Food Review #22 Horizon Organic Eggnog

Now, we at All Natural Food Zone usually favor organic versions of classic products, such as cheese, milk, flour, etc. We thought it would be good to try Horizon Organic Eggnog. We were shocked when we tried it. Honestly, this stuff is terrible, it has a strange under taste(which is really hard to describe), it tastes a little watered down, and it tastes like it has artificial eggnog flavor in it(although it doesn't have the artificial eggnog flavor, which is weird). Also, it didn't taste as though it had any spices in it, which not common. This eggnog did not taste good at all, but it was low-fat, and it was organic. I was very disappointed in this product, as usually Horizon Organic makes great-tasting products, this was not one of them. Final score?
A 3.5 out of 10

Mountain Dew Throwback Cupcakes

Earlier this year, we did a href="http://allnaturalfoodzone.blogspot.com/2011/02/food-review-7-mountain-dew-throwback.html">review on Mountain Dew Throwback. And soda cupcakes have been very popular these days. But many sodas
have HFCS, but luckily Mountain Dew Throwback is sweetened with real sugar! So here's our recipe for Mountain Dew Cupcakes! We hope you you enjoy it!

Mountain Dew Throwback Cupcakes:
1 cup organic butter (2 sticks)
2 cups organic sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup Mountain Dew (Throwback preferred)
1/4 cup of lemon and lime juice (juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime)
zest from 1 lemon and 2 limes (separated into 2 piles, one for buttercream)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Beat butter on medium for 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar and lemon, lime zest. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, Scrape sides of bowl in between additions
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to mixer bowl. Turn on low for 5 seconds.
5. Add the Mountain Dew Throwback, lemon and lime juice, and lemon extract . Mix to combine.
5. Scoop into cupcake papers about two-thirds full.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Mountain Dew Buttercream
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4-5 cups organic powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Mountain Dew(Throwback preferred)
Juice from half of 1 lemon and half of 1 lime.
Lemon and lime zest (rest of zest from cupcake recipe. Or zest from half of 1 lemon and 1 whole lime)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
neon green food coloring (yellow and blue if you dont have green)

1. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment
2. Beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy.
3. Add half of the sugar, turn mixer on low for 5 seconds.
4. Add the Mountain Dew Throwback, zest, and lemon extract . Beat until combined.
5. Add food coloring to the desired color.
6. Gradually add remaining sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

Italian Style Chicken Sticks

Mmm, chicken. But what about chicken on sticks! There are many foods on
sticks such as popsicles, kabobs, lollipops, and cake pops. It's a big trend now, and we thought how about combining chicken, and food on sticks, to make chicken sticks! But how about make them Italian-style! So here's the recipe for them! We hope you like it!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts (3 to 4)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs (organic preferred.)
1 cup Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Unsalted butter
Regular good-quality olive oil
Bamboo skewers (6 to 10 inches long) or ice-cream sticks

Directions:

Wash chicken in hot water. Pound chicken to an even thickness. Cut fat off(if there is any.) Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and slice each diagonally into 4 or 5 large strips.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water on a second plate. Combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan on a third plate. Dredge the chicken breasts on both sides in the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and roll in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly to coat.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook the chicken strips on medium-low heat for about 3 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Don't crowd the pan. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Serve each strip on a skewer or stick.
You can keep the chicken breasts warm for about 15 minutes on a sheet pan in a preheated 200 degree F oven.

Food Review #21 Kettle Brand TIAS! Zesty Ranch Tortilla Chips

Goodbye Doritos! Thats what you will be saying once you try Kettle Brand TIAS! Zesty Ranch Tortilla Chips. The taste of these leave Doritos in the dust! And so do the ingredients, these chips are 62% organic ingredients. And have no MSG, and contain no GMO ingredients. These chips have lots of flavor, and lots of the ranch powder. Much, much, more than Doritos Ranch flavor. And have more powder that the TIAS Nacho Cheese Variety. These are delicious, and would be great for a picnic, to pack in a lunch, to eat while watching the game, or while watching a movie, or just as an anytime snack. But be warned, these aren't just any old boring snack! These chips have great taste and because of that I give Kettle Brand TIAS! Zesty Ranch Tortilla Chips a... 10!

