What Cathy Eats! – Page 84

Road Trip- Shau May (Hi Pie) Restaurant, San Gabriel

January 25, 2011 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, Desserts, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Today, Cathy is blogging. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are "researching" places to blog.

Well. The day was fairly mundane, chilly, the first day of the year. The Mister and I were going to Pasadena to see the Rose Parade floats after the parade ended. We drove North on the 5 instead of the 15…a bit more of a drive, but we hadn't taken that route for more than three years. It was all new and interesting for us. We missed our exit. But since we knew the general direction we were heading, had no interest in turning around. Suddenly, the freeway ended and we were in Alhambra. Then the street had a sign welcoming us to San Gabriel. I had no idea we were heading or even near the San Gabriel Kirk always talks about. We saw this:

Hi Pie Restaurant. That's what the sign says. We parked, stood out front. A nice lady opened the door and said "Happy New Year" with a heavy accent and held the door open. We went in.

Steam trays. Menu above the trays.

Menu on the wall. There are tables inside and out, including two eight person communal tables in the center.

The nice Lady, who spoke broken English, asked us what we wanted and I told her noodles with shrimp. She told one of the young girls working behind the counter what I wanted. The Mister pointed to some items and the nice Lady told us what they were.

We sat near the steam trays at one of the communal tables and saw how quickly items were replenished and replaced. Seems everything is always fresh and a brisk business was going on.

The Mister ordered a three item combination ($4.99)

Really good steamed rice, Ma Po tofu, on the bottom right, (excellent soft soft tofu, with a spicy different than I have ever had, no meat-in fact at least half the menu is vegetarian); ground pork stuffed tofu, on the bottom left, (again, nice light spices and wonderful flavor, tofu firm)and pork belly, in the front on the photo below…

Not crispy pork belly. Flavorful, wonderous, melt in your mouth pork belly…on top of heavenly chopped vegetable something sauce. Seriously good.

Still, we wondered about the name "Hi Pie". I grabbed a business card, and my order came from the kitchen.

See the upside down business card in the top corner?-"Hi Pei Corp." At the top was "Shau May Restaurant" Somebody orders signs. Somebody is dyslectic. Or maybe they got a good deal…

ANYHOW This noodle dish($5.95). Heaven. The shrimp really tasted like they were sauteed in butter. The mushrooms were soft and flavorful. The cabbage, carrots and onions were great and crispy. Oh, and the noodles- not mushy, cooked, but firm. The way I like them. The sauce was not overpowering, but complimentary.

We could get extra rice from pots against the wall, and our own soup, as much as you want…

This one was vegetarian-winter squashes in a plain broth.

This one had a very rich, meaty broth and the green vegetable was not spinach, but more of a cabbage-an older bok choy maybe…

Then, since The Mister was kind of planning on dessert of some sort, and since there would be no pie..I walked over to the other side of the cash register. These were toppings you could select, for shaved ice. Three toppings, $3.95 with tax. I was asked if I would like brown sugar and/or sweetened condensed milk on top. I only chose the milk (New Year Resolution was still in effect). I could get more shaved ice if I wanted…

Oh. My. You can see one of the lychees by the spoon there…and some black tapioca (boba) and then the green apple jelly. So delightful and refreshing.

The food here was really very good. The restaurant is definitely frequented by locals who are knowledgeable about the unlimited rice and soup options. The dessert was a bonus for us and a great start to moving forward in 2011.

Shau May Restaurant – Hi Pei Corp. 830 E. Valley Blvd. San Gabriel CA 91776 (626) 569-9600

Fruitland & Deli- A fruiteria in El Cajon.

January 21, 2011 Cathy Fruiterias, Sandwiches, Seafood, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

Fruitland & Deli has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you are perusing. Cathy is writing today, because Kirk is busy perusing things and ed (from Yuma) is busier perusing even more things.

Hi again. In the last two years, a friend has taken me to Jamba Juice. Twice. I was overwhelmed both times, having to order from the huge menu board with many choices and derivations. I always have gone to Fruiterias around town and could not understand how JJ had peaches in February… and finally asked my friend who looked at me and slowly said "it's frozen fruit"…Oh. OH. I tried to explain my not understanding.

