A quick note about the Swine Flu

You CANNOT catch swine flu from eating bacon!


That is all.
Thank you for your time.

KGC ??? - When fast food companies forget their roots

KFC (formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken), is now selling a grilled version.
This may taste good, and I'll guess that they're using the same 11 herbs and spices, but....

THE WHOLE FRIGGIN POINT OF KFC IS TO BATTER AND FRY CHICKEN!

You do not go to KFC for a healthy dining experience.
You go to KFC to get your weekly (or monthly) allowance of deep fried tasty goodness.

The Colonel is probably rolling over in his crispy, well seasoned, pressure-fried grave.

PIZZA RANT 2.5 - Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza - SUCCESS!

PIZZA RANT 2.5 ( click here to read pizza rant #2 ) -

SUCCESS!
(sucky pocketpc cameraphone)
First attempt... Nearly perfect! Will give details and more pics soon... Gotta eat pizza now. Bye!

(5MP Canon G5 - sized down for web)
2nd slice :-) :-) :-)

PIZZA RANT #3 will be coming shortly with more details, info on my research, and a recipe.
Many thanks to the pizza-philes at pizzamaking.com chicago style pizza forum, especially Loo Waters, who gave me some insight and a good place to start.

(5MP Canon G5 - click on photo for wallpaper size)



PREVIOUS PIZZA RELATED RANTINGS:
Click to read PIZZA RANT#1
Click to read PIZZA RANT#2
FOLLOWUPS:
Click to read PIZZA RANT#2.6

Pizza Hut Working for Skynet

Pizza Hut is giving away free pizzas to anyone named John or Sarah Connor on May 21st.
This message just received thru time-shift encrypted untraceable terminator-proof communications network:
"Nice try, Skynet, but we like authentic Chicago deep dish! - J.C."

Candy break - Gummy Root Beer Barrels

Gummy Root Beer Barrels:
I like root beer, and I have a slight fondness for gummy candies (red swedish fish are my favorite of this type). On a recent trip to the Treasure Island grocery store, these caught my eye. Chewy, yes. Gummy, certainly. Rootbeery? Kinda. They're pretty tame. They do taste like root beer, but need a little more spicy kick than they have. They're not really rootbeery enough. Yes, it's a word!
Stop looking at me like that! OK, I'll get back to the Chicago pizza research!
Go Cubs.

The Cheeseburger Show

We interrupt our special deep dish pizza programming to bring you the first episode of CLTV's
THE CHEESEBURGER SHOW

(I haven't watched it yet. I hope it's good.)

Pizza Rant #2: The Deep Dish Pizza Conundrum

For a few weeks now, I've been pondering the possibility of reproducing an acceptible version of a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza at home. I've been searching for pizza dough recipes (There's a minor controversy about corn meal; I'll write about that later), and I've also been looking for the proper pans to bake them in. Then the Obama thing happened (read Pizza Rant #1) and I figured I should start blogging about my minor culinary quest.


DEEP DISH PIZZA... THE PAN
After a bit of exhaustive research, I've done it. I've ordered some deep dish pizza pans. From my google-assisted investigation, I've learned that tin-plated steel is the way to go (aka aluminized steel) instead of plain aluminum, as the steel is supposed to make the pan stronger and the aluminum helps to distribute heat better for more even baking of a larger pizza.

There are a few brands out there that sell deep dish pizza pans, which are really no more than large heavy-gauge metal cake pans. If you're in a hurry and don't want to do the research, you can easily find one on Amazon.com by searching for 'deep dish pizza pan', and you could go with the 'Chicago Metallic UNO Deep Dish Pizza Set' combo pack which includes a 12" round 2" deep aluminized steel deep dish pan, a serving/cutting spatula, and a book with recipes for about $16.

A small word of caution: Although this is a great deal whether you got the recipe book or not, I don't know if I would trust the recipes, as the Uno Chicago Grill restaurants around the country don't quite make an authentic deep dish like their namesake at the original Pizzeria Uno in downtown Chicago. The franchises all over the country serve a pizza-hut-inspired version of a deep dish pizza, which is tasty enough, but really doesn't qualify if you're looking for authentic Chicago deep dish. For that, you need to go to Pizzeria Uno or Pizzeria Due which are owned by the same people and are located about a block away from each other, or have a par-baked pizza shipped to you frozen from Lou Malnati's which you can bake in your oven... or make it yourself (which I am attempting to do). The last option is obviously the most difficult and it's going to take a bit of trial and error and a lot of research to learn the truths about making authentic deep dish pizza. The first step of course, is getting the right pan. Let's continue...

The REAL Pizzeria Uno in Chicago (not the franchised knockoff).

