Test Your Strange Food Facts IQ

1. What vegetable burns more calories than it contains?
   Celery has about 6 calories per stalk. But your body burns more calories than that in the digestion process. It's not actually the chewing and crunching, but the digestion of the high amount of cellulose in your stomach that burns the calories.
   
2. What common bagel topping can show up as an opiate in drug tests?
   Poppy seeds are related closely enough to opium poppies that they can show up in a urine test as an opiate like heroin or morphine. The level is generally considered too low to be considered a "true positive" and most drug testing companies discount these results. However, just to be on the safe side, the federal prison system has banned its inmates from eating poppy seeds. And in case you were wondering, you could pretty much eat your weight in poppy seeds and not get high.
   
3. Which U.S. state eats more ice cream per capita than any other?
   Despite living in one of the coldest states in the Union, Alaskans eat twice as much ice cream as any other state.
   
4. What are the food additives cochineal and carminic acid made from?
   These scientific terms found in the ingredient lists of many foods, beverages, and cosmetics are fancy names for a red food coloring developed by the Aztecs, made of dried powdered beetles native to Central and South America. While their origins may be less than appetizing, they are perfectly safe to eat.
   
5. What do the letters in the canned meat product SPAM stand for?
   Salted Porky Anonymous Meat? Guess again. Originally it stood for SP iced h AM , named in a contest, where the winner was awarded the princely sum of $100. The people at Hormel Foods say that while it does include ham and spices, it doesn't begin to describe the product that is SPAM, and now maintain that SPAM stands merely for SPAM.
   
   - Joe Wilkes, Team Beachbody Newsletter

Food to Crave - Seriously Dangerous Blueberry Slump

This dessert dish is so powerfully good that I personally don't need a photo or description to start salivating. However, since most of you haven't seen, smelled, or tasted it, here at least is a photo (below) with a short story and description. You'll have to e-mail us for the recipe.

While I realize it may look sorta like a lump of brown stuff with a little yellow and a little blue around the edges, the real deal is it's a killer dessert that is pretty much guaranteed (yup, I used the "g" word) to bring looks of shocked pleasure to people who say they'll, "have just a little bit" (you know, cuz they're being polite and all). Soon, and we've seen this time and time again, people will line up with buckets and shovels with glazed eyes and a slight gleam on their foreheads.

Okay, so what is it? Well, we call it Seriously Dangerous Blueberry Slump. It's not our original recipe. We first tasted it when we were sitting at an open house in Wilmington on a rare cold, rainy day. Our friend Jennifer Lancaster had just cooked a large pan of this dessert and left it on the counter to add a great aroma to the house. My rough recollection is that Jennifer found the recipe in a church cookbook.

Anyway, I'll keep this embarrassing part short. We had few very visitors that day, but by the end of the three hour open house 3/4 of the pan was empty. None of the visitors had any. Marge had two small servings. I confess freely and happily to the rest.

So that night Marge called Jennifer and got the recipe (if you want it you have to e-mail her at margejbrown@yahoo.com). The next day Marge made the recipe. Same results - most of it was gone in less time than reasonable, prudent, or perhaps even safe.

What's in it? Blueberries, pineapple, white cake mix, pecans(!), and more butter than you can imagine. For the exact proportions of the above and some other stuff to add and the mixing order and timing and all that - e-mail Marge.

Do not kid yourself about this dessert. Or anyone else. Use with discretion. No one even mentions the "D" word when they get a slight taste of Seriously Dangerous Blueberry Slump.

I wish we made it more often. (Thank goodness we have a 24-hour grocery store in the neighborhood - I'm outta here with the ingredients list. Which you can get too, just e-mail margejbrown@yahoo.com.)

One last note before I go out the door. As a responsible world citizen, I recognize, realize, and accept the responsibility to spreading the word about a food item that turns normally polite people (even stuffy ones) to borderline out-of-control. I also understand that Seriously Dangerous Blueberry Slump may tip the scales (in the wrong way) of totally healthy eating. Therefore, I'd like to suggest an exercise equivalent to work off the excess whatevers from one small and two large servings of Seriously Dangerous Blueberry Slump. So here's what you do: as soon as possible after consuming the last serving, head out the door with suitable clothing for your climate and walk for four days. Bring water and a charged cell phone.

