Where am I shopping this time?
March 7, 2012Several places, actually. Started out with breakfast at Big Al’s – home of the awesome corned beef hash, beloved by Cleveland’s Iron Chef, Michael Symon.
This is not corned beef hash, but it is a typical Big Al’s breakfast with hash browns made with fresh – never frozen – potatoes and a huge omelet. The coffee is great, too. And the servers.
Next stop Penzey’s. I don’t know why I love Penzey’s so much. I have to go through the store and smell everything – like a dug addict – I have to get my hit of cinnamon (5 kinds), vanilla (3 varieties), curries, barbeque seasoning, herbal blends, spice blends, cocoa and hot chocolate, mulling spices. I covet the $50 bottle of double strength, Madagascar vanilla, but made do with the 4 oz. bottle. Scored some Fox Point seasoning, mulling spices, dried ginger for marinades, Italian salad dressing blend, and Mural of Flavor herbal blend. In addition to being an addict, I usually act as a pusher when I am in the store, encouraging other customers to try my favorites. My other favorite is the Turkish seasoning – I still have some left from the 55 gallon drum of it I purchased earlier.
After Penzey’s, shopping continued at Miles Farmers Market, home to model fruits, vegetables and meats, wine, exotic cheeses, 10,000 kinds of olive oil, prepared foods, fancy bakery, samples, and some strange things – see below.
I’m going to get out my colored pencils and make a drawing of this.
I just don’t understand this one.
Gunsmoke and Knitting 
We are also big fans of Penzey’s; a good dash of Vietnamese cinnamon is atop my breakfast cereal, and their cardamom is just right for Scandinavian specialties.
BTW, thought you might find this exhibit of artful home defense items interesting: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/08/garden/threat-objects-for-defense-and-protection-opens-in-brooklyn.html
Ooo, cardamom, that is an interesting flavor. I have a bread pudding recipe that infuses the custard with cardamom making it quite special!
Thanks for the home defense article – I will pass that one along.
At my friend Purlewe’s house, I got to sample some cardamom gin — oh, just a splash of that did NICE things to coffee!
A little splash of that behind the ears would probably be great too!