We have tried some great products recently, and can’t wait to tell you about them.

Pinch Dumplings  are awesome. They sell them at various farmer’s markets including the White House Market and Reagan Building Market. My favorites are the Shrimp & Pork, Traditional Pork, Traditional Lamb, and Lamb & Leek. The shrimp texture really pops nicely in the Shrimp & Pork dumpling. I can’t get enough of the lamb or pork versions either.  The dumplings come with a nice dipping sauce. Dan (the Dumpling Guy) really knows his stuff!

We recently wrote about  NAR Gourmet (Turkish) products in a Test Kitchen article. The producer has since sent me two more jellies to try, peach marmalade and apricot marmalade. Are they actually marmalades? No, they are jellies. Are they good? Yes, they both taste great and are and very spreadable.

We recently sampled a box full of Giovanni Rana Fresh pastas and sauces. We loved everything we tried, including the Marinara Sauce, Pesto Sauce, Fettuccine, Cheese Ravioli, Cheese Tortellini, and Spinach Ravioli, but our favorite my the Artichoke Ravioli. Cy had to go to Safeway and buy more Artichoke Ravioli and Marinara Sauce. Safeway even carries Rana’s fresh Lasagne Sheets.

We’ve been shopping at the  Springfield Butcher recently. They have fresh seafood (crab cakes, bacon wrapped scallops, salmon, grouper), house made BBQ ribs, ground elk or venison, venison brats, and various cuts of beef, pork, and poultry.

If you are into jerky, read about Duke’s Smoked Meats in this article about Savor (the beer show).

I recently started using T-fal’s Ingeneo pans. They are actually quite good and easy to store because they have interchangeable handles and lids.

-JAY