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I recently vacationed in the U.S. Virgin Islands and enjoyed drinking fun, fruity cocktails throughout the week. Thus, I was happy to accept an offer to review Beach Cocktails: Pours, Drinks, Sips, and Bites ($21.99, Gibbs Smith), edited by Allyson ...

New items at KFC, Pizza Hut

May 5th, 2013

DSC00389KFC is reportedly spending $50 million to market its new original recipe boneless chicken (a 10-piece mixed bucket is $14.99). I admit, I do like the commercials that show people thinking that they’ve accidentally eaten the bones.

The boneless chicken comes in both white and dark meat. After eating a piece of each kind, I concluded that the chicken is good but not great. Despite the so-called original recipe flavoring, it’s much different than eating a regular piece of original recipe chicken. The skin is too thin and you really lose that fried-chicken goodness.

Put another way, if I wanted to eat chicken tenders–which is pretty much what the boneless are like–then I’d order chicken tenders. It doesn’t help that KFC asks you what kind of dipping sauce you want for your boneless chicken.

***

2013-04-20 17.09.37Pizza Hut loves experimenting with crusts. First we saw the Stuffed Crust Pizza, then the Cheesy Bites Pizza, then the Double Deep Pizza (remember the rolled-over crust?) and now the Crazy Cheesy Crust Pizza ($12.99 for a single topping). It’s like the Cheesy Bites version in that you’re supposed to pull off the crust to eat separately, but the cheese is not rolled up in the dough this time.

Out of the aforementioned kinds, this was my favorite. The circular crusts hold a cheese-blend made up of provolone, asiago, mozzarella, fontina and mild white cheddar. It’s got so much flavor that I wish the rest of the pizza had the same blend. I would probably order this again.

The new pizza was launched in early April and will stick around for up to three months.

The art of the grilled cheese sandwich

April 27th, 2013

I’ve probably eaten more grilled cheese sandwiches this month than I typically do in an entire year, but I have good reason: it’s Grilled Cheese Month.

Earlier this month I was invited to a “Grilled Cheese Happy Hour” put on by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. I enjoyed fantastic combinations such as Red Rock and Swiss Cheese with Green Tomato Jam and Serrano Ham as well as the Holland’s Family Mature Gouda and Blue Cheese with Cayenne Pepper and Kraut. Many of these recipes came from bloggers, chefs and even consumers. (Download or submit your own at the Grilled Cheese Academy.)

Assuming the average consumer doesn’t have all these wonderful ingredients, I asked Heather Porter Engwall, director of national product communications for the Milk Marketing Board, for some advice on improving the standard grilled cheese sandwich.

Porter Engwall recommends experimenting with ingredients you have in your kitchen, such as guacamole, red peppers or leftover chicken. Most times adding sweet or savory items can really boost the flavor.

Regarding the cheese, ones with low moisture such as Havarti, Fontina, mozzarella and cheddar melt better than high moisture cheeses such as blue and ricotta. Shredding the cheese also helps it melt more quickly. And let’s not forget the bounty our state provides.

“You always have access to great cheese here in Wisconsin,” Porter Engwall said. Yes, yes we do.

Finally, “slow and low” is the best method for cooking your sandwich, meaning use a low heat setting on your stove top. This helps prevent the sandwich from burning while making sure the contents inside melt.

Thoughts on gorging

April 21st, 2013

I laughed so hard after comedian Louis C.K. described his bad eating habits: “The meal is not over when I’m full! The meal is over when I hate myself.” Haven’t we all been there?

Not too long after that, I watched the L.A. Beast chug six bottles of syrup. Check it out:

For your reference, each bottle has 2,520 calories, 624 grams of carbs and 1,440 mg of sodium. So he actually consumed 15,120 calories–not 7,000 as he said–in about two minutes. L.A. Beast then joked that he would have to go to the hospital. He’s not too far from the the need.

A couple years ago, two ABC News reporters ate 6,190 calories in one meal to see what would happen to their bodies. The doctors showed how their arteries narrowed right after the meal and continued that way for six hours. Of course, eating like this regularly can cause heart attacks.

Meanwhile, Fit Watch says that a sudden spike in your blood sugar levels can result in the loss of lean body mass (muscle), and that overeating increases the size of your fat cells.

So basically, gorging yourself in one sitting is really bad for you. At least binge drinking is okay, right?

    Madison Symphony Orchestra Urban Air

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