Eat Like a Rabbit

Our first night eating local started off pleasantly in at a great little restaurant on Orange Ave. in downtown Orlando. Virgin Olive Market used to be on Clay, and I think the change in location surely must have increased its exposure. There was a nice, steady stream of customers during our entire dining experience. Virgin Olive makes the grade in a couple of areas. First, it is a fast, very friendly, and significantly cheaper restaurant than the two restaurants it's sandwiched in between. Next, it holds down the spot as a source for good coffee and breakfast in the immediate vicinity. Also, it offers healthy (generally), light, budget friendly meals on top of some unusual foodie items for sale to take home.

We thank our friends, Magally and Tim, for this delicious summer treat. When they came over for lunch, they brought traditional pink lemonade concentrate, a small bottle of Sprite, and a carton of fresh strawberries. They replaced a half a can of the water in the recipe for the concentrate with the Sprite, and sliced the beautiful red berries to float in the pitcher. It was so yummy.

I think if I made it myself, I might use Pelegrino instead of the Sprite only because the drink was a bit sweet on my stomach (Baby Rabbit doesn't seem to like sugar), but under normal circumstances, the mix was perfect.

If it was all about price, this would be a fabulously cheap meal because the pancake mix cost me $0.69 at Target, and I only used a couple cups, the strawberries were on sale the same day at Freshfields Farm, and the "sausage" links were 50% off at Publix some time ago, and I stocked my freezer. But in theory, this post is more about what we thought about the Quaker Oatmeal Pancake Mix. I had two coupons; so, I gave one to Mom, and we each brought home a box of the mix to try. I made pancakes and Mom made waffles. (She has my waffle iron.)

Mom's Waffle Recipe

• 3 ½ C sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 T baking powder
• 2 T sugar
• 1 ½ t salt
• 4 egg whites
• 2 ½-2 ¾ C milk
• 6 T Smart Balance cooking oil

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Set aside. Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Continue beating adding milk and oil. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour 1 cup batter on preheated grid. Close unit and bake until light goes out (about 5 minutes). Makes 8 large waffles.

Now that I am working a couple days a week in our Orlando office, I consider the extra commute worthwhile considering I am nearer freshfields farm, Super Target, Einstein Bros. Bagels, and even a Publix when necessary. I am happy to report that I hope to take on the European concept of fresh food and be able to stop at the freshfields farm next to my office more than once a week to pick up the freshest and ripest produce. An even bigger incentive is that many times the prices are better than the Maitland Farmer's Market, the produce generally looks better, and the stand doesn't have flies everywhere distracting me.

I was scheduled to feed 12 Saturday afternoon for lunch. Luckily, I was off on Friday. I woke up early prepared to spend the day in the kitchen. The previous day, I created a list of what needed to be done Friday and what could be done Saturday right before the guests arrived. I had already thought up a menu earlier in the week based on what I had in the kitchen.

Eat Like a Rabbit is home from a fabulous field trip to study food across the Atlantic. The experience was incredible, and I invite you to stay tuned to the entire story of the trip with specific reviews of restaurants. Unfortunately, we are suffering from jet lag and are trying to get back into the swing of things both at home and at work. ELAR prides itself on sharing pictures of food and other experiences and therefore will delay in posting stories about the trip until the photos and/or videos have been edited. Please forgive the delay.

There is a girl in my office whose husband had a major surgery that would likely remove him from a work environment for a couple years. It was devastating to our office. Because the economy is so bad, some of the staff got together and created a plan. They would serve "Leftovers with Love" meaning any leftovers could be put on a plate and wrapped in aluminum foil; then frozen and delivered to the couple and their teenage daughter. That way they could pull something out of the freezer, microwave it, and have a quick, healthy meal.

It was dark one evening and I was running around Costco in my scrubs. This doesn't make me special, but it does tell you I had a long day. I pulled 10 hours at work, dined with my folks and my grandmother for some special occasion, and had to do it all over again the next day.

I'm a good shopper. I go in with my list, focus on what I need to get, analyze prices, and get out quickly spending roughly what I had estimated food items for a week would cost. On this specific day; however, I was running a bit slow. I was still focused, but I had a few interruptions along the way.