pumpkin for lunch…

…pumpkin BEER that is!

Don’t judge. What’s the difference between having it for lunch or for dinner? Seriously.

With fall just around the corner, pumpkin beer is EVERYWHERE. And I’m on a mission to try them ALL. OK, well maybe not all–I am only one girl and the hubby won’t help me, which leaves me to drink a six-pack all by myself–it takes awhile.

For those who don’t know me well, I am a pumpkin-FREAK. I love everything pumpkin and fall is my favorite season. So, pumpkin beer is just one of the many things I get to enjoy this time of year.

Today is my free day (whoo hoo!) and perhaps the FIRST Tuesday since starting school that I haven’t also had to see houses/get an oil change/meet a friend for coffee, etc… So, today really is free for me.

That doesn’t mean I slept in….but I did get some good studying in this morning, then hit the gym for some weights and 40 minutes of swimming.

I came home and made this:

Half a veggie/hummus/cheese sandwich with most of an apple (I gave Hadrian some) and ants on a log! Who’s had ants on a log in the last…I don’t know, TEN years?? Anyone? I had celery in the fridge and got inspired. YUM.

As I said, I’m into pumpkin beer right now. I really do want to find a go-to pumpkin beer/ale that I KNOW I like and can look forward to every fall. I’ve tried Blue Moon’s variety and don’t really like it. I know I like the Buffalo Bills Brewery’s version (their Orange Blossom Cream Ale is awesome, too!). (Side note: Buffalo Bills Brewery is in CALIFORNIA. Not sure why…can’t find anything online that explains their name. Grrr.) Last time we were at Wegmans, I decided to give Post Road’s brew a try, which is what I had today. Don’t really like it so much. It’s really “hoppy” and not pumpkin-y at all.

Next up: Southern Tier’s Imperial Pumking.

I first heard about it a week ago on Kath’s blog and was really intrigued by her positive comments. It doesn’t hurt that Southern Tier is brewed here in New York–it’s at the very southwestern tip near Pennsylvania. In fact, every time I see the “Souther Tier” label, it brings back fond memories of visiting Andrew while we were in college and I would drive along the Souther Tier Expressway on my trip from Philadelphia. So anyway, I’ll be trying that in the near future, as soon as I can get through the last two Post Road bottles…

On another side note, Souther Tier has TONS of different brews and their website actually has a great page explaining them all. You can get them all over, but our Wegmans has a “you-craft-your-own” six-pack option in which you get to choose from a bunch of loose bottles and mix and match. They always have a bunch of Southern Tier varieties, so I’m looking forward to doing that next time to try out a couple different ones.

I think one of things I love about food is the HUNT. As in, the hunt for my favorite beer, or favorite muffin recipe (remember when I made SIX different blueberry muffin recipes in one morning? Wish I’d been blogging then…) or favorite whatever. I love having a go-to recipe or restaurant. I love being a “regular.” It’s my dream in life that Andrew and I will be “regulars” somewhere here in East Aurora, maybe a few different places. Actually, the last time we were at Rick’s our waitress recognized us from the previous time we were there…does that count? And I’ve made friends with the owner of Taste, so that’s a good step.

I digress, but that’s the beer talking. Must let this pseudo-buzz pass before I start REAL work!

i <3 wegmans

I love grocery shopping. LOVE. (Unless it’s overly crowded, and then I hate it.)

Had to pick up some items yesterday after my meeting with one of the dietetics professors at Buffalo State. I wanted to meet with someone there to make sure I’m on the right track with the classes I’m taking at ECC, and just get an overall “warm fuzzy.” Mission accomplished, and in record time! I fed the parking meter five quarters (1 hour, 15 minutes), but only needed two of them! Oh well, instead of looking at it as a wasted 75 cents, I hoped it would bless the person who took the spot after me.

Goodies! I was making Ina’s “Weeknight Bolognese” from her “How Easy is That?” cookbook; it’s a huge favorite of ours. I needed a few things for the recipe and few staples we were running low on.

We’ve gone organic! Well, at least mostly. I’m really making an effort to buy more organic and/or local food. I love that Wegmans stocks local produce and highlights the farms from where it comes. The key to buying organic is getting the biggest bang for your buck.

For example, I eat a TON of spinach and yogurt, so those are things I should make sure are organic. But the random can of tomato paste or the gallon of milk Andrew and I won’t get through before it goes bad? Those would be a waste of money. Also, think about WHAT you’re eating. Does it have a thick, outer skin you peel like a banana or an orange? If so, skip organic. Most of the pesticides stay on the skin and since you peel it off, it’s no biggie. Strawberries and spinach–you eat the entire thing, so it’s wise to get organic in that case. One more thing: get informed about WHERE your food comes from. Different kinds of produce often have different amounts/types of bad stuff sprayed on them or in the soil, depending upon where they’re coming from.

