Nov 11 2012

The “Real Best” Chili

Posted on November 11, 2012 by thepoli3

Fall is in full swing and you know what that means: time to enjoy some warm, filling, comfort food! We decided to kick off the Fall recipe season the right way with something you can enjoy at home, at a tailgate, or smothered on top of some cheese fries and hot dogs- thats right, we’re talking about chili!

The contenders:

The nitty-gritty:

Each chili was scored on a scale of 1-10 (where 1= that’s food? and 10= the best chili that has ever entered my mouth) for overall score, the boyfriend/husband test, and the leftover test. We also provide other comments.

Jamie Deen’s Chili

Overall score: 9

The boyfriend/husband test: 9

The leftover test: 9

Comments: This was pretty good and we are not very big chili eaters around here. I will definitely plan on making this recipe again with a few minor adjustments such as adding a full pound of both beef & sausage each (hubby is a carnivore!), removing the black beans (love them but they just didn’t seem to “go”), and replacing the whole peeled tomatoes with more diced tomatoes (hubby avoided them like the plague and I didn’t care for the huge tomato hunks either). This was a great base and I definitely recommend it to others and playing around with the ingredients to fit your tastes!

Taste of Home Spicy Chili

Overall score: 8.5

The boyfriend/husband test: 9

The leftover test: 8.5

Comments: This was really good. We both liked it a lot better than my normal go-to recipe! I would definitely make this again!

Boilmaker Tailgate Chili Recipe

Overall score: 8.5

The boyfriend/husband test: 8

The leftover test: 8.5

Comments: This was very delicious! However, it does not beat our go-to chili recipe, so this will not replace it. The Fritos do not add much to this recipe, so I would recommend nixing them if you do not want the added expense. Also, this makes a LOT of chili– you’ve been warned.

The winner:

Jamie Deen’s Chili!

Special Diets:

While we can’t guarantee the results, here are some ideas you can use to customize the winning recipe to your dietary needs:

Gluten-free: Ensure that your ingredients are gluten-free
Vegetarian: Forgo the meat!
Vegan: Drop the meat and suggested dairy toppings
Lower fat: Use lean ground beef in place of fattier beef products. Consider using ground turkey.
Lower sugar/calories: You can cut the calories by using some of the suggestions above.

Jul 31 2012

The “Real Best” Red Velvet Cupcakes

Posted on July 31, 2012 by thepoli3

Who doesn’t love a delicious red velvet cake? Whats more, who doesn’t love any cake turned cupcake? They’re cute, handy, and perfectly portioned! We’ve tested the three “best” red velvet cupcake recipes out there and come up with a winner to set you up with red velvet cupcake baking success! These are perfect for any occasion! Enjoy!

The contenders:

The nitty-gritty:

Each cupcake was scored on a scale of 1-10 (where 1= that’s food? and 10= the best red velvet cupcake that has ever entered my mouth) for overall score, the boyfriend/husband test, and the leftover test. We also provide other comments.

Allrecipes Red Velvet Cupcakes

Overall score: 7.5

The boyfriend/husband test: 5

The leftover test: 6.5

Comments: I definitely agree with the Allrecipes commenter who said these were somewhat bland and dry. One plus is that they weren’t overly sweet like many other red velvet cupcakes I’ve had. However, I’ll probably continue my search for a good red velvet recipe. The frosting was pretty good, though!

*NOTE: I used much less food coloring than recommended (about .13 oz instead of 1oz).

Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Cupcakes

Overall score: 9

The boyfriend/husband test: 8

The leftover test: 9

Comments: These I have a mixed opinion on. The cake was AWESOME. The frosting was just ok. In true Paula Deen style, the frosting was very buttery. I could literally taste the butter in each bite of the frosting. However, the cake was delicious, perfectly moist and full of flavor. If I were to make red velvet cupcakes again I would definitely use this recipe for the cake part with a plain old can of pre-made cream cheese frosting. Thanks Paula!!!

Brown Eyed Baker’s Red Velvet Cupcakes

Overall score: 8

The boyfriend/husband test: 8

The leftover test: 8

Comments: This was really moist but didnt have much flavor. The cream cheese frosting was just okay. Sadly, I wouldn’t make these again.

