Dickster's Food & Diet Blog

I Love Pumpkin

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:10:00 +0000

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the plethora of items that are available made with pumpkin. There is a local bakery here in Bowie that makes Pumpkin danishes that I just absolutely love. My wife picked up two of them for me last week.

This is also one of my favorite times of year when it comes to Starbucks. I do not treat myself to Starbucks as much as I used to these days, but this time of year I have to treat myself to a Pumpkin Spiced Latte. It also means that it will soon be time for them to come out with their Eggnog Lattes.

There are several locations where I can pick up other pumpkin goodies like pumpkin donuts, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin cheesecake. Of course, for more adult treats I can always pick up one of several pumpkin brews available at the liquor store.

One of the reasons that I have been thinking about pumpkin today is that I received an email from Kraft. In it, was a link to their website with literally hundreds of recipes for pumpkin dishes and desserts. I saw one recipe for a pumpkin pie that I made one year that I got from a Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook that has a layer of cream cheese and a layer of pumpkin

One of my coworkers might be an even bigger pumpkin fan than I am, plus he does a lot of baking, so I forwarded the link to him. Hopefully he will find a few of them to his liking and make a few of them and let me sample them.

Edible Cannabis

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:48:00 +0000

Image via WikipediaIn my job as a candy and snacks buyer, I receive a lot of email newsletters related to the food industry. One of the newsletters that I subscribe to is put out by Natural Food Merchandising magazine so that I can stay aware of any trends in the natural and organic snack markets. This week, they had a rather interesting article about the use of medical marijuana in food product.

Now, I am not, nor have I ever been a marijuana use. I did try it a couple of times in college with a couple friends of mind, but all it did was make me cough. I just could not manage to inhale the smoke. I did have some friends who did smoke on a regular basis. Some of them talked about baking marijuana into brownies, and I remember a particularly funny Barney Miller episode where the squad mistakenly got high off of marijuana laced brownies.

The gist of the article was about companies in Colorado who were working on a variety of gourmet food products that are infused with medical marijuana. In particular, they mention a company called Simply Pure that makes a wide variety of products that goes beyond the stereotypical pot brownies. Among their offerings are pizza, sodas, energy drinks, cheese cakes, and candies. Their goal is to product all natural, organic, gluten-free and sugar free foods.

The article goes on to include quotes from a doctor who specializes in medical marijuana evaluations and nutrition. He talks about the benefits of healthy and natural eating for everyone, but especially for those who require medical marijuana. In addition to healthy eating as a whole, the good doctor say that consuming medical marijuana in foodstuffs may be more beneficial to patients than smoking, due to a slower absorption rate in digestion and burning through smoking can destroy some of the beneficial cannabinoids in the marijuana.

I do not intend to get into the arguments on whether or not medical marijuana is a good or bad thing for society. There seems to be some evidence that it does help some people suffering from cancer and long term pain. Of course there is always the opportunity for abuse. I can see the benefit of ingesting medical marijuana in food form versus smoking, just based on my experience of not being able to inhale smoke. Though I hope I never get so sick that I will require medical marijuana.

Benefits of Chewing Gum

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 02:44:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

It has been a good week in the news for gum chewers. I have read of two different studies this week about the benefits of chewing gum.

Earlier this week, a study came out that showed that chewing gum may help to reduce the craving for snacks between meals. This would be a tremendous benefit for anybody trying to lose weight. It is similar to another study that came out two years ago that I posted about here that stated that chewing sugar free gum could help reduce caloric intake and increase energy expenditures.

Today, I found another article that stated that chewing gum could help teenagers to increase their math scores. This will certainly pose a dilemma for teachers and schools across the country who have always told students they can't chew gum during class. There has been anecdotal evidence that gum chewing helps some folks stay focused on a task, and now there may be scientific evidence to that end.

There is one caveat that I would want to add about these studies. Both studies were backed in part by the Wrigley Science Istitute. One would think that they would have a vested interested in having a positive outcome regarding the benefits of chewing gum. Consequently, I always tend to be a bit skeptical of some of these studies. Isn't amazing how often the organizations backing a study manager to get their desired results?

