Malabar Farm Restaurant

It was Bromfield's dream to someday open a restaurant and hire a french chef. During Bromfield's seventeen years in France he enjoyed the French countryside and it's fabulous foods. This is a quote from the menu at the Malabar Farm Restaurant and, let me tell you, Bromfield's dream has been achieved.

I enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the restaurant, yesterday, in the company of my aunts and cousin. As many of you know, I love to cook and have a special affection for French food so the Malabar Farm Restaurant has been on my list of places to try. I hadn't been to the "Inn", as it was formerly known, for many years. The food was ok but not great, at that time. Word had reached me that the restaurant had a new chef and how terrific the food is.

The menu is diverse yet still retains it's French flair. I enjoyed the East Coast Crab Cakes with a South Pacific Cole Slaw from the appetizer menu ($8.25). The meal was delicious and I am picky about my crab cakes. Others in our party had the Chicken Pot Pie with a puff pastry top ($7.95) and the Blackened Salmon served with a golden saffron sauce ($16.95). They also had a classic French cassoulet as one of the specials. I will be back to try it another day. They have sandwiches and salads or if you prefer a full and proper meal, they also have some "higher end" meals but without a huge price tag.

Want to enjoy a great view of Pleasant Valley? You can enjoy your meal out on the deck at an umbrella table. The decor has been updated since I was last there and they have done a great job of giving you the feeling of an old inn but with some modern touches. Our server was also fabulous. She was knowledgable about the menu and made sure that we had everything that we needed.

If you want to enjoy a great meal in a great atmosphere, you must try this restaurant. It is now at the top of my list and I will be returning often.

For a full menu, directions and more about the Malabar Farm Restaurant visit http://malabarfarmrestaurant.com/


The pictures were taken yesterday. Bottom picture from left to right: Helen Wappner, Marge Wappner, Christine Wappner, Marie Wappner and Diane Kracker.

The First Week Of No Junk Food

Well, I made it through my first week back on Weight Watchers. It was actually pretty easy. I just had to plan different snack foods to take to work. I stocked my locker with Tootsie Pops (1 point), sugar-free jello and pretzels. The big hit with my co-workers was the "faux" ice cream sandwich. Easy to make and everyone (even the sceptics) loved them. Take a chocolate graham cracker and put fat-free cool whip on it. Place another graham cracker on top and freeze. They really are delicious and just enough to get rid of a killer craving. Of course, we had one smart ass that claimed they would be even better with chocolate sauce and sprinkles, etc. You get the picture.

I'm already seeing results. I have not been on the scale but my clothes are already fitting better. That gives me motivation because I have closets full of clothes that I can't fit into right now.

This vegetable soup recipe is a must for anyone trying to lose some weight. Low in fat, full of fiber and delicious. It's helped me, many a time, when I was out of points or trying to eat a low point lunch in order to go out for dinner later.

I keep some in the freezer in small containers for a quick, healthy lunch. Hope you enjoy.

Veggie Soup
1 bag of frozen vegetable soup starter (any brand will do or you can use fresh veggies)
1 can diced tomato with the juice
1 can beef, chicken, or vegetable broth
water to cover
salt,pepper

Simmer on the stove until veggies are cooked through and soup is hot. Serve w/ low-fat crackers. Great accompaniment to Salads and Sandwiches

You can give the soup different flavors with different spices. I like it with Italian spices and a little garlic or sometimes I'll add cumin, instead of Italian spices, for a more southwestern flavor. It's a versatile soup so experiment with it.

Zucchini Fries

Last night, we tried this terrific recipe from Weightwatchers.com. We have an abundance of Zucchini from our garden so we will definitely make these again. They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. We even tried dipping them into Trader Joe's Low Fat Marinara. I was in heaven and don't think I will ever crave a fried Mozzarella stick again, after eating these.

I tried to provide you with a link to the Weight Watchers Website so you could see the picture of the dish but now I can't find it on the site. I did email it to myself so I can forward it to you, if you send me a note.


Ingredients
4 sprays olive oil cooking spray
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs, panko-variety suggested
2 medium zucchini, about 7-inches each, cut into 4 chunks, then each chunk halved
2 large egg white(s), whipped until frothy (almost soft peaks)


Instructions
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together Italian seasoning, flour and salt. Place bread crumbs in another small bowl.
Dredge a zucchini fry in flour mixture and then dip into egg whites; dredge in bread crumbs. Place coated zucchini on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients; liberally coat with cooking spray.
Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 12 minutes. Yields about 8 fries per serving.


Notes
Use this technique with any summer squash or eggplant. It also works great with thick-cut onion rings or even green tomatoes.For extra crispy fries, increase the oven temperature to 500ºF and knock 2 minutes off the cooking time.

For years, I swore that my vintage percolator was the only way to make coffee. It reminded me of my grandparents kitchen. Every evening, after supper, Grandpa would excuse himself from the table and would go into the kitchen to perk his coffee. I loved the smell and the sounds coming from this machine before I was even old enough to have coffee. In fact, I had never even seen a Mr. Coffee until I left for college.

Since college, I've owned several different brands and designs of the automatic and have never been really happy with them. The last one that we purchased actually grew mold and was stained in the water reservoir. It wasn't big enough to fit your hand in so you really couldn't dry it out. It went into the trash.

I think that I have finally found the perfect solution for me, The French Press. My mom, aka the "coffee snob" has been using one for quite a while but I remained ever loyal to my vintage Westinghouse percolator.

Recently, while scoping out the local Goodwill store for other peoples kitchen castoffs, I spotted it. It was brand new and came with a measuring scoop, a set of matching cups & spoons and had the directions all for $3.49. When I got home with my thrifty purchase, I read the directions. It seemed too simple to be true. I let it sit on the counter for a few days. I was slightly intimidated by it. Once I got up the nerve to brew that first pot, I was sold. The French Press makes a delicious, full bodied, pot of coffee. It's easy to clean, doesn't take up any room and looks nice enough that it can go on the table. I am in love and the "coffee snob" was right.