A Healthy New Year To You

This time of year I make promises to myself on what I'm going to do differently in the coming year. At the top of my list is to each a healthy lunch, something I rarely do in between tastings. And as with everything I eat, be it healthy or not, the standard is pretty high in terms of my taste and quality expectations. I don't think anyone would disagree -- I'm a very picky eater!

This past Christmas season, when time is at a premium, I tried something I've never done before. I ordered 10 fresh made lunches from a unique company, Personal Chef to Go. I was somewhat skeptical as to what I would receive as their website promised a lot: fresh, healthy, delicious meals delivered to your door, guaranteed to stay fresh for 8 days.

I am happy to say that they lived up to their lofty promises. I found each meal unique and delicious, even considering the ideal calorie/fat/carb ratio. I wasn't sure that something so healthy could taste so good. The only downside is that you do not get to pick your meals, but some that I tried were something I would not have ordered but did thoroughly enjoy.

Equally surprising was the incredible manner in which they were packaged. The box arrived in absolutely perfect condition, right on time. And true to the promise, the meals stayed in perfect condition for exactly 1 week. You are also able to freeze what you can't eat, which I did do also with great results.

So in the New Year I will definitely be utilizing the amazing services of Personal Chef To Go, and if your goals are anything like mine I encourage you to give them a try!

Welcome to The Inside Dish!

Eating for a living is hard work! You may find that hard to believe, but it’s true. There are some days that I open newly arrived samples with a sense of dread—am I really in the mood to test garlic peanut butter today? I’ve had stuffed quail for breakfast and French toast for dinner, all in the name of finding the best of the best. And while you would think that more expensive foods would be of higher quality, that’s not always the case. In my test kitchen, we have our share of surprises, laughter, disappointment, and utter shock on some of the foods that we encounter.

My main focus is Mackenzie Limited, a gourmet-food catalog that seeks out “the world’s finest foods.” Over the past 12 years, we’ve tested thousands of different products (13,000 or so by the last count), selecting only a dozen or so for each new issue of the catalog. For a multitude of reasons, many interesting, unique, high-quality product just don’t make the cut. And while I’ve always been extremely proud of the foods we select, it’s the ones we don’t that I always want to talk about. Now I can.

So what can you expect? Anything related to good food. One day I may discuss the best bagels in New York (H&H, and soon I'll tell you how to order them online!), while the next day I talk about Thanksgiving or other entertaining ideas. I’ll do some features on budget gourmet finds. There will be recipes. And links to great sites where you can buy gifts or treat yourself to amazing mail order finds that I guarantee you'd never find on your own. You'll even read about my favorite picks from Trader Joe’s, some of which come from the very same suppliers that supply the fancy catalogs (and at 1/3 the price).

So welcome to my blog. And bon appétit!