El Monterey Quesadillas

We all love our comfort foods, especially when they can be prepared so quickly with a microwave. As I sit here in my apartment it is a nice Friday night and I am chowing down on some El Monterey Grilled Quesadillas. Was another product I had never seen in stores before, so course I buy'em.


They heat quite well in the microwave and there was no "cold spots" like some frozen foods where you then end up putting it back in the microwave and heating for some more time (and sometimes even more time than that). The package is as always ...misleading. The box claims a serving size is 1 quesadilla. Perhaps their target audience is small people? Not sure but I ended up eating three of them to feel somewhat full.


Taste wise I did enjoy these quesadillas. If you like the "shredded beef" taste you will also most likely enjoy these melty quesadillas, however I would not consider the quesadillas as filled with "steak meat". Sticking with the shredded beef idea here of which it is really filled with. A welcome addition to these quesadillas was the generous amount of cheese they put inside. Every bite had a nice warm cheese flavor which really hit the spot. A good match for these quesadillas would be a bottle of Corona or Tecate to wash it down.


Keep snacking folks! Next week I will be bringing you articles about organic Mac n Cheese (did I really just say organic? Yah I suppose its time for something a bit more healthy) as well as reviews of local takeout food. Have a good Memorial Day weekend!

Celeste Pizza for One

Doctors everywhere probably hate me because I encourage the mass consumption of food that is not very wholesome and has little in terms of true nutritional value. Junk food week is almost over though folks, next week will have a mixture of takeout food, perhaps a slow cooker meal, or mystery meals from the cupboard so stay tuned. Most of the time I try to balance out what I eat, however there will always be a soft spot in my heart for these fantastic treats.

Tonight is part 2 of my Attack of the Pizza installment. On the menu is Celeste Pizza for One.

After unwrapping the package, I remembered that this particular brand of frozen pizza now comes with the newly popular "silver disc".

You put the disc under the food and it helps with the heating of the food due to probably the reflective nature of the silver disc and the material it is made of. A simple circle that has a highly scientific interaction with the microwave. Junk food for nerds? I'm there!

Lately it seems the cheese on my frozen pizzas do not cook out evenly. There is always this spot in the center which is a mess. Looking again, this whole Celeste pizza is a greasy mess! Time to chow down.

The taste is wonderful as always. This brand is microwave friendly so it does not get soggy like my other favorite. The crust is crunchy yet is kind of plain which is fine. When compared to Totino's pizza, the Celeste has more of a tomato taste to it which I like. There is more sauce, but not too much. I also like the small little square cuts of pepperoni in lieu of the bigger and more traditional circular cut. As far as the cheese goes one could ask for a little more cheese although that might mess up the balance of this pizza and then it might not heat well or taste as good anymore.

My only complaint about the Celeste Pizza for One is the size. The "one" part really rings true...the pizza is quite small! I could easily eat two or three or four of these personal size pizzas but I can only imagine the amount of calories implied in such an endeavor. Later I will probably snack on some cheese and crackers or fruit because I know this little wonder is not enough.

It's - It ! A San Franciso Tradition since 1928

A friend and I were talking today about classic snack foods and various comfort foods. Things like Twinkies, Dr. Pepper, and Tastykakes...speaking of which I have still yet to try Tastykakes. I shall have to venture to Philly someday to try Tastykake and a "real" cheese steak sandwich.

The whole conversation got me in the mood for a local favorite ice cream treat...

It's it! The messy ice cream goodness that will get all over your hands while you eat it yummy! Ya it's that good. They take two cookies, put vanilla ice cream in the middle, then dip it in chocolate for an excellent fusion of tastes all in one ice cream cookie sandwich.

Om nom nom

Lunch is Served. A Quick boxed Lunch Idea

Effortless lunch is always a welcome concept. On the lunch menu for today is Ka-me Peanut Satay. I will spare you my lecture on who really invented peanut sauce, what Satay actually is, and move right along to the food...

Noodles in a Box

Noodles, peanut sauce, a bit of ground peanuts and bamboo shoots..I think I taste a hint of garlic and red chili too. Who could ask for anything more? Open the box, mix it up, heat it up!

The sauce itself is full of flavor and on the semi-thick side in terms of sauces. A bit spicy but not too spicy. For those of you that like a bit of a kick you will be surprised, however for those of you that enjoy "5 alarm" hot...sorry you may be disappointed and will need to dig in the spice cabinet or cupboard for that extra "umphh".

The noodles are your run of the mill instant noodles. Stringy, chewy, tasty. What did you expect from this box a gourmet meal? This is quick lunch day my fellow foodie lovers, no room for expensive indulgences today.

Yum

As a closing note I would like to point out the peanut sauce does make this a greasy lunch. This would not be on my recommended list of things to eat every day as the grease/salt/carbs/fat will catch up with you. I will need to learn how to cook a more healthy version that can be enjoyed more often as noodles with peanut sauce are just that great.

