KRAFT Offers First Taste for Foodies
June 15, 2009 by Bold Foodie · Leave a Comment
KRAFT has launched a social media site called ‘First Taste’. It’s about as good an effort as possible for a large well known brand to leverage the increasingly popularity of social networking. Members of First Taste receive new product samples before they’re made to the general public through stores.
Their hope is to create buzz around their product launches and put thousands of foodies to work for them by encouraging members to share their opinions and recommendations with other foodies.
If you like trying new food before your friends and fellow foodies then you’ll love First Taste. It’s free to join and their privacy policy prevents your information from being shared or abused. For more information visit their site at: First Taste
A couple of recent products made available to First Taste members pre-launch include: Jello Singles and Focaccia Sandwiches.
Jello Singles
Focaccia Sandwiches
I can’t wait for my Focaccia Sandwiches to arrive!
Worlds Longest Sausage
February 15, 2009 by Bold Foodie · Leave a Comment
Croatian cooks crushed the Guiness World Book of Records for the longest sausage when they created a 1,738 foot long sausage.They served their record long sausage to area residents for Valentines Day. No word on whether it was tasty or not.
Source Reuters:
Croatian cooks prepare to fry the longest (530 meters) sausage in the world in eastern Croatia’s town of Vinkovci some 250 km (244 miles) east of Zagreb, February 14, 2009. Organizers for the event are trying to make it into the Guinness book of records. The current record is held by Romanians for the longest sausage at a length of 392 meters. The sausage will be distributed to citizens of Vinkovci as a gift for St. Valentine’s day.
Brewed Chocolate Whole Bean Beverage
December 13, 2008 by Bold Foodie · Leave a Comment
The small package the brewed chocolate arrived in didn’t give any hint of the big bold experience about to be delivered by what was inside.
The flavor is unexpectedly smooth and thoroughly enjoyable. Nothing compares. It’s more smooth then coffee and more interesting and fun then tea. It’s not sweet despite the strong chocolate flavor it delivers and what surprised me the most was the fact that I hadn’t seen brewed chocolate prior to now.
Mara, the master who brought this product to market, would be pleased to deliver this outstanding treat to your home for the holidays or to loved ones you want to share a truly unique experience with. The product is surprisingly affordable considering a full pound of cocoa beans go into each container.
For more information visit their Website: Brewed Chocolate
Check out the short commercial they put together below!
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I should mention that I didn’t gain any super powers although I did experience a “cheerful calm” shortly after drinking a cup. If you are fortunate enough to experience this great beverage please report back with your experience.
SPAM and the Recession
November 16, 2008 by Bold Foodie · Leave a Comment
Hormel, the maker of SPAM, is having trouble keeping up with the exploding demand for this Rodney Dangerfield of food. While a lot of folks may chuckle at this I’m concerned that it may mean the economy really is in for some tough times.
SPAM was born in 1936 during the Great Depression and became very popular due to it’s low price and acceptance as a worthy substitute for meat. In 1937 Kenneth Daigneau entered a contest to name this new meat-like product and won $100 for submitting the name spam. Since those modest beginnings SPAM has been the brunt of thousands of jokes, kicked around like an empty can of cat food, and basically ignored by many as a viable food.
Well SPAM is making a comeback, a big comeback. Hormel can’t produce enough SPAM to keep up with current demand. Since July of this year Hormel has been running 2 shifts 7 days a week and factory workers have been getting as much overtime as they wish. Consumers are eating this gelatinous spiced ham and pork product like there’s no tomorrow. Marketed as “Crazy Taste” a 12 ounce rectangular can sells for about $2 and with the economy teetering and fear at unprecedented levels SPAM is hotter then ever.
Best Food Blogs 2008
November 16, 2008 by Bold Foodie · Leave a Comment
Have a favorite food blog? Nominate or vote for your favorite food blogs at the 2008 Weblog awards.
The best food blog category can be found here: Best Food Blogs. Last years winners can be viewed here: 2007 Best Food Blogs.
Top 100 Restaurants in Washington DC
September 6, 2008 by Bold Foodie · Leave a Comment
Each year the Washingtonian Magazine comes out with it’s Top 100 Best Restaurants in DC issue. The restaurants that make the list are always pleased and those that miss out on making the list either make excuses or get to work improving their restaurant. We’ll identify the restaurants that are new to the list and refrain from pointing out those that dropped off of the list so as not to rub salt in their wounds.
Moose Stew
August 31, 2008 by Bold Foodie · 1 Comment
John McCain rocked foodies all over by selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate. What’s still rocking foodies is that her favorite meal is Moose Stew!
So just what is this Moose Stew?
Moose Stew
Feeds 6-82 – 2 1/2 lb Moose meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tb shortening
1/4 ts black pepper
1/2 ts Paprika
1 Bay leaf
1 ts Salt
2 cans condensed beef broth (10-1/2 ounces each)
1 cup dry red wine
1 Onion; diced12-15 sm whole white onions
3-4 carrots; chopped
10 sm potatoes; peeled
2 tb butter
2 tb flourYou’ll need at least a 2-3 gallon pot to handle this volume of stew.Saute cubes of moose meat in shortening until browned on all sides. Throw in the pepper, paprika, bay leaf, salt, beef broth, red wine, onion, and carrots. Cover and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Add the whole onions and peeled potatoes; cover again and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables become slightly tender. Mix the butter and flour into a paste and drop this into the stew pot. Continue to cook, stirring the stew, until the moose stew bubbles and thickens up. Serve with rice or other sides of you liking.
