Hot Buttered Rum Warm Drink for Cold Months

Fall time and winter weather has started hitting most of the United States, bringing cold, snow, and low temperatures. A nice warm beverage always seems to make one feel comfortable in theses cold times. Our test kitchen was sent a few of these hot buttered rum packets for a sampling.

The packets are very easy to use. First boil some water...a few cups will do. Then put boiling water in a mug, add a shot (or two) of your favorite rum, add a 1 and a half table spoons of Hot Buttered Rum mix, and table spoon of butter and your are set. Easy to drink, and warms you up. Perfect for the long winter months ahead.

Pumpkin Pie Apple Soup A Thanksgiving Alternative

Just in time for Thanksgiving, a creative twist on a very traditional day. This recipe is from a friend and fellow lover of food and food stuffs Mike E. in the great city of Missoula, Montana.
We asked Mike if he would give us some background on the Pumpkin Apple Pie soup, and was gracious enough to send us back a great response.

Basically what happened was I really don't like the whole thanksgiving deal...turkey and stuffing don't do much for me. And since I'm a cook, my family expects me to make food for the party. So I decided to bacon up thanksgiving. I made bacon cornbread stuffing, pumpkin pie apple soup, and bacon brittle candy. The soup is honestly one of the best soups I've ever made, and everybody loved it. I cooked off a pound of bacon until just rendered (not crispy), sauteed an onion and a green apple with the bacon in the fat, added some chicken stock, a can of pumpkin pie mix, and blended it all up with my stick blender. I added a bit of heavy cream after it was blended, then served it with a drizzle of cream on top for garnish. It was the first soup that I ever blended bacon into (I usually cook the bacon, then set it aside and add the crispy bacon back in to the soup at the end). It was pumpkin-y, and certainly tasted like thanksgiving, but it was a whole new way to taste thanksgiving. I'm pretty sure I'm expected to make it again this year. It was awesome!!

We want to thank Mike for his contribution and check back for more food ideas from Mike. Also, please follow Mike at his blog Confessions of a Line Cook

Jack in The Box Free Tacos 11/16/10

This Tuesday at your local Jack in The Box location, Jack is giving away tacos! Only catch is that you have to be there after 2pm local standard time. The FPT will be visiting JiTB locations around town to collect on this great deal. We suggest using the taco sauce as well. It is not to hot, but just enough to give them a little extra added flavor.
We believe everyone should enjoy tacos! So go out to your local Jack in the Box and take him up on his FREE offer.

Ghirardelli 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Twilight Delight

The staff here at the FPT love chocolate! I mean, who doesn't right? One of our staffers brought in this bag of Ghiradelli 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate treats. It may be some of the best chocolate around. We did not think words could describe how good these are, until we visited the Ghiradelli website. Here are the flavor notes on this chocolate from the website
"Highly aromatic, this bar has mocha, blackberry and dark cherry notes with an intense chocolate flavor and silky smooth texture. This sensuous chocolate has a long finish and a delightful, lingering flavor. "
That says it all right there! Also the website offered up some food pairings for the chocolate. It suggests dried figs, sweet baguette, toasted almonds,raisins or cherries. Some of the beverage pairings include Cognac, Armagnac, zinfandel, syrah, Cabernet, and black tea. Anyway you decide to partake in this wonderful dark chocolate squares is completely up to you. After all it is the USA, and on this Veterans Day 2010, make sure to thank a veteran when you see one, not just today, but everyday.

Happy Meal Ban Food Justice Movement

San Francisco, California has approved a ordinance that is intended to control the distribution of toys with unhealthy food. First target was Mcdonalds and the world famous Happy Meal. With the ordinance, burger and fries will be replaced by fruits and vegetables by December 2011.
How do you feel about this "Food Justice Movement"? Here at the Fat Pride Times, we fell that US Americans should be able to eat and feed their families what the want. We do feel that parents should be feeding their kids better, but it is the USA and they are free to make their own choices.

Free Seattle's Best Coffee Fridays in November at Burger King

The King is being generous this November and giving out free 12oz. Seattle's Best Coffee to its customers in morning. The offer is limited to one per customer, per visit. The FPT thinks this is a great offer for breakfast people and coffee drinkers. It is a good way to start of the morning and once your day has started good, it will lead into a good weekend. Find your nearest Burger King and pick up a cup this Friday. We say raise your cup and give a salute to the King.

