Recently in Product Reviews Category

My new best friend Alex over at Ile de France Cheese must listen in on me when I talk in my sleep. Because there is nothing in the world I love more then cheese. And my hubby says that I never really talk in my sleep but when I do, I am always talking about food. Eggs and cheese to be specific. Can you say one track mind? Well Alex dropped me a little email, and then he dropped me a little package. A little package that held some of the yummiest goat cheese I have had in a long time.

The first tomato of the season.

Perfect. And soon, even more perfect.

First I cut just the top of the tomato off and gutted the poor fella:


Diced up 2 stalks of asparagus:


And cracked an egg into the tomato:


Um. Egg shell in focus, tomato, not so much...

Carefully pushed the asparagus pieces into the egg white, not breaking the yolk:


Like my lil tomato holder? It is a sauce cup I swiped from PF Changs. Shh...

Then roasted it in a 400° oven for 10 minutes. The egg was slightly set at this time. Then I topped it with a nice big round of Ile de France goat cheese, and broiled it for 5 minutes more.


Topped it with some cracked pepper and kosher salt and ate it all up before the hubby could wake up and steal it from me. Ha!

It was amazing. The egg cooked just enough for the yolk to ooze out when cut into. The asparagus and the tomato roasted nicely and the browned and melted goat cheese brought the whole thing together.

Perfect.

Mmm Popcorn. Looovvveee popcorn. But I am really peculiar about it. I HATE microwave popcorn - drives me insane. Sometimes it sends me running from the room. The smell just doesn't make the taste buds drool like fresh popped at a carnival or stove top - or even in a theater with the heart attack in a squirt bottle fake butter. Ah yea - I do loves me some of THAT. But now. NOW I find this kryptonite in a bag. Courtesy of Rocky Mountain Popcorn.

ZOMG! This stuff is addicting. Insanely so. It started with one innocent bag. It was on sale and looked promising. I am not one to turn down trying something new. I am constantly asked "what won't you eat girl?" And yet, bagged popcorn has never been on my list of snacks either. I grew up during a time when fast food popcorn was available at every mall. Sour cream and onion, cheddar, caramel, chocolate, butter, etc. You name it we were able to get it. Fresh, hot and often. (So close to that R rating there huh?)

Those shops are all but gone now. So fresh flavored popcorn has become practically extinct. At least where I have looked for it. But this stuff - this Jalapeno Popcorn from Rocky Mountain - is AMAZING! It tastes FRESH. It is chock full of spice and leaves your tongue tingling with jalapeno flavor after the whole bag is gone. No artificial flavorings either. Just honest to goodness REAL flavor.

Popcorn in a bag may not be your bag - (HA! I made a funny!) but if you are traveling through the isles of your local super market - and happen across it. Do yourself a favor - and give it a try. If you do not like it - as always - you can forward it on to me.

While perusing the many foodie sites that I do, I noticed a strange thing. When asked what food makes you cringe or what taste do you just hate, many said olives. Whuuu? OLIVES? How can you not like these tasty little drops of goodness? I L O to the V E loooove olives! Vermouth garlic stuffed, blue cheese stuffed, pimento stuffed, sun dried tomato stuffed, spicy balsamic, jalapeno stuffed... Oh I think I need to go lie down.

How can you have bloody mary's and dry martini's or dirty's martini's or extra dirty martini's without olives!? How can you enjoy nachos or tacos or pizza without them!?! Ok I need to go lie down again. I know that some are too briney or harsh, but there are some fantastic olive brands out there that do it right. Yes, they cost a little more money, but well worth it as they do last quite a while. (unless you live with me - then yea they are gone that fast.) I have an olive mill about 30 minutes from me that I have visited in the past and will before the holidays for gifts and such, so I will bring you more about them in the future. This post brings you a little gem I found at the local grocery store. Lindsay Olive Company Naturals.

These nutty, buttery, creamy, and yummy olives are amazing. Nothing at all like the olives you drop in your nightly martini... Uh huh - I'm talking to you. According to the Lindsay website, these are California grown, hand-picked olives that are immediately packed in water and sea-salt in order to capture their unique and wonderful flavor. Their words, not mine, but I have to agree. They taste so smooth and practically melt in your mouth.

See all those little freckles and their yellow-green color? Lindsay says that is a sign the are fresh indeed and the little imperfections in color are unmasked by added colors or preservatives. They had me at NO PRESERVATIVES. When I buy these they do not last long. And like I said prior, they are pricier then your run of the mill pimento stuffed so I now save them for special occassions - like when your alone...

So if you are an olive hater - do yourself a favor and give these a try. You will thank me after wards. If you don't like them after all this hype, feel free to send them off to me.