It has been a disappointing week. First of all, I had been craving Tastykake's Butterscotch Krimpets for several months. I hadn't bought those cakes in several years, but I decided it was worth splurging. I was so annoyed when I bit into a butterscotch krimpet and discovered that (1) the icing had less of a butterscotch flavor and (2) the cake part was a bit dry, with a kind of chemical-ish taste. I don't know if Tastykake switched to a different recipe or my tastebuds just changed.
The second disappointment involves chestnuts. I had read on someone's bucket list that they wanted to try chesnuts roasted on an open fire. I thought "Gee, I've always wondered what those taste like. I should put that on my list, too." So when I saw a package of chesnuts at the grocery store recently, I snatched them up. I totally ignored the voice of reason in my head going "It's almost March. These chesnuts are imported from Italy. How fresh can they be ?" Mainly because the voice of Martha Stewart in my head hissed back, "Kindly shut your mouth. This will lead to producing marvelous handmade ornaments and hand sewn Victorian Christmas caroler costumes. A full on proper Christmas!"
The directions of the clam shell package said (and I'm paraphrasing) "Score an 'x' on the soft side of each chestnut, using a sharp knife. Stick on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy!" I cracked open one of the chesnuts before it went into the oven. The piece I pulled out looked like a fat walnut. The chesnut did not break apart when I tapped it on the counter and tried to squish it in my hand. So I only took a tentative, gentle bite, not wanting to lose any teeth. Yep, hard as a rock. I stuck the try in the oven anyway, expecting the chesnuts would soften up. Then I went to Google to see if chestnuts are supposed to be that hard. Whoops, they shouldn't be. But apparently you can boil them and they soften up.
So I yanked the tray out of the oven, cracked open all the shells and dropped the chestnuts into boiling water. After twenty minutes, I pulled a chestnut out of the pot for tasting. The flavor was a cross between walnuts, almond extract and cornmeal. Gross! That's off my bucket list now for sure.
Hopefully next week brings tastier food : P
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Guests Posts
Hello, everyone. We will be adding guest bloggers here at AMW, in addition to my regular posts. Our newest blogger is Amanda. Look for her new posts here soon.
*10/24/12 update: I never heard back from Amanda again. I guess she isn't interested. Oh well
*10/24/12 update: I never heard back from Amanda again. I guess she isn't interested. Oh well
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Better Chip
"All Natural, Double Thick Tortilla Chips, 40 % Real Veggies Inside"
If you're like me, you love potato chips. You probably also skip over the potato chip aisle quite often "Because there's usually nothing new there. I've had plain, greasy, boring flavored chips a million times before." But you won't have that problem anymore. The folks at The Better Chip sent me a wonderful box of their chips to try. You'll want to taste these chips.
The Better Chip come in four varieties: fresh corn and sea salt, jalapeno and sea salt, sweet onion and white cheddar, and red pepper and salsa fresca. Each variety is made of forty percent fresh ingredients and double corn masa. These chips are free of animal bi-products, GMOs, preservatives and cholesterol (raise your hand if you just thought "what, there's animal biproducts and GMOS in my chips ?!" and pushed away the ones you're eating now) All of my gluten free, dairy free and nut free readers will rejoice at this:
Now on to the taste test. So follow me! And bring your favorite dip!
Jalapeno And Sea Salt
"Made with 40% fresh jalapeños so the flavor is inside"
The jalapeno and sea salt chips were my hands down favorite. They were super spicy, just the way I like my food. It was similar to eating fresh, mouth watering salsa at my favorite Mexican restaurant. The taste is that authentic. They were delicious with vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup, with ranch dip and in a salad with black beans & chicken. The jalapeno chips had just the right amount of sea salt; I didn't find myself brushing salt off my clothes or saying "Ugh, give me some water. There's too much salt on these chips." The chips were very hearty and held up when scooping up dip.