Popeyes Chicken 2-Piece and Biscuit Deal

This time around The FPT is talking about a good meal deal. We are always trying to save out readers money and time. So we present to you the Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen $1.99 2 Piece and a Biscuit meal deal. You get a two pieces of Popeye's Original or Spicy Chicken, and a fresh biscuit. And as we can see in the picture, we added a side of red beans and rice for just a $1.50 more. And for dipping sauces....we have some hot sauce to go with the spicy chicken, and some honey for the biscuit. Not every has a Popeye's in their areas, but if you do, the Fat Pride Times suggest making a visit.

Happy Halloween 2010 Fat Pride Times

The FPT wishes everyone a safe and fun Halloween. We hope you get all the candy you want!! Please tell us your Halloween candy stories. What candy do you like, dis like? In our area most of the kids go to the local shopping mall, dressed in costumes and get their candy. We do have candy ready though, bring on the trick or treaters!

Pizzalicious Wayne New Jersey Fat Slob Sandwich

Our latest submission is from our great friend "The Bus Driver" out in Wayne, New Jersey. He sent in a photo of the Fat Slob Sandwich from Pizzalicious. Here is a quote from "The Bus Driver" himself..."These guys go out of their way to make things right for you. A great bunch of people work here. Try to stop in and give them a try. You cant go wrong . Be sure to ask about the Tom special, It's yummy mmmmm."

Here is a description of the sandwich...Steak chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, fries, bacon, more cheese, and onion rings. Now that is one hell of a sandwich. FPT hopes to make it out the NJ in the near future to sample this awesome sandwich. Here is a link to the Pizzalicious website.

Jack Daniels Pulled BBQ Chicken

Our latest food stuff from the FPT test kitchen (or the FPTTK) is Jack Daniel's Pulled Chicken. This dish can be found mostly in the meat department at your local grocery establishment. The Jack Daniel's Pulled Chicken is very easy to prepare in the microwave, only take a few minutes. There is a healthy portion of the pulled chicken, enough for at 3 to 4 nice size sandwiches. The Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce that is used on the chicken is top notch. We suggest a garnish of baked beans, potato salad or any of your favorite backyard BBQ dishes.

Do Video Games Make You Fat? The 3 Fry's Guys Answer The Question!

Noticing a 3-pack of very large men a entering Fry's Electronics store while parking - We debated what department they could be found in. Suprise - we found them enjoying a video game demo station.

Papa Murphys Take and Bake Pizza Review

Our latest food stuff review is sent to us by Columbus Colin in Columbus, Ohio. Colin has sent the FPT pictures and a small review on the Papa Murphy's Take and Bake Pizza.

Columbus Colin: A friend told me about a pizza place in my area where they made the pizza and I took it home and baked it....I was very skeptical. I was also told that I could make this pizza on my grill outside...I did not think it could be done. Papa Murphy's gave me a special grilling tin and made it very easy! This is the pizza I tried

Chicken Bacon Artichoke deLITE® Our Creamy Garlic Sauce, Grilled Chicken, Crispy Bacon, Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, Parmesan Cheese and Zesty Herbs on cracker-thin crust.

Columbus Colin: Nice light pizza with some great ingredients. I suggest you look up Papa Murphy's in your areas, and give them a try.

McRib Sandwich Returns to McDonalds

Thats right folks, the McRib is back. McDonald's announced recently that they will be bringing back the sandwich, on November 2nd. Here at the FPT, we often get emails asking if we know where to find the McRib. Even though we do get insider information on food stuffs from time to time, McDonald's has been very tight lipped on operations.

We ask readers to please send in photos of your McRib once they are released. The McRib may be around to stay....lets hope so.

Jared Allen Quarterback Killers Cookbook

Recently the FPT heard a radio interview with Minnesota Vikings Defensive End talking about a new cook book he as written. Jared is one of the premiere defensive ends in the National Football League and avid game hunter. The Quarterback Killers cookbook is all about preparing and cooking big game. Some of the feature recipes that Jared suggests is the Buffalo Meatloaf and the Elk Jerky. The book can be purchased at Quarterback Killers Cookbookwebsite.