Local broccoli (does it not look amazing?!), red bell peppers and peaches. I bought the broccoli and peaches from the same farms (at Wegmans) last week and was SO IMPRESSED with both of them.

I sprang for the “San Marzano” tomatoes for Ina’s recipe. A lot of the tomato recipes I have call for “San Marzano” tomatoes and I’ve always wanted to try them, but never wanted to pay more. I was in a mood yesterday and just went for it! I did end up with the Wegmans brand, cheaper by 30 cents, but at $3.69 for ONE 28-ounce can, it was still an arm and a leg. The deal with the tomatoes is that they’re grown in a special part of Italy (near the water I think) and allowed to ripen for longer than all the other tomatoes, so they’re deeper, and darker in color and richer in nutrients and flavor. (See Andrew? I bet you didn’t think I knew all that stuff about them.) The verdict: While I’m sure they are a little better, I probably won’t choose to spend extra dollars on canned tomatoes–I’d rather spend it on local/organic food!

Also pictured: 100% whole wheat Italian bread from Wegmans’ bakery. I knew Andrew wouldn’t be pleased, but this girl likes whole grains! We had it toasted and rubbed with garlic for dinner last night and I intend to make french toast with some of it this week, too.

Figs! Ever since my party at Susy’s back in August I’ve had figs on the brain. They’re in season now and I’m doing a food post for the EA Co-op on figs this week, so I had to pick up a container for the recipes I’m going to make! I’ll let you know when that’s up. (I’m actually going to turn THIS post into a ‘grocery store how-to’ post for them today as well…)

You can’t have figs without blue cheese! Seriously, even if you HATE blue cheese, you must try them together with some honey–AMAZING! Thankfully, this little package of the mild variety was also the cheapest.

I keep cheese sticks around 24/7 for snacks. I love to pair one with an apple for between classes at school or after the gym. I usually buy mozzarella cheese sticks, but this time I wanted to get organic ones. Again, I eat A LOT of cheese sticks, so it would be worth it to buy organic. However, I couldn’t find any (which surprised me, maybe I was looking in the wrong place?), so I ended up with Cabot brand sharp cheddar sticks. They were actually a bit cheaper (although the package was smaller, 8 vs. 12) and I thought it would be nice to change it up a little. I really like Cabot brand–it’s a co-op (!) owned by dairy farmers and all natural. Not to mention they’ve won tons of food awards for their cheeses… I bought their regular yellow cheddar last week in the sliced version for sandwiches. No processed cheese “food” for this girl!

Raspberry Vinegar!!! I found it! I have been looking for this forever… I have an awesome wild rice recipe from one of Ina’s books and it called for this kind of vinegar and I can never find it. FINALLY. Now, if we could only buy a house, wait two months to close, move in, and unpack my cookbooks…I could make it.

New Yorkers love their food

Andrew was remarking the other days about different foods that are unique to Buffalo. My mouth started to water and I thought perhaps yours might start watering, too.

1. WINGS. Couldn’t start this list without that one. They were invented at The Anchor Bar, but everyone has their own local favorite. We love Pasquale’s and those from The Bar-Bill Tavern, in East Aurora.

2. Beef on Weck.

3. Mighty Taco.

4. Sahlen’s hot dogs. They are amazing and you can buy them in the grocery store. Awesome.

5. Ted’s Hot Dogs. See above–Ted’s is a chain of hot dog stands and they serve Sahlen’s. Even our hotel serves Sahlen’s on their hot dog night. Really, hot dogs in general are all over the place. Some call them “red hots” and there are chains and stands all over. I don’t get it.

6. Pizza. Just like hot dogs–everywhere. Unlike Ohio or Chicago, there isn’t a distinct “style” around here–no exceptionally thin or thick crusts or weird toppings. People just really like their pizza. We love Pasquale’s, (see Wings) hands down.

7. Ice Cream. It’s everywhere, and I mean, EVERYWHERE. Andrew once told me he saw something on TV about how there are more ice cream shops/stores/stands in the Northeast than in the South (where it’s actually hot). It’s so true. New Englanders and Northeasterners love their ice cream! (I realize ice cream is not unique to Buffalo, but it’s still EVERYWHERE. I’m in heaven.)

8. Sponge Candy. It’s a little weird, but people here love it. It’s kind of like a chocolate truffle, and on the inside is an airy, toffee-like flavored candy that dissolves almost immediately in your mouth.

9. Schwabl’s. They’ve been open forever and it has that ‘old-fashioned’ feel. They’re famous for their beef on weck, but I didn’t think it was that special. Apparently they serve Hungarian Goulash on Saturdays, so we’ll have to make sure to try that next.

…and the one thing we CAN’T find much of around here: ETHNIC FOOD. There are some places, and we’ve tried a couple different Thai establishments, but there just isn’t the variety that you can find in other places. Sure, closer to Buffalo there are more choices, but trying to find ethnic food closer in East Aurora is pretty much impossible. And no, I don’t count Chinese take-out as ‘ethnic.’