Pineappleope.com is suiting up for the 2nd biggest weekend of the year, Kentucky Derby Weekend. For the uneducated, the Kentucky Derby is a horse race, quite famous in PAO offices around the country.

As a special Treat from Pineappleope.com to you, here is a secret recipe to construct the Official PAO Traditional Kentucky Derby Drink, the Mint Julip Elixir

4 c. water
2 c. sugar
4 c. loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
4 c. bourbon
Crushed ice
Fresh mint leaves

Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add chopped mint leaves and simmer 30 minutes. Let syrup stand at room temperature overnight. Strain. Fill julep cups with crushed ice. Combine bourbon and mint syrup; pour over ice. Garnish with mint.

The counter man politely handed me a white styrofoam container marked with a 2 on top. It had some weight to it, so I knew it was substantial. Then, and only then, did I slide my way down to the register. The total was $6.97, price includes taxes and cost of the rootbeer. My hand handed the woman collecting money for the food exact change in cash. The woman explained to me how thankful she was for my business and handed my rootbeer over.

Walking to find a table, my eye caught the eye of a woman who was with two other women (pictured above). I sat next to the three women.

I easily opened the styrofoam container which delicately held my food. My fork dove into the black peppery chicken and stuck one chicken and 2 sliced celerys. Lifting the food to my mouth took near a second. It was tasty, the celery was delightful and the chicken tasted like chicken. The sauce covering this chicken/celery mix was delicious, but not very spicy. Usually, with my asian food, I want it spicy. The second through 10th bites were as good as the first. With my 11th bite, I ate some fried rice. The fried rice was good tasting. The Barqs rootbeer really rounded out the meal, providing me a liquid to wash down my food as well as a sweet dessert and caffeine boost.

****** 6 out of 10 Slight Recommendation!

This reviewer was not intimidated by the heavy set people waiting in line to order this mall delicacy. Luckily by the time I made it to the front of the line, there were still a few ShotCakes available. Most of the time, when the over-weight crowd doesn’t get there before you do, there is a large variety of ShotCakes to be eaten, such as the Red Velvet ShotCake or the Golden ShotCake.

A ShotCake client can order any regular cupcake and get it INJECTED with ice cream (Vanilla or Chocolate), which transforms the regular cupcake into a ShotCake.

When I got to the counter, there was one Tiramisu cupcake available, just sitting there begging to be injected with ice cold cream. I said, ‘Gimme the Tiramisu cupcake and inject it with vanilla.’ The woman behind the counter said, ‘you. got. it’, and complied with my demand. She then demanded $3 and some change… close to $4 bucks. Being a Foodenator.com reviewer, I am well off… very well off… so I reached into my expensive alligator wallet and pulled out some cash. It took approx. 1 minute to find some ones amid my twenties, fifties, and tens. She accepted my money and I was off to the other end of the counter to pick up the mall delicacy.

After a less than a minute wait time, I had my ShotCake in my right hand, my spoon in my left, and also a napkin in the right hand as well. I could sense the Cupcake was cold, and the ice cream was saying ‘I am in you’ to the cupcake. Found a table really close by to devour the ShotCake…

Tiramisu ShotCake is not as light as a regular tasty tiramisu cake, but it had a good taste. The tiramisu and its vanilla ice cream companion combination was outstanding… it was almost like… eating cake with a scoop of ice cream. Unusual, but true, I ate the entire ShotCake, and enjoyed doing so. I was tempted to get another, but I held back since the line was filled with people having difficulties making up their mind.

I recommend the ShotCake experience.

******** 1/2 — 8.5 out of a possible 10

More Info:
ShotCakes

Real men eat salads. I know this because I am a dude. Right now, in my fridge, I have five bottles of hot sauce, a jar of Cheez Whiz and half a pack of hot dogs. But recently I went to lunch with a couple of buds, and I ordered a salad. I ordered it hard.

It was a basic frissée salad with bacon, shallots and a poached egg, tossed in a light vinaigrette. Frissée is a curly, toothsome leaf, bitter enough to balance bacon and egg but still possessed of a pleasant spring.

My friends laughed at me. They pointed. One ordered a burger, the other fried calamari. I was chastised for not eating “man food.”

