Foodie Fieldtrip Friday becomes a Saturday Surprise!

March 12, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

While a Foodie Fieldtrip Friday is freakin awesome on its own, when you get to incorporate it into meeting one of your fav people from Snapchat, it becomes a super duper Saturday Surprise! Since I was posting all this onto my Snapchat account (username: blissbakery) I didn’t tell them who I was meeting, so as to amp up the suspense! Haha!

The foodie destination was the famous bakery called Violet. Started by American Clair Ptak back in 2010, it was a natural out growth of her success selling cupcakes from a stall at Broadway Market. Claire had been a pastry chef for the award winning restaurant Chez Panisse in the Bay Area of Northern California. And she brought those fresh, natural and seasonal sensibilities with her when she landed in the U.K in 2005.

The location is in a neighborhood on London’s East side and is much smaller than I had imagined. But it has two levels, the bakery and shop downstairs, and seating upstairs. As well there is a small back garden with seating and plenty of outdoor seating in front and the side of the bakery. I love the fact that the baking is done literally at arms length from the customers. You can see what the chefs are doing whilst they ice the cupcakes with the gorgeous buttercream or drizzle the lemon glaze on the tarts. The place smells incredible because of the open kitchen, which only intensifies the hankering for the gorgeous looking baked goods. They serve coffees of all sorts and, very exciting, they serve and sell Barry’s Tea (a staple in Ireland)!! I even spotted a famous Irish Lass on one of the magazines they have on offer in the upstairs dining area. I loved all the other bits and pieces of memorabilia and decor around the place. Like even a framed note from, HELLO, Nigella Lawson!

While I waited for my surprise Snap Sista to arrive I perused the bakery up, down, and side ways and drooled over all of it! Metaphorically speaking! I do know a thing or two about health and safety regulations! Very rustic and casual the way things are displayed allowed the pure beauty of the cakes to shine without any fuss! There are cases that are almost antique wood with glass fronts on them and with the natural sunlight dipping through the windows it felt dreamy, almost like a scene from a movie. A very tasty movie!

Can we talk about cakes though, seriously? The color of the mini layer sponge cake was such a pretty lavender and the cupcakes came in flavors such as rhubarb, salted caramel and chocolate. I think I might have died and gone to heaven at that juncture!

Though I arrived quite early for our meeting, my Snap Sista Miriam from Bake My Style showed up right on time! It was such a joy to finally meet in person after all this time! She is a lovely Irish girl from County Kerry and has lived here in London for the past four years. Besides following her on Snapchat and Instagram (her user name is @bakemystyle) I have used her restaurant reviews of London from her blog to help guide my gastronomic explorations here!

She’s even more gorgeous and sweet in person. She said it perfectly at the end of our visit (which could have gone on for days what with all there was to discuss) when she said her cheeks hurt from all the smiling. My sentiments exactly! Like when I met Kelly Lou Cakes on last week’s Foodie Fieldtrip Friday Adventure, it is wonderful to be in the presence of people whom inspire you! And both Miriam and I were delighted to try Violet for the first time as Claire Ptak is an inspiration for both of us bakers!

Claire has written and co written cookery books before, but this one is really world class! The Violet Bakery Cookbook is chock-a-block with sumptuous photos (from the amazing Kristin Perers) and recipes of the classic and popular treats Claire has become known for. And since Miriam had recently received a copy of the book, tasting the recipes made “in house” was the ultimate research! We each had a bit of eachother’s and I have to say the cupcake was not as sweet as one would think. Most American style baking can be too sweet, but this was very mild. Which allowed the rhubarb and vanilla flavor to come through without vying for attention due to being overly sweetened. The Buckwheat Blood Orange Cake was very tangy and luscious, quite a treat!

I left Violet feeling very full indeed. Not only with a delicious treat, but the treat of meeting the lovely Miriam. I do hope to be back again to try more baked goods on the menu. The savory ones looked divine as well. And I suspect I might be seeing Miriam again soon. With all the exciting things she has in store (of which I will let her reveal to you) I’ll be there rooting her on for sure. When people are excited to wake at all hours of the morning to bust out the mixer and fire up the oven to bake something new, the only ones who get it are in fact other mad bakers! So who knows, we might even have to join forces on a recipe one day! Until then, thanks Claire and Violet Bakery for the gorgeous desserts! As well thanks Miriam for a some great chats, bants and LOLz! My cheeks are still sore from all the smiling!

