real food for real people. snack food reviews, recipes and blog.
While it’s not necessarily food related, I found this article interesting enough to post here anyways. Plus, it’s just in time for Earth Day! Thesimpledollar.com has a tutorial on how to save money by making your own laundry soap! While it does cost about 7 bucks up front for supplies, it makes 312 loads worth of homemade laundry detergent!
Check out the tutorial with pictures here:
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/04/09/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-a-detailed-visual-guide/
Sorry guys, I’ve been a little distracted recently and haven’t gotten as many snack food reviews as I normally do. And if you wanted to know what’s distracting me, well… it’s learning to make jewelry! Ok, before you revoke my man card, let me explain.
In my random internet searchings, I ran across this awesome site called Etsy.com. It’s kind of like an eBay for all things handmade. They have some REALLY cool stuff on the site. I fancy myself a creative person, so I signed up for a seller account. Woohoo, I can make stuff and sell it now! But what?
And that’s why I’ve been distracted. I’ve been learning to sew and make jewelry and other crafty goodness. Including ninjas! And ninjas are manly, so there!
Here’s a little link of what I have on my shop so far. Not much yet, but steadily growing! And I promise I’ll get some more reviews up!
Buh? That was the exact sound I made when I saw this at Target. I’m not sure what possessed them to put green tea together with ginger ale. I guess they’re kind of the same color. They probably got caught up the the antioxidant craze that’s been sweeping the food world. Next will probably be pomegranate ginger ale or even acaii berry ginger ale. Actually, I’d probably try pomegranate ginger ale!
You know what, this really wasn’t that bad! At first, it just tastes like a crisp carbonated green tea soda but you get the ginger ale on the back swing. It’s actually pretty good- we finished the whole 2 liter bottle in no time. Who knew! Maybe we should mix all like-colored drinks together! Wait, that sounds like what happens at a party when the bartender has had one four too many…
Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale gets a 4 out of 5 awesomes!
A little bit tastier sounding than the vinegar diet, the cookie diet seems to have alot more legitimacy behind it. It was developed 1975 by Dr. Sanford Siegal and has been used to treat more than 500,000 patients. It’s also been used by hundreds of other doctors with their patients.
Here’s how it works: You eat 6 special cookies throughout the day and a sensible dinner with lean meat and veggies at night. And by “special”, I don’t mean special brownie “special”. These cookies have a secret blend of amino acids that help curb hunger. The average patient loses 15 pounds in a month!
This diet has recently gain media attention because Madonna was interviewed saying that her husband, Guy Ritchie, reported a loss of sexual appetite while on the cookie diet. The cookie doctor fired back about it in his blog, saying that none of his over 500,000 patients has reported any loss of libido.
Check out the cookie diet website for more information:
http://www.cookiediet.com/
Source:
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/cookiediet/cookiedoctor/prweb855514.htm
There’s new site up called Freerice.com that claims to donate rice based on your interaction with the website. Of course, anything free always brings up suspicion so I dug a little deeper. Pleasantly, I found that this site is legit as far as I can tell. They’re aim is to fight world hunger and illiteracy! Here’s the scoop:
I visited a local farm right here in Arlington on Saturday. Gnismer Farms lets you pick your own strawberries for $2.50 a pound! We decided to throw a fondue party on Saturday(yeah, I know we’re weird) and I figured it’d be cool to get some fresh strawberries to go in the chocolate 
Well, we apparently had way too many dippables available for the fondue and ended up with a decent amount of sliced strawberries left, which I froze. I had just picked up a free ice cream maker from a garage sale(thrown in free for buying a sewing machine and table with 3 legs for $4.35: ca-ching!) so I thought why not make a frozen strawberry treat on a Sunday afternoon ! We’re on somewhat of a health kick(minus the fondue) so we opted for some frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Seriously, this is the BEST frozen yogurt I have ever had! The sweetness from the lychee perfectly matches the tanginess of the strawberries. And the tartness from the real yogurt is out of this world! I’ll definitely make some more later. And I never knew it was so simple to make. You take yogurt and freeze it. Viola, frozen yogurt!
I missed this last night because I was having a fondue party. Luckily, Serious Eats had all the episodes! So here it is: all three of Saturday Night Live’s Death by Chocolate skits:
UPDATE: Videos went down, I got it back up for you guys!
