March 23, 2009 by dave.

I occasionally get into conversations with friends, colleagues, and others about what is best in the area we work and live in.  When I use the term ‘best’ I refer to everything from services, to food, to resources, to entertainment.  The list below highlights the various things I feel are ‘the best’ and they are all accessible around the mid-NH towns of Plymouth and Meredith.  I chose these areas because I spend most of my time here (between work and home).  This is one of many installments for ‘The Best’….I welcome comments and additions:

[Best Breakfast]: The Village Kitchen (no web site), Moultonborough……This small restaurant is known to locals as ‘The VK’.  It serves what many individuals would refer to as ‘home cooking’.  The service is extremely fast, the prices are very low, and the staff are wonderful.  Though many New Englanders are not familiar with ‘biscuits and sausage gravy‘ I have to say it’s my favorite breakfast meal and they have the best.  Note that the VK also serves lunch and dinner…so check them out!

[Best Deli]: Biederman’s Deli, Plymouth……This is a fixture in Plymouth.  The sandwiches they put together are of the highest quality and their daily specials are usually very unique and creative.  I’d have to say 75% of the time I get whatever is ‘on special’ because the combination of ingredients that the staff put together always result in a top-notch meal.

[Best Tire & Car Repair Service]: Salta Tire (no web site), Laconia……Other than going ‘to the dealer’ for car repairs it can be a difficult decision to find a regular car repair service that is reasonable, of quality, and trustworthy.  I’ve found such a shop in Laconia.  Salta Tire has actually won a number of ‘best of’ awards for the Laconia area and I further endorse them based on my own experience.  I’d have to say the key reason I like Salta Tire is their staff’s integrity and their prices.  They are my ‘regular’ repair shop and I highly recommend them.

[Best Local Newspaper]: The Laconia Daily Sun….This is a daily paper that is free.  I’ve blogged about this before so check out the details here.

Posted in New Hampshire, Food / Beverage, Household Stuff, Fun! | 1 Comment »

February 13, 2009 by dave.

Several months ago my wife discovered that Ben & Jerry’s was producing a much smaller version of their ice cream ‘pints’.  She happened to be in a supermarket and saw them in the freezer section….so of course she had to buy some for the family to try out.  I am not sure what the exact size is but I believe they are about 1/4 cups and they are selling for anywhere between 99 cents and $1.19 depending on the location.

In terms of cost they are no real bargain; especially when comparing them to the original pint containers but they are ideal for a few reasons.  When I eat from a pint-sized container I know I eat much more than I should (have you ever read the nutritional information for a pint of this stuff?).  I can easily eat half of the pint….and on some occasions I’ve eaten more.  These 1/4 pints help you to control how much you eat while still satisfying your craving for the ice cream.

Another bonus with this product is they include their own little plastic spoon that is stored in the cover of the container (you can see the spoon in the picture on the left).  This helps when you want one and do not have a spoon available.

I’ve been looking for information on this product at the Ben & Jerry’s site but have had no luck. This surprises me.  I wonder if they are here to stay or just a special item they are trying out. regardless…it’s a great idea and I do hope they stay.

Posted in Food / Beverage | 5 Comments »

November 3, 2008 by dave.

This is a favorite soup of my family and relatives.  My family calls it escarole soup but others may know it as ‘Italian Wedding Soup.  It’s now ’soup weather’ up here in New Hampshire so I figured I’d share this wonderful recipe with others.

Recipe: Escarole Soup

This soup consists of a combination beef / chicken broth and is loaded with little meatballs.  Escarole (which is a type of flavorful ‘green’) adds some vegetation to the offering.  Pasta is also added to round it out as a terrific meal.  You can use any small pasta you like but we prefer ditalini pasta. We like to keep the pasta separate.  This allows individuals to control how ‘pasta rich’ their bowl of soup is.  It also keeps the pasta from getting ‘water-logged’ if you have to perpare it in advance.  I also like to sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top when serving.  Goes well with crusty bread.  Enjoy!

Posted in Food / Beverage | 1 Comment »

July 28, 2008 by dave.

The raised bed garden is doing VERY well.  As you may recall, I constructed it with scrap wood and I used a combination of compost from my town’s Transfer Station (I call it our ‘dump’).  My goal had been to have a good producing garden that didn’t require much maintenance / weeding.

Well, I’m very happy with it and am already making plans to add another section next year so I can grow more.  A few thoughts and comments:

** Next year I will plan the layout a bit better.  Example: My lettuce is pretty much gone and now I have empty space.  At the same time my cucumbers are taking over.  Perhaps next year I can design the layout so when the lettuce is used up the room left vacant will be filled by the cucumber plants.

