Haddon House Smoked Mussels Review

I like mussels and so when I saw Haddon House Smoked Mussels for sale at the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans, I decided to try them.

According to the box which holds the 3 ounce tin of smoked mussels, the mussels are farm raised in China. They are packed in a tin, covered with sunflower oil with some salt added. Each 3 ounce tin holds approximately 2/3 of a cup of mussels. Calorie wise, a 1/3 cup serving of the mussels has 95 calories with 45 of those coming from fat. The mussels do have some saturated fat but no trans fat. Also, they have 50 milligrams of cholesterol. Interestingly, a single serving of the mussels can supply a person with 40% of their daily requirement for iron (based on a 2,000 calorie diet). Price wise, a tin of the mussels will cost you $1.99 which isn't too exorbitant. Taste wise, the mussels were bland though I think that's typical of mussels. Shelf life wise, they seem to have a good shelf life. They box I bought said they were good till April 2014 which would give them at last a 5 month shelf life (I bought the ones I sampled last month).

Overall, I thought the mussels were ok. They didn't wow me though they are a convenient way to have them. You don't have to cook them. You can eat them right out of the can like I did. If you like mussels, you might want to give them a try. Bon Appetit all!

Atlantis Resort Tour Review

I thought it was time for another travel blog entry. As any of my readers know, I visited Nassau, Bahamas twice this past September. On my second visit, I did the Discover Atlantis tour. The tour cost $39 as I remember. Here is a picture of the resort:

As far as I know, the Atlantis resort is the most famous one in the Bahamas. It was built with an Atlantis theme and features the largest open water aquarium in the Caribbean. Here is a picture of some of the fishes in their tank:

The tour guide my group had was very good. She was funny and knowledgeable. I don't know about others in the group but, I was shocked when the guide told us how much the Michael Jackson suite was. The suite goes for $25,000 a night with a minimum 4 night stay. Supposedly, a butler is included. I still can't imagine a hotel suite being worth $25,000 a night. Also, there is supposedly a 6 month waiting list for the famous suite. I think those folks don't have better things to spend their money. The resort has some impressive artwork that artists created that was supposed to have been created by the Atlanteans. Here are 2 examples:

Overall, the resort was impressive though I don't have any desire to stay there. It's too expensive. Also, to me, the Bahamas are just another sun and sand Caribbean island. Plus, I didn't find some of the Bahamians very friendly. I found the people in Bermuda to be nicer. However, if you're going to visit Nassau, I would recommend you do the Discover Atlantis tour. I was very pleased with this tour and would highly recommend it.

Correction: the cost of the Discover Atlantis tour is $59 not $39. I got the price mixed up with the Hemingway walking tour I did in Key West.

Creative Snacks Company Green Bean Chips

While shopping at the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans, if I see something that catches my eye, I'm prone to seeing what it is and if I like it, I'll try it. Such was the case with Creative Snacks Company's Green Bean Chips. The chips are actually green beans that have been cooked in canola oil. They come in a 5.25 ounce plastic bowl container and sell for $5.99. As far as snacks go, the $5.99 price makes them a bit pricey. Plus, while I suspect the chips are a lot better for you than potato or corn chips, I doubt kids are going to be very enthusiastic about eating them.

Calorie wise, the chips come in at 130 calories for a 1 cup serving. Each bowl container holds 5 servings. A serving contains 3 grams of fat with no saturated or trans fats. They also contain 3 grams of fiber which is always a good thing.

The chips have a good shelf life. I bought the ones I sampled this month and according to the container, they'll stay good till mid April 2014 i.e. 5 months.

Overall, I think they're a decent and nutritious snack though pricey. They don't have any noticeable flavor to them. They're not something I would go rushing out to buy. I don't know how widely available this product is. Bon appetit all!

Maryland Veterans Cemetery Crownsville

A couple years ago, Richard A. Medema, a church friend died of inoperable liver cancer. I wasn't able to attend the funeral because I was traveling. I think I was doing an Alaska cruise on Radiance of the Seas. I kept meaning to visit the Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville where he is buried. I remember seeing one of the direction signs as I passed through Crownsville on my way to the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

Today, I finally drove out there to see his grave and to say a prayer for him. The cemetary itself is all right. It isn't as impressive as Arlington or the American Cemetery at St. Laurent by Omaha Beach. It has a small memorial chapel as well as neat rows of square tombstones inlaid in the ground.

Initially, I tried to find my friend's grave on my own but came to realize how big the cemetery is. Thankfully, they have a small office across from the memorial chapel where there's a database machine you can punch in the deceased's last name and find out where they're interred. The office also has maps of the order of the cemetery. These proved very helpful too.

I finally found his tombstone. I remembered him. Richard Medema was an extremely fine man. He had a wonderful family and was a great christian. He died when he was just 55 years old which seems to me to be too early. He should've had more years to live. His youngest child was just 7 I think and his oldest was in her first year of college.

The cancer was terrible in that you could see it slowly killing him. He gradually wasted away. It had to be hell for his wonderful mother who had to bury him. He was her favorite son. It has to be very hard for a parent to bury one of their children.

After saying a prayer for him and his family at his grave, I walked back to my car. Next week, I'll go back to church and, I'll hear them sing the church songs I used to sing with him and his family during church. They'll remind me of him. I know he's at peace and thankfully isn't suffering from the cancer that caused him so much pain. Still, I wish he was alive. He was a very fine person and a blessing to all who knew him.

Wegmans Pepper Jack Cheese

Once every 2 months, I receive coupons from Wegmans that get me either $3 off a $15 purchase or $5 off a $25 purchase. They'll also include coupons where you can get $1 off a $5 purchase in either the dairy, bulk section or frozen section. I decided to use the dairy coupon. I looked for something to try besides milk. I found Wegmans offers 12 ounce, 16 slice packages of Pepper Jack cheese. They use 2% milk in the cheese which presumably reduces the fat in it though it still has 25 fat calories per slice and 50 calories overall. They state the cheese is medium spicy though I found it to be low spicy in my opinion. The 12 ounce packages cost $2.99 at their Columbia, Maryland store.

Overall, I wasn't really impressed with their Pepper Jack cheese. The biggest advantage I found to it was it comes in individually wrapped slices which makes ideal for adding on sandwiches. Otherwise, I think there is better Pepper Jack cheese out there. I don't know how it stacks up price wise compared to other brands. I plan on buying a bulk kind of Pepper Jack I've bought before and see how it stacks up price wise. Stay tuned on this.