Product Review: Magic Bullet

Like many Americans, I have found myself awake at an ungodly hour, staring off into the abyss that is the boob tube with a bored vigil from the couch, and nothing is on... Except infomercials, that is. Let's be honest, who hasn't seen or heard about the Magic Bullet? The infomercial brings us Nick and Mimi, and they are showing us how you can make things happen in less than 10 seconds with the Magic Bullet blender... While I watched it, I was incredulous but intrigued at the same time. I mean, yeah, I could use a blender, I cook and I am out on my own (sorta). Of course I am interested! I wasn't amused by some of the acting jobs, it didn't sell the product so much as caused me to wrinkle my nose.

Infomercials tend to suck people in with some key words like, "Now only" and "Three easy payments" or "Wait, there's more!" -- Friends and fellow foodies, if you see it on TV, chances are great that some of you fall for those words and pay for the product. I, myself, was duped a couple of times even though I never bought anything. Yeah, I wanted one of those tong/whisk things, cause I was like, "Dude, I can pick up a penny." (Yeah, no they couldn't.) But it wasn't nearly as interesting as the Magic Bullet.

So they show us on the infomercial that it can do several things in a short amount of time. I mean, I get that people want to save time and junk, but they show all of their ingredients at the ready, so please do not be fooled by them saying that you can make your dips in 10 seconds. What they really mean is that you can make it in 10 seconds if you have everything prepped already. "What can you do in 10 seconds? *Start* chopping an onion... (etc.)" Yes, keep in mind that you need to prep your food ahead of time in order to keep up with the people on the TV.

Upon inspection, I liked how little room it took. It is a practical size, as promised. I liked that it didn't take much room up on the counter at all. It is very user friendly, you don't really need to read the instructions to figure it out, though it is good to keep them on hand just in case. I stuck some pickles in the cup to make relish, and it wasn't really that impressive as far as the consistency of the pieces in the finished product. There were some chunks that just didn't want to break up, and I really didn't want to make pickle sauce. It is also just like any other dish that you dirty. You still have to wash it, and though it is dishwasher safe, I am not sure it would be alright to stick the product in there without at least rinsing the pieces parts off. Now, I can't speak for the fact that it is microwave safe... I will test that out and add my opinion on later (I do not have a working microwave.) It probably won't affect my rating much.

Rating (Up to five points each category)

• Ease of use:  **** (4)
• Function: *** (3)
• Practicality: *** (3)
• Cost: **** (4)

Overall:  14/20 - 3 1/2 Gold Whisks

What came first, the chicken, or the egg?

That is an age old question, for sure, that nobody really knows the answer to. The chicken, or the egg? I have often pondered about this, myself. Then I thought about this from a culinary student's perspective, and the one answer I can give from experience is that eggs come first... Breakfast!

Omelet with Marinara

Not only are eggs one of the easiest things to work with when you are just starting out (though in some instances, are not), they are versatile, they are healthy (in moderation), and they are tasty. Eggs are complex, yet simple, oxymorons indeed.

There are quite a few egg recipes out there, or recipes that require eggs (such as cakes), and six basic methods to cook them.

• Shired (Baked)
• Scrambled
• Boiled (Hard and soft)
• Fried
• Poached
• Steamed

I haven't tried shired eggs, but I have heard wonderful things. As far as the rest, the most difficult method up there is a poached egg. I happen to prefer scrambled because I don't have to worry about the yolks breaking, and I often make those into omelets because I love cheese and broccoli or spinach with my eggs. I don't like poaching very much, but I now know how to do it without making a mess.

To be honest, though, there was a time I hated eggs. I mean, I didn't hate eating them, but I hated making them because my first eight weeks of culinary school centered around mostly the chicken and the egg. I understand why this is, eggs are cheap and whole chickens are too. I dreaded my final exam because I had to flip an egg right in the pan, and that was always a disaster! I cannot begin to tell you how much egg goop I had to clean up off of the range. The other thing I dreaded was Hollandaise sauce because it wasn't easy to get it to turn out how it was supposed to. I hated having to stand there over a double boiler and trying to make sure my sauce didn't get scramble lumps! I never understood how something so simple became so complicated... But over the years since my culinary schooling, I have grown to appreciate that hard work and it has taught me patience... Don't rush goodness, nurture it.

For those of you who love to cook, but don't have an in depth understanding about cooking, I suggest you forget about the chicken and start with the egg. Pick it up, crack it into a dish, and really look at it. What does it look like? Is it large? Small? Think about what you can do with it, think about what it is going to taste like when you use it. And then cook it.

The reason I bring up this topic today is that I want to challenge you, the reader and group member. I want you to come up with a recipe, cook it, taste it, tweak it until you have it perfect... Then I want you to cook it again, take a picture, submit with a story and a recipe. I am going to take the submissions and create an entire post featuring everyone. When you write your story, I want to know what you feel about your creation, why you came up with it besides this challenge, how it tastes and smells, and of course, the recipe, and the picture. I would like for you to be creative.

