Hello my fellow Food Freaks!!!!
Here I am in Jackson and till today I must admit my opinion of food here was at an all time low. Since arriving here it's been mostly fast food and conference munchies. This morning more classmates and I went to the Twin Lakes conference center in Florence MS for some team building exercises http://twinlakescamp.org/
What an incredible facility! 500 acres of some of the most beautiful countryside I've seen in MS! The camp is run by the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson. This place has a really cool vibe and even though they are operated by a church the staff didn't force their beliefs on us.
After a morning of fun in the forest we headed back to the main camp area for lunch. Keep in mind this is a camp environment. We were served cafeteria style but that was completely fine. The food was hot, plentiful, tasty and served by a great crew!
Our meal consisted of ham, carrots, green beans, and an exceptional potato dish that left us wanting more! Fresh rolls, desert and sweet or unsweetened tea to top it off.
After lunch we had opportunity to wander a bit around the lake and a couple people even took advantage of the canoes and took a lap around the smaller lake.
After our break it was back to the woods for more exercises. We later went back to the main camp for a debriefing before leaving. A great day all around!
I would like to thank the entire staff for treating us so well!!
Logo
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Road Trip
Hello my Fellow Food Fanatics!
Well I'll be blogging from Jackson MS next week. I'm attending job training and I'm looking forward to exploring uncharted territory in search of good food. Garden is doing well and I finished the last of the romaine last night. Tomatoes took a beating during a recent storm but I hope they'll recover soon. Squash plants are kicking out blossoms left and right and I have a few small specimens peaking out. Snow pea plants are very strong and climbing well. I also planted some cukes this week! Thanks Terri for helping me feed my cucumber jones! Haven't been to any new places lately but I'm hopeful to explore a bit more upon my return!
Well I'll be blogging from Jackson MS next week. I'm attending job training and I'm looking forward to exploring uncharted territory in search of good food. Garden is doing well and I finished the last of the romaine last night. Tomatoes took a beating during a recent storm but I hope they'll recover soon. Squash plants are kicking out blossoms left and right and I have a few small specimens peaking out. Snow pea plants are very strong and climbing well. I also planted some cukes this week! Thanks Terri for helping me feed my cucumber jones! Haven't been to any new places lately but I'm hopeful to explore a bit more upon my return!
"Chow for Now"
Pete
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Garden Progress
Hello my Friends!
My little garden was doing great until last night. We were hit with quite the storm. Thunder, lightening, heavy winds and hail. First time I'd heard the tornado siren go off and it made my skin crawl. The tomatoes and squash took the brunt of the damage. This morning when I went to survey my domain the tomatoes were literally sideways and the squash were squashed!! By the afternoon things had perked up a little and I hope to see further improvement tomorrow. On a happier note last Saturday, Terri and I went to Ship Island National Park. It's 11 miles off the coast and we went courtesy of Ship Island Excursions. We explored Fort Massachusettes, picked sea shells and found photo ops. We even found the biggest pizza oven EVER!!
Just kidding! This awesome beast was used to heat cannonballs to give them the added bonus of causing stuff to burn when struck. We had a great time and I highly recommend taking the trip out there. We even saw dolphins during the trip out and back. Bring plenty of sunscreen and slather it on often or you could end up looking like a lobster. I know Terri I'll listen better to you next time! I also recommend you go to http://msshipisland.com/ for all the details.
Well that's all for tonight.
My little garden was doing great until last night. We were hit with quite the storm. Thunder, lightening, heavy winds and hail. First time I'd heard the tornado siren go off and it made my skin crawl. The tomatoes and squash took the brunt of the damage. This morning when I went to survey my domain the tomatoes were literally sideways and the squash were squashed!! By the afternoon things had perked up a little and I hope to see further improvement tomorrow. On a happier note last Saturday, Terri and I went to Ship Island National Park. It's 11 miles off the coast and we went courtesy of Ship Island Excursions. We explored Fort Massachusettes, picked sea shells and found photo ops. We even found the biggest pizza oven EVER!!
Well that's all for tonight.
"Chow For Now"
Pete
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Homegrown is best
Hello my friends in food!
A few weeks ago I became motivated to grow a few things after my dismay at the lackluster, flavorless produce available in the market. I grew up with fresh veggies being served almost daily and in the off season I was offered fresh frozen all straight from my Dad's garden.
I hate to be sentimental but I miss the taste of a warm sun ripened tomatoes fresh off the vine or snacking on a fresh picked cuke. I have attempted to grow veggies here before but with limited success. The insects here have proven to be formidable foes. My last years crop of tomatoes, eggplant and squash yielded very little and what it did was almost all infested. I did have good luck with basil and oregano and they paired well with my homemade mozzarella and local fresh tomatoes. I'll have a mozzarella lesson soon. I need to order some rennet first.
