Recently I started eating pepper bacon as opposed to regular bacon. I don’t know why, but now I only purchase the regular if it’s the only option. Unfortunately, the store I usually shop at seems to forget my obsession and does not offer the brand that I like on a consistent basis. This has led me to try other brands through mail order, which leads me to Nueske. I tried the ham first, but also in the box were two packages of pepper bacon. You could see how lean the bacon was through the package. It’d been awhile since I had had some peppered bacon so I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into this.

The packaging for the bacon (at least this particular kind) is similar to what you would receive if you purchased the bacon in the store. The bacon comes in a vacuumed sealed package. It was placed in the same box that our ham came in, which was securely packed and kept cold to ensure the food would remain fresh.

Since we had the ham for dinner, we decided to wait for the following day for the bacon. I woke up to the marvelous and delectable smell of fresh, frying peppered bacon. It got me out of bed and as I hovered in the kitchen, my mom shooed me out to do something else until breakfast was ready. While I was looking at the bacon frying, I was surprised by how little shrinkage there was going on. Anyone that makes bacon a lot knows what I am talking about. Most bacon brands have a tendency to become much smaller than they were before frying them. This was not the case with Nueske’s peppered bacon. In fact, there was not much difference in size from uncooked to cooked bacon.

Cooking is a breeze. Making bacon is as simple as frying it up in a frying pan. Of course, if you want to avoid the grease and associated hassle of frying (if you see it as a hassle) you could use Ina Garten’s bacon method, which has you popping the bacon on a sheet pan for 15-30 minutes on 350. The bacon comes out nice and crisp and your hassle is minimal at best.

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Paula Deen is probably one of Food Network’s most famous celebrity chefs. With the perfect blend of Southern charm, delicious recipes, and butter, Paula wows the crowds with fun and food, as it should be. The cooking market is absolutely huge for celebrity chefs, including everything from DVDs and cookbooks to their own grocery store, signature chef lines. Paula has hopped on the bandwagon and at various stores, including the Food Network Store you can find a line of Paula Deen products that is guaranteed to spruce up your meal.

Paula’s line, from what I have seen, focuses a lot on mixes and powders. For example, you can find her biscuit mix, a grill seasoning, and her famous House Seasoning, which is what I am about to review right now. Overall, this is a seasoning that I find it hard to do without. Since I received it for review, I have used it in everything from soup to sprinkling it on burgers and steaks. It’s multipurpose, offers great flavor, but it never overpowers anything. It always ends up offering mild and enhanced flavors.

Before I delve too far into this review, I should say that this seasoning is not incredibly profound. It’s something that you could make at home if you had the inclination to do so. However, rather than purchasing a separate mass of seasonings to mix them together, Paula offers them all in one jar for a lower price. The seasonings consist of garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper. The blend is perfect and it offers a nice taste to whatever you put it in/on.

The main complaint that I have is that the adorable jar does not have the slotted top that many seasonings offer. This gives you a better sprinkle-ability and allows you to measure things out more evenly. Sprinkling in the palm or dipping my fingers in for a pinch was somewhat of a hassle depending on what I was making. It wasn’t so much of a problem that I wouldn’t use it, because the flavor outweighs any negatives, but it would have been nice to not have to worry about thIS issue.

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Ham is like a family tradition in my house. Whether it is Thanksgiving or Sunday morning breakfast, ham always hits the spot and it’s something that almost every single person can agree on. Just growing up I can remember so many times when ham was on the family table. Ham and eggs, ham and cheese omelets, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, ham steak, ham with beef gravy (or without), the list goes on and on.

Buying ham in a grocery store can be a funny thing. A lot of the commercially based, store and brand name hams have a tendency to taste the same. Sure, we always buy a Virginia ham or a Smoked ham, but generally speaking you don’t find too many differences between the standard brands. Still, when I hear the term Old Fashioned Smoked Ham it sets my mouth to watering. This led me to requesting a sample of Nueske’s Old Fashioned Smoked Ham (http://www.nueskes.com/products/ham/Old_Fashioned_Boneless_Ham.cfm), which was positively the best ham I have ever had in my life!

My mother can be the biggest skeptic when it comes to anything mail order. I don’t know if she just likes making me cook (which I don’t mind) or if she thinks that most foods cannot withstand the mailing process, but she tends to have problems with most mail order foods we receive. I knew that this and the other Nueske products we receive would be a big test for her.