Sweet love,

YDP

P.S. Of course the Snapchat mascot himself #Snappy came along, as did his rose colored companion. Keeping it in the family so to speak, they had to meet Miriam!

Recipe: Woman Crush Wednesday

March 9, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

Yipee I am back home and excited to share another week of infatuating on a female foodie! While I was away in America of course I allowed myself the splurge time. But now that I am back in London and no longer traveling I can plan ahead. Therefore, I decided to make this Woman Crush Wednesday not only a good one, but also a ‘good for you’ one! However, you know me, I like to eat, and enjoy my tasty food! So this is where our gorgeous gourmet gal Gizzie Erskine comes to the rescue!

Gizzie is a well known British chef, cookery book writer, and television personality. After training at Leith’s School of Food and Wine she was featured in shows such as Taste and Cook Yourself Thin. So she knows a thing or two about getting on the straight and narrow. But like me she has a healthy appetite. Not to mention she wrote a book called Healthy Appetite: Foods to Nourish Body and Feed the Soul. Okay, now we are talking! This leads us to Gizzie’s amazing and satisfying recipe for a Super Food Salad! That way, we can feel nurtured and not neglected when we work our way through the gorgeous colors on the plate to a full tummy.

Super Food Salad

Ingredients:
100g quinoa
320ml water
100g kale, blanched for 30 seconds and refreshed in iced water
100g fresh or frozen edamame beans
½ head of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 avocado, peeled, stoned and chopped
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
10 radishes, thinly sliced
300g perfectly cooked or hot-smoked salmon, skin removed and flesh flaked
1 tablespoon toasted black and/ or white sesame seeds

For the Japanese salad dressing
1 banana shallot, very finely chopped
3cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons sesame oil
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Pop the quinoa in a dry frying pan and toast over a medium heat, keeping the quinoa moving the whole time, until it’s lightly golden and nutty. Transfer to a small saucepan and add a good pinch of salt and the water. Cover, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and, keeping the lid on, let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes to soak up the remaining liquid and get fluffy.

To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a clean jam jar and season with salt and pepper. Screw the lid on tightly and shake it like crazy.

Drain the kale and dry it on kitchen paper, then roughly chop. Place the kale in a large salad bowl along with the edamame beans, broccoli, avocado, spring onions, radishes and quinoa. Dress with two-thirds of the salad dressing, give a swift mix so as not to let the avocado break up too much, then plate up between 4 plates.

Top with the salmon and the remaining dressing and finish with a scattering of the sesame seeds.

Gizzie is no doubt a beautiful woman. And you have to give it up to her for owning her style. She is a 60’s retro Audrey Hepburn punk goddess!! She is also very confident and not one to shy away from having an opinion and stating it. Just one look at her Instagram or Twitter accounts and you get her point. So it isn’t a surprise that she has taken a stance about the latest food trends such as #cleaneating. Being passionate about food, yet knowing the importance of being healthy, Gizzie sets the record straight with the recipes in her latest book, as well as this exchange from a recent article in the Independent:

So, is food bound up with love for her? “Yes – I always associated cooking with love. It’s so emotive.” No wonder she’s not so keen on #cleaneating: it’s hard to express a lot of love through cucumber sticks.

Awesome that she equates cooking with LOVE! My kind of person! Her soft side is just as adorable as her cats Ponzu and Kimchi! And apparently she feeds them quite well! Even caviar according to this article in the Daily Mail! Well, we will certainly be well fed with this salad today, and likely tomorrow too. As this is not a typical mixed leaf salad that goes all wilted once you put on the dressing. With all the bits and pieces of tasty goodness and all the flavors and textures, it will hold up quite well indeed!

Thanks Gizzie for being such an inspiration to so many. On the day after International Woman’s Day I can say I am delighted to have you as a #WCW and look forward to many more years of your fabulous recipes!