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this gender normative term, “man food” is food that you’d imagine a lumberjack or a cowboy or a Viking would eat. Towers of butter-soaked pancakes. Pots of napalm-hot chili. Meat on a bone.

Thoroughly unsubtle, “man food” is rustic fare meant to satisfy a hearty appetite. Quantity is prized over quality. Calories are “fun points.” The more “fun points,” the tastier the belly filler.
But sometimes a dude needs a change. Specifically, a salad. A fresh, crisp, crunchy salad. Salads offer breathers between manly meals. Spinach, cucumber, tomato, red onions, mushrooms, chickpeas, oil and vinegar — that is my usual jam.

KEEP READING about MAN SALADS, YO! >>>

I don’t need any fancy, goopy dressings compromising my vegetables. (What does a ranch actually taste like, anyway?) Sometimes, I might throw some almonds or walnuts up in there. I’ve been known to be down with blueberries and mandarin oranges. I like bacon or grilled chicken on occasion. I am not a fan of unnecessary carbs like croutons. And then there are those moments I go crazy and get a frissée freakin’ salad.

MANLY PASTA SALAD!

I didn’t evolve without help. There was a time where, if I cut myself shaving, I’d bleed sausage gravy. My heart squeezed more than it pumped. And I also grew what I call “fat wings.”
Luckily, the woman I was dating at that time didn’t like any of those things. Being able to sit in a bathtub full of buffalo wings is every dude’s birthright, but I eventually learned that being attractive for your significant other is also pretty manly.

My girlfriend was a smart woman and didn’t bring up my devolving into a human biscuit. What she did was announce that we were going to save money so that Saturday nights, we could go to the local barbecue joint and destroy some cow with our faces.

Obviously, my first thought was, “Aww, she wants me to help her lose weight.” So I humored her. She came home from the supermarket with a stack of plastic disposable containers. In each, she put one potential salad ingredient. Not only the ones that would become my favorite but kidney beans, green peppers, corn and pepperoni slices.

She created a mini-salad bar in our fridge. It was easy, and I was told I could eat as much as I wanted. This became my lunch and occasional dinner.
You know what? We saved money. I lost weight. Gained energy. And my girlfriend and I, well, let’s just say we had the whoopee time.

I kept this up this salad-centric diet for months. My friends would come over to watch a fight or brawl on the PlayStation, and I’d meet them at the door with a salad in my hand.

The landlord would need my help with some drywall; I’d put my salad down.

At work, I’d articulate corporate strategy during lunch meetings spearing cucumbers in my lucky bowl of awesome salad. I made eating salad sexy. I made it macho, macho.

Is it rabbit food? Friend, if it’s rabbit food, then that rabbit is the size of a ferocious bear.

My friends poked fun at me as I munched on my fancy salad. It was tasty. I love how the warm yolk from the poached egg lightly coated the frissée, adding a dimension of hardiness to a dish with such leafy bounce. And the bacon chunks added just the right amount of fatty salt, more sturdy ballast. I wiped my mouth.

We were out celebrating one guy’s birthday. The other guy, an old friend from college, was “in-between gigs.” It had been another tough year. “Salad is not man food,” they mocked. Oh, but it is. I ordered a final round of beers. Then I picked up the check.

Are salads manly? What is the manliest salad? Are you the sort of guy who wouldn’t touch a salad if a gun was put to his head? Tell us in the comments whether you think salads can count as “man food.”

- written by some writer on cnn.com

Keeping things in moderation is a major key to the Christmas overeating issue. It is easy to say “eat and drink in moderation”, but not quiet so easy to carry out so here are some ideas for moderating what you eat this festive season.

- Use a smaller plate ~ your mind will consider it a full plate regardless of its size!

- Where there are choices, take a little of many things rather than lots of one thing. This ensures you are getting a balanced meal and not overloading on a fatty food.

- For every glass of alcohol or soft drink, have a glass of water. Water fills you up, has no calories or side effects, is cheap and will help wash out the excesses.

- Help clear the table as soon as everyone finished eating rather than sitting and picking at leftovers.

- Make your own mixed drinks with real fruit juice instead of canned drink.

