Foodenator

from Slashdot:

Dr. Alan Hirsch, Director of Chicago’s Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Center, says the key to a man’s heart, and other parts, is pumpkin pie. Out of the 40 odors tested in Hirsch’s study, a mixture of lavender and pumpkin pie got the biggest rise out of men ages 18 to 64. That particular fragrance was found to increase penile blood flow by an average of 40%. “Maybe the odors acted to reduce anxiety. By reducing anxiety, it acted to remove inhibitions,” said Hirsch.

FTA: “Every odor we tested aroused the participants,” said Hirsch. … “Nothing turns a man off.”

Erections or not, what pie do you choose? Take our PIE POLL and find out if you are normal! Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 100%

ShotCakes is a Food Source 3.0 restaurant offering up ice cream injected cupcakes at moderate prices. Located deep in Massachusetts, at the Burlington mall Food Court.

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

Popularity: 67%

Yup, we finally are prepared to answer this burning question: “What are cupcake cannons, and should I be afraid?” . Until recently, these had nothing to do with food what-so-ever.

What are they.
Lets break it down. Cupcake Cannons are, by definition, steampunk contraptions physically modified to fire a variety of inanimate objects, in projectile form.

Should you be afraid.
I am not even going to justify that as a question. What the hell is scary about a cupcake? Here’s the Exact reason you should wish, nay – PRAY for a cupcake cannon in your near future.

Popularity: 20%

Looking for a non-traditional dessert for your Easter Sunday dinner?

Check out these awesome cupcakes. Perfect for Easter

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

For the frosting:

nocoupons

• 3/4 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined.

Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for a further 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

For the frosting, cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

When the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and serve.

Popularity: 24%

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: 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: 24%

Do you like to eat raw cookie dough?  Just one spoonful won’t hurt right?

Think again…Escherichia coli  will confine to your intestines and cause a variety of intestinal and UTI problems.   

In a major breakthrough in the nationwide outbreak of E. coli, investigators have found a sample of Toll House cookie dough contaminated with the pathogen at Nestlé’s Danville, Va., plant.

The Food and Drug Administration today told Nestlé officials they had located a 16.5 ounce production sample of Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough at the same plant where the popular confection is made. The ‘best-by’ date is June 10, 2009.

This is a huge step in the investigation, but neither investigators nor Nestlé officials know as of yet how E. coli 0157:H7 got into the dough, or which ingredient in particular is contaminated.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Edie Burge, a spokeswoman for the company, but additional testing is still needed to confirm the genetic connection with the 69 confirmed cases of E. coli poisoning in a nationwide outbreak.

Nestlé is continuing to work closely with the FDA on the matter.

(MSN)

Popularity: 11%

This is what happens to kids whose parents do not provide sugar cereals as a part of childhood. Now I am a monster… monster mixes:

1/3 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 15 oz. cans of Fruit Cocktail

3 Maraschino Cherries

The monster fills a bowl 1/3 full of ambrosia mixture. Season with Fruity Pebbles to taste. If being served to children under 10, serve with sugar bowl and large spoon.

Popularity: 14%

Pineapple is ripest and sweetest when it has a perfumed aroma and is turning slightly yellow, with fronds that can be easily plucked from the crown. Also, when grilling fruit, it’s often a good idea to leave the lid open so that the fruit doesn’t end up tasting like smoke. PineappleOPE is always ripe and sweet. It is more orange than yellow.

Serves: 6
Prep time: 1 hour
Grilling time: 8 to 10 minutes
For gas grills only

Crunchies
1 cup water
1 teaspoon aniseed
Vegetable oil
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream

1 ripe pineapple
1 pint vanilla ice cream

1 -ope

1. In a small saucepan combine the water and aniseed and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and let steep for at least 30 minutes.

2. Brush a small baking sheet with oil. Place the almonds on the sheet in a single, compact layer.

3. Place the sugar in a medium saucepan. Strain the aniseed water over the sugar, pressing down on the seeds; discard the seeds. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves, swirling the pan occasionally. Increase the heat and cook until the sugar caramelizes and turns a golden caramel color (160°F or “hard-crack” on a candy thermometer), washing down any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in cold water. Carefully pour enough caramel over the almonds to completely coat them. Using potholders tilt the baking sheet to distribute the caramel. Cool until firm, about 10 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and coarsely chop by hand.

4. Place the remaining caramel back on low heat and carefully add the cream. Cook over low heat until the caramel melts and the cream is mixed in, swirling the pan occasionally. Cool, then refrigerate until serving.

5. Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple. Stand the pineapple upright on a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut off the skin by slicing from top to bottom. Remove eyes with a knife tip or melon baller. Turn the pineapple on its side, and cut the pineapple into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Cut out the core from each slice and discard.

6. Lightly oil the pineapple slices and grill over direct medium heat (350° to 450°F), with the lid open, until well browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.

7. Reheat the caramel sauce in a microwave oven for a few seconds or over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Thin with a little more cream if necessary. Place a pineapple slice in the center of each dessert plate and then a scoop of ice cream on top. Ladle warm caramel sauce over the pineapple and ice cream and drizzle more over the plate. Sprinkle with the toasted almond brittle. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Weber’s Real Grilling™ by Jamie Purviance

Popularity: 14%

Around foodenator labs, we have calorie laden bowls of candy around to keep the twin evils of oral boredom and low blood sugar at bay. While the Lindt truffles are a clear favorite in the pure chocolate department, when those are gone foodenator staff fight and bicker for the small squares of Dove chocolate. Apparantly, the collapse of the global economy has even the well-funded foodenator human services department making cutbacks. Appearing in our candy bowls is the obvious knock-off chocolate squares called Bliss. Foodenator found a blind man to hire two blind judges to judge them for you in what is commonly known as a double-blind clinical trial.

Ray “Fats” Falone:

The Dove was better, the Bliss tasted like a salt-lick, I think.  I have never partook of no salt-lick, that is how the Bliss seemed to taste to me. On the other hoof, dove is a dry, potent, flavor-blast of a disco in my throat as I swallow the chocolate.

Theresa Coon:

The Bliss chocolate had a honey badger taste, with a hint of hibiscus. The Dove tasted pretty much like chocolate. If I were going to melt it down, and drizzle it over my large, shapely breasts, I would have to go with Dove.

Popularity: 27%