Any New Englanders here?

[ErinRachel1021]

I was born and raised in RI. I moved here to California last year. I'm taking a trip home in August and I cannot WAIT to sink my teeth into a juicy sweet buttery Maine lobster! Oh my god I LOVE IT. You cannot get lobster like that out here.
Also in the diet realm, and only a Rhode Islander would know this, but I am going to gorge myself on Willow Tree Chicken Salad.
The rest of the stuff I'm planning on eating (Del's, Stuffed Quoahogs, chowder, clamcakes, gaggers) probably should not be revealed
I promise I won't take it too far, but I need to indulge the homesickness and hopefully by that point I will have lost about 30lbs.
Anyone else feeling me here?

[bjs1976]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

I live in Maine..No, Maine lobstah for me, I am allergic....

[Heidi3]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

I was born and raised and will be there next week ..Providence RI ..

but my foods are Southern Italian I grew up right in the Federal Hill area

pizza, grinders, meatball sandwiches and spinach pies ....not to mention every single bakery with in walking distance of my house!... ..and the Portugese food is to die for ..that is my history...oh yeah and strangly enough there was the Caribbean food I learned about curry in Providence believe it or not
.....long story

I will be home next week

[Heidi3]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

and Dels

[changing]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

Yep, I'm in Maine... I am gaaa-gaaa for clams, shrimp, and crab. I'm not big on lobster though (everyone always thinks I'm insane), but my husband is crazy about it.



A good clam chowder takes my breath away. Luckily, I've made some pretty good sub-ins (without potatoes) low-carb style. Same thing with crab cakes... happy I can still eat them as long as I cook them myself. And omg shrimp scampi! Mmm...

It's great living in shellfish central!

[ErinRachel1021]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

Heidi! A fellow Rhode Island gal! I knew there was a reason I liked you!
Portuguese food....mmmmmmmmmmm
Nothing says Atkins quite like a steak with a fried egg on top.

[Rubysugar]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

Not from Maine, but totally digging the food talk!
I need...
a recipe for this chowder, Changing.
a recipe for this curry, Heidi.
and an explaination for what in the h3ll a GAGGER is?? I am trying to figure it out and my mind keeps falling back into the gutter. I mean, it is its permenant residence but it crawled out just to puzzle on this one. I am familiar with a grinder. Had one in Mass when I did a ren faire there. I never ate so well for 6 weeks at a show. I lurve me some lobster. I loved stuffed quahogs too. So, Erin, I gotcha back.

But you know what I think about your planned binge? I bet you don't go through with it when you get there. I had planned on taking Christmas "off" this past year. I had no desire to do it by the time Christmas rolled around. I had saved a few Ghirardelli chocolates out of a gift and fed the rest to DH. Christmas morning, DH ate them at my request. I was in the zone, baby. I ended up staying completely on plan, effortlessly. Oh, I am sure you will gorge on lobster, and maybe a chowder or two... but the breaded, stuffed things, I bet you don't really eat a whole one.

[ErinRachel1021]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the "gagguh":

http://www.quahog.org/factsfolklore/index.php?id=127

In ultimate greasy spoon fashion it is a "saugy" hot dog (very yummy hot dog made only in RI). Topped with mustard, spiced meat and onions. A favorite among the out late and drunk crowd it's been giving native Rhode Islanders and visitors alike viscious indigestion that lasts for days on end since the late 1930's.

As for my binge, Mamaglass I'm sure I'm not going to gorge myself on all the breaded goodies I can find. It will be in moderation. But I can tell you this much. I WILL enjoy myself. Oh yes...

[boxingfan]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

Erin, I live in RI, born and bred! I actually had Willow Tree chicken salad for lunch today. I miss NY System ("three all the way!" lol!) I haven't had any in several months. Where in Rhody are you from? I'm in North Kingstown.

[jarcher]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

I live in Smithfield, RI and have for the past 16 or so years. Before that I lived in Warwick. I have been here since I was about 5 I think.



