hans sussers opinion

Product Review – Accord Foods Inc.

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Guilin/China

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Dear Friends,

While I often get free product samples and requests for product reviews, in order to stick to my motto of “Real Food & Real Opinions”, I blog very seldom about the products I receive. The simple reason for this is that I want to keep my independence and that I don’t want to review products I don’t like and cannot endorse wholeheartedly.
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This time I received samples from “Accord Foods Inc.”, labeled
“Chor’s Food USA” and “Tso Hin Kee“,
which I am happy to write about and inform you of my tasting experience.
I tasted the sauces first by itself, then with plain pasta, then with plain rice. I believe this set-up allows me to judge each item as close as possible to its actual use.
I then tasted the soup first without added chili oil, then with chili oil.
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My rating system is as follows:
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* One Star : No way, Jose
** Two Star : yeah, maybe
*** Three Star : OK
**** Four Star : Very Good
***** Five Star : Superb, best I’ve had
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These are the items I sampled :
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Black Bean Chile Sauce *****

: Black Bean Chile Sauce

: Black Bean Chile Sauce

: Black Bean Chile Sauce

Oyster Sauce *****

: Oyster Sauce

: Oyster Sauce

: Oyster Sauce

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Prune Sweet Sauce * * * * *

: Prune Sweet Sauce

: Prune Sweet Sauce

: Prune Sweet Sauce

Guilin Style Chile Sauce * * * * *

: Guilin Style Chile Sauce

: Guilin Style Chile Sauce

: Guilin Style Chile Sauce

: Szechuan Style Chile Oil * * * * *

: Vegetarian Seasoning / Soup Base * * * * *

: vegetarian soup

: vegetarian soup without szechuan style chile oil

: vegetarian soup with szechuan style chile oil

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Conclusion :
These items are by far the best of its kind I have encountered, both in appearance and, most important, in flavor. The soup base is the very best I have encountered of any soup base, beef, chicken or vegetable – not salty, with no artificial taste and with perfect color.
As I mentioned earlier, I have no gain from my product reviews and aim to be as objective as possible, but this stuff is just the best of its kind I have encountered. Bravo “Accord Foods Inc.”
“Accord Foods Inc.” will definitely be a staple of my pantry if I am able to purchase them in my area (Hint/hint, “Accord Foods Inc.” :-).
I am also looking forward to review the rest of their product line in the near future.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Click to check-out the beauty of Guilin
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DOWNLOADABLE SEPTEMBER CALENDAR – US EDITION AND INTERNATIONAL EDITION

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Downloadable Monthly Desktop Calendar, US Edition and International Edition
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To display the calendar on your computer screen :
> download the calendar of your choice to your desktop,
> right-click on the image,
> choose the option that says, “Set as Desktop Background / Wallpaper”, (exact wording will depend on the browser you use).

If the image does not fit your desktop background neatly, you may have to go to your preference panel :
> Control Panel
> Display
> Desktop) and choose “Fit to screen” as the display mode of your background image, or choose another size if you prefer that the calendar does not fill the whole screen-
(Mac users will have to use different commands to the same effect).

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Click here for “FRISÉE SALAD, COPPA HAM & GORGONZOLA CHEESE”
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September 2015 International Edition (Starts Monday) :
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September 2015 US Edition (Starts Sunday, Incl. Holidays):
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“Eggs And Potato” (Baked Potato And Caviar)

