Pumpkin Spice.  Have we gone too far?

Let's talk about Pumpkin Spice.  There has never been a flavor that has gone so viral.  How did this happen?  We are now buying pumpkin spice duvet covers.  Do we really need to smell pumpkin spice while we sleep?  Have we gone too far?  You decide.

Pumpkin Spice.  What is it?

Pumpkin pie spice is an American spice mix commonly used as an ingredient in pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie spice (sometimes also referred to as Pumpkin spice) is generally a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and sometimes allspice. The predominant spice is cinnamon.  It can also be used as a seasoning in general cooking.  The use of pumpkin pie spice can be traced back to cookbooks of 1796.

The Beginning of the craze

Starbucks started developing the Pumpkin Spice Latte in January 2003 in an attempt to expand on the success of winter seasonal drinks such as the Peppermint Mocha and Eggnog Latte.   Developers tested ten products with consumers, with the Pumpkin Spice Latte READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

Welcome to the Well Seasoned Gourmand's Thanksgiving Show

Thanksgiving is the Number two holiday for Americans right behind Christmas.  It is definitely the biggest eating holiday.  We have listed some interesting facts, tips and tricks, and some great places to purchase items to make your Thanksgiving holiday the best it can be.

Some Turkey Facts:

88% of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey on Thanksgiving.

46 million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving, 22 million on Christmas and 19 million turkeys on Easter.

A 15 pound turkey usually has about 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.

In 1941, Congress decided that the fourth Thursday in November would be observed as Thanksgiving Day and a federal legal holiday

79% of Americans surveyed who said eating Thanksgiving leftovers is more important than eating their regular Thanksgiving meal.

The average number of calories Americans consume on Thanksgiving is 4,500, according to the Calorie Control Council. That's 3,000 for the meal, and another 1,500 for snacking and nibbling.

Americans consume 736 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving Day alone (about the weight of the Empire State Building).

About 50 million pumpkin pies are consumed each Thanksgiving

40 million green bean casseroles are made each year (Thank you Campbell’s Soup for your generous contribution to society).

Find out the secrets to the perfect Turkey and local farms to buy the freshest bird CONTINUE READING

Best Sicilian Pizza.  What is it?  And who has it?

Sicilian pizza is pizza prepared in a manner that originated in Sicily, Italy. In the United States, the phrase Sicilian pizza is often synonymous with thick-crust or deep-dish originating in the province of Palermo.  It is typically rectangular, with more dough, sauce and cheese than a typical Neapolitan pizza. An authentic recipe often calls for herbs, onion, tomato sauce, and strong cheese. READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

Best French Fries in Boston and North

We are talking about The Best French Fries in Boston and North today.  In addition, we have given you some non-chain suggestions for some other places for truly delicious fries.

Burger King (Worldwide)  #10

Talk about night and day.  You would think that the two fast food giants would be similar.  They are not.  The sandwiches are completely different and the french fries might as well be separate kinds of food. Read Entire Article HERE

Best Boston Cream Donuts Boston and North

This week we are talking about the best Boston Cream Donuts Boston and North.  We have a lot of donut shops in Massachusetts, both chains and independent shops.  We are not really going to talk about big donut chains as they are not producing very good donuts.  This is mainly because they are using pre-done mixes including fillings and frostings.  Many independent shops have switched over to mixes like Bake N’ Joy etc. and what you end up with is a bland donut with fillings that are too sweet and fake tasting.  Fortunately we have found some quality shops still making donuts the old fashioned way, hand cutting them and making all of the parts (fillings, glazes, toppings) from scratch. Read Articfle HERE

The Best Steak and Cheese Boston North

Unfortunately, most steak and cheese subs you buy are not good.  Every sub shop has them, but is getting a really good one a thing of the past?  We thought so until we did this show.

I found this description from Yelp funny and all too true.  “A bunch of greasy waxed paper.  Two cheap, thin halves of a bun, overflowing with very hot, flavorless, overcooked, under-salted beef.  So much of it, in fact, that I had to eat the first half standing over the sink, as tiny, rock-hard pellets of blisteringly overcooked beef fell

out of the sandwich and into the sink.  Was there mayonnaise?  Maybe the spirit of some, ethereally dabbed onto the sad excuse for a bun.  Were there hot peppers?  No, not really.  Not so much as you could taste."

Is it always this bad?  No, but close. In this area of the country we love our steak and cheese subs and we continue to order these substandard sandwiches hoping for the steak and cheese of years ago.

