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Product Review: Dove "Unconditional Chocolate" Ice Cream

"Unconditional Chocolate" is probably the best ice cream from Dove that I have ever tried. I couldn't think of a name more apt for such a product. It is so good, you would have to exercise a great deal of self control to stop from eating. Seriously. Here are my thoughts:

What I liked:

Thick layer of ganache on top. Soooo inviting. I just want to peel off that whole layer of ganache and eat it like a cookie!
The chocolate ice cream is smooth, rich, and so creamy!
Decadent chocolate swirls under the ganache layer.
Chocolate chunks. Lots of them. You will get at least one chunk (but more likely 2 or 3) in every bite. I kid you not.
Although this flavor is chockful of chocolates, it is not overly sweet. There is actually a semi-sweet/dark chocolate undertone to it.

What I didn't like:

Half a cup of this (overly delicious) ice cream has 300 calories. Oh, yeah. You will pay for something as delightful as this.
A serving would give you more than half (55%) of your daily value of saturated fat.

The Verdict:

I really enjoyed Unconditional Chocolate immensely, and I am sure any chocoholic out there who tried this product would share the same sentiments. However, thinking of the nutritional value, it is safe to say that you should eat this treat sparingly, or double your gym time to burn off the extra calories. Apart from that, I couldn't say anything negative about the taste, as it was really divine (and on a personal note, it tasted like they broke up pieces of their Dove chocolate bars and put it in the ice cream). If you love chocolate, and if you love Dove, this is a must. Would I recommend this product to a friend? I think I just did. Would I buy this again? Yes, yes, yes.

1 comments

Labels: sweets

Is it Halloween Yet?

Everybody wants a piece of halloween...

Orange-colored chocolate candies for Chips Ahoy! (I noticed that these special edition cookies are smaller and thinner than the usual ones).

Ü.C.U. (Über Close Up)


Palmer's Chocolate Candies

My favorite thing about halloween is all the candies! What's yours?

3 comments

Labels: beef

Curry Steak Fajitas

I was looking for an interesting Fajitas recipe when I came across this dish by Bobby Flay. And interesting it was, indeed. I would have never imagined marinating beef in curry paste, as traditional fajitas usually call for lime juice or mojo. But I tried it, and I liked it! (Of course, I tweaked it to suit our preference!)

What you need:

Red Curry Paste

3/4 pound skirt steak, cut into strips
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1/4 cup canola oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (divided)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons wildflower honey
flour tortillas
red and green bell peppers, cut into strips
Cheddar Jack cheese
avocado crema (recipe below)

What to do:

In a bowl, whisk together the curry paste, canola oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Transfer to a ziploc bag, add the beef and marinate for at least 6 hours.

In another bowl, whisk the honey and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Set aside.

Heat grill or cast iron pan over high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill the steak until slightly charred on the sides, brushing with the honey-lime glaze. Place the meat on a platter and drizzle with more of the honey-lime glaze.

Assemble your tortillas by putting a few slices of beef down on the center, adding veggies, cheese, and a dollop of avocado crema. Yum!

Avocado Crema recipe

What you need:

1 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 tablespoons water
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

What to do:

Combine the avocados, water, lime juice, rice vinegar and honey and in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the cilantro, salt and pepper and blend a few seconds just to incorporate.

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Use lime instead of lemon! (I didn't have lime when I made this dish so I substituted)

2. Add BBQ onions or pickled roasted peppers for greater flavor.

3. When buying meat for fajitas, get a whole slab of meat instead of buying the pre-cut ones. Then have your butcher cut it for you.

4. The avocado crema is a bit tangy so cut down on the rice vinegar if you wish.

5. Wildflower honey has a deep (dark) taste compared to other honey varieties. But you can definitely substitute with whatever kind you have!

0 comments

Labels: vegetables

BLT Salad

I like to keep salad veggies in the fridge for light lunches. This BLT salad is a semi-light meal, due to the addition of bacon. It's easy to make and delicious. As they say, everything tastes better with bacon!

What you need:

3 cups torn romaine lettuce
about 8 pieces grape tomatoes
3/4 cups garlic croutons
4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup Cheddar Jack cheese
Caesar Salad dressing

What to do:

Layer the lettuce, tomatoes, croutons, bacon and cheese in a large bowl.

Drizzle with dressing just before serving. Toss lightly. Enjoy!

View from the top

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Cut the grape tomatoes in half if it is too big for you. (I didn't because I love popping them in my mouth like m&m's).
2. Use cherry tomatoes for a smaller but sweeter tomato variety.
3. Substitute Cheddar Jack cheese with Colby, Monterey, etc. Whatever works!
4. Make sure your veggies are washed! You don't want to eat dirty produce.

2 comments

Labels: beef, pork

Sliders

This was how hubby enjoyed his sliders. With lime-mayo and onions!

I first had a taste of White Castle's Sliders in a sporting event. They are those mini burgers with square patties that have 5 holes in them. The Travel Channel featured them on one of their shows, and I found out that the secret to their delicious and mouthwatering patties are the white onions that permeate the meat through those 5 holes. GENIUS! No wonder Harold and Kumar went to all that trouble just to have them.

We don't have a White Castle here in our state (or if we do, please let me know!), the nearest I can get to a slider is a Krystal Burger. However, our local grocery store carries pre-packaged frozen White Castle Sliders, but it's not as good as getting it fresh from the greasy fast food griddle. So we decided to make some in our own kitchen.

What you need:

1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground pork
2/3 cup beef broth
2 cups white onions, diced

We used potato bread

What to do:

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chuck and pork. Add the beef broth and mix well.