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Ok friends, here is my opinion about “Caviar with all the trimmings” : It sucks !
In my humble opinion, only folks who don’t love caviar water down the pleasure of eating it by adding a mountain of other “stuff” to stretch it (lots of chopped onions, chopped eggs, sour cream, chopped chives, capers, lots of toast or other bread, mountains of blinis, etc.
I understand that it is not everybody’s kick to pay a few hundred $ for an ounce of caviar. But to stretch it with condiments means to just water down the pure pleasure, so you actually get less bang for your money. (Think of the best cognac you can lay your hands on – then stretching it with ice and water – Brrrrr 😦
All you should add to your caviar (in my own, humble opinion) to enjoy it to the fullest, is a bit of good, buttered bread, a tiny bliny or a bit of potato and top it with a generous amount of caviar. One ounce – two bites maximum WITH the bread or potato. Or, if you want to enjoy the caviar to the max – eat it neat, sit back, enjoy ! Life is good ! (I used one small potato and 4 oz of caviar for this dish – what the heck, I’ll only be 62 once)
As usual, use the best caviar you can afford – quality over quantity !
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I am probably a bit spoiled with my taste for caviar because back in the mid- and late seventies I spend a lot of time in Russia.
During that time we were able to exchange one pair of used jeans on the black market for one kilo of the best caviar. We ate the stuff on buttered bread like other folk eat marmalade on bread – good sourdough bread with unsalted butter, piled high with caviar, probably 6 to 8 ounces per sandwich 🙂
Imagine to be able to do this nowadays, my oh my…………
Some of my friends who were with me during those trips and who read this post –
Yalta, Odessa, Leningrad, Sochi…….Aaahhhhhh, the good old day’s !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

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Preparation :
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: bake potato at 425 F until very soft

: mix with butter, finely sliced scallions, a bit of greek yogurt and a tiny dash of sriracha

: mix ingredients, (the potato should be very light and almost neutral in taste), fill back into potato shell to serve

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

: eat most of the potato before you start with the caviar

: hit me………

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

: Eggs And Potato (Caviar And Baked Potato)

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Meal Plan – Week 4 “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food”

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Update after my own completion of Week Four of “ Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food ” meal plan :
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Here is the final tally after my own completion of four weeks of “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” meal plan :

1) Total weight loss: 28.5 lbs. (From 286.5 lbs on January 19th, to 258 lbs on February 16th).

2) No more need to inject Insulin. Before my change of eating habits, I had to inject twice a day for about ten years)

3) Tremendous increase in energy.

4) New-found ability to sleep well and deep.

5) No more depressions and dark moods.

6) Overall increase in well-being

7) Even with occasional “falling off the wagon” from my meal plan, (ahhh, those pastries 😦 ), my weight has stabilized at 261 lbs. Obviously this is still too high and I will start with a new Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food meal plan (Same principles, different dinner menus) at the beginning of May to shed another 20 lbs.

As I mentioned before, I am sure that other changes in my life style, such as more exercise, alcohol abstinence and refraining from smoking have greatly contributed to my overall improvement of physical and mental well-being. However, all noticeable improvements have only started since I started Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food meal plan.
After just one month of adhering to my Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food meal plan, my physical and mental state has changed so much that I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody who is on a quest for a healthier lifestyle without being confined by a bland, boring, unrealistic diet which does not make sense and is impossible to maintain in the long run.

However, please note that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you change your nutrition or your medication without consulting your physician and / or nutritionist first, even getting a second or third opinion before considering any changes !!!

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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Daily Breakfast – Fruit/Tea (fibrous fruit + unsweetened tea of your choice)
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Daily Lunch – Energy bar/Fruits (fruits of your choice + energy bar of your choice)
(many different brands / types of Energy Bars are available – consult your doctor/nutritionist)
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Daily Dinner –

Monday – “ Chicken Noodle Soup ”
Tuesday – “ Salade De Pâtes” ”
Wednesday – “ Bombay Vegetable Omelette”
Thursday – “ Potato And Carrot Soup With Salami And Shrimp ”
Friday – “Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi”
Saturday – “ Curry Ribs ”
Sunday – “ Lentil Salad With Tandoori-Style Chicken ”
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Special Chicken Noodle Soup

Salade De Pâtes

Bombay Vegetable Omelette

Potato And Carrot Soup With Salami And Shrimp

Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

Curry Ribs & Naan

Lentil/Yogurt Salad With Tandory-Style Chicken

Lentil/Yogurt Salad With Tandoori-Style Chicken

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Salad Portuguese

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This beauty of a salad will conclude Week One of “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” meal plan. (There will be an initial 4 week plan)
For everybody not yet interested in a bit of a healthier lifestyle, I suggest you try this salad anyway. Healthier and lighter food in my case does certainly not mean tasteless and boring. 🙂 (As is the case with so many other lifestyle food suggestions out there) 😦
Now, I understand that sardines are not everybody’s favorite seafood, but as usual, feel free to replace them with the seafood of your preference, such as shrimp, lobster, sole, salmon, clams, mussels, scallops, crab meat, etc.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
So far I have lost 12 lbs in two weeks of “Hans’ Lighter, Healthier Comfort Food” meal plan.
I feel much better, sleep much better and on top of all the benefits of living a bit more on the sensible side of life, I eat as much as I want. (Except on the two days of the week which allow me a dinner of anything I crave, although in much smaller portions).
If you want to read more about my new, very much improved lifestyle, click HERE.
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P.P.S.
ChefsOpinion will of course keep its original format, content and attitude 🙂
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Salad Portuguese