Sweet Onion and White Cheddar
"Made with 40% fresh onion so the flavor is inside"
The sweet onion and white cheddar chips were very popular with the "I don't like spicy foods" people in the AMW family. The sweet white onions were a welcome change from other onion flavored chips. The scent is sweet and tangy, not greasy, odorous and offputting. You could pack these in your work lunch and not have co-workers think "oh heck no, you brought onion chips." Your co-workers will probably start saying "let's share lunches like in grade school" after they taste the red onion and white cheddar chips. The only change I would make to this flavor would be to add a pinch more white cheddar.
Red Pepper And Salsa Fresca
"Made with 40% fresh red pepper so the flavor is inside"
The red pepper and salsa fresca chips were a big hit here, too. They had the fresh flavor of the red peppers I've previously grown in my garden. I know some of you are thinking "I've had red pepper chips. They all tasted like that weird Cajun spice and pizza flavor mix most brands offer." These chips tasted nothing like that. You will immediately think "Wow, this tastes like a fresh red bell pepper. Oh duh, it's because there really are fresh peppers in the chips."
I made a wonderful casserole from the red pepper chips, the red onion chips, cheese and chicken. Everyone loved it. And I didn't even need to add sauce to the recipe, although you can of course throw in black beans or tomato sauce if you prefer.
The Better Chip gets a thumbs up for being tasty, gluten free and full of natural ingredients. I felt like I was treating myself to a high quality snack each time I tasted a chip. They're a far cry from the greasy, boring chips we're all used to eating. I have found a new favorite chip for my lunch box.
The Better Chip can be found in the following stores in select states:
Mitchell Grocery
Winco Foods
Meijer
IGA Grocery
Supervalu Stores
Hy-Vee
Shop-Rite
Fresh And Co
Marc's Drugs
My Fit Foods
United Supermarkets
Brookshire Grocery
There is a special prize for one lucky AMW reader. A cute pink t-shirt, size large, that says "Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Me"
Here are the giveaway rules: Leave your name, email and which variety of The Better Chip you want to try. The contest begins at 8:30 PM EST on Wednesday February 15, 2012 and ends at 8:30 PM EST on Saturday February 18, 2012. Winner will be chosen at 9 PM EST on February 18, 2012. One entry per person and per household.
*Update: Congrats to Britney! Please email me your address so I can send your shirt.
If you're like me, you love potato chips. You probably also skip over the potato chip aisle quite often "Because there's usually nothing new there. I've had plain, greasy, boring flavored chips a million times before." But you won't have that problem anymore. The folks at The Better Chip sent me a wonderful box of their chips to try. You'll want to taste these chips.
The Better Chip come in four varieties: fresh corn and sea salt, jalapeno and sea salt, sweet onion and white cheddar, and red pepper and salsa fresca. Each variety is made of forty percent fresh ingredients and double corn masa. These chips are free of animal bi-products, GMOs, preservatives and cholesterol (raise your hand if you just thought "what, there's animal biproducts and GMOS in my chips ?!" and pushed away the ones you're eating now) All of my gluten free, dairy free and nut free readers will rejoice at this:
-Gluten Free
-Made in a completely nut-free environment. No Kidding. We touch no nuts in our chip facility.
-Made on a line dedicated to only tortilla products
-Lactose free (Red Pepper & Salsa Fresca, Jalapeno Sea Salt)
Now on to the taste test. So follow me! And bring your favorite dip!
Jalapeno And Sea Salt
"Made with 40% fresh jalapeños so the flavor is inside"
The jalapeno and sea salt chips were my hands down favorite. They were super spicy, just the way I like my food. It was similar to eating fresh, mouth watering salsa at my favorite Mexican restaurant. The taste is that authentic. They were delicious with vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup, with ranch dip and in a salad with black beans & chicken. The jalapeno chips had just the right amount of sea salt; I didn't find myself brushing salt off my clothes or saying "Ugh, give me some water. There's too much salt on these chips." The chips were very hearty and held up when scooping up dip.