Food Review #20 Kettle Brand TIAS! Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips

We tried the new Kettle Brand TIAS! Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips and they're good, but not just good but great! This chips are 62% organic and
use organic corn. And the taste! Oh the taste! They taste so great! Think Doritos on steroids! And these have no MSG! They have a lot of cheese flavor deliciously paired with tomato, cilantro, and jalepeno. After you taste these you will never buy Doritos again! These are great to eat during a movie, at a party, or while watching the game. These are also great just as a snack. Although when we got them we just had to get an extra bag because they are so delicious! But our testers believed that they needed just a pinch more seasoning. But that was the only complaint. Other than that these were delicious! So we give Kettle Brand TIAS! Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips a 9.5! Be sure to watch out for more reviews, recipes, and

Food Review #19 Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby Ice Cream

Sometimes you want something sweet. But not only sweet but also salty well this is your ice cream when you are craving sweet and salty food! This ice cream has vanilla malt ice cream, with fudge covered peanut butter pretzels, with fudge and peanut butter swirls! This ice cream is very good and it's become one of my favorites! I really recommend this and you should try it! I give this this ice cream a 10! Be sure to watch for our new articles!

Food Review #18 Ben & Jerry's Milk and Cookies

 It is ice cream season! So its time to review some ice cream! This ice cream is vanilla ice cream with chocolate cookie swirl. chocolate chip & chocolate chocolate cookies. This ice cream is delicious! And it has Fair-Trade Vanilla and Cocoa in it. This ice cream is so great it tastes like cookies and milk one-hundred times better. Because of all these reasons I give Ben & Jerry's Milk & Cookies Ice Cream a 10!

Food Review #17 Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade

It's lemonade season!!!!! Lemonade is great to drink during the summer months and usually tastes OK, but most brands of lemonade have bad ingredients in them such as HFCS, artificial colors, and more. Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade is a different story. This lemonade tastes great! It is all natural and organic! It has no bad ingredients, chemicals, or HFCS! I love this lemonade, and always drink it during the summer months. I highly recommend it and encourage you to try it! And for all of these reasons I give Santa Cruz Lemonade a 10!

Fish & Chips

  Did you really think we would end British Month without fish & chips. Well as the British say "Bloody Hell" we would never have British Month and not have fish & chips. In fact we will have 3 recipes, regular, beer-battered, and milk batter. Here is my favorite recipe for regular fish & chips!

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 4 large russet potatoes
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 12 ounces seltzer
• 1/2 cup rice flour, for dredging
• 2 (8-ounce) cod or haddock fillets, cut in 1/2 on an angle
• Malt vinegar, for serving
• Tartar Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Heat 3-inches of the oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees F. Alternately, heat 3-inches of oil in a deep pot.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into chips, about the size of your index finger. Put the potatoes in the oil. Fry the chips for 2 to 3 minutes; they should not be crisp or fully cooked at this point. Remove the chips with a spider strainer or slotted spoon, to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.
Crank the oil temperature up to 375 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and egg. Pour in the soda water and whisk to a smooth batter. Spread the rice flour on a plate. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour and then dip them into the batter, letting the excess drip off.
Put the chips in the bottom of the fryer basket and carefully submerge in the hot oil. Carefully wave the battered fish into the bubbling oil before dropping them in on top of the chips. Fry the fish and chips for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and brown. Remove the basket and drain the fish and chips on paper towels; season lightly with salt. Serve wrapped in a newspaper cone with malt vinegar and/or tartar sauce.

Tartar Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon chopped gherkins or cornichons
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 juiced lemon
Dash of hot sauce

In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Chill before serving.

Chicken Charlie's Deep-Fried Kool-Aid Balls



Chicken Charlie's Fried Kool-Aid Balls.

 As you might know a place called Chicken Charlie's is at the San Diego County Fair. And they are serving many deep-fried foods, but the most famous of them are the deep-fried Kool-aid balls. Here on this site we are not going to just have 1 recipe for these, but 2! I recommend using sweetened Kool aid powder, but not the sugar-free variety(because it's not all natural or natural, and tastes gross.) Here's the first recipe:

 Fried Kool-Aid Balls Recipe #1



Recipe #1

Ingredients:- Vegetable oil (for frying)
- 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sweetened Kool-Aid (We like orange)
-  3 eggs
- 1/4 cup of organic sugar (If you want it sweeter? You can just add more)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 cups organic milk
- 3 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour

Optional
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Optional
- 1 teaspoon milk chocolate (melted)
Optional
- 1 teaspoon honey

Make the batter by beating the eggs and sugar together. Gradually add the milk and dry ingredients, including the optional ones. Cook in hot vegetable oil (in a deep-fryer)until golden brown (a few minutes, depending on heat). Take out of oil, then let them cool on a plate lined with paper towels or a wire rack for a few minutes, then enjoy! 