A steak and cheese sub should be a quality piece of meat that is shaved in house shortly before use.  It is cooked in oil on a grill until done.  Not browned and hard, just done.  Cooked veggies are added to the meat to warm up.  They should be soft but still retain their shape and color.  Land O’Lakes cheese is melted on to the meat and veggies and the whole thing is carefully put into a high quality sub roll so that the cheese stays with the meat and veggies and doesn’t end up adhered to the bread.  This is not rocket science, the sub shop owner has to care about serving the best quality product he can and be able to charge enough to earn a living.  Don’t complain about quality if you aren’t willing to pay for it.  Here is our list of the best.

Meat Pies, Every Culture’s Fast Food

Almost every culture has a handheld meat pie to call their own.  Handheld pies were a convenient way to feed the working men and use up bits of meat and leftovers.  The Italians have a pork based pie, either round or rectangular and cut into slices. Not that common anymore, there does seem to be a pocket of places in the Merrimack valley selling this type of meat pie.  The Lebanese use a lighter dough made with seasoned beef and onions.  When done right, they are little flavor bombs with a hint of lemon, due to the use of sumac.  Most Caribbean countries have patties and turnovers, with the most famous being the Jamaican Beef Patties which is almost impossible to find a truly homemade one.  Indian cultures have the samosa (lamb, potato, peas) which can be fairly mild in flavor to extremely hot. Read Entire Article HERE

Best Roast Beef Sandwich Boston and North

Regions of the country are known for certain foods.  Philadelphia has its cheesesteaks, New York has its cheesecake, Boston has its clam chowder and Maine has its Lobster.  But in addition to those well-known items of regional foods, there are many other lesser ones.  When it comes to Boston, particularly the North Shore you have the Roast Beef Sandwich.  Its popularity extends up to New Hampshire and across to Rhode Island as well.  This is not just any sandwich piles high with roast beef between any 2 pieces of bread.  Oh no, this is a culinary delight and locals are fiercely loyal to their favorite roast beef place.

History of the Sandwich

Kelly’s, Revere Beach (5 locations throughout Northshore)

The history of this sandwich goes back to 1951 and the founders of Kelly’s roast Beef.  Ray Carey and Frank McCarthy first

worked together at the Paul Roger House. They then went into business together, opening a hot dog stand next door but still working at the restaurant, where Carey was a manager and McCarthy the chef. One night, a wedding booked for the Paul Roger House cancelled, leaving the duo with several roast beefs. So the beef didn’t go to waste, they ended up taking the roast beef over to the hot dog stand, and there began the Roast Beef Sandwich.  They changed the stand into Kelly's Roast Beef in 1951.   Arby's has publicly cited Kelly's Roast Beef as an inspiration in their book. READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

Best Italian Grocers in Boston

There is nothing like shopping in an Italian market so we came up with our list of the Best Italian Grocers in Boston.  Since Eataly first announced they were coming to Boston people have been excited about their ability to buy authentic Italian staples in one spot and be able to have a snack while they are doing it.  I will be the first to say that Eataly is a marvelous place.  It’s a mecca for all things Italian.  The market is impressive in the quantity of items they offer.  There is pasta, rice, other grains, sauces, tomatoes, vinegars, spices & condiments, olives/antipasti, oils and many other pantry products.  They also have fresh meats, fresh truffles, caviar, sweets, honey, preserves, and offer online ordering through the website.  But you will need to stop at the home equity loan desk before going in.  Meanwhile, READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

Best Breakfast North of Boston

Tuscan Market Breakfast Pizza

When we started the research for the best breakfast north of Boston show, we didn’t realize how hard it would be to find a good place for breakfast in our area.  What we found is that it is difficult to find a place for breakfast that is using real ingredients and taking the time to prepare food properly.  We started with some well-known diners, one of which was #1 in the country on The Daily Meal list.  This diner used a lot of frozen pre-prepared items, did not cook the food correctly and used cheap ingredients.  In addition, service was sub-standard and when the bill came, it was also no bargain.

We tried another local diner that is always busy.  On a Saturday about noontime, we waited for a half hour.  The restaurant is quite large and was full.

Service was actually pretty good but we knew the server from another restaurant.  The food however was below par.  Again, items that used to be homemade were now not, cheap ingredients used and care was definitely not taken with cooking food.  They served some kind of processed cheese sauce as hollandaise.  The cost of our meal was the same as Boston Prices.  This became the norm for most local eateries serving breakfast.  Fortunately, it forced us to go way outside our usual routines.  Here are a few of some bright spots for breakfast.

The Breakfast Café, Bradford

The breakfast Café is located in a small strip-mall in Bradford, MA.  It is run by a family that has owned other small restaurants in the area.  Our hopes were not high when we saw the location of this tiny restaurant.  Upon entering, you see about 10-12 tables with a few counter stools.  Lots of delicious smells hit you as you walk in and that’s where our hopes began to rise.  The owner greeted us warmly as we entered.  She brought us a good cup of coffee and an even better cup of ice coffee.  The menu was decent size with the front cover listing the specials of the week.

Read Entire Article HERE