Then, I realized I have never even posted about Fruiterias on this blog. So, here is a post about one in East County. {A fruiteria is basically a fruit shop where fresh fruit is served in various ways and other items, usually sandwiches and chilled seafood, are offered so as to make small meals. A neighborhood Mexican Bistro Cafe -no tacos or burritos or salsa bar.}

Fruitland and Deli has been on this corner where Second turns into Jamacha at Main Street in El Cajon for about three years now. It is in the same parking lot as Dubai (now Sultan)is located.
Clean and not too small (seating for about 25) inside, it offers items all Fruiterias offer…
with a menu in English above the ordering area.

Happy colors decorate the interior. A selection of hot sauces are on every table.

Ices(raspados), smoothies, milk drinks(licuados), all juice-juices, 'diet' juices (not with artificial ingredients, but with vegetables as well as fruit…(you drink for the diet effects)), iced coffee drinks, fruit bowls-large in size, even the 'small' for $6.50-(plain, topped with yogurt or cottage cheese, crema or condensed milk and granola), paletas(ice cream on a stick..wonderful flavors), sandwiches, seafood, tostilocos (another post), tamales and salads.
#1 Licuado (milk shake) (small) ($3.60)There is powdered milk in this one, made with papaya, banana, cantaloupe, banana and strawberries.
Medium camarones coctele (shrimp cocktail)($9.60) We counted 23 good sized, plump and flavorful shrimp in this one. The broth was mostly lime juice, not overly tomato. However the cucumber, avocado and cilantro made this quite delightful and very flavored. It's refreshing.

We decided to share a pork torta (#1)($6.50), especially after the Young Man behind the counter told us the bread was made fresh daily in the store.
This sandwich, made with a good portion of sliced, moist and flavorful pork roast and a bit of mayonnaise, was topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno and avocado and is definitely a meal in itself. The bread was indeed fresh, with a nice crispy crust and it was toasted.

Everything here is fresh, seasonal and takes a short while to be brought out, because it is all made to order. This is how I enjoy eating.

Fruitland & Deli 109 Jamacha (between Main and 2nd) El Cajon 92019

Sushi Yaro-Lunch

January 13, 2011 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. A few friends share blogging "duty". We pretend it is a difficult task, but it's just fun. Today, Kirk has been elsewhere, having fun. ed(from Yuma) is in Yuma, having fun. Cathy is here and having fun.

Hi. Remember the other day last year, when Kirk mentioned Sushi Yaro was having $3 lunch specials? If not, link to it here.

The Mister and I decided to (finally) try it for lunch the other day. The parking lot wasn't full

because we were the first ones there that day. We checked out the 'White Board' near the kitchen as we walked in.

and ordered the $3 vegetable curry special (could have also had stir fried beef, pork, chicken or yakisoba also for $3). It came with a cabbage based salad (in the photo below) and the good serving of fresh rice and an excellent amount of a good curry with potatoes, onion and carrots and a bit of beef in the curry sauce.
I had a craving for poke that day and ordered it off the regular menu ($9.50) It came with the miso soup (very good), salad, side of rice and was presented on the plate this way…with a carrot petaled flower centered with radish and bunny ears of burdock in the poke…
which was an extremely fresh ahi tuna. Marinated in soy sauce, sea salt, sesame oil, onion, garlic, seaweed and some furikake.
One item on the White Board this day was 'stir fried giant clam' for $3.99. It is on the regular menu for $8, but Sam was working that day and he made it …so very tender, almost melt in your mouth like chicken liver or uni melt in your mouth texture. The vegetables were stir fried just enough…crispy and fresh and if I had known the wonder that this item was, I'd have ordered two and had both for myself…

Excellent deals on the $3 lunch and everything excellent at Sushi Yaro. Day or night. Fun.

Sushi Yaro 7905 Engineer Road San Diego 92111

Unusual food items found around town. (COMC)

January 2, 2011 Cathy Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. Just an online diary. Today Cathy is tying up loose ends. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are being constructive. Elsewhere.