Super (Gizzie) Food Love,

YDP

P.S. As per usual I’ve done a cooking tutorial with our Woman Crush Wednesday recipe. My username is: blissbakery. I had some bugs in my snapchat app but I didn’t let that stop me! Though it did take a bit longer to post. But if you like some 60’s music (accompanied by some bad singing and bad dancing by moi) than come check it out. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why it took so long to post. Poor Snapchat’s ears can’t take it! LOL!

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday: Cakes and Curry

March 7, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

images-1 — Kelly Ging of Kelly Lou Cakes is not only a talented baker and brainy business woman, but she also has the sweetest smile ever!

Most people like to eat their savory foods first, then go for a sweet treat. Well for this week’s Foodie Fieldtrip Friday, I turned that notion on its head! AND, I headed out first to County Laois, Ireland to get a sugar high and meet one of my favorite Snapchatters, the lovely Kelly of Kelly Lou Cakes. She was a recent Sunday Spotlight Snap Sista (a weekly series where I focus on one person from Snapchat and give them LOVE and share a bit of info about them). Of course, I had to post this little adventure onto my Snapchat story for everyone else to see (my username is: blissbakery if you’d like to check it out). I was very excited to get to meet her in person and honored to get to taste her amazing creations.

Besides the fact that I got lost on the way down there due to some turned around traffic signs, it was all good. Kelly Lou Cakes is a little bakery and cafe in the back of the Baker & Cook shop located in Kealew Business Park in Portloaise. It is filled with lovely pastel colors and loads of sample cakes to make it all look pretty. I especially love the gifts and wedding area. So festive!

Kelly majored in business at university, but her pastry talents are self taught. Growing up in a home where her mom did a lot of baking, she may have come by it naturally. But Kelly is such a hard worker and is always perfecting her sugar craft skills, testing new recipes and working VERY long hours creating bespoke wedding and celebration cakes! Nevertheless, she still posts weekly baking tutorials on Snapchat (her username is: kellyloucakes).

But, of course my fav parts of the excursion were meeting Kelly and indulging in some of her beautiful baked babies! Like my all time top flavor ice cream, but as a cupcake. Yep, Rocky Road!!! DELISH! Kelly and I had a great chat while we each had toasted cheese sambos. She shared some future goals, which I will let her reveal. But no doubt they will come to fruition. With her business acumen and warm and charming ways, the sky is the limit for her. She has already been featured in Confetti Magazine for a wedding cakes special, and been asked to speak at several women in business seminars.

Typical Irish, we didn’t meet with empty hands. She and I both had little gifts for each other. But her gift was so amazing! I’ve been doing a little story on my Snapchat about the mascot (which I call Snappy) that was given to me when I visited the Snapchat Headquarters in Venice, California. Along the way he gained a little friend (Rose Kitty) and, well, let’s say their love story is trending. LOL! Anyway, I had made some Snapchat logo cookies which Kelly saw on my Snapchat story. Well, she surprised me with this incredible Lemon Sponge Layer cake with Snappy on top! Wowza! And then even posted a pic of the lil gift I gave her (just a small cupcake shaped tin of mints) onto her story. She really is even nicer in person than the already kind lady she is on social media.

All of her baked gorgeousness is also mobile! There is a lil camper van called Gloria which travels to different music festivals and is very popular as a treat for wedding receptions. I absolutely loved my visit out to Kelly Lou Cakes , and can hardly wait to go again! What are you waiting for? You ought to go yourself. Only one hour drive outside Dublin, that is if you don’t run across road signs that have been turned around!

While driving back to Dublin, I had some “messers” in the back seat! Haha! But I was bound and determined to finish off the Foodie Fieldtrip Friday with a savory stop. Of course, finding locations are always an adventure for someone that has yet to embrace new fangled technology! Remember, I’ve already disclosed my lack of technology skills on the ABC of YDP!

I’ve heard it said many times that certain foods can be thought of as medicinal. Meaning if eaten frequently it serves as a medicine, tonic, healer or immunity booster. One of those foods is curry. Got a sniffle coming on, then go eat a spicy curry dish and this too shall pass! Though I’m feeling good at the moment, everyone I know is sick. So looks like the second half of the FFF (Foodie Fieldtrip Friday) will just have to include something hot and flavorful!

