Category: Food & Wine

Posted on

What to buy HER for Christmas…..

As I was scanning the internet, I caught a frivolous article with cliche’ quotes by one of Hugh Hefner’s new squeezes about what to buy a woman for Christmas.

Surprisingly, the article was very helpful. Embedded in the story was a quote from a consumer researcher on the four major categories that WOMEN want… not what you want them to have… but what SHE wants. Big difference. Here’s what Marshall Cohen, chief analyst at consumer and retail market research information company NPD Group, lists as the big favorite categories among women:

1) “The number-one emotionally attached gifts are jewelry as number one,

2) …chocolate as number two and

3) … apparel as number 3.

4) … Number 4 is coffee. Women love coffee.”

As for me, I can agree completely on the categories and the order presented. Here’s how my wife and daughters sort out on my list:

Bluenile.com diamond earringsLaura– Laura never chooses “jewelry” as her number one choice… but then nothing makes her happier. The more she protests… the closer to the mark I am.

Oh yes, Kristin bought her a Prada bag, too.

 

Kristin... with one gift that she will only get... if I am not buried with it!Kristin — Yep, Jewelry is a biggie… but you have to add apparel. She has an account with ‘Coach’ for a reason.

Kristin has bought all of her expensive things… although I bought her a nice pair of diamond earrings for her graduation from West point… she earned it!

 

Kristin took Karen to Prada ni Beverly Hills... a kind and generous gift... Karen wears her Prada Purse with pride.... no 'hobo' gift here!Karen — Chocolate proves she’s daddy’s girl… but apparel is a close second. Kristin bought her this year’s Prada bag.

Karla —- Chocolate and apparel. I don’t know where video games and computers fall… but she’s into these as well.

Well, I hope my little tour has given you some ideas… or at least a perspective on the question for the ages… “what do women really want?”

I can’t say that I have figured it out… all I can say is that for the time being… I look for a smile… and then I know I am okay until… the next occasion.

Good hunting!

 

 Roger Freberg

 

Posted on

the ‘ultimate’ Turducken!

aaaaah... nothing is quite as good as a store bought turducken... except, a homemade one!It is especially hard this season to stay on any kind of diet… because, in the end… the conversation always goes back to food.

My eldest daughter Kristin had a party for the army women… mostly spouses I believe… in any event… it sounded all too evil… chocolate fondue, cheese fondue… mimosas! I know this was only the beginning!

Anyway, back to the subject at hand.

I have always disliked the bland and often overcooked turkey that is often prepared during the holiday season … even by good cooks. I am particularly talking about the flavorless white meat. My grandmother first helped me address this issue by doing what she called ‘self basting’… that is … simply … taking the stuffed turkey and placing it on it’s breasts… wing and back side up. The fat and juices then keep the white meat moist… or so it seemed.

This made a measurable improvement… but I still didn’t like white meat.

Then we started preparing… ‘turduckens’! This is where you debone the turkey and stuff it with a duck and inside the duck with a chicken! And all of the meat is surrounded and stuffed with stuffing! The white meat became very falvorful and moist and the transfer of flavors from the stuffing to the meat was …. exquisite!

However, there was still a problem.

Allow me to offer this short analogy, some folks like Paella with all the bones and shells… but I don’t like to work that hard to enjoy my food… I shell everything first. As for ‘turducken’, I don’t like the skin left on the duck and chicken!

So…. this is what we finally decided to try this year: we are going to debone the turkey as before… but strip the duck & chicken of meat and add them to the stuffing mix directly…. intuitively it sounds like a wonderful idea… so we’ll see how it goes. After all, we only use one type of stuffing for our turducken.

Now, as you know there are some ‘leftovers’… I don’t have any suggestions for the skin… but the livers… aaaah… here’s an idea for an inexpensive pate’ that may just work out for you! The rest? It’s okay for a gravy base.

History of the Turducken

Moose for President.. a Turducken in every pot!

Roger Freberg

Posted on

Jenny Craig …. “extending your snacking experience”

here's a very common weight for me... but it's time to take it off

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hmmmm…. I don’t know if it was watching my daughter Karen shrink before my eyes, or watching my wife Laura lookin’…. good! …. but I was impressed… impressed enough to want to jump on their band wagon and sign a year’s contract with Jenny Craig!

