From News of The Weird

A highlight of this year's Easter promotion by the Jelly Belly company (as additions to its 50 standard flavors) was its surprise BeanBoozled boxes, with odd tastes and non-standard colors. Although garlic beans, buttered-toast beans and cheese pizza beans are no longer available, connoisseurs can sample jelly beans made to taste like pencil shavings, ear wax, moldy cheese and vomit. A Jelly Belly spokeswoman told Newhouse News Service in March, "There are 20 flavors in each little box ... so you don't know what flavor you are tasting ... coconut or baby wipe." [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 3-22-08]

Food Network chef fired after resume fraud

Robert Irvine gets no sympathy from me.

"We're not the sushi police"

Ice Cucumber Pepsi

Has anyone tried Ice Cucumber Pepsi ? I'd love to hear your opinion of it.

South Beach Diet Meal Replacement Bars

Kraft sent me coupons for their South Beach Diet Replacement Bars. So I decided to pick up two bars at Winn Dixie last night.

The first one I tried was Vanilla Creme. The package shows something similar to a long Rice Crispie treat with a vanilla coating on the bottom. Don't let that fool you. The vanilla frosting has very little flavor, save for a cheap anise-like aftertaste. The crispy part was very grainy. If you've eaten the powder from a box of Cheerios, that's what it tasted like. The label says those were soy protein crips.

The second bar was Caramel Peanut Crisp. It was only slightly better than the vanilla bar. Upon opening the package, I smelled a pleasant aroma of caramel and peanuts [think Pay Day bars]. The crispies had an unpleasant burnt peanut taste. Those were only a little less grainy than the vanilla bar. Also, the peanut butter frosting had a smoother, more pleasant texture and a more pronounced flavor than the vanilla bars, but not by much.

Now let's check out the nutritional labels of the bars:
- Vanilla Creme = 340 mg of sodium and 15 % of your daily saturated fat
- Caramel Peanut Crisp = 350 mg of sodium and 13 % of your daily saturated fat

My conclusion ? Both bars were horribly nasty. They were overpriced at 2 for $5 without the coupon : P Skip the diet bars and pack a balanced, healthy meal in your lunch bag. Otherwise you'll find yourself licking the frosting off the bar and wishing you'd brought something substantial to eat.

Ice Breakers Fruit Sours

During my Christmas shopping, I spotted Ice Breakers Fruit Sours. I've seen the Ice Breakers tv commercials several times but never tried them.

What attracted my attention first was the bright green package. It was covered with pictures of the various flavors: green apples, tangerines, watermelons and pink lemons [pink lemonade]. The shape was similar to the old Bubble Tape containers I loved as a child. Also, the dispenser opened via "to share" and "not to share" tabs.

The candies are round, white discs with various colored speckles. The colors indicate flavor; however, those are very difficult to discern without dumping out the candy and sorting them into like colored piles.

The artificial scent of watermelon Ice Breakers overpowered the other flavors. In fact, my bedroom started to smell like watermelon candy after a few days [and I had the package closed after my taste testing !] As you may have guessed, I do not care for watermelon candy ! However, I tasted one anyway just to be fair. Bleh. As for the rest:
- The green apple Ice Breaker was mediocre.
- The pink lemonade Ice Breaker had a distinct lemonade taste. I enjoyed it !
- The tangerine Ice Breaker was by far my favorite. My tongue was left with the sensation of eating a juicy tangerine. Thumbs up !

There's a downside to Ice Breakers Fruit Sours: the aspartame. After my first taste test, I had a horrible headache. I chalked it up to being tired. I had a second taste test the next day. The headache came back. That's when I realized there must be aspartame in the candy. A check of the ingredients list confirmed that. In the interest of fairness, I also tasted Ice Breakers Pomegrante Lemon-Aid Mints that day; both products contain aspartame.

My conclusion ? I won't buy Ice Breakers Fruit Sours again. The watermelon scent and the aspartame ruined this product for me.