I ended the day at the coolest curry restaurant in which I’ve ever been. And, since I now live in London and have frequented the famous “Curry Mile” numerous times, this is a big compliment. Kerala Kitchen has been in business for a while now, but only as a mobile restaurant. They had been serving their gorgeous food at markets and music festivals for years. But they finally got their brick and mortar (located at 5 Baggot Street Upper) and it is beautiful!

When you first walk in you notice the cool decor and vibe, with large copper pots (traditionally used to cook the curry in) transformed into the lighting fixtures. And the stunning framed photographs taken in India make you feel like you are practically there. Especially when you get a whiff of the the beautiful aromas coming from the kitchen!

I love the wood floors, the family style seating on long tables with benches, and I really adore the signage. I mean how cute is this sign for the men and ladies toilets? The antique wooden hutches filled with kilner jars of spices also give you the feel you are in someone’s home, very cozy! There are even seat cushions made from the rice bags! As you guessed, Snappy and Rose Kitty were there too!

But when one goes to a restaurant, though the physical environment is important, what is most important is indeed the FOOD! Well, this was without a doubt the best tasting Indian food I have ever had. It was tasty, light, clean, satisfying and inventive. I mean who knew you could get a salad (which if you read my Salad Scentral post on here then you know I’m a salad addict) like this one at a curry shop?

Clockwise from the bottom left: Poppadoms, Naan Bread, Salad, Chicken Tikka Masala, Kerala Coconut Chicken, and Pilau Rice

Of course, I way over ordered as I do, and had so much food, but ate it for left overs too! I also got a Saag Paneer (a spinach and Indian cheese dish) but didn’t eat it with this plate of food. There was no room. But it was absolutely delicious! I’m going to be dreaming of this food now for months! Yep, those are the kind of dreams I have. The good news is that the price is budget friendly, and the upstairs dining room with the tall ceilings and giant windows looking down onto the street make for a wonderful casually elegant experience! But if you wanted to eat at home in your PJs, they offer take away and delivery as well. But the service and staff are top notch and friendly so you’d miss out on that aspect if you were hunkered down at home.

All in all it was a one of my favorite Foodie Fieldtrip Friday’s EVER! And now writing up this post is making me want to go back to both Kelly Lou Cakes and Kerala Kitchen right now! But until then I will savor the memories of this FUNtastic day!

Sweet and Spicy LOVE,

YDP

Woman Crush Wednesday Recap Time

March 2, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

Can you believe it is time for another recap of our incredible infatuations of our female chefs? Yes we have had 19 super fun Woman Crush Wednesdays now, and have made some very tasty food. We have also learned a bit more about these fabulous female foodies! I did a recap of the first seven honorees back in November and here is the link if you’d like to have a peek. Then back in January, I took another gander at the next six lucky ladies that had been chosen. You can click here for the detailed synopsis.

And since then, there have been six more delicious dames and I just want to take a moment to appreciate them again. And also marvel at how I was able to keep up the weekly tradition of #WCW with all my travels through America during this time!

Rachael Ray is one of the sunniest personalities out there. You just want to wake up to a happy person like that! And when I think of waking up I think of Rachael because her Oatmeal Cookies Pancakes are so good! Click here if you’d like to bask in her sun, and maybe even look at the recipe and think, “Ah sure, I have most of those ingredients in the cupboard anyway so I think I’ll make it!” You won’t be disappointed!

I had thought a nice healthy pasta would be in order on this particular day, and lo and behold I ran across the Ellie Krieger pasta recipe that changed my world. Yes it is that good! Trust me, if you want to indulge in flavor and taste without going overboard, then make this or any of her recipes. She defo knows a think or two about smart and clean nutrition.

This was such a fun #WCW because Harper my granddaughter joined in while we did the tutorial for snapchat. We made Rachel Khoo’s puff pastry wrapped banana and chocolate recipe. Harper even got into the whole dancing around the kitchen as well. Click here to see the recipe (sorry you can’t see the dancing and singing part as the video expires in 24 hours, but you can still see my snapchat: blissbakery).

While visiting my friend in Southern California, I knew I just had to do a cooking demo with a Gaby Dalkins recipe. She is the quintessential L.A. girl! But this wasn’t just any recipe, this was the awesome Asian Chicken Slaw. It was divine and yes, I am craving it again! You’ll defo want to make it too so here is the link to whet you appetite.

