Where is my eggnog latte?

I'm waiting (not too patiently, I might add) to get an eggnog latte at Starbucks. 

Someone told me it'd be in this week; I went in to my usual Milford Starbucks on Wednesday and was told something else. It seems they kept getting updates. 

Assuming corporate doesn't change its mind, eggnog lattes should be available no later than Nov. 30. 

In the meantime, I have made my own with Rice Dream Rice Nog,* which was on sale the last time I was at Whole Foods Market  in Ann Arbor. Yesterday, I enjoyed the eggnog latte at Kahuna Coffee, which uses eggnog syrup. (What is confusing about Kahuna Coffee is that most people think of the area it's in as Hartland, but it's Howell mailing. Nonetheless, it's an awesome place, which already has given me the opportunity to sell signed poetry book to people).

For me, perhaps because it uses whole milk eggnog, Starbucks has the definitive eggnog latte. And so I wait. Still rather impatient about it. 

Speaking of Starbucks, today is the last day you can buy one holiday drink and get one free to share from 2-5 p.m. (or 6 p.m. if you have a gold card). 

Tell me: what's your favorite holiday drink? Whether it's coffee-based or not, I'd still like to know. 

It's National Coffee Day! Get your coffee now!

I knew this yesterday, but I forgot it when I hit the ground running starting before 9 a.m. 

It is National Coffee Day. 

Yes, it's a bit after 7 p.m. Just the perfect time to go grab a decaf latte, iced coffee or a blended cold, frosty drink. 

If you don't feel like going out, try this flexible recipe: 

Frosty Coffee Drink 

This can be an iced coffee or more of a frappe (frozen) drink. Depends on the number of ice cubes. 

Place the following in the blender: 

• 2-3 heaping teaspoons of instant coffee (It's usually decaf for me; I use Maxwell House. The exact amount depends on how many ice cubes and how much water you put in it.)
• 1 to 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons of Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa, optional (original also is fine)
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon orange extract, optional (almond extract is also good)
• 5-10 ice cubes, depending upon how frosty you like it
• Approximately 12-16 ounces of water, depending upon how much coffee flavor you want and how thick you want it
• Stevia to taste (I use three to four packets; feel free to use sugar if you prefer it: I have not tried it with honey or agave nectar) 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need some coffee. 

This is a pretty healthy recipe; if you want something more fattening and more sinful than a famous coffee shop version, try this recipe from "The Pioneer Woman," Ree Drummond.

A little food nostalgia ... and hurray for Sanders

Simple scenes from our childhood often can be recalled more strongly than anything else. We're so busy, I believe, that the simple everyday pleasures don't make it into our long-term memories as often, unless we make a point to focus on them. Food often can be part of our memories, both of our own lives and people. 

For example, I cannot see the Michigan brand cottage cheese or Keebler® Fudge Stripes without thinking of my Gram (Ruth) LaBerge or Bill Knapp's® desserts without thinking of my Grandpa (Ed) Seebaldt. (Even though the restaurants are no more, the desserts live on and are distributed by various companies.)

One scene I still can picture from my childhood is sitting at a Sanders counter in Detroit near our old house on the west side. I remember the way the counter looked and that I was sitting with my Mom, eating a hot fudge ice cream puff. I was about five years old. 

I've had my share of sundaes and other ice cream concoctions, but very few I remember like the ones I consumed at Sanders, which probably is why the company is doing so amazingly well right now, as described in this Detroit Free Press article. Well, that, and the fact that Sanders' dark hot fudge sauce is the best I've ever had. 

Sometimes nostalgia meets the present. These are the places I remember going to that were fun and kid-friendly.Sanders is still around in Michigan, but Farrell's, where I (and my cousins) had a few birthday parties, and Friendly's, whose desserts came pretty close to Sanders' quality, aren't in Michigan anymore. (I was happy to see, though, that they both are still around in some parts of the country. I did go to a Friendly's restaurant in New York about five years ago, again with Mom.Their milkshakes still are the best!) 

What foods or restaurants make you nostalgic and why? Tell me why they're so wonderful. 

Helping the homeless and saving money with ugly vegetables

You may not know this, but I used to work as a cashier in a grocery store in the 1990s.

I met a number of people who received WIC and/or food stamps at my first grocery store, where I worked for two years. Some of these customers I got to know very well because they bought small orders and came in two to three times a week. It was clear that most of them were embarrassed to be buying food with assistance. Some came in with a chip on their shoulder, expecting to be criticized, whether by other customers or the cashiers checking them out, I'm not sure. 

I treated them like any other customer, often calling them by name. Why wouldn't I? It's good business to get to know your customers and it was a small enough store that I could learn many of their names. 

The woman (and by and large, it was they who were buying) clearly weren't used to being treated that way. Once we were better acquainted, some told me that. They came to our smaller store because the people were nicer and it was close enough to walk. It was evident they were used to being treated as second-class customers somewhere, which made me upset on their behalf. 

Sometimes I wondered why they picked the items they did, though I never criticized. The items they bought, almost universally, were cheap and/or on sale, were filling and often non-perishable, except for WIC items such as milk and cheese.

A couple of the other customers occasionally commented to me about a prior customer's choices (whether purchased with food stamps or not). I either changed the subject or politely ignored those comments from the busybodies and got on with my job, rather than telling them to mind their own business. 

Fruit and vegetables my customers bought with food stamps were almost always canned. I didn't connect that 20 years ago, when I started working at the first store, to the fact that fresh fruits and vegetables are almost always expensive. I did clue in, eventually, but I didn't know what possibly could be done about it. I knew fresh produce was more expensive, and some of these ladies had three or four kids to feed.

