May 30, 2008Freaky Friday!I'm about six hours away from vacation, and I've just about finished all the work I needed to do before I leave. Needless to say, I'm in a giddy mood. As a result, I decided to dedicate this blog entry to a few odd new products and some of the weirdest cookbooks I've received of late. 
We'll start out with Kraft's new brainchild, Macaroni & Cheese crackers. The box you see here came shipped in a much larger box that, when opened, made crunching noises. I swear it's true. We tried the crackers and found them to be rather good, actually. They are a bit like noodle-shaped Cheez-Its with a powdery cheese coating on the outside. Within a half hour, they had been polished off by two of my co-workers. On the other hand, it was about 4 p.m. in the afternoon, which is generally munchie-time in the Features Department. Next up: Those crazy kids over at McCormick are at it again. This time, they've developed new black pepper blends that are infused with the flavors of Worchestershire or Smokehouse, depending on which you choose. 
McCormick recommends the Smokehouse flavoring for burgers and the Worchestershire blend for steak. They even include a marinade recipe on the back of the Worchestershire blend: 3 Tbsp. each of oil, water and red wine vinegar, mixed with 2 tsp. each of the pepper and minced onions and 1/2 tsp. of salt. Sounds pretty good! Not to be left out, the folks at KFC have developed a new flavor called Smoky Chipotle Crispy Fried Chicken. It is only the third flavor to be introduced at KFC since the restaurant was founded 65 years ago, a spokeswoman said. 
Continue reading "Freaky Friday!" » May 1, 2008So healthy it's inedible
Brothers-All-Natural sent me a box of samples yesterday, which I immediately dug into. The freeze-dried Fuji apple crisps were pretty tasty, with a crunchy, puffy texture and a sweet, natural apple flavor. But when I broke into their "newest innovation," the "first-ever freeze-dried potato chips," you should've seen the look on my face. In order to verify my own opinion, I shared them with a few co-workers. It turns out that what Brothers-All-Natural describes as a "fresh from the farmstand flavor," my colleague Tad actually described as "what you would imagine potatoes would taste like after they have begun to rot in some dank place." Wow. What an endorsement. I guess my thought is this: While I appreciate food manufacturers' efforts to produce healthier versions of unhealthy favorites, I don't think these foods need to veer so far into the "healthy" sphere that they no longer even taste good. Eat an apple. April 30, 2008McCormick does it again
The blends come in three flavors: French onion, pepper and herb; Italian herb and cheese and garlic, lemon and rosemary. The blends are used for creating a tasty crust on chicken, fish, pork or beef. I pried mine open and took a wiff and it smelled pretty good. Since I've been covering food, I've noticed that the McCormick folks always seem to be riding the wave of the latest trend in spices. I know that's their job, but I have grown to appreciate the way they try to bring gourmet spice options to the grocery store at a fairly affordable price for everyday cooks. First, they had the smoked paprika everyone's using. Then, they introduced a line of gourmet salts and salt blends. I have some of their French grey salt and Mediterranean spiced sea salt in my cabinet at home. Panko is an extremely popular breading ingredient these days, so I'm not surprised to see this product. I do think that at 6.5 oz., the containers are a little small. How many chicken breasts do you suppose that'll coat? When I tasted a pinch of the Italian herb and cheese, I noticed that it is quite pungent. Perhaps one could mix the crusting blend with a little plain panko to stretch it further. If anyone tries one of these blends, please let us know what you think! April 11, 2008Hallelujah: It's grilling time!
My husband would say that if it isn't raining, sleeting or snowing, it's ALWAYS grilling time. But let's face it -- it sure is a lot more enjoyable when the breeze is warm and the air smells like freshly cut grass (and whatever you're cooking). This season, you might want to try out a new product from the makers of Weber grills. I guess they figured that if they can make grills well, they might as well try making grilling spices. They've also got some powdered marinade mixes like the Southern Whiskey Marinade, which I assume will be sold with the other powdered seasoning mixes. Another neat addition to your grilling accessories this year is a cookbook called "The New Vegetarian Grill" by Andrea Chesman, which includes 250 recipes for meat-free grill dishes. I know it can seem a little odd to fire up the grill if you don't have a big, fat sirloin or some brats waiting in the fridge. But when I took a grilling class at Hotel Roanoke last year, I realized how many wonderful, meat-free dishes can be made on the grill. Even if you just want to cook a side dish along with the meat without heating up the stove, it's an option. March 28, 2008Do you like biscuits? Who doesn't!?
Some would say that if you don't like biscuits, you just aren't a true Southerner. March 19, 2008How many licks...?
Well, after I received a press package from the Tootsie Roll company, a few of us back in the Features department reminisced about that commercial. Of course, in typical Features style, the conversation quickly veered off course to why owls would know how many licks it takes, if owls even have tongues, that owls usually eat mice and then...well, I'll just stop there. Back on subject, the Tootsie Roll folks have rolled out a new product called Tootsie Drops. The drops are basically miniature versions of a Tootsie Roll Pop except without the schtick...er, stick! The round, lozenge-sized hard candies have a tiny Tootsie Roll center and come in pouches with about 20 candies per pouch. March 4, 2008Sucker and puckerWhat will they think of next? I'm not sure I really want to know.  February 20, 2008Taking a stand against cancer
As a little kid in Leadville, Colorado, we had the perfect spot for a lemonade stand. January 15, 2008Sweets for your sweetie
Yesterday, I received a press package from Choclatique gourmet chocolates. Included was a box of four chocolates, but when I lifted the lid, there remained only one. Photo: http://www.choclatique.com/ December 3, 2007Loco for peanut butter
Of course, I wouldn't voluntarily choose to ignore any kind of peanut butter because it's probably one of my favorite flavors, particularly when incorporated into a delicious peanut butter cookie or peanut butter pie. Mmmmmm. I just don't understand people who don't like peanut butter -- like my husband. What's the deal? The P.B. Loco Dark Chocolate Duo and a jar of Sunland Banana Peanut Butter Spread turned up in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago. But after sampling the two and sharing them with some co-workers, I shoved the jars in my desk drawer and temporarily forgot about them. But then, this weekend, I was wandering through the grocery store looking for queso dip ingredients when I passed a table and a woman offering samples of...you guessed it, chocolate and banana peanut butter. October 9, 2007My Peeps
But most folks I've talked to don't really like Peeps. They say they're sickeningly sweet, that sort of thing. I will admit that I used to eat Peeps every Easter. And my sister is a Peeps fanatic. Amazingly, they are still finding new reasons to manufacture Peeps. Here you see the newest creation from the Peeps dungeon: Halloween Peeps. See how they come in pumpkin, mummy and ghost shapes? To me, the mummy Peep looks exactly like a character out of Scooby Doo. I have placed the candy corn there as a size reference. As you can see, these spooky Peeps are smaller and thinner than typical Peeps. They also come individually wrapped, but I extracted them from the wrappers for photos. I have taste-tested these Peeps and I find that for some reason, the ghost Peep tastes a little better than the rest, as if it has more vanilla in it. The pumpkin Peep was a bit tasteless. My stomach hurts. September 20, 2007Spread the (edible) word
Just imagine the possibilities: birthdays, soccer meets, Christmas, July 4th, St. Patty's Day, Valentine's Day, you name it! August 17, 2007Pickled pinkEw. Just....ew. July 17, 2007Uhhhh....ew?
July 16, 2007Chex in the mailMy co-worker, Pete, contemplates the ratio of Chocolate Chex to non-Chocolate Chex in this particular box. 
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