Sometimes, I have a movie night in my dorm, so at the end of the week, when I have my work done, or when I have none of my work done, I kick up my feet and relax with a film in front of my TV with some popcorn. Popcorn gets boring after a while, though, with the same flavors. I don't trust the popcorn shakers, because I worry that they're just a gateway drug to buying bacon salt off the internet. So when I saw this new cheddar cheese flavor of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn, I was transfixed.It popped up pretty well. On 2:17, the kernels were big and fluffy, and made about four big cup's (the beer pong kind, but I put popcorn in them and post them on my silly blog) worth of popcorn, with a little bit leftover. I was surprised with the mode of cheese distribution, too. I'd originally expected this to be a shake and bake operation, where I'd put the cheese on after the butter had made it malleable for cheese to be added, but no, this was all one step. So that was nice, for feasibility's sake.The popcorn itself is a big improvement for NASA astronauts, as it can be seen from the space station Endeavor, so one point for Orville, catering to that hard-to-reach astronaut demographic. Seriously, the color is blinding, and distributes well on the kernels. It looks much more orange than this photo does. The texture is lovely. It's crispy, and has very few of the extra kernel bits that get in your teeth and require gum surgery to remove. In the entire batch, I had seven unpopped kernels, too. As far as taste goes, the first bite is buttery...and then, a hint of cheese. Very subtle. If they weren't bright fucking orange you wouldn't know that they were trying to taste like cheddar. Later, after eating a few handfuls, you realize, "Oh, this is the Vermont Cheddar Hydrogenated Oil I was telling you about, the aged one," right in the middle of Hiroshima, Mon Amour during the parade scene and your friends will look at you and call you a DOUCHE.
And you will be. Just like this popcorn. I'm going to look for the nacho cheese and try it, see if it's any better, but overall, I wasn't pleased. So, what do you eat when you watch movies at home? When you go out to see a movie?
Here's a delicious juice from Odwalla that reminds me of summer. Especially with the snow and crappy weather that we've been having, it's awfully refreshing to have a beverage that brings back memories of the hot sun. The drink itself is a mixture of pomegranate and lime juice, and I'm a sucker for all juices with lime. Hoping this would turn into another cherry limeade, I drank it. It's definitely better cold than lukewarm, and the pomegranate flavor is deep and filtered. It's a very intense and pure flavor, too. With some pomegranate juices that aren't filtered enough, I've tasted muddiness and an almost salty flavor, like a steak sauce, which is great if one is making a savory sauce or marinade, but for a juice is rather repulsive.This juice is sweet, though, but not too sweet, and at the end of the pomegranate's succulent and sugary vibe, the lime takes over and provides a tanginess when you swallow. I wished that the lime came out a little more within the flavors of the juice, but overall, it was definitely a clean taste and profile, and lived up to the name "Pomagrand". So, readers, where am I going for my next lime juice fix???
On a recent excursion to The Cheesecake Factory, we ordered a whole plethora of delicious food to sample. Of course, we had to try the famous fried macaroni and cheese and cheesecake for dessert, because what trip to the cheesecake factory would be complete without cheesecake? In the dessert sense, of course. When TCF starts offering 50's pinup girls for sale along with desserts, or maybe even in conjunction, business will be booming.
My gastronomical gremlin ordered the orange chicken lunch special to start out with, and I ordered the fried macaroni and cheese appetizer as my lunch. I expected the portions to be massive, and I was right.
The orange chicken was covered in just the right amount of sauce- it wasn't too sticky so as to make the coating mushy and soft, but it wasn't bland, either. It was sweet and literally embodied the phrase "zesty" when one should think of food. In the sauce was a suspension of chile peppers, diced up, and small pieces of fresh orange rind, along with the orange sauce itself, covering the chicken. The chicken pieces themselves were huge and plentiful, and very tender, and with a large portion of sticky white rice with a little cilantro on top to mop up the extra sauce, this was a fantastic meal that carried great value and excellent flavor. It's rare to find good Chinese food at a Chinese restaurant, much less one that touts cheesecake as its specialty. My appetizer/meal was the macaroni and cheese, and it was absolutely decadent. I was a little scared at first, because one of the top things that I'd feared about the fried mac was that it would be dry and bland on the inside. Not this. First of all, these were some BIG balls.