** I will also try to spread some things out a little more.  I left plenty of room for the tomatoes (based on the package guidelines) but the plants are absolutely HUGE!

** I may also try to stagger some plantings of certain fast-growing plants.  For example….I only had spinach for about 3 weeks then it was used up or went to seed.  Next year I’ll try to plant some…wait a week and plant more….wait a week….well, you get the point.

** I have had very few weeds in the garden.  This was my biggest gripe.  I blame the good soil….I’m sure I’ll get a bit more weed infiltration next year but I’m sure it will continue to be manageable.

So in summary I got a good batch of spinach - which is already done.  I’ve been eating fresh lettuce for about 6 weeks now and probably have another week or two of ‘inventory’.  My tomato plants are HUGE and full of green tomatoes.  Some around here have already gotten red tomatoes but not me.  I do have the quantity….we just need more sun.  The carrots are doing very well.  The biggest story is the cucumbers.  I have already pulled 43 cucumbers out of the garden….and the plants are infested with buds so I’m going to get a ton more.  Check out the pictures (they are from a few weeks ago so the realize the cucumber plants have about tripled and the tomato plants are almost doubled:

 Cucumbers in foreground.  Running out of lettuce towards the back.  far back are carrots and sunflowers.

 Some lettuce.  I tried to pick it in a way to open up room….which is why it’s not neatly aligned.

This is an overview of the garden.  The smaller area in the back is a cutting garden for flowers.  On the right you can see the tomato plants.

Posted in Food / Beverage, Household Stuff | 4 Comments »

July 23, 2008 by dave.

Many people acquire a pizza stone in the hopes that they can mimic what is often served in brick-oven pizza restaurants.  Unfortunately people I talk to that have gone this route are often disappointed in the results.  I too was not happy with the outcome of my attempts to create a high-quality thin-crust pizza in this manner so I started browsing the web for advice.  Based on info I ran across on discussion boards and manufacturer’s sites (as well as things I discovered on my own) I came up with a process that works.  The pizza is thin, crispy, and tastes very close to what you’d get from a brick-oven pizza restaurant.

The advice: Preheat your oven for an hour on 475.  Yes - this is probably one of the most important things.  In order to have a crispy, thin crust your stone and the oven must be blazing hot.  Before I discovered this I ended up with a pizza having a crust that was undercooked because the toppings would cook faster than the bottom.  I also believe this cooks the crust faster and doesn’t let it continue to ‘rise’ while cooking….again, resulting in a thinner crust.

Have all your toppings ready and laid out and INSTEAD of assembling and sliding the raw pizza on the stone with a paddle, do the assembly right on the hot stone.  This is easier than it sounds…and easier than trying to put the uncooked pizza in the oven without messing it up.

So when you are ready to ‘build’ your pizza open the oven and slide out the heated stone on the oven rack.  If the stone is seasoned enough you  won’t need to add the obligatory corn meal….but you can if you want.  Lay out a pre-rolled and flattened section of dough.  Now - another key piece of advice: brush olive oil all over the top of the crust.  Logic told me this would make it mushy but my logic was backwards and I discovered this was the key to getting a crispy crust.  See….the oil ‘fries’ the dough and the edge crust….which is what you want.  Add the other toppings….cook…and it should be ready in7-9 minutes.  Just keep an eye on it.

Lastly….what is a good dough?  Well store-bought dough (the kind already in a dough-ball) is too elastic due to the gluten that’s used as a preservative.  The Pillsbury roll-out dough is just ‘OK’…but I’d recommend you really roll it out flat.  I found a good homemade dough that I really like out on the Internet which I adapted slightly.

So that’s it.  The keys are to have a good recipe, really heat the oven, oil the dough, and assemble the pizza directly on the stone in the oven.  For the recipe I referred to click here.

Posted in Food / Beverage | 1 Comment »

June 26, 2008 by dave.

Well, it seems my grocery store comparison has indeed struck a nerve.  In addition to posting the data, I had forwarded the Blog entry to a number of friends and co-workers…..who in turn forwarded it to others.  Typically individuals would comment directly on the Blog entry but instead I’m getting commentary via email.  This makes sense in some respect as some individuals didn’t actually receive the Blog link - they got to read the information via a cut-and-pasted email.  I feel it’s important to share this commentary so read on (I have blocked the personal information).  Also - please post opinions directly on the Blog by clicking on the comment option at the bottom of the article.

