Freschetta PizzAmore 10-Topping Supreme

We had an errand to run last evening and we stopped off for a quick slice of pizza in Yonkers, NY. I'd had the pizza before because Steve wanted me to try it. He thought it was pretty good. But when I had it, it was just okay. Last night, he took a piping hot, fresh pie out of the oven for us. I almost burnt my tongue. It was better this time than the last and I was better satisfied. Well, our appetite for pizza didn't end so when we got home, we threw in the Freschetta frozen pizza. It smelled pretty good as it was baking away on its exclusive tray that they claim bakes the crust evenly. Steve & I adore pizza. Neither of us could live without it.

This was our first time trying this variety of Freschetta pizza. I once rated the taste as being 7 out of 10 for one of the varieties I can't seem to remember. My least favorite frozen pizza so far is DiGiorno's. Anyway, here are the 10 toppings: Mozzarella, Parmesan, pepperoni, spicy sausage, bell peppers (green, yellow and red), roasted red onions, garlic and oregano. Phew. I don't think I've ever had a pizza with so many toppings. No, I definitely haven't. The crust was "interesting". It was supposed to rise as it baked. According to Steve, it did not rise. He did, however, confirm that the pizza was pre-sliced. Steve didn't like that. He's the pizza cooker and the cutter with his little pizza cutter that he's wanted for years.

The verdict. Steve thought it was alright. He ate 3/4 of it. I, however, found that there were too many peppers. Also, I didn't hate the taste of oregano in it - you know I don't love oregano in some Italian foods. Anyway, the rest of the toppings were sparse (the meats) and it didn't satisfy me. A word about the crust. I didn't like it. I'll tell you why. Despite there being no mention of cornmeal in the ingredients list, the crust had the texture of a pizza coated with cornmeal on the bottom. I'm not opposed to cornmeal like at Two Boots Pizza in NYC (East Village). I really enjoy their pizza. But on this frozen pizza, the effect of the cornmeal-like texture was not pleasing to me. The outer crust was no better. More of that weird texture. The sauce wasn't outstanding. Again, the peppers and oregano altered the taste a little . The cheese was good. It was slightly above average for frozen ones. I won't be buying this variety of pizza anymore but I will continue to buy faves and try different ones. You can do the same and Eat Something Good!

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Ronzoni Spinach Fettuccine

I haven't had spinach fettuccine since last summer when Steve picked some up from Villarina's where they make their own pasta. Well, last night, we didn't have any fresh pasta. So, I did what I could for the dried pasta. I had completely forgotten that I bought it til I went rummaging through our food closet. Yes, it's a closet that Steve threw shelves into. We store all of our canned goods, dry goods, etc...in there. We haven't gone grocery shopping in two weeks so I had to apply a little ingenuity to the meal. After brainstorming the possibilities I came up with this.

To the spinach fettuccine, I added quartered black olives, roasted red peppers with the liquid, white wine, olive oil, thyme, s & p. And then I added a little crumbled goat cheese. As I mentioned previously, I'm really starting to enjoy goat cheese after years of ambivalence. Steve's glad cause he loves goat cheese.

The verdict. Steve loved it. He was uncertain of the black olive and goat cheese combination so he sample a little of it together and he was all, yes. Yes. The goat cheese made it a little creamy. The olives were canned and mild. They're not salty at all. The roasted red pepper gave it a little sweetness and the thyme accented the combination. It tasted almost like something Mediterranean. Yeah, we weren't minding dinner at all. Quite pleased actually cause it was all made out of odds and ends I had in the food closet and the fridge. So get creative, even on a limited budget, and Eat Something Good!

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Weight Watchers Chicken Parmesan

Once again, frozen entrees went on sale at my supermarket and I decided to buy some. Yesterday, I decided to have one for lunch. I had Weight Watchers Smart Ones - chicken parmesan. They describe it as a hearty dish of herb-seasoned, all-white meat chicken breast and tender pasta in a zesty marina sauce, topped with melted mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. It doesn't sound too bad, does it? Well, let me tell you. Okay, so I ate it. In fact, I ate the entire thing and let Sid lick it clean afterwards. The chicken was satisfactory and no more. I tolerated the texture because it wasn't as bad as can be. It was doable, it was tender. It was a weird kinda tender though. Like if you cooked it yourself, it probably would have a better texture. Anyway, the sauce. It wasn't as zesty as they claim. It was herb ee. And I didn't love the herb combination but with the non-descript sauce, it blended tolerably. Wow, I sure tolerated a lot of things about this meal. The pasta. Yes, it was tender as they described. But frozen entree spaghetti is usually tender/mushy but not as much as a Chef Boyardee product. (And I like some varieties like Beefaroni. Don't ask. I grew up eating a lot of trash.) Anyway, bottom line. I would not buy this product again even if it was on sale. I would, however, get a variation of the product. I'm interested in trying all frozen foods available on this earth. And that's all she said. Eat Something Good!

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Kyedong Chicken KFC

Kyedong Chicken is one of the main chains in the business of fried chicken. This place is all about chicken & beer. (And I didn't notice til later that those words are written right on the awning itself.)

It's fried chicken not like the KFC we know but the KFC that Koreans know about. My brother sent me a link about it once and supposedly it's very popular out in California. Steve & I found a couple of places in Queens NY and one in Manhattan and Valentine's Day seemed like a perfect day for us to try this stuff that we've only been fantasizing about.