Shrimp & Grits at Front Street Brewery

When you visit or move to the Wilmington, North Carolina area (and you will, if you're not already here . . . . because why wouldn't you?), well anyway, when you're here you'll quickly discover a local comestible delight called Shrimp & Grits. Grits is (or are -your choice, it's a living language) a favored Southern carb used like rice in many regions in the world as a base for or accompaniment to other foods. It's also often eaten by itself, with any meal.

If you're of Native American heritage, as am I (shout out for the Passamaquoddy!), think hominy - it's the same thing.

If you like to cook (that would be me, too) and eat (well, yeah), grits provides substance, framing, and base without an intrusive flavor. Whaaa?? OK, it takes on the flavor of the food and sauces you serve on it.

So, that dragging intro aside, here's this blog piece about Shrimp & Grits at Front Street Brewery in Wilmington, NC.

Parking in downtown Wilmington isn't generally too bad, especially off season, and Front Street Brewery patrons can park for free in the public parking deck across the street (parking is free for the first hour, then you gotta pay), but I kept cruising the unusually busy streets for a spot. The street were busy because yet another movie or TV show was filming right on Market Street so we had to work around that and the usual crowds of onlookers. I think it was filming for an episode of One Tree Hill, which is made here and just got renewed for a 7th season (I'm sure that was headline news on your newspaper, too, right? Anyway, it's cool for us, even if we have to drive around a bit sometimes to find a parking spot). We did find a great spot after one loop around the center almost directly across from where they were filming, so it's not like it's all THAT hard.

We walked around the corner to 9 North Front Street and quickly got a table upstairs. Here's the door.

Manager Patrick Gaynor stopped by to say hello and we learned a lot about him. He's been running restaurants in Southport and Wilmington for years, moving here from the Binghamton, NY area I think he said when he was 17. Since he was from around Binghamton I asked if he knew about Spiedie Sauce (a regional sauce in that area with multitudes of rapid fans) and he said they stock it at Front Street Brewery for folks from upstate NY who visit or live in our area and for Marines from Camp Lejeune from Binghamton. Anyway, Patrick is a friendly guy.

We were there to try the Shrimp & Grits but started with appetizers. I meant to take a picture but they disappeared too fast. We had a large soft warm pretzel with mustard and tasty fried green tomatos.

We both ordered Shrimp & Grits. Here's what the plate looks like.

The menu says, "The Brewery brings this tasty Charleston style version of Shrimp and Grits to Wilmington. Sauteed shrimp in a Cajun Creole sauce served over a warm Polenta cake with sauteed roma tomatos, taso ham, and green onions."

And yeah, it was very very good. Marge isn't big on spicy sauces so just in case had hers served with the sauce on the side. I'm the opposite so I asked for a bottle of Tobasco so I could overheat mine. That way we were both very pleased. Here's a photo of my lovely wife Marge very happy after consuming Shrimp & Grits at FSB.

We're not really into the bar scene and wanted to get home to watch the eliminations on American Idol, so we left after the meal. I took the shot below on the way out, however, and as you can see, even at the early hour (around 7) the party was starting to get going.

We'll be back. If you see us there, say "Hey".

What? A burger in an Italian restaurant??

OK, so anyone around here who knows me knows I like to eat at Antonio's Pizza and Pasta Restaurants , especially the one at Cross Creek Commons in Leland, across from Magnolia Greens. Steve hosts our Wednesday 8AM BNI meetings at no charge, and he often hosts North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce luncheon meetings. Marge and I have had meetings and seminars at Antonios for Fat City Cards, our SendOutCards distributorship and it's my favorite place to take real estate agents I'm recruiting for the Leland office of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty. [OK - end of links and company plugs.]