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Thanks for the update!  You have a great website.  It is good to know that I really am saving money at Market Basket.  I didn’t realize they were putting in a Hannaford’s in Meredith.  I’d still drive to MB if I was you although I do find that there are a few items that MB doesn’t carry and I do go to the Plymouth Hannaford for those.

I’m passing this on to a few other people.  Thanks.

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Thanks for sharing…..I’m a confirmed shopper at Market Basket…..and always love saving a few dollars whenever I can:)  I’m sharing with _______ and _______ too!

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Thanks so much, Dave.  We, too, converted to shopping at MB a couple years ago; and, like you, go there every couple weeks.  Glad to see that our decision now has some data to go with it.

Interesting…..Your shopping list looks really similar to the common things we buy. 

Again, thanks for sharing this.

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Very interesting!  I can’t quarrel with the price info; it speaks for itself.

However, on a non-price basis there are some other contrasts.  When I’m in Market Basket, I’m always impressed by the number of people on life support: oxygen tubes, electric carts, etc.  Shaws always has some promotion going: reduced price gas, free turkey, $20 - $50 off coupons based on how much you buy.  Shaws and Hannaford seem to be best for organic items.

Then there’s the question of how many other necessary stops you can make close to the supermarket, saving time and gas.

It’s nice to have Jackson’s Star so close, and would be even nicer if their prices were at least in the Hannaford/Shaws range.  Maybe the competition will help!

Many thanks, 

NOTE MY REPLY:

I agree that pricing isn’t everything.  I also agree that Shaws has great ’specials’.  I’ve been known to ‘cherry pick’ at that store once in a while.  Price is one part of my reason for shopping at Market Basket.  Honestly I have had very bad experiences at Shaws.  I even walked out with a partially filled carriage once because I was so ticked off.  Some of this may have changed but they lost a customer as a result:

1) When I did shop at Shaws it was regularly in the evening during the week.  I got frustrated because in the evening their meat selection was horrible.  It seems they ‘let the display run out’ towards the end of the day.  Market Basket is always very well stocked.

2) The employees running the registers and bagging at Shaws come across as inattentive and uncaring.  They came across as though I was bothering them on several occasions.  The supervision of the younger high-school-age staff leaves a lot to be desired.  At MB all employees are friendly and come across professional and attentive to customer needs.  I don’t like to be ‘kissed up to’…..but I do want them to treat me with courtesy and be friendly.

3) The Card…..On a few occasions I forgot I didn’t have ‘the card’ because I had my keys and not Tami’s (I hate extra stuff on my keyring).  When I told the checker I didn’t have it and asked if they could just have a manager bypass it I was directed to go to customer service.  This held up the checker  line and I had to wait in line at customer service.  I understand ‘the card’ from a marketing, loyalty, and tracking standpoint but they need to be a bit reasonable about this…..

So…..for me it IS more than prices…..Shaws’ doesn’t treat me like a customer…..they act as though I should be privileged to shop in their store.  I guess we’ve had different experiences and perhaps they have changed.  At least for now I will continue to shop at Market Basket….but I will sincerely consider Hannaford when it opens in Meredith as I’m still pretty happy with that chain.

Take care….and thanks for the healthy discussion!

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Thanks for the information.  We actually have an Economic Development Committee meeting tomorrow, so I’ll bring the information to the group.

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I am SO HAPPY….finally someone is on my side!!!!!!  Give my kuddos to Dave!!!!  I have been shopping and SAVING at Market Basket for years and I am always arguing with others about the cost savings…..I don’t care about the “one time only deals” that Shaws’ and other stores have because it cost me extra $$$ to drive there and then I end up picking up this and that while in the store.  Market Basket has ALWAYS been the store to shop at.

Here is my opinion:  I have to drive to Rochester 30 minutes to shop at MB but for me worth the $ in gas for the overall savings in food.  As you may recall Hannaford opened a store 1 mile from my home 2 years ago which put the little mom and pop store out of business (but it has helped our local economy).  I  have shopped at Hannaford as that is where _____ meds are for convenience sake…but the prices are OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!  I would be better off spending the extra $$$ to make the trip gas wise to Rochester than to shop 1 mile from my home.  Please do NOT shop at Hannaford…it is not worth it…MB will always have the better prices overall…in my opinion.  Whatever weight you want to give to “my opinion”!!!!

Thanks to Dave for creating such a great comparision chart I am sharing this with everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted in Food / Beverage, Household Stuff | 1 Comment »