Recipe #2

 Fried Kool-Aid Balls Recipe #2

Ingredients:
-1 cup organic sugar
-1 3/4 teaspoons nutmeg
-1 1/4 teaspoons salt
-3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
-3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-2 tablespoons liquid shortening (or vegetable oil)
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-2 eggs, beaten
-1 cup milk(organic preferred.)
-1 package any flavor sweetened Kool-Aid mix (small packet)
-3 cups all-purpose flour

Kool-Aid Icing:
-1 package favorite Kool-Aid mix (small packet)
-2 cups organic powdered sugar
-1 -2 tablespoon milk(organic preferred.)

Directions:

1. In large bowl, put dry ingredients together: sugar, spices, salt and baking powder.
2. Cut in shortening and vanilla then mix thoroughly with dry ingredients.
3. Slightly beat eggs. Add milk and pour into the center of the dry ingredients after making a small well in the middle.
4. Mix Kool-Aid and flour together then add to egg mixture. Mixture should be thick enough to scoop. If not, add more flour.
5. Heat oil in deep fryer. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop a scoop of Kool-Aid Ball dough into the hot oil.
6. Fry in oil until they float to the top and turn a nice  golden brown. They will have a slight colored tint to them depending on the Kool-Aid flavor
7. Remove and place on either a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels to drain oil.
8. Ice while warm with Kool-Aid icing.

And if you have any other recipes for these, let us know and post a comment or email them to us at:mailto:Allnaturalfoodzone@gmail.com

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire pudding is a classic English side dish. These are great to serve with roast beef or chicken, but are also very good with other things as well. This is a great recipe and you can make these in a pie pan, muffin pan, cast-iron skillet, or square baking dish. This is a very easy recipe to make and can use the drippings from the roast beef, chicken or prime rib. This a great dish and it tastes great!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup pan drippings from roast beef, chicken or prime rib

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift together the flour and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, beat together the eggs and milk until light and foamy. Stir in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Pour the drippings into a 9-inch pie pan, cast iron skillet, square baking dish, or 12-count muffin pan. Put the pan in oven and get the drippings smoking hot. Carefully take the pan out of the oven and pour in the batter. Put the pan back in oven and cook until puffed and dry, 15 to 20 minutes

English Shortbread

Shortbread is a classic English and Scottish biscuit(cookie). It is delicious, and is great to eat any time of the year; and especially in the holiday season! Below is a great recipe for the biscuits. And if you would like to make more of these biscuits(cookies), just double or triple the recipe!

 Ingredients: 

   

~1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

~1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

~1 tsp. vanilla extract   

~1/4 tsp. salt

~1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

~Additional confectioners' sugar(organic reccomended) (optional)
~1/4 tsp. salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Blend in the vanilla extract and salt. Lower the speed and mix in the flour.
2.  Shape the dough into a disc and place it between 2 large pieces of waxed paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough between the waxed paper until it is about 8 inches in diameter. If the dough is too soft, refrigerate or freeze it for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper.
3. Using a plate slightly smaller than the dough as your guide, trim off the uneven edge of the dough with a sharp knife and discard.
4. Invert the circle of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. With the tines of a fork, form a decorative border around the outside edge of the circle. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the circle into 8 or 12 wedges.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the edges of the shortbread start to brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Using a large, sharp knife, retrace the cuts previously made.
6. After the shortbread cools completely. If desired, dust the top of the shortbread with confectioners' sugar. To store in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze. Makes 8 to 12 cookies

        

  

English Sticky Toffee Pudding

English Sticky Toffee Pudding

Below is a great recipe for sticky toffee pudding. In fact it is my favorite recipe for the dessert. Sticky toffee pudding is a quintessentially English dessert. I hope you enjoy the following recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup pitted dates
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Toffee Sauce:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round or square baking dish. Sift the flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper. Chop the dates fine. Place in a small bowl and add the boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a bowl of electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until blended. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the date mixture to the batter and fold until blended with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until pudding is set and firm on top, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack. Toffee Sauce: Combine the butter, heavy cream and brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil gently over medium low heat until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Preheat broiler. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the sauce over the pudding. Spread evenly on top. Place pudding under the broiler until the topping is bubbly, about 1 minute. Serve immediately spooned into dessert bowls. Drizzle with toffee sauce and top with a spoonful of whipped cream.

English Month!

MInstead of our usual food of the week; we decided to go with something a little different. This week is going to be all about English food, drink and more. The reason for this change? The royal wedding of course. Prince William of Wales began dating Kate Middleton in 2003 when they were both attending St. Andrews University in Scotland. They had an on and off relationship, and in October 2010 Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton in Kenya. On November 16 2010, Clarence House announced that the couple had become engaged. And on this Friday, April 29 they will be married at Westminster Abbey in London.