Strict Adherance to Package Dates Costs Billions

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 01:16:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

What do you do when you find a package of food that has passed the date printed on the package? Do you assume that since it is past the date on the package that it is no longer good, or do you figure that the date is just a guideline? I have been in the retail food industry most of my life. I know that most food, if properly handled, is still edible after the date on the package.

However, a recent study by ShelfLifeAdvice.com and Harris Interactive shows that most Americans believe that some food is not safe to be eaten once the the date has passed. They surveyed about 2500 adults and asked their opinions on whether or not 10 refrigerated products were safe to eat past the expiration date.

Almost half of those surveyed thought that eggs could not be eaten after the date printed on the package. When properly stored, eggs can last 3-5 weeks after the date on the package. Over 60% of respondents thought that milk could not be safely consumed after the printed date. Milk usually stays good for a week after the sell by date on the package.

The study projects that if those same 60% of people think that milk is bad once the sell by date passes were to throw out a quart of milk per month, it would add up to $700 million in wasted milk. Talk about crying over spilled milk. With the multitude of products purchased with sell by dates, you can see how quickly the amount of money would add up. So the next time you have a product past the sell by date, remember, there is not a clock ticking in the product that magically makes it bad when the date on the package arrives.

PF Chang's General Chang's Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Sun, 09 May 2010 22:17:00 +0000

Yesterday, I went to visit my parents to drop off some vitamins that I ordered for my mother. While we were there, my father told me about a new line of PF Chang's frozen entrees for two that they found at their local Giant grocery store. I decided to check my local Giant to try to find them there. The store had yet to cut them into the frozen food section, but fortunately I know the frozen food clerk, and he was able to find several in the frozen store room. I decided to buy the Shrimp in Garlic Sauce and the General Chang's Chicken. You can see all their varieties at their website.

Our original Mother's Day plans were canceled at the last minute, so I decided to prepare one of the PF Chang's entrees for dinner. I let my wife decide which one she wanted, and she chose the General Chang's Chicken. It is described on the package as "Battered white meat chicken with a sweet chili sauce, broccoli and red bell peppers." The sweet chili sauce was tasty and had a bit of a zing to it.

Preparing the kit is about as straightforward as it gets. You pour the contents of the package in a non-stick skillet and cook it for about 13 minutes. The kit does not come with any rice, so if you want to serve the dish over rice you will need to cook your own. The package contained plenty of meat, nice size pieces of brocolli, strips of red bell pepper, and frozen cubes of the sauce. The PF Chang's entrees are a little more expensive than the Wanchai Ferry product that I had tried previously, but the sauce makes the difference. Give the PF Chang's a try for a nice dinner for two, ready in less than 15 minutes.

Kraft Deli Deluxe Bacon Cheddar Slices

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:57:00 +0000

One day last week during my daily commute, I heard a radio commercial for new Kraft Deli Deluxe Bacon Cheddar slices. My immediate thought was that would make for a pretty good grilled cheese sandwich. When I was a kid, my mom would sometimes put a slice of bologna between two slices of cheese for a bologna and grilled cheese sandwich. Bologna was good, but now we are talking about bacon.

So when I set out to do my weekly grocery shopping on Sunday at my local Giant, one of my goals was to find the coveted Bacon Cheddar slices. Much to my chagrin, they were not carrying it as of yet. On Monday, I left early feeling a little under the weather. Under the weather would be an understatement, I have been fighting a major bout with the flu. I decided to stop at the local Safeway to pick up a few things to deal with my illness. They had the cheese.

Like I said, I have been having a major battle with the flu. For the past four days, all I have been to do is lay in bed and drift in and out of sleep. I have had very little desire to eat anything. However, today was the first day that I really felt like having something other than saltines and ginger ale. So tonight for dinner we had the bacon cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches. It was as good as I had hoped. If you like grilled cheese sandwiches and bacon, pick up a pack of Kraft Deli Deluxe Bacon Cheddar slices. You might want to hurry, no telling how long they will be around once the FDA starts regulating salt.

Winetime Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:19:00 +0000

Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant found in fruits, especially in the skins of red grapes. Since it is a part of red grapes, it can also be found in red wines, which accounts for some of the benefits of drinking red wine. There are those that believe that the resveratrol found in red wine is responsible for the so called "French Paradox" in which the French have good cardiovascular health although their diet is high in fat.