Sweet Onion and White Cheddar
"Made with 40% fresh onion so the flavor is inside"
The sweet onion and white cheddar chips were very popular with the "I don't like spicy foods" people in the AMW family. The sweet white onions were a welcome change from other onion flavored chips. The scent is sweet and tangy, not greasy, odorous and offputting. You could pack these in your work lunch and not have co-workers think "oh heck no, you brought onion chips." Your co-workers will probably start saying "let's share lunches like in grade school" after they taste the red onion and white cheddar chips. The only change I would make to this flavor would be to add a pinch more white cheddar.
Red Pepper And Salsa Fresca
"Made with 40% fresh red pepper so the flavor is inside"
The red pepper and salsa fresca chips were a big hit here, too. They had the fresh flavor of the red peppers I've previously grown in my garden. I know some of you are thinking "I've had red pepper chips. They all tasted like that weird Cajun spice and pizza flavor mix most brands offer." These chips tasted nothing like that. You will immediately think "Wow, this tastes like a fresh red bell pepper. Oh duh, it's because there really are fresh peppers in the chips."
I made a wonderful casserole from the red pepper chips, the red onion chips, cheese and chicken. Everyone loved it. And I didn't even need to add sauce to the recipe, although you can of course throw in black beans or tomato sauce if you prefer.
The Better Chip gets a thumbs up for being tasty, gluten free and full of natural ingredients. I felt like I was treating myself to a high quality snack each time I tasted a chip. They're a far cry from the greasy, boring chips we're all used to eating. I have found a new favorite chip for my lunch box.
The Better Chip can be found in the following stores in select states:
Mitchell Grocery
Winco Foods
Meijer
IGA Grocery
Supervalu Stores
Hy-Vee
Shop-Rite
Fresh And Co
Marc's Drugs
My Fit Foods
United Supermarkets
Brookshire Grocery
There is a special prize for one lucky AMW reader. A cute pink t-shirt, size large, that says "Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Me"
Here are the giveaway rules: Leave your name, email and which variety of The Better Chip you want to try. The contest begins at 8:30 PM EST on Wednesday February 15, 2012 and ends at 8:30 PM EST on Saturday February 18, 2012. Winner will be chosen at 9 PM EST on February 18, 2012. One entry per person and per household.
*Update: Congrats to Britney! Please email me your address so I can send your shirt.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Sourdough Starter, Part 3
If you have read part 1 and part 2 about my sourdough starter, you might wonder what happened to that. Long story short, it got boring really quickly. Every day, I had to add flour and water to the jars. Every four days, I had to move the starter to clean jars. It quickly went from "yay, I'll be able to make sourdough bread when I want" to "*sarcasm* Oh yeah, I'll be able to make sourdough all the time, woo hoo. Not."
Halfway through this process, I realized there is a good reason for draining the excess liquid daily. The actual dough is sitting at the bottom of the jar. I ended up with four big jars of liquid before I made that discovery *bangs head on desk* Also, a lot of the recipes I tried were just meh. It's definitely not a project I'll take on again. I'll probably stick with buying sourdough from a bakery.
Halfway through this process, I realized there is a good reason for draining the excess liquid daily. The actual dough is sitting at the bottom of the jar. I ended up with four big jars of liquid before I made that discovery *bangs head on desk* Also, a lot of the recipes I tried were just meh. It's definitely not a project I'll take on again. I'll probably stick with buying sourdough from a bakery.
3 Musketeers Coconut
3 Musketeers Coconut: Chocolate Coconut Flavored Center
"Whipped Up, Fluffy Chocolate Coconut Taste"
"Artificial Flavor"
While I was at Walgreens today, I noticed a stack of 3 Musketeers Coconut bars at the checkout counter. They are 69 cents; but if you have the ten cent off Walgreens coupon this week, it's only 59 cents. The cashier told me "oh no, you don't have to go get the coupon (from the stack of ads at the door); I've got one behind the counter for you." I was tempted to load up on several bars, but decided to just get one in case I didn't like the product.