Olivia Wollenberg (aka Olivia’s Kitchen) may be from London, but she has the healthy eating down pat like she’s from L.A.! Geez! I did a demo of her lovely Chocolate Chip Blondies. But they are totally guilt free! No wheat, dairy or refined sugar. My granddaughter was delighted as she doesn’t eat anything with dairy products. So having a treat that suits her dietary needs are a real treat indeed. And these keep for a week in an airtight container. Here is the link if you want to see how good, these good for you, dessert bars look!

Finally, just as Chrissy Teigen’s first cookbook was about to launch, we were making her decadent Cereal & Milk French Toast Casserole With Salted Frosted Flake Topping. Click on the link here if you’d like to see this beautiful momma to be’s #WCW story and the recipe. And with Mother’s Day in Ireland and the U.K. this weekend coming (March 6th) this would be a good time to pull it out for the day that’s in it!

Thanks so much for the support of this very popular weekly series. It sure is fun for me to recreate a recipe from one of the #WCW recipients. Long may it last!

Recappin some lady love,

YDP

P.S. In a way, today was still a #WCW as I finally met my Snap Sista Melanie Morris (her user name is: melanierjmorris). I have mentioned her before as she was the one who recommended a Foodie Fieldtrip Friday to Moon Juice in Venice. Well she kindly invited me to an evening with Image Magazine featuring a lecture on Digital Media. Hello! Need! Want! Grateful!

Jagged Little Pills

February 29, 2016May 6, 2017 ~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

Well if you read my post from yesterday, I sure hope you didn’t place bets on the Oscar awards based on my picks. Yikes! But nevertheless I am happy with my choice of films and stand by them.

Speaking of standing by, I have a post to share with you (below) that has been standing by in the DRAFT folder for months. It is a very personal story and I had considered not sharing it, or waiting for a better time, etc etc. But then I met a lovely lady through snapchat (my username is: blissbakery). Her name is Sharon Leavy and she has a wonderful blog called “Behind Green Eyes“. She spoke on snapchat (her username is: sharonleavy) very candidly about the subject below. It has inspired me to finally share my post with you. Thanks Sharon, you are proof of the positive affects of social media…sharing the love and being a support! So glad to have met you! Alright, here goes…. Continue reading →

And the Academy Award Goes to….

February 28, 2016February 29, 2016 ~ Harper220

Suffice it to say that by the time you read this the Oscars will have come and gone. What will people be talking about most? Likely who wore what, what after parties were the best, and possibly which speeches were home runs. Often within weeks we forget what movies walked away with awards, and more often than not forget what movies were even nominated!

What I didn’t forget however, was that I promised you my take on the movies nominated this year. I’ve been on the road traveling now for a few weeks, so my posts have been minimal. But I said in my Screen Actor’s Guild Awards post (click here to read) that I would make a mention about the films up for contention this year. I am utterly blessed to still be a member of S.A.G and receive the films during the awards season. Especially nice since I no longer work in Hollywood. I am not a professional film critic, but because I used to make my living as an actress, I do have an opinion, for what it is worth. Maybe a better title for this blog post is: “And the Academy Award Should Go to…” So here goes, in alphabetical order, the nominated films…

Bridge of Spies: Based on a true story, this intriguing thriller about a U.S. lawyer who takes on a case to represent an accused Russian Spy is well made, but long. The high quality however is not surprising though because it was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Tom Hanks. The A TEAM! I enjoyed learning about the historical aspects of that era because of the film, but didn’t experience any emotional pull into the characters at all. Not my pick for BEST.

Brooklyn: I love Soirse Ronan in pretty much any film in which she stars. Her accent, her Irish beauty, and her amazing acting chops. And while this film might not have had enormous depth, she does make you FEEL her dilemma. The story of a young girl who moves to America to find a better life, yet finds herself having her heart torn in two. As an emigrant myself, I know that it is exciting to go somewhere new, and simultaneously still long for home. However, going home has challenges too. Bottom line, nothing is perfect and I appreciate that she doesn’t overplay the emotion. I can highly recommend this film, not just because it is Irish (though that helps) but because it is well filmed, acted and nostalgic. You’ll get your money’s worth that is for sure. I am rooting for this film, even if it isn’t my pick for BEST, but would be happy if it won.

