Just Say 'NO!' to High Fructose Corn Syrup or 'YES!' to Pepsi Throwback

i am a pepsi girl from way back, probably because my dad, was and is, a coke in the 8oz bottle man. i was the new generation. at least that is how the dead MJ sold it while his head was on fire. these days i don't do high fructose corn syrup, so that leaves pepsi out of my fridge. i am not perfect on my NO HFCS fight, so, on occassion, i have been known to indulge on a fountain pepsi at Riverdale Cinema or Target. i heard back in May that pepsi would put out a natural sugar version, for a limited time. i was in. i looked for it here and while out west on vacay and never did find it. so, early this week a new quest began. i called the local Pepsico to see where in Little Rock the natural sugar soda was sold. my question was met with with an exhale and an "i don't know, Kroger? Wal Mart?". i told ms. helpful senior that i had not seen it at Kroger and she abruptly put me on hold only to come back to tell me that the person i needed to ask was "not there". i told ms. helpful senior that we would both be happier if she liked her job and said good bye. ah, technology. 20 minutes later, my cell phone rang, it was ms. helpful senior, apologetic, asking forgiveness and armed with a list of stores that had ordered Pepsi Throwback in the last month. funny, not 1 Little Rock grocer ordered it. i was directed to Big Star in Mayflower. within 4 minutes of that phone call i was on my way to Mayflower and within an hour i had seven 12 packs safely hoarded. if Big Star is out try Harps in Conway.

Big Star
582 Highway 365
Mayflower, AR 72106
(501) 470-3770

pump your brakes kid

yesterday, my suggestion was to go see a film to indoctrinate you into conscious eating only to read in today's paper that Heifer Project has replaced FOOD, INC. with a documentary triple feature about bees. i am cool with bees. i have looked into some local bee keeping classes and someday would like to have a couple bee hives, so this isn't a terrible bait and switch. FOOD, INC. is showing at Market Street cinema today at 1:45, 4 & 6:45, their website is down so i can't tell you if this documentary will play through next week. i have a call into Market Street to find out. OK, here's the 411 on why Heifer is not showing FOOD, INC. this sunday: the distributors of the film asked Heifer not to show it while it is currently being shown in a paying market. the anonymous Heifer source did tell me that FOOD, INC. will be part of the fall free moo-vie (yes, moo-vie) series. Every Third Bite, Pollen Nation and Seeds, Hope and Concrete are the 3 documentary short films that will show this sunday at 3pm. i still plan to go to the bee triple play and you should too.

Market Street Cinema
www.marketstreetcinema.net
1504 Merrill Dr
Little Rock
(501) 312-8900

and

Heifer Ranch
1 World Avenue
Little Rock
(501) 907-2697

do you love animals? then show it.

FOOD, INC. i don't read full synopsis or reviews of movies. i like the ride. here, i am recommending you see a film that i don't know that much about. i could go into food is energy, (not that kind of caloric energy or fuel for the body) but energy as in the, we are all made of energy, the interconnectedness of everything and conscious eating (eating less, being aware of where your food comes from, the treatment of food animals, poisons/pesticides in the environment), but i will leave that to Kathy Freston and her book Quantum Wellness. you can check out her views and listen to her at oprah.com, at the soul series, at http://www.oprah.com/article/spirit/inspiration/pkgoprahssoulserieswebcast/20080915_oaf_oss_archive/2 thank you VADBooher for the oprah link!

check out part 2 of her discussion with O, it pertains to this topic more. i am not saying become a vegetarian or a vegan, but at the very least buy your meat with a conscience. say NO to factory farms.

back to the documentary FOOD, INC.

Heifer Project International is sponsoring this film sunday, August 2 at 3pm. GO. don't worry, it's free, what do you really have to lose, 'cept 94 minutes of your life?

Heifer Project International
www.heifer.org
World Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72202
(501) 907-2600

a rainy tuesday morning

7am, tuesday, Argenta Farmers Market. this rainy, tuesday morning, the word market doesn't really fit. 2 farmers, 2 tents. in the few minutes i was shopping a couple other freshophiles showed up to buy. there is something fun about cutting out the middle man, even in the rain. my bag of fresh ingredients (shown here) will soon be turned into this week's feasts. make the effort. you'll dig it. tuesdays & saturdays 7-noon.