For those of you that don’t know, I’m Cambodian-American. I was born in Houston, but that doesn’t change the fact that I, like 3 billion other people on Earth, live on rice. Specifically, Thai Jasmine Long Grain rice. I have some with almost every meal and if I don’t, I’m often not satisfied until I do. So you’ll imagine my surprise to hear that the price of rice has almost -DOUBLED- in the last week or so. Instead of the ~$12.99 per 25 pound bag I’m used to paying, in some places it’s now $22.99! And that’s if you can even find some! Seriously, the Hong Kong Supermarket in Arlington only had one brand last weekend instead of their normal 5-6 brands. And that stuff looked like it was going fast. Ok, I can handle eggs and milk doubling in price. Or gas becoming a luxury that only kings can afford. But NOT my rice! Please?
So, why the sudden increase in price? Well, if you’re reading this… it might be your fault! Yes, there has been some speculation that demand is going to be more that supply. And the cost of food and gas are up in general. But a major factor in this price increase is public hoarding. Prices started going up and people freaked. Everybody and their moms (including my mom actually) started stockpiling rice like no tomorrow. Here’s an excerpt from a news article:
“There is enough rice supply for domestic consumption”, Mingkwan told reporters late yesterday in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok. “The current shortage has been caused by some hoarding and panic buying on concern the price will rise further.” There is no need to reduce exports, he said.
Rice, the staple food for about 3 billion people, has nearly doubled in the past year on increased imports by the Philippines, the biggest buyer, and as China, India and Vietnam cut exports. Record food and fuel prices have stoked inflation, contributing to strikes in Argentina, riots in Ivory Coast and a crackdown on illicit exports in Pakistan.
So why is rice so damn expensive? Because the world hates you.
Source:
This is one of those things that I’ve been wanting to review for netfoodie since the site started. I’ve had it before, but I’m sure many of you out there haven’t. Elotes are a popular Mexican street food. I got mine from a cart in front of Fiesta mart for 2 bucks.
Roasted corn in a cup, big deal you say? The thing that makes this treat different is what you put on it. And that’s just about everything.
List of elote toppings:
And of course, I went for it all! Yes, I got a styrofoam cup full of EVERYTHING!
Taste? Yes. Man this stuff’s got a lot of flavor. Each bite is a little different than the last. Here’s a sample of what to expect. First you taste the sourness of the sour cream and lime juice. Then the creaminess of the butter and the mayonnaise. Then you taste the cheese. Then it’s spicy from the chili sauce and the pepper. Then you get the sweetness of the corn. And that’s all in one bite!
And yes, I’d get it again. It’s kind of like an cow exploded in your mouth while eating some corn. Dairy is part of the food pyamid… And hey, corn is a vegetable, right?
Elotes get a 4 out of 5!
Take a few shots, let it burn in your chest stink up your breath.
In a recent interview, Fergie of “Fergalicious” fame says she keeps slim by taking shots of apple cider vinegar. Apparently, 2 tablespoons of the vinegar will cleanse and flush away the fat.
Interested? Here’s how to do it. According to sources online, you need to use organic unfiltered apple cider vingar. You should not take the vinegar straight and undiluted. It’ll strip the enamel off your teeth and cause some stomach discomfort. Some people mix a little baking soda into it. Some mix it into their apple juice or tea. At the very least, mix it with a few ounces of wate, use honey to sweeten.
Can’t stand drinking the stuff? They sell apple cider vinegar supplements online and at your local vitamin shops.
So there you have it! If you want to look like(and smell like) Fergie, just drink some vinegar. Me, I’ll stick with… anything else.
Sources:
http://fashion.hollyscoop.com/fergie/fergies-diet-secret_447.aspx
http://www.steadyhealth.com/pros_and_cons_of_apple_cider_vinegar_diet_t66170.html
Jeremy, a good friend of mine, gave this one to me for review. Ah, the very reason I started a food website: getting free food and drinks! Jeremy gave Virgil’s very high remarks and I couldn’t wait to review it.
So it sat in my fridge for a few weeks. It’s not that I didn’t want to review it, surely I did. It just seemed too special to drink with my slice of pizza or bowl of rice. I have a weird relationship with food. I get into moods where everything has to be just right. Well, today the stars finally aligned and I decided to give good ole Virgil’s Root Beer a try!