Mad Max: To be honest, I didn’t see this film. Because it wasn’t sent to me by the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards panel (it wasn’t nominated in a S.A.G. acting category), and I never got to the theaters to see it. So I can’t comment on this one, sorry guys!

Spotlight: While this film is of high quality with an amazing cast, it was very difficult to watch. I hated the subject matter, which was also based on a true story. The film focuses on the journalists that uncover the priests’ molestation case in the Boston Catholic Archdiocese. I did FEEL in this movie. But I felt gross and uncomfortable. There was no pathos or resolve. Yes at the end of the movie there is a scrolling list of all the churches in the world that have had priests do these disgusting things. But that just left me shaking my head. I wish there was a bit more on the victims. But it was maybe akin to “All the President’s Men” a film about the journalists who uncovered the Watergate scandal back in the 1070’s. But in my opinion, in this instance more sensitivity towards those harmed would have better served this film. DEFO not my pick for BEST!

The Big Short: Before we watched this film, my Hubby read the description to me and I had the thought that it might be a good one to sleep through. I could just nestle into his arm and have a nice nap. But guess what? I didn’t! I loved the film. It is informative, I mean I had no idea the players and details behind the housing crash in the U.S. back in 2008. We had just moved to Dublin when it all happened (and I was thanking God I had already sold my house). The cast in this film is phenomenal. It is very talky and you have to keep up, but I think it should be a must watch for all college kids! We need to learn from our mistakes. And while some think financial mistakes aren’t that important, this one is eye opening. But it wasn’t a film that made my soul move to new places. It was only intellectual. And though I love my brain to be stimulated, my picks here are from an artistic soulful place. Hence it is not a pick for BEST.

The Martian: I really loved this film about an astronaut that is accidentally left behind while the rest of the crew blasts off back to space to avoid a storm on Mars. Matt Damon was very engaging and you can’t help but root for him as he comes up with ways to survive there with what is left of their makeshift laboratory. He had me laughing and crying. And when I experience a roller coaster of emotion while watching a movie, that is a good sign. I love Ridley Scott as a director, and he does a great job here. But the ending of this film felt forced and strange. Not my pick for BEST but if it won I would be happy for them.

The Revenant: Probably one of the most gut wrenching films I have seen. It is the story of a man’s will to survive the many horrific incidents that occur to him while braving stark and freezing environmental conditions. I had to look away on many occasions while Hubby and I watched this film. But it has resonated with me still since watching it. It made me FEEL and took me on a roller coaster of emotions. There is very little dialogue and the acting is gritty and tough. Not a pretty puff piece for a handsome actor like Leonardo DiCaprio. But that is why I love this film. And the director, Alejandro G Inarittu, goes all out as it is cinematically phenomenal. Just prepare yourself for your soul to be stirred! My pick for one of the BEST.

Room: Who knew a movie that for the majority of the time is set in a small and cramped garden shed could occupy such a large space in my heart. But it absolutely stole my every fiber and I did FEEL from the opening scene until the last shot. And still think about this story every day. I love the cast (which is primarily only Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay who play mother and son) and really believed they were actual people, not actors playing a role. The writing and directing were superb. I mean, let’s give it up for some Irish talent here folks! Lenny Abrahamson is nominated in the best director category and writer Emma Donoghue is nominated for her script adaptation of her novel. I highly recommend you see this film. Though it is fictional, we have heard stories similar to this in the media. And myself a victim of abuses I can relate to someone being held captive and yet having the will to survive. This, not surprisingly is my pick for BEST! Not just this year, but one of my all time favorite films. Again, not easy to watch at times, but it is like real life, it can be brutal. But what sustains this woman and her son is simple. It is called LOVE!

So that is it for you…. I hope you enjoy the 2016 Oscar’s show. I’ll be sleeping haha as we are 8 hours ahead of West Coast time here in London. But I can say that I know how privileged I am to have attended the awards on two occasions. It is really a great buzz to walk the red carpet and be there in person to see the stars give their speeches.