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Preparation :
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To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: dress frisee salad with mustard/honey vinaigrette, then dress cooked potato wedges, grape tomatoes, sliced onions and stuffed olives SEPERATELY inmustard/honey vinaigrette

: top frisee with sardines in tomato sauce, (PLEASE use a top notch product), sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper

: drizzle with remaining tomato sauce from can

: top with potatoes, grape tomatoes, onions and olives, sprinkle with fresh chervil or italian parsley

: Salad Portuguese

: Salad Portuguese

: Salad Portuguese

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 43 – Eggs & Eggs

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Chicken eggs and fish eggs – what an incredible combo. Super tasty, beautiful to look at, quick and easy to prepare.
Have a wonderful day ! With this dish, you’ll have a great start 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 43 – Eggs & Eggs

Eggs & Eggs

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Preparation :
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Naan

fry eggs in garlic oil, season with kosher salt

top naan with fried eggs, drizzle with sriracha

top with caviar of your choice (and wallet) :-)

top with caviar of your choice (and size of your wallet) 🙂

Sprinkle with fresh chives

Eggs & Eggs

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NorthStar Pickles

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Dear Friends,

While I often get free product samples and requests for product reviews often, in order to stick to my motto of “Real Food & Real Opinions”, I blog very seldom about the products I receive. The simple reason for this is that I want to keep my independence and that I don’t want to review products I don’t like and can endorse wholeheartedly.
Not to worry about these principles when it comes to NorthStar Pickles.
I have never before taste pickles which have a home made taste and the crunch of a fresh product like the range of pickles I tasted from NorthStar Pickle.
I received 6 Products and was smitten by 5 of them. Only one, “Half Sours”. although good, did not wow me like the rest of them. I have not seen these pickles on any supermarket shelf around here, but when I do, they will be my new “go to” pickles of choice 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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One Star : No way Jose,
Two Star : Can do without
Three Star : OK
Four Star : Very Good
Five Star : Superb, best I’ve had

New Spears : * * * * *
Deli Spears : * * * * *
Baby Dills : * * * * *
Burger Chips : * * * * *
Green Tomatoes : * * * * *
Half Sours : * * *

NorthStar Pickles

: Half Sours

: Baby Dills

: Burger Chips

: Deli Spears

: Green Deli Tomatoes

: New Spears

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DiverXO – Perversion Of The Good Kind

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Image Property of DiverXO

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This kind of food does not appeal to me much on a regular basis, mostly because it is usually done badly, but in this particular environment with this particular company and service I am sure I would have a blast (as long as nobody pulls out a cellphone/camera 🙂
Decadent, exciting, sexy video 🙂
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CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
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Hickory Smoked, Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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Here we have another dish which exemplifies home cooking at it’s most simple, most tasty, most satisfying goodness.
It goes to show that you don’t have to be rich or a professional chef in order to serve excellent food. Creativity and good, simple ingredients will get you pretty far.
While I love my lobster, caviar and foie gras, food made with simple ingredients should, in my opinion, alternate with the high-end stuff which most of us could not afford on a daily basis anyway. But even back in the day’s when I ran five star operations and could have had “the good stuff” for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I always liked to mix it up with some home style cooked dishes. After all, the beauty of good food lies, among other things, in variation.
Well, there you have it : Another ChefsOpinion 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Hickory Smoked Panko Crusted Bone-In Ham Steak

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Preparation :
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mix 1/3 corn starch, 1/3 ap flour, 1/3 panko bread crumbs, season with cayenne pepper, english mustard powder and granulated garlic

dip ham steak on both sides into flour mixture, saute in butter until golden, remove ham and set aside, fry sunny side up eggs in same butter, season eggs with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper