Took a walk out to the Ferry Building this afternoon and had a salame and cornichon sandwich on crusty bread smeared with French butter from Acme Bread.

Btw, it’s official, I’m moving to San Francisco in less than a month! We now have a place to live but have to sell the house in Rhode Island. Wish us luck!

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I’m trying to use up the food in my pantry so I finally got around to cooking my box of soybean pasta. A co-worker made some a while back and brought in the leftovers and I didn’t taste that much of a difference in her dish (though she used a strong pesto sauce), but did notice that this pasta has a much chewier consistency than regular pasta.

I made up a quick pot of tomato sauce with garlic and basil and some turkey meatballs. I cooked the pasta even longer than suggested and it was still quite chewy. After letting it sit in the fridge for a day in the tomato sauce it softened a bit, but still a slightly chewier consistency (and slightly different flavor - hints of artichoke as well as a subtle nutty flavor) than the typical pasta. And I’ve been eating whole wheat pasta for a while now. Overall, I like the fact that it has 23 grams of protein, but would suggest you make it a day ahead and let is ‘marinade’ in you sauce of choice before serving.

I’m going to try it again, but this time toss it with roasted vegetables and a little Parmesan, as I think that might make a better flavor pairing.

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Prosecco, Dom Bertiol. It’s official - I’m moving to San Francisco next month and the booze makes the packing go quicker.

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I add 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder to boxed chocolate cake mix and prepare as usual.

Chocolate frosting:
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons cream

In mixer: cream butter, sugar and cocoa until blended. Add cream and vanilla and whip until smooth.
Piped with an 823 star pastry tip

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NPR ran a piece today about the famous Iberico Ham. It’s available now in the US, though the acorn fed variety, Iberico de Bellota, is not scheduled to be in the US until this summer at an estimated price of about $90 -120/lb.

I haven’t seen any in Providence, then again I haven’t been looking. I’ll have to try Russo’s in Watertown, as it’s not too far from the office.

If anyone in New England has spotted this treat, drop me a line!

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Last night at the Whole Foods Market in Providence I spotted a display of cutely packaged Jo’s  Peanut Butter Crunch candies at the register. In my bag the twosome went along with my sushi dinner and Eden Soy soy milk.

The chocolate treat was my mid-morning snack. I’ve heard good things about Jo’s candy but found the overall flavor of the peanut butter lacking. The chocolate quality was good, smooth and melty, but again, was a weak tasting milk chocolate. Overall it was ok, but really lacked much flavor.

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I’ve been nibbling on Spanish cheeses this week. I finished my wedge of Manchego for the lunch the other day, so today I  picked up some drunken goat from the Whole Foods Market. I’ve heard this can be hard to find, is that still the case? They seemed to have an ample supply. It’s my first time sampling this goat variety and was expecting a slightly different taste. I love goat cheese, but I honestly didn’t taste that much difference for regular goat cheese. It of course was slightly milder, yet slightly more tangly, and had a creamy, almost Gouda like consistency. Very good, but I was expecting more.

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Super Bowl snacks

Fried goat cheese, spinach & artichoke hummus and blanched haricot verts.

Plum tart for dessert

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We tried Juniper frozen yogurt on Thayer St. in Providence. I’m told it’s similar to Pinkberry, but since I’ve never been to Pinkberry, I can’t make that comparison.

They were giving out free samples this afternoon and there was a bit of a crowd. The general consensus among a bunch of college students milling about was that it “tasted like yogurt.” I agree, it’s a frozen version of tangy plain yogurt. I had mine topped with raspberries. I plan on going back and trying a few other toppings, next time a drizzle of honey with some fresh fruit.

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Italian candy maker Pastiglie Leone makes a line of lozenges in a variety of flavors, including assenzio, or absinthe. The candies have a texture similar to Altoids, but are about half the size of the famous mints.

I’ve sampled several other flavors in this line, including lemon and cinnamon and the absinthe flavor is my least favorite — it’s simply too bitter. There is an anise flavor, but the range of bitter flavors overpowers any subtle sweetness. I couldn’t even finish one small candy.

The flavor is awful, but the packaging is delightful. I’m keeping an unopened box on my desk for sheer aesthetics. I truly am a sucker attractive packaging.

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