There are many misconceptions about English food. The main one being that it is terrible. That used to be the case but now it much better! Many chefs have updated English food classics: and made them taste much better. There is also English fusion food too. This week we'll go through many of these English food and drinks. One of these classic English dishes is fish and chips, one of the most famous and iconic English dishes. Which will be one of the recipes featured this week.

Also in England, many people drink tea. And many people hold tea parties. At the tea parties they drink tea and eat scones with clotted cream, and tea sandwiches. Tea sandwiches are small triangle shaped sandwiches with the crust cut off and are usually filled with smoked salmon, dill,and cream cheese, or cucumber, or watercress. We will also have recipes for scones, tea sandwiches, and much more. Check in all this week for recipes and more!
Update:
Instead of this being English Week, It'll be English Month instead. Along with English food and drinks, we will try to fit in so American food as well.

Food Review #16 Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

This review is on Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream. Don't we all love ice cream! Vanilla ice cream is an all-time favorite of many people. And many people love cookies. So what's better than having both of those together in a creation called chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. I think we've all had cookie dough ice cream, I know I've have. Much ice cream has corn syrup in it. This ice cream does not. This ice cream has a great taste. It is very rich though, so try not to eat the whole pint in one serving.( although it tastes so good it is hard not to.) This great ice cream, and I highly recommend it. This ice cream has some fair-trade ingredients too; such as fairtrade chocolate. This ice cream also has huge gobs of cookie dough in it as well, which are great. I'd have to say, this ice cream is my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream of all time. This ice cream gets a 10, because of it's great taste, fair-trade ingredients, and huge gobs of cookie dough.

Sorry I Haven't Posted For a While

Sorry guys that I haven't posted for a while. The reason why I didn't post anything was because I had the flu. I hate the flu, I've had it twice this year. I'm half Greek and much of my Greek family believes that rice pudding makes you feel better. And sure enough it did.(and with the help of tylenol, mucinex, and the all-time classic, chicken soup.) But luckily, I'm not sick any more!

Food of The Week: Ice Cream

Mmm, ice cream it is a favorite desert for many and

around the world. There are many different kinds of ice cream some of the most popular are soft-serve, sundae, banana split, gelato, and regular ice cream. I love ice cream it is great and it is even better if it has better ingredients in it. Many brands of ice cream put many bad ingredients in their ice cream such as H.F.C.S, Corn Syrup, Propelene Glycol(used in car anti-freeze), antibiotics, and hormones. At some dairy farms they give their cows growth hormones and antibiotics. Both of which are not good for people when consumed in dairy products such as ice cream. I like to buy all natural or organic ice cream. But if you are a vegan(or not), there are many alternatives to regular dairy ice cream such as soy ice cream, rice ice cream, almond ice cream, and hemp ice cream. 



Freeze-dried astronaut ice cream sandwich. 



There's many different kinds of dairy ice cream as well such as organic, all natural, fair-trade, and local. You can also make your own homemade ice cream which is very fun to make and is usually more delicious. I remember the first time I made homemade ice cream it was vanilla; but it didn't turn out that well. It had a lot of ice crystals in it. There were a few reasons for that happening, first my fridge wasn't as good as the one that I have



Ew, spleen and artichoke ice cream. Andrew

Zimmern ate this in Italy.



now, and I think that I had my freezer too high. But with a little practice, I am now a pro at making ice cream. There are many delicious, decadent flavors of of ice cream, but what about the weird, unusual ones? Well here are some, squid ink, fish, chili pepper, garlic, spaghetti, chicken wing, cheese, caviar, salad, spleen & artichoke, octopus, and horse flesh. Yuk!

But then there are the basic flavors vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint, cookies & cream, cookie dough, peanut butter cup, moose tracks, neapolitan, mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip, and pistachio. There are many different ways to make ice cream you can make it in a regualar ice cream machine, flash freeze it with liquid nitrogen, or make regular ice cream and freeze-dry it just the astronauts have it. Of course most people probably do not have liquid nitrogen or a freeze-drying machine ready-to-use at their disposal.



Cookie dough "dippin dots".



There is also a dot shaped kind of ice cream called "Dippin Dots". Dippin Dots are small dot shaped balls of ice cream. They come in many flavors such as coockie dough(pictured below), cookies and cream, bubble gum, chocolate, and vanilla. Ice cream is very popular in the US and around the world. When manned spaceflight first started, astornauts wanted to be able to eat ice cream in space; and so they invented freeze-dried ice cream. Hence the common name, "Astronaut Ice Cream". Why couldn't they just eat regular ice cream in space; because it would expire quickly, and may be hazardous in space.