You only live once, enjoy the food!

Would you like Fries with that?

Walking into my apartment after a long day at work, my stomach growled. It growled a sound that only means one thing: it's time to eat some burgers. Given that the nearest burger shop is about a mile or two away, the freezer offered me a welcome surprise of tasty treats.

The supermarket had some new frozen burgers I have never seen before! Gotta grab'em!

Anxious to try I started frying them in the microwave, waiting in anticipation while the cheese melted evenly. That I would have to say was the big highlight for the burgers...the cheese did seem to melt evenly. The beef patty did not quite taste like beef and I will have to read the label more as to what this burger is really made of. A far far cry from USDA choice meat for sure. After eating one of them I ended up adding more cheese and hot sauce to spice things up which made it more palatable but still disappointing. For frozen, stick to frozen White Castle.

A burger? I think so..

As a side note the package said "full size burgers". The marketing folks who designed the package must not go out very often. When I can eat three of them, the burger is hardly full size.

Speaking of sides...for a side dish I had some Tyson chicken "anytizers".

I heated up a small portion of the chicken fries, and a few of the "bacon chedder" chicken bites. When everything was added together on the plate, a meal was born...a meal that...well it probably took at least a few days off my life.

Should I really eat all this food?

The chicken fries chicken were quite moist and delicious, perhaps the highlight of the meal. They may have been just a tad on the salty side but quite tasty. The breading was just right too. A good buy all in all. These little finger snacks are finger lickin' good.


The cheese bacon chicken "things" on the other hand were very bland. Yes, there was a bacon "like" taste, but it's more like sneaking bacos/bacon bits used for salads inside a chicken nugget. The chicken was Tyson good, but it was not cheesy inside...at all! For the life of me I could not taste the cheese. I was hoping for cheese to ooze out everywhere. Not that the chicken bites tasted bad, they just left much to be desired.

There you have it folks. Another night another meal. In the future I will be mixing in posts with healthy food along with recipes, but for now let the junk food games continue! Off to wash this meal down with another cold beer......until next time.....happy snack adventures to you.

The Big Goldfish Letdown

As a side dish for the Attack of the Pizza Night, I opened up a bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. Everyone loves Goldfish right? Can't go wrong with a big handful of Goldfish? Wrong! I was browsing the usual foodies at the grocery store and came upon what I thought would be a new friend. I give you exhibit A...

Xplosive Pizza Flavored Goldfish

I must say I was very disappointed. First off, the bag was difficult to open. The nerves of these people! Adding foil inside for freshness or something? Epic fail. Then to top things off you may notice the packaging is also not very photogenic. It's this real shiny foil like material. Not impressed give me the classic paper package any day.

Now on to the more important part...the taste test. Let's just put it this way...take a piece of cardboard, add some tomato powder, a bit of cheese flavor, a whole lot of extra salts/oils, and you end up with about the same effect. Too many ingredients can ruin a good thing is the moral to this story I suppose. Then as a slap in the face the package says these things were "made with smiles and...". Who are they kidding?

Stick to the classic Goldfish as you can not go wrong, but snackers beware of these new Goldfish flavors they are trying to pass off as good foodie.

Totino's Soggy Pizza

Every now and then I get a craving for something that is really bad for me (okay that
craving actually happens more often than I would like).

Tonight is Attack of the Pizza Night. Now it is true I live right next door to a pizza place, but
sometimes I get the urge for a frozen pizza similar to what I used to chow down on when I was small.

As my intro to junk food, behold and feast your eyes on one of my junk food favorites:

Totino's Cripsy Crust Party Pizza!

My twist on the Totino's Frozen Pizza is simple: On the back of the box it speaks of this thing called an oven....but if you put the pizza in the microwave instead this special kind of magic
happens. The pizza becomes a very soft and delicious treat in the microwave. 2 minutes or 2:30
should suffice for a trip down memory lane.

Usually I buy the pepperoni "pizza". The box claims it is "America's Best Selling Pizza".
This is open to debate, as I would think a delivery shop would take the prize on such a
coveted title however these little frozen pizzas are full of gooey goodness all the same.

This microwave masterpiece may look disgusting but if you find it in your heart to try something a bit different you may find yourself asking for seconds. Your heart however will not thank you later. Upon further examination of the "Nutrition Facts", this packs a whopping 720 calories if you eat the small 10 ounce pizza. There is also a surprise 68 gram serving of carbs with a side of 1840mg of salt!!.


As a parting note, once I take my pride and joy out of the microwave, I like to fold it half and pick it up to eat. A bastard calzone? Is it a pizza taco? You be the judge. Best served with Sam Adams!

Bon Appetite!

Coming Soon: Attack of the Pizza Part 2