Some of the benefits of resveratrol are thought to be:

* Protect cells from free radical damage
* Inhibit the spread of cancer, especially prostate cancer
* Lower blood pressure
* Keep the heart healthy and improve elasticity in blood vessels
* Normalize the body’s anti-inflammatory response
* Slow down the signs of aging and help prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Unfortunately, the amount of resveratrol needed to obtain these benefits would require drinking an awful lot of wine each day. The excessive amount of alcohol would cancel out the benefits of the resveratrol. So resveratrol supplements have become very popular. There is also a company out of California who has produced a very tasty, nutritional bar called the WineTime Bar.

The WineTime Bar is a delicious chocolate nutritional bar that has as much resveratrol as 50 glasses of red wine, without the hangover. In addition to the resveratrol, the WineTime Bar also contains seven additional super fruits; cranberry, noni, pomegranate, goji berry, acai, mangosteen and blueberry. I have had the pleasure of trying the WineTime Bar and it is delicious. It is a fairly new product, so it may be hard to find, but you can place orders for it on their website.

Ledo's White Crab Caprese Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:25:00 +0000

Without a doubt, Maryland is known for crabs. For a lot of us in Maryland, especially those who attended the University of Maryland College Park campus, the best place to grab a pizza is Ledo's Pizza. So big a favorite is Ledo's that last summer when I got together with two old high school/college friends, we met at Ledo's for dinner.

As fond as I am for Ledo's pizza, and crab, I don't believe that I ever thought about combining the two of them into one dish. Well, last week I received an email from Ledo's and to kick off spring, they were running a special "Spring for Crab" promotion featuring Crab Ravioli, Crab and Artichoke Dip, and yes, Crab Pizza. To be precise, the crab pizza is Ledo's Whte Crab Caprese Pizza featuring Ledo's four cheese white pizza, crab, fresh basil, sliced tomatoes and Old Bay seasoning.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was curious. Mrs. Dickster thought it sounded interesting as well, so we decided to take the plunge and order one for dinner. The pizza itself had a bit of a fishy smell, so I was a little concerned that the crab might overpower the taste of the pizza. Fortunately, it did not. In fact, all of the flavors blended well and none overpowered the other. About the only complaint that Mrs. Dickster had was that it could have used a bit more Old Bay Seasoning. Since she doesn't usually care for a lot of seasoning, I guess that says something.

All in all, it was a pleasant experience, one that I would be willing to have again. I think I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had a nice Pinot Grigio or other light white wine to go with it. Then again, you can never go wrong with a cold beer since both pizza and crabs go well with a frosty brew. I am not sure how long Ledo's will be running this special pizza, but I hope to be able to take advantage of it again in the near future.

Homemade Jerky

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:11:00 +0000

I received a very special birthday treat this weekend from my wife. No, not that. Get your minds out of the gutter. She made me a batch of homemade beef jerky.

She tells me that it was pretty simple to make, though it is a bit time consuming. Let me tell you, it is so much better than anything you can get in the grocery store.

It all starts off with some flank steak. You slice it at an angle in very thin slices. You then marinate the beef slices in some soy sauce. Take some cooking racks and place them on a baking sheet.

After marinating the beef, place the strips on the rack so that any drippings from the beef will land on the baking sheet. Then season the beef with some lemon pepper and garlic salt. Place the meat in the oven at about 170 degrees.

It usually takes about 6-10 hours in the oven for the jerky to be done. My wife recommends checking the beef after about 6 hours. To check the beef to see if it is done, take a slice and bend. If it breaks, it is ready. Enjoy.

Stride Shift Chewing Gum

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 02:45:00 +0000

In my job as a candy and snack buyer, I sometimes get to see new items before they hit the stores. Every now and then, I get to see something that is pretty cool, at least in my humble opinion. The makers of Stride chewing gum are coming out with an item that I think is pretty different.

OK, you may be asking what could be different about a chewing gum. These new varieties of Stride gum are unique because they start out with one flavor but then shift to another flavor the longer you chew it. Hence their name, Stride Shift.

