Sorry Ice Cream

3 years ago, a new wave of insanity hit California. The wave came in frozen, creamy form, and the result - thousands of parking tickets.

Pinkberry, a frozen yogurt store, opened in January 2005. Its success spurred openings in California and New York faster than Britney Spears could come up with ways to shock the nation with her ridiculous antics. However, like Britney, Pinkberry and frozen yogurt have stuck around to many's surprise. Over the past 3 years, Pinkberry has successfully opened 50 stores and I'm sure they have more to come.

Although I'm not sure if Pinkberry was the first to start this craze, many other entrepreneurs saw the popularity of Pinkberry's delicious fro-yo and saw it as a great investment opportunity. These investors were very clever for trying to capitalize on the fad, but I really think they could have worked on the names of their stores. The most ridiculous ones that I have heard of are: Berri Good, Dietberry, and Yogurberry. Maybe they think that success of the store is contingent on whether or not the word 'berry' is in the name of the store...who knows.

But where did Pinkberry come from? As much as loyal Pinkberry-goers like to believe, frozen yogurt is not a new thing. In fact, the first national frozen yogurt chain in America, TCBY (This Can't Be Yogurt), was formed in 1981. Frozen yogurt entered a slump in the cool, creamy dessert market for a while, and then a store called Red Mango entered the arena.

Red Mango may be responsible for the revival of frozen yogurt. The first location opened in 2002 in Korea, and this is where Pinkberry founders got the idea to open a similar store in the states. I earlier picked on other frozen yogurt locations, so I have to be fair and poke fun at Pinkberry as well. Not only did Pinkberry borrow the idea of frozen yogurt from Red Mango, but they borrowed a more subtle version of the name. Red shifted to pink and mango shrank to berry. Clever.

So what pulled Americans out of the frozen yogurt slump in 2005? The heavy emphasis on health benefits? The colorful fruit and cereal toppings that dress the frozen dessert? Or its fresh, tart taste? All of these things were probably responsible for the resurrection of frozen yogurt, but I would say that its unique taste is what got everyone addicted to "crackberry". Unlike the traditional fro-yo you get at TCBY, this frozen yogurt is so tart it's almost sour. Just imagine eating plain Dannon or Yoplait yogurt in an icy form. Some really like it, but I know of others who can't stand the less-sweet alternative to ice cream.

I had my first experience of this new type of frozen yogurt last fall at Swirll in Houston's West U area. I was initially drawn in by the modern, hip design of the store, and was even more intrigued when I saw nutritional facts displaying the low number of calories this treat packed. The next thing my eyes were drawn to was the topping bar. Half of the toppings were fruits and the other half were fun toppings ranging from sunflower seeds, granola, and Fruity Pebbles. I was sold when I saw the colorful cereal as a potential topping. Who knew that I wasn't the only wacko around who liked cereal on top of their ice cream?

I was definitely taken by surprise when I took my first bite of the creamy concoction. I was not expecting such a tart taste, but my tastebuds slowly learned that I wasn't eating ice cream. Ever since that first experience, I've been hooked. Each time I'm in Houston, I make a special trip to satisfy my fro-yo craving.

The owner, who opened his first location in West U during the summer of 2007, has since opened 2 more locations - one in River Oaks and the other in Post Oak by the Galleria. In August of 2008, he will be opening another location in Austin, right by UT's campus on "the Drag" (thank goodness!)

If you haven't had the opportunity to give frozen yogurt a try, I highly recommend finding a location near you. With its extreme popularity, I wouldn't imagine it to be very difficult to find a frozen yogurt store in most large cities.

Get on the bandwagon before this trend ends. You never know, you might miss your opportunity and another frozen dessert akin to frozen yogurt might take it off the radar like Jamie Lynn did to Britney. Do it. Your mouth will be glad you did.

History of Wars in Food

I thought this was extremely creative. Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=e-yldqNkGfo

Moist Carrot Cake

I am a proud owner of a ridiculously cute bunny rabbit, who gets a carrot every morning and sometimes a second during the day if he's lucky or does something extraordinarily cute (which is often). With all this feeding and my family's use of carrots in our cuisine, a quarter of the bottom drawer in our refrigerator is dedicated to carrots. While rummaging through the refrigerator for a healthy snack, I noticed 2 bags of carrots instead of the usual 1, so I decided to be adventurous and make my own carrot soup.