Argenta Farmers Market
6th & Main Street
Downtown, NLR

Super Local and Super Convenient (for me)

The Station Grocery & Deli. super local and super convenient. a friend received a gift card for dog sitting services, so i went along to help spend it. before shopping we had some lunch. i ordered the smoked turkey & swiss sandwich, shown here. griddled like a grilled cheese the 8-grain bread was buttery and crisp and slathered with mayo and upscale mustard. inside, avocado, red onion and springmix. i ordered mine with kettle chips but healthier carrot sticks are an option. add a 95¢ Blue Sky Organic soda and you've got a pleasing lunch. don't skip out without perusing the shelves, more items are stocked than one would think. magazines, local artist made greeting cards, arkansas long grain basmati rice, War Eagle Mill bread mix (yeah! i will dig out my bread machine!) and my all time favorite dijon mustard, Maille. what are you waiting for? get lunch and go shopping.

The Station Grocery & Deli
1001 Kavanaugh Blvd.
Little Rock, AR 72205
501.664.3200

would you like some whine with your food blog?

rule #1 for writing a food blog: remember to take food photos. this has been my challenge of the week. tuesday, i prepared a delicious organic, free range, Falling Sky chicken and rice dish using 3 beautiful leg quarters. forgot to take a photo. wednesday, i ate at Bossa Nova. forgot to take a photo. saturday, i made a beautiful bib lettuce and water cress salad with an artichoke heart from Boulevard Bread Company and homemade vinaigrette to go along with a grilled Margherita style pizza complete with fresh farm tomatoes and a pre made pizza crust from the Argenta Farmer's Market and prosciutto and mozzarella from Boulevard Bread. forgot to take a photo. so, today, all you get is whine.

Molto Bene or cute cherry tomatoes in a can!

cherry tomatoes in a can. no...you haven't seen them before. sure, you've seen them whole, diced, puréed and with basil or green chiles, but this 365 Organic Everyday Value brand are tiny, whole, cherry tomatoes imported from Italy. i picked these up on accident at Whole Foods Market last week and had a delightful surprise when i realized what i had purchased. they make an old stand-by recipe fun. try 'em, you'll like 'em. on sale now as you can see from the yellow tag. oh, the shelf is stocked with 4 less cans than pictured here.

Whole Foods Market
10700 N. Rodney Parham Road
Little Rock, AR 72212
(501) 312-2326

cooking with suzieQ or learn to make a tamale, yo

suzieQ came to the rescue on my tamale quest. she is shown here making it all look pretty damn simple, which she insists it is. ok, putting it all together didn't take that much time, it wasn't all that messy, they steamed for about 45 minutes and they turned out delicious. if you want to make your own, the basic recipe is on the bag of masa. i will outline the magic she performed and you will learn that a tamale can be almost anything you want it to be. she used Falling Sky chicken, found at the Argenta Farmer's Market on Saturdays, for these chicken tamales. the ingredients are few, cooked meat or the veggie filling of your choice, masa, canola oil (the masa bag suggests lard, she didn't do that), dried chile peppers, corn husks and a few of your favorite seasoning, in this case, cumin & salt. she de-stemmed and softened the dried chiles in hot water and whizzed them with a hand blender to make a chile tea, she used the tea in the masa mix and also added it to the shredded chicken filling. the masa was made following the recipe on the bag, except for the canola oil substitution for the lard and she added some chile tea to give it a bit of a kick. the filling is a free for all, use what you have on hand and season it how you like it. pat the prepared masa out on the corn husk that has been pre softened by hot water, add a dollop of filling and roll, this is where experience is nice, suzieQ's tamales looked professional while mine were a wee bit sad. stand them on end in a steamer basket and steam for 45 minutes or until they come away from the husk easily. it's that easy. i normally end these with the address of my subject, i will refrain here, suzieQ might not like that.

gelato, a delicious addiction

Italian Yogurt gelato. a delicious addiction. tangy and just the right amount of sweetness. shown here in size small. it's the only flavor i order, you may call that stuck in a rut, but addicts are not known to switch up their habit. i used to make a close home version of this, but that was pre Za Za. they say they employ a gelato chef so flavors will vary daily based on the gc's whims. you've seen gelato on menus elsewhere & you've seen it in the freezers of upscale grocery stores, don't, it's not the same. the creaminess will be lost. in-house made gelato is the only way to go. so go, go to Za Za and just like your old drug dealer, you will get a taste, a taste that will keep coming back for more. pick your own favorite flavor, i don't want my dealer to run out of mine. $3.50 for small, $4.95 for large or go for a 1.1 lb for $13.50 or a 2.2 lb (that's a kilo) for $23.50. 

