If there is one thing I’m picky about, it’s my sandwich preferences. I don’t like certain kinds of meat. I don’t like my sandwiches made with the wrong ingredients. I’m a creature of habit, so I try to avoid change. Still, when you hear about how good the Reuben sandwiches are at Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, a little change is worth trying…at least once.

Food Network featured the Zingerman’s Reuben on its television show, The Best Of… If you have never seen this show, the premise is the hosts of the show go around the country to find the best of a particular food item. In Ann Arbor, they found the best Reuben, at Zingerman’s Deli. This Reuben features mounds of corn beef, Swiss cheese, freshly baked Jewish Rye Bread, sauerkraut and homemade Russian dressing. I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to try one of these sandwiches. They sound absolutely perfect and they’re made in the traditional Reuben way.

So, when I found out Zingerman’s would be offering a Reuben Kit in celebration of Father’s Day, I simply had to try a kit. When I found out that Zingerman’s doesn’t send out sauerkraut, I was apprehensive. In its place is sweet and delicious coleslaw. In all my OCD-ness I was worried about one little change to a traditional sandwich. How would the coleslaw differ from the sauerkraut? Would the sandwich still be as good?

(more…)

If you like this article, please donate to help support this site!

If anyone knows I’m picky it’s Ashtyn. She’s the main person I let cook for me, though she’d say she’s the only one I don’t complain about on a regular basis. Let me just say, the girl has mad skills in the kitchen and she’s quite inventive when it comes to new foods. The only thing is that I’m not very adventurous about trying new things. Needless to say, when she told me she’d be making a special new adaptation on the traditional taco salad most people (myself included) seem to love, I was apprehensive.

It’s not that I don’t think Ash can cook well, because she can. I just heard her list of ingredients and one of them made me nervous. I might be somewhat neurotic because change often scares me, especially when it comes to my very picky stomach. Ash told me we’d be having grilled chicken with Mexican spices added to give it a kick, lettuce, tomatoes, and black olives. So far so good until she mentioned the last ingredient would be her special Taco Salad sauce.

So, I waited with uneasy anticipation as delicious Mexican smelling flavors filled the kitchen. Finally, dinner was served and I was about to take my first bite. With hesitation and skepticism, I took a bite and found out I liked it. It was actually quite good, with every bite covered in Ashtyn’s special sauce. I could make out some of the flavors in the sauce and know it included sour cream, ranch dressing, a splash of salsa, some hot sauce, and I’m sure there were some spices and other stuff she wouldn’t tell me she added. It ended up being spicy chicken that was cooled down by her smooth sour cream-ranch based secret dip.

(more…)

If you like this article, please donate to help support this site!

How would you like to drink the most delicious of smoothies that only has six calories of fat? You actually lose fat and become more energized by drinking the Tropical Smoothie Café’s Lean Machine. Just 173 calories with Splenda (and 473 with Turbinado) the Lean Machine is the best of the best when it comes to weight loss treats.

Sure, I need to lose weight. I’m a chubby guy in a wheelchair, but I don’t like having to sacrifice taste to do it. Nobody wants to eat cardboard and while I have some willpower, if my food tastes like cardboard I’m not going to want to stay on my diet, nor can I guarantee I’ll be able to stick to it long term. Maybe a few weeks, but that’s my limit.

The Tropical Smoothie Café’s Lean Machine is the first smoothie I tried from the café. I chose it because I like strawberries and bananas. Those are the two main ingredients in the Lean Machine. The smoothie also includes Fat Metabolizer and Energizer. So, you only get six calories of fat and the drink is pretty much free calories of fruity goodness.

The smoothies by the Tropical Smoothie Café use real fruit and they are perfectly blended. While Fat Metabolizer and Energizer come in this particular smoothie, you can order them or one of the other smoothie boosters for a nominal fee in any of the other smoothies you purchase. The worst thing about this smoothie is its price.

(more…)

If you like this article, please donate to help support this site!

I love wraps. I know most people think wraps are healthy and might not necessarily taste good, but that’s probably one of the biggest misunderstandings about wraps. In my day, I’ve had some really good wraps. The university I attended used to have a wrap shop and I’d get everything from the Buffalo Chicken to the Taco wraps. I just like the flavor and taste of wraps in general. Still, I’m picky about what I like on my wraps, so I’m often impressed when I find a wrap I can eat that I don’t have to personalize.

The Tropical Smoothie Café is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants. I love smoothies and I love refreshing summer foods, especially with summer just around the corner. Our first trip to this relatively new restaurant chain in nearby Grand Blanc, MI was one that made me a lover of all things smoothie. Not only did I get a smoothie that was huge, I also got the most delicious wrap I’ve ever tasted.

The King Caesar wrap is made of the absolute finest ingredients. That is what made the wrap so good. I’ve never had lettuce so crisp and delicious. The King Caesar is made up of strips of deliciously tender chicken breast, romaine lettuce, vine-ripe tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing. These ingredients are wrapped in a garlic herb tortilla. In total, the wrap is 557 calories. If you get this with a Smoothie, you’ll barely be able to eat all of this, so it makes an excellent, reasonable calorie meal.