Historians estimate that ice cream was invented in the 4th century B.C. However King Tang of China had a method of making ice and milk concoctions. It was probably brought to Europe from China. English settlers brought ice cream to the US and it quickly became popular. Then the first ice cream parlor in the US opened in the 1776 in New York City. Then a while later the ice cream cone was invented and debuted at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

Overall ice cream is a great dessert and many people in the US and around the world(and in space.) love it and enjoy it very much. Whether your have a organic soft serve or your have a soy ice cream sandwich; you are still having one of the best desserts available on Earth and beyond.





Buttermilk Fried Chicken



My buttermilk fried chicken recipe.

   Mmm, fried chicken. One of the best comfort foods around. Below is one of my favorite and most used recipes for fried chicken. This recipe was top secret and is the first time ever revealed.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast 
• Kosher salt, to taste, plus 2 tsp.
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste, plus 1 tsp.
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 to 3 Tbs. Tabasco sauce (according to taste, if you like it mild have 1 or 2 Tbs, and if you like it spicier use 3 Tbs.) 
• 6 cups canola oil
• 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 Tbs of cayenne powder

Directions:

Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Then cut the fat off, and if the chicken is thick slice it to make it thinner. Place on a dish or cutting board while you make the buttermilk mixture.

In a bowl, combine the buttermilk, cayenne, and Tabasco and pour over the chicken, coating all the pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Place the chicken in a colander and let the excess buttermilk drain off. Reserve the buttermilk, for dipping the chicken a second time.

In a deep cast-iron fry pan or deep fryer over medium-high heat, heat the oil to 350°F. Preheat an oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, the 2 tsp. salt, the 1 tsp. pepper and the paprika. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Then dip the chicken in the buttermilk mixture, then the flour mixture.

Place half of the chicken in the oil and fry, turning often and maintaining the oil temperature at 325°F, until the chicken is cooked through. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Serves 4.

Food of the Week: Fried Chicken



Red velvet fried chicken served with garlic cream cheese

mashed potatoes.



Buttermilk fried chicken frying in a pan.



Mmm, fried chicken; one of the best tasting comfort foods available. Fried chciken tastes great, it is usually crispy, with a thin crust. There are many different types of fried chicken such as southern fried, buttermilk, oven-fried, and even red velvet! There are many different types of fried chicken. Fried chicken is served in most countries all over the world. Suprisingly fried chicken did not originate in the US; it in fact orIginated in China; and was brought to the US by Scottish immigrants who settled in the southeastern US. In Scotland fried chicken was originally cooked in fat; not oil like most people do today. When fried chicken was brought to the US, African slaves made fried chicken with much more flavor and spices than the origian lversion. And that new version became the cbase for many fried chicken recipes we know today. Fried chicken is great; and there are many ways to get it, you can buy it from a store, make it yourself, eat it a resturant, and eat it at a fast food chain. One of those major fast food chains, KFC, has seen much conflixct there are many claims that they abuse and neglet their animals. PETA had a campaign against KFC becuase of the allegations. I would never eat KFC fried chicken; I have tried and did not like it at all. After I tried it for the first and last time, I felt sick and nauseous. And so I will never eat it again.



KFC buck of fried chicken(Ewww!)



Whenever I make fried chicken, I always buy free range, organic, local, and always humanly raised. Much chicken has antibiotics, and may not be humanly raised. I reccomend buying free range, or organic, or local, or humanely raised chicken. Overall fried chicken can be and is a great comfort food as long as you make it with good ingredients. And for a healthier option you can make it oven-fried. Over this week there will be many fried chicken recipes and more!





Food Review #15 Pepsi Throwback

This food review is on Pepsi Throwback. Oh Pepsi, don't you love the taste of it but not the ingredients.

Well regular Pepsi has bad ingredients such as H.F.C.S, artificial flavors, coloring, preservatives, and more. But Pepsi Throwback has no H.C.F.S, and instead is sweetened with natural sugar. And it has natural flavors. Pepsi Throwback also have a great taste; that tastes much better than regular Pepsi. Pepsi Throwback also has a interesting retro packaging which we liked. It has a full-bodied flavor; and is cola with integrity and tastes like cola should. Pepsi Throwback comes in 2-liter, 20 oz single serve bottle, and 12 pack cans.(may come in different sizes in different areas.) I love the taste of this soda and it is great over ice, as a cola float, and really any other way there is. And kids really love this soda too! Overall Pepsi Throwback gets a 10, because its sweetened with natural sugar, flavored with natural flavors, it tastes great any way you have it, and has great flavor and tastes like cola should.

