At Least I Tried

After hearing about Martha White's flours and mixes I was excited about trying out this corn meal mix I happened upon at my local 99 cent store. Yes folks, the 99 cent store! For those of you who aren't familiar with this brand, Martha White originates from the South, Tennessee to be specific, and is rarely found here in the West Coast. So naturally, when I saw this product on the store shelf selling for less than one dollar, I quickly snatched it up. Well, I finally gave the mix a try last night. I decided to use the "Southern Style" cornbread recipe which was on the back of the package. All I had to do was add buttermilk, an egg, and some melted shortening to two cups of the cornmeal mix, stir it up, pop it in the oven for about 25 minutes, and out came the cornbread. From the picture you can see it was a beautiful shade of light yellow, a little crisp on the edges with what looked like a very nice texture. Unfortunately, looks can be a little deceiving. The bread was surprisingly dry, and really had no taste to it. I think I was expecting some hint of sweetness or corniness even, but no, nothing like that. I wondered if maybe I did something wrong to make such a tasteless and unexciting bread. Did I miss an ingredient or a crucial step perhaps? Was the package of cornmeal mix expired? No to both of my questions. Is this the reason why I found the mix at the the 99 cent store in the first place? Maybe. Despite the disappointing cornbread outcome, I'm willing to try some of the other Martha White flour products.
What are your experiences with Martha White? I would love to hear about them.

Souvenir from Chicago-Fannie May Chocolate

My first taste of a Fannie May mint meltaway happened this past Christmas while visiting my boyfriend’s family in Chicago. I’ve always been fond of the combination of mint and chocolate together so when my BF showed me the box of chocolates his mom had given him, I was more than eager to give it a try. And oh my, those bite-size chocolates sure were good! I mean, I thought a Peppermint Patty was already something pretty special but after one bite of a mint meltaway, well, let's just say, I melted. I must have achieved some sort of mint-chocolatey-nirvana because I haven't picked up a Peppermint Patty ever since. To put it bluntly, a Peppermint Patty simply does not compare to a meltaway. The meltaways really are just that...melt-in-your-mouth-delectable-creaminess without being overly sweet.
If you’re in the Chicago area, then lucky you because there are several Fannie May retail shops in the vicinity. If you’re like me however, and live out on the West Coast where there are no Fannie May locations, then plan a trip out to Chicago and stop by one of the shops (something I did just last month!). If that's not possible though, you can always order some minty goodness from their website: www.fanniemay.com

April Fool's Day and is it REALLY Peanut Butter?

What better way to start my new site than with a review of one of my favorite foods in the whole world...you guessed it, peanut butter!
Well, okay, I need to clarify this, it's actually a new product I came across recently called PB2. PB2 is made by a company called Bell Plantation in Tifton, Georgia. The product's description said that this peanut butter is "made with USA grown peanuts that are slow-roasted and pressed to remove fat. All natural with no additives. PB2 has the same consistency as full fat..."
Well, that was enough to sell me! I mean, peanut butter with the fat removed? How bizarre, I thought, but because I am who I am (the adventurous foodie type), I was more than eager and willing to try the stuff! The stats for the product are as follows:
Only 2.8 grams of fat and 54 calories for 2 tablespoons; ingredients-peanuts, sugar, salt-that's it. Another important point is that the product comes in a powdered form and the directions say you need to mix in 1 tablespoonful of water to 2 tablespoons of the powder to make it into the all familiar peanut butter paste that we all know and love. I excitedly placed my order, which by the way was $3.99 per 6.5 ounce jar (the company sets a 4 jar minimum however and a $7.00 flat rate shipping fee), and one week later I received my peanut butter in the mail!
I followed the directions on the jar and mixed in the recommended amount of water to the powdered peanut butter, stirred it up and voila!-I created peanut butter! I licked the spoon I was stirring with and paused for a second or two...the taste was indeed peanutty, and the consistency was quite creamy. I was amazed, overjoyed, and quite satisfied with my purchase. PB2 is a godsend. I'm not kidding. The all natural peanut butter that I so love and have eaten for most of my life packs about 16 grams of fat and 160 calories in 2 tablespoons. You do the math.
This food find is a keeper!
http://www.bellplantation.com/new/