Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

I recently talked about Ole Smoky moonshine and have also been talking a lot about pickles and products that have alcohol in them that you might at first think shouldn’t but are often actually all the better for it.

Put that all together (along with a TON of Tennessee flavor), and you get Ole Smoky moonshine pickles!

Combining New York deli pickle flavor with Ole Smoky’s signature ’shine, these firm and crunchy alcohol delivery systems are perfect for Bloody Marys and bloody well great on their own. And while the famous Pickle Dickel (a shot of George Dickel Whisky with a back of pickle brine) may be an acquired taste, it is one that I recommend you acquire!

If pickles are a bit dilly for you, Ole Smoky also offers moonshine-washed cherries and peaches and will soon be adding pineapple to their shine-soaked selection. They also have a bunch of fruit-forward flavors that include canned blackberry lemonade, bottled strawberry lemonade whisky, and Mason jarred sour watermelon and apple. Once you try the pickles, however, you are sure to be puckering up for more!

If you are stil a bit wary to explore the historic ‘shine, go to olesmoky.com to see all the flavors (including the bright and flashy white lightnin’, the all-American apple pie, and the butter pecan and mountain java, both of which can be as good for breakfast as they are to unwind at the end of the day) and also to check out recipes that will help ease you into the tub.

No matter which you choose, however, be sure to ‘shine responsibly.

https://olesmoky.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

During a recent escape to Nashville, I came upon an old Southern favorite that used to git a lotta folks in hot water, even tho that was jest what they used ter make it with!

I am talkin’ about- of course, moonshine.

And while the popular drink may have come out of and mountain creeks and into the main-stream, there is one place that I found mixes the old traditions with new flavors in a way that is both authentic and, to use an overused word, awesome!

Ole Smoky makes moonshine like Grandpappy used ter. However, in addition to a pure ‘shine that tastes a lot better than turpentine, they also offer a range of flavors and proofs that can suit any taste and tolerance. From the “barely legal” original and the 128-proof Blue Flame to Tennessee’s famed banana cream pudding flavors and a coffee companion called Mountain Java, they got sip for every lip and can take you from the bar to the birthday party to the boardroom with all the sweet snap of White Lightnin’.

If you are still a but wary to dip a toe in the still, Ole Smoky also has a raft of wonderful whiskeys that come straight-up or blended with caramel, habanero, peanut butter, and even another hip beverage- cold brew! They also make their own Amaretto and a bunch of liquers and canned cocktails that take their sweet southern satisfaction to new places and new levels.

Moonshine has been around at least since Prohibition and may now be more popular than ever. That is why it is important to remember that, when it comes to shine, nobody is on top of Ole Smoky!

https://olesmoky.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

As Matt’s Meals fans know, I am a pickle fan. In fact, one of my favorite recent discoveries has been Ma & Pa’s Pickles from right here in MA!

While I have long loved pickles for their flavor, I have recently been reading about the health benefits of pickles as well! As a fermented food, pickles add probiotic bacteria. As they are most often cucumber-based, they also have the antioxidant beta-carotene.

The only downside to using pickles for improved health, it seems, is that it can be awkward to carry a glass jar wherever you go.

Fortunately, I recently found another product that offers most of the benefits without the potential drawbacks!

Pickle Juice Sport (made by Pickle Juice Company, LLC) is an organic, sugar-free shot of pure dill-iciousness that offers 10-15x the electrolytes of most sports drinks, along with a proprietary blend of vitamins and minerals that offers all of power of pickles in easy-to-carry plastic bottles. In addition to upping your energy and protecting your gut, Pickle Juice also helps stop cramps almost immediately, making it a fast favorite of many athletes and others who deal with pain.

It may sound silly (or is that “dilly”?), but pickle juice can do a lot more than just float around the cucumbers until a pickle fan like me has gobbled them all up. From your brain to yout gut, these little green beauties have what it takes to take your health to the next level!

www.picklepower.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

Though many have heard that almonds are a great choice for a snack as they have so many nutrients and are so flexible and delicious to use in everything from smoothies to milk alternatives, not as many know that it is in their sprouted form that the almond’s nutrient density and ease of digestion both go up while the flavor and crunch remain.

In fact, if the snacks from Daily Crunch are any example, the crunch and flavor of soaked and sprouted snacks may rise the most!

Inspired by a trip to India, Daily Crunch snacks now inspire many to take their health more seriously while enjoying fun flavors that come in snack-friendly mini bags and larger sacks that you can crunch by the happy handful.