Let's go forward 20 years. A few articles and blog posts I've recently come across are giving me ideas of what could have been done back then and should be done now.

The most touching of the articles was the most personal; it was by Brooke McKay, who documented a trip to the grocery store with a woman who lives in crisis housing within the homeless shelter at which Brooke volunteers. Brooke gave Tori $50 (name changed for privacy purposes), though actually they spent more because she didn't want Tori to have to take any of the food back. She was surprised that one of the items Tori picked was an $11 bag of apples. The trip broke through the assumptions people often make about the homeless and those on food stamps. 

The comments section also is rather enlightening. I will admit that I had a few tears in my eyes reading the blog and comments. (“There but for the grace of God go I.”)

A big part of why produce seems to be so outrageously expensive appears to be food waste. 

According to a 2013 NPR (National Public Radio) blog post I read, Doug Rauch, formerly Trader Joe's president, planned to use edible produce past its sell-by date in prepared food that will be cheap in his supermarket-restaurant hybrid that features food that other stores would have thrown out. The Daily Table market will be in Dorchester, Mass. It was scheduled to open this year. I've been searching for half an hour and still can't figure out whether or not it's opened yet.

It's mentioned in other articles, too, including this one 4 Restuarants Rethink Food Waste, on www.sustainableamerica.org's blog. The post offers some fabulous ideas, as does another on that site, called Ugly Produce Can Be a Beautiful Thing. One of the points noted is that at every level, ugly produce is wasted. 

In a quest to reduce waste, grocery chains in the U.K., such as Tesco, Waitboro, and Sainsbury's Food Rescue embrace the sale of these fruits and veggies at discounted prices. In Europe, it's Ugly Fruits leading the way. Intermarché in France also is promoting the benefits of ugly produce ... and a 30 percent discount, according to a grist.org article. French shoppers are gobbling them up. 

Ugly Produce Can Be a Beautiful Thing also commented that the U.S., Greenling, which delivers groceries in Texas featuring local food and organic produce, "sells 'seconds' that have slight physical defects" while another delivery service, "Fresh Direct," based in Long Island City, Queens, rates its produce from one to five stars and customers can choose their grade, either taking a chance on one-star produce, which can be inconsistent to the perfect five-star produce. Home delivery is available in some areas; check the list. Out west, Grocery Outlet "sells closeouts and overruns, including produce." 

If you want to know more, here are additional sources I found interesting:

• Modern Farmer, Food Waste: The Next Food Revolution

• Sustainable America's white paper, Increasing Food Availability to Ensure a Resilient Food Future for America

Where in the world is Anne? And here's some gluten-free news to chew on

"Where is the world is Anne?" you might ask. "She hasn't posted since April." 

Ahem. Shameless plug incoming (and you can't say you had no warning, either). 

Since my last post, I have published a book of poetry, Reflections, which encompasses more than 30 years of my poetry, with amazing illustrations and cover art by Sarah J. Waldock, who is an author in her own right. 

My book can be found here on Amazon.com. And here on CreateSpace. Check it out.

And now, for some gluten-free news to chew on. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.

Now this news doesn't affect my home state of Michigan, sadly, but is cool to know for travel purposes. According to an article in Supermarket News, Wegmans now offers sushi made without gluten, including gluten-free soy sauce Kikkomans formulated especially for the supermarket chain. 

A later version of the story indicated that the sushi is not labeled as
gluten-free, because of the possible change of cross-contamination. 

I believe Wegmans is covering its corporate bottom with careful language. 

Still, making that change definitely is a step in the right direction, and good for those who have not been diagnosed with celiac disease but avoid gluten for other reasons. 

I'd like to hear my readers' opinions on Wegmans' actions: good move, or "close but no cigar?"

Review: Yotsuba Ann Arbor ... delicious but slow

See the pretty sushi? Jen and I had fun tonight eating this at Yotsuba in Ann Arbor. Jen's was a tempura jalapeno Philly roll (right). Mine (below)  was a combination we shared of all things California roll: regular, spicy and tempura. It was delicious! The only downside was rather slow service.

Every time I turn around lately, I see another charity event involving food.

Perhaps it's due to the fact that people are more likely to attend indoor events in the winter than the summer?

At any rate, there are some awesome events to choose from coming up in Southeast Michigan. (Some are even within half an hour's drive or less from me, which is ... unusual.

You might consider one of these three events coming up in the next six weeks or so:

• This Saturday, Feb. 1, try an authentic Russian dinner, First Presbyterian, 1432 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. It will fund mission work. For details about the menu, guest speaker, mission and costs, check out Ann Arbor MLive or go to the church's website. RSVP required; call 734-662-4466.

• The next one's in my neck of the woods. Enjoy Freedom Work Opportunities, Inc.'s 30th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 59West, 786 W. Highland Road, Highland Township, MI 48357. The $50 entry fee includes dinner with your choice of top sirloin with au jus or chicken marsala entrees paired with garlic parmesan mashed potatoes, mostaccioli, green beans almondine and a dessert/coffee bar. A photo booth, a silent auction with a wide variety of items  and a live auction with  Highland Township Supervisor Rick Hamill serving as auctioneer is featured. Among the great prizes for the live auction are a drive for two around the General Motors Proving Grounds track and four "park hopper" tickets to Walt Disney World are all part of the fun. For more information about the silent or live auction items, or to purchase tickets, go to Freedom Work Opportunities' website.

• Metro Detroit Empty Bowls event is from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 16 in the Assumption Cultural Center, 21800 Marter Rd., St. Clair Shores, MI 48080. A $10 minimum donation is accepted. The event features food from top area restaurants and inspirational music by The Ambassadors. To purchase tickets, or to donate, click here. For more information, see the listing in Hour Detroit.