Chocolate egg cream soda

If you've ever been to New York, or the nearby area, you have probably come across an egg cream. It may sound disgusting, but it's a name not exactly befitting this wonderful drink. It has no egg in it, and really very little cream.
I guess the closest description would be it's similar to a lightly carbonated YooHoo. But better. Much better. It's more refreshing. You could make your own at home, I think the recipe is a squirt or 2 of chocolate syrup (U-Bet brand if you are a purist) and an inch of milk. Then fill the cup with carbonated water, stir and enjoy.
But if you don't want to fuss with all that, I highly recommend Jeff's Chocolate Soda Egg Cream.

Old stock photo

A 12 oz. bottle has 170 calories of mostly sugar. Personally, I'd rather make my own, or get one from the soda fountain, but if you have never had a genuine NY Egg Cream, Jeff's will give you an idea of how the final product should taste. While I never tried it, I'm sure about an inch or so of chocolate milk, mixed with seltzer would give the same results.

Heirlooms

Here are some of the heirloom tomatoes Mrs. picked up this week.

It's hard to see in the pictures, but the sections are really pronounced. They tasted really good, slightly less acidic than the usual fare.



She also stocked up on focaccia. Need to post pictures of some of those.

MMM White Castle

Last night, after my monthly doctor's appointment we went to White Castle. We do this once a month, probably because more often would kill me.
Anyway, WC must have the absolute worst marketing department in the world.
This month, the special is a slyder with A-1 steak sauce.


Ok, not exactly the greatest innovators at WC test kitchens. Not to be outdone with such really uninspired cuisine, the advertising poster is proudly displayed in the windows. I like looking at details, and the sign has something I've never noticed in a fast food ad.

Small print at the bottom says limited time--ok, I've seen that. And then it says, "While Supplies Last."

Don't they make the slyders right there? Is there a possible shortage of A-1 Steak Sauce?

I'm pretty sure Costco and Sam's Club has 100's of gallons of the stuff on the shelf.

Oh well. Tomorrow is farm market day. I'll be back Monday or Tuesday with the wrap up and see what the Mrs. finds.

The market is only open for a few more weeks.

Farm market report

The Mrs. went to the market this week and picked up some heirloom tomatoes along with peaches and baked goods.

She gets focaccia for me. The price isn't bad, but I can make this myself, better and cheaper when the weather breaks. This is one of my favorite things. It's like a thick pizza, usually without cheese. I like it with onions, in addition to the tomatoes. The tomatoes dry out a little bit and the flavor concentrates, making them even sweeter.

And talk about bargains. My sister went to her local farm stand, and caught a deal on organic Roma tomatoes. She bought a 50 lbs box for $15. Looks like she will be stocking the freezer with spaghetti sauce, and the cupboard with home made salsa. By the way, her grapes were exceptional this year. She has the vines growing on the chain link fence that surrounds her pool. So, she gets extra privacy, a nice bit of greenery, and some very tasty fruit. She harvested enough grapes to make a few gallons of her own organic grape juice, too.

This is the time of year to catch deals on tomatoes. It has been a pretty good year for them, and many farmers would rather pass along a bargain than dump them. Stock up and enjoy.

Peaches still great

The Mrs. brought home some softabll sized peaches from the farm market this weekend, and surprisingly, they were every bit as sweet and delicious as the smaller ones she has been getting. Often, when fruit is larger, to me at least, it just seems to not taste as good.
This has been the best peach season in a while, and I hope everyone has enjoyed them as much as I have. The season is winding down, so now is the time to stock up to can them or make special desserts.
A fellow Jersey blogger has a nice recipe forpeach upside down cake here :
http://househubbie.blogspot.com/2008/08/peach-upside-down-cake.html