Food Review #14 Nature's Path Cherry Pomergran Frosted Toaster Pastry

This food review is on Nature's Path Cherry Pomergran Frosted Toaster Pastry. Oh toaster pastries they are very easy to make: all you have to do is pop them in the toaster and eat them. Pop tarts are a popular brand of toaster pastries but are not good since they don't have good, wholesome, organic, or even natural ingredients. These toaster pastries are great! And they are all natural and organic. These toaster pastries also have a great fresh pomegranate taste, with the taste of cherry. These also have a great frosting which is speckled with sprinkles. These also have many antioxidants because of the pomegranate and cherry. These are great toasted and they are great not toasted too. Overall  Nature's Path Cherry Pomergran Frosted Toaster Pastry gets a 10, for great taste, great health benefit, and wholesome 100% organic ingredients.

Food Review #13 Whole Foods 365 Duplex Sandwich Creme Cookies

This food review is on Whole Foods 365 Duplex Sandwich Creme Cookies. Everyone knows Oreos but Oreos have bad ingredients; and are not all natural. These cookies are quite good. I always love chocolate chocolate sandwich cremes and I love vanilla sandwich cremes. So what's better than having both of those flavors together in 1 cookie! These cookies have a great, rich flavor. These cookies are also a great snack. They're great with milk, split in half, the normal way that they come in, and many other ways. These are great as a lunch snack, midnight snack, and much more. These cookies are great and kids love them too (and so do kids of all ages)! Overall Whole Foods 365 Duplex Sandwich Creme Cookies get a 10 for their great taste, the fact that they're all natural, all of the different ways to eat them, and kids of all ages love them too!

Food Review #12 Amy's Organic Gluten Free Non-Dairy (Vegan) Chocolate Cake

This is a review of Amy's Organic Gluten Free Dairy Free(Vegan) Chocolate Cake. I was very surprised by this cake; and pleasantly surprised at that. I thought that this cake would be so-so. But was I wrong! This cake was great; it has a rich, and very chocolaty flavor. It has a great texture and is not mushy or anything like that at all. It was not dry; but moist (which I love.) You can heat up the cake(like we did) on 200 degrees F or another very low temperate for about 4-5 minutes(may vary with different ovens or toaster oven; we used a gas oven.)

It heats up best in an oven or toaster oven. This is a great cake. And a great alternative to cake with dairy and gluten. This cake also is 100% organic! And kids love it! This cake was great; but the only thing which I would like added to it is frosting. But the frosting thing is not that bad; and if you really want frosting on this cake, you can make some. This cake did not have any other things that we did not like. It was really great and I highly recommend this cake. Overall Amy's Organic Gluten Free Dairy Free(Vegan) Chocolate Cake gets a 10 because of it's great taste, it's organic, all natural, gluten-free, and vegan, great texture, and kids love it.

Food Review #12 SpringTree Grade A Pure Maple Syrup

SpringTree Grade A Pure Maple Syrup is all natural. It is great for pancakes, french toast, waffles, and much more! It has a great, sweet, rich taste. I also like the look of the glass bottle. One of my favorite ways to use this is with buckwheat pancakes with a little bit of butter on top. This maple syrup is one of my favorites; and I really like it. Overall SpringTree Grade A Pure Maple Syrup gets a 10, because of it's great taste, versatility, and the glass bottle.

I Can Cook Again!

I just got my huge cast taken off. Now I just have to wear a guard. But guess what? I can cook! I couldn't cook when my arm was broken. But now I can! I'm going to start cooking probably tonight!

Food Review #11 Hodgson Mill Buckwheat Pancake Mix

Hodgson Mill Buckwheat Pancake Mix is great. I use it very often(that's right I use pancake mix). But I usually do not use mixes for food but, this mix I do. It is easy to make and delicious! Plus it's very healthy because it has buckwheat and whole wheat flour. Which are very good for your health. I love to have these made in a cast iron griddle, topped with organic maple syrup(I like many kinds of maple syrup, I love Vermont's maple syrup). But they're great any way you serve them. I highly reccomend these. And kids love them too! Overall Hodgson Mill Buckwheat Pancake Mix gets a 10! Because these taste delicious, are very healthy, and are a great breakfast, and are great for an Irish breakfast, or a Sunday brunch!

