Marble Rye Bread from Ralph's Grocery - Deal of the Day

My fave late-night snack is a fresh, toasted thick slice of bread with a smear of real Butter, especially if the bread is Marble Rye Bread. Hey, I'll eat this almost anytime of day, when a small pang of hunger hits. Gluten + carbs = heaven!

Marble Rye & Butter - Video             Play it here, video runs 53 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

I've been getting bread lately in the discount bin at my local Ralph's grocery store. Every week or so, I pick up a big, cheap container of plain yogurt and a can of coffee, and I always make sure to see what kind of breads are in the discount bin. I like to try out different types of bread when they're on sale.

When I saw a large round loaf of Marbled Rye, discounted for less than two dollars, I had to give it a try. "Day-old" bread may not be at its best right out of the bag, but when I toast bread from the discount bin, the outside is crisp, but the inside becomes soft, almost like fresh-baked bread. 

Marble Rye Bread is a mix of light and dark rye dough. The raw dough is braided together to give a swirl of black and white bread. Marbled Rye creates a visually stunning sandwich. Serve it to impress a date or guests.

If I have toasted Bread & Butter, then I will use real butter, either with or without salt.

The flavor of rye is stronger than wheat and even sourdough, with an earthy, herbal flavor of caraway and fennel seeds. When baked, Marble Rye Bread is slightly chewy and dense. Regular Rye Bread is uniform in color, often with pungent Caraway Seeds sprinkled throughout.

I've eaten many Pastrami and Corned Beef Sandwiches here in L.A., and always order them on plain rye bread. The pungent rye goes great with rich and smoky Jewish deli thick-sliced pastrami.

Canter's Delicatessen, one of the oldest Jewish delis in L.A., had an anniversary celebration, practically giving away the sandwiches, and you can see the video below.

You can get all the tasty text and yummy photos for  my Corned Beef and Homemade Pastrami recipes by clicking on the names.

There is nothing wrong with "Day-Old" fresh-baked bread, especially if you toast it and add a smear of butter -- that's the way I do it.

National Croissant Day - Recipe Videos

I prefer a heated plain Croissant with coffee in the morning. When I have them in bed, it's a flaky affair. I usually have the L.A. Times newspaper laid out underneath my chin to catch the crumbs. That's how I like to start National Croissant Day. 

Croissants can be filled with chocolate or feta cheese and spinach, along with many other sweets or savories. Usually associated with the French, Croissants originated in mid 1800s Austria. The pastry is layered with butter so you get a puffy and airy interior with a hard flakey brown exterior. 

While not the same by any means, Flakey Biscuits and Crescent Rolls in the can/cardboard roll give you a rough idea if you have never had a Croissant.

Croissants are now featured on many breakfast menus, even in fast food joints like a Jack in the Box Supreme Croissant made with scrambled eggs, cheese, ham, and bacon, and they are pretty tasty, too. 

If you are staying at a vacation B & B (Bed and Breakfast), they often serve a Continental Breakfast that includes Croissants. But Croissants are best fresh from a bakery deli case. 

Lately, I get mine cheaply from my local Ralphs supermarket bread bargain bin. They usually come four to a box and are less than a dollar per Croissant. Mini-Croissants turned up this year. Lately, Everything Croissants with poppy and sesame seeds are not too much of a good thing. This year, I found Croissant Rolls in the Dollar Tree, too. 

They may be a few days old, but because I like them warm, they reheat to an almost fresh state, crunchy on the outside, and buttery soft on the inside. 

I like to buy a container or two at a time, as they freeze and defrost well. Since I get a great deal there is no reason to make my own...maybe one day I'll give it a shot.

I reheat them on the stovetop in a pan, just for a minute on each side. A toaster oven works quite well, too. If I am heating up a few Croissants then I will heat them in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or so - they don't need to brown anymore, just heat through - so check on them frequently just in case - warm to the touch is enough. Of course, they are delicious at room temperature.

I like my Croissants warm and plain, but lately, I've been making stuffed Breakfast Croissant Sandwiches. Check out my Scrambled Egg Croissant Sandwich video below. Nothing to it really just scrambled eggs anyway you like them, then load them into a sliced-open Croissant. I finally heat the Croissant for about a minute on each side.

