And the winner of the Case of MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea goes to….
Vanessa: I asked each entrant to visit the official website for MaryAnna’s Tea and tell us what they like about the site.
Vanessa said:
“I love how the website is well made, but it’s simple at the same time. Simplicity is the best way for a person to focus on the site. Mary Anna’s Summer Sweet Tea looks like a great product.”
And, it is. I know you will love it. Congratulations.
A recent article in my all time favorite cooking magazine, Cook’s Illustrated, busted the Myths of Marinades and dished out some very tasty recipe suggestions for Chicken, Beef and Pork. I have already tried two out of the three and was thrilled with the results.
The first myth tested was the “Marinades penetrate meat deeply” notion. They soaked beef short ribs in red wine for intervals from one hour to 18 hours, then measured the band of purple created by the wine. Their finding, which was also confirmed by marinating other types of meat, was that no matter the type of marinade or the length of time, marinades do not penetrate more than a few millimeters.
The next myth they tack
led was the popular “Acids Tenderize Meat” belief. Testers found that if left too long acids turn the outermost layer of meat mushy and do not penetrate the meat’s surface. They also found that marinating meat longer than 90 minutes is useless and will turn the meat mushy or dry it out. For some meats like boneless chicken breasts 30 minutes to an hour is all that is required.
As one friend put it “You mean I no longer have to feel guilty when I forget to marinate the meat in the morning?” Evidently, we no longer have to carry that burden people. What a relief.
The article further advises not to use bottled salad dressing (We’ve all done this, haven’t we?) According to their findings “high levels of acidity in salad dressings don’t add complex flavor and only make meat mushy.”
So, what do we marinate meat in? Cook’s recommends what they call “Brinerades.” Interestingly enough, the marinades they recommend have two to three times the salt than there Brines. The salt in the marinade pulls moisture from the marinade into the meat. It also “restructures the protein molecules in the meat, creating gaps that fill with water to further increase juiciness.”
Some further tips they recommend for a flavorful and effective marinade is lots of flavorings and seasonings. Garlic, chopped herbs, and sugar are common ingredients. The experts also recommend scoring or pricking the meat with a fork to help the marinade penetrate more deeply. Also, since marinades don’t penetrate more than a few millimeters, thinner cuts of meats work best for marinades.
I tried their “Better Than A-1 Steak Marinade” with Soy Sauce, dark brown sugar, garlic and Worcestershire sauce on a flank steak. It was delicious and only required a 1 hour soak. The “Herb-Lemon Marinade” for chicken which includes minced fresh basil, 3 garlic cloves, sugar and 1 Tbs. of lemon juice was also excellent. The soak time for the boneless, skinless chicken breasts was only 45 minutes. The article also offers up a Honey-Mustard Marinade for Pork which sounds wonderful. We’ll be trying that one this week.
I hope you’ve found this information interesting and helpful. I personally found it fascinating, but then again I’m a food geek. It’s one of the greatest things about Cook’s Illustrated. The recipes you receive have been tested multiple times. They are always saving me time and money. Love that! If you have yet to pick up a copy of Cook’s Illustrated, you can request a free edition from their website.
Better Than A – 1 Steak Marinade
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Whisk together ingredients in medium bowl. Place marinade and steak in gallon-sized zipper-lock bag; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate 1 hour to 90 minutes, flipping bag halfway through to ensure that steaks marinate evenly.
I find this very hard to admit to you all, but I did it. I broke down and bought the Big City Slider Station. Billy Mays would be proud. (I just wish I could get his voice out of my head.)
My son, the budding foodie, had been admiring the Slider Station commercials for quite some time. When his much anticipated eighth birthday finally came around on Tuesday, I bit the Big City bullet and took a chance on the As Seen on TV brand. 
Putting my faith and trust in Billy Mays, I decided to throw a slider party for the big birthday dinner. I put together a variety of burger toppings. (Of course the kids only wanted American Cheese) but for the grown ups we had our choice of:
Caramelized onions
Roasted Peppers
Avacodo
Tomato
Lettuce
Blue Cheese
And all the condiments, of course
I found Pepperidge Farm slider rolls both in white and wheat. My one mistake was buying 80% lean ground beef. Definitely purchase very low fat ground beef for the slider station. Turkey burgers would probably come out great.