Now, I did find a diet that helped me lose weight from 427 down to 240.. but it was high on the cauliflower and low on… anything that tasted good. Don’t get me wrong… my diet works… but after watching them devour chocolate brownies, frajitas and stuff that I haven’t seen in years… well, it just seemed that it was time to change. This morning, I ate a banana nut muffin, glass of milk, & cottage cheese as part of my 2300 calorie diet…. it was delicious! I don’t have to wait until lunch , as I get a yogurt mid-morning! Jenny has something for you about 6 times a day…

I started yesterday at noon… so this completes my first day on “Jenny Craig”.

My goal weight is 229… which I set just to test my limits. The last time I weighed this was in 1978 and my mother sent me $20 thinking I was a victim of wifely abuse and needed some food money.

Starting a diet for me is a social activity… Laura and Karen have been at it for a month now and , frankly, I wanted to be sure that they would stay on it before I joined them. Too many times I join an activity only to find myself ‘alone’… this is called ‘loneliness.’ However, they have been strong… so the future looks promising.

Now, I know what you guys are all thinking… “Jenny Craig” is for women…. well, not really. Besides, do you think I really want to be in a weight loss program with a bunch of sweaty guys… or hang with gals who are really concerned about their appearance? Hmmm… let me think about that for a moment.

Weigh ins are once a week so I let you know how it goes… so far it has been fun… eating with no dishes to clean ( it all comes in portion controled microwavable packages!).

Roger Freberg

 

Posted on

When Men & Women Diet

when a man diets... what he is willing to give up

 We all know what happens when women in a family diets… that means EVERYONE diets… or at least it means that YOU have to learn how to cook… and always hide your ‘satisfied’ look of rapture after eating a wonderfully ‘unhealthy’ meal.

Men, when a woman diets it means that you must sacrifice as well… and here are a few tips to show that you are supportive of their dietary quest… As you can see above… the choices of what foods to cut out are easier that you think.

1) If you must give up grains — as in bread — substitute with other things made from grain… such as beer.

2) Anything green can be discarded… if you haven’t already done so. Get your vegetables by consuming four legged vegetarians.

3) Become a secretive eater… you can do this best by joining organizations that meet in secret around meal times.

4) Praise the dieters as to their mental strength, courage, fortitude… it’ll keep them distracted from the fact that YOU are really NOT on a diet.

the dieters!Just a few ideas… to help you through THEIR diet.

 

WOW! I thnik those are real monsters bergers! YUM YUM! Oh…. you say they are really Turkey Burgers?

 

HMMMMM…

 

 

 

Roger Freberg

 

Posted on

Halloween… a time for kindness

jack-o-lanterns

 

Maybe, it’s because I once worked for two different candy companies (chocolate)… or maybe it’s because I had my own ‘grim reaper’, ‘Spock’ and ‘fox’ canvassing the neighborhood each year, but I have always enjoyed Halloween. It is one of my favorite times of the year.

It is a time in which we can show kindness to children, stranger’s children and just plain strange children.

Year after year, our neighborhood grows grayer and with that less and less children come to call… or at least that is true of many of the homes in our neighborhood. This year, we had a steady stream of young people… some had ‘heard of our house’, or wanted us to remember they came last ‘year or years ago’. You know you are getting old, when your one time trick or treaters’ kids come calling.

See's Candy... simply the bestMany people miss the joy in the eyes and the excitement of children as they place their eyes on a big piece of chocolate…. and it’s free!

I buy popularity.

My secret? I buy See’s Chocolates in bulk… so it really isn’t that expensive… and as long as my ‘competition’ continues to hand out individual ‘tic tacs’… I can still be a hero. The cost of being a hero on this holiday is easy… as compared to Christmas.

Over the years, I have discovered what the REAL favorite bars are… you can see it when you observe what the kids take … when they are free…. and what they leave behind. Nutrageous is still king of the modestly priced bars.

If you are living in an affluent community… you might try Ethel M. Chocolates…. Forest Mars, Sr. really got this one right. Legend says that Forest Senior didn’t want to go down in history as the inventory of SNICKERS and M&M’s… but as a purveyour of quality confection… and in the company named after one of his two mothers ( both named Ethel).. he achieved perfection! Ethel M Chocolates

Next year… instead of watching kids look at their treats and say ,’yuck, raisins!”… go to the next level with something Chocolate that says, ‘thanks for stopping by!’

 

Roger Freberg