I realize how much work goes into making a film. We may sit in a dark theater and watch the two hours and think, great, or so-so. But the men, women and children that have spent their days, weeks, months and sometimes years working on these precious pieces of moving picture art deserve respect. Even if I see a film I don’t personally connect with, I appreciate the time and effort that went into creating it. So well done to all the folks making cinema their calling, their life’s work, to bring the magic of movies to the world.

Best of luck and love to all!

YDP

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday: Feeling at Home at Trader Joe’s

February 27, 2016November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

Though I have loved living abroad the past eight years, there are indeed some things I miss about the U.S. One of them is Trader Joe’s. It is a foodie’s dream and I just had to go on a fieldtrip there while I was visiting family (the number one thing I miss about living abroad). And I even brought my darling 5 year old granddaughter Harper along for the fun and snapchatted the whole way (username: blissbakery) though the story has since expired.

Harper says her favorite thing about Trader Joe’s are the tasters! I can relate! When we went to Costco a few weeks back for Foodie Fieldtrip Friday we were in taster heaven. But the difference is that Trader Joe’s own employees work the tasting station and they often have some of their new products to sample. And then you gotta love a place that offers kids’ size shopping carts!

So what is Trader Joe’s? For those of you who don’t know and who didn’t see the snapchat tour I am delighted to share! Technically it is a grocery story, but not just any old place to shop for your dinner. With over 450 locations in the 48 contiguous states, they pride themselves on being the leader in organic and fresh foods. And 80% of the products on the shelves are their own brand.

Trader Joe’s was started by Joe Coulombe back in the 60’s in Pasadena, California. Remember the song “Little Old Lady From Pasadena”? Well the song, written by Jan and Dean was made popular by the 60’s band The Beach Boys. They made wearing a Hawaiian shirt mainstream at the time. So, it’s understandable that the classic Hawaiian shirt became Trader Joe’s uniform from then on.

Though Trader Joe’s is now owned by the German supermarket chain Aldi, they have retained their South Seas Beach-y motif. The casual atmosphere is even evident in some of their packaging and branding such as the whimsical tissue paper boxes. Yet their professionalism is prevalent through and through from the management (on duty the day we went was the friendly Chris) to the shop floor staff to the cashiers. And to keep the lines of communication going they have the infamous brass bell (which is rung by hand when customers services is needed) and the informative newsletter.

While I surely have my fav TJ’s products, I wanted to make sure I showed as much of the store as possible for the snapchat tour. It is pretty awesome to take in all the goodness available. From reasonably priced fresh flowers and produce, to ready made meals. A massive selection of frozen foods are a big draw, as are the incredible cheese and bakery selection. And my personal go to are the vitamins, healthy snacks and the wines. Yes the do have a decent cellar. And the most famous wine sold there is the “Two Buck Chuck” as it is called. I gave in to my curiosity as I had never tasted it before. Not bad, and actually better the day after it was opened.

There are many websites that tout they have the definitive list of most popular TJ’s products. I’ll let you follow this link here if you’d like. Or you can take my own word for it with this top 5 list below:

Wine- as I just mentioned. I usually go for an organic California red wine called Bonterra. In saying that, all of their wines are priced very reasonable and there is a great selection.

Nut Butters- We Americans love our peanut butter and TJ’s has everything from peanut, almond, cashew and yes cookie butter!

Frozen foods- Pretty much all of the items are amazing, but I love the chicken pot stickers, frozen waffles, Churros and Mochi ice cream!

Vitamins- There is a great selection and all very affordable. Hubby and I usually stock up when we are in the U.S. Now if I can only remember to take them once I have them at home!

Trail Mix- Hubby is a granola/protein bar person and could (and maybe did as a bachelor) live off them. But we both love the trail mixes. Any variety would suffice. But the particular tasty treat we love is the “Cashew, Almond and Dried Cranberry” Mix.

This Foodie Fieldtrip Friday reminded me of why I love Trader Joe’s so much. Great food, great quality, great selection and all at a great price. That is part of their ethos, to provide fair pricing. They can offer food at a lower price than some of their competitors because they work directly with the supplier, no middle man. But we end up benefitting from the lower price! All in all it was fun, informative and as you can see, a YUMMY Foodie Fieldtrip Friday too!

TJ Love,

YDP

Yankee Doodle Paddy

America + Ireland = LOVE

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