Spanno provides a no-holds-barred food blog experience. He is a voracious omnivore and actively seeks to challenge his once-timid taste buds. He can usually be found tending to his smoker with a beer in his right hand and a meat thermometer in his left.
Here's a fairly decent viral video from Coca-Cola. It features a very generous vending machine and some happy St. John's University students. I'd be happy too if I could get a four-foot sub from a Coke machine.
--Spanno
Forget McDonald's and soda--oats are the reason for our country's obesity epidemic. The proof is right there in the copy. Not convinced? In 1987, Wilford Brimley was the spokesperson for Quaker Oats. Now he has "diabeetus". Coincidence? I think not.
Ad courtesy of the Vintage Ad Browser.
--Spanno
On behalf of everyone on the Al Dente staff, merry Christmas and happy holidays. Now go celebrate with some cranberry Jello and mayo.
Photo courtesy of hmdavid's photostream.
--Spanno
It's Friday again! While you're on your two-month hiatus from responsible eating, dig into these comfort foods:
Photo courtesy of Ezra Pound Cake.
Did I miss a not-to-be-missed foodie link from this past week? Add a comment or tweet at me!
Have a great weekend!
--Spanno
It's Friday again! Here are a few Thanksgiving preparation tips that we think will make the best day of the year even better:
Photo courtesy of Noble Pig
--Spanno
It's Friday again! Here are a few desserts that we think will make your Thanksgiving super sweet:
Photo courtesy of Patio Daddio BBQ
--Spanno
It's Friday again! Here are a few burger-themed links the Al Dente editors obsessed about this week:
Photo courtesy of The Cooking Photographer
And now that you're hungry, make your own burgers with Amazon.com's huge selection of griddles.
Did I miss a not-to-be-missed foodie link from this past week? Add a comment or tweet at me!
Have a great weekend!
--Spanno
It's Friday again! Here are a few mind-boggling links the Al Dente editors obsessed about this week:
Photo courtesy of Back to the Cutting Board.
And it wouldn't be Halloween without some treats. Instead of buying bags of cursed chocolate, you can make your own treats with this bakeware from our new bakeware store:
Norpro Nonstick Cake-Sicle Pan
"The cake-sicle pan was awesome. I bought this to use as an activity for the kids at my son's first birthday party and they loved it. The adults loved it too, heck I loved it. The pan is so easy to use. You can use cake batter or brownie batter or even cookie batter."
Wilton Giant Cupcake Pan
"I used this for a cupcake themed birthday for my 2 year old son and it was a hit! I thought that it would also be good for a garden party or for a girls "Alice in Wonderland" themed party too. It is a versitile cake pan that isn't limited to specific occasions or trends."
Nordic Ware Pro Cast Castle Bundt Pan
"This little bundt pan delivers! It pops out beautiful cakes in amazing detail. Using non-stick flour spray, I've have had no problems at all (and I've had a long history of cracked cakes from other pans). I've baked 6 cakes in the past week. Each one turned out fantastic and was a delight to decorate."
--Spanno
It's Friday again! Here are a few tasty pumpkinrific links the Al Dente editors obsessed about this week:
Photo courtesy of Pennies on a Platter
After you've made all your pumpkin recipes and you're really feeling the Halloween spirit, check out Amazon.com's Halloween store. It has everything from costumes to spooky décor. Plus, you can listen to popular Halloween songs while you shop.
--Spanno
It's Friday again! Here are a few tasty Fall links the Al Dente editors obsessed about this week:
Photo courtesy of Pennies on a Platter
You only have until Sunday, October 18 to enter to win a dream kitchen in Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary Wish List Sweepstakes. There are some fabulous prizes from KitchenAid, Jura-Capresso, Baker's Secret and more. See the official rules for more details.
--Spanno
It's Friday again! Here are a few tasty links the Al Dente editors obsessed about this week:
Photo courtesy of Bake at 350.
It's that time of year to do some serious baking and help a good cause. Check out Rachael Ray's new Oven Lovin' line of bakeware. Some of the proceeds go to her charity, Yum-o!.
