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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Spinach Recall



The Fresh Express company website is here. As of 7:27 am Thursday Nov. 8th 2012 I saw no mention of the recall in their news links. Nor in any obvious place.  
They did a voluntary recall on their 9oz bags due to a salmonella positive result in 
some of their testing on the 7th.  

Monday, November 5, 2012

Vs. Hibachi China Buffet

This was a great food experience.  We decided we wanted an Asian buffet.  We chose Hibachi China Buffet.  It is located in a very nice location.  We expected the typical Asian buffet experience, food that has been sitting out for hours, few if any guests, dim lighting, a tired played out asian music cd being repeated for the 100th time, and waitresses that looked irritated that we had come to interrupt their texting.
We were really surprised, the place didn't compare to any buffet we had ate at before. Upon arriving we were greeted by 2 large stone statues.  The inside was packed,  we did not wait to be seated very long.  Maybe the wait was 5 minutes.
To entertain us there was an expensive koi pond which featured some nice looking fish and even 2 small turtles.  Brilliant almost flamboyant lighting was everywhere you looked. 
The food was fresh and fantastic. I started off with a sushi plate.  
The sushi is made there fresh in front of you. The sushi chef worked tirelessly preparing the rolls.  
All of it was delicious.  
 My next plate was heavier, it was steamed and fried dumplings with chicken teriyaki
and an egg roll.  The dumplings actually had a taste to them and the meat filling inside of them.  I never had either before that had a taste. The chicken teriyaki and egg roll were about average.
 I ordered a beef soup and they asked which type of noodle I wanted. I gave them a clear answer and what I got was a mix of 2 different types.  That was not the bad part of the bowl of soup.  The beef soup tasted too much of vegetables, and the meat was tasteless. I barely had 2 spoons. Disappointing.
Next up was the hibachi, you fill your plate at the station with the meats and vegetables that you want and tell them what sauces you want.   I choose onions, mushrooms, noodles, and steak. 
Was well prepared and tasty.
 Lastly, for desert I had some sweet strawberry cake, a type of whipped pineapple treat and some cherry sauce covered bananas.  For a Chinese buffet desert menu this is very common.  
The cakes were very good but the exact same as any other Chinese buffet I have been to.
The cakes were very good but the exact same as any other Chinese buffet I have been to.
 
The architecture really gave a sense of being in China.  



Overall experience was a good one. Will return to eat here again.  It had a great atmosphere.
The waitresses were nice and always ready to fill your cup.

A Pantry Challenge


The Challenge is to use what you have stored up in your pantry to make interesting new dishes by clearing out some things that have been in the pantry taking up space.  
If you have a sparse pantry then you might need to wait till its stocked up more.  
But, if you have a bit of selection you might discover some favorite meals by mixing what you have to find some great creations.  A can of spinach and some pasta shells go very well together.  
It rests solely on your items in the pantry and your ingenuity to find things that will work.  
To get you started, here are Some Ideas.  
Good luck and please let us see what you have come up with.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

A camping Stove that Charges phones?

Found this beauty today. It is a camping stove that can power USB devices. 
From the reviews I have seen this is another must have product.
It is a campfire stove that burns small pieces of branches or sticks. As it gets hot, a fan blows and creates a  cyclone.  This airflow forces the fire to get hotter.  This heat in turn gets turned into electric energy which charges your USB devices.  Current prices I have seen are around $129.  For something this functional it is well worth the price.  Can be found here.