Recent Favorites

It’s been quite awhile since I wrote a “favorites” post, and while Shanti continues to be my favorite takeout (I have to admit, weekly – I can not get enough of their Vindaloo and Korma.), I do have some new favorite things I have stumbled across just in the past few weeks.

The King’s Ginger – Just days after our dinner at Enzo, we went to The Urban Grape for a whiskey tasting. I was still thinking about the Prosecco and ginger cocktail I had at Enzo, and when Urban Grape owner TJ recommended The King’s Ginger, I had to try it.

The King’s Ginger was specifically formulated by Berry Bros. in 1903 for King Edward VII. Rich and zesty, the liqueur was created to stimulate and revivify His Majesty during morning rides in his new horseless carriage – a Daimler. It has been appreciated by bon viveurs, sporting gentlemen and high-spirited ladies ever since.

While I don’t enjoy The King’s Ginger in the morning, a splash makes a perfect addition to a glass of bubbly. I am ginger-obsessed!

Bob’s Red Mill Teff – We have been doing most of our grocery shopping these days at Market Basket, and I am always impressed with their selection of Bob’s Red Mill whole grains, and for cheaper than other stores. When shopping for our healthy New Year, I decided to pick up a bag of teff to eat for breakfast.

I’ve been mixing teff with water and apple sauce and cinnamon, letting it soak overnight, and then heating it in the microwave in the morning. It’s the smallest grain in the world, so it lacks the weird texture thing oatmeal has for me. It has 7 grams of protein and 20% of my daily iron in 1/4 cup, and I usually eat about 1/2 cup. I am loving teff!

Whole Grain Teff (Tef, T’ef) an ancient North African cereal grass, is a nutritional powerhouse. It is the smallest grain in the world (about 100 grains are the size of a kernel of wheat!). The germ and bran, where the nutrients are concentrated, account for a larger volume of the seed compared to more familiar grains. Cooked whole grain teff makes a unique hot breakfast cereal similar in consistency and texture to wheat farina.

Darrell Lea Strawberry Liquorice – I had a meeting at the Pru last week (I’m doing their events PR through 2012, yay!), and after I needed to pick up some heavy cream at Trader Joe’s for my homemade tomato soup. It was chilly, I was tired and hungry, and somehow I left with all sorts of candy, including mini dark chocolate bars and these little strawberry Twizzler-esque bites. They pack a ton of strawberry flavor without being too sweet, and they are nice and soft, almost fluffy. I won’t be buying them again because I can eat a giant handful in one sitting and then my sugar crashes big time, but I love them!

Quinn Popcorn Vermont Maple & Sea Salt – I read about Quinn popcorn in Daily Candy and didn’t really think about it again until I was in Joppa Fine Foods in Newburyport and saw the popcorn on the shelves. I picked up the Vermont Maple & Sea Salt, and I love it. The maple and sea salt come in a separate packet, as does canola oil. Once the popcorn is popped, the oil goes into the bag, followed by the maple and salt, it gets a big shake, and it’s sweet, salty, and crunchy goodness.

Quinn Pop­corn is microwave pop­corn reinvented!

Our pop­corn ker­nels are organic and non-gmo. On top of that, we are ditch­ing the plas­tic and Teflon patched bags, hydro­genated oils, arti­fi­cial flavorings, and replac­ing them with recy­cled and com­postable paper, expeller pressed oils, and simple, mouth-watering ingredients.

Quinn Pop­corn is nat­ural and cul­ti­vated, our ingre­di­ents clean and pure, and the fla­vors dis­tinc­tively sweet, savory, and salty.

Tea – I have pretty much realized I am a tea hoarder. My mom got me this beautiful Wissotzsky tea for Christmas, and I love that it is a mix of caffeinated favorites, some new teas, like a cherry black tea, and decaf options that are perfect on ice, like wildberry nectar. Decaf teas help me to stay more hydrated while providing an exciting change from regular water.

Do you have any new or old favorite things I should try?