Rachael Ray Oven Lovin' Collection
Did I miss a not-to-be-missed foodie link from this past week? Add a comment or tweet at me!
Have a great weekend!
--Spanno
This is no Photoshop job--it's the real thing--an apple chimera.
Ken Morrish of England pulled this gem off his apple tree thinking someone had painted it. Turns out that this half-green, half-red Golden Delicious is a genetic mutant. The red side is slightly sweeter than the green half.
Via BuzzFeed, via Mail Online.
--Spanno
I can't wait to start the sugar diet. Peanut butter cups before lunch; cookies before dinner; ice cream before breakfast. It's going to be awesome! And I'm going to get really skinny because sugar is all energy, the more I eat, the more energy I'll have.
Photo courtesy of Retro Space's photostream.
--Spanno
Here's a clever and fun way to get your kids their daily dose of pizza without having to resort to bags of those disgusting Totino's pizza nugget things.
For the recipe and more drool-inducing pictures, visit the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day blog.
--Spanno
I've always been jealous of people who can decorate cakes. Mine always look like they were decorated by a Red Bull-fueled 5-year-old.
Here's how this uber-creative baker created her Where the Wild Things Are masterpieces:
"These are texas-sized snickerdoodle cupcakes. For frosting and decorations I used chocolate ganache (Moishe), canned vanilla frosting (Max), sprinkles, store-bought gumpaste eyes, and fondant colored tinted by hand."
Photo courtesy of clarie issa's photostream.
--Spanno
Known for stunning, high-end, modular grills that normal people would only ever see in an industrial design magazine, Fuego has decided to dip their toes in the (almost) mass market. Their new line of grills and accessories, called Element, are priced within reason but maintains their high standards of beauty, simplicity, and function.
At first glance it doesn't look like much. Oh, contraire. The Element is full of surprises. There's a wood shelf that swings out to provide a large prep surface. It has a dual zone burner so you can cook indirect. And the lid hooks onto the handles so you don't have put it on the ground. As an added bonus, there are two optional plates--a pizza stone and a cast-iron griddle. Just pop off the grill grate and drop them in place.
The Element by Fuego is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.
--Spanno
Later this year the USA network will debut Gourmet Detective. The not-too-shocking premise?
"A food detective travels the world and stumbles across mysteries of the palate…and murder."
I'm surprised this hasn't been done before. It sounds like Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, but instead of getting drunk, he solves murders. Sadly, Tony isn't in the show.
From the live feed.
--Spanno
It's Friday again! Here are a few tasty links the Al Dente editors obsessed about this week:
If you haven't heard yet, Seattle's favorite chef, Tom Douglas, recently launched a line of kitchen utensils and grill tools. He's also listed out his favorite kitchen gear. Notably missing from his list are the SlapChop and Magic Bullet. And you call yourself a chef...
Have a great weekend.
--Spanno
Here's a wonderful grocery store find. It's called "Seasoning". That's right, Seasoning. What kind of seasoning? Yes.
Look for it at your local market next to bottles of "Sweetener", "Sauce", and "Food".
--Spanno
I've been waiting years to find out just how nutritionally bad my monthly trips to Red Robin are. I had heard rumors that the burgers were about 1000 calories each. Well, my wait is finally over and the rumors are true.
I'm not sure exactly when they added nutritional info to their website but it has been recent and it's long overdue. "The Customizer" shows you the nutritional values for everything on their menu--even the alcohol. You have to click on the "Build Your Meal & Calculate Your Nutrition" link which activates a Flash pop-up. They've annoyingly removed any direct links.
My usual dinner, consisting of the Whiskey River BBQ Burger, fries, and a couple Blue Moons, clocked in at 1,921 calories. I haven't been to RR in a few months, which may explain my recent weight loss.
"The Customzier" is kinda fun. You can customize your burger any way you want. So let's say I wanted a Royal Red Robin burger with an extra patty, chicken, and some fish. Here's what a 2,148-calorie "Super Royal" burger looks like.
But what if you want 150 burger patties instead of just the two? Your burger is now almost 50,000 calories. I got tired of clicking after 150 and the burger goes off the screen after about 10 patties. If you happen to max out the system, let me know.
--Spanno
