Foodenator

Decisions, Decisions…every year at this time when entering the kitchen, we must decide between eating a real egg or a cadbury egg. Choosing the real egg might seem like an easy choice for a health nut, but let’s examine the facts.

First, the Cadbury egg requires no preparation. All that needs to be done to eat the egg is peel off the foil. Second, once you can get past the outer chocolate shell the inside of the egg is actually the same color and you don’t have to worry about un-edible shells or those gross white particles that sometimes float in raw eggs. With the chocolate shell the carbohydrates in chocolate raise serotonin levels in the brain, resulting in a sense of well-being.  Finally, you won’t be at risk for salmonella with the Cadbury egg and your sweet cravings will be cured for a good 24 hours.

If you choose the chicken egg, beware! Consuming raw eggs is unhealthy for individuals and will raise cholesterol, especially in men. Also, if you choose to cook the egg, it will be at least an 8 minute process. You will have to start with breaking the egg into a separate container, then cooking it to your liking in a pan. Then you will have to wash all the dishes that you made eating the egg.

Foodenator Staff suggests choosing the Cadbury Egg 9 times out of 10 over the Chicken Egg

Popularity: 46%

Most of the time when you are buying a frozen pizza, you are sacrificing quality and taste for the convenience of throwing the pizza in your own oven. California Pizza Kitchen has been offering several flavors of their large pizza for quite some time but more recently started to market a personal pizza made for one. The most common flavors you might see at the grocery store include the cheese pizza and margherita flavors. At first glance, the pizza appears to be the same as their larger pizzas but once you take your first bite you will know there is a difference.

1. The crust of the personal pizza is not as crisp or flaky when following either the microwave or the traditional oven directions.

2. The cheese pizza does not have the same amount of cheese as their large pizza

3. When microwaving the pizza, the edges will cook almost too much and the

center will still need additional time.

When your grocery store is having a sale on these pizzas, you can often purchase them for about $2.00 a pizza. The price and the size of the pizza make it perfect to take to work for lunch as well. Overall the pizza is a good deal but don’t go into the purchase thinking it will compare in any way to actually visiting the restaurant.

Foodenator gives this product 3.5 out of 5 stars

Popularity: 37%

This is sandwhich was basically made from random things that I had laying around my kitchen when I couldn’t think of anything else to make for dinner. The sandwich derives its name from the famous James Connolly since it was created during the week of his 28th birthday.

Ingrediants:

1 bagel, any flavor you like

1 avacado

1 Tomato

Italian Blend cheese

*Onions are optional

**Preheat the oven to about 375

First, peel and mash the avocado with a little bit of garlic powder. You can add a tiny bit of lemon juice so that it doesn’t turn brown. Next, toast the bagel on medium so that it is a little crispy. Spread the avocado on the bagel and then layer with slices of tomato. Lay both slices of the bagel on a baking sheet and top off with an Italian blend of cheeses. Bake your sandwich in the oven until the cheeses are melting, about 8-10 minutes depending on the strength of your oven.

Popularity: 46%

What is better on a snow day then the smell of fresh cooked bread in your kitchen?  Try this recipe for a healthy, easy, white pizza with artichokes and tomatoes.   

Ingredients:

1 recipe of bread dough

3 Roma tomatoes

1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts

1 onion, optional

Garlic, Crushed Red Pepper & Olive Oil

Cheeses: Fresh Mozzarella & Parmesan.  Can also use a bag of Italian blend. 

First, roll out your bread dough into a circle and fold it inward to make a crust .  Take about a tablespoon of Olive oil and spread it across your pizza crust.  Next, sprinkle your crust with minced garlic and crushed red pepper.  Place sliced Roma tomatoes and artichokes, evenly distributed, across the pie shell.  You can also add slide onions, they are optional.  Take the fresh mozzarella and cut into small slices, scatter them across the pie shell.  Next, top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Bake at 425 for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Cook less if you like a softer crust and longer if you like the crust crispy.  Cut into slices and serve!

Popularity: 19%

A perfect recipe to make for your love this Valentine’s Day. These cookies are pretty simple and you can decorate them however you see fit. Your special someone will thank you!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups granulated white sugar

2 large eggs 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:

2 large egg whites 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.>

Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (1 cm). (Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter.) Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking.

Note: If you are not going to frost the baked cookies, you may want to sprinkle the unbaked cookies with crystal or sparkling sugar.

Bake cookies for about 10 – 12 minutes (depending on size) or until they are firm around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing, if desired. Be sure that the frosting on the cookies dries completely before storing. (This may take several hours.) Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.

Makes about 36 – 4 inch (10 cm) cookies.

Popularity: 19%

Looking for a warm snack to feast on while watching the U.S. Snowboarding team during the Winter Olympics?

US Olympics Recipe

Follow this simple steps:

1. Take a fresh or frozen dough and roll it out flat.

2. Cut the dough into 1 inch by 1 inch squares and coat with olive oil on each side and place in a large bowl.

3. Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese and one packet of hidden valley ranch dressing mix.

4. Add 12 strips of crushed up cooked bacon.

5. Mix together so the bread is evenly coated with all ingredients and form into a ball/mound on a baking tray.

6. Bake @ 350 degree for 15 minutes, take out and cover with foil then return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and bread is a nice golden brown.

Popularity: 14%

For an easy snack idea, check out the video below! Great for those with high cholesterol, blood pressure, at risk of stroke, heart attack or IBS.

Comment and tell us what your favorite fried food is!

Popularity: 32%

In honor of Sara Palin’s new post as a Fox News correspondant, the staff at foodenator has decided to post her favorite cookie recipe. When Sara isn’t out shooting these big clumsy animals to mount on her wall, she is at home baking moose dropping cookies for her children.

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup choped walnuts
2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions:
Mix all together, drop by 1/4 cup portions on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes

Popularity: 19%

With the inception of 2010, many people have jumped on the eat healthy and exercise bandwagon of New Years resolutions. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a negative experience and often there are ways a person can integrate healthy food into their normal diets. For instance, the Morningstar Farms brand makes Veggie Bacon strips which are actually created using soy beans. This is a great substitute for bacon bits on your salad. Simply follow the directions to cook the veggie bacon in the microwave and then crumble the strips onto a salad and enjoy!

Using soy products has many health benefits and no longer means that you have to sacrifice the taste of the food just to have a healthier lifestyle. Experts believe soy products can help to ward off certain types of cancer such as breast and prostate when consumed starting at an early age. It has also been proven to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and lower cholesterol. Soy based products contains vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein and it comes in a variety of foods that kids like, such as chocolate soy milk, frozen pizza, taco “meat” and “chicken” nuggets.

Popularity: 28%

Leftover spaghetti sauce and meatballs from the weekend but not in the mood for more pasta?  Try this tasty recipe for a meatball bagel sandwich.

Ingredients:

Leftover Sauce and Meatballs
Garlic Powder
Choice of cheese
Choice of bagel

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  First, toast the bagel and spread with butter.  Next, sprinkle a little garlic powder over the surface of the bagel.  Take the sauce and meatballs and heat in the microwave for about 1 minute.  Cut the meatballs into thin slices and layer on 1 half of the bagel.  Next top with the sauce on the same half of the bagel.  For the other side of the bagel, layer with your favorite kind of cheese.  I have used string cheese, an Italian blend or just Parmesan.   Place the bagel halves face up on the cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese and sauce is bubbly.

This dish goes great with soup or a salad!

Popularity: 41%