Za Za Fine Salad & Wood Oven

5600 Kavanaugh Blvd
Little Rock, AR 72207
(501) 661-9292

Hot Tamales

tamales. i have been on a quest of sorts since my favorite tamale man stopped selling his homemade goods from the trunk of his Cadillac on Kavanaugh Blvd. this river market trip brought me to Kent's where the old school, string tied, tamale bundle caught my eye. i bought a pack of 6 for my neighbor. later, i asked her if she liked them and was told "i didn't know what the meat was, it was a mixture, i think." that puzzled me, i guessed they were pork, but, now, i had to try them for myself. i purchased my bundle last Friday and was told the filling was chicken and that they were made by Lackey Hot Tamales in Tuckerman, AR. ok, let me start by saying the cornmeal of the tamale has a reddish tint and you can definitely taste there is some spice to it, that's where the hot in hot tamale comes in. the filling is not discernable, so, i get what my neighbor was talking about there, it is a very fine shred to the meat. all in all, not bad, i like that Kent's is selling the old school tamale and supporting a small business. maybe you should too.

Kent's Downtown Meat Market

Ottenheimer Market Hall/River Market

375-1900

fresh squeezed o.j. or happiness in a glass

fresh squeezed orange juice. if you are cool enough to make your own, or a big enough food snob to know where you can get it freshly squeezed around town, i like you. i don't drink the stuff from the carton & you shouldn't either. i've only run across a couple places locally that squeeze their own, but i'll admit, i haven't been on a hardcore o.j. tour. i can't understand the restaurants that serve breakfast & don't squeeze their own, yeah, i get it is labor intensive & pricier, but the taste is worth the extra buck. Satellite Café squeezes their own, but i must tell you that it is a pulpfest in a glass. Boulevard Bread Company, both locations, makes o.j. to order (shown here in size small). you deserve some happiness in a glass, if you can't make your own, stop by & let them squeeze it for you. 

Boulevard Bread Company

East side of the Little Rock River Market &

1920 N Grant Street
Little Rock, AR 72207
663-5951

Spaghetti and Meatballs or Why is my purse clinking?

Friday night i found myself at D'Carlo Pizzaria & Ristorante out on Stagecoach Road. ok, it was early, somewhere between 6:30 & 7p and the place was empty. i have eaten there before and wasn't too keen on returning, but not having a better culinary idea, i was there. i figured i would order safely and chose the linguine with meatballs for $9.95 (the menu gives you the pasta choice of spaghetti, linguine or rigatoni). a basket of rolls and a small plate of balsamic vinegar dipping sauce came to the table first. the rolls were round, fresh and topped with sesame seeds, so far so good. next up, a dinner salad, iceberg lettuce and a tomato slice dressed with an italian style oil & vinegar, plain, but, pretty good. the linguine arrived with 3 meatballs. i cut a meatball in half and was pleased that it was tender and cooked just right. the marinara sauce had a hint of sweetness. the linguine was cooked perfectly. my overall rating for the linguine & meatballs is above average, meaning if you have been disappointed with spaghetti & meatballs at other restaurants, then you should give D'Carlo's version a try. By 8:30p, more people were dining, but the place certainly wasn't busy. If you are into wine, chances are they've got one you will like. i sampled a Mark West pinot noir, and no, i didn't take the wine glasses, why would you think that? 

D'Carlo Pizzaria & Ristorante

Monday-Saturday, 5-9p

12325 Stagecoach Road
Little Rock, AR  72210
501-407-0400

Zucchini Soup or Double D adventure

here's a follow up on my Argenta Farmer's Market zucchini. i used the 14" zucchini for the soup pictured. i don't advise using a large zuc. i have made the soup twice, once with small zucs & this one with the overgrown zuc. the small zuc version had a much better texture, smoother & creamier. using a large zucchini made the soup fibrous. this soup recipe has very few ingredients and it is quick, easy and tasty. trust me, i wasn't jazzed about the idea of zucchini soup, but i was pleasantly surprised with the flavor boom of the basil (or pesto) and the thick creamy consistency. all that said, my recipe follows.

zucchini basil soup

this puréed soup only has 5 ingredients (no, i don't count h2o or salt & pepper).  it is creamy without the cream!