Ahem. There were four of them, and they were huge. The crust was crispy on the outside and very easy to break through, but not crumbly. I could pick one of these up in my hand and throw it like a cheesy Napalm grenade. They were quite heavy. Each one was topped with Parmesan and a little parsley. On the inside, though, it was all power. The filling was extremely creamy and gooey, and when I broke each ball apart to suck out the filling, (heh heh) strands of cheese came along with the noodles. This dish was definitely more cheese than noodles, which wasn't bad. The noodles were entirely al dente, though, and really fell apart well in my mouth.
The cheeses were flavorful and salty, and with the crispiness of the crust, it creates a perfect sphere of wonderful tastes. They're also very filling. I loved the combination of cheeses, and was eating the leftovers well into the night. The sauce underneath the plump little ballings was a pink vodka sauce, I think, and that gave a nice sweetness to some of the bites that I'd never thought to consider with my mac and cheese, because I'd never really thought of eating it with sauce. Go figure, but it was very tasty.
When I dream, I dream of this.After that, we were pretty stuffed, and still packed a ton of leftovers, but we wanted cheesecake, and cheesecake we had. My culinary compatriot ordered the pineapple upside down cheesecake, and I had the banana cream cheesecake. The pineapple upside down cheesecake really did have a beautiful presentation. Actually, all of the dishes here did. It was two layers of pineapple upside down cake sandwiching a layer of cherry pineapple cheesecake, with whipped cream on top.
The combination of cheesecake and regular cake, which only a vengeful, obese mad scientist could have dreamed of, is utter genius. I mean, seriously? Both at once? Were we that bad in a past life to deserve them? But honestly. The cake is teetering on the edge of diabetes and baklava, laden down with enough syrup to down a full grown bear-moose hybrid. The layers are piled high with fruit, or what passes for TCF's genetically engineered fruit, but it's fucking delicious. Lots of coconut, but not as much pineapple as I'd expected, and the crumbly, gooey cake sort of overshadowed the cheesecake. It blended in with it more, making it less of a key player than more of a filling.
And I guess it was a filling. But if they'd had an even number of layers with the cheesecake and the pineapple upside down cake, the flavor ratio might have been even. I thought it was regular cheesecake at first, too, but then I saw that it was red from the cherries, and not the blood of the innocent, but I didn't taste either of those. It's a mystery! Overall, though, not a bad cake. Moist and pretty. TCF does make a very soft and wet cheesecake.As for my cheesecake, it was a massive slice with a layer of bavarian cream on top, whipped cream over that and on the sides, and two flanking rows of bananas. Dinner and a show. The banana flavor was very subtle, but with the graham cracker crust, I really liked the juxtaposition between crumbliness and banana flavor. I definitely think that TCF made the right decision in picking a sweet and milky, natural banana taste over an overpowering and artificial flavor. It balanced with the natural creaminess of the cheesecake and tasted wonderful when I ate it later that night. With the fresh bananas, it was delicious. However, it was just a little too plain. The bavarian cream was a little too bland as well, and I think that this would benefit from some salted caramel sauce or hot fudge sauce, or a layer of caramel swirl. Definitely something to color it up from all the neutral yellows and take away the lackadaisical flavor palate. I loved the banana, but wasn't wowed in the long run. Ever been to The Cheesecake Factory? What's your favorite flavor?
Unless you live in or grew up in South Carolina, you're probably unaware of the state's prominent rice culture. And you've probably never heard of chicken bog, either.
The state's rice culture stems from the fact that state was once a large rice producer. The coastal region has ideal rice growing conditions, and slaves from West Africa were specifically sought out for their rice-growing knowledge and expertise.
Everyone eats rice...all the time. It's not uncommon to have rice at every supper. Plain rice, rice pilau, rice with hash, rice with stewed tomatoes and okra, rice with giblet gravy, and on and on. It's one of my favorite foods and I never tire of it.
So, what is chicken bog? It's nothing but a big ol' peppery pot of rice, chicken, and sausage cooked in chicken stock. Why is it called a bog? Because the rice is a bit wetter — boggy — than a pilau. This dish is great for gatherings because it feeds many. Sub turkey for chicken, and you've got a dish perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers. Chicken Bog serves 4-6
To the ire of many (Hi, Dad!), I'm vegetarianizing the recipe. If you want to use meat, it's as simple as cooking chicken in water, saving the water to use as the stock, and deboning the chicken before throwing the chicken meat back in the pot. Also, use real sausage.