Hi. I was Cleaning Out my Memory Card (COMC) as one of my Resolutions and decided to put together a post of things I thought I would someday mention. That day is here.

One day, The Mister and I decided to go to Food 4 Less, (a bag-it-yourself grocery store, same company as Ralphs and Krogers). Within the cold cuts/hot dog section of the store (I am always looking for skin-on wieners) was this:
A one pound package of bacon wrapped hot dogs, as seen served from many taco trucks. The package was marked down to $1.98, and had an expiration date in ten days. I took this photo in the store and sent it to Kirk. Immediately. He said it was a post waiting to happen.

Five of those hot dogs were a pound. Most of the 'better' hot dogs are packaged seven to a pound. We needed large bread to hold these dogs. Costco. Less than $2.50 for 12 gourmet buns. (We used the extra ones for sandwiches and turned some into garlic bread). I just cooked the hot dogs in a large teflon coated pan on the stove top, turning until the bacon was crisp.

These are giant dogs (five filled that 12 inch pan) and needed that larger than normal Costco roll.
Topped with mustard and pickles, one was filling and two were too much to eat. Our good dogs (and cats) got some treats that day.

I could not figure how to make a whole post about this machine.
We saw it at Parkway Plaza, on the edge of the Food Court, near the Sbarro. I do sometimes crave spun sugar…
You put in $2 in coins, a stick slides over, then down…
The machine spins the candy floss around the stick.

Viola! A fresh made cotton candy treat!
This machine disperses heated almonds and peanuts. It was located in the Paddock Bar at the Del Mar Race Track. I saw it when we were taking a lunch break at the Del Mar Fair. Really brings out the flavor. Now I heat up nuts in the fry pan before we eat them at home.
This past summer, San Diego was a "Test Market" for two Starbucks iced beverages. Each was made with green coffee- raw- beans. Caffeine was in each beverage, which was juice based, but no taste of coffee (and no tea flavor). The one on the left was made with lime juice and had fresh mint in it, the one on the right had fresh blackberries and was made with pomegranate juice. They were refreshing and different and really good on hot days. I hope the testing went well and we can see these beverages as a regular item in the stores in the future.

Here is a photo of our Christmas Dessert plate…International this year. From 6:00: The apple strudel (German) was an experiment which turned out well. The espresso (Italian) was just perfect that day and the pink item is called Vatkattu Marjapuuro. It is Finnish. I call it cranberry whip. Made with fresh cranberries and farina. It could be a dessert or breakfast. It ended up being both. Again, it just wasn't enough to do a whole post.

The Costco on Morena Avenue. Only. Gelato.

Made daily. $1.50 for three scoops- mixed berry, pistachio and stracciatella (torn apart/ less chunky chocolate chips in plain (not vanilla flavored) ice cream). Gelato is more dense than ice cream, is lower in sugar and lower in butterfat. It is made at this Costco location daily and a quart for $5 is a wonderful deal. I like the pistachio the best…fresh crispy nuts.
The Vons at Liberty Station (not the standard footprint Vons)(when you walk in the center/cart area, go to the building on your left) has a 'make your own nut butter' bar. Between $5 and $7 a pound, these bins were just about to be refilled with fresh nuts. You turn the crank and fill the containers provided. Right next to it were fill your own honey containers, two types of honey.

So there. I got another thing off of my "To Do" list! I hope everyone is taking some time to tie loose ends.

A drive North- Smokey’s Lake Wohlford Cafe

December 19, 2010 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

After going through several owners, it appears that Smokey's closed in September 2023. It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of blog. Saying that word (mmm) indicates happiness. Cathy is blogging today because she is happy. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are probably also happy, but just aren't blogging.