I also often go to Steve Pagley's place with friends, clients, and co-workers. Antonios features authentic Italian cooking in a friendly atmosphere for good prices. Duh, what's not to like? Steve, the owner, or at least the principal of Antonio's, got his start learning to cook from his grandmother in his native Sicily and it seems like he, or someone anyway, never forgot a single one of her lessons.

[Time out - Steve introduced us to "breakfast pizza". How's that for a concept? He told me his grandmother used to serve him breakfast pizza every day with a glass of fresh milk with ice. Just to hang out for a few minutes with a guy who gives a good reason (or at least a story) for having pizza for breakfast is a big win in my book.]

Ok, so yesterday Marge and I were having lunch at Antonios with our buddy Klif Kinnamon and Steve came over to tell us about being interviewed that morning for WWAY. The TV station is doing month-long feature on Leland as a developing area and they wanted to interview Steve. Well the cool thing is, he wore his LA hat for the interview.

Our office had a bunch of LA hats made up to celebrate what some folks used to refer to as the "Leland Area" (hence L.A.) to what we now refer to as the "Land of Abundance". In fact on the back of the hat it reads, "Welcome to the Land of Abundance."

So anyway, Steve was telling us about his interview when the waitperson came to take our order. I asked about the Designer Slice of the Day, which is what I usually order because it's usually different and always good. When she mentioned the specials, however, I quickly changed my mind, because among the other specials she mentioned they had cheeseburgers.

What is up with that?

Once before I had been at Antonio's when burgers were on the specials lists and had reflexively ordered one. I was knocked out. I don't know what kind of beef they use exactly, but I don't care, because they are amazing.

I ordered one again and once again it was outtasight. Klif was swayed by my enthusiasm and he had one, too. The photo below shows his vote.


Marge didn't order a burger, she had Italian Wedding Soup (always good) and Caesar salad, but I cut her a small wedge of my burger and she concurred. Heartily.

Steve, I don't what your grandmother would say if she knew you were serving burgers. But please don't stop.

Here's one more photo of Steve in his LA hat. I'm not much of a photographer I'll be the first to admit, but once in a while I get some shots I like and I really like this one. (Of course it could be the burger.)

Hotel Happenings and Wicked Awesome Cinnamon Chip Scones - Delicious Wonder Drug?

I'm happy to report an unexpected possible benefit from The Old Wilmington Tea Company's Cinnamon Chip Scone mix and recipe. Marge and I bought a bag of the mix when we visited Blue Moon Gifts on Sunday and she whipped them up and served them for dinner. (I was out of the kitchen blogging and Twitting for a couple of hours and when I came back the scones were on the table - isn't it cute how I wrote she "whipped them up"? OK, it also wouldn't be correct (or safe) to say Marge labored in the cooking for two hours either, so . . . allow me to reset.) Correction: Marge made them.

OK, so anyway, the recipe allowed Marge to "make" eight scones. She plated (cool chef verb) four of them for our evening meal and four we saved to take to a recuperating friend (this is where the Wonder Drug lie comes in, but that's later). They looked so pretty I couldn't resist grabbing my camera and grabbing a photo. Actually it took a 6-8 attempts to get a decent shot for this blog entry - the problem, beyond my combined technical and artistic ineptitude, was the sugar coating which made it difficult for me to get a good exposure. Whatever, they looked great, smelled better, and tasted awesome and at the end of our meal only crumbs remained - in the interest of continued domestic harmony I'll mention that there only two human food eaters in our house and Marge consumed only one of the scones.

So here they are (below). As always, depending on your browser you should be able to click to see the image in much larger size. (Caution - click at your own risk, you may experience an immediate visceral reaction that causes you to eat cookies or hop in the car for an emergency Krispy Kreme run.)

So here's the Wonder Drug part: Monday morning I dropped off the remaining four scones at my friend and colleague Craig Spafford's house. Craig's recovering from a medical procedure and I hadn't seen him since the day after the surgery a week or so ago.