Most days, mom will play the role of secretary, at least when it comes to the issue of mail. As mail arrives she will open the packages and let me know what is here to test out. Normally, I won’t see too much of a reaction out of her. However, things were a little different when she opened the box for Nueske’s. She first pulled two packs of peppered bacon and some shaved beef out of the box. She sat these aside after mmm’ing at the bacon, and then she picked up the ham. She looked it over for a few minutes, as only a skeptic could, before she pulled me into the room.

She asked me if the ham in question was Spiral Ham. I told her no, knowing full well her distaste for spiral hams. She finds them to be too dry and tough no matter who cooks them or what brand they are. She asked what kind of ham it was and I let her know about Nueske’s and how this ham was applewood smoked. Thinking she would put the ham away, I went back to working on other things. Apparently, she had other plans though and opened the ham, which was cold, but not frozen, for a taste test.

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You’d be surprised how long it takes to eat 12 large, gooey pretzels that are stuffed with utter deliciousness. Sure, I shared them with my family, but they were still so big that two of them could fill both Ash and I up if we split them. I’m not a big fan of bread, but I do love warm, gooey pretzels. I especially like to dip my original pretzels in creamy cheese, I guess that’s why my very favorite pretzel in this 12 pack was the Grilled Cheese. Filled with ooey gooey cheese from the center of the pretzel outward this delectable treat has won me over.

Not all of the 12 pretzels provided in the Kim and Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels Original Variety Pack were my cup of tea. For information on this pack, check out the Kim and Scott’s Gourmet Pretzel website. The 12 pretzels that we received for review include:

Stuffed Pizza Pretzel
Stuffed Grilled Cheese Pretzel
Stuffed Spinach & Feta Pretzel
Stuffed Savory Herb & Cream Cheese Pretzel
Stuffed Mixed Berry Cobbler Pretzel
Stuffed Cinnamon Roll Pretzel
Stuffed Twisted Omelette Pretzel
Stuffed Chocolate Crumb Pretzel
Stuffed Apple Cinnamon Pretzel
Stuffed Cheddar Jalapeño Pretzel
Traditional Bavarian Pretzel
Sourdough Asiago Pretzel

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One of the perks to being a reviewer is the free gifts. Occasionally I will seek companies out that look interesting and at other times they just fall right in my lap. Kim and Scott’s was something that I sought out after seeing a spot about them on Food Network. I am normally not a big pretzel fan. It goes back to my love/hate relationship with bread. Some types I love and other types are not as popular with me. When it comes to pretzels I can go either way. However, Kim and Scott’s are anything but average. These are gourmet stuffed pretzels and in most cases they taste and look as good as they sound.

The folks over at Kim and Scott’s were nice enough to send me their Original Variety Pack of 12 Pretzels. This pack retails for just under $33 and includes the following pretzels:

Stuffed Pizza Pretzel
Stuffed Grilled Cheese Pretzel
Stuffed Spinach & Feta Pretzel
Stuffed Savory Herb & Cream Cheese Pretzel
Traditional Bavarian Pretzel
Stuffed Mixed Berry Cobbler Pretzel
Stuffed Cinnamon Roll Pretzel
Stuffed Twisted Omelette Pretzel
Stuffed Chocolate Crumb Pretzel
Stuffed Apple Cinnamon Pretzel
Stuffed Cheddar Jalapeño Pretzel
Sourdough Asiago Pretzel

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When it comes to food, I have a few weaknesses. One of them is Italian food, primarily pasta. While I’m not in love with traditional spaghetti, feel free to bring on the lasagna, the ziti and definitely the macaroni and cheese. I’m picky about my mac. Big surprise there, right? I will tolerate (though rarely) eating the Velvetta Shells and Cheese from the box, but anything else just isn’t quite as good. I like my Mac and Cheese homemade (by Ashtyn). Sometimes I liked it baked, but I always like it extra creamy.

I’m not sure what Ashtyn did cheese wise with the Mini Farfalle, but the shape made it ideal for absorbing cheese. Every bite was filled with massive amounts of cheesy goodness. This was one of my favorite mac and cheese dishes she has made and boy was I clamoring for seconds! The right blend of cheeses and the unique twisting shape of this mini pasta by Barilla make this a favorite dish of kids (big and small). I know I’m a fan and I am already asking for more of this.