Hi. Thought I'd get out my East County posting "rut" and still stay within San Diego County… which is about 4200 square miles… I had a long story about how we got here, but will leave that for another time. Let's just say The Mister and I drove through Escondido to Valley Center, picked up some meat by the side of the road (still $35) and then stopped at Bates Nut Farm.
where we bought some candy…
and nuts. Then we proceeded to Lake Wohlford, a few miles South. Stopping here.
Smokey's Lake Wohlford Cafe. Been here since 1947 (new owners bought it in 2006). Right across the street from Lake Wohlford at a turn in the winding road. You might miss it if you are driving too fast…

You can sit inside, as the regulars do…
at the bar (there are bait and tackle, fishing licenses and other accoutrement sold here starting at about 5:30 a.m. daily (to the left when you walk in the door) Food starts being served at 6 or 7, depending on the time of year. Patrons were watching The Princess Bride on the flat screen…Breakfast is served until 1 p.m. here. I found my perfect selection from the menu…
Yes. Smokey's, the home of the Famous Catfish Dinner.

Catfish is available as a meat choice on the breakfast plate ($7.75)…
Rye Toast, two perfectly breaded and fried catfish loins, house made tartar sauce, home fries, two perfectly poached eggs and some really good coffee ($1.50). This was the perfect breakfast for me. Everything was just right…the eggs were perfectly poached and drained ( a little thing which I notice about poached eggs), the thick slices of rye toast, the just right home fries…and that catfish…crispy cornmeal coating over a fresh and flaky catfish…mmm. [The All You Can Eat catfish meal is $13.75, after 4 p.m. Friday]
The Mister and I decided to share the chalkboard special soup of the day- bacon/potato/cheese ($3.50) Not overly creamy(i.e., no 'film' left on the inside of your mouth with each bite and not thickened with flour); wonderfully flavored with carrot and onion and potato and some cheese…just right.
The Mister ordered the chalkboard special open faced meatloaf sandwich ($6.50). The thick slice of toasted sourdough had mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion and the slice of bread under the two thick meatloaf slices was toasted. Oh the meatloaf…it was fresh ground beef and pork, had tomatoes and carrot and some onion in it and the gravy was nicely flavored and not salty. So nice and homemade… The Mister ordered iced tea (also $1.50) and it is a good, strong brew.

It is pretty large inside, with this view of the lake…a pool table…
The prices are well worth the home made meals. If you are in North County East, this is the place to eat. mmm! {Yes. The pot of coffee is more expensive than a domestic beer.}{Yes. I ate catfish for breakfast}

Bates Nut Farm 15954 Woods Valley Road, Valley Center 92082 (760)749-3333 Website

Smokey's Lake Wohlford Cafe 25484 Lake Wohlford Road Escondido 92027 (760) 749-6585 Website

Pho Santee. Yes.

December 17, 2010 Cathy Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog you are reading and enjoying vicariously. Today, Cathy is blogging because Kirk is waaay busy and ed(from Yuma) is busier than Kirk.

It is going to be a cold, rainy weekend. Some sort of soup is going to be craved. East County. Santee. I live here. We have Costco, Lowes and Home Depot, Target and WalMart, many chain restaurants, a steak house and now have two Thai restaurants, three places which serve sushi, eight Italian eateries (but more than half of those are pretty much pizza places) , seven taco shops and now, two Vietnamese restaurants. Yes. In Santee. The American home of Comedian Dat Phan. This post is about the unimaginatively named Vietnamese restaurant.

Pho Santee is in an nondescript shopping mall, just across from the Santee Sheriff Station. It used to be Royal Szecheuan/Sushi, neither of which was done very well. The menu at Pho Santee is Vietnamese -and Chinese- both are done quite well. Good enough that I come here for lunch when I have a craving instead of driving the 15-20 minutes to Convoy Street or 20 minutes Mira Mesa Boulevard. The interior here is clean and shiny (also a contrast to the old place). Two televisions, but usually only one is on.
With a little Christmas decor at this time of year…

Table settings are standard.

