Glad to be noticed now and then.

I was in the grocery store prior to Memorial Day. A woman that worked there came up to me and asked me a question. She said some friends and family wanted her to make tequila lime chicken and she had no clue what it tastes like or how to make it. She said "you're into all that food stuff so I thought I would ask you." Granted I know who she is but had never really talked to her about food and cooking. I took it as a compliment.
I gave her a quick run down on the marinade and the use of cilantro and she seemed happy. I was in there today and asked about her chicken and she said it came out great and everyone loved it. I told her, "now you will be known for your tequila lime chicken." She said she would definitely be making it again.
Glad to help.

Best Food Sources for Antioxidants

Antioxidants are compounds found in food that are said to be very healthy for us. It is said that antioxidants protect our cell walls from damage caused by free radicals that are generated during digestion. You may hear all kinds of claims on TV and the internet that whatever product being sold is high in antioxidants. The last few years it has been claimed that blueberries were the best source for antioxidants.
According to Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry the following are the top 20 best sources of antioxidants.
small red beans
wild blueberries
red kidney beans
pinto beans
cultivated blue berries
carnberries
cooked artichokes
blackberries
dried prunes
raspberries
strawberries
red delicious apples
granny smith apples
pecans
sweet cherries
black plums
cooked russet potatoes
black beans
plums
gala apples
We have always known that fruits and veggies were good for us. I guess here is another reason to include those foods in your diet. I drink green tea as well for antioxidant benefits.

Take on new food challenges! Whole Foods Market

This past weekend, we took the boys to the Ren Faire in Wentzville, MO. Before leaving the area we went to the Whole Foods Market in Town and Country off Clayton Road. The claim to fame for this food chain is natural and organic groceries. I was wowed upon first entering the store. The produce section was laid out right in front of me. I saw things you would never see around here. Fresh produce was stacked everywhere. There were artichokes, endives, daikon radishes, okra, baby bok choy, fresh herbs, fresh coconuts. Too many to mention them all here. I was in vegetable porn heaven. Next we went to the fresh seafood counter. They had a very good selection of fresh, not frozen, seafood.
The prices were a bit high, but I would expect that for fresh seafood. The meat and poultry counters were stuffed, all claiming to be organic and purchased locally. A shout out to Brian M. for explaining to us about air chilled chicken and why that processed is used. I will talk about that another time.
Needless to say I loved the place. After spending $185.00, we left with a good assortment of things we have never tried before. This seemed like a good time to experiment. Luckily we had a cooler in the van so everything stayed nice and cold. The following is a things we purchased because we wanted to try some new things.
Wild Chilean Sea Bass
Baby squid antipasti salad
salmon caviar
camenbert cheese
frozen swordfish steaks
greek stuffed grape leaves
miso and dashi for making miso soup
Schlafly's new American India Pale Ale
aged goat cheese
Italian espresso coffee.
Plus some other ingredients that we had tried before.
Last night for dinner we tried the sea bass, salmon caviar and camenbert cheese. I also made up some miso soup. The whole family had a great time trying these new foods and flavors. We still have more things in the fridge and freezer to try at a later date. All four of us tried everything. We try to get the boys to try everything atleast once.
So take on a challenge, be a grocery/food explorer. You might fine some new favorite things. Then again you may find things you can't stand and will never try again. Who knows, take a chance.

Cookie's Cafe Kahoka, MO

I wanted to take the family out for a nice Sunday lunch. Three out of four voted to go to Cookie's Cafe. We have had good food there before and was expecting the same thing today. That didn't happen. We arrived around 11:30 and the restaurant wasn't very busy. Skipping the buffet we ordered ala carte. The first problem was that they were out of chicken strips.
I went with the mushroom appetizer and the cheeseburger basket which includes fries and cole slaw. Things started with a bang because the mushrooms were ice cold in the middle and the batter was quite hard. Round 1 was undercooked mushrooms. Next came the main course of cheeseburger, fries and slaw. The waitressed served me a naked cheeseburger. I remembered that I ordered the basket but she didn't ask me what I wanted on it, and I missed it entirely. She asked my wife and son what they wanted on theirs. To compensate I applied tabasco and ketchup. The next "not surprising" was undercooked fries. The only thing overcooked was my cheeseburger. It was dry dry dry.
Next the waitress went to the salad bar and retrieved some cole slaw for me. It was served at room temperature and bland as hell. I guess it's ok to serve at that temperature if there is no mayo in the slaw. I had to jazz it up with salt and pepper.
So in conclusion, I paid $37 plus tip for our meal for 4. That meal included undercooked mushrooms and fries, an overcooked cheeseburger and bland, warm cole slaw. I was very disappointed, I always loved their burgers. I don't understand the rush to get the food out as the place was almost empty. Make it right then serve it, don't rush it out to an empty house. I will definitely think twice before I go back.