In My Fridge

First of all this is not my refrigerator, but it's close enough. This refrigerator comes from this source.

I went back to the NaBloPoMo prompts for today's post - in fact this prompt was for yesterday, but it sounded fun. The prompt was: "Name five things inside your refrigerator right now and how you feel about them." OK then.

Here are my five items - in my refrigerator this very moment:

Trader Joe's Caramelized Onion Dip - I just bought this today. I've had it before and it is *so good*! I mean, I'm an onion dip fiend, but this onion dip is made from caramelized onions, so it's sweeter and better because, well, caramelized onions! It's low carb, so when I dip low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks, it's diabetic-friendly.

Left Over Plain and Fancy Meat Stew - This is one of my favorite slow-cooker dishes. I got the recipe over 10 years ago from an online forum about the book "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and it's been part of my "rotation" ever since.

Vita Herring in Sour Cream - Love this! It's chunked herring in an onion sour cream sauce. Even though it's sour cream, it's actually kind of sweet. My father used to love this too, so we would share this while we watched movies on the VCR. It's one of the many foods to which my father introduced me.

Heinz Ketchup with Real Jalapeño - This is a new-found delight for me. I have historically not liked jalapeño stuff, but for some reason, I really like this. I use it on all sorts of stuff - scrambled eggs, Cuban tamales, even on hot dogs. It has a kick to it but isn't painful in my mouth like other jalapeño sauces. Yum.

Angry Orchard Elderflower Hard Cider - I love hard cider, but this one, not so much. I don't like beer, so since I discovered hard cider I've been hooked. It works when beer is the natural pairing for food. I like both dry and no so dry ciders, but this one is too flowery. It doesn't pair well with food and isn't tasty enough to drink alone. I bought a six pack months ago and there's one left. I wonder if hard cider goes "skunky" like beer does.

So now, you tell me about what's in your fridge...

Dim Sum

Do you like Dim Sum? I'm a little obsessed with it these days. I'm a relative newb to these "Chinese tapas", but I love them!

So David and I went for dim sum yesterday and everything we had was delicious. The place we went to was very simple and with great prices, but the quality and service were excellent. You get an illustrated menu with prices and an ordering slip like at some sushi places. You can take your time, peruse the menu, and order however much you like. Usually each order contains three pieces.

There's another place a few blocks away that is the most famous dim sum restaurant in the area, but the couple of times I've gone for dim sum, I was completely underwhelmed. I can't really comment on the quality because I didn't get a good sampling. As opposed to the place I went to yesterday, this supposedly "best" place didn't offer a menu or price list. Instead a group of  four or five Chinese ladies descend upon the table at once, seemingly shouting at you while holding pots of stuff. They thoroughly intimidated me, so I just took whatever they were offering just so they'd go away. I wound up with five almost identical dumplings resembling those I get from my Chinese delivery place - basically, pot stickers. They were fine, but, not a lot of variety.

So I'll leave the "best" dim sum place to those braver than me - I'll stick to my unassuming little place with great prices, great food and great service.