I wanted to see if I could find a 14" pan, which is the same size as a large pizza from Lou Malnati's or Pizzeria Uno. A more extensive search on Amazon found me a company called AMCO that makes aluminized steel pans. The deep dish pan is actually a 'round cake pan' which might make it difficult to find if you're searching for a 'pizza pan'. You can also find the reliable Chicago Metallic brand, who make all kinds of pans, including a deep dish pizza pan with a non-stick coating. I'm a baking masochist, so I skipped the non-stick easy solution and ended up ordering two AMCO - 12" pans and one 14" pan, which are like the ones that the restaurants use*. I also ordered a couple 'pan grippers', which are these little clamp handles that they use to grab the pizza pans out of the oven. If you're wondering why the pictures of the pans show bright silver colored pans, when you often see a darker or even black colored pan at the restaurants, it is because the restaurant pans are well 'seasoned' from continual use. These pans will get darker the more I use them.

So while I wait for the pans I ordered to arrive, I will work on the next step: THE CRUST. (to be continued)

*update 4-25: a quick note - the AMCO pans i ordered from Amazon are aluminized steel (not tin) with a silicone coating (so I guess they actually are non-stick after all). Actual tin-plated bakeware darkens the more it is used; aluminum typically does not, but the coating on these pans is supposed to darken the more you use it. I've learned that tin melts at 450 degrees, which is why it was replaced by aluminum in bakeware.


PREVIOUS PIZZA RELATED RANTINGS:
Click to read PIZZA RANT#1:
FOLLOWUP RANTINGS:

Click to read PIZZA RANT#2.5 :

Cubs Opening Day - Cold, Rainy .. Duh!

It's cold and rainy.
Surprise Surprise, Genius!
It's FRIGGIN APRIL!

Go Cubs!
Read my various baseball rantings over at my friend Jon's blog, THE INFIELD BOX.

Pizza Rant #1 of many to come

I'm all worked up about pizza right now because our beloved President Obama has chosen to fly his Deep Dish Chicago style pizza from ...
ST. FREAKIN LOUIS!

I'll chalk this one up to higher priorities (fixin our economy, iraq, afghanistan, flying in the Jonas Brothers for his daughters ) and a limited experience with St. Louis and their history of 'pizza'. Mister President, not all midwest pizza is the same.

Normally, when talking about pizza, people divide into two categories and start a 'NY vs Chicago, Deep Dish vs Thin Crust' war. Often, I argue that you're comparing apples to oranges. Few can argue that pizza started in Italy and the original American concept of pizza was created (quite nicely) by east coast Italians in the US. Chicago Deep Dish is a different animal. It is only part-Italian and was a collaboration between an Italian American and a Texan who originally came to Chicago to run a Mexican restaurant .

Now we come to St. Louis. This city has embraced the "bar" or thin crust style pizza which is done quite well in many places in Chicago and other cities. I have no problem with thin crust pizza, and in fact am a fan of a few places in the Chicago area that make it well (Rosati's, Barnaby's, Jakes, Nick and Vito's - or is it Vito and Nick's - to name a few).

St. Louis, however, has chosen to top their version of thin crust pizza with an abomination, a processed cheese called PROVEL . This 'cheese' , created over 50 years ago by Hoffman Dairy (and Kraft) , 'was developed to meet perceived demand for a pizza cheese with a "clean bite": one that melts well but breaks off nicely when bitten.'
Sticks to your teeth like the worst movie theatre nacho cheese is what it does! Falls off the crust onto your lap is what it does! Silly St. Louisans! Pizza cheese is supposed to be gooey and stringy!

QUESTION: How can you think you're going to get anything close to a Chicago style deep dish pizza from a city that created Provel? ANSWER: YOU AREN'T. You cannot trust any culinary expertise from a city that justifies 'Provel' as an acceptable cheese for a pizza.

More pizza rants to come. I have more about deep dish pizza, and a tasty anomaly originating from Morton Grove called Pequod's. mmmmm.... Pequod's


Click to read PIZZA RANT#2

March (April) Madness - Bracket Implosion Continues

4-4-09:
Well, here we are at the final four of March Madness.
(Yes I know it's April! Don't blame me! I don't schedule these things!)

The best I can do in my tournament is 3rd place (which is pretty good considering I'm not a college basketball maniac), and the only way that will happen is if North Carolina (who I picked to win it all) and Connecticut (who I picked to lose to North Carolina) end up playing each other in the final game.

The odd part is... I will take 3rd place regardless of whether NC or U. Conn win.

How'd you do in your bracket?

-----------------------
UPDATE 4-5-09:
Michigan State beat U Conn. Game over. Good night! See ya next year!

the occasional beer - accidentally organic

German beer 'Pinkus Organic Urpils' @ Hopleaf in Andersonville (Chicago)
Yes, it says organic. I didn't make this choice intentionally, but it's a tasty beer regardless.
It went very nice with my Hopleaf 'steak frites' (not pictured).

I need a new camera phone. this one takes pictures sideways.

The Cheeseburger Show - another friggin video

Yes, I'm copping out on you by posting another video, but it's called "The Cheeseburger Show".



The Cheeseburger Show: Sneak Peek from Cheeseburger Show on Vimeo.

Silly YouTube! Yep, it's March 32nd again!

This girl really wants a cheeseburger.

Watch her YouTube video to see how much.

We can't really fault her, can we?