Our Favorite Foods #2

Tacos.



--Couldn't have said it better myself.

Few things excite me more than tacos. Crunchy tacos to be exact. I just can't get enough of them. Growing up, at least once a week we would have a make your own taco night in the Carpenter household consisting of crunchy taco shells (Old El Paso brand), ground beef, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and of course salsa (we went through the largest bottle of Pace Picante Mild sauce about once every two weeks on average.) Upon my arrival at college last year, I was thrilled to discover that once a week the cafeteria had the exact same buffet of taco amenities. Needless to say, it was my favorite meal.

There is just nothing like biting into a crunchy shell filled with your favorite fixings and experiencing the pure ecstasy that makes up this simple, Americanized-Mexican entre. Sadie and I have both expressed that if we would be the best eaters of anything, it would be crunchy tacos despite their subsequent danger in cutting your mouth and throat with the sharp edges of the shell.

Stay tuned for future discussions of favorite food which will most likely include many, many more Mexican dishes: Salsa, burritos, quesadillas... okay maybe we'll just make another entire blog about Mexican food; the possibilities are endless.

--Jamie

Our Favorite Foods #1: Pimento Cheese, a true southern delicacy

Pronounced 'minna cheese here in the south, pimento cheese is a cheese spread which is best enjoyed (in my opinion) between two slices of white bread, cut diagonally down the center. You won't find many households around here that don't have a container of pimento cheese sitting in their refrigerator. It is a very versatile, easy, cheap, and oh-so-delicious meal. Visit any southern church covered-dish potluck lunch and you will find plates full of quartered pimento cheese sandwiches.

Our granny makes her own pimento cheese. Once on a camping trip through New England, she wanted to make some pimento cheese sandwiches in the RV but couldn't find it in any grocery store. She decided she'd take matters into her own hands and make her own pimento cheese. From that point on, she decided she would stick to making it herself, using the basic ingredients: grated cheddar cheese, diced pimentos, mayonnaise, and salt/pepper to taste.

Besides eating it on your basic white-bread sandwiches, there are many other ways to enjoy pimento cheese:
-using it as a dip for bell peppers, celery, or crackers
-replacing it for sliced cheese and making a grilled pimento cheese sandwich
-topping a hamburger with a big glob of it
-even making Pimento Mac and Cheese (I haven't tried this yet but think it would be awesome!)
....pretty much anywhere you can use your basic cheese you can use pimento cheese.


Actually, for my lunch today I packed a pimento cheese sandwich. I slathered a little bit on some whole-wheat bread and topped it of with a hand full of baby spinach...so actually pimento cheese can even be a part of a healthy, well balanced meal!

Someday, I'd like to come up with my own pimento cheese recipe and share it with the world, but for now, I'll stick to my grocery store staple: Ruth's Hot Pimento Cheese.

--Sadie

A New Segment

Since we don't really have anything competitive-eating related to talk about right now we've decided to start a new feature for our blog: "Our Favorite Foods"

Every week, we will satisfy your palate by giving you the 411 on our favorite foods, meals, and restaurants. Talking about food is one of the main reasons we started writing on this thing anyway. We love food. Our whole lives have been centered around a good meal so why not share this love with the rest of the world?

Is Burger King trying to be the next Krystal?

From Yahoo! News: Burger King Corp. Boosts Menu with New BK BURGER SHOTS and BK BREAKFAST SHOTS

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Burger King Corp. (NYSE:BKC - News) adds two charming, bite-sized menu additions with new BK BURGER SHOTS™ and BK BREAKFAST SHOTS™. Full of mouth-watering flavors, the new sandwiches are ideal as a snack or a meal.

Available in a two-pack or a six-pack, BK BURGER SHOTS™ offer a hot and juicy flame-broiled burger topped with mustard, ketchup and two crunchy pickles between a bakery-fresh bun without sesame seeds.

Another mini menu addition is BK BREAKFAST SHOTS™, which feature the choice of thinly sliced ham, crispy bacon or a sausage patty with a fluffy egg, a smoky cheese sauce and melted American cheese served on a bakery-fresh bun. BK BREAKFAST SHOTS™ are available in a two-pack or a four-pack.

“BK BURGER SHOTS™ might look small, but they are full of the big, flame-broiled taste our guests love,” said John Schaufelberger, senior vice president, global product marketing and innovation, Burger King Corp. “In addition, BK BREAKFAST SHOTS™ round out the breakfast menu with a hearty and fun-to-eat morning option.”

BK BURGER SHOTS™ will be available in a two-pack or a six-pack portion for a suggested retail price of $1.39 and $4.09. BK BREAKFAST SHOTS™ will be available in a two-pack or a four-pack for a suggested retail price of $1.49 and $2.89 during BURGER KING® restaurant breakfast hours.

Check out BK.Com for more info.

I must argue...

After reading Sadie's Super Bowl blog about her favorite frozen pizza, I feel that I must defend my number one choice. The ever so classy: Totino's Pizza. There are a lot of different flavors and combination's; all of which are delicious but my particular favorite is the Mexican Party Pizza. Yes, yes. I know you're probably thinking.. TOTINO'S?!?! They have had a recent bout of E. coli in November of 2007, who's to say it won't happen again. Maybe I feel invincible. I have never had a bad experience with food, and the poor preperation or diseases that are often involved with it. As a matter of fact, I have probably developed an immunity to food poisioning because all of the dirty food and perservatives I have consumed in my lifetime.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand. Totino's Mexican Style. At $1.25, its affordable, tasty, quick and filling. I love this pizza. (also try: Supreme, Combination, and the many different styles of Pizza Rolls)

In other news, I'm not sure if its the excitement of the Wing Bowl that has enhanced it, but I have been especially obsessed with buffalo wings (with or without bones) as of late. I must say that Pizza Hut is superior to Papa Johns, but the best I've had in Asheville are at the Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company AKA "The Brew and View". If you are ever visiting the area, I recommend this establishment. Located on Merrimon Avenue, the Brew and View is not only a restaurant but an experience as they show second run movies ($3) and serve pizza, sandwiches, nachos, chicken wings and everything else including microbrews by the pitcher (which I will definately take advantage of in approximately one year and one month). The "FIRE" wings are to die for.


-Jamie

Super Bowl 09

In honor of the Super Bowl (which is basically serving as a background noise for my boredom-caused facebook addiction) I thought I'd give a quick review of the best frozen pizza ever.

A few weeks ago, Trey and I went to the grocery store to get a frozen pizza to eat for dinner. We stumbled across this gem of a find...the Tombstone Garlic Bread Pizza. I have always thought frozen pizza was okay; I'd prefer pizza from a real pizza place any day but when in a hurry and on a budget, pizzas of the frozen variety have to suffice. Anyway, we picked up the Tombstone Garlic Bread Pizza and were pleasantly surprised at the taste of this pizza. It is really garlic-y which makes it REALLY good! The crust isn't too thin like a lot of frozen pizzas are, it has a nice, thicker consistency. For the past month, we've had one of these pizzas every weekend and I can't seem to get enough of it. It comes in cheese, pepperoni, and supreme, but we've only had the cheese due to the fact that Trey won't eat supreme and I'd just rather have cheese for fewer calories. Dumb isn't it?... I'm worried about just a few extra calories when I sit and eat half of a pizza in one sitting. Ah well, such is life.

We're going to Sims Country BBQ this weekend which is quite possibly the most awesome place in the world, so I'll be sure to post some pictures.

--Sadie