On our second slider night (Yes, we used it two nights in a row.) I decided to try freezing the patties first. I molded the raw meat in the little cups of the station then placed them between Saran Wrap and froze them. When we were ready to cook, I just popped them frozen into the slider station and cooked. It took a little longer than the raw meat, but the center stayed a little pink which was my goal. It’s also a very convenient snack for the kids. Keep a bag of frozen patties in the freezer for after school or a quick lunch.
The one drawback I found to the Slider Station is that it is not dishwasher safe. If Calphalon came out with a sturdier, dishwasher safe version I would probably buy it. Also, don’t expect those pretty grill marks on the top of your burgers. The lid does not heat up enough (at all) to make those. I know the commercial says you do not have to flip them, but I found they cooked more evenly if you just give them a quick flip with a fork. You also cannot use the Slider Station on the grill. Probably because the plastic handle would melt.
I think we will be using the slider station a lot. I am planning to do lamb sliders soon. Ever since I had them at St. Stephen’s Green in Spring Lake Heights, I’ve been wanting to make them at home. I’ve got a great recipe for lamb burgers just begging to be dusted off. The Slider Station comes with its own little book of recipes like Italian Turkey Sliders and Thai Sliders. I can’t wait for our next slider party to start experimenting.
So, my final opinion on the Big City Slider Station is that it is a fun and convenient little kitchen tool. Don’t expect super high quality. Really would you? It’s sturdy enough to perform the task of making cute little burgers in two minutes. Kids and adults will enjoy it and hey, its a great idea for Father’s Day. You can purchase the Slider Station online or at many retailers. I found ours at Target.
And for your viewing pleasure, here’s a link to the Billy Mays Infomercial if you want to embed his voice into your head for the day, be my guest.
I know many of you read my review of MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea yesterday. And if you didn’t, just tell me you did because I’m very sensitive, and go read it now. Long story short, its really great and all natural and a case of it could be yours if you win this week’s Win it Wednesday.
Since I am a big fan of this beverage and happen to think their website is very well done, the entry requirement this week is to visit MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea website and tell me your favorite thing about it. Here is the link to the website, click now.
As always, you can also gain an extra entry by Tweeting or Blogging about this Giveaway. You must come back and leave a comment and link to your tweet or blog post to be counted.
Deadline for entries is Tuesday, May 12th at 11:59pm. Winners will be chosen with the help of Random.org.
Well, it’s Win It Wednesday once again. My how the week has flown by.
This week’s lucky winner of the variety pack from FoodShouldTasteGood is……..
Sue says….
I’d love to try the Sweet Potato. Thanks for sharing~
Congratulations Sue. I guess you’ll get to try the Sweet Potato chips and all of the other terrific flavors.
For those of you who weren’t lucky enough to win this week, you can get a $1 off coupon toward the purchase of these delicious chips by registering on the FoodShouldTasteGood website.
And, stay tuned folks for this week’s Win It Wednesday sponsored by MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea.
This post is part testimonial to the power of Twitter and part testimonial to really tasty tea. About a month or so ago, I happened to meet MaryAnn Rollano on Twitter. I was surprised and delighted to find a local girl with what looked like a great new product. I contacted MaryAnn through Twitter. We met for lunch and I sampled her delicious Iced Tea. And, now, I am here to sing the praises of MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea. Not a bad return for Mary Ann’s very brief time spent on the social networking scene.
I am such a huge fan and believer in the power of social media that I have started consulting small businesses on how to blog and use social media to brand themselves online. In June, I will be conducting a workshop on this very topic. So if you or someone you know is interested, please hurry. The workshop is intentionally small. We want to have one on one time with each attendee. You can read more about it on our Events page.