It was worth the wait! Micro brewing must be where it’s at because this root beer is smooth and creamy. The carbonation is definitely there, but not sharp like in some root beers. It has a great rich taste with a slight licorice aftertaste. I’ve had some root beers that have gone way overboard with the licorice and I can’t stand it(I’ll tell you about my experiences with absinthe later). Virgil’s also boasts the use of 100% natural ingredient which I think make the flavor very rich. Virgil’s Root Beer has no caffeine, so no problems drinking it in bed. Which I plan to.
One thing’s for sure, I’ll never look at your average 2 liter of root beer the same again!
Virgil’s Root Beer gets a 4 out of 5 on the awesomeness meter!
I have a weird relationship with food. I get into moods where everything has to be just right. When I eat, I never mix my food together. I judge each next bite against the qualities of the previous bite. Example: If I’m eating rice and stir fry and I just had a bite with alot of sauce and vegetables, I make sure the next bite I take has more rice and meat. I also have this thing about eating in front of the TV. I can’t eat if something good isn’t on. Seriously, I’ll let my food go cold while I’m flipping through the channels. Hopefully, I find something- or at the very least, something in the next time block! I also ABSOLUTELY hate taking the last piece of food while eating with a group. I’ll stare at it while my stomach gurgles but will rarely go for it.
What about you guys? Have any weird food habits?
Wow! In my random interweb surfings, I ran across an article about craving and chewing ice being related to health problems. Not frostbite or chipped teeth as you might expect, but iron deficiency anemia! It’s not sure why they crave ice, but studies show it’s true!
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chewing-ice/AN01278
I used to chew crushed ice every day in high school. Not sure if I had any related health problems. I loved doing it and was always disappointed if they ran out of ice that day. I used to hear that people who chew ice are sexually frustrated. Did I mention I used to chew ice in high school?
We picked these up at World Market for $2.29. If you’ve never been to World Market, it’s kind of hard to describe. They’re a big store sell stuff from around the world. Well, I guess it wasn’t too hard to describe after all. They stock things from rugs to packaged foods to vases to toys. It’s a fun place to waste some time in. Or pick up candy with little English on the package!
I’ve never tasted currants before but I have seen them while watching food network. Not sure what they actually taste like but surely didn’t expect to find candy that’s currant influenced. Here’s what good ole wiki has to say about redcurrants:
Redcurrant fruit is slightly more sour than its relative the blackcurrant, and is cultivated mainly for jams and cooked dishes, rather than for eating raw. For example, in Scandinavia it is often used in fruit soups and summer puddings, and in Germany it is also used in combination with custard or meringue as a filling for tarts.
And apparently as German gummy candy! They have a VERY strong flavor to them. The taste is kind of like a sour artificial raspberry flavor on steroids. There’s almost a medicine-y taste to it. Or maybe a fruit rollup rejected flavor. And yet, they’re oddly addictive. At least once I got past how strong the flavor was. It’s a pretty different flavor than we have here in the states.
So next time you have a craving for artificially flavored sour cough syrup fruit rollups(and you know you will) give these Katjes Sour Red Currant Gummies a shot!
They get a 3 out of 5 awesomenesses!
I always go to Neighborhood Grill for, oddly enough, their snow cones. I’m in love with the “sour head” you can add to any flavor. I used to be a sour freak as a kid and sour head is probably the most sour substance I’ve ever put in my mouth if you don’t mix your snow cone beforehand. And that’s a good thing! They also boast about being named one of the cleanest restaurants in Arlington, always a good thing! I’d only once eaten food there(chicken philly cheese) and it was great. Since we’re running a segment on finding the best two dollar burger in Arlington this month, I figured I’d give them the first crack at it.
I went with their cheeseburger for $1.79. As always, I went “all the way” with the veggies. This includes lettuce, tomato and onion with mayo and ketchup. I brought this one home since it was almost closing time. I love the picnic table pattern on the wrappers, it really reminds you that this is not a McBleh burger. It’s a nice big burger for the price. I actually measured it to be 5 inches wide. The bun is grilled on both sides which is a nice touch. The beef patty was a nice size, but somewhat average in taste. Just a little on the dry side. What makes this burger is the flavor. The mayo looks to be a little bit peppered and gives it a really satisfying flavor. There are just enough veggies on there, not skimpy but also not falling out of the bun(which I hate). All of this gives it a great flavor and a great price!
They have a great menu and really good prices. And if you go, make sure to get a snow cone with some sour head! And tell Sammy we said hi! 
Neighborhood Grill in Arlington, TX gets a 4 out of 5 on the awesomeness meter!