For my next recipe video, I added cheese on top of the scrambled eggs. I use American cheese, but you can use any favorite cheese. Again, nothing to this simply delicious Scrambled Egg and Cheese Croissant Sandwich, it's so quick and easy to do!

My last Breakfast Croissant Sandwich is the most decadent with not only scrambled egg and cheese, but add a slice of ham -- check it out below.

I'll celebrate National Croissant Day any day of the year, and when you try my above Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches, you will, too.

Whole Roasted Chicken from Ralphs Grocers - Recipes

I don't know how long this Deal of the Day will last, but I'm taking advantage every Thursday by buying a Whole Roasted Chicken from Ralphs Grocery Store.

Ralphs is a chain of supermarkets, and I have one within walking distance. This is where I get discounted meats, seafood, bread, and cheap beer.

One of the best deals is the Whole Roasted Chicken, which is $6 on Thursdays only. There are under the heating lamps in a couple of open-air kiosks in the store. Just walk by and grab a bag. They restock several times a day, as the chickens are scooped up.

Sometimes the Roasted Chicken is large and sometimes not, but it's still a steal. 

I'm sure you have a local grocer that has Whole Roasted Chickens. I can get 3 or 4 meals out of one bird. I usually munch the wings right away - they are my favorite tasty morsels. 

Ralphs Whole Roasted Chicken is well seasoned and moist, cooked just about right. I've yet to get a dried-out bird.

My go-to meal is a leg quarter, or half a breast, with a microwaved cooked potato. If I am reheating a Roasted Chicken leg quarter, then I will microwave the potato, slice it open, place the cold chicken piece on the cooked potato, and bake it all at 325 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is warm again. The Roast Chicken juices will flavor the cooked and baked potato, too.

This works especially well with dark meat. Breast meat may dry out a bit, though.

The next recipe I make with the Ralphs Whole Roasted Chicken is a Chicken Salad. White meat is ideal for the recipe, although mixing in some dark meat is fine. 

I just slice off some Roasted Chicken (no skin) and cube or shred it. Mix in mayo, chopped onion, and celery, plus pickle relish. I season it with black pepper. Since the Roasted Chicken is well seasoned, I leave out the salt. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to eat. I make Chicken Salad Sandwiches with mine.

My third go-to recipe is a Mexican Stew called Chicken Tinga. I use a small can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, chopped onion and garlic, a can of tomatoes, and cumin powder. I find canned Mexican-style peppers, but you can substitute them with easy-to-get Enchilada Sauce, or any cans or jars of chilies.

Heat up the veggies and canned tomatoes and chiles for 15 to 20 minutes, then finish with shredded Roasted Chicken. Heat through. I make Chicken Tinga Tacos. Also good with rice or a favorite cooked grain.

Click on any of the following recipes that work well with Roasted Chicken. If a recipe calls for cooking chicken, obviously skip that stage and add the chicken towards the end of the recipe, heating it through before serving.

Recipes (click on any name to see the original blog post recipe:

Chicken Fried Rice, Trader Joe's Curried White Chicken Deli Salad Recipe, Chicken Stroganoff, Black Pepper Chicken - Panda Express Recipe, Chicken & Lemon Cream with Pasta, Chicken & Basil Stir Fry, Chicken Carrot & Cabbage Stir Fry, Chicken Soup, Leftover Turkey Gumbo, Jambalaya, Leftover Pot Pie.

Grilled Hatch Chile Sausage - Video Recipe

I like Sausages grilled, especially when I get them on sale at my local Ralphs Grocers. 

Raw Pork Sausage links come up cheap the most, usually raw Bratwurst and Italian, but when Hatch Green Chile Sausage showed up for half price in the bargain bin section of the meat department I got a couple packages. That's less than a dollar per link!

They freeze fine so I get them when they are sale-priced and on the verge of expiring. I place them in the freezer when I get home.

Chopped Hatch Green Chiles are mixed with ground pork. When cooked the Hatch Chile flavor is mild, not spicy at all. 

Dollar Tree deal of Chrispy Hatch Chiles              

Ralphs Grocers also sells pork Italian Sausage. The cooked texture is roughly ground and quite tasty, I especially enjoy Bratwurst. 

I have a Gas Grill. I find the cooking is easier to control over medium to low heat. These raw pork sausages take about 7 to 10 minutes in total. Your cooking time may vary depending on your grill fire. 