Now, back to Maryanna’s Summer Sweet Tea. What sets this iced tea apart from all the others on the market is that it is all natural. Fresh lemon juice, real cane sugar and tea, that’s it. MaryAnn explained to me how hard it was to find a supplier for lemon juice. She said manufacturers just expect you to use Citric Acid, but she was determined to create a tea just like the one her mother who emigrated from Ireland had made all her life. (You can read more about her family and their love of tea here.)
On her quest to bring her homemade tea to market, she discovered the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in Bridgeton. The RFIC “provides assistance in business development, market research, product and process development, workforce development and training, regulations and compliance support, and quality assurance and food safety systems.” I had no idea this resource was available, but now that I do, I definitely will be taking the trip to tour the facility. MaryAnn explained how she made her very first batch of Iced Tea on the premises of the Rutgers facility and how they later helped her locate a plant that would produce her tea the way she wanted it done; real brewed tea with all natural ingredients. She said she had a very hard time finding a plant that would agree to actually brewing tea.
MaryAnn’s tenacity finally paid off. Her tea in my opinion, is the best bottled Iced Tea I’ve ever had. There is no chemical aftertaste and you get the bonus health benefits of drinking real tea. MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea is now available in stores up and down the Jersey shore. She has also started shipping her tea so you don’t have to be a Jersey native to enjoy this all natural goodness. And, she offers free shipping.
I know you will love MaryAnna’s Summer Sweet Tea lovingly made by an original Jersey girl. Please support her and keep your eyes open for her beautiful bottles on the shelves of your local deli or grocery store. You can find a list of stores that carry MaryAnna’s here.
And, finally, if you think your business would benefit from the power of social media sign up for our workshop or contact me for private coaching.
(Guest Bite by Robin Shreeves)
In the space that used to be Dockhoppers on Haddon Ave. in Westmont, the P.J.W. Restaurant Group has opened The Pour House – A Better Beer Bar. (Anyone think that “beer bar” is redundant?)
My husband and I had lunch there are Friday and I was pleased to see a large selection, both on tap and in bottles, of beers from local breweries.
On tap there are beers from
Dogfish in Lewes, DE
Flying Fish in Cherry Hill, NJ
Philadelphia Brewing Co in Philadelphia
Sly Fox in Phoenixville, PA
Stoudts in Adamstown, PA
Troegs in Harrisburg, PA
Victory in Downingtown, PA
Several of those breweries are also represented in their selection of 69 bottles plus one additional local brewery
Yards in Philadelphia
That’s a pretty impressive showing form local breweries. They’ve also got a selection of beers from around the country and around the world.
On May 28th, The Pour House will have a 4 course meal paired with beers from Victory in Downingtown. The cost is $40/person.
Robin Shreeves a life long Jersey Girl and a freelance writer who specializes in the green living and food pieces. She’s the founder of South Jersey Locavore, a round-up of local food sources in the region. She’s also the eco-friendly food blogger at Mother Nature Network.
in said remission for 7 years. My pulimary Doc thinks it has simply gone away and I like his thinking. For some though, the prognosis is not that sunny. Some deal with this chronic pain, day in and day out. It breaks my heart to know what this pain is like and to know that children are dealing with this. Please see the press release from my good friend Hilary Morris. Take a minute to learn about this disease and how you can help.In December over 100 NJ bloggers joined Deb Smith with Jersey Bites to help save the NJ Food Banks. Now it’s time to unite again for an important cause and an even more inspiring and motivational woman: NJ native Kelly Rouba and her debut book, Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide.
May is Arthritis Awareness Month and with our power to educate and inspire, we can spread the word about Kelly and her book. There are over 300,000 children affected with JA in the US and some of them you would never know are suffering. For some, the pain is private, with symptoms lasting for years before they receive the official diagnosis. And some kids have to drive hours to see their pediatric rheumatologist since there are such limited numbers across the country.
Kelly herself was diagnosed at 2 years old while other kids featured in her book were in their teens. Kelly really wanted to make her book one that kids would want to read. She wanted to give them an up-to-date resource guide that put familiar faces with the disease. Featured with Kelly are Allyson Shapiro, a reality tv star, Amanda White, a champion figure skater, and Shaun-Marie Robbins, a new mother who is having difficulty doing everyday mommy tasks.
