Evee picked out this recipe from Parade magazine for Farmstand Gazpacho. Fresh produce from Wegmans and a few custom-picked garnishes (olives, avocado and blurry but yummy shrimp) and we maintained our vacation’s high quality culinary experience.

I had to throw in this demonstration of the famous peeler that we picked up in NYC and sent to Evee as a gift.

Another great Wegmans find, this black bean salsa bread was a phenomenal spicy addition to our cold summer meal.
  

  
It looks as good as it tastes…as you can tell from the plate that I had to wipe clean with a slice of bread…every bite delicious.

Is it a sign of age that many of my trips include visiting key grocery stores, and that my friends/family do the same when the come to see us? We have the headquarters of both Whole Foods and Central Market in Austin that have become (for reals) top tourist destinations. In several cities we visit a stop at Trader Joes is in order, but when we’re in State College it is Wegmans or bust! The product selection is always interesting and different than what we get in God’s blessed Dixie.

      
I’m still baffled by the concept of Birch Beer, I mean what-the-heck was wrong with sarsaparilla or plain ol’ root beer? Did we really need the yanks to invent a new tree-based beverage?; Green Tea Canada Dry was new to me, but I’m guessing it’s out somewhere in Austin without my knowledge.; Shrimp on special from my favorite equatorial locale.; This particular cake is the Wegmans prize winning ultimate chocolate cake which Becky was obliged to consume (and it’s pretty darn good.)

Most compelling was this old-school-fonted advert for a ground-breaking idea: a one-piece hamburger called, without presumption, the Incredi-Burger. You know that if it is junk food related then I will test the heck out of it. Now in my unending quest to save your gastronomical health, I give you the Incredi-Burger unboxing.

From the common plastic food container comes the burger wrapped in its own bun with instructions to place in the oven at 375° for 35 minutes. It comes out of the oven sizzling, and when you slice it open it is steamy…and that’s where it starts to go bad. The image of steaming mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, and pickles is…well, unappetizing. The Incredi-Burger isn’t as disgusting as it looks, but for the required 35 minute investment it is definitely not worth the wait — not to mention the fin I dropped on it.