Mom finally makes it to Central Market
I grew up in a foodie family before we’d ever heard the word. I just knew my family didn’t have the usual ‘70s rotating menu of mac and cheese or meatloaf night. There were exotic things coming out of Mom’s kitchen.
After years of shopping amazing Central Market stores in Houston, Austin and San Antonio, I finally got Mom to the Houston grocer.
We arrived on a Sunday afternoon and most of my favorite sample areas were open. She took it slow and selected fresh rosemary and bread between tastes of cinnamon and brie sandwiches and juicy melon.
I hope she’ll tell all her friends how much fun she had.
My take-homes included a can of crispy roasted eel, which we ate over home-grown bean sprouts, and Spanish octopus in soy and olive oil. When my daughter saw these cans, she asked if we could have grilled octopus sandwiches for breakfast. That’s another generation of foodie.

Get lunch box ready
Kids today probably don’t make fun of granola like they did in my youth. It’s more flavorful and possibly even more healthy than it used to be. A diabetic looking to avoid blood sugar spikes inspired Granola Gourmet which is a chewy, flavorful blend of goodness that comes in chocolate and fruit combos. It’s good that they are packaged in portion-controlled bars, or I could be tempted to eat more than I should. They’re that good. It’s a treat you won’t feel guilty about after you read the label. A portion of each purchase goes to help fight diabetes.

Slimmed-up sandwiches
There’s no point in using a “light” version of something unless it tastes good. A little bit of the real thing may serve you better. Oroweat’s new 80-calorie-a-slice Health-full line is no sacrifice to me. Pick from 10 Grain, Hearty Wheat and Nutty Grain. I’ve just made some kind of triple-nut sandwich with the Nutty Grain, adding peanut butter and walnuts. A one-slice sandwich took me from lunch until dinner. I’ll be looking to try more.

ddoiron@panews.com