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.

The easiest way to describe this bacon can be done in four words: Smokey, Peppery Bacon Goodness. Like the ham, this is absolutely fabulous. In fact, the only bad thing about this bacon is that I don’t have any more. That part I am definitely not happy about, but it’s not the bacon’s fault it’s gone. It was certainly good while it lasted. We had two packages and while I wanted to hoard it all for myself, we ended up having bacon and eggs and BLTs for anyone in the house that wanted them.

The bacon at Nueske’s runs about $21-$41, depending on how much you plan to purchase. This means that shipping will be relatively cheap at around $9.95-$12.95, based on the packages you purchase. Sure, it’s a little steeper than buying it in the store, but it’s going to taste a whole lot better, too. It’s hard to imagine the difference until you taste it for yourself. It’s just that good.

Nueske’s was also nice enough to throw in some of their smoked beef. Like the other items we tried it was awesome. We made some sandwiches with it and they were incredibly tasty. I chose not to do a full out review of this item merely because from what I can tell it only comes in packs with other things I have not had the chance to try out yet. However, if you check out their packs and see that as an option, know that the smoked beef is some good stuff.

You can purchase Nueske’s peppered bacon straight from their website, along with all of the other products they sell. http://www.nueskes.com/products/bacon/Thick-Sliced_Peppered_Bacon.cfm

Taste/Flavor: 5 out of 5 stars
Packaging: 5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Prep: 5 out of 5 stars
Look: 5 out of 5 stars
Kid Friendly: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Smoked Meat, Bacon, Pepper, Peppered Bacon, Nueske, Applewood Smoked, Mail Order, Reasonable Prices, Shipping, Delicious, Lean, Fried, Bacon Lover, Mom

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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.

I received one jar for this review and it lasted me quite awhile. In fact, had I not knocked it off the picnic table during a cookout, I would still have some. Considering all the use I got out of it when I had it, I plan to buy some more as soon as I get the chance. You can purchase Paula’s House Seasoning at the Food Network Store, where you get 2 good sized jars for $14.95. If you find yourself cooking a great deal this is definitely worth your money. You can use it on just about anything from popcorn to most meals. It will end up being a vital part of your seasoning arsenal, especially if this blend is something you use often already.

Taste/Flavor: 5 out of 5 stars
Packaging: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Food Network, Paula Deen, Signature Chef Line, Cooking, Seasoning, Onion, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Popcorn, Meals, House Seasoning, Multipurpose

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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.

She promptly comes back into me after shaving some off and tasting it. She tells me it’s the best ham she’s ever had and I must buy her more, especially for holidays. I couldn’t help but laugh. Nueske’s made quite the impression on my mom. I hadn’t even tried it at that point, but I knew it was going to be a winner. So, I went in and tried some, and I have to admit that it blew me away. I’ve never had ham that tasted so good. It made me fall in love with ham all over again.

Everything about this Old Fashioned Ham was a winner. The coloring was beautiful, the smell made me ravenously hungry, and the taste was just phenomenal. We sliced the ham up and made a variety of meals out of it, each one as delicious as the last. Preparation for the ham is simple, since it’s already cooked. You just have to warm it up in the oven for baked ham, or fry it, or slice it accordingly for other dishes. It couldn’t be easier and it’s hard to imagine it tasting any better anywhere else.

If you’re a ham lover you absolutely have to try one of these hams. My mother, one of the biggest spend-thrifts I know rarely wants to pay over $20 for a ham in the local markets around here. After trying Nueske’s she is willing to pay their prices for a ham. Speaking of prices, they are a little higher than you’ll find in a store, but they are also incredibly worth it. The prices for the Old Fashioned Smoked Hams range from $31.95 for a 3-4 pound to $79.95 for a 10-11 pound ham. Shipping costs are based on the price of your items. If you buy the small ham, your shipping will run a mere $9.95. If you buy the largest ham available it will still be fairly reasonable at $14.95.

This ham is definitely a winner. If you’re a ham lover you need to check out Nueske’s immediately. If you prefer Spiral Ham they offer some great deals. They also have bone-in hams and a delicious looking honey glazed smoked ham, as well as other ham offerings. You won’t be sorry that you checked out Nueske’s. Of course, they may ruin you for all other hams from this point on.