Nathans Famous Hot Dogs for Monday Night Football

This weekend the New York Jets are playing the Minnesota Vikings in a great Monday Night match up. FPT thought since this game is being played in New York, that we would fire up the test kitchen grill for some Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs.

Nathan's was founded in Coney Island, way back in 1916. According to the Nathan's website "Last year there were over 360 million Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs sold!" Also, every year the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest is held at the Coney Island location.

Our Nathan's Famous dogs tonight are topped with chopped onions, shredded cheese, spicy brown mustard and ketchup. These Dog are high quality and taste great. You may pay a bit more for these than normal dogs, but well worth it.

Are you a fussy eater? Tell FPT about it

That is the question we ask our readers today....are you a fussy eater? Is there a food that you just can't stand because of the way it looks, ,tastes, sounds, smells? We would like to hear about it. The FPT has found a video from the late, great George Carlin on the very subject.



Please leave a comment on your fussy eater moments, we want to hear about it.

Birds Eye Voila Ten Minute Meal

The FPT test kitchen is always trying new foods and letting the public know about it. This time around we have a dish that claims it can be cooked in 10 minutes. So, we busted out our skillet and accepted this challenge.

The instructions are pretty straight forward....put some water in the bottom of the skillet, heat to med-high, put contents of bag in skillet, cover and stir occasionally.

After cooking and serving, we have given this meal the green light. Cooking time was just under 15 minutes, perfect portion for two people, and a nice blend of veggies, chicken and noodles. The price point is right on this item as well. Check your local grocery store freezer. Price range from $4 to $6 depending on where you do your shopping. There are many varieties of flavors, including shrimp and beef.

NEW Cheetos Hunger Grab Bag

From the HIlls of West Virgina, Etathed has found a new snackable product at his local snack shack.

My favorite Cheetos are the Mighty Zinger Ragin Cajun / Ranch flavored combo bags. Found this unique "Hunger Grab" bag at the store yesterday while on a queso run. This is a narrow bag that contains the same amount of Cheetos as the standard 99 cent bags. This narrow bag is fantastic, as it fits perfectly in the hand. Its easy, tear open corner allows priders to eat straight from the bag with out getting your hands dirty. The narrow bag also makes these Cheetos more travel friendly as they can easily be carried in the pockets of loose fitting clothing! In the photo i have placed the Cheetos bag next to a full size bag of Tostitos Crispy Rounds for comparison.
Props to Cheetos for continuing to deliver a quality snacking experience!

Thanks to Etathed for the heads up on this new product.

UPDATE A Win For Snack Sneakers

Back in December 2009, the FPT spotlighted the all-renewable materials Sun Chips bag. The story talked about how loud packaging is when you open them or re-enter them.
(Here is the original story)

FPT was one of the first media outlets to speak out against loud packaging. We feel that snack sneakers and snackers in general should be able to enjoy food stuffs without excess noise.
This week it was announced that Frito-Lay will be recycling their idea for the biodegradable Sun Chips bag. A spokesperson for the company was quoted as saying "Clearly, we'd received consumer feedback that it was noisy. We recognized from the beginning that the bag felt, looked and sounded different."
FPT considers this a win for snacking community. If any readers have any other issues with food stuffs such as this. Please bring it to our attention, your voice will be heard.

Cincinnati Chili Plate - Made in Las Vegas

Here is the latest dish from FPT reporter B2 in Las Vegas. He put together a nice dish of Cincinnati Chili. The chili packets are not sold in the Las Vegas area, so he had it imported in, from you guessed in, Cincinnati. This style of chili seems to be very popular in the Midwestern United States. According to the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, Cincinnatians consume more than two million pounds of chili each year, topped by 850,000 pounds of shredded cheddar cheese. Now those people really love their chili! Cincinnati chili is traditionally served in the following methods. (note: Pictured is a four-way chili plate)

* two-way: spaghetti and chili
* three-way: spaghetti, chili, and shredded cheese
* four-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, and either diced onions or beans
* five-way: spaghetti, chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and beans
* cheese coney: hot dog topped w/ chili, shredded cheese, diced onions, and mustard
* chili cheese fries: French fries topped with chili and shredded cheese

Here is a quote from our reporter..."The chili has a unique flavor with a hint of cinnamon. It is not your traditional Texas style chili. I would suggest any chili lover to try it at least once."