For $18 we got a large order of wings. 15 pieces. (They actually gave us 16 but who's counting?) And they were good sized pieces. They came with shoestring french fries. (About the size of McDonald's.) We got half with soy sauce and half with hot sauce - the only two flavors available. We had a long wait with fair warning. It says right on the menu that it takes 20 minutes for a hot batch. And it's always a hot batch because this chicken doesn't sit under heat lamps. It comes to you fresh out of the fryer. Same goes for the french fries. As sides, they put out some unusual things. This place being Korean, I was not surprised that some form of kimchee type thing was put out. I think they were little cubes of turnip or radish. Unsure. I didn't taste one though I should have. They also gave you a little lettuce. I was unfamiliar with the type. I bypassed the non-meat things and went straight for the chicken.

The soy sauced wings were really good. As per Steve, they were damn good. I have no idea how they make them. I mean, they're fried. When does the sauce go on? And it couldn't have been just a few bastings after the fact. The wings were flavored too well. The soy flavor was there but it was light. It wasn't too salty or strong or too sweet like a teriyaki. And the fry job they did. Wow. You could really taste that it was chicken. And pretty good quality and well handled chicken. The meat was nice and white contrasting with the brown skin/crust. The skin was lightly crunchy and definitely crispy. There isn't a thick harsh batter as can be with some fried chickens. And despite being sauced, you didn't get it all over your fingers. The sauce is in the skin/crust. The hot sauced ones were more of the same in texture. But I didn't love it. The hot pepper (I'm assuming powder) that they used was dry tasting. I guess I don't love the flavor of red pepper or cayenne raw. I like it infused with some acid like in a good buffalo sauce. Oh, I have to say a word about beer as this is a place for beer & chicken. They sold two types of beer: Hite and Dark. You can order 500cc or 2000cc. Steve ordered the 500cc of dark beer. I drank at least 1/3 of it. And it was really good beer. It reminded me of a Sam Adams. It was complex, smooth and with very little bitterness. I failed to ask them what type of beer it was but I'm assuming it was some sort of korean beer. Good stuff! We had a great day out in Queens and I'm so glad we got the opportunity to Eat Something Good!

Kyedong Chicken
150-54 Northern Blvd.
Queens, NY 11354

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Classic Beef Pot Roast

I have been searching for a good pot roast recipe. I came across some very interesting ones but because we've never made one, we opted for a more basic recipe. Steve actually found the recipe, I was only turning up strange things. Like how can a pot roast not have potatoes in it? Right so, he found one that's actually from Cooking Light magazine. I didn't think they'd have such a hearty meal in a cooking light magazine. Anyway, our long-time dream came true as we smelled the wonderful smells in the kitchen.

Here's what I did. I took a chuck roast...one word. In my mind, I'd always thought that pot roasts were those big hunks of packaged meat, but this recipe called for a chuck roast which is sliced much like a london broil. Looked like a thick, giant steak. So I seasoned and browned the roast in the dutch oven. Then I removed it from the pan and cooked up the large diced onions. I let them get a little caramelized. The roast went back into the pan and I added the liquids and seasonings. Red Wine, Beef broth ( I used progresso from a blue box), dried thyme (recipe called for fresh but we didn't have any so I substituted), fresh chopped garlic & bay leaves. There ya have it. You bring it to a simmer, put the lid on it and throw it in the oven. After about an hour and a half, you throw in the potatoes (2" cut) and carrots (1" cut). Wait another agonizing hour and you have your final product.

We both enjoyed the meal very much. The potatoes were beautiful. Perfectly cooked. I thought the carrots were slightly overcooked but Steve thought they were perfect and loved them. Now the meat, the chuck roast. It was tender, however, not as tender as I expected it to be. It wasn't falling apart as easily as I would've liked. But it was tender enough to savor and enjoy. Some times it takes a bit of work to Eat Something Good!

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Baked Buffalo Wings

I love buffalo wings. Love them. I don't have them too often but when I do, I'm usually not disappointed. The only time I get sad is when they add spices to it like cayenne or something. I like it straight up hot sauce & butter. That's basically what buffalo wing sauce is. But because I'm not an expert at making them, I just followed the very simple directions on my giant bottle of Frank's red hot sauce. Previously, I've broiled wings and then tossed them in sauce. They turn out okay. A little crisping to the skin.

The directions suggested either frying the wings or baking them for an hour at 425 F. I chose to do the baking thing because it's way easier and it made me feel somehow a teensie bit healthier. Crazy, I know. Anyhow, I threw the wings on a sheet pan and did not do a thing to them. I threw 'em in the oven and let it go. After the hour was up, I spooned on the buffalo sauce and served them with the potato wedges that made an appearance in last week's salisbury steak dinner. I added a little more oil this time though I don't think it was necessary. I would've liked to have served this finger feast with celery sticks but we didn't have any. We did, however, have Ken's lite blue cheese dressing. Yey!

I'm not kidding when I say this. Steve said they were some of the best wings he's ever had. He totally loved them. I liked 'em a lot too. We were both so surprised at how crispy, crunchy the skin came out. It was almost as though they were deep-fried. Amazing. I had no idea. The potato wedges didn't turn out as good as last time, but as I dipped my wedge into the blue cheese dressing, I didn't mind them at all. Not one bit. Mmmm. I'm definitely making these again. Oh, we bought wingettes which basically means you don't have to go through the work of cutting them up. Steve really liked that cause I usually make him cut up them up. But look for wingettes at the grocery store and you won't have to go through much work to Eat Something Good!

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