Food In The News

Spooky delights

Food for thought

60 Desserts for Independence Day

Britain's first Indian restaurant

Losing the heart of Goa

A rant by Nikhil Chib

Food In the News

Cricket

Wasted in Berlin

Blue Cheese and Chocolate

Casbah Falafel Mix

I was shopping at Carr's / Safeway the other day. I happened to
look at the bottom shelf in the rice aisle and noticed all these
interesting brands I'd never heard of before [including the previously
mentioned Lunbgerg risotto]. I decided to buy a box of Casbah Falafel
Mix on the spot.My roommates were to be my guineas pigs that
night *waves to the guys*.

The instructions called for mixing in 1 cup of water and forming
patties. An initial taste of the batter made me realize it was too
grainy tasting to please my meat and potato loving men. I added
whole milk ricotta, gorgonzola cream sauce, black beans, chunky
salsa, and fresh chopped garlic, onions and tomatoes to the batter.
I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil for frying.

I should add that one of my roommates is a mischievous Bulgarian.
I had turned my back on the pan for one second. The next thing I knew
he was at the stove with a bottle in hand [ "Bwa ha ha, this needs
pehhhhhhper ! Lots of hot spicy red pehhhhhhhper ! *Count Von Count laugh*
That's how we like it in Bulgaria !"] The red pepper flakes were the
perfect addition to the falafel. The only thing missing was some
cucumber yogurt sauce. I wish I had thought to make a batch of it.

Overall, the falafel was a big hit at my apartment. I definitely plan
to buy Casbah Falafel Mix again.

**I know at least one of you must be singing "Rock the Casbah !"
after reading this post.

Lundberg Risotto: Butternut Squash

Lundberg's risotto mix is outstanding ! It is slightly creamy,
with a tantalizing, mouth pleasing butternut squash ambiance. The package
is small, but makes a lot more risotto than expected. I suggest serving
it with spicy jerky chicken, red grapes and a good bottle of wine. The
flavors play off each other magnificently. Two thumbs up for Lunberg !

Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls: Bacon

Let's try an experiment. Go in your kitchen and look for a
bottle of Bacon Bits. Found it ? Great ! Now open it up and
gulp down the whole thing. Not too pleasant, eh ? That is the closest
comparison I can give to Jimmy Dean's Breakfast Bowl of bacon, eggs,
potatoes and cheddar. The amount of bacon in one bowl was astoundingly
disgusting and salty. My reaction after reading the sodium, cholesterol
and saturated fat count was "Holy moley, how did my heart not stop
working after one spoonful ?!" The potatoes were rather mushy, even
after being cooked in a frying pan. Yes, I am aware it is a microwave
product, dear sweet Jimmy Dean lawyers / or product quality assurance
folks. I don't think microwaving, sauteeing or balancing it on my nose
like a seal would have made a difference. A big fat [no pun intended]
"F" goes to Jimmy Dean.

Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli

This Spa Cuisine Classic [TM, of course] is served "in a creamy
sauce with walnuts, snap peas and carrots", plus yellow carrots
and red peppers. The box proclaims "TWICE THE VEGGIES" and "NO
PRESERVATIVES." Goody good for that. "But how does it taste ?" you
must be wondering, mon petit chou. Well, the filling does not have
a rich squash flavor. There is certainly not enough pasta in the
box for my taste. Yes, I know it's called "Lean Cuisine" ; ) The walnuts
are chopped up too finely. The abundance of peas and carrots overpowers
the entire dish. I am not terribly impressed with Lean Cuisine's idea.
It sounds tasty on paper, but it does not translate well to reality.

Sangria Senorial [non-alcoholic Sangria]

This drink caught my eye at the [pitifully small, 2 shelf] Mexican
aisle at Carr's / Safeway. Can you tell I miss Miami ? Anyway, I gave
in on my last shopping trip and bought a bottle. Big disclaimer: I have
never tried real Sangria before. But I will say that the non-alcoholic
version is very light on the tongue. Trying to capture and identify
the taste is a fruitless effort.

