Category: Food Finds

The Alliance Bakery on Division (just west of Ashland) has iced cookies in the likeness of baby Stewie’s head, from Family Guy. They totally rule. Definitely gets my vote for Most Creative Use of Football Shaped Cookie Cutter. Heh.
While I’m at it, their kolaczki are very tasty soft cookies filled with cheese (yum) or fruit, but their multigrain bread is kind of squishy and not so hot. I guess they are best at sweets, as they have very good chocolate macaroons also, and sitting out at one of their sidewalk tables with a coffee and the Reader is a splendid way to pass an early weekend hour.

As you wait for me to get my ass in gear and post stuff from our trip, let me just note that Whole Foods had some goat’s milk in quarts, and i picked some up on a whim yesterday. It’s great! It’s just like drinking regular milk, but with just the faintest whiff of goatiness. I love it. The subtaste of it reminds me of something from way back in my youth, but i can’t think what — maybe the nonfat dried milk we used to get? No, it is a *good* taste…. hmm. I will ponder.

This is the same label that makes the completely fabulous UK chips that come in flavors like lamb+mint, roast chicken, thai sweet curry, etc. But here in America, all we get is ranch, tarted up as if it’s something interesting. Arrrgh!
(in googling for a link to the UK chips – sorry, crisps – i found this. Chippie knows where it’s at, yo.)

B also brought back an exquisite little miniature Sacher torte, nestled in its wooden box straight from the Hotel Sacher itself, which we shared at a gathering of friends while I was back in Boston recently. I miss all my friends there, and I wish I could just pack them all up and bring them here with me, so they can enjoy what I’m enjoying and always be close at hand. Alas, it is not possible, and so we drowned our sorrow in dark chocolaty apricot goodness.

my dear friend B took a trip to vienna recently, and apparently ate nothing but pork and strudels. Not really. But almost, and wouldn’t that have been fun?
And then he brought me back this little bottle of joy.

Apparently this is a great Austrian specialty: the oil of toasted pumpkin seeds. It’s all dark brown and nutty, with that interesting bite of acridity that pumpkin seeds have. Lovely drizzled on roasted winter squash, and I can’t wait to put some into a squash soup or a celeriac soup. Yummy! Thanks, B!

While we are discussing fabulously excessive things to eat, check out the chocolate covered potato chips I read about on cheat eat. heh heh heh. Next time I have chocolate fondue, i am so doing this.

oh my heavens to betsy: Danish Viking Smoked Sea Salt. Look for the endorsement by Dr. Biggles of Meat Henge on the home page! All those who give gifts to the FoodNerd, be ye apprised of this fine product. 🙂

I love when leftover cider starts to ferment in the fridge and gets all effervescent, and just a shade boozy. Yummy.
I have some apple-pear cider from seedling orchard (at Green City Market) that was really lovely when it was fresh, and these last couple of glasses that fermented are pretty darn nice too.

mmmmm, liverwurst. I got a jar of organic Alnatura leberwurst while in Germany over the summer, and i’ve been eating it for lunch this week. It’s almost as good as the transcendently delicious stuff that H bought for us at his local butcher during our visit. Rough textured, meaty, soft and melting, with a bit of spice. I guess that I am going to have to have H and spleen bring it back for me whenever they go back and forth to the old country…

H and I were yapping about tortillas the other day and she mentioned El Milagro brand, made here in Chicago. And then she gave me a bag of El Milagro tortilla chips. Holy mackerel — these are the best tortilla chips I have ever had. Really salty, really crispy and crunchy, not too thick, but with a strong, hearty corn flavor. Yum yum. I am sure I am getting fatter and fatter this week because I am pretty much eating these things at least 2 meals per day: with zucchini-bean-cheese saute, with chili, with green zebra/lime/cilantro salsa, and once as a quickie breakfast. Not sure where H got hers, but saw them in Cub Foods on Elston last night, and I’d imagine they are available across the city — keep your eyes peeled for ’em.