Pho Santee serves pho and other standard Vietnamese items (bun, broken rice, steamed rice) and some more or less Chinese items (fried rice, stir fried noodles, stir fried vegetables). .
No sawtooth. Pretty basic add ins.
Pho Ga-large ($6.65). We asked for added shrimp ($3) to go with the chicken broth (The Mister was starting to have a cough/cold/crud). The (hot!) broth was not greasy and had a good chicken stock. The noodles were not mushy and only slightly clumpy. The shrimp were quite large, as was the portion of chicken for this bowl.
BunThit Nuong-grilled pork ($6.95). Only lettuce, no fancy greens under the chilled rice noodles. The grilled pork was not crispy. It was nicely flavored and not fatty. The add in sauce was just the right amount of fishy vinaigarette (no fish sauce on the table condiments).

I like that you can order Cha Gio (fried egg rolls) either 3 ($3.99) or 6 ($5.99)…these were nicely fried, filled with ground pork and shrimp, egg, fungus and cellophane noodles. Served with lettuce and mint.

The Goi Cuon (spring rolls, we chose tofu as the filling- [all fillings (chicken, shrimp, pork or tofu) are the same price: two for $3.99-these are cut in half] filled with vermicelli noodles, mint and lettuce, these were very fresh and good. The spicy peanut sauce for dipping was very good.

Dac Biet (small)($5.85) was filled with meat, various onions, the same good and almost not clumped noodles. The broth was rich, not greasy and not overly flavored (other than beef…not much anise).
In fact, if you just want meat and noodles, this is the place. The pieces of tendon, brisket, tripe and rare beef were plentiful.
The lunch special chicken chow mein ($6)[most expensive lunch combination is $7] comes with..um.. egg flower soup (tasted beefy), egg roll (the same Cha Gio but without lettuce, mint or dipping sauce) and fried rice. The chow mein…well..excellent flavored chicken, water chestnuts and pea/carrot mix. No MSG overload and very fresh.

Pho Santee is maybe not as authentic as some of the places in San Diego. It is good, not pretentious and very good to have in East County. The people who work here are very friendly and all of them help you. We have had at least four different individuals assist with refills, questions, etc. at our table each visit.

Pho Santee 8790 Cuyamaca, Suite K Santee 92071 (619)562-5151. Sun-Th 9-9, Fri/Sat 9-10

Rodeo Road Trip – NFR 2010, Las Vegas (Great breakfast at Egg Works)

December 7, 2010 Cathy Las Vegas, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is not only about food and meals, but how we got to find that food to enjoy those meals. Today, Cathy writes about her latest adventure.

So. It's time for my annual mini vacation to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Ms. T and I left early Sunday. Soon we were at State Line.

In another 30 minutes, we were at the hotel.
…with the beautiful decorated tree in the lobby...
the outdoor 'beach' pool area…

and very large exercise room, right next to a heated outdoor lap pool.
Which was an amenity we needed to use, after we hit the Buffet for dinner.

The next morning, we needed to get to the airport (to go to Customs and Border Protection for Trusted Traveler Program paperwork completion) and were looking for breakfast.
Egg Works. At the SouthEast Corner of the airport. (Sunset at Southeastern). Hours are 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Seven television sets, free wifi, a coffee cup at every place setting. Breakfast and lunches. Owned by people who own The Egg and I (a restaurant I used to go to when growing up in Detroit-the first restaurant that sent us Birthday Club Cards, the first place my parents remember getting a thermal pot of coffee left at the table… a Midwestern chain which makes and serves Cincy Chili) That black egg face flips to become yellow and is a signal for any passing waitress that you would like their attention.
You get a choice of toast or home made banana nut muffin with your breakfast. The muffin comes out *hot* from the oven.
Pure, simple. real banana and more nuts than in this photo. Really good. People buy loaves To Go of this banana bread.
Ms. T ordered the chalkboard special Northern California Omelette ($9.25) Four eggs, chicken, broccoli and mushrooms, topped with a cheese-Hollandaise-like sauce. Fresh and filling and good. It came with a side of Works potatoes and the toast.