On Monday I dropped off the scones on Craig's porch. On Tuesday our Office Manager Kari Essig and I dropped by after attending the Lanvale Forest Grand Re-Opening in Leland and Craig was up and dressed in street clothes. Wednesday he showed up at the office for a while to give everyone a hard time. He also mentioned that the scones lasted less than 10 minutes, their disappearance assisted by generous slatherings of sweet butter.

To summarize:
- Monday - no Craig in sight, drop off scones - scones consumed rapidly
- Tuesday - Craig dressed and smiling
- Wednesday - Craig in office fussing about but really being his usual stellar professional self
My conclusion: Old Wilmington Tea Co. Cinnamon Chip Scones Made by Marge are a Wonder Drug - Works for me!


Hotel Progress - The Comfort Suites hotel is going up fast right next door to our office in Leland, NC in front of Magnolia Greens.


Here's a shot of dirt and the slab on October 7th:




Here's a shot of the first structural steel being delivered on October 13th:

And here's a shot from yesterday, November 13th, of a bunch of workers hammering away on the third floor!

Occupancy expected for May 2009!

Ribbon Cutting at Charlie Macgrooders

Charlie Macgrooders restaurant at 117 Village Road in Leland, NC has been open for several months, but decided to hold off on the ribbon cutting till this month. Quite possibly because many of us already know how good Macgrooders food is, the ribbon-cutting was well attended by North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce members. In the photo below owner Karen Walsh, flanked by her co-owner husband Dennis and daughter Kerry, gets ready to cut the ribbon.
Directly after the ribbon was cut the restaurant filled fast.

A scrumptious selection of appetizer-sized portions were available - the prime rib with fire-roasted pepper on parmesan bread was my favorite.

Tony Vlach of Nationwide dug in as well.

Chamber Ambassador Jim Costanza was on hand taking the official chamber photos.

Board members Brenda Bozeman and Connie Reeves were on hand for the festivities.

Volunteer Bob Odom and Denise Kinney of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty shared a laugh.

Ribbon cuttings are a great time for members to network.

And to discuss weighty matters relating to golf.

Dennis Walsh kept circulating to be sure everyone had a good time.

Karen Walsh, daughter Kerry, and son Frank had a prime table.

Oh yeah, and the ribbon WAS cut!!

Afternoon Meetings Go Better with Ice Cream and Pizza

This afternoon was beautiful. Prior to getting ready to go out or get home to receive trick or treaters, Four of us met late this afternoon at Flavors Ice Cream in Leland to network and discuss marketing strategies. Michelle Morris of Flavors Ice Cream (wearing an appropriate pumpkin colored top), Marge Brown of Fat City Cards, Chris Houseknecht of Southport Shutter and Closet, and Bruce Brown (that would be me) of the Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty Leland office got together to share ideas and eat some great ice cream (thanks, Michelle). For the record only the guys had ice cream (Chris had pumpkin ice cream and Bruce had vanilla).


After ice cream what better place to go than our favorite area pizza place, Antonio's Pizza and Pasta in Leland. Michelle didn't come along, but Marge, Chris, and I did. I could only take this shot of the patio (we sat inside) before Marge told me to put the camera away already, so I did, and we ate and laughed and had a great time.

Next Thursday November 6th in front of the Leland Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty office at 1018 Grandiflora Drive the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce is having a Business After Hours from 5:30 till 7:30PM or something like that. Catering will be by Antonio's, with a carving station and adult libations, and a dessert area with ice cream sundaes by Flavors. Local entertainer David Bohn will bring his guitar, microphone, and singing voice for everyone's enjoyment. If you're looking for a great time to meet active business folks in Leland next Thursday, some on over to our place.

Seared Scallops on Polenta - Can Food Get Any Better?

Last evening Marge and I had dinner with our friends Naomi and Ophard Willis at Caffe Phoenix on 9 S. Front Street in Downtown Wilmington, NC. Three of us had the only announced special for the night, Seared Scallops on Polenta (the description was actually a lot longer than that but who can remember all the add-ons and sauces and herbs waitstaff recite in most any restaurant where you aren't urged to super-size or add more sticky sauce on top?).