Stride Shift comes in two flavors, Stride Shift Citrus and Stride Shift Berry. They each start with a citrus or berry flavor, but the longer you chew on it, the flavor becomes a mint flavor. The product is expected to hit stores sometime in May.

Asian Hamburger Helper-Mongolian Beef

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:00 +0000

I was out at my local grocery store this morning to pick up a few items for meals for the week. My initial goal was to just go in and get the proteins for the week. I had no real intention of looking for anything new to try, especially since the store is undergoing a major remodel and reset. I had a difficult time finding a lot of my regular groceries, but I digress.

As I was walking down one of the aisles, something new caught my eye. We don't usually go for Hamburger Helper very often, but last week during one of the blizzards we had Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper and it was pretty good. Well, my local grocer had a new line of helpers from the good folks at Betty Crocker, Asian Helper. There were three varieties that I remember seeing, Beef and Chicken Fried Rice, and the item that I decided to pick up and give a try, Mongolian-Style Beef.

The Mongolian-Style Beef Asian Hamburger Helper is pretty simple to make. In addition to the boxed ingredients, all you need is a pound of hamburger and some hot water. First step, is to brown the ground beef in a skillet. After browning the beef, you are supposed to drain the fat drippings from the pan, but I failed to follow that step. Next you add 2.75 cups of hot water and the ingredients in the box. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 11 minutes, stirring every now and then. When the noodles are tender, remove from the heat, uncover, and let sit so the sauce can thicken.

The aroma of the Mongolian Style Beef Asian Hamburger Helper was very appetizing while it was cooking. The flavor upon eating was pleasant as well. The sauce did not thicken as much as we would have liked, but it was probably due to the fact that failed to drain the fat from the pan after browning the beef. It won't make you forget the Mongolian Beef you can get in a restaurant, but for a mix and an inexpensive meal, it is a pretty good deal. The mix and the ground beef came to just over $5, which is a pretty good price to pay for dinner.

Cut Calories: Chew Gum

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:46:00 +0000

Image by Lboogiepeace via Flickr

New Year's Day is fast approaching, so it is time to make those New Year's Resolutions. For a lot of us, one of the more popular resolutions is to try to lose weight. If you are trying to lose weight, any helpful tips are worth looking at.

A nutrition professor at the University of Rhode Island has just completed a study that suggests that chewing sugar free gum can help you reduce your calorie intake and increase your energy expenditures. A winning combination to be sure in the battle of the bulge.

Participants in the study who chewed gum for three 20-minute sessions in the morning consumed about 67 less calories at lunch, and did not "make up" those calories later in the day. Those same participants also expended about 5% more energy when chewing gum than when not chewing.

From personal experience, I feel like chewing gum helps me to curb my appetite somewhat. Though, I have to admit that I do look at the results of the study with a bit of healthy skepticism. The study was supported by a grant from the Wrigley Science Institute, part of the Wm Wrigley Gum Company.

Rosetto Steam & Eat Cheese Ravioli

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:03:00 +0000

In my never ending quest to find high quality, easy to prepare frozen meals, I came across another new item for my wife and I to try. I took a rare day off from the day job to attend a meeting at my son's school. After the meeting my wife and I decided to stop by the grocery store to pick up something for lunch when we found Rosetto Steam and Eat Cheese Ravioli with Tomato Basil Sauce. We have been very happy with the steam and eat vegetables we have tried, so we decided to give the ravioli a try.

The concept is pretty simple. You put the whole bag in the microwave, nuke it for about seven minutes, and serve. Preparation just doesn't get much easier than that. So the easy to prepare part of my quest was met, but what about the quality?

To be honest, it was a bit of a mixed bag, no pun intended. The flavor of the sauce was good, but there just wasn't enough of it. The ravioli itself tasted like most store bought frozen ravioli, so it was OK. Some of the ravioli got stuck together, and some of them were very hard. To be honest, I don't know if that is a case of microwaving it a bit too long, or just a characteristic of the product.

We have another variety in the freezer, so we will have to give it a try before passing our final judgement on the product. If I were to find the item on sale, I would probably buy it again if I had a hankering for ravioli and wanted it quickly instead of boiling the pasta and heating up a jar of sauce.