In addition to sprouted almonds, Daily Crunch snacks also feature such delicious health helpers as turmeric and other spices, as well as other superfoods like cacao, blueberries, cherries, and even coffee, all of which help ensure that you are getting good nutrition, great taste, and a massive crunch! As all of the flavors are great, it can be difficult to decide which one to try (at least try first). Fortunately, Daily Crunch also offers variety packs so you can crunch differently every day.

While the flavor is enough to take you away to a happier place, co-founder (and Columbia Business grad) Laurel Orley also suggests letting the Daily Crunch block out anxieties about everything else that can make up the rest of your daily crunch. In order to help make other’s days even brighter, Laurel donates proceeds to The Support Network to help people dealing with mental health issues, so you can also get the good feeling that comes from helping others while you help yourself to a sproutful and flavorful daily crunch.

Their message of hope and help is as loud and clear as their snacks, so crunch daily with Daily Crunch and you will surely feel better!

http://www.dailycrunchsnacks.com

www.dailycrunchsnacks.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

Though many have agreed to laud those who lost so much when a certain misguided sailor allegedly “discovered” this land, the Indigenous peoples of America have so much more to celebrate and honor!

In addition to having a sense of and relationship with the earth that would have clearly prevented the destruction we have foisted upon her (and that she is now revisiting upon us), many Native Americans still hold true to the traditions that made them so great and powerful and that continue to inspire so many.

While all tribes and nations have reasons for pride, the Chippewa of Red Lake, MN, are doing what they can to share their wisdom and wealth through sustenance.

And the results are delicious!

Red Lake Nation Foods offers a wide range of Indigneously-inspired foods and gifts that include their signature rices and rice-based batters, as well as soups, coffees and teas, syrups, jams and jellies, and even popcorn, as well as customizable gift boxes and handcrafted birch bark baskets and bowls in which to present and enjoy them. 

With unique flavors that feature chokecherries, wild plums, and highbush cranberries, Red Lake offers flavors that you may not be able to find elsewhere, all made with the pride and tradition of one of the nation’s longest-lived and most storied peoples.

While some may honor the most honorable people of this land for one day, enjoying items from Red Lake Nation Foods allows and encourages paying respect and giving thanks for the people without whom we would not be here today.

www.redlakenationfoods.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

As listeners and readers know, I am a big fan of Vermont! Where else can you find such an independent spirit (not to mention a VERY independent Senator) surrounded by such beauty?

While the scenery and vibe are great, many of the great food and drinks that come from the Green Mountain State make things even better no matter where you are! And while I have raved about Republic of Vermont honey, Good Mix and Yolo snacks, True North granola, Boves sauces and Benito’s and Greene’s Gourmet hot sauces, Schmilk Chocolate and Lake Champlain Chocolates, Vermont Amber organic toffee and Fat Toad Farm caramel, Ackermann and Runamok syrups and Sugar Bob’s Smoked Maple Products, Side Hill Farm preserves, Cabot and Jasper Hill Farm cheese and the famed Vermont cheese tours, as well as Sap and Tretap maple drinks, Töst, Vermont Artisan Coffee and Tea, Vermont Switchel, 14th Star and Halyard Brewing, and Snow Farm Wine, as I am such a cider fan, I cannot mention Vermont without honoring the great family farmers who produce Champlain Orchards ciders.

While many other makers have one or two cider fan favorites, Champlain not only has a tree-full of award winners but are coming up with new varieties nearly every season! From the cleverly-named “core” set that includes their bestselling Kingston Dry, their smooth and gentle Foxboro Rose, and their Vermont-loyal Mac and Maple to winter’s ice cider and spring’s Honeycrisp and Estate series stunners like the Redfield Dry and the Crimson Topaz (which is as beautiful and sparkling as it sounds!), Champlain truly has a cider to please every taste and to complement every other favorite food, whether it comes from Vermont or not. It is no wonder that they are part of the Lake Champlain Tasting Trail and a favorite stop along that historic route.

So no matter which food you choose from the 14^th state or any other, be sure to wash it down with some of Vermont’s finest, among which is surely Champlain Orchards ciders.

By the way, they also have some of the best apple cider donuts around.

http://www.champlainorchardscidery.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

As a boxing coach and father (not in that order!), I am always looking for new ways to help my health and that of those I love. Among the most popular I have seen in the food and drink space has been the kombucha craze.

Many swear that kombucha and other fermented foods can help with all sorts of ailments by adding beneficial bacteria and enzymes that improve your gut biome and aid your digestive and immune systems.

While many of these foods come with a biome-busting bite that many find unpalatable, there are new developments in the kombucha corner that are changing that trend.

One of the most delicious and satisfying that I have found is Koe (rhymes with “know”) Kombucha. 

In addition to having billions of system-supporting probiotics, only 35 calories, and no artificial sweeteners, Koe is organic and, most of all, delicious, with black tea-based flavors that are more fruity than femented.