(more…)

If you like this article, please donate to help support this site!

You might be surprised to know that I’m as picky about what I drink as I am what I eat. I drink a variety of things, but certain brands of beverages suit my fancy more than others. For example, I’m a Coke drinker. Give me a Coke Classic, Mello Yello or Sprite any day over some of the other brands of pop out there (though I’m a sucker for A&W root beer and I am a major lover or Faygo Red Pop and Orange). I also like certain flavors of smoothies and slushies, certain kinds of juice, and I tend to drink a lot of water – especially carbonated flavor water.

When I heard Taco Bell was offering a new frozen, fruit drink I was curious, but cautious. Taco Bell isn’t exactly known for making delicious, drinking delicacies. As it is, some of its newer food offerings aren’t exactly as good as their television commercials make them out to be. When Ashtyn and her mom wanted to buy the frozen treats I got to try them without having to devote myself towards drinking them if I didn’t like their taste.

The first time we purchased the Fruitista Freeze treats Ashtyn got the Strawberry and her mom got the Mango Strawberry. After one drink of the Strawberry, which I kindly stole from Ashtyn, I was hooked. Bursts of strawberry goodness with chunks of strawberry mixed in make for a delicious and refreshing treat. The strawberry was so good we bought Fruitista Freezes the very next day. This time, Ash bought us one Mango Strawberry and one Strawberry Freeze (while her mom bought a Strawberry). I wasn’t sure how I was going to like the Mango. Surprisingly, it was pretty good.

(more…)

If you like this article, please donate to help support this site!

CALLING ALL VIEWERS WITH COOKING QUERIES: ‘ASK AIDA’ TO FEED YOUR CULINARY CURIOSITY

Food Network Launches New Interactive Cooking Show “Ask Aida”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 6, 2008 – Cooking expert Aida Mollenkamp will prepare delicious dishes while solving the culinary conundrums of Food Network viewers in her new interactive cooking show, Ask Aida. From recipe and ingredient issues to advice on kitchen machinery and tools, Aida can even offer guidance for impromptu parties, feeding a crowd, make-ahead dishes, and time-saving tips. Food Network is looking for viewers with burning culinary questions to be featured on the series, which is set to premiere on Saturday, August 2nd.

To be considered for Ask Aida, viewers must upload a creative and entertaining 45- to 60-second video highlighting their culinary challenge and how Aida can help solve it or email questions and photos to AskAida@foodnetwork.com. The best videos and questions will be considered for inclusion on the show. For more detailed instructions from Aida herself and to submit a video, visit foodnetwork.com/aida.

(more…)

If you like this article, please donate to help support this site!

I had been seeing advertisements for Red Robin during every Detroit Tigers baseball game I watched. I’d never even heard of Red Robin, so I figured the restaurant was closer to Detroit. Come to find out, there is one in nearby Flint, MI. So, I decided I was going to try one of their delicious looking burgers.

For those who do not know what Red Robin is, it is a burger chain that is located in various states across the United States.

I should tell you, I’m very picky about how I like my burgers cooked. While I prefer my steak perfectly rare, I like my hamburgers medium. I don’t like them too well done or crispy. I don’t like them too mushy or raw. I also like the perfect arrangement of spices and condiments to give it the ideal burger flavor. I sometimes won’t even eat Ashtyn’s burgers. Well, I used to scoff at her burgers, but she’s finally figured out what I like and if anyone can make it to perfection she can.

The first thing I was impressed with was the endless boatload of French fries you get with your burger. Not that I could have eaten the serving I was given, but Red Robin certainly gives you everything you pay for and then some! To top things off, I ordered the Sautéed ‘Shroom Burger and let me just tell you, their burgers are huge! They ask you how you want them to cook your burger, which is awesome because most restaurants don’t do that. They also let you decide exactly what you want on your burger.

(more…)

If you like this article, please donate to help support this site!

If I was ever to be on Food Network (ok, maybe in my dreams!) I wouldn’t have a cooking show. I can’t cook to save my life. It doesn’t help I’m in a wheelchair and really can’t reach the stove, but I’m content in letting Ashtyn, the best chef I know, cook for me. Upon watching the Food Network Iron Chef America I realized I could never be a judge. I’d be horribly biased, especially if they made me try food that I wouldn’t eat like most fish and seafood, caviar (I’m sorry but I am not eating raw fish eggs. I saw what eggs look like inside of a pregnant frog during dissection in 7th grade science. Let’s just say they look way too much like fish eggs), foie gras (ugh…fattened goose/duck liver? bleh!) or anything else that looks or sounds gross.

I used to go to camp and I was known for having the biggest list of dislikes when it came to eating. I was also known for not eating if there wasn’t food I liked being served. Oh, I ate. I just went back to my cabin and ate junk food instead of the yucky camp food I didn’t like. As an adult, I’m less picky, but am still quite reserved when it comes to new foods I’ve never tried. I like the food I like cooked my way and if it isn’t done right, I won’t want to eat it.

(more…)

If you like this article, please donate to help support this site!