Taste/Flavor: 5 out of 5 stars
Packaging: 5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Prep: 5 out of 5 stars
Look: 5 out of 5 stars
Kid Friendly: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Smoked Meat, Ham, Old Fashioned, Boneless, Honey Glazed, Nueske, Applewood Smoked, Mail Order, Reasonable Prices, Shipping, Delicious, Thanksgiving, Ham Lover, Mom

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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

If I had to rank them by favorites, the order would go something like this:

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

I can tell you that I don’t like eggs. Hey, I’m picky. I know it’s weird, but the Stuffed Twisted Omelette was destined to be down on my list merely because I don’t like eggs or omelettes. The stuffed Pizza pretzel had too much sauce and very little cheese. It would have been nice to have some small pieces of pepperoni, sausage or mushrooms added. The sourdough asiago was pretty good, but I’d have liked more cheesiness with some asiago stuffed inside. Otherwise, this pretzel was good. I really liked everything on my list above those three, and the Grilled Cheese and the Chocolate Crumb (I’m a chocolate fiend) are by far the best two in the bunch.

The Spinach and Feta pretzel was deliciously blended with feta cheese and spinach. The herb and cream cheese was similarly blended. I liked both of them enough to want to purchase them individually. I think the Cinnamon Roll was exceptionally delicious and the Original Bavarian went quite well when it was dipped in delectable melted cheese. It was really hard to say I disliked any of the pretzels. I felt there were way too many pieces of jalapeños in the cheese and jalapeño pretzel, but it was good otherwise. The others were good, but I’m not sure if I’d want to eat them consistently.

The nice thing about this variety pack is it let me know which of the pretzels I truly enjoyed the most. There are many flavors and I’ve never had gourmet stuffed pretzels, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. While this isn’t something most people will buy every time they purchase pretzels from Kim and Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels, it is a good introduction to the various flavors they offer. Overall, I’m very glad we had the chance to try Kim and Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels Original Variety Pack. I’ll certainly be checking out the Grilled Cheese, the Chocolate Crumb and some of their other pretzel packs in the future.

Taste/Flavor: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Packaging: 5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Prep: 5 out of 5 stars
Look: 5 out of 5 stars
What you Get: 5 out of 5 stars
Price: 5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Kim and Scott’s, Gourmet Pretzels, Grilled Cheese, Chocolate Crumb, Pizza Pretzel, Spinach & Feta Pretzel, Savory Herb & Cream Cheese Pretzel, Traditional Bavarian Pretzel, Mixed Berry Cobbler Pretzel, Cinnamon Roll Pretzel, Twisted Omelette Pretzel, Apple Cinnamon Pretzel, Cheddar Jalapeño Pretzel, Sourdough Asiago Pretzel, Food Review, Mail Order

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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

Starting out with the packaging, we received the pretzels in a well packed, snug brown box. The pretzels were on the verge of frozen, but they weren’t completely frozen. We unpacked the box and placed the pretzels in the freezer. The pretzels are all wrapped individually in their own pretzel bag. This is great because it ensures maximum freshness for each pretzel and it allows you to see which pretzel you are picking out based on your own personal preference. While I expected the brown box, the individual pretzel bags really won me over.

One of the main reasons that I loved them had to do with ease of prep. Let me tell you, making these pretzels could not be easier. All you do is toss the pretzel bag of your choice onto a baking sheet and put it in the oven based on the package directions. The cook time is the same for all pretzels and the time only ranges based on whether the pretzel has been frozen or if it is thawed out when you are heating it up. Even if you have absolutely no cooking experience, you can handle these with ease.

Packaging: 5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Prep: 5 out of 5 stars

In order to test all of these we had a little pretzel tasting party. Everyone in the house got to pick a pretzel and we would all enjoy portions of them to determine if we liked them and what our favorites were. Overall, these 12 options were quite popular. The pretzel itself was firm yet chewy and the filling always appeared to be made with the freshest ingredients. Of the 12 pretzels, only 10 are technically stuffed. The plain Bavarian isn’t stuffed, obviously, and the Sourdough Asiago is topped with Asiago, so it is not stuffed. Of those two, the Sourdough Asiago won me over, though bread lovers and pretzel feigns will definitely appreciate the Bavarian for the delicious pretzel that it is.

When it comes to the stuffed pretzels you have your choice of a more savory, meal-like pretzel or you can opt for the dessert options. The savory options in this bunch include Pizza, Grilled Cheese, Spinach & Feta, Savory Herb & Cream Cheese, Twisted Omelette, and Cheddar Jalapeño. On the other hand, the dessert bunch includes Mixed Berry Cobbler, Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Crumb, and Apple Cinnamon.