This recipe is based on my Granddad's recipe. Granddad was an avid beer drinker, so beer found it's way into many of his dishes. Beer is not a traditional ingredient in chicken bog, but I'm keeping the recipe true to my Granddad (well, except the whole meat thing).
1/2 stick butter 1 cup diced onion 1 pound seitan, chopped 1 pound link soy sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon pepper 2 cups uncooked rice 5 cups water 1/2 can beer
Saute diced onions in butter until onions are translucent. Then add seitan, sausage, salt and pepper and cook for a coupe minutes.
Add rice, water, and beer to the pot. Cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook until the rice is done, about 20-30 minutes. If mixture is too juicy, cook uncovered until reaches desired consistency. If mixture is too dry (rice absorbed all the water), add another cup of water.
Well, the truffles are finished, a little after Valentine's Day. I tried to make them last, and I'm sad to see them go. It's a little cruel that the box included the full list of Norman Love varieties, so I had to look at pictures and descriptions of chocolates that were not included in my set. It's a very clever marketing ploy, because I definitely want to try the other varieties. Click here for part 1 or keep reading for reviews of the rest of the assortment in my box.
Banana was my least favorite of the set. The white chocolate was good, and though I didn't like the banana flavor at first, the end notes were nice, with a hint of sour to balance the sweet.
Almond Marzipan was another lovely piece, with just the right amount of cocoa. Just under the shell, there was a delicate layer of marzipan that gave the piece a cool texture. The mild almond flavors in the ganache were tasty and the piece had an overall traditional feel.
Java Fudge was an amazing little chocolate, and easily one of my favorites. The smooth, shiny center had a delectable dark chocolate espresso flavor. The coating was beautiful and delicious, as well.
Gianduja Truffle had a nice, mild, hazelnut flavor. The milk chocolate shell was wonderful, and the caramelized hazelnut coating gave the truffle a lovely toasted aroma and taste.
Cinnamon Roll had a delicious cinnamon ganache and a good milk chocolate coating. It was well balanced in terms of sweetness, and tasted like the gooey center of a cinnamon roll.
I'm always impressed with a good white truffle, and White Vanilla Truffle exceeded my expectations. The vanilla flavor was incredibly rich and intense, perfectly matched to the well-balanced white chocolate shell.
Florida Orange was beautifully colored dark truffle. The mild orange flavor went well with the dark chocolate, but it wasn't a stand out piece.
This was a visually stunning and overwhelmingly palate pleasing assortment. The pieces that really stuck with me were Butter Pecan, Java Fudge, Strawberry, and Cherry Cordial. The only flavor I felt lukewarm about was Banana. I can definitely recommend Norman Love chocolates and have no qualms about giving them my highest rating.
Well, technically, cheese sauce. Perfect for the kid or manchild who's living in the basement at the age of 28 and still hasn't moved out. That's right, Chris-Chan, we're talking about you!
These are a delicious breakfast food because they require no effort and still taste just as though you spent actual time toiling over the stove, sweaty bangs hanging into the greasy bacon pan, pushing up your Coke bottle glasses with one hand and flipping bacon with another. The croissant...strudel...bread...what the hell is it? They call it "strudel" in the sweet equivalent, but now it's a scramble, so we're left high and dry, trying to figure out what the bread is. Whatever it is, it's leftover from the sweet stuff, so it gives a sweet flavor to the bread. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's like a cheap croissant. Makes you feel like a French tourist. It's tasty, really, and crisps up well in the toaster. The filling inside looks like the inside of a Tauntaun, but tastes quite good. It was heated evenly all around. I was disappointed that the cheese sauce was on the inside of the filling rather than being in a squirtable packet, like the sweet ones. I've always wanted to draw a penis or a Pikachu or a Large Hadron Collider on my Toaster Scramble, I don't know about you. However, the inside of the scramble was satisfying. Although I was disgruntled with the amount, which was quite sparse, being that the photo showed at least double the amount in the actual Scramble thing, the ratio of filling to breadtangle was pretty decent. The egg, if you didn't look at it, (in its disturbing cube shape) was pretty tasty) and the bacon was great! There was a ton of bacon! And I loved the cheese sauce. Yeah. That's what I'm calling it from now on. Breadtangle.
