Corner Bakery Cafe

My friend and I first found Corner Bakery Cafe in Plano, Texas. We used to go there to eat pasta or panini. We always needed one or two bags of those delicious slices from the bakery shelf. I don't know what they are called, but I'll never forget how delicious they are. These delicacies are sliced wafer thin, prepared to a crispy chewy texture, and coated in granulated sugar. They are packed full of dried fruit.

Lately we've become interested in losing weight. Or perhaps I should say that lately we have become mroe motivated to lose weight. My daughter and I are serious salad eaters. We were delighted to discover a Corner Bakery near Jackson, Mississippi, not far from the airport. (The address is 108 Market Street, Flowood, MS 29232.) The Corner Bakery now has about 16 salads.

A tasty choice is the Asian wonton salad. According to the menu description it contains "all-natural roasted Chicken, edamame, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers, carrots, green onions and crispy wontons with mixed greens, napa cabbage, and ginger soy dressing." This salad is low in calories according to the Corner Bakery website. It has only 480 calories, 0 net carbs, and 0 transfat grams. There's one problem though: It contains 1890 mg sodium. What a disappointment!


Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

Tur-duc-hen

In the supermarket I found a “tur-duc-hen” packaged by Tony Chachere. It was a turkey with most of the bones removed. Inside it was stuffed with chicken thigh meat and duck breast meat. There was a layer of rice dressing and a layer of cornbread stuffing. It browned nicely to give an excellent presentation. The taste was superb. The guests commented on the mild taste of the duck, which was not gamy. The cornbread stuffing was almost as good as Mom’s dressing.

At Tony Chachere’s online store, http://shop.tonychachere.com, it is possible to purchase a big tur-duc-hen or a tur-duc-hen roll for a smaller price. It is “a pre-seasoned turkey breast wrapped around layers of duck breast meat, chicken thigh meat and Creole pork sausage.” This roast will serve smaller groups.

Since Tony Chachere’s tur-duc-hen was delicious, I considered ordering the roll. The shipping charge, however, was prohibitive.

Cajun Specialty Meats, http://www.cajunspecialtymeats.com, has a variety of similar products, and the shipping is more reasonably priced. I have not yet tried these. The website is interesting. Go and look at the pictures. Choices include turducken with Cajun sausage and cornbread dressing, turducken with crawfish étouffée, turducken with shrimp étouffée, turducken with chicken sausage, and turducken with chicken sausage. For the extreme connoisseur, who needs to feed a huge group, there is the fowl de cochon, a boneless pig stuffed with a turduchen.

The spelling of the term, which means turkey plus duck plus hen is as varied as the dish.

A bit of history from Wikipedia:

For centuries, as long ago as the Roman empire, people have been stuffing bird into nested configurations and roasting them. In eighteenth century England the Yorkshire Christmas pie consisted of five different birds layered together and baked in a crust. Only the wealthy could afford such a dish.

Gastronomist Grimod de La Reynière in his 1807 Almanach des Gourmands, described his pudding without equal. It began with a huge bird and ended with a tiny one.


Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

McDonald's

Every McDonald's is the same, isn't it? Wrong. I was in the MacDonald's at 815 N. Interstate 27, Plainview, TX 79072, not too long ago, where I enjoyed a great cup of senior coffee. Then a while later I had a fabulous grilled chicken classic sandwich with a fruit and yogurt parfait.

What made this McDonald's special? The people. There were three clubs meeting at once. You know the kind. I used to refer to them sometimes as gossip groups, but people found that offensive. They are news-exchange clubs. Two of those in Plainview had women in the clubs. How unusual!

A couple came in and sat across the aisle from me. Then a gentleman about twenty years older than I am came over to talk to them. After the octogenarian left, the husband of the wife across the way tried to convince me that the other fellow would have been the perfect husband for me. By the time I left there, I was laughing uncontrollably. If ever I am in that neighborhood again, I'm going back to that McDonald's for the fun of it.

Go to McDonald's website to read about the nutritional value of McDonald's food.




Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

The Best Bargain at Subway

At the Subway located at 67125 Hwy I-20 West, Santo, TX 76472, (and others around the country I'm sure) there is a daily special. The day I was there it was tuna, which cost $4.99 for a six-inch sandwich. It was a great deal for a delicious meal.

Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

"Let's go to Subway."

A little history lesson:
"Back in 1965, Fred DeLuca set out to fulfill his dream of becoming a medical doctor. Searching for a way to help pay for his education, a family friend suggested he open a submarine sandwich shop. With a loan of $1,000, the friend—Dr. Peter Buck—offered to become Fred’s partner, and a business relationship was forged that would change the landscape of the fast food industry.

"The first store was opened in Bridgeport, Connecticut in August, 1965. Then, they set a goal of having 32 stores opened in 10 years. Fred soon learned the basics of running a business, as well as the importance of serving a well-made, high quality product, providing excellent customer service, keeping operating costs low and finding great locations. These early lessons continue to serve as the foundation for successful SUBWAY® restaurants around the world. " (Information from www.Subway.com)

There are 33,829 Subway restaurants in 94 countries. No matter which Subway we visit, we find the food quality and flavors consistent. One we like is located at 1401 Amarillo Blvd., Amarillo, TX 79107. We like the turkey ham, as well as the ham and cheese sandwiches. The smell of the bread makes us ravenous. One feature we especially like is the bountiful supply of vegetables for our sandwiches. It is fun to order unique fixings planned for each customer and each mood.

The website furnishes useful information for those concerned about nutrition.


Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!