Taco Bell Fiesta Steak Bowlz

"Mexican-Style Rice, Refried Beans, Steak Strips, Smoky Fiesta
Sauce With Onions, Red Bell Peppers, and Green Bell Peppers"

Two problems with this product:
#1. The name. I keep reading it as "Fiesta Bowels", which makes an
interesting commentary on the quality of this product.
#2. The package says "steak strips." Yeah, I'm not seeing any of
those here. What I have is a big bowl of refried beans, smushed rice
and what looks like onion soup with just a tiny pinch of meat thrown in.
There's no such thing as 1/8 x 1/8 inch steak strips, y'all. It's
pitiful to look at. I give this product a big thumbs down.

**I see I'm not alone in my disdain:

Review

Wolfgang Puck's Pizza

The grocery store I currently shop at is not where one would expect to find gourmet products. So I was surprised to come across Wolfgang Puck's All Natural Four Cheese, Tomato and Pesto Pizza. The four cheeses are mozzarella, fontina, parmesan and goat cheese. Huge props for that combination and the soft, thick crust. It cooked rather quickly, too. However, the tomatoes were soggy. This pizza would have been perfect if it had been topped with the sweet, succulent tomatoes Amy's Organic uses. Also, the pie is rather small at 12.25 ounces. One of my roommates and I polished it off very quickly [Yes, I had three slices. Shush.]. Seven dollars for one tiny pizza is rather extravagant. I could have bought a bigger, albeit less tasty, one from Pizza Hut or Red Barron. It is unfortunate,but this yummy masterpiece is probably a one time buy for me. It seems impractical to purchase something so small and expensive unless you are eating alone or have a small appetite.

Book Review: Tender At The Bone

Ruth Reichl's disclaimer right off the bat is that some things may have been embellished. We do not prefer to hear that from every author, as some smoke and mirrors have their place. But that initial admission earns Ruth a place in our hearts as we follow her from childhood to the early years with husband Doug. Every memory, even the painful ones, are too ethereal and delicate to analyze too closely, lest they dissolve like bubbles in midair.This book combines the guilty pleasures of An American Childhood, How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and "Strike." This is an unforgettable, must read book, to be savored in a cozy hideaway with a stash of fine chocolate and a bottle of wine.

Strike

An American Childhood

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

Book Review: Candy Freak

After reading one or two chapters of Steve Almond's Candy Freak, one is tempted to think of him as a Dave Barry kind of guy. [And there is much geeky fan girl love for Dave here] But that is not the case. Steve has a insightful, witty and thought provoking style all his own. Reaching the end of this candy filled trip is akin to deciding a third date is in order with a particular person. You come to see that Steve has his flaws, but you like those flaws as is. Candy Freak will leave you wanting more candy and more of Steve's writing.

A rant about eggplant and squash

Many Americans dislike squash -- and with good reason. They have only tasted the mushy, thick pieces served in a casserole called "Aunt JoJo's Squash Supreme" or "Boiled Squash Delight." It is unfortunate they have never savored the delight that is my mother's fried squash. All one needs is peeled, thinly sliced pieces of squash. Drain them on a paper towel, coat 'em properly and fry, people. Nothing to it. I'm probably missing a step or two there, but you get my point. Ditto for the monstrosity that is being passed off as eggplant parmesan. There's no insult to the eyes and the palate like a big plate of spaghetti topped with a limp, mushy patty of eggplant. Great eggplant parmesan should be able to stand out on it's own without heaps of pasta. Really, all you need to do is follow the same steps used for fried squash, then bake it with the other ingredients. And for Pete's sake, don't serve unpeeled eggplant or squash. It's like biting into fragments of plastic grocery sacks. *steps off soapbox*

Hey from Anchorage

Sorry for the lack of posts,y'all. I've only had internet access 2 or 3 times since I moved to Anchorage. More new posts are coming soon !

Anchorage restauraunts = More ideas, please !

I'm looking for recommendations about
restaurants in Anchorage, since I'm
new to the area. Any help is appreciated : )