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

equipment: stick blender or blender

2 lbs zucchini, small, trimmed & diced

4-6 small leeks, trimmed, washed & sliced (or 2-3 regular size)

2 garlic cloves, smashed

3T olive oil

1 bunch basil leaves, stems removed & torn

3C water

2t salt

Add olive oil to dutch oven, add leeks & 1 teaspoon of salt, sauté on medium to medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. add garlic and stir, add diced zucchini and 1 teaspoon of salt, stir & place lid on for 5 minutes. after 5 minutes, stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes with the lid. check zucchini, it should look like it is cooking through, add 3 cups of water, partially cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes. remove from heat. taste and add salt & pepper (i use white pepper). add basil. Use stick blender and blend until smooth or if using a blender, blend in small batches, make sure to remove center piece of blender lid & cover lid with a kitchen towel and blend on low speed and work up to high speed.

NOTE: you can substitute pesto for the garlic & basil! 

add 1/4 cup of pesto & omit the garlic & basil. 

add pesto just before soup is puréed.

Cajun Sno, a perfect summer time heat buster

ah, shaved ice. in this case, a strawberry cream Cajun Sno. the texture of this shaved ice is indeed much like snow. not coarse like the snow cones of old. this is the perfect Little Rock ice treat. a few years ago, i was known to buy 2 at a time, one for the drive to the pool & one to devour while at the pool. the anticipation begins a few weeks before Memorial Day, on an unsuspecting afternoon the purple shack appears in a parking lot on Kavanaugh Blvd. i watch, i wait, i make drive bys, until one day, the green board that covers the window is propped up & it's open for the summer. Cajun Sno has reappeared in the same parking lot for several years, so, i was afraid when the owner told me he was graduating college, afraid for myself that maybe his lofty post graduate dreams would no longer include serving me my summer time treat, fortunately, for me, the business survived his degree. then, to my horror, i saw a note posted on the window of Cajun Sno stating that the owner was getting married, fear struck, but, the following May, Cajun Sno reappeared & reopened & i am glad. too many flavors to mention, prices range from $1.75 kiddie size to $2.75 for large. add .25¢ for cream. go get one!

Cajun Sno

summer hours: 2p-9p everyday

3000-3100 Kavanaugh Blvd.

(between N. Spruce & N. Monroe)

that's a quarter not a dime or 14" of embarrassment

i am a regular at the local farmer's market. finishing up this week's visit, most of my bounty was tucked safely in a Little Rock Recycles bag, except for the zuc (pictured). at 14" and a potential tomato squisher, i opted to carry it when i heard: "that is embarrassing." i looked at the scruffy, ruggedly handsome farmer squinting & piercing my purchase with his blue eyes. my first thought was "yeah, embarrassing b/c you are juvenile and, well, yeah, ok, this is phallic." normally, i would quip a dirty remark & keep going, but, instead, i stopped and asked him if he was speaking of my newly purchased zucchini that the farmer down the way, let me "have" for a mere buck. he said "yes, that is an embarrassment, when i was little my dad boxed all the big ones up and sold the whole box for $1, calling them double Ds. i didn't know what double Ds were then". i gathered from our conversation, or rather his rant, this variety of zucchini will grow too large from, uh, garden neglect. an average sized zucchini of this type should be plucked from the vine at 5-6 inches. letting one grow to say, 14 inches (like above) is, well, a garden mishap. with that one sentence, blue eyes turned my cheap eats into a farmer's market rip off. i scratched my head and turned toward my car & blue eyes had one last piece of advice for me: "if you are using that for bread, you can still use the small ones, that would be better."  i will post how the 'double d' soup turns out.

Cuisinart Rice Cooker & Steamer

no, no, no, you don't *have* to buy one of these to achieve kitchen bliss, but, it's my favorite new counter clutterer.  i have used it 3 times in the week i've owned it and it hasn't failed me yet.  i have made arkansas brown rice, white rice & hard boiled eggs, yes! hard boiled eggs.  the eggs were cooked, or, uh, i should say steamed perfectly. add 4 eggs to the steamer basket, add 1.5 cups of water to the unit, place the steamer basket on the unit, add the lid & turn it on.  Set your kitchen timer to 21 minutes.  plunge the steamed eggs into iced water & there you have the most perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs you've ever put into your gob.  no embarrassing green ring to humiliate you in front of your friends...if you had any.  i bought the 4 cup unit, don't get cute, unless you're a Duggar, you don't need the 8 cup unit.  if you are making rice rinse it, the finished product will be less sticky & hey, you don't need the extra starch. 

$49.99 @ Bed Bath & Beyond.  dont forget that 20% off coupon!