Wanchai Ferry-Sweet & Spicy Shrimp

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Have you seen this commercial for Wanchai Ferry frozen Chinese dinners?

That panda is so cute. I love Chinese food, but I have not found too many Chinese entrees in my local frozen food department that actually taste good. So while I do rave about the breadth and quality of items available in the freezer these days, I was a bit skeptical. But, they were on sale and figured it was worth giving them a try. My local grocer had four varieties available. I opted for the sweet & spicy shrimp.

Similar to the Stouffer's Anytime Gourmet item that I reviewed earlier, the Wanchai Ferry product come with each component individually packaged in the bag. The first step was to heat a little oil in a non-stick skillet and stir fry the shrimp for 3-6 minutes until brown. You remove the shrimp from the pan and set it aside. Next you add a little water, the sauce packet, and the vegetable packet and bring it to a boil for three minutes. Next you add the shrimp back to the mix and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. The rice comes in a small steam pack that you nuke in the microwave for 2 minutes.

The shrimp are pretty good sized shrimp; not little baby shrimp. Likewise, the vegetables (baby corn, sugar snap peas, red bell peppers, and carrots) are substantial. The sauce is sweet with a little bit of spice, but not overpowering. The rice cooks up perfectly. Their tagline at the end of the commercial is "Restaurant quality Chinese in your grocer's freezer." Not quite, but very close. It is by far the best quality Chinese meal that I have found to date in the grocery store.

If you want to give Wanchai Ferry a try, you can go their website and print a coupon good for $1.50 off a package. There are five varieties available, Orange Chicken, Shrimp Lo Mein, Spicy Garlic Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, and the variety I tried, Sweet & Spicy Shrimp.

Chicken With Grapes

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

This was my dinner from Thursday night. It is a recipe that my wife got off the Food Network website. I believe it is from Rachael Ray.

The original recipe calls for it to be served with couscous and roasted asparagus. She sometimes serves it with the roasted asparagus, but she always ends up serving it over rice.

Below are the ingredients and instructions.

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup of chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grainy, stone ground mustard
1-1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved

Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt & pepper and dredge in flour and place in the pan. Cook the chicken 7-8 minutes until browned. Add wine and scrape of browned bits as wine cooks down and bubbles for 30 minutes. Add stick to skillet. Combine cream and mustard and add to the stock. Add grapes to the pan and turn chicken with grapes to coat and combine with the sauce. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat. Serve over rice.

A glass or two of the wine used to cook this dish tops it off perfectly.

Red Meat & Prostate Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Image by sean dreilinger via Flickr

A few weeks ago, I made the decision to try to eat better and lose some weight. I am eating a lot more fruit and salads. For breakfast, I usually have a few pieces of fruit. Lunch consists of a salad and a can of tuna. My snacks have gone from candy bars, chips, and cheez its to granola bars or nuts. I have even cut way back on my alcohol consumption, because I found that if I had more than a couple glasses of wine I would find myself chowing down on junk food. So far, it has been working as I have dropped about 10 pounds in three weeks.

Another thing that I have to be concerned about is prostate health. I am currently taking Avodart for an enlarged prostate. My father has also suffered from an enlarged prostate, elevated PSA levels, but thankfully no prostate cancer.

So it was a little disconcerting to see the news the other day that the American Journal of Epidemiology has released a study linking consumption of red meat and processed meat products with an increased risk of prostate cancer in men. They also found an increased risk when the meat was prepared on a grill. Red meat has also been linked with an increased risk of colon cancer.

Now, I like a good steak as much as the next guy, but in light of this study, I should really should cut back on the amount of red meat I eat. Currently, I probably have red meat at least twice a week. I don't think I could ever completely give it up, but I should cut back to no more than once a week. Another new dietary goal to shoot for.

Eclipse Breeze Exotic Berry & Exotic Mint Chewing Gum

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

I have a pretty cool job. Each of the last two years, I have been able to attend the All Candy Expo in Chicago. There, I get to see all sorts of different types of candies and snacks. In my dealings with different manufacturers, I get to try all sorts of new products.

One of the more recent items that I have gotten to try is a new chewing gum from the Wrigley Company. They have introduced two new varieties of their Eclipse chewing gum; Eclipse Breeze Exotic Berry and Exotic Mint. The thing that makes these gums different from other gums that I have tried is that they contain the spice Cardamom.