Line a 13x10x1 baking tray with plastic wrap. Put the meat on the tray and flatten, until the meat is just about half an inch thick. You can do so by covering the top with plastic wrap and using a rolling pin to flatten it. Using a plastic knife, make small squares by scoring the meat. Freeze for about 30 minutes to firm them up and hold their shape while cooking.

Heat your electric griddle to 350F. Add the diced onions and place the square patties on top of them. Make sure you watch the onions because you don't want them to burn. Finish frying the patties by placing them on the griddle when the onions start turning brown.

So yummy...

Build your burger by putting your choice of condiments on the bread, then add the patties. Enjoy!

Don't forget the mushrooms!

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. For a juicier burger, double the amount of beef broth.
2. Want authentic-looking sliders? Make holes in the patties using a straw to poke them.
3. You can also cook these patties in a pan instead of a griddle.
4. Toast the bread (with butter on one side) for a greasier but yummier burger.

This was how I enjoyed my sliders. Burnt, and with American cheese!

1 comments

Labels: stuff

Breakfast

Cereal, milk, orange wedges, and OJ

Nothing but a good breakfast to start your day right.

2 comments

Labels: pork

Asian Street Pork Chops

Guy Fieri made this dish on his show "Guy's Big Bites." He described it as a street food in Asia (I think he said Vietnam), but instead of pork chops, he used pork loins sliced very thinly. Sort of like shaved meat for a sandwich. I thought I'd give it a try, but with chops instead.

What you need:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 pound thin sliced pork chops

What to do:

In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, ginger, oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil and pork chops. Transfer to a ziploc bag, remove all the air, seal and refrigerate for 6 hours (or more).

Heat your grill to high. Remove the pork from the marinade and arrange on the grill. Reserve the marinade. Grill the pork chops according to your desired doneness. Remove from the grill and place on a serving platter.

Meanwhile, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and let reduce until it starts top thicken, about 8 minutes. Drizzle it on top of the pork chops. Enjoy!

Ü.C.U. (Über Close Up)

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Use thinly-sliced pork roast and make it sandwich meat!
2. Too hot for you? Reduce the amount of chili garlic sauce to 1/2 teaspoon.

3. Use sriracha or tabasco if you don't have chili garlic sauce.

3 comments

Labels: dessert

Triple Chocolate S'mores Brownies

Out of boredom, I decided to whip up some (fancy schmancy) brownies. Don't be fooled, though - this was actually semi-homemade because I used a brownie mix. I called it Triple Chocolate because of the 1) brownie, 2) chocolate graham crackers; and 3) crushed Hershey's chocolate bar on top. Yumminess!!!

What you need:

1 box (1 lb) Betty Crocker Brownie Mix
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
water, vegetable oil and egg called for on Brownie Mix
3/4 of a (10 oz) bag marshmallows
4 chocolate graham cracker squares, broken into small pieces
3 bars (1.55 oz each) milk chocolate candy, broken into small pieces

Hurrah for bonus box tops!

What to do:

Heat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x9 baking pan with butter.

Make and bake brownies as directed in the box (don't forget to add the semi-sweet chunks in the batter). After removing the pan from the oven, set the oven to broil. Immediately top the brownies with marshmallows and chocolate graham crackers.

Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat for about 20 to 30 seconds, or until marshmallows are toasted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate candy. Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. When you broil the brownies, watch it very carefully. It is hard to see if the graham crackers are already toasted since they are brown. And the marshmallows brown so quickly!
2. Use miniature marshmallows for a thinner layer.
3. When cutting brownies, grease your knife so it wouldn't stick.

4 comments

Labels: chicken

Chicken Nuggets Asian-Style

I am constantly on the hunt for dishes that son would like. Since chicken nuggets are one of his favorites, I decided to make it - Asian style.

This wasn't the regular chicken nugget made of ground-up chicken or "mechanically reclaimed meat" according to Jamie Oliver (Food Revolution). I used chicken tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces and battered the Asian way. ;-)

This recipe was inspired by Jen's Asian Chicken Nuggets recipe. It worked for my whole family - son loved it, and hubby enjoyed the ginger flavor. Win - win! P.S. Don't tell your kids that there's ginger in it. What they don't know won't scare them!

What you need:

1 pound chicken tenders
Canola oil (for frying)
Corn starch (for dredging)

For the marinade:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 teaspoon ground fresh ginger

For the batter:

2 egg whites
2 tablespoons corn starch
3 stalks green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ground fresh ginger

What to do:

Cut the chicken tenders into one inch squares. Set aside.

Mix all the marinade ingredients and transfer to a ziploc bag. Add the chicken and marinate for about an hour in the fridge.

Start the batter by beating the egg whites. Add 2 tablespoons corn starch, ground ginger and chopped green onions.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high. Dredge the marinated chicken pieces in flour, then drop in the batter and coat evenly. Transfer to pan and deep fry for about 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken. Drain on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

U.C.U. (Über Close Up)

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Wash your hands (and utensils) with hot soapy water, especially when dealing with poultry.
2. To make sure that your chicken is cooked, the internal temperature should be at least 165°F. (Always keep your meat thermometer handy).
3. As a dipping sauce, try soy sauce with lime.

3 comments

Labels: sweets

Disney Caramel Apples

Hubby surprised me with these...


They were actually the same size.

They were really delicious. Probably one of the best caramel apples I have ever had. I thought it would be overly sweet, but I was wrong. There was a good balance between the tartness of the Granny Smith apple and the sweetness of the chocolate / sugar.