There you have it. Oh wait… the local store does not have any moose meat. Where’s the beef!?
I found one source to buy moose meat online here: Moose Meat
If that doesn’t work out for you then I’m afraid you’re going to have to strike up a friendship with some of Sarah Palin fans up in Alaska and hopefully they’ll be willing to ship you some! Or you could always do a lil’ hunting for your own.
The Dream Omelette
July 30, 2008 by Bold Foodie · Leave a Comment
Not sure how I came to watch this video because it didn’t strike me as particularly exciting, but tomorrow being a work-from-home day watching a video about a dreamy omelet seemed like a good idea.
What I thought was a dreamy tasting omelet was actually an omelet this chef concocted while having a dream! Now I’ve had plenty of dreams, but the ones that are remotely similar to his wildly imaginative dream were a result of sleeping past 10 am or the morning after consuming too many adult beverages!
It’s a funny short video and worth a watch. One thing that stuck out worse then a sore thumb was the blurb at the end of the news story about staying tuned in to the news station to learn how to turn your autistic child into a tax deduction! Jeepers! I didn’t catch where this news station was located, but I’m pretty sure it was in the twilight zone!!
Noras Restaurant
July 29, 2008 by Bold Foodie · Leave a Comment
Like so many other successful entrepreneurs Nora Pouillon found her passion matched up well with an under-served niche in the marketplace. That niche being the organic cuisine niche.
These days Nora Pouillon is considered a true pioneer and champion of organic cuisine. Nora came from to the US from Austria in the late 1960s and she was struck by the amount of processed and chemical-laden foods Americans were eating. That’s when she began her search for seasonal and organic food and her crusade for healthier living. That’s when her idea to open a restaurant that served organic cuisine began to germinate. This was back in the 1970′s mind you.
Throwing caution aside and letting her passion drive the decision making process Nora opened her Restaurant Nora, way back in 1979. She was immediately recognized for her ability to create not only healthy but also delicious organic dishes. Twenty years later, Nora’s restaurant became the first certified organic restaurant in the nation. Only three other restaurants have since achieved this goal!
For more information about Nora’s Restaurant visit her Website at: Noras. To write a review visit this link at Menuism: Nora Restaurant.
Nora’s passion extends well beyond her restaurant. Her passion and energy have resulted in many accomplishments and contributions to her cause. Here are some examples:
- Nora was instrumental in creating the organic certification standards for restaurants that guarantee at least 95% of all food served originates from certified organic sources.
- In the early 1990s, Nora launched the farmer/chef connection by introducing the farmers of the Tuscarora Organic Growers Coop (TOG), to other local chefs helping to ensure their farms’ economic viability.
- She also initiated the very first producer-only farmer’s markets in the nation’s capital, now known as Fresh Farm Markets which has grown to include eight active markets.
- While serving as a board member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, Nora established an organic internship program and still receives five interns each year at Restaurant Nora.
- She is the author of Cooking with Nora, a seasonal menu cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Cookbook Award.
- Nora presently sits on the board of directors for several organizations including the Amazon Conservation Team, the Environmental Film Festival, Fresh Farm Markets, Earth Day Network and Wholesome Wave.
- Nora also plays an advisory role to the Center for Mind Body Medicine’s “Food as Medicine” program, and Rachel’s Network.
- The Washington Post named Nora one of the dozen “Power Chefs” in the city.
- Over the years, she has received numerous awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Organic Trade Association, New Hope Natural Media, the American Horticultural Society, Campaign for Better Health, and others.
Judging by her success and how great she looks looks it would appear there’s a lot we can learn from her about eating healthy!
The Next Food Network Star
July 28, 2008 by Bold Foodie · Leave a Comment
My wife and I got hooked on this dog gone show. We tivo’d and watched each of the last 7 or 8 episodes. Who would of thunk that a cooking related competition like this would be so damn interesting to watch?
At any rate, we watched the finale last night with popcorn in hand. (Fortunately we didn’t catch the news of who won beforehand caused by some screw up at the network that caused the winner to be leaked via their Website ahead of the show.) After watching each contestant bomb under pressure and the limelight and then viewing the final edited clips produced we were as torn as the judges surely were between the three finalists. It was a toss-up for us.
Although we like all three of the contestants and truly appreciate their dedication to food and their profession, we found all them a bit lacking as TV personalities coupled with the lack of an interesting theme for a show that would draw us to watch from time to time. Having said that we are very glad Aaron won the contest. We think his background can be parlayed into an interesting show if they get him out of the kitchen and interacting with peeps. Perhaps a show in Camden NJ and other rough patches of urban America where he can help inspire some folks to get into cooking some bold food!?
Some media snobs are choking on their brie covered triscuits because a hospital chef was chosen as the winner of this culinary competition…. We say Aaron is not a “hospital chef”! Aaron is a man that chose to become a professional chef earlier in his life. His path in life led him to become a hospital chef. Little doubt Aaron was doing what he had to do to feed his family and survive, all the while sticking to his dream!
Aaron proved once again that big bold dreams can come true.
Congratulations Aaron! Good luck with The Food Network! We’ll watch!!!
Here’s a short Food Network video (3:42) recapping the finale:
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Next Food Network Star Finale Recap