This year I decided to grow a few things that I know grow fairly well here and one that I don't have a clue about. I planted spinach, snow peas, grape tomatoes, crook neck squash, romaine lettuce and asparagus beans.
So after watching and watering I finally was able to taste the first of what I hope will be a continuous cascade of crunchiness!
Here it is in all it's glory!!!
I clipped only the larger outer leaves as I hope that it will continue to produce new leaves all season long. It was crisp without bitterness a great improvement over store bought. My garden is limited to a few boxes. I've only been gardening in Mississippi for a few seasons so I'm going to experiment to see what works before I go on to a larger plot.
Here's my little garden.
Out of sight are my tomato plants. I plant them near the house so the warmth of the bricks radiates to them at night. If you notice in the 3rd planter I have green onions popping up. I planted them last year from seed and they spontaneously came back!
I recommend everyone try to grow at least a little something they enjoy eating. It can take a little time and it can be frustrating but...the rewards of eating something you have grown on your own are immeasurable.
Ah the zen of fresh lettuce!!
A few weeks ago I became motivated to grow a few things after my dismay at the lackluster, flavorless produce available in the market. I grew up with fresh veggies being served almost daily and in the off season I was offered fresh frozen all straight from my Dad's garden.
I hate to be sentimental but I miss the taste of a warm sun ripened tomatoes fresh off the vine or snacking on a fresh picked cuke. I have attempted to grow veggies here before but with limited success. The insects here have proven to be formidable foes. My last years crop of tomatoes, eggplant and squash yielded very little and what it did was almost all infested. I did have good luck with basil and oregano and they paired well with my homemade mozzarella and local fresh tomatoes. I'll have a mozzarella lesson soon. I need to order some rennet first.
This year I decided to grow a few things that I know grow fairly well here and one that I don't have a clue about. I planted spinach, snow peas, grape tomatoes, crook neck squash, romaine lettuce and asparagus beans.
So after watching and watering I finally was able to taste the first of what I hope will be a continuous cascade of crunchiness!
Here it is in all it's glory!!!
I clipped only the larger outer leaves as I hope that it will continue to produce new leaves all season long. It was crisp without bitterness a great improvement over store bought. My garden is limited to a few boxes. I've only been gardening in Mississippi for a few seasons so I'm going to experiment to see what works before I go on to a larger plot.
Here's my little garden.
I recommend everyone try to grow at least a little something they enjoy eating. It can take a little time and it can be frustrating but...the rewards of eating something you have grown on your own are immeasurable.
Ah the zen of fresh lettuce!!
"Chow For Now"
Pete
Friday, March 11, 2011
Half Shell Oyster House
Hello my fellow Freaks in food!
Tonight I had the pleasure of eating at the Half Shell Oyster House in Gulfport. We started the evening with Voodoo Shrimp. A tasty combo of fried shrimp in a sweet yet spicy sauce. I really liked the flavor and the shrimp were cooked to perfection. Terri, my faithful culinary companion, really loved these and they are definitely on the must get list next time we go.
For our main course Terri had ordered the Half Shell Pasta with grilled shrimp and I ordered the Seafood Pasta and upon the recommendation of our waitress Brianna I orderd a crab cake on the side.
Our pasta came with a nice salad with homemade dressing. Terri went for thousand island and I went for ranch.
First I must say the greens in the salad were very fresh and the salad was a perfect size to tempt the taste buds. The dressing was fantastic and not over seasoned. This is very important to me because I love to taste everything as it should be, not masked by spice or salt.
On to the pasta. There was a bit of an oops here as Terri ordered shrimp and it came with chicken. No big deal since she had already gotten her shrimp fix. Brianna was more than apologetic and offered to re-do the order or even take it off the tab. We reassured her that it was fine and we proceeded to induldge.
My pasta came with shrimp, crab and crawfish tails in a spicy alfredo type sauce and mushrooms. Terri's was also in a similar sauce. I will note the dish normally comes with artichokes but Terri isn't fond of them so they removed them for her in the kitchen.
The crab cake was well seasoned and came with a wonderful sauce that I can't put my finger on. Sort of tangy like tartar sauce yet with it's own personality.
The food was overall wonderful. I really appreciated the quality of the food. Everything was fresh and according to Brianna the restaurant tries to buy locally and also tries to introduce ingredients not normally on the food scene in this area i.e., microgreens etc. I think it's very important to support local growers and establishments. It's part of the personality of a town.
