, if anyone wants the recipes. There is one staple I buy and use in a lot of recipies because it adds the hot spicy flavor I love in so many dishes, and it's the best I've found. It's called "Chili Garlic Sauce" TUONG OT TOI VIET-NAM, by Huy Fong Foods, Inc. I buy it at Cash and Carry, a restaurant supply house that sells wholesale and retail. It is so hot and spicy, I just love it. I add it to my special diet "miracle soup" (a recipe I got off TV) to zip it up, and to most of my sauces. I find that the spicier the food, or the more flavorful, the more satisfying it is.
I also buy Mae Ploy curry paste (it comes in green, yellow or red) from Cash and Carry (much cheaper than the little tubs you can find in the grocery store). It is the best intense curry flavor I've found. I like the yellow and red...not so much the green.
I recently made some green tomato relish which is incredible. Itis sweet & sour, and would be great on many dishes, and the flavor is really pungent. It's made with green tomatoes, red onion, red bell pepper, vinigar and brown sugar and some spices.
I make my own salad dressing out of apple cider vinigar, splenda, salt, and the chili garlic sauce. You could substitute sugar for splenda, because it's so strong you don't need much of it. You could also add a small amount of oil, depending on your dietary needs, or fat-free, or low-fat yogurt to make it a little richer. I was trying to create a flavorful fat-free sauce to dip lettuce in at night, when I had cravings. I use this sauce for flavoring low fat cottage cheese, and in fat free yogurt, it would make a good veggie dip. However, I prefer curry and garlic flavor in my yogurt veggie dip.
I read a tip about sucking on Atomic Fireballs when you are craving food and don't want to eat (because they are super hot and spicy, and they are jawbreakers, so they take a long time to dissolve). They are not available in Oregon, so I need to order some on-line.
I have a wonderful recipe from Williams Sonoma for a basic stir-fry sauce, which is better than anything I've ever purchased, and is easy to make. I don't actually stir fry my veggies...I steam them and serve them on jasmine rice. Then drizzle with stir-fry sauce, sprinkle with a few drops of hot chili oil (SunLuck or any brand is fine), a spoonful of toasted sesame seeds (I buy them bulk and toast my own). Delicious. I lived on this the last time I dieted and lost a lot of weight.
I love Penzey's spices, but don't have a store near me, so I buy a few items from the catalog, but mostly use the catalog as a guide to blend my own custom spice mixes. I buy my spices in the organic bulk spice section of my local health foods store. Much cheaper than buying them from Penzey's catalog and paying for shipping.
My favorite treat every day is my morning latte. I bought a $40 espresso machine and brew a cup of espresso, topped with steamed whole milk (1/2 cup), and it's like having a dessert every morning, instead of just a cup of coffee. You don't need cream or half and half...1/2 cup of whole milk is only 75 calories, and it foams up so well with the steaming, it's like whipped cream...stirred gently with the coffee, and it's like having coffee flavored whipped cream.
You can add a touch of vanilla sugar sprinkled on top (less than a teaspoonful) to make it even yummier. I make my own vanilla sugar, with vanilla beans from Penzey's and it's much cheaper than buying it in the store...but I do have to buy baker's sugar (super fine) to make it, so for most of you, it would be easier just to buy it.
Thanks to the suggestion for wine powder. I've never seen that, and I would love to try it. I don't dare have real wine in the house, or I'd drink it rather than cook with it.
Last edited by recidivist; 12-16-2008 at 10:56 PM.
N.O. Brew Coffee Concentrate...Crack for coffee lovers!
). It is cert. organic from a local farm. The cost isn't THAT much more, but enough that we don't eat meat every day of the week. We also buy organic chickens and eggs at the local farmers market. Last week, I saw fresh goats milk and cheese, so I'll have to pick some up. It makes meat so much more enjoyable!
i've fallen in love with many of their store brand items, myself!
