Prider Correspondants Meet & Eat at Las Vegas In 'N Out Burger!

Two of our regular reporters - Etathed & Blak2oof - were fortunate enough to have the chance to do a meet and greet in fabulous Las Vegas. Etathed had never been to an In 'N Out Burger so Blak2oof knew what to do. Above are some live mobi pics from their visit and soon we will have commentary from them on the burgers.

From The Eastern U.S.: Etathed Reviews Hardee's New Little Thick Burgers

Since our FPT test kitchens are located on the west coast of the USA, we asked one of our regular contributors to try out Hardee's new "Little Thick Burgers". Don't let the name fool you - these 'little' burgers are 1/4 pounders. His report: I ordered the 1/4 little thick burger as it comes, no extra fixins or anything like that. I wanted to test this burger in its original form, (minus tomato mind you, as i never touch those things). This is indeed a quality fast food burger. In comparison to other fast food 1/4 lb offerings this burger seemed to be much thicker than the rest on the market. I think this is what sets this burger apart, its true to its name, this is a THICK burger. It also had a very good flavor that i can only described as "Just Grilled." I believe this burger costs $1.99 and i would say it is worth it. But more important, 2 are well worth $3.98.

Reader Spots Distressing Food Packaging and Labeling Information

The staff here at the FPT is always keeping an eye out for mis-leading labeling regarding quantity of foodstuffs. Our regular contributor Etathed has sent us this breaking food news that he spotted for us:

From MSN Money's Michael Brush:

"Slammed by the skyrocketing costs of agricultural goods and energy, many companies are quietly shortchanging their customers by putting a little less into bags, jars and boxes.

"We are tightening our belts," PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi said in a company conference call last week. PepsiCo recently reduced the amount of Tropicana orange juice you get in a large container by 7%, from 96 ounces to 89 ounces. Bags of Doritos, also made by PepsiCo, have been trimmed by as much as 2 ounces.

PepsiCo is not alone in subtly cutting size as a substitute for raising prices. Kelloggs, General Mills, Unilever, Wm. Wrigley Jr., and Proctor & Gamble have quietly trimmed the amount of cereal, ice cream, chewing gum, paper towels and toilet paper you get.

Road Trip Reports: Florida Food Report, Part 1 - Schooners - From Ethaded

This past week I was in beautiful Panama City Beach Florida for a few days to attend a conference for work. The weather and beaches there were beautiful, the sand soft, and the waters warm. Just as enjoyable was the fantastic food i got to sample. As you can imagine I feasted on as much fresh seafood as i could. Another conference attendee actually owned two beach front retaraunts in town and treated our group to free dinners on monday and tuesday night!

These were no ordinary dinners either, full four course meals that had this prider F-U-L-L FULL.

This report covers the first dinner held at Schooners (pronounced Skoo'-ners.) This place was right on the beach and is refered to as The last local beach club and restaraunt. Like all good beach food places Schooners is out in the open air and offers a beautiful view of the setting sun. Now onto the meal. The appetizer i chose was scallops and greens baked in a fresh pastry like shell served with a lobster sauce. While not a fan of pastry, this unique plate proved to be delicious. The flakey outside shell mixed well with the scallops and greens inside, and the lobster sauce was top notch.

After a salad it was time for the evening's main course. While there were several options including filet mignon that looked fantastic, there was no way i was going to pass up some fresh fish. I went with the Snapper and rice. This is what eating in florida is all about, fresh caught, and grilled to perfection and served over rice with asparagus on the side (which i didn't touch.)

After all that dessert was served in the form of an amazing tiramisu. Sorry, i ate that before snapping a pic.

