Category: Tailgating (Page 5 of 10)

Product review: Trader Joe’s Chile Mango Popsicles

Chef JimTrader Joe’s is awesome. There, I said it. They have great, fresh food at very reasonable prices. It’s sort of like Whole Foods with less selection and at far better prices. They also have some unique food items, and last week I took a chance on another one of those–Chile Mango popsicles.

You might think, why would a food blog geared toward dudes be writing about popsicles. But note the first word–chile. These are mango and hot pepper frozen treats, and they are awesome.

Trader Joe’s makes excellent frozen fruit desserts like this, and this chile-mango combination is a great blast of cool, sweet and then spicy that makes for an amazing taste explosion. And I do mean explosion, because they are about a 6 out of 10 on the spice scale, something you wouldn’t expect from a popsicle. In fact, I had to make a concerted effort to keep these away from our 4-year old son.

But for the rest of you, go grab a 4-pack of these and serve them up during Sunday football. It might not go with beer, but hey, maybe I’m wrong!

Holy crap, is summer almost over?

So here we are….Labor Day Weekend. In the blink of an eye, the summer grilling season has given way to football tailgating season. Which means that the chill of fall is going to be in the air soon. And while it was 95 degrees in Madison yesterday, by Monday we’re going to have a high of 69. I love it, but it’s going to feel downright cold! Anyway, what are you grilling this weekend? I’m sure I’ll be firing it up but not quite sure what we will slap on it.

I do know I’m going to make a stew of chicken thighs, brats and hot peppers (and a few more tasty things) cooked in Guinness. It’s not quite in my head yet, but hey, the weather will be perfect for it.

We are also heading to Taste of Madison on Sunday, where my goal will once again be to try a few foods I’ve never tried before (within reason of course).

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend, everyone….and get those grills fire up and those beers on ice (just please drink responsibly).

Product review: Planter’s Tailgate snacks

Chef JimFootball season starts next week–next Thursday night to be exact, with the Super Bowl champion Packers hosting the Saints. Then the Sunday after that, it’s the first NFL Sunday. Of course, this weekend marks the start of the college football season. And fans of both college and pro football share one thing in common–they love to tailgate, and that means lots of good food and good drink.

So with that, Planter’s is putting out some great new products for you to enjoy munching while watching the games, and they were kind enough to send a few for me to try…..

Honey Smoked Tailgate Almonds–Smoked almonds have long been a favorite of mine, but these are unique. They combine the smoky flavor of smoke-flavored almonds with the glazed sweetness of honey roasted nuts. So you have a sweet and smoky combo that, quite honestly, makes it hard not to eat the whole can. Good thing they sent me giant 19 oz. cans!

Tailgate Nut Mix--This is a smoky, salty combo of chipotle almonds and peanuts, corn nuts and pretzels. This has more of a subtle smoky taste, but there is more of a savory, almost tangy flavor that makes this just an explosive (though not spicy) snack. And again, I”m glad there are 19 full ounces of this stuff!

There is also pumpkin spice almonds, which are not my thing, but definitely a fall season item.

So go grab a couple of these cans and happy football season to you all!

Review: High Plains Bison

I ran this review on the Bullz-Eye blog and wanted to share it with my Mikey’s Kitchen readers too.

I was a bit nervous about trying what you might consider more of a game-type meat, but the parallel to beef in flavor was remarkable and maybe even better, and with the exception of the sausage, much lower in fat content.

So consider trying High Plains Bison, it’s worth checking out!

More burger talk….

Chef JimEarlier this week I posted my recipe for a Green Chile Burger. And it got me thinking…I could do a whole month of burger recipes. Not that I’m going to, but hey, I can ask you guys to let me know what your favorite burger is.

So let me know…what are your favorite burgers–meat type or other fillings, toppings, bun, etc. I wanna know your favorite burger and why. So let me know in the space below, or on Facebook or Twitter after I post this. Have fun with it, and be honest! Heck, you might remember I posted a peanut butter banana burger recipe a while back too. Nothing is too crazy!

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