This candy smelled just like an Almond Joy Bar or Mounds Bar. There was a soft chocolate coating over a chocolate coconut flavored nougat center. The outer layer is a very rich and pleasing milk chocolate. Definitely better tasting than the chocolate used in a regular 3 Musketeers bar. The wrapper only listed the filling as being coconut flavored, but I tasted coconut in the chocolate coating, too.
The chocolate coconut flavored center was delicious. Like the chocolate shell, the nougat filling was an upgrade from other 3 Musketeers bars. The nougat was softer, the chocolate taste was more realistic and the coconut flavor was present but not overpowering.
How does 3 Musketeers Coconut compare to Coconut M&Ms, Almond Joy and Russell Stover Coconut Cream Santas? 3 Musketeers Coconut has a milder coconut taste than Almond Joy; Almond Joy has a slight coconut oil aftertaste. 3 Musketeers Coconut has a stronger coconut flavor than Coconut M&Ms or Russell Stover Coconut Cream Santas. The chocolate shell of 3 Musketeers Coconut is less milky than Russell Stover or M&Ms, too.
Each package consists of two bars. Put together, they're the length of one regular 3 Musketeers Bar. Cut into smaller pieces, they're the size of four fun size Snickers candies.
3 Musketeers Coconut does not contain a layer of nuts, shredded coconut or caramel . Although I would love it even more if caramel or nuts were added! (ETA: The wrapper says "allergy information: may contain peanuts")
I was very pleased by 3 Musketeers Coconut. Normally I only eat 3 Musketeers if it's the last chocolate piece in a candy bowl vs a bunch of hard candies. But this has changed my mind. I will definitely buy 3 Musketeers Coconut again!
"Whipped Up, Fluffy Chocolate Coconut Taste"
"Artificial Flavor"
While I was at Walgreens today, I noticed a stack of 3 Musketeers Coconut bars at the checkout counter. They are 69 cents; but if you have the ten cent off Walgreens coupon this week, it's only 59 cents. The cashier told me "oh no, you don't have to go get the coupon (from the stack of ads at the door); I've got one behind the counter for you." I was tempted to load up on several bars, but decided to just get one in case I didn't like the product.
This candy smelled just like an Almond Joy Bar or Mounds Bar. There was a soft chocolate coating over a chocolate coconut flavored nougat center. The outer layer is a very rich and pleasing milk chocolate. Definitely better tasting than the chocolate used in a regular 3 Musketeers bar. The wrapper only listed the filling as being coconut flavored, but I tasted coconut in the chocolate coating, too.
The chocolate coconut flavored center was delicious. Like the chocolate shell, the nougat filling was an upgrade from other 3 Musketeers bars. The nougat was softer, the chocolate taste was more realistic and the coconut flavor was present but not overpowering.
How does 3 Musketeers Coconut compare to Coconut M&Ms, Almond Joy and Russell Stover Coconut Cream Santas? 3 Musketeers Coconut has a milder coconut taste than Almond Joy; Almond Joy has a slight coconut oil aftertaste. 3 Musketeers Coconut has a stronger coconut flavor than Coconut M&Ms or Russell Stover Coconut Cream Santas. The chocolate shell of 3 Musketeers Coconut is less milky than Russell Stover or M&Ms, too.
Each package consists of two bars. Put together, they're the length of one regular 3 Musketeers Bar. Cut into smaller pieces, they're the size of four fun size Snickers candies.
3 Musketeers Coconut does not contain a layer of nuts, shredded coconut or caramel . Although I would love it even more if caramel or nuts were added! (ETA: The wrapper says "allergy information: may contain peanuts")
I was very pleased by 3 Musketeers Coconut. Normally I only eat 3 Musketeers if it's the last chocolate piece in a candy bowl vs a bunch of hard candies. But this has changed my mind. I will definitely buy 3 Musketeers Coconut again!