From its prestine location and unparralled sunset views, to the gracious staff, cold beers and cocktails, and of course the delicious grub Schooners is a must for anyone visiting Panama City Beach. It very well may be the not only the last, but the BEST local beach club and restaraunt.

http://www.schooners.com/

Up Next, Part 2: Dinner at The Boatyard

Report From World Famous Roadkill Cookoff in Marlinton, West Virginia

From Regular Contributor Etathed: A few years ago the state of West Virginia made it legal to to take home - and use - animals killed by cars. Thus the Roadkill Cookoff was born. This past weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the World Famous Roadkill Cookoff in Marlinton, West Virginia. This is a unique food fest featuring cooks from all over the region competing for cash and prizes. The only rule is that the foodstuffs must be made from animals commonly found on the side of the road. While not for those with a weak stomach, there is a great variety of unique foods to sample at this yearly event. From bear, to deer, to turtles, this is truely an event that would make any Prider proud. There where three foodstuffs that really knocked my socks off this year. They are, in no particular order: - Smeared Hog, a wondefully and surprisingly tasty Groundhog recipe. - Barnyard Buzzard, BBQ Buzzard grilled to perfection. - Turkey Chili, A nice Spicy chili. While these were my top 3 favorite samples of the day, I also tried two snapping turtle recipes, one a soup, the other just meat. While the soup was not very good at all, the meat dish was rather tasty. Thanks to my friend and recent FPT Prider, mecoleman for taking these photos at the event.

Guest Recipe From Etathed"Simple Chicken Nacho Dip"

Simple Chicken Nacho Dip. I made this for the first time today. Thought it would go good with some of my award winning soft tacos.

1 CAN CHICKEN
1 CREAM CHEESE
1 CUP RANCH DRESSING
1 CUP HOT SAUCE
1 CUP CHEDDER CHEESE

Mix all that stuff up in a baking dish and bake at 350 until the edges brown.

Took longer than expected to bake and turned out pretty decent. And now a few observations..... I think i the one cup of franks was a bit much. 1/2-3/4 cups should do it, as it was overpowering in this mix. It is not a "hot" issue as i do not find franks "hot" it is just that the distinct franks flavor is too strong in such large quantities. Extra ranch may be another way to go.

I also think it could be improved on by substituting beef, perhaps taco meat, in place of the chicken, as the chicken seemed rather tasteless amidst the other ingredients. I believe a taco meat or chili sauce could really ad some body to this dip. So I believe there is a future to look into with this foodstuff.

If i were to grade this dip i would give it a C. However it is truly simple to make, thus i am going up it to a B-.

NEW - Poppin' Jalapeno DoritosGuest Review By Ethadad

I like a jalapeno in just about any form.......fried slices, jalapeno poppers with cheddar or cream cheese, or as a topping on some super nachos, and today I can add Poppin Jalapeno flavored Doritos to that list.

Don't know how long these have been on the shelves, but i saw them today for the first time and had to give them a try. Though they contain some artificial flavor, they have a very real jalepeno flavor. These do not come across as "hot," like the Fiery Habenero flavor. In fact the lack of overpowering heat lets the flavor of the jalapeno come through, and it works. These would go really well in a Doritos Collision Bag paired up with something like a cool ranch flavor, or maybe even the original nacho cheesier. I highly suggest trying these, if you haven't already.

Nachos Grande Maximum ReviewFrom W. VA Guest Reviewer Ethadad

If you ever find yourself in the small ski town of
Snowshoe West Virginia, be sure to stop by Misty's
Sports Bar for what may very well be the Best Nachos
Ever.

To call this an "order" of nachos is just flat out
insulting to what is clearly a "meal" or "feast" of
nacho goodness. While i do not have an official
number, this delicious conglomerate of nacho chips,
chili, cheese, salsa, sour cream, and jalapenos must
weigh somewhere between 3 and 5 gut expanding pounds.


Don't fool yourself, this experiance does come with a
price. An upset stomach and some serious discomfort
often follow the feast. Factor in the value price of
$6.99, and it's all well worth it, knowing you may
very well have just had the Best Nachos Ever.

Homemade Taco ContestSubmit Your Photo Via EmailIt Is On

ENTRY FROM: Ethadad

ENTRY FROM: Mr.Cooley - Nevada

ENTRY FROM: Mr. S.Bill - Bangor, Maine

ENTRY FROM: Negative Nancy

ENTRY FROM: Fat Pride Staffers

Let the taco games begin. Photo above is of homemade tacos prepared 500 feet under the Earth's surface in our test kitchens. Many speak of how their tacos are the most best - let us see. We believe our tacos will win, but we will be using a third party for final judging.

It's On.