Food Of The Week: Pancakes

Mmm, breakfast. Many say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I agree. I love breakfast and it's one of my favorite meals; whether you have eggs & bacon, or oatmeal, you are having breakfast. There are many things that I love to have for breakfast, but the pancake tops them all. I love pancakes, they are similar to french toast, and their more fancier cousin, the waffle. Pancakes have many names such as flapjacks, griddlecakes, batter cakes, and other names. There are many different variations of pancakes around the world, and food that is like a pancake. There are a lot of different types of pancakes here are some of the main varieties, buttermilk, buckwheat, chocolate chip, blueberry, and much more. The American pancake was invented in the 1600's by Dutch settlers. The most common topping for pancakes is maple syrup, although a lot of people use "breakfast syrup", I do not. Why? Because, I'm used to maple syrup, and like the taste better; plus maple syrup is all natural. Maple syrup was also featured as one of our previous Food Of The Weeks. Buckwheat pancakes are my favorite type of pancakes, they taste great and are really healthy too. Plus most kids love them. Overall pancakes are delicious, and one of the best foods mankind ever invented.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Mmm chocolate. These brownies don't only have 1 type of chocolate, they have 3! The bittersweet, semisweet, and white chocolates. They are delicous; and a sure crowd pleaser. If you like chocolate then you will like this. Here's the recipe for these delicious triple chocolate brownies.

Triple Chocolate Brownies: 

Cooktime: 25 minutes Yield: 18 brownies

Ingredients

• 3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate
• 6 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white chocolate buttons, chips, or morsels
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate buttons, chips or morsels
• Approximately 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar, for garnish
• Special equipment: Baking tin (approximately 11 1/4 inches by 9 inches by 2 inches), sides and base lined with baking parchment.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.

Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in a large heavy based pan over a low heat.
In a bowl or large measuring jug, beat the eggs together with the superfine sugar and vanilla extract.

Allow the chocolate mixture to cool a little, then add the egg and sugar mixture and beat well. Fold in the flour and salt. Then stir in the white chocolate buttons or chips, and the semisweet chocolate buttons or chips. Beat to combine then scrape and pour the brownie mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake for about 25 minutes. You can see when the brownies are ready because the top dries to a slightly paler brown speckle, while the middle remains dark, dense and gooey. Even with such a big batch you do need to keep checking on it: the difference between gooey brownies and dry ones is only a few minutes. Remember, too, that they will continue to cook as they cool.

To serve, cut into squares while still warm and pile up on a large plate, sprinkling with confectioners' sugar pushed with a teaspoon through a small sieve

Ultimate Chocolate Deep-Fried Cheesecake

I know, I know, fried cheesecake it sounds a little crazy; and what does it have to do with chocolate? Well fried cheesecake isn't crazy it's delicous! And chocolate this fried cheesecake has plenty to do with chocolate because it has white chocolate, semisweet chocolate, and to top it all off chocolate syrup! I like to use Ah!Laska Organic Chocolate Syrup but theres other good brands out there too. Just don't get one with corn syrup. So this cheesecake has a lot to do with chocolate, and it's delicious!

Ultimate Chocolate Deep-Fried Cheesecake

Ingredients

Cheesecake:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 7 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 (4-ounce) bar white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

For Deep-Fried Rolls:

• Vegetable oil, as needed
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 30 Oriental spring roll wrappers
• 1 (4-ounce)/ 1/2 cup bar semisweet chocolate, chopped
• Powdered sugar, as needed
• 8-ounce/ 1 cup chocolate syrup in squirt bottle, for garnish
• Whipped cream, for garnish
• Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Spider spatula, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C.

Cheesecake:

In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, combine cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture firmly on bottom, and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes until crumbs become slightly golden in color. Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar and blend until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time and continue to beat until mixture becomes light, about 3 minutes. Stir in melted chocolate using a rubber spatula. Carefully pour batter into the prepared crust and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack. Chill for 8 hours before serving. Cut the cheesecake into uniform pieces approximately 3 by 1-inch in size. Do this 30 times.

Deep-Fried Cheesecake Rolls:

Heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F/ 185 degrees C.

Whisk 1 egg with 1 cup milk to make an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, lightly moisten each spring roll wrapper with the egg wash. Blot off excess egg wash with paper towel. Place each piece of cheesecake in the middle of a wrapper and sprinkle with the chopped chocolate. Fold top of wrapper down over the cheesecake, and both sides toward the center. Roll each piece of cheesecake toward you until it is completely rolled up making sure the roll is tightly packed with its edges sealed. Place powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Gently place rolls into the oil and cook until golden brown, for about 2 minutes. Using tongs or a spider, remove the golden-brown rolls from the oil and place each roll in a bowl of powdered sugar and coat well. Place deep-fried rolls on paper towels to cool slightly before serving.