Except not. I just recently developed a taste for carrots, and I think it will be much longer before I can make myself swallow a bowl full of carrot puree.

With Easter coming up, my frequently-craving-sweets appetite, and a desire to burn the midnight oil, I decided to make carrot cake. Plus, my boyfriend's dad apparently loves the dessert, so it seemed like a great idea.

I got the recipe for the cake here, and the cream cheese frosting recipe from Williams Sonoma.

Ingredients

Cake

• 4 cups (about 5 large) carrots, peeled and grated
  
• 1 1/2 cups ground nuts (I used almonds)


• 2 cups flour


• 1 tbsp cinnamon


• 2 tsp baking soda


• 1 tsp salt


• 4 eggs


• 1 cup oil


• 1 cup granulated white sugar


• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar


• 1 tbsp vanilla
  

Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese


• 1 stick unsalted butter


• 2 cups confectioners' sugar


• 1 tsp vanilla extract


• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

Cake

Cream sugar, eggs, and oil.

Add remaining cake ingredients and mix well.

Pour batter into greased 9x13 baking pan.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 28 minutes.

Frosting

Cream cream cheese.

Add butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until combined well.

Notes/tips/recommendations

• Carrot cake recipes typically call for walnuts. My family eats lots of almonds at home for the health benefits, so I just used what we have laying around.
• I felt the frosting had too much vanilla. There was so much that I felt it was a little bitter. Also, it was not as thick as I would have liked. My advice is to be careful when creaming, because I think excessive creaming of the cream cheese will result in a runny frosting.
• To grate the carrots, I used a food processor. My food processor chopped the carrots into long shreds, and I just ran my knife through it a couple of times to make them smaller pieces.

Scratch Brownies

I have a crazy, ridiculous sweet tooth. Last night, my sweet tooth called for rich, decadent brownies. So, to appease my cravings, I turned to my overflowing pantry in search of a box of brownie mix. To my disappointment, I discovered that I used the last box of brownie mix the last weekend I was in town.

I realized that it was too late to run to the grocery store to pick up a box of mix, but I knew that I had to fix myself a sweet, chocolately dessert. In desperation, I began surfing the web for a recipe for a from-scratch brownie recipe. I looked through a couple, and found that most had shortening as an ingredient. I've made it a personal rule to never use shortening, so I had very few options. In the end, I found one recipe that was simple, required ingredients that my pantry already had, and did not require shortening.

I slightly modified the recipe and was pleased with the outcome. The brownies were a lot more cakey than I anticipated, but they still tasted delicious.


Ingredients

Brownie

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips


• 3/4 cup butter


• 1/2 tsp vanilla


• 3 eggs


• 1 cup flour


• 1/2 tsp baking powder


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1 1/2 cup sugar

Frosting

• 1/2 tub Betty Crocker Whipped Milk Chocolate frosting


• 1/2 cup chopped almonds

Preparation

Melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir to ensure all chips are all melted. Add eggs and vanilla.

Add all remaining dry ingredients to melted chocolate. Beat until mixture is consistent and smooth.

Spread into greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Microwave 1/2 tub of chocolate frosting for 45 seconds. Pour over brownies. Sprinkle with chopped almonds.

Notes/tips/recommendations

• I prefer using fresh chopped nuts rather than prechopped nuts. I find them a lot crunchier because you can control how big/small each nut is.


• These brownies are a lot cakier than other brownies. Don't expect fudgy brownies if you follow this recipe.

Homemade & Healthy Honey Granola

My dad recently changed his entire diet to lead a healthier lifestyle. We no longer eat pork or beef at home, and all snacks must be healthy. One snack that my dad has always loved eating is Quaker 100% natural granola, and for the past couple of years, we've purchased this item at Costco. Very recently, our local Costco has stopped selling this cereal, so my dad has gone through several different kinds of granola, but none of them seem to compare to Quaker's.

