If I had ever looked ahead and discovered I’d eventually be taking pictures of cardboard boxes, I never would’ve bought the camera. But here I am again. First it was the box of Trader Joe’s Spanakopita, and now it’s a box of Trader Joe’s Eggplant Cutlets. But to make something good out of something bad (taking the picture of the box is bad, not the cutlets themselves), there are two very interesting things about the box. Read on.
Posts Tagged ‘food’
Trader Joe’s Eggplant Cutlets Parmigiana
06/26/2010Trader Joe’s Spinach Pie – Spanakopita
06/12/2010It’s not like Mama used to make. But then, Mama never made Spanakopita.
The most amazing thing with this product is that it’s baked in the cardboard box it comes in. And I’m not talking about microwave baking. I’m talking about a real oven. Right in the cardboard box, and no flames.
Baked Mostaccioli – Not St. Louis Style
05/29/2010Having been raised outside of St. Louis, I had never heard of, much less tasted, Mostaccioli. Having first experienced Mostaccioli in St. Louis, I thought it was something someone made up because it was quick and cheap and assumed it was totally unrelated to any real Italian recipe or product. Since then, Al Gore invented the internet and Wikipedia can now educate me that Mostaccioli is simply penne pasta. However, in St. Louis, Mostaccioli is anything but that.
Lasagna with – Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce
05/29/2010This was something of an experiment and another chance to pop open a bottle of wine. While walking the Trader Joe’s isles, I noticed a section of spaghetti sauces. Since the price was only a little more than the cost of ingredients for my home-made marinara sauce, I decided to put Trader Joe’s to the test. In a nutshell, it worked pretty well, but is probably better used for a quick pasta sauce than for using in lasagna.
Julie and Julia (2009) – Movie Review
03/21/2010Cute as a button Amy Adams (playing real life Julie Powell) finds the freest of spirits Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep) through a cooking book, with a suprising amount of very tasteful sex thrown in. Would you expect anything but very tasteful sex in a movie about cooking?
Spaghetti with Meatballs – Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs
02/05/2010This is an easy one and one you probably don’t need to read. However it does point back to the marinara sauce recipe which is what’s really important. With a little crusty Italian bread to soak up any excess sauce on the plate, a glass of red wine, and Billy Joel playing on the stereo, it doesn’t get much better.
Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
02/05/2010This is an easy one and one you probably don’t need to read. However it does point back to the marinara sauce recipe which is what’s really important. With a little crusty Italian bread to soak up any excess sauce on the plate, a glass of red wine, and Billy Joel playing on the stereo, it doesn’t get much better.
Canned Soup – not the obvious
01/05/2010You might have read other recipes on this blog and noticed there’s no sin here in taking a can off the shelf, opening it and using it to make something good. There’s also no sin in using dried herbs and spices. If they’re not as flavorful as fresh herbs and spices, just use a little more. There are times when cooking may be a hobby to us, and times when cooking is a way to get food into the stomach. Most of the recipes here are of the food in the stomach variety. But food in the stomach that tastes a little better than straight out of the can or freezer and doesn’t take a weekend to gather ingredients and prepare.
Lasagna – what to do with the tomato sauce?
01/01/2010Now that we’ve mastered the art of the can opener by making the tomato sauce, the next basic skill a master chef must acquire is opening the box. Then the answer to the question, “What to do with the tomato sauce?” is, lasagna.
Tofu U – Part 1 – Italian Style
12/29/2009Margaritas tonight.
Every 2 years, another failure. That’s how often I give tofu a try, and how successful I’ve been in the past. I’m sure somewhere there’s a way to cook tofu that turns out to be actually good. Ain’t found it yet, but haven’t given up. The pictures of tofu with grill marks straight off the barbeque look great. Haven’t tried it that way, but I suspect in the end, another failure. At least by my tastes. In fact the only tofu I remember being half-way good was in a Chinese restaurant surrounded by meat and vegetables with a lot of good tasting sauce on everything. Maybe that’s the way to cook it? Go to your local Chinese restaurant and order it there. Here’s this year’s biennial challenge.
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