So, I liked these. I mean, for $3.59 at my convenience store, which has pretty high prices, that works out to 60 cents a pastry, which is a great deal. And I'm sure you can find them at a better price elsewhere. Has anyone tried the sausage variety? Are they good?
There are two competing sandwich places at the UMass Campus Center, both at The Blue Wall Eatery. One offers pre-made, organic sandwiches for an obscene price, and another, customized sandwiches with "lesser" ingredients, in the eyes of some, for a better value. Both sandwiches are delicious, but today's review is open-ended. I'm not giving either sandwich a rating. I'm giving YOU the option, readers...what would you do? And what goes on your sandwich? Here are my options. At the organic eatery, I've ordered a chicken breast sandwich on ciabatta bread, which comes with baby arugula, red peppers, goat cheese, and a garlic aioli. The sandwich is very small. Many readers may feel unsatisfied after eating it because it falls a little under six inches. (That's what she said!) It's also rigid in its construction because they're premade, so should one want the goat cheese on one of the other sandwiches, say, on the ham sandwich, they will politely tell you that's impossible because they're constructed. And because of this preconstruction, they're not fresh, so the vegetables are mushy and limp when they arrive. However, all of the ingredients are free range, organic, and from local farms in the area. I still ordered it, because at the deli option next door, there's no option for grilled chicken. And with the goat cheese and ciabatta, I must say, I was quite pleased. I felt like I was at a Food Emporium. The garlic aioli was disappointing as hell, because I was looking forward to a high quality sauce for the high prices that it cost me- $6.75 for the sandwich, with nothing added. At a rate of $1.12 an inch, I could have bought six self-rising pizzas at a budget grocery and had some friends over instead. So, I couldn't taste the garlic, but the chicken was tasty and tender, and the goat cheese was very creamy, and with the ciabatta, I still felt like it was good. I ended up picking off the veggies because for one, they have no place on a sandwich, and for another, they were more flaccid than Carrot Top's career. Onto the Glutwich. You won't think you're in Manhattan. It's from the customizable stand, where, at a fixed price, you can add as many toppings as you want onto a small or large sub roll or wrap. The pros? They have flavored mayonnaise, which my dining commons do not have, in flavors like chipotle, garlic, and herb. They have better quality bread. And they have more toppings. So, onto my sandwich. It's deceptively simple, but so incredible. It's just chipotle mayonnaise, American cheese, ham, and french fries with salt and pepper. It's fat, carbs, and sodium, but it's wonderful. For $8.04, you get a drink of your choice, the french fries, and a small sandwich, which is quite heavy and measures in at about 8.5, 9 inches long. There's no toasting option, though. The flavor is great, and I feel like the ingredients always taste fresh and nice. Sometimes the fries have been sitting so they're a little cold when I bite into the sandwich, but if I get it and they're very crispy, it's wonderful with the spiciness of the mayonnaise and the ham underneath. It's a fantastic sandwich for a hungry college student!
So, answer in the comments section! What do you do? And would you choose health over wealth?
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It popped up pretty well. On 2:17, the kernels were big and fluffy, and made about four big cup's (the beer pong kind, but I put popcorn in them and post them on my silly blog) worth of popcorn, with a little bit leftover. I was surprised with the mode of cheese distribution, too. I'd originally expected this to be a shake and bake operation, where I'd put the cheese on after the butter had made it malleable for cheese to be added, but no, this was all one step. So that was nice, for feasibility's sake..jpg)
The popcorn itself is a big improvement for NASA astronauts, as it can be seen from the space station Endeavor, so one point for Orville, catering to that hard-to-reach astronaut demographic. Seriously, the color is blinding, and distributes well on the kernels. It looks much more orange than this photo does. The texture is lovely. It's crispy, and has very few of the extra kernel bits that get in your teeth and require gum surgery to remove. In the entire batch, I had seven unpopped kernels, too. As far as taste goes, the first bite is buttery...and then, a hint of cheese. Very subtle. If they weren't bright fucking orange you wouldn't know that they were trying to taste like cheddar. Later, after eating a few handfuls, you realize, "Oh, this is the Vermont Cheddar Hydrogenated Oil I was telling you about, the aged one," right in the middle of Hiroshima, Mon Amour during the parade scene and your friends will look at you and call you a DOUCHE.
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