I ordered the Home Made Corned Beef Skillet ($9.95). Really meaty corned beef hash, made with green peppers and onions and potatoes, topped with two poached eggs. Excellent. If you are in Las Vegas, this is the place to have a very good sit down breakfast. There are three locations.
By 5 p.m., we were parked and ready to go inside to see the National Finals Rodeo- the World Series of Rodeos. The top 15 Cowboys in the world of each of seven events competeing for ten days in a row to determine the World Champions.

The women who control horses to race around three barrels as quickly as possible.

The men who control a horse and rope a steer in as little time as possible (three different events): Or the men who stay on a bucking animal for at least eight seconds.

Long Live Cowboys. Athletes.

The tenth and final day of NFR is this Saturday, the 11th. It is shown live and rerun on ESPN daily.

Egg Works 2490 East Sunset Road Las Vegas 89120, 9355 West Flamingo Las Vegas 89147
Egg &I 4533 West Sahara Las Vegas 89102 Website

Green Valley Ranch Resort Website

National Finals Rodeo Website

Pupuseria Salvadoreña & Mexican Food (a re-visit)

December 4, 2010 Cathy Salvadoran Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

This is mmm-yoso!!! A food blog. Today, Cathy is writing about a meal she had. At a place she has written about already. Because she can. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are out and about, doing other things.

Hi. I wrote about Salvadoreña almost a year and a half ago but had been coming here for years before I ever posted and have been here quite a few times since. I thought I'd do an update.
It's in the same location. Across from the El Cajon Harbor Freight Tools.
The interior, including the menu, has not changed.
The pupusas are made to order. You can hear the ladies in the back, slapping the dough just before cooking. The tomato sauce and curtido (Salvadoreañean Kimchee) are brought out to the table with the pupusas.
12:00-queso(cheese), 3:00-pollo (chicken), 6:00-papa(potato), 9:00- frijole(bean)

Here is a close up of the fresh curtido-you can see the finely sliced jalapeño at 3:00. The cabbage, mild onion and carrots are crispy and so fresh. It is lightly marinated and very complimentary to the pupusas.
We also got the Yuca Frita plate. A lightly battered and fried yuca – commonly called a cassava (it has potato flavor and texture; starchy)topped with some pieces of puerco (fried pork…carnita-like) and served with curtido, some sliced vegetables and a wedge of lime.

Oh. What I really meant by it hasn't changed- pupusas are still $1.75 each, the fried yuca plate is still $4.99. We shared a small Jamaica beverage, $1.75 and were asked if we wanted ice or not. I really appreciate consistency. You'll like it here. (The Mexican food is really good, with fresh made tortillas.)

Pupuseria Salvadoreña 1207 East Main Street El Cajon 92021 (619) 447-2501 Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 10-9

How To- Peel a pomegranate, Cook bacon, Make kale chips and a sweet-ish snack

December 3, 2010 Cathy Cooking, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food. This episode will be hosted by Cathy. Because Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are not available to host.

Hi again. The Mister and I eat and cook at home, we don't always go out. I thought I would show you a few ways we work around the kitchen.
The humble pomegranate. In season now. You can purchase for about a dollar everywhere. It has a thick shell-like skin, membranes inside, which host a maze of juicy, flavorful seeds, called arils. The fruit/its juice is said to be a powerful antioxidant. However, the juice directly from the fruit stains clothes, furniture and your hands. To prevent this from happening,
get a large bowl or pot and fill it with water at least 3/4 of the way. So that you can put your hands in the water with the fruit and water won't overflow. Start to break the shell underwater(you can score it with a knife). Break the fruit up, without disturbing the arils/seeds. Start to peel the membrane away from the seeds, keeping the fruit-and your hands-
underwater the whole time. The seeds fall to the bottom. The membrane floats. It's physics. Remove shell/skin and membranes, drain and you have perfect pomegranate seeds! You eat the arils raw this way or make juice and strain the seed pulp out. Straining the fine seeds is much more work, and why you pay dearly for pomegranate juice items.

Bacon seems to be difficult for some people to cook. Really, it is simple and not messy. Line a cookie sheet-the kind with all sides raised- with a piece of foil and place pieces of raw bacon, not touching, on the foil. Bake in a 350° oven. If the bacon is thick, turn it after 20 minutes and bake about ten minutes more. If it is thin bacon, bake without turning for about 25 minutes.