Cardamom is used as both an spice and flavoring in cooking and as an herbal medicine. As an ingredient it is used primarily as a spice in Indian food. In medicine, it is used to treat infections in the mouth and gums and as a breath freshener.

The cardamom gives these two gums a unique flavor that has a spicy and herbal taste. The flavor lasts a long time and leaves you with a fresh taste in your mouth. It is probably safe to say that the cardamom flavor isn't for everyone, but I enjoyed it. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Prosciutto Wrapped Breadsticks

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:08:00 +0000

My family watches the Food Network on a regular basis. My 15 year old autistic son is particularly fond of the competition shows like Iron Chef America. My wife is constantly looking for new recipes to try out on me to change up our daily meals.

One of the recipes that she had found was a Prosciutto-Wrapped Breadsticks from Giada de Laurentiis. The dish is really intended to be an appetizer. My wife would occasionally make it whenever she would fix a spaghetti dinner for us. Every time she did, I would comment that I could have it as a meal with a salad. Last week she made them with a ceasar salad for dinner.

The breadsticks are fairly easy to make. The only ingredients needed are a can of refrigerated breadstick dough, grated parmesan cheese, and sliced prosciutto. You take each strip of dough and roll it in the parmesan cheese. Then you twist the dough into sticks. Wrap each breadstick in a slice of prosciutto and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or golden brown. They are simply delicious.

Bertolli Garlic Shrimp, Penne & Cherry Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Here is another dinner for two that I recently found in the frozen food section of the grocery store. Like I said previously, the quality and variety of frozen food that is available these days continues to improve. It is so quick and easy to get a high quality meal to the table.

Bertolli Mediteranean Style Garlic Shrimp, Penne & Cherry Tomatoes is one such meal. The dish consists of penne pasta, shrimp, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes in a light and tasty garlic sauce. All it takes is about 8 minutes in a skillet and dinner is ready to be served. I have tried other garlic shrimp dishes, but this one is my new favorite. I really enjoy the tang that the cherry tomatoes add to it.

Bertolli has developed several different frozen entrees. Some are skillet meals like the garlic shrimp, and others are oven baked dinner kits. You can go to their website to see the wide variety they have available. While there, you can print a coupon good for $1 off any Bertolli frozen meal.

Starbucks Via

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:52:00 +0000

I usually don't care for instant coffee very much. It just doesn't have the save flavor as freshly brewed coffee. The only time I even use instant coffee if I am making a coffee based ice cream.

Today, Starbucks Coffee has released nationally their version of instant coffee, Starbucks Via. Via comes in two varieties, Columbia and Italian Roast. Via is different from other instant coffee in that instead of being freeze dried crystals, it is whole beans ground into a very fine grind that Starbucks calls "microgrind." Starbucks is convinced that you won't be able to tell the difference between Via and their regular brewed coffee that they will be having a taste test this weekend at participating stores.

I was fortunate enough to be given a sample of the Columbia Via at work today. I have to say, that compared to other instant coffees, Via is definitely a better brew. The taste was very close to the taste of the their drip coffees that I have. So, if you like Starbucks drip coffees, the Via is an acceptable brew in my humble opinion. However, like all things Starbucks, it is a bit on the pricey side. A three pack of Via is expected to retail for $2.95, and a box of 12 for $9.95. I little more than I am willing to pay since I can buy a can of ground coffee that will last a little more than a week for the same price as three cups of Via.

Stouffer's Anytime Gourmet-Chicken & Asparagus Carbonara

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:59:00 +0000

One of my previous positions was the category manager of frozen food for the local division of a national supermarket chain. One of my responsibilities was to decide what products the stores in my area would carry. Over the years I got to see a lot of cool products, no pun intended. Even though I have not been involved in frozen food professionally for some time, I still like to see the wide variety of new items available. Frozen foods have come a long way.

When both my wife and I worked full time jobs, we had an agreement that I would cook on the weekends. For some reason that I can not understand, that tradition continues on Sundays in my house, even though I work two jobs and my wife doesn't work. No matter.