When the entrees were served our table quieted right down for a while as we got to work. I'm not a foodie nor a food critic, but fer shure, Mr. Flay, you could serve this dish as prepared and presented at Bolo in Manhattan and feel right proud.

I had my camera but didn't think to photograph the dish before eating but wish I did (the photo above is a non-attributed royalty-free stock photo). From now on I'll try to remember to shoot before I eat. The scallops were prepared just as most of us like them, not rubbery or hard, but nice and chewy with just the right searing. What had us all talking, however, was the polenta. Wow. The polenta had a tad-thicker-than-thin crust and a great texture. Excellent excellent excellent.

We had a great time talking and laughing and waving to the people riding the horse-drawn trolley down the street (another photo missed), but the scallops, and especially the polenta were fabulous.

Where Would We Be Without Free Event Food?

This blog entry is really about a ribbon-cutting at a local bank, but it's lunchtime so I'm thinking about food. Yesterday they had great food at the ribbon-cutting of the new Leland branch of East Carolina Bank. I've worked in several professions, including teaching, counseling, high-tech freelance writing, and now real estate. One thing all those fields have in common is plenty of good food at hand, either because someone likes to bake cookies, or the office manager decides it's time for some calorie-fueled staff bonding, or, the best ever, when food is involved with public relations events. In the high tech journalism world fancy meals and parties abound, and we kept our journalistic integrity by eating with everyone, not singling out just one vendor. Real estate agents also have lots of food around - do you really think the cookies at open houses are for visitors? I've witnessed open houses with only three visitors where 2 dozen chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies disappeared (and yes, I do prefer home-made, but store bought are generally fine, too). OK, so anyway, with the final comment that therapist office food is usually pretty sparse (as I recall we'd get all worked up over a box of donuts!) and make sure you feel some sympathy for radio jocks, because radio stations have nothing to offer but very old, very thick, but still hot, black sludgy coffee.

Recently, however, I've found a whole new way to indulge my urges for carbs, protein, and fat (it's called the Equal Opportunity Eating Diet). Attending ribbon-cuttings and Business After Hours events held by members of the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce is a great excuse to sample homemade and restaurant food in abundance, and yesterday's ECB ribbon-cutting, catered by Charlie Macgrooder's restaurant in Leland, was no exception.

But enough about food! Here's the serious business announcement. Local notables and ECB executives and staff were on hand for the official ribbon-cutting of East Carolina's newest branch. The Leland location is ECB's the 24th office - not bad for a bank that started in a former barber shop in Engelhard, NC.

The nicest thing about the ribbon cutting was that the ribbon was stuck with $20 bills that after the ceremony were donated to Lynn Carlson, Executive Director of Hope Harbor Home Domestic Violence Shelter in Brunswick County. This charitable gesture is a super tradition with ECB, so hat's off to whoever started it and to those who continue the generosity. (I counted 32 $20 bills in the photo, but there may be a few more, so that's a bunch of bucks!).

Here's the lineup of the cast of characters in the photo above (not counting two or three people whose faces we can't see but were probably just getting in position to be the first at the buffet table anyway). From left to right: Miriam Lee, ECB Teller; Victor Pearsall, North Brunswick Chamber VP, and banker with Security Savings Bank; Jerry Brett, Regional Honcho and all-round good guy with ECB; Lynn Carlson, Executive Director, Hope Harbor Home; Debra Gill-Mason, Volunter Extraordinaire, NBCC; Susan Cruse, Branch Manager, ECB; Tony Vlach, Nationwide Insurance; Art Keeney, ECB President and CEO; Dorson White, ECB Executive VP and CFO; Brian Hartzell, ECB Business Banking; and Ashley Sander, ECB Senior Teller.

Staying true to their roots, ECB has a great name for their Automatic Teller Machines. They don't even point it out to people, so they must take it for granted, but I think it's hilarious that they call their outside ATM machines their "Outer Banker".

Leland's growing fast and it's great to have businesses that have a sense of giving and community support, that have a sense of humor, and also that serve great food at P.R. events.