Worth Heading to Virginia

There are only a few reasons for me to head out to Virginia:

1. To visit my family and eat homemade Vietnamese food.
2. To visit Eden Center to eat and shop for Vietnamese food.
3. To visit my friend Angie.
4. To shop at large Asian/International supermarkets.

Sometimes, its hard for me to bring my friends to Asian markets because I worry that they would be repulsed by the whole dead fish lying out on buckets of ice by the seafood counter or the less-manicured-than-Whole Foods produce aisle. Luckily, I have met friends in DC who are not only willing to head to Asian markets with me but feel excited about it. My last trip to Virginia was to have lunch with my friend/co-worker Angie. She spent 2 and half years in Benin, Africa for Peace Corp and after her tales of monster ants and flies, I didn't hesitate to suggest a trip to Grand Mart. We walked through the produce aisle and were instantly excited by the great prices on produce. I go to find the condiments aisle where I immediately picked up some rice vinegar and Chinese cooking wine.

Then I find Angie in the soap aisle with a bar of soap up her nose taking deep breaths. Apparently she walked by the seafood aisle and didn't feel too well afterward. It could be that she is in the second trimester of her pregnancy and has an enhanced sense of smell. Or it could be that even those who had to smoosh giant bugs with their bare hands cannot handle an Asian market's seafood aisle and its pungent scent.

We ended up leaving shortly after that but I did get some good deals on produce. Here are some deals you can find at Grand Mart:

Watermelon - $3 each
Pineapple - $2 each
Cauliflower - $0.99 a head
Strawberries - $1.29 a package (these smelled and tasted amazing)
Red Peppers - $0.88 a pound
Romaine Lettuce - $2.49 for a pack of three (you can even purchase organic lettuce here)
Green Grapes - $0.88 a pound

Friday, July 3, 2009 - Items on Sale at Giant

Here are the specials at Giant this week:

Porterhouse Steak or T-Bone Steak - $4.99 a lb
Sweet White Corn - 12 for $1.99
Chicken Breasts - $0.99 a lb
Watermelon - $3.88 a lb
Cherries - $1.57 a lb
Snow Crab Clusters - $4.99 a lb
Nathan's Beef Franks - Buy one Get one Free
Blueberries - $2.99 a lb
Green and Yellow Squash - $0.99 a lb
Large Portabella Caps - $0.99 each

Please check www.giantfood.com to see the specials at your local Giant Supermarket.

Turkey Burgers

Ground turkey is tasteless and can be very disappointing. Where is the fat? Where is the flavor? Where is the beef? Sometimes I stand at the supermarket and look from the package of ground turkey to the package of ground beef. Then back to the ground turkey and back to the ground beef. Then I think about my heart, frown, and pick up the package of ground turkey. Recently, ground turkey and I have come to an understanding. We understand that I will buy ground turkey but I'm going to season the hell out of it. It seems to have accepted its fate well. Below is a recipe for some spicy turkey burgers I made recently.

Items purchased at Safeway

1 pound of ground turkey - $1.99
2 tablespoons of Worcheshire sauce - Free from previous purchase
1/2 cup of diced onions - $0.74 per lb
1 to 2 Jalapenos peppers, sliced - $0.17 each
1/4 teaspoon of salt - Free from previous purchase
1/2 teaspoon of pepper - Free from previous purchase
Olive Oil - Free from previous purchase
Burger Buns - Gifted from friend
(burger buns are on sale for $0.89 for a package of 8)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix the first six ingredients together (be careful not to over mix. It could make the burger pattie too dense.) Form mixture into four patties (these will be thick burgers). Grease frying pan with two tablespoons of olive oil. Place pan on medium-high heat. Sear each side for one minute. Place burger on cookie sheet, put in oven, and bake for ten minutes. Check center of burger to confirm that the burger is cooked through. If not, throw it back into the oven for a few more minutes. The burgers should not dry out since it was already seared on each side.

Top burger with favorite toppings. Enjoy.

(Please note that the burger bun shown in the picture below is actually a burger bun purchased by my friend Anna at the 14th and U Street Farmers market. She wanted me to try it out for...important research.)

Burgers can easily be made for under $5 and is a great recipe to bring to barbecues. With all the seasoning, the burger is tasty and gives you a nice meaty bite without all the fat. You can probably make smaller patties and make eight burgers out of a pound of ground turkey. Also, do not be alarmed by the amount of Jalapenos used. The pepper is less spicy when it is cooked. If you are worried about the heat, replace the jalapenos with a cup of diced red peppers.



After writing this, I read a NY Times article posted by Adventures in Shaw on her Twitter page about making the perfect burger. I'm going to try to make a well in my burgers next time.

***NY Times Article - The Perfect Burger and All Its Parts***