I was watching the Food Network one morning (my TV is permanently set on this channel) and saw Tyler Florence making homemade granola. This inspired me to make up my own recipe because granola is a great, healthy snack. I thought my dad would love this, especially since he no longer can find granola that he likes and he's always looking for something healthy to snack on while at the office.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Quaker oatmeal
  
• 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
  
• 1 medium apple, finely sliced


• 1/2 cup Kretschmer wheat germ


• 1/2 cup raisins


• 1/2 cup Sue Bee honey


• 1/2 cup water


• 2 tbsp brown sugar
  
  

Preparation

Combine oatmeal, raisins, brown sugar, almonds, wheat germ, and apples (read note below) in large mixing bowl.

Mix honey and water. Pour into dry mixture. Mix thoroughly until all dry ingredients are evenly coated with honey mixture.

Spread into baking pan. Be sure to spread the mixture as thin as possible to ensure even toasting.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 1 hr 15 minutes. Turn frequently to avoid burning and for even toasting.

Notes/tips/recommendations

• Slice apples as thinly as possible. If you don't slice them thin enough, they will be soggy rather than crisp. You might want to use a very sharp knife to do this. This is how I sliced my apples:



• I put wheat germ in the granola because of the added health benefits. Wheat germ is high in vitamin E, which is good for your heart and immune system. I was originally going to add flax seeds, but we ran out, so I looked for the next best thing. When the wheat germ toasted, it added a nice little crunch.


• You can use maple syrup in this recipe if you please. Both are considered healthy sweeteners, but I didn't have any maple syrup at my house.

Cooking from Cans

I was assigned duty of dinner tonight, and I made an extremely simple Turkey Casserole. In fact, many of the ingredients from this recipe can come from cans. This is something good for feeding a lot of people when you don't have a whole lot of time to prepare or plan.


Ingredients

• 1 pkg whole wheat fusilli (or any other noodle you like)


• 2 10.5 oz cans of Cream of Mushroom


• 15 oz. can of whole kernel corn


• 1 medium red onion, diced


• 12 oz. canned white turkey in water, chopped


• 1/4 block of Velveeta, sliced


• Seasoned bread crumbs

Preparation

Boil the pasta until it is al dente. Strain in colander and place into large casserole dish.

Add diced red onions, whole kernel corn, turkey, and cream of mushroom soup. Stir until ingredients evenly mixed.

Top with Velveeta slices and seasoned bread crumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Notes/tips/recommendations:

• Add a little green with broccoli florets. This will liven up the dish a whole lot. I was going to do this but my casserole dish was overflowing and I figured that the salad I made would give us enough vegetables.
• Throw in a can of pitted olives. Once again, I wanted to do this but my dish was too small so I just put the olives in the salad.
• Be sure not to overcook the pasta. Because you are putting this in the oven, it will continue to cook even after you remove it from the stove.
• You can opt not to use the bread crumbs. I just like the taste and look of them on my casseroles.
  

Guero's Taco Bar

Today, my brother, his girlfriend, our family friend, and I went down to South Congress to look at the shops. Before shopping, we decided to grab some lunch. We initially wanted to go to El Luna Y El Sol, but we arrived so late that they stopped serving lunch. So we drove down a little further and decided to eat at Guero's Taco Bar.


This restaurant is very Austin-y. I noticed that all the shops and restaurants on this part of Congress seemed a bit more eccentric than the other places around town. When we walked in the restaurant, my brother's girlfriend said "I like this place already!" There's a little fish pond/fountain right when you walk in, metal decorative bats hanging around the columns, and my favorite part - a 10 foot tall portrait of this woman:




We decided to start off with Guero Dip for our appetizer. The menu described it as a 5-layer dip, but I really couldn't find all 5 layers. I felt like i was just dipping my chips into refried beans and guacamole. I did, however, love how they had sliced jalapenos on top.



For my entree, I ordered migas because I woke up late and hadn't had breakfast yet. I've honestly only had migas once before today, but they were so delicious the first time I tried them that I decided to give them another try. To my disappointment, Guero's migas weren't what I expected. They came out like a pancake and looked burnt around the edges.


I don't think I'll be going back to Guero's anytime soon. The setting is fun, but the food did not meet my expectations. The next time I'm down on South Congress, I think I'll be visiting Home Slice Pizza.