On to the service which Terri and I agreed was great . When we arrived there was a little crowd but not too terrible. Unfortunately the hostess wasn't there to seat people as she was with other customers. Brianna to the rescue!!!! She sat a couple before us and quickly came to assist us. Not only did she quickly get us a table, she even sat the other couple in another of the wait staffs tables. This is a big deal to me because she could have easily loaded her own section to maximize tips but she shared the customers.
Our glasses were always full and the food came out like clockwork. It's nice to see the kitchen staff and wait staff work well together.
Overall The Half Shell gets 2 big thumb up. Quality food obviously prepared and served by people who care about their product and their customers!
We will definitely be back and will spread the word!
Tonight I had the pleasure of eating at the Half Shell Oyster House in Gulfport. We started the evening with Voodoo Shrimp. A tasty combo of fried shrimp in a sweet yet spicy sauce. I really liked the flavor and the shrimp were cooked to perfection. Terri, my faithful culinary companion, really loved these and they are definitely on the must get list next time we go.
For our main course Terri had ordered the Half Shell Pasta with grilled shrimp and I ordered the Seafood Pasta and upon the recommendation of our waitress Brianna I orderd a crab cake on the side.
Our pasta came with a nice salad with homemade dressing. Terri went for thousand island and I went for ranch.
First I must say the greens in the salad were very fresh and the salad was a perfect size to tempt the taste buds. The dressing was fantastic and not over seasoned. This is very important to me because I love to taste everything as it should be, not masked by spice or salt.
On to the pasta. There was a bit of an oops here as Terri ordered shrimp and it came with chicken. No big deal since she had already gotten her shrimp fix. Brianna was more than apologetic and offered to re-do the order or even take it off the tab. We reassured her that it was fine and we proceeded to induldge.
My pasta came with shrimp, crab and crawfish tails in a spicy alfredo type sauce and mushrooms. Terri's was also in a similar sauce. I will note the dish normally comes with artichokes but Terri isn't fond of them so they removed them for her in the kitchen.
The crab cake was well seasoned and came with a wonderful sauce that I can't put my finger on. Sort of tangy like tartar sauce yet with it's own personality.
The food was overall wonderful. I really appreciated the quality of the food. Everything was fresh and according to Brianna the restaurant tries to buy locally and also tries to introduce ingredients not normally on the food scene in this area i.e., microgreens etc. I think it's very important to support local growers and establishments. It's part of the personality of a town.
On to the service which Terri and I agreed was great . When we arrived there was a little crowd but not too terrible. Unfortunately the hostess wasn't there to seat people as she was with other customers. Brianna to the rescue!!!! She sat a couple before us and quickly came to assist us. Not only did she quickly get us a table, she even sat the other couple in another of the wait staffs tables. This is a big deal to me because she could have easily loaded her own section to maximize tips but she shared the customers.
Our glasses were always full and the food came out like clockwork. It's nice to see the kitchen staff and wait staff work well together.
Overall The Half Shell gets 2 big thumb up. Quality food obviously prepared and served by people who care about their product and their customers!
We will definitely be back and will spread the word!
"Chow For Now"
Pete
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sushi Spot Biloxi
Hello my Friends in Food!
This afternoon Terri's friend Leonie Johnston, owner of Lavish salon in Biloxi, celebrated it's 4th anniversary so we went by to say hello and offer our congratulations. The place is awesome and is located in an older building with a wonderfully comfortable feel. Please give them a call and support a local business http://lavishsalon.net/index.php. After we said our hellos we decided to go to The Sushi Spot in downtown Biloxi on MLK Blvd. We had eaten here before but it was BB (before blog).
Tonight we started with egg drop soup. I am a soup freak. I absolutely love soup and this was great. Terri says it's her all time favorite egg drop yet! Nice rich flavor, a smooth texture and sightly thickened. We followed up with an order of egg rolls. The order is small but it is an appetizer so it was just the right amount. The sauce was sweet and spicy without being overpowering. For entrees Terri had The Generals Chicken and I had stir fry shrimp udon. The portions were large and required takeout for both of us.
The udon was perfect! The sauce was flavorful and it allowed the noodles to take center stage as they rightfully should. The shrimp were small but that proved to be an asset to the dish, although small, there was a large amount of them so you were able to get a taste of everything in every bite a definite plus in my book.
Terri enjoyed her chicken immensely so I think next time I'll get it for myself. We are never shy about sampling each others food but for some reason we were content just savoring our own individual meals. This was probably for the better because the strong flavor difference probably would have overpowered the noodles.