You can see the bacon shrinks, but there is no spatter in the oven (or even onto the cookie sheet). Easy cleanup. (It is this foamy when you first take it out of the hot oven. Our parents told us that's how you know it is done cooking.) (These are the same pieces, which have been turned during cooking, in both photos)

The Farmer's Market Bag from Specialty Produce a few weeks ago was interesting. That yellow thing in the second photo is a citron, commonly called a Buddha's Hand. Yes, the bottom right corner of the second photo are purple potatoes. Everything in this bag was something we liked and could use to supplement our meals at home. Except it had been really hot and the kale (at the top in the 2nd photo) which I would normally use in a soup, was not going to happen, since we had had three days of temperatures hitting 100° out here. Kale is said to be an antioxidant and highly nutritious also, like the pomegranate. I decided to make kale chips.

I tore the kale into bite size pieces and placed in a bowl, topping it with olive oil,salt and pepper and tossing until all the kale was coated (that bunch in the photo made two batches- both for the bowl and for the cookie sheet). Place the pieces not touching on the cookie sheet.

I baked at 350° for 15-20 minutes, checking that the kale is crispy before removing.

I hope everyone is having a good day.

Oh. The Buddha's Hand was sliced (you can eat the pith and there is no juicy center) in about 1/4 inch pieces and boiled, on low heat, in 2 cups of water with 2 cups of sugar for about 2 hours until the liquid was almost gone. The pieces placed in a pan of sugar, coating on both sides and placed in the refrigerator. A tart and sweet snack treat!

I hope everyone is having a non-hectic month!

Valley Foods Mediterranean Market-and a meal.

November 28, 2010 Cathy Iraqi Food and Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

See other posts about Valley Foods here and here. A 2015 update, from another blog: Here

mmm-yoso!!! That's the name of this blog. It's about food. With anecdotes tossed in. Cathy is blogging today. The guys aren't.

Hi. El Cajon has a new Mediterranean Market. It's on the South side of Main Street, just West of Second.(Next to the Rally Burger).
It's a new building, but the facade is more visible to the parking lot than on Main Street. It is not as large as Vine Ripe Market, does sell Halal meats, fresh breads and has enough of a produce section to make this a regular stop for me. Of course, as with the other Mediterranean markets I frequent, it has an in-store eating area. With good prices. Below, the deli area (which has many choices of Feta cheeses as well as the olives and halal deli meats shown)and a sort of 'grab and go'/prepared foods area.

When you walk in, you will go to the left and there is a hot food counter and small eating area. On the far left of this photo, the beverage machine with red juice- that is pomegranate juice- $1.49 for a large styrofoam cup. I get on every time I am here, but never seem to have snapped a photo. It is not from concentrate. The sign underneath the "Seafood" sign is "You Buy We Fry".

The steam tray area has a large menu above it. Prices are good. Really good. Order, pay and find a seat.

Beef shawarma sandwich ($3.95). Yes, that is the price. Yes, my hand is small. It is still a very large sandwich. Usually I don't order beef shawarma, because elsewhere, it is dry. Here at Valley Foods, the beef shawarma is moist and wonderfully flavored. The bread is one of the three main types sold in the store. Fresh. Those are turnips pickled in beet juice and onions in the sandwich, along with a garlicky hummus sauce.

On the bottom right is a 'side' of Biryani rice ($2.99). It's a pint.
Cooked Basmati rice, sauteed with shredded chicken, onions and some potato, along with cumin and maybe cardamom (a sweet spice, not cinnamon), this could be a meal in itself.
The falafel plate ($5.95)Seven fresh made from garbanzo beans(not powder) falafels, with a side of pickled mango , fresh made hummus (nice and with light garlic), fresh-fresh tabouleh (parsley, mint, tomatoes and bulghur wheat in a lemon-olive oil dressing) and two standard (fresh made here and warm) pita breads.
Here is a blurry photo of a cross section of the falafel. It is fresh, fluffy and good.