Today was my day to cook. At first I was going to do something fairly simple like soup and salad, but I had a coupon for $2.50 off of any variety of Stouffer's new Anytime Gourmet kits. I decided on the Chicken & Asparagus Carbonara. The box describes the dish as "Chicken breasts seasoned with Italian-style spices and served in a smoky bacon cream sauce with linguine, peas, and asparagus." As you can see in the picture, it comes as a kit with each part of the meal in individual pouches.

When I opened the pouch containing the two boneless chicken breasts, I could really smell the seasoning. The first step is to saute the chicken until it is done. You then remove the chicken and set it aside under aluminum foil to keep it warm. Next you heat up the sauce briefly and add the pasta and vegetable pouch. Pretty simple really. All in all, the total cooking time was about 15 minutes.

I have to say that the flavor was fantastic. The pieces of asparagus were a pretty nice size and very tender. The seasoning on the chicken and the flavor of the sauce were spot on, not too mild and not too overpowering. That was the good. Now for the not so good. I did not feel that the kit came with enough sauce. There was no additional sauce to pour on the chicken breasts or pasta. The only other complaint that I might have is that there really wasn't enough food for a stand alone meal. Next time, I will have to add a salad or something.

My Quick & Easy Chili Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:22:00 +0000

I was hoping to talk my wife into starting a blog on cooking since she is a better cook than I am, but so far she is not willing to start one. After all, I am a guy, and I mostly know how to cook guy food. That usually means steaks and burgers on the grill. However, since it is winter, and there is nothing I like more than a good bowl of chili (definitely a guy food) while watching a football game, I thought I would share my fairly simple chili recipe.

First the ingredients:

3-4 cloves of garlic
1 medium size onion
a little vegetable oil (how is that for specific measurements)
1.5-2 pounds of ground beef
1 can of tomato paste
2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis
chili powder
1 can of kidney beans (optional)

Directions:
Take a large pot (technically a Dutch Oven, but since this is a guy recipe we will go with large pot) and pour enough oil in to cover the bottom of the pot. Chop the onion and garlic, add them to the pot, and start to cook over medium/high heat, stirring frequently. Once the onions are tender, and the ground beef and cook until brown. Once the meat is brown, add the tomato paste and the two cans of tomatoes with chilis. Once all of this is mixed well together and hot, add chili powder to taste (I usually use around 2 tablespoons). Now as far as I am concerned, the chili is done, but my missus insists the chili needs beans (I keep telling her it is called chili con carne, not chili con frijoles), so if you are so inclined, add a can of red kidney beans.

Well, there you go. Dinner is served. Pour yourself a big bowl, open a beer (do NOT pour into a glass, guys don't do that) and enjoy.

Welcome To My Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Dick Stone) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:03:00 +0000

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Diet. The very word conjures up negative images. While most people associate the word diet with denying yourself of some food and drink for the purpose of losing weight, in reality, diet really is more about the food and drink you consume on a regular basis.

I am a man in my late 40's. Currently, I am not the heaviest I have ever been, but I am perilously close. For a few weeks I have been telling myself that I really do need to lose some weight. About a week ago, two things took place that made me finally start my quest to shed some tonnage. First and foremost, I got tired of feeling crappy all the time. Second was when I split the seat out of a pair of pants. I am pretty sure that I caught my pants on something and that caused the tear, but the thought that it just might be my big behind was a concern.

Earlier this week, I weighed in at 226 lbs, about four pounds shy of my previous high. In the past, I have always felt pretty good at around 200 lbs. According to the weight charts and body mass index, I should weigh between 155-175lbs. I have two goals right now. There are currently 15 weeks left in 2009. If I could lose 1.5 lbs per week, I could be at 200 lbs by the end of the year. If I can make that, then I want to shoot for around 180 lbs by summer and try to maintain that weight.

While I do intend to touch on my weight loss adventure on this blog, the title of the blog is Dickster's Food & Diet Blog so I intend more to focus on the food aspect. I have spent most of my life in the retail food industry. I intend to review food items that I find that I particularly have enjoyed, recipes that I like, and any food and nutrition news that I come across in my travels. Feel free to join in the journey.

Dickster's Food & Diet Blog

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Welcome To My Blog