If you don't want to participate in the challenge, that is ok. I am not requiring any participation, I merely wanted to present an opportunity for you to have a hand in the creation of this blog, and to give you an opportunity to demonstrate your talent.

The Egg Came First Challenge

Requirements

1. Of course, the required ingredient is the egg.
2. You do not have to make it as a breakfast food, but you must treat it as the star of the dish.
3. You may use any method, basic or advanced, to cook your eggs.
4. You must have a picture, a recipe, and a story with the minimum of 50 words.
5. Please submit your entries via email or private message because I want it to be fresh for the blog (kimworden28@hotmail.com).
6. Deadline for this challenge is June 6, 2012

If you have any questions, you can send me a note and I will answer them if I can.

Good Luck!

Happy Eating,

Kimmie

Welcome to Foodie-zoo

I had promised to start this blog awhile ago, especially to showcase the winners of the first couple of contests in the facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodiezoo/ - but because life got in the way, it never happened. But I don't like to leave promises hanging in the air and not keep them ever, so now I begin.

This group was made because I like food and making it too, and I know there are other people who do as well. After attending culinary school, it opened my eyes to a whole new level of epicure. I gained an appreciation for those who cook professionally, it is damn hard work! It doesn't take just hard work to make good food, it takes passion and heart. You don't need to be a professional to make food, though, you can be anyone.

And now for fulfilling promises made at the end of last year:

Our Picture Winner for the Christmas Challenge

Taken by Lou Worden

Pan seared Roast Beef 

It is an easy dish that looks complicated, but really isn't. I have taken this dish from my mom and made it mine, and the best that can happen is my daughters take it and make it theirs too. That is the best in family traditions. Seasonings included Fresh Thyme, white pepper, parsley, and onion. Simple dish, simple ingredients. Everyone makes this dish their own way, that's why it is perfect for all.

I can honestly say that I look forward to eating the roast my mom (the winner by vote) makes. It's so flavorful and great for those really cold days. I can't ever seem to make mine just like hers, but I think I learned well when she taught me how to cook roast beef. I did teach her a few tricks since I have gone to culinary school. When she was making it before hand, she didn't pan sear it. Then I taught her that trick and she has been using it ever since, and I am happy to say that I contributed to her recipe some. I hope that if I have kids, I will be able to pass this tradition along.

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And our only two entries for the New Years Recipe contest was a toss up, but I decided since there were only two people entering, they will both be featured, and they both had really yummy recipes. Required ingredient was Bubbly/Sparkling Juice.

Emily's Limogranate Cocktail

A new drink I created last night with what I had on hand! Love them both so thought I'd put em together to see how it tasted - and it was yummy! Caravella Limoncello and Trader Joe Pomegranate Sparkling Juice over ice makes for one delicious Pomecello... or is it a Limongranate?

Emily created a lovely sounding drink that would be a hit at any party!

Rebecca's Corned Beef Roast

This is an awesome new year's day recipe that takes the uber saltiness out of the traditional corned beef roast.


1 whole corned beef brisket (3-5lbs)


1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp yellow mustard * 

2 cups sparkling grape juice or cider **

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 cloves fresh chopped garlic (or 1 tsp minced from a jar)

1/4 tsp chopped parsley (fresh or dried)

*If you prefer brown mustard, increase sparkling juice to 2 1/2 cups

**If you aren't a fan of sparkling juices or cider, you CAN substitute your favorite sugared soda. Even cola will work in this recipe but it must be regular and not diet.

Score the fat of your brisket, but do not remove it.

Tenderize the brisket using a mallet or by wrapping in plastic and pounding with a heavy instrument - cast iron egg skillets work well for this.

Stir together 1/2 c mustard and sparkling juice with a wire whisk slowly.

Fold in salt, garlic and parsley.

Marinate brisket 4 to 8 hours in a refrigerator, turning every 2 hours.

Reserve marinade, stirring in additional 2 tbsp of mustard.

Sprinkle cracked black pepper over brisket and bake - preferrably covered - at 350F for 2-2 1/2 hours.

Pour remaining marinade over brisket and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

Awesome way to start the new year, I would think. I love the innovation, her use of the required ingredient(s).
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And now that it is spring, soon to be summer, our current picture contest is going. We have three contestants so far in the running and hopefully more before the June 1 deadline.

Finally, I was able to put this blog up and I apologize for the uber lateness. I want to take the time to thank everyone for their patience, and also to welcome those who just joined. You are all wonderful and I am glad to see that there are as many foodies in Foodie-zoo as there are.

Happy Eating,
Kimmie

** If you would like to be a blogger for Foodie-zoo, please drop me a line via Facebook and we'll talk turkey. :) **