The Mini Farfalle pasta by Barilla is made of wheat. It’s shaped like a bowtie or a butterfly as the Barilla website suggests. The pasta is delicate, with the curved edges capturing all of the delicious, sticky sauce of your choice (in this case, a melody of delicious cheeses) within its crevices. The miniature pasta shapes make sure you get more sauce, more pasta and more for your buck in every bite.

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Food Network was nice enough to send me some of Rachel Ray’s new Balsamic Drizzle, which is being sold at the Food Network Store, as well as other spots on and off of the Internet. I also received Paula Deen’s House Seasoning. You will want to keep on the lookout for reviews of both, which should be up soon. Since they were nice enough to offer me two of the Balsamic Drizzle, I have decided to share the love and give one away.

Ashtyn’s Home Cookin’ is proud to be giving away a bottle of Rachael Ray’s Balsamic Drizzle. To enter all you need to do is leave us a comment. Please be sure to only leave one. Comments are moderated to avoid spam, so it will not show up right away. People who leave multiple comments will be deleted from the contest altogether. If you do not see your comment within a day then by all means leave another one. Otherwise, do not worry as we accept comments several times a day.

To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not hear from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win.

We will pick a winner for this on July 1, 2008. This means you have until June 30, 2008 to enter.

Note:
Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to pick a winner. You can pick some of the Balsamic Drizzle up at the Food Network Store.

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22,000-Head Missouri Operator Faces Court Action

BASSETT, Neb., June 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — What has been dubbed the “largest scandal in the history of the organic industry” has taken another victim. The USDA announced this week that Promiseland Livestock, LLC, a 22,000-head cattle producer, had “willfully” violated the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, the law regulating the industry.

Promiseland, and its principal owner Anthony J. Zeman, were found by the USDA to have failed to keep adequate records, the backbone of organic certification, to confirm that all their cattle were managed organically. Promiseland management also refused on multiple occasions to openly share records with the USDA and prevented agency officials from carrying out an unannounced inspection at Promiseland’s facilities.

“It’s about time the USDA started taking action against scofflaws like Zeman who have abused the trust of the organic consumer and put the livelihoods of ethical family-scale farmers at risk,” said Mark Kastel, Codirector of The Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog. The Institute, based in Cornucopia, Wisconsin, has filed a series of legal complaints against giant industrial dairies, milking as many as 2000-10,000 cows, and representing their milk as organic.

The USDA’s Promiseland investigation is a direct result of Cornucopia’s investigative work targeting Aurora Dairy the nation’s largest supplier of private-label organic milk and supplier to Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, and other major retailers.

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There are so many great celebrities on Food Network that when I asked this question to our resident Picky Eater he didn’t know how to respond. “When you say favorite,” he asked, “what o you mean?”

I had to consider that for a moment and we finally narrowed it down into a few categories.

I asked him who was his:

All around Favorite:
Favorite Cook who has food he’s most likely to eat:
Most Entertaining:
Chef most likely to teach him cooking skill:

I also was curious as to find out who the least favorite of all the stars were.

Our Picky Eater had this to say:

All around Favorite goes to: Paula Deen
Favorite Cook who has Food he’s most likely to eat: Paula Deen
Most Entertaining: Cat Cora
Chef most likely to teach him Cooking Skills: Giada De Laurentiis & Ina Garten
Least Favorite: Sandra Lee

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TED ALLEN DISCOVERS THE ANSWERS BEHIND FOOD’S BIGGEST MYSTERIES IN FOOD DETECTIVES

Famed Culinary Expert Joins Food Network To Host New Primetime Series Premiering Tuesday, July 29th at 9pm ET/PT Featuring Experts from ‘Popular Science’ Magazine

NEW YORK, NY, June 10, 2008 – Famed culinary expert Ted Allen joins the Food Network family with the debut of his new series Food Detectives, premiering Tuesday, July 29th at 9pm ET/PT. The half-hour primetime series explores the delicious connection between science and food, pulling back the curtain and revealing the answers to some of the most puzzling food mysteries.

“We’ve wanted to work with Ted for years on a series of his own and we’ve found a great fit in Food Detectives,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. “Not only will this show provide a wealth of interesting information for our viewers, it also gives Ted an opportunity to show off his wit and culinary knowledge.”

“I’m so excited to be working with Food Network on this new series,” said Allen. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to head up my own show and I know that viewers are going to be totally engaged with the information we are discovering on Food Detectives!”

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