I would be amiss if I didn't mention the high quality service we received from Thuy. She was professional, polite, and genuinely seemed to care about us. She had a constant smile and was very attentive. Thanks a million Thuy! You made our meal that much more enjoyable!!
I recommend The Sushi Spot whole heartedly. Prices are reasonable, food is top notch and service is great. I haven't tried lunch there yet but certainly will.
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! Especially my sweetheart Terri my constant culinary companion and sidekick!!
This afternoon Terri's friend Leonie Johnston, owner of Lavish salon in Biloxi, celebrated it's 4th anniversary so we went by to say hello and offer our congratulations. The place is awesome and is located in an older building with a wonderfully comfortable feel. Please give them a call and support a local business http://lavishsalon.net/index.php. After we said our hellos we decided to go to The Sushi Spot in downtown Biloxi on MLK Blvd. We had eaten here before but it was BB (before blog).
Tonight we started with egg drop soup. I am a soup freak. I absolutely love soup and this was great. Terri says it's her all time favorite egg drop yet! Nice rich flavor, a smooth texture and sightly thickened. We followed up with an order of egg rolls. The order is small but it is an appetizer so it was just the right amount. The sauce was sweet and spicy without being overpowering. For entrees Terri had The Generals Chicken and I had stir fry shrimp udon. The portions were large and required takeout for both of us.
The udon was perfect! The sauce was flavorful and it allowed the noodles to take center stage as they rightfully should. The shrimp were small but that proved to be an asset to the dish, although small, there was a large amount of them so you were able to get a taste of everything in every bite a definite plus in my book.
Terri enjoyed her chicken immensely so I think next time I'll get it for myself. We are never shy about sampling each others food but for some reason we were content just savoring our own individual meals. This was probably for the better because the strong flavor difference probably would have overpowered the noodles.
I would be amiss if I didn't mention the high quality service we received from Thuy. She was professional, polite, and genuinely seemed to care about us. She had a constant smile and was very attentive. Thanks a million Thuy! You made our meal that much more enjoyable!!
I recommend The Sushi Spot whole heartedly. Prices are reasonable, food is top notch and service is great. I haven't tried lunch there yet but certainly will.
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! Especially my sweetheart Terri my constant culinary companion and sidekick!!
"Chow for Now"
Pete
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Shaggy's In the Pass
Hello my Fellow Food Freaks!!
Hit another new place last night in Pass Christian called Shaggy's http://shaggys.biz/
Weather was nasty and the week had worn me out but with a little coaxing and the promise of a fireplace off I went. Shaggy's is located right at the harbor making it really cool to hang out at during the summer. As for the current weather the restaurant is plenty warm enough with a fireplace right in the middle.
As usual have to have tea. Since I no longer partake of the grape it's my go to drink. We started out with the Jamaican Jerk Shrimp for an appetizer. The flavor was sweet and spicy with a good balance between flavors. Good size shrimp didn't hurt.
Main dish was the Crawfish and Mushroom pasta. This was a tasty dish with plenty of crawfish tails in a nice tasso cream sauce.
The service was fast and polite and glasses stayed filled.
A couple of notes:
1. This is a family restaurant so dress is casual.
2. Portions are ok but not great.
3. Caution when navigating the stairs. It was raining and they were slippery.
The above are not complaints just things to be aware of. The food was wonderful and the staff went above expectations. I am guilty of a bad memory or I would give a shout out to our waiter.
Give the place a shot. Menu has a pretty good variety without being unmanageable.
Hit another new place last night in Pass Christian called Shaggy's http://shaggys.biz/
Weather was nasty and the week had worn me out but with a little coaxing and the promise of a fireplace off I went. Shaggy's is located right at the harbor making it really cool to hang out at during the summer. As for the current weather the restaurant is plenty warm enough with a fireplace right in the middle.
As usual have to have tea. Since I no longer partake of the grape it's my go to drink. We started out with the Jamaican Jerk Shrimp for an appetizer. The flavor was sweet and spicy with a good balance between flavors. Good size shrimp didn't hurt.
Main dish was the Crawfish and Mushroom pasta. This was a tasty dish with plenty of crawfish tails in a nice tasso cream sauce.
The service was fast and polite and glasses stayed filled.
A couple of notes:
1. This is a family restaurant so dress is casual.
2. Portions are ok but not great.
3. Caution when navigating the stairs. It was raining and they were slippery.
The above are not complaints just things to be aware of. The food was wonderful and the staff went above expectations. I am guilty of a bad memory or I would give a shout out to our waiter.
Give the place a shot. Menu has a pretty good variety without being unmanageable.
"Chow for Now"
Pete
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