Speaking of flavors, Koe currently comes in a variety that would make Carmen Miranda jealous, including luscious watermelon, a truly tropical type that combines orange, pineapple and papaya, a daring combination of raspberry and dragonfruit, the superfood-packed blueberry ginger (which is one of MY favorites!), a tangy lemon-lime, and a strawberry lemonade that is (to borrow a slogan) not too tart, not too sweet. No matter which you choose, you are sure to be refreshed and rejuvenated and if that measn your gut is happier, so be it!

www.drinkkoe.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

While I wait for them to bring their beer-backed bars back, the folks at ReGrained have entered another food field and are ready to take it by storm! In fact, their latest triumph has already been selling out over and over.

And no wonder!

Their new upcycled Strozzapreti pasta is produced in collaboration with the folks at Semolina Artisanal Pasta and is as authentic and delicious as any pasta you might have ever enjoyed (if not moreso!). 

Not only is the ReGrained Supergrain+®-infused pasta delicious and satisfying (despite having very low fat), but it is also organic and has more protein and fiber than most pastas. In addition, each box recovers more than a pound of what would otherwise be wasted food and saves 80 gallons of water in the process of being less processed. And, as ReGrained is a certified B corp, sales also support environmental causes.

While all this may be very impressive (and indeed it is!), what may make the story most startling is that the entire partnership and product development was handled via zoom during the pandemic! 

Who says working from home is less productive?

I guess NOTHING can keep a good food idea down, eh?

www.regrained.com/products/strozzapreti-pasta

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

I remember the good old days when, if I wanted the taste of banana in my cereal or in a milk shake, I had to peel a banana, compost the peel, cut the banana, and then put it in the milk. I also remember when, if I wanted just milk, I had to cajole a cow.

Not anymore!

While you may be familiar with almond, coconut, and even hemp-based milk “alternatives,” now there are some new ones that add real flavor to the milky mix.

Banana Wave is an honest-to-goodness banana-based milk product! In addition to the nutritional values (including potassium, fiber, and protein) of what has been called “the world’s most perfect food,” Banana Wave also incudes nutritious oats and other fruits and comes in such amazing varieties as original (which it certainly is!), chocolate, and strawberry, each of which is like a shake on its own but can also be used to shake up cereal, coffee, or anything that needs some non-dairy deliciousness. Banana Wave is great for morning meals, kid’s lunches, pre- and post-workouts, and any time you want a sweet and satisfying snack that packs a lot of nutrition into a yellow shelf-stable box.

Another amazing alternative is Three Trees organic oat and seed milk, which combines flax, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds into a nutritious and (more importantly) delicious milk alternative. As the mom-trepreneur-made milk alternative is is organic and has no artificial stabilizers, it does take a little work before you enjoy, but after a few shakes, you will be on your way to a great shake, bowl of cereal, cup of coffee, or glass of milk without the allergens and without having to bug a cow (or bother any other animals for that matter).

So if you want the latest (and among the greatest) in the alternative milk revolution, slip into Banana Wave or climb to Three Trees. Either way, the cows and those with whom you share these drinks will thank you!

http://bananawave.love / www.threetrees.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Bon appétit!

I recently raved about the Toaster Oven Perfectioncookbook from America’s Test Kitchen that promoted the hitherto underappreciated toaster to the front of your countertop.

As much as I loved that book (which is saying a lot!), I have since found another ATK collection that I am enjoying even more!

Just asToaster Oven Perfectionmade its intentions clear from the front cover and was deliciously consistent throughout, Five Ingredient Dinnersoffers over 250 pages of amazing easy recipes, all of which consist of only five ingredients. As the recipes are so compact and convenient, most do not necessitate much time to prepare or additional trips to the farmer’s market (though that is alwaysa good idea) and also make for great family activities that cannot get too out of hand or too messy.

Organized according to base ingredient (among which are poultry, fish, noodles, and both meat and meatless offerings, as well as grill-friendly items), Five Ingredient Dinnersalso has a bonus section that features easy side dishes to round out each meal with added nutrition and flavor. Speaking of nutrition, the book also features a comprehensive listing of such aspects as calories, fat, fiber, and protein for each recipe, so you can also decide which to make according to your dietary needs and proclivities.

From chicken soup to caulifower pasta with hazelnuts and farro salad with roasted eggplant to salmon with spicy green beans, the book ranges widely with the common thread being ease and deliciousness. In fact, when I started to mark the pages of the recipes I wanted to try, I soon found that the book was difficult to close as I had so many bookmarks. I think it is safe to say that you will face the same dilemma so Test it out for yourself!

https://shop.americastestkitchen.com