Povitica

Walnut povitica

We recently saw a Strawberry Hill display of poppy seed, apple cinnamon, walnut, and chocolate chip cream cheese povitica at Costco. Povitica is traditionally a spiced sweet eastern European pastry roll. I first became familiar with nut rolls several years ago when someone from work brought in a poppy seed roll.

Tasting a morsel of each at the sampling station, the apple cinnamon and poppy seed povitica were delicious, as expected. I was sold on the spiced, honey walnut pastry with its moist, dense center and thin flaked crust. It reminded me a lot of baklava, but not as bitter (from the nuts) nor as sweet.

- Cassaendra

Bourbon St

Bourbon St...imulant

I admit not being a coffee connoisseur, so my favorite feature about World Market's bourbon flavored coffee ($7.99) is the black packaging and whimsical label. Shallow, yes; at least Bug seems to enjoy the coffee. The coffee is smooth, not bitter, possibly the result of not scalding the coffee, purchasing a fairly fresh bag, or simply a great batch.

- Cassaendra

Snacks

To lose 25 lb, hopefully permanently, a nutritionist has suggested a 6-meal 900 cal/day diet to jumpstart the weight loss. The diet is an increase in protein and number of meals from my current routine.

Roasted tomatoes, asparagus, chevre, habenero cheese 

Each day's allotment includes 11 units of protein, 3+ units of non-starchy vegetables, 1/2 unit of starch, 1/2 unit of fruit, and 1 unit of dairy spread out across 3 main meals and 3 snacks. An example of 1 unit of protein is 1 ounce of chicken or lean red meat; 1 unit of fruit is 4 ounces, 1 unit of dairy is 1 cup of fat-free milk or 1/2 cup of yogurt.

A jar of Clark Pope Catering plump roasted tomatoes was recently included in one of our bags from our CSA (Fresh Fork Market). Packed with fig vinegar, thyme, oregano, basil, and lemon, they are a subtly sweet and summery addition to a salad or to pick out of the jar as a snack.

Of course, daily rigorous exercise is part of the weight loss plan. I haven't gotten to that part yet.

- Cassaendra

Fizzy Cucumbers

When we were in Japan, I searched high and low and asked numerous people to help me find cucumber Pepsi, advertised several years ago. I thought I missed my chance in a lifetime when none could be found until I walked into World Market recently.

Impression of my first sip: fizzy English cucumber

Cool Q

Mr Q Cumber tastes like a bushel of very sweet fresh English cucumber seeds. I prefer seedless Japanese cucumbers, so the intensity was a little more cukey than I would have preferred. Would I buy this again? Yes. How else would I be able to enjoy effervescent cucumbers, aside from owning a SodaStream?

- Cassaendra