Food Talk
Naming Cookies - A Rant
Sunday, December 14th, 2008I have an aunt who is, to put it nicely, obsessed with dieting. While I find the skinny obsession to be obnoxious with most people, her case is especially sad because (a) she never diets and (b) she’s still really fat. She’s one of those really awful dieters who feels the need to point out the calories in everything you eat as you’re trying to enjoy it. She’s lucky I haven’t force-fed her lard yet, because I get very, very tempted.
Anyway, her latest stunt involved some absolutely delicious cookies and a friend’s birthday part a few weeks ago. As we all dove into the pile of cookies, she started naming them - names like cellulite, Fenphedra, and lipid. WHO DOES THAT???
The Foods of Branson
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008One of the best things about traveling is trying new foods, and Branson is no exceptions. A lot of people have a tendency to write off vacation spots in the Midwestern part of the country, but to ignore Branson would be a mistake. If you venture outside the chains like Coldstone Creamery, Fuddruckers, and The Olive Garden, you’ll find local gems like the places below:
The Showboat Branson Belle - Dinner, theater, and a fantastic view.
Liberty Tavern- Located in the Hilton Omaha Hotel, you can enjoy a first-class dining experience with dishes like Asiago whipped potatoes and midwest maki roll with rare beef tenderloin, portabela mushrooms, and a bleu cheese sauce.
Farmhouse Restaurant & Gift Shop - A Branson classic with homestyle cooking and a friendly family atmosphere.
With the spring coming up, there’s no better time to arrange a Branson vacation. Branson Getaways currently has a variety of vacation packages that make the trip extremely affordable, so check them out if you’re in the market for some great food and a weekend away.
Food and Candy Store
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008You may have noticed that there’s a new link at the top of the page. Since I don’t always have time to cover every single delicious product that I come across, I’ve created a small store where you can browse a variety of great edible gifts.
If you have any requests for specific types of products, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. Otherwise, enjoy the selection and check back frequently. As I’ve said before, if you’re looking for a plasma mount, you’re in the wrong place. If you’re looking for cookies, cakes, chocolates, and pies, you don’t need to look any further.
Check out the Food & Candy Store here.
Grey Poupon
Saturday, January 19th, 2008From time to time, I receive free products in the mail for review. Even though the products themselves are free, I’m always careful to give my honest opinion (or respectfully decline if I suspect it won’t be a pleasant opinion). Last week, I received a couple of jars of Grey Poupon. Free stuff is great, and free edible stuff is even better.
My initial reaction was something like, “Who knew there was more than one kind of Grey Poupon?” This is something I probably should have known. My second thought was that I should stop off at the store to get sausage, pepperoni, cheese, crackers, and some beer for the boyfriend. That turned out to be a great idea. You can never go wrong with meat, cheese, crackers, and mustards.
As you can see below, the jars I received were “Hearty Spicy Ground” and “Harvest Course Ground”. Of the two, I greatly preferred the Hearty Spicy Ground variety, although that may be because it seemed to make a better pairing with the meat and cheese and multi-grain Wheat Thins. I suspect that the courser mustard would have been perfect to add texture to a marinade, and I have plans for that one and some pork chops later this week.
While I’ve always thought that Grey Poupon was the garden variety, no-grills kind of dijon mustard, these newer flavors definitely improve the product’s standing in my mind. The taste was just as good as what you’d expect from the mustards you would get in a upscale/gourmet grocery store. Given the price difference and ease of purchase, I suspect I’ll be sticking with Grey Poupon the next time I need a good dijon mustard.
Pie Shelf Life - Saving Your Holiday Leftovers
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007Since the holiday season usually mean lots of delicious leftovers, I thought I’d do a quick post to discuss the staying power of a typical fruit pie in normal conditions. I’ve seen far too many good pies end up in the trash because someone got her bustiers in a bunch and decided that day-old pie was unfit for consumption.
If you store the pie in the refrigerator, you can expect to get between 6-8 days of good storage time. If you leave it at room temperature, it should last around 2-3 days.
After that amount of time, you’ll probably find that it’s getting a little gross, anyway. The crust will get mushy and the fillings may get watery or even rotten. Before that, though, you should go for it (as long as there are no offensive smells or other signs that something could be wrong - remember, if you used questionable ingredients, your pie won’t last as long).
The Dream Kitchen Contest
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007As much as I love food and cooking, you’d better believe that I have a certain future dream kitchen in my head. At present, I’ll have to be content with fun kitchen gadgets and appliances, but when I eventually get around to buying a house, I’ll be a lot pickier. Grohe faucets, detailed tile work, stainless steel appliances (the good kind, not just a cheap stainless steel finish), a massive island/workspace in the middle, multiple sinks, and a shiny pan rack hanging overhead. I could be happy living in a shack, so long as the kitchen was nice. That’s not usually how it works, but I’d definitely be okay with it.
Anyway, I’m curious - What’s your dream kitchen like? I’m offering a $25 Amazon gift certificate to the best dream kitchen description.
To enter: Just write your own dream kitchen blog post and link back to this contest post. If it doesn’t automatically show up in the trackbacks, be sure to make a comment and include the link so I’ll see you. You’re welcome to use photos, video, or text.
Contest Deadline: January 31, 2008
Winner Chosen: On or before February 14th, 2008.
Best of luck!
This isn’t exactly what I’d choose, but it’s pretty close. The image comes from Wilbo Builders.
Food Jokes Guaranteed to Make You Groan
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007I came across some really, really awful food jokes today and I thought I’d share a few.
Why couldn’t the poppy seed leave the casino?
Because he was on a roll!
What kind of sandwich do astronauts prefer to eat?
Launch meat.
What did the mayonnaise shout to the refrigerator?
Close the door, please, I’m dressing!
Yes, I know they’re bad, but it’s almost Christmas and I’m spending most of my time creating my own edible masterpieces. I may post recipes as time permits, but for now I’ll be attending to getting car covers for a relative and some last minute gifts for people I wasn’t expecting to see.
Quick Food Links - In My Absence
Saturday, October 27th, 2007 Food and Candy GiftsI don’t have a lot of time to post these days, so I’ll leave you with a few great food links. I’ve tried most of the delicious treats below, and the rest are treats I really hope to get the chance to try in the near future.
It all looks delicious, right? I wonder how many diets I’m ruining right now. Just look at the pictures, buy those delicious treats for someone else (or that really skinny girl that you hate, so you can ruin HER diet), and then go eat some sprouts. Or be like me, and just eat everything that looks good and then go spend a solid month on the treadmill.
What? Parisians want a little variety, too?
Thursday, July 19th, 2007As one who loves food very deeply, the food snobbery that has always been associated with France is something that’s always bothered me. For far too long, “common people” have shied away from delicious food experiences because they didn’t feel like they were the kind of person who would eat a particular dish. That’s just criminal. If something looks good, sounds good, or tastes good (and it’s safe), you should eat it, if only once just to try it.
That said, I came across this interesting piece on the English and Americans bringing a bit of their styles to France and I had to smile a little. I say, “Let them eat German, British, American….”