Drizzle with chocolate sauce, top with whipped cream, and garnish with a mint leaf.

Chocolate Creme Brulee

I love chocolate. And I love creme brulee, so what do you get with chocolate and creme brulee? Chocolate creme brulee! Here is a recipe for some. This recipe will knock your socks off!

Chocolate Creme Brulee

 

Ingredients

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1- ounce/2 tablespoons chocolate liqueur (recommended: Godiva Liqueur)
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 ounces cocoa powder
• 1-ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 11 large egg yolks

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat, add the heavy cream, sugar, liqueur, and vanilla. When the mixture is warm add the cocoa powder and chocolate and whisk until blended.
Place the egg yolks in a large stainless steel bowl. Slowly add the warm chocolate mixture to the eggs a little at a time while whisking. Strain and pour into individual porcelain ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come half way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until firm in the center, about 30 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool completely. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Dust with sugar and caramelize with a propane torch. Serve immediately

Chocolate Orange Mousse



Chocolate Orange Mousse shown is topped with
mandarin orange and whipped cream Note: Chocolate
Orange Mousse may come out darker that in show in picture.

I  love to eat some good chocolate mousse. But this chocolate mousse isn't good, it's great! And it has orange in it as well to have even more flavor. This is a great chocolate mousse, and I really think you'll like it. And kids love it too!



 Chocolate Orange Mousse:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup good semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 good bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 extra-large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt 
• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• Whipped Cream, recipe follows, for decoration
• Mandarin oranges, drained, for decoration

Directions

Combine the 2 chocolates, orange liqueur, 1/4 cup water, and the vanilla in a heat-proof bowl. Set it over a pan of simmering water just until the chocolate melts. Cool completely to room temperature. Whisk in the orange zest and butter until combined.
Place the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 4 minutes, or until very thick and pale yellow. With the mixer on low speed, add the chocolate mixture. Transfer to a large bowl.
Place 1 cup of egg whites (save or discard the rest), the salt, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until firm but not dry. Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture; then fold the rest in carefully with a rubber spatula.
Without cleaning the bowl or whisk, whip the heavy cream and the remaining tablespoon of sugar until firm. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mousse into individual dishes or an 8-cup serving bowl. Chill and decorate with whipped cream and oranges. Serve with extra whipped cream on the side.

Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups (1 pint) cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Dash of pure vanilla extract

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't overbeat, or you'll end up with butter!

Whipped Cream: 2 cups (1 pint) cold heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, Dash of pure vanilla extract. Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't overbeat, or you'll end up with butter!

Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Or Almond Butter Frosting And A Lot More



Note:
Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Frosting And Peanut
Butter Frosting shown in picture.

Chocolate cupcakes, they sound a little boring. But these chocolate cupcakes aren't just your plain run of the mill chocolate cupcakes these have peanut or almond butter frosting, chocolate sprinkles, and/or peanut or almond butter cups! For those who are allergic to peanuts, don't worry you can use almond butter cups, and use almond butter I like to use organic peanut or almond butter cups but you don't have to, although I recomend it. They are also relatively easy to make. These cupcakes are delicious and are sure to be a real crowd pleaser, and hey kids love them too! 

Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Or Almond Butter Frosting

Yield: 14-15 Cupcakes. Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar 
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons brewed  coffee
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Peanut Or Almond Butter Icing, recipe follows
• Chocolate Sprinkles, to decorate, optional
• 14-15 peanut or almond butter cups to decorate, optional 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/ 180 deggres C. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.
Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frost each cupcake with Peanut Or Almond Butter Icing, and top with sprinkles, and/or peanut or almond butter cups, if desired.
Peanut Or Almond Butter Icing:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, or creamy almond butter 
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut or almond butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Food Review #10 Green & Black's Organic Milk Chocolate Bar

Green & Black's Organic Milk Chocolate Bar is great. It is not only organic, but also fair-trade! It tastes great, and you can taste all the chocolate thats packed in there; while it is creamy, and is not overpowering. It has a lot of cocoa in it alswell, which has health benefits. It is so good! I get this type alot and love it! It is great!

It has a great full-bodied flavor and is not overpowering. It has great ingredients too like Organic Raw Cane Sugar, and much more. OverallGreen  & Black's Organic Milk Chocolate gets a 10 because of it great taste, the fact that its 100% organic and Fair-Trade, and the great ingredients.