(no subject)

Two important food notes of interest:
First, and considerably shorter, local Costcos are carrying gallon containers of Naked orange juice for $8. For fresh squeezed, if very gently pasteurized, the price is quite good.

Second, this past weekend I had occasion to try the challah from Panera. It surprised me too, Panera bakes challah. No, for my frum friends, it has no heksher, but for people less concerned with that little item they might be interested. I've had large-store-bought challah before. Stop and Shop, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods label challah have all disappointed, and some of them are as expensive as you'd pay a good little Kosher shop. Commonly they are loafs of bread that seem to be shaped into a braided structure on the outside, with a crumbling texture more like standard white bread. The Whole WalletFoods challah is at least braided bread, but still not great on the texture and flavor.

So, Panera. The challah has the shiny glaze you find on many loaves of challah. It's not shaped quite like the traditional challah loaf in that it isn't tiny on both ends and tall and wide in the middle. The general shape is closer to rectangular than oval, but it is a braided bread that does not seem to be baked in a loaf pan.
The texture was very good, about what I'd expect from a good Kupel's loaf or an Andrews' challah. The flavor has the right balance of egg and sweet tones, though it isn't as sweet as Cheryl Ann's. For my non-local friends, I'll host a challah tasting some year. No, I don't know when.

The best part? The loaf is under $3. Go. Eat. It's good.

My wife declared, "We will have this challah every week." Nu, she has great taste. (And yet she married me anyways :P )