Category: food

Recipe: Jell-O Pudding Pops

Ashley Bischoff2 Comments

This one is just for Bryan ;). I found this recipe for Jell-O Pudding Pops from the WhatsInTheFridge mailing list:

Jell-O Pudding Pops

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cold milk
  • 1 package (4-serving size) Jell-O Instant Pudding and Pie Mix
  • 6 (5-oz) paper cups
  • 6 popsicle sticks

Preparation:

Beat pudding mix and milk together, at least two minutes. Spoon into cups. Insert popsicle stick in center of each cup.

Freeze 5 hours (or overnight). To remove pop from cup, place bottom of cup in warm water for 15 seconds. Press firmly on bottom of cup and push pop out. Don't pull on the popsicle stick.

I haven’t had Jell-O pudding pops in years, though I suppose few have since they’re no longer on the market (petition to bring them back). All the same, I'd be interested in how these turn out if anyone makes some.

Lovers Pizza & Pasta before Cocktail Event

Ashley BischoffLeave a comment

Since the Inwood Lounge doesn’t serve food, Leia and I are going to Lovers Pizza & Pasta beforehand, meeting there at 7pm.

They’re at 5605 W Lovers Lane and Leia describes it as “between Lover’s & Inwood and Lover’s & the tollway, on the north side of the street in a strip mall with a green overhang” (photo of said awning).

I haven't been there before, but I’ve heard good things about them:

It doesn’t look like much on the inside either: small and dark, with a less- than-dazzling view of the parking lot, encouraging you to order your pizza to go. But the reason you’re there is the pizza. Lovers Pizza has thin-crust, New York-style pizza, and they make their own sauce and dough. They even hand-toss the pizza dough and then top it with just the right amount of cheese, sauce and toppings. Then there’s the calzone. Ohhhh, the calzone. […]

I enjoy a good pizza, and New York-style is no exception. All the same, I’m still hankering for a good Chicago-style pizza in the Dallas area.

Anyhow, if you’re in the mood for pizza or calzones, you’re welcome to join us. Leia assures me that it’s very quick, but I’m tempted to show up a touch early in any case ;).

Date Plate on Food Network

Ashley Bischoff2 Comments

I’ve recently discovered Date Plate on Food Network. You can think of it as a cross between reality tv and a cooking show ;).

What do you get when you take 2 eligible bachelors (or bachelorettes), give each a $50 shopping budget, and ask them to plan and cook a romantic meal in hopes of winning over a blind date? Date Plate challenges two food-savvy contestants to do just that.

So, these two guys start the show by watching a short video clip of the date-girl that they’ll be cooking for. The clip typically doesn’t reveal her likes or dislikes in food, so the guys have to base their menu off their hunches from the video.

From there, each guy is paired with a professional chef and they go to the supermarket together to spend their allotted $50. The chefs are allowed to make small suggestions but the menu ideas (and cooking) are up to the guys. After the supermarket, they go the kitchen of a real restaurant to cook the meals (which is always empty, leading me to think that maybe the show is filmed on a night the restaurant is closed anyway).

After two hours cooking time, the dishes are served at the same time to the girl (presumably to give her the chance to try them back-and forth). And, after the main dish, their desserts are brought out. At the end of the show, the girl has to pick which guy she likes best based only on the meals he’s cooked for her.

If you like reality tv and cooking shows (or one of the two), you might just enjoy Date Plate. The show airs Wednesdays at 9:30pm/8:30c and 12:30am/11:30c on Food Network.

Pluckers – Not So Plucky

Ashley Bischoff3 Comments

On a whim, Jason, Julie and I decided to order-out last night. They had already had pizza for lunch, so we decided to give Pluckers a try.

Perhaps I should have known better than to order beef from a wings-place, but the avocado burger looked tempting. So, I ordered that while Jason & Julie decided to split a 10-piece order of chicken tenders.

The food arrived a little while later (though I wasn’t paying attention to the time). Jason & Julie were enjoying their tenders before even sitting down. Meanwhile, I placed my burger (and waffle-fries) on a plate since I was concerned that the styrofoam tray might become unwieldy.

On paper, the burger had it all: bun, meat, lettuce, onions, cheddar and (of course) avocado. But, it was just stone-cold. It wasn’t actually chilly, but I couldn’t detect any remnants of heat. It took a 40-second nuke to bring the burger up to an acceptable temperature — and I shouldn’t have to do that. The waffle fries looked the part, but they were also cold and more soggy than crispy.

Perhaps it was just a fluke. Or maybe Pluckers doesn’t have an expertise in beef. Either way, I don’t think I’ll buy their hambugers again, but I'd be willing to give their chicken another chance sometime.

Mmm, Delicious Evil

Ashley Bischoff2 Comments

Pillsbury may be evil, but they make some tasty cupcakes. I’m alluding to the cupcakes at Thomas’ party, of course. (I boycott Pillsbury and its parent-company General Mills due to their heavy-handed legal department.)

I don’t hold it against him for buying Pillsbury cupcake mix since he probably wasn’t aware of their past history. Nonetheless, the yellow-cake cupcakes had a fluffy denseness. The texture was almost like a pound cake, but not quite that dense. And, they had a pleasant degree of sweetness though not overwhelmingly so.

Still, I find it amusing that supermarkets tend to feature only three brands among cake mixes (in addition to the store’s house brand). Generally, there’s Betty Crocker and Pillsbury, but those are both the same company (General Mills). The third brand is often Duncan Hines (which is evil-free, as far as I can tell).