I will slice into a done sausage to check for clear juices and no pink flesh. Internal temperature should be about 160 to 170 degrees if you use a meat thermometer.

I serve the grilled Hatch Green Chile Sausage with mustard. Okay to use any favorite type including plain yellow, spicy brown, or Dijon. Slice open a bread roll and make a Sausage Sandwich, too. Add any favorite Sausage Sandwich toppings like pickle relish.

If you can find Sausages on the cheap or on sale like I do, then invite over friends for a Sausage Grilling Party and get them to supply free cold beverages.

Grilled Hatch Green Chile Sausage Recipe - VIDEO            Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 50 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

 Ingredients

• Hatch Green Chile Sausages - I bought a package on sale. The sausages are raw pork links, so they need to be cooked until done and the juices run clear.
• Salt & Pepper to taste - okay to use any favorite seasoned salt and marinade including BBQ Sauce.
• Mustard - I serve my Grilled Sausages with mustard. Use any favorite including plain yellow, spicy brown, and Dijon.

Directions

Cook Sausages any favorite way. I like a Gas Grill for easy control and cleanup. It's okay to saute or broil Sausages on a regular stove.

Season Sausages with salt and pepper. Okay to use a favorite seasoned salt and marinade like BBQ sauce.

Over medium heat grill Sausages until done, about 7 to 10 minutes depending on the heat. 

Ready to eat when juices run clear and internal heat is about 160 to 170 degrees if you use a meat thermometer. Slice into a Sausage to make sure it is done - no pink juices.

I like my Grilled Hatch Green Chile Sausage with mustard. Okay to serve in a bread roll or hot dog bun for a Sausage Sandwich. Add any favorite sandwich toppings.

Sign(s) of the Times During Coronavirus- Photos & Slideshow

With some training in Art & Design, I've always had an eye for street art and business signage. And there are unique and timely signs galore during this Coronavirus pandemic.

The warning signs are everywhere...literally.

Click on any photo to see larger.

As with any social upheaval, there is money to be made. My street corner entrepreneur set up shop a few weeks ago and is still going strong even now.

The grocery stores are still busy and people queue up to the entrances, staying about 6 feet apart waiting for their turn to shop. At Ralphs head-counting is done and limits are enforced to avoid overcrowding. And wearing a mask is required (I've seen customers walking up to the entrance sans mask, but sliding it on as they cross the threshold.)

 And with more checkers most of the checkout-lines are open. And marks on the floor are spaced 6 feet apart to keep the customers at a safe distance. Plastic shields are newly mounted at the cash registers to protect the employees.

But it's still an obstacle course in the shopping aisles, trying to stay a safe distance from each other - I find myself holding my breath passing anyone. Sometimes I'll just back up and wait until the fellow shopper exits the section I'm heading for.

If you're a frequent visitor, then my High School Diet Series is familiar to you. In a nutshell, Los Angeles Unified School District has taken on the herculean task of feeding students and parents since the Covid-19 shutdown. I hear this will go on thru the summer.

The free food program is called Grab & Go. You just follow the signs into the High School and drive or walk up to tables set up in a couple outdoor areas for a bag of breakfast and lunch meals. Now it's High School fare so my expectations aren't too high. I've had Pop-Tarts to Bean & Cheese Burritos (their Mexican fare is, on the whole, pretty darn tasty.) 

I don't go every day and this summer Series is a fun way to see what teenagers are fed these days - boy I've never had so much chocolate milk in my life. But I have created a hack for that - I call it a Black Appalachian!

Around here in my food world, restaurants and fast-food joints are hit hard. I hope they can hold on and make a comeback. After offering to-go only they are starting to open up for regular sitdown service with state-mandated health guidelines (click here to see them.) 

Well, until there is a vaccine for Covid-19, I don't think things will truly come back to business as usual. But it is important to support your local businesses safely - right now when they need it the most.

Nothing's gonna stop me from documenting during these pandemic times, and yes I'm careful keeping my distance and wearing a mask (despite the naysayers - hey, I'll stick with what the majority of health professions recommend on this one.)

  

Below is my Sign(s)of the Times Slideshow with a bunch of street signage during this time of Pandemic...for the record.

Stay safe and keep your distance!