- Don’t be afraid to take things home for later – especially fruit cake as it will keep for ages!

- Only put out some of the available food so people don’t over serve themselves. More can always come out as required.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM FOODENATOR!

1. Grilled Cheese Sandwich: In its simplest form this is just a slice of cheese sandwiched between two slices of bread. Then toasted.

2. Spaghetti with Sauce: Throw spaghetti (or any pasta really) into a boiling pot of water. Wait several minutes. Strain spaghetti. Top with Sauce.

3. Hot Dog: Heat a hot dog in the microwave. Place heated dog in roll. Top with condiments of your choice.

First a little background on Steve’s Margarita:
After three years of formulation, testing and regulatory work, AL-RITE presents Steve’s Margarita, a ready-to-drink margarita made from blue agave wine. The 12 percent alcohol beverage comes in 375 ml, 1 L and 3 L freezable, lightweight PET bottles. The goal of Steve’s Margarita is to fill a niche of portable, RTD cocktails that consumers can enjoy anywhere without sacrificing quality.

Review Time
Foodenator was fortunate to have the opportunity to test out two forms of Steve’s Margarita, On the Rocks and Frozen. Both were surprisingly tasty, and considering the sophisticated palates of the Foodenator reviewers, this was quite a feat. The most notable margarita ingredient, tequila, has been replaced by a blue agave wine, a possible turn-off for margarita purists, but let Foodenator assure you, telling the difference is next to impossible. These margs tasted like the real thing, on the rocks and frozen. The taste of freshly squeezed lime and a perfect balance of sweetness/tartness really made the drink.

“Steve’s Margaritas transported me to the Yucatán Peninsula” -Sarah T.

It’s worth noting, frozen is the best way to enjoy the Steve’s Margarita experience. You simply place the drink in the freezer, once frozen, easily squeeze out the frozen marg.

For the lazy Margarita drinker, there is no equivalent. Steve’s Margarita easily claims the #1 spot in the ready-to-drink Margarita market.

Highly Recommended

********* 1/2 – 9 1/2 out of 10

Foodenator Choice Award

Review Coming Soon

Just by looking at it, Foodenator knew it would be a 6 – The Dunkin’ Donuts Chicken Parmasan Flatbread sandwich. On taste alone the dd chix parm delivered. On looks, it didn’t look so hot to a tender eye.

This flatbread is made up of a chicken patty, a top piece of flat bread, melted parmesan cheese (could have fooled me, looked and tasted like mozzarella), marinara sauce, and a bottom piece of flat bread. First thing noticed when unwrapping was the bread was not exactly flat, it was moist and bent – dissapointing. The chicken patty looked out of place sandwiched between the top and bottom flat bread. The bread is triangles and the chix patty is ovalish. The melted mystery cheese was in effect melted and had a great consistency.

First bite and Foodenator was impressed. The whole package went down easy. Paired with a dd iced tea with nothing in it, makes an entire meal. Recommended

****** 6 out of 10

Golden Bag is one of Foodenator.com’s favorite Asian appetizers. Beautiful and elegant, these are wonderful for a special occasion or dinner.

********** 3/4 – 9.75 stars (out of 10) (if made correctly)

Here is Foodenator.com’s recipe:

Ingredients
6 ounces ground pork
2 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 wood ear mushrooms, soaked and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce (or 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp soy sauce)
1 teaspoon white pepper
25 wonton wrappers
25 chives, green part only (optional) or 5-10 green onions, green part only (optional)
vegetable oil
Thai sweet chili sauce

Directions

*Chop up shrimp and mix with ground pork, mushrooms, garlic, green onions, mushroom soy sauce, and black pepper.

*Scoop a teaspoonful of mixture onto the wrapper.

*Pull the edges up and pinch to close making a little bag. Repeat until all the mixture is used up.

*Optional: Tie with a chive (*be sure to knot it twice so it doesn’t come apart). If you are using green onions, place them in boiling water for 20 seconds to make more pliable. Cut each green onion into 3-5 thin strips (lengthwise) and tie around the bags.

*Heat oil in deep fryer or wok until very hot.

*Fry until golden brown. Place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.

*Serve with Thai sweet chili sauce.