Even if you are not a huge fan of pretzels there is something here that you can enjoy. My favorites in the bunch included Grilled Cheese, Savory Herb & Cream Cheese, Chocolate Crumb, and Apple Cinnamon. When it comes to the dessert pretzels it’s hard to tell they are even pretzels in the first place. The Apple Cinnamon is reminiscent of luscious apple pie with a sweet cinnamon topping and the chocolate crumb will please even the most discriminatory sweet tooth. The decadent chocolate fills every bit of the pretzel from outside in.

Meanwhile, the Grilled Cheese reminds me of those cold winter days when mom would make me a classic grilled cheese to warm up. I am a cheese hound, so this pretzel definitely hit the spot. The Herb & Cream Cheese was not quite as cheesy as the Grilled Cheese, though the mixture of the herbs and cheese was a tasty combination that made it a fast favorite out of the 12 I was able to try.

I think the most disappointing for me was the Pizza pretzel. I absolutely love pizza. When I think of basic pizza I think, at the least, cheese and pepperoni. So, that is what I was hoping for in a pizza pretzel. Kim and Scott’s pizza pretzels have sauce and cheese. I am still down with that. However, the pizza pretzel we had was way more sauce than it was cheese. It also ended up tasting a bit mushier and less firm with goodies inside, than how I prefer it to taste. It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever had, but it was definitely the most disappointing in the bunch.

When it comes to children, the chocolate and apple cinnamon should be good choices. If you want something that is a bit healthier for the kiddies, I could see them loving the Grilled Cheese (mine did), as well as the pizza and maybe the Cheddar Jalapeño if they are into the hot stuff.

If you are trying these out for the first time or using them for a party setting, this 12 pack is perfect the way it is. However, if you’re a repeat customer I would recommend ordering your favorites from the pack and leaving the variety packs like this aside for your absolute favorites.

Taste/Flavor: 4 out of 5 stars
Look: 5 out of 5 stars
Kid Friendly: 4 out of 5 stars

These pretzels are definitely filling. They are large pretzels filled with the filling of your choice. They are perfect for a snack or you can add small sides to them and make them a meal if you want to be adventurous. For $33 plus shipping you receive 12 pretzels in a variety of flavors. It’s really not a bad deal, especially for pretzel fanatics. Each pretzel ends up costing $2.75 plus shipping, which is pretty close to what you would expect to pay for one of these delicious, large pretzels.

What You Get: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Price: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Kim and Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels are definitely some of the best pretzels that I have tasted. They are easy to prepare, offer some original, delicious flavors, and they have something everyone in the family can enjoy. When you add in the fact that they are priced extremely fair, it’s hard to go wrong. If you love pretzels, these are a winner. Even if you don’t, if you like things like grilled cheese and chocolate, you can still find a few pretzels to suit your fancy.

Overall Rating: 4.57 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Kim and Scott’s, Gourmet Pretzels, Grilled Cheese, Chocolate Crumb, Pizza Pretzel, Spinach & Feta Pretzel, Savory Herb & Cream Cheese Pretzel, Traditional Bavarian Pretzel, Mixed Berry Cobbler Pretzel, Cinnamon Roll Pretzel, Twisted Omelette Pretzel, Apple Cinnamon Pretzel, Cheddar Jalapeño Pretzel, Sourdough Asiago Pretzel, Food Review, Mail Order

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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.

I don’t do the cooking in the house, so I don’t typically do the shopping. What this means is that I’m not positive of the exact price you’d pay for a box of Mini Farfalle. From what Ashtyn has told me, Barilla is relatively inexpensive and one box goes a long way making a few meals for 2-3 people. You’ll also be able to switch it up. While I’ve had two different meals with gooey, delectable cheese, I decided to have a third meal with the mini farfalle coated in traditional tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese. This meal wasn’t quite as good as with the cheese, but I’m biased in the fact that I’m a Mac and Cheese fanatic.

Barilla has several different types of pasta that have been released in their mini line of pastas. These pastas are all a part of the Barilla Piccolini line. Besides Mini Farfalle, there is Mini Fusilli, which is spiral-shaped pasta, Mini Penne Regate and Mini Tortiglioni, which are cylindrical shaped pastas. Large families will probably use one whole box, but since pasta is affordable, a box can feed an entire family (or a smaller family multiple meals).