The lobster rocks, so do the steamers and muscles! I love that stuff!



The Willow Tree is to die for, but it's not Atkins friendly, so I pass.



Heidi, when I look at your pics I could swear I know you, but I figured it must just be a resemblance. But now that you said you're from RI I am wondering...

[Rubysugar]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the "gagguh":
http://www.quahog.org/factsfolklore/index.php?id=127
In ultimate greasy spoon fashion it is a "saugy" hot dog (very yummy hot dog made only in RI). Topped with mustard, spiced meat and onions. A favorite among the out late and drunk crowd it's been giving native Rhode Islanders and visitors alike viscious indigestion that lasts for days on end since the late 1930's.

As for my binge, Mamaglass I'm sure I'm not going to gorge myself on all the breaded goodies I can find. It will be in moderation. But I can tell you this much. I WILL enjoy myself. Oh yes...

Ha! I think I would totally dig a Gagger!! You make it sound scrumptious!!

By all means, I think you should totally enjoy yourself!! I meant nothing negative in my previous post! It just reminded me of, well, me.. and my planned Christmas binge! That's all I talked about for the month of December was what I was gonna eat on Christmas Day and then I DIDN'T!!! Believe me, no one was more shocked than me.

I am sure you will have a killer time at home. There's nothing like going back to your old stomping ground, feelin' slimmer and lookin' kick-a$$!! I am really excited for you!! Okay, and slightly jealous about the Lobster. Okay, maybe more than slightly!

[Mandilee]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

MA here. I love all the shellfish, but it's expensive even here. I love fried clams, but stay away from them. If anyone is planning a trip to NE, you can hunt out good places to eat by going to tvdiner.com. (I think that's it.) It's a show where different eating establishments are visited and rated.

[changing]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

Not from Maine, but totally digging the food talk!
I need...
a recipe for this chowder, Changing.

Yes, ma'am!

I'm kind of an eyeballer so this is how I do it... I read a lot of chowder recipes, low-carb and the regular kind, and mixed a bunch of them together...

In a small pot, I cook a bag of frozen cauliflower in a tiny bit of water until the cauliflower is nice and soft. I fry up about 1/2 pound of chopped bacon in the bottom of a large pot. Then I mash up the soft cauliflower into small pieces and put it in the large pot with the bacon. Then I add about a cup of heavy cream, a can of chicken broth or a bottle of clam juice (depending on how fishy I want it), and a can of clams or two of clams, depending on who I'm planning on eating it with (how clammy THEY'D want it)... if I use two cans of clams, I drain the second but not the first. If I'm just using one, I don't drain it. Sometimes I add a cube of fish bouillon (sometimes with water0 if I want it extra-fishy or if I don't have clam juice! )Then I add some thyme, salt, and pepper, bring it to a brief boil and then turn down the heat and simmer it forever... I play around with the ratios a lot and I encourage you to do the same!

We also make a spicy crab chowder in a similiar way by omitting the cauliflower, clam juice/chicken broth, doubling the cream, adding crab, a stick (or half-stick) of butter, and a TON of ground red pepper.

Diced onion is good in either recipe! Garlic too! Honestly, I end up putting what I have around in the kitchen...

[Heidi3]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

I live in Smithfield, RI and have for the past 16 or so years. Before that I lived in Warwick. I have been here since I was about 5 I think.



The lobster rocks, so do the steamers and muscles! I love that stuff!



The Willow Tree is to die for, but it's not Atkins friendly, so I pass.



Heidi, when I look at your pics I could swear I know you, but I figured it must just be a resemblance. But now that you said you're from RI I am wondering...

you never know it is a small world! and RI is a small state!
My daughter is getting married there next week and I have my old stomping grounds mapped out for my trip ...

I lived right off Federal Hill in the city ...I will be walking around there next week that is for sure ...urban hiking I call it

[Heidi3]

Re: Any New Englanders here?

Saugys!!!! Omg You Are Making Me Cry!!!!! Lololol

I am so excited about coming home I can not even tell you