On May 3rd and May 17, the NJ Chapter of the Arthritis Association is holding their annual Arthritis Walk across New Jersey. Kelly is the PR chair for the Princeton event and will be on hand to meet walkers and supports. To register, visit www.arthritis.org or call the Arthritis Foundation’s New Jersey Chapter office at (732) 283-4300.
I told you we had a yummy giveaway this week. Actually, one of our readers sent us a tip about these “out of this world” chips by Food Should Taste Good. So, of course I had to contact the folks who make the “out of this world” chips. The kind people from Food Should Taste Good are donating a box of their Four 6oz bags of chips and Three 1oz bags of chips to one lucky winner here on Jersey Bites.
All chip varieties are gluten free,
cholesterol and trans fat free, and do not use genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). They are also certified Kosher, lower in sodium, and are a good source of dietary fiber. The chips are available in seven varieties: Multigrain, Sweet Potato, Olive, Jalapeno, The Works!, Buffalo and Chocolate.
Did someone say Chocolate chip?
To enter to win, just leave a comment and tell me which flavor is your favorite or you think will be your favorite after trying? (I don’t know if Chocolate would be my favorite, but I sure want to try it.) Be sure to leave your contact email in your entry if your profile doesn’t include one or I will have to pick another number.
You can also gain an extra entry by Tweeting or Blogging about this Giveaway. You must come back and leave a comment and link to your tweet or blog post to be counted.
Deadline for entries is Tuesday, May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) at 11:59pm. Winners will be chosen with the help of Random.org.
The winners of the Romano Grill Gift Basket which includes a sample of the 
Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken Pasta variety and three coupons for the other varieties, a colander, serving spoon and cheese grater, are….
Kat Bryan says:
I blogged here – http://kat-bryanscorner.blogspot.com/2009/04/win-whats-for-dinner-gift-basket.html
Leslie says:
LeslieVeg left a Tweet
http://tinyurl.com/cl6hah Romano's Macaroni Grill "What's for Dinner" Gift Basket
— Leslie M. (@LeslieVeg) April 23, 2009
Mine is getting motivated to cook–often I just don’t feel like it because my family is so picky!
This new line of dinner kits is inspired by the chefs at Romano’s Macaroni Grill and comes in four classic Italian varieties. From start to finish the meal is ready to eat in about 20 minutes.
The dinner kits include everything needed to create a meal in one box including premium ingredients such as such as vine-ripened tomatoes, select cooking wines, specialty herbs and 100% semolina pasta. All you have to do is add one pound of chicken or your choice of proteins such as shrimp or Italian sausage. Varieties of Romano’s Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites dinner kits include Garlic & Herb Chicken Penne, Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken & Pasta, Chicken Alfredo with Linguine and Chicken Marsala with Linguine.
Enjoy your free meals and new tools ladies. Please stay tuned for another Yummy giveaway this week brought to you by Food Should Taste Good.
So what is a “Jersey Bite” anyway? If you had to name the quintessential, unmistakable taste of New Jersey, what would it be? Growing up a beach town girl in south/central New Jersey, I didn’t realize until I was a teenager that Pork Roll (or Taylor Ham depending on your Jersey roots) was strictly a New Jersey phenomenon. It wasn’t until I ventured out of the state and tried ordering a pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich that I soon realized Debbie was not in Jersey anymore.
I get emails all the time from Jersey expats who pine over the tastes of their home state. I remember traveling south my senior year of High School and trying to find a decent bagel in North Carolina. It was a rude awakening, believe me. Pizza too, forget it, you might as well get it from the grocery store. (I think that’s where the restaurants buy it.)
Now of course, we know we corner the market on the best tomatoes and corn in the country. New Jersey is also known for fabulous blueberries and for our Cranberries although we share this honor with 4 other states.