While I am a biased fan of Italian food I can’t recommend the Piccolini line of pastas any more highly than I have. You can purchase all of Barilla’s Piccolini pastas at your local grocers.

Taste/Flavor: 5 out of 5 stars
Packaging: 5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Prep: 5 out of 5 stars
Look: 5 out of 5 stars
What you Get: 5 out of 5 stars
Price: 5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Barilla, Piccolini, pasta, mac and cheese, pasta sauce, delicious, affordable, food review

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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.

From the Press Release:

Rachael Ray Balsamic Drizzle - $9.95 for an 8.5-oz bottle
Rachael Ray captures the complex and unique taste of high quality balsamic vinegar with her new Balsamic Drizzle, a concentrated sauce perfect for recipes that call for a reduction of balsamic vinegar. Its sweet yet tart flavor is ideal for brushing onto grilled meats, poultry, and fish, as well as artfully drizzling onto salads, cheese, and roasted vegetables.

Good Luck to all who enter!

NOTE:

Technorati Tags: Food Network, Ashtyn’s Home Cookin’, Contest, Giveaway, July, Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, Rachael Ray, Balsamic Drizzle, Signature Products

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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.

Aurora was found by federal investigators to have been confining cattle to giant feedlots instead of grazing as federal law requires and also had been bringing in conventional cattle that didn’t qualify as organic. Aurora was obtaining dairy herd replacement animals from Promiseland, the nation’s largest supplier of organic dairy replacement animals.

Large industrial-scale dairy operations push dairy cattle for high levels of production and sometimes slaughter cattle after a year or two, due to stress-induced health problems. The unsustainable approach demands a steady stream of replacement animals.

“Some of my cows are well over a dozen years old. They have names not numbers,” said Barb Buchmayer of Purdin, MO, a certified organic dairy producer milking 45 cows. “Our cows are so healthy and live such long lives that we have extra heifers each year.”

“Unscrupulous cattle suppliers like Promiseland are the crutch that have made these factory farm operations possible,” added Kastel.

Cornucopia provides a scorecard (www.cornucopia.org) ranking major organic dairy brands; 90% were meeting the highest ethical standards.

Technorati Tags: USDA, Cornucopia, Food, Farmers, Dairy Brands, Unsafe, Unethical, Scandal, Organic, Organic Factory, Cattle, Promiseland

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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

My Picks:

All around Favorite goes to: Now that Emeril is gone, this one is hard for me. I think I am going go with Paula Deen, too.
Favorite Cook who has Food I’m most likely to eat: Paula Deen or Guy Fieri
Most Entertaining: Cat Cora
Chef most likely to teach me Cooking Skills: Paula or Ina Garten
Least Favorite: Sandra Lee

When it comes to Food Network who are your favorite (and least favorite) stars? Let us know and tell us why!

Technorati Tags: Giada De Laurentiis, Paula Deen, Guy Fieri, Sandra Lee, Ina Garten, Cat Cora, Emeril, Food Network, Celebrity Chefs, Favorite, Least Favorite

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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!”

Food Detectives mixes a healthy dose of humor with a wealth of fascinating factoids. Aided by willing culinary techs and the brains from the leading science and technology magazine Popular Science, the series will conduct experiments to find the truth behind the most interesting food myths. Ted and his team will dig deep to answer questions like: Does it really take seven years for gum to digest in your stomach? Is the five-second rule true? Can an “apple a day” really keep the doctor away? Viewers can also get in on the fun by submitting their most puzzling food conundrums for potential show experiments.

Emmy Award winner Ted Allen was the food and wine specialist on the groundbreaking Bravo series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, which had a 100-episode run. He has also been a judge on every season of Food Network’s Iron Chef America and Bravo’s Top Chef. Ted is the author of “The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes” (Clarkson-Potter) and co-wrote the New York Times Best Seller “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five’s Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better.” Since 1997, Ted has been a contributing editor to Esquire magazine. He was a finalist for a National Magazine Award for his Esquire feature on the little-known phenomenon of male breast cancer. Ted also writes regularly for such publications as Bon Appétit and Epicurious.com. Ted holds an M.A. in journalism from New York University, with an advanced certificate in the school’s Science and Environmental Reporting Program, and a B.A. in psychology from Purdue University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Technorati Tags: Ted Allen, Food Detectives, Food Network, July 29, 2008, Cooking Show, Brooklyn, New York, Food Facts, Television

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