I asked my “Tweeps” on Twitter for their favorite Jersey Bites and was a bit surprised by the overwhelming regard for the New Jersey Italian Hot Dog. According to Wikipedia this is a Hot Dog indigenous to Essex, Hudson, and Passaic counties in north-eastern New Jersey and the boardwalk of the New Jersey shore. It’s origins date back to the 1930’s in Newark New Jersey. One of the most famous spots for an authentic Italian Hot Dog is Jimmy Buffs which has four locations in North Jersey. For more suggestions, I turned to the folks at Chowhound, who have offered up a list of sampled spots in Jersey.
Another North Jersey phenomenon are Disco Fries. I have to confess, I had never heard this term in my life until yesterday. Do you believe Disco Fries have there own page on Wikipedia? We had a version of this in the school cafeteria at Rutgers (minus the gravy) and I completely blame them on my Freshman 15. Evidently, true Jersey Disco Fries are covered with brown gravy as well as cheese. In Canada, where they call them Poutine, the fries are covered with fresh cheese curd and brown gravy. By the late 1970’s Poutine found its way to New York and Northern New Jersey. It is thought that these Fries got their name because they hit this area during the height of the Disco era.
Ok, here’s another term this sheltered Monmouth County girl never heard: Water Ice. One of my South Jersey Tweeps had to school me on the term. I grew up eating Italian Ice. I had no idea it had an alias. I also didn’t realize New Jersey played such a big role in the Italian Ice movement. According to Wikipedia we had a hand in getting the patent on Italian Ice. “In October 2007, Dennis Moore of “Little Jimmy’s Italian Ice” in Elizabeth, New Jersey, submitted the term “Italian ice” as a possible addition to the Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. On November 8, 2007, this term was added, in International Class 030: Italian Ice.
There were more opinions, many more on what constitutes a quintessential Jersey Bite. I’ve posted some of the Tweets I got back from followers below. As you can see, when it comes to New Jersey food, New Jerseyans do not hesitate to share their opinions.
So, we’ll end this round up of Jersey Bites with MrsMoNJ’s comment on Pork Roll or Tayl
or Ham. Whatever you call it, what the hell is it?
You’ve got to love this description from Wikipedia. “Although the product is widely consumed and enjoyed, it resists accurate description. Some people compare the taste and/or texture to SPAM, Treet, baloney, mild salami, or US-style Canadian bacon. In 1910 it was described as “a food article made of pork, packed in a cylindrical cotton sack or bag in such form that it could be quickly prepared for cooking by slicing without removal from the bag.”
I love the “food article” descriptive. What does that mean? Too funny. When you’re jonesing for a Pork Roll, Egg and Cheese, you’re not really concerned about what’s in it or the calorie count. The Pork Roll, Egg and Cheese Sandwich (on a hard roll of course) has been described as the “Jersey Sandwich” and I’ll will have to concur. It’s not exactly been sprouts and tofu is it people? I find it funny that we are called the Garden State but most of the dishes we pine over have nothing to do with anything grown in any garden anywhere. Have I missed something? What is your ultimate, all time favorite Jersey Bite?
Ta Da!!!! Feeling a little disoriented right now????
I am so excited to unveil our new design for Jersey Bites. JB has outgrown its home on Blogger and we’ve moved to our own blog on our own server. This will hopefully allow us to grow and add new features in the future.
Please be patient as we fill in some of the gaps and make adjustments. If you were following Jersey Bites before, I hope you will refollow here. If you subscribed to the old Jersey Bites through a Reader, I’m sure you will have to update your feed.
The new “Table Talk” tab at the top here links to our message boards on JerseyBiters. If you would like to leave comments about your restaurant experiences, you will need to become a “Biter.” Don’t worry, its free and painless, I promise.
I want to send out a huge, huge Thank You to Peter and Dani from Lima Bean Interactive for the redesign. You two were fabulous to work with and did such a gorgeous job.
I hope you all will feel at home here and find the site more user friendly. If you have suggestions on how we can do things better or on topics you would like to see us cover, please use the contact link above. We are always looking for contributors too. So if you like to eat and write about it, don’t be stingy. Contact us to schedule a chat.