The winner:

Paula Deen’s Red Velvet Cupcakes

Special Diets:

While we can’t guarantee the results, here are some ideas you can use to customize the winning cupcakes to your dietary needs:

Gluten-free: Use a gluten free flour in place of the all purpose flour.
Vegetarian: They already are!
Vegan: You can switch out the butter, buttermilk, egg, and cream cheese with vegan substitutes.
Lower fat: Skip making the frosting. These are really good on their own anyway. In any case, find a low fat cream cheese frosting recipe to substitute or purchase a pre-made low fat version at the store!
Lower sugar/calories: Same as the lower fat recommendation. Find a pre-made frosting that is also low sugar. There are many varieties out there!

Jul 8 2012

The “Real Best” Peanut Butter Sandwich

Posted on July 8, 2012 by thepoli3

This week we decided to test out an easy, kid-friendly, classic: The Peanut Butter Sandwich.

Without further adieu…

The contenders:

The nitty-gritty:

Each sandwich was scored on a scale of 1-10 (where 1= that’s food? and 10= the best peanut butter sandwich that has ever entered my mouth) for overall score, the boyfriend/husband test, and the leftover test. We also provide other comments.

PBM Sandwich

Overall score: 7.5

The boyfriend/husband test: 9

The leftover test: 8

Comments: Simple and classic. I thought it was too sweet but my boyfriend LOVED it.

Paula Deen’s Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

Overall score: 10

The boyfriend/husband test: 9

The leftover test: 10

Comments: OH.MY.LORD… These are AH-MAZING. I could probably eat one of these everyday! Paula sure knows what she’s doing when it comes to anything with “butter” in the title. These would be best suited for either breakfast or dessert because of the cinnamon-sugar coating. And because I’m not sure how fat you would feel eating one of these as a lunch… Even hubby loved this and he is not a sweets guy at all! The only change I would make next time is switch out the white bread for something with a few more nutrients, like honey-wheat bread, and cut down on the butter, since it really doesn’t need the extra calories. Now, go make these… like right now. I promise you will thank me!

Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly

Overall score: 5

The boyfriend/husband test: 5

The leftover test: 5

Comments: This was “okay”. I don’t really like jelly very much but this sandwich tasted better to me than regular PB&J sandwiches. My husband said this was just okay too but he also said it was too sweet. I was really surprised by how little peanut butter is in the recipe. I probably wouldn’t make these again.

The winner:

Paula Deen’s Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

Thank you Ms. Deen! Obviously, you would win the RBR Peanut Butter sandwich category!

**Try this with homemade peanut butter!

Special Diets:

While we can’t guarantee the results, here are some ideas you can use to customize the winning sandwich to your dietary needs:

Gluten-free: Use all gluten-free products. There are many options for gluten-free bread!
Vegan: Make sure your peanut butter is vegan, and use a vegan butter to substitute. For strict vegans, nix the honey and consider replacing it with maple syrup or agave.
Vegetarian: It already is!
Lower fat: Use margarine instead of butter, or use half the recommended amount of butter. Consider PB2 instead of peanut butter, which has only 45 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving, versus 210 calories and 17grams of fat per serving. Another option is using a low fat peanut butter, but be aware that those are often loaded with more sugar (which means more carbs) than the full-fat stuff.
Lower sugar/calories: Skip the sugar coating. Consider PB2 instead of peanut butter, which has only 45 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving, versus 210 calories and 17grams of fat per serving.

Jun 24 2012

The “Real Best” Guacamole

Posted on June 24, 2012 by thepoli3

Summer is in full swing! And with 4th of July coming up, we hope we can help you be the life of the party with the BEST guacamole dip!

The contenders:

Avocado.com’s Best Guacamole Ever- Winner of 2010 California Avocado Best Guacamole Contest Best Tasting Category Winner, David Vaughan
Alton Brown’s Guacamole
Allrecipe’s Guacamole

The nitty-gritty:

Each guacamole was scored on a scale of 1-10 (where 1= that’s food? and 10= the best guacamole that has ever entered my mouth) for overall score, the boyfriend/husband test, and the leftover test. We also provide other comments.

Avocado.com’s Best Guacamole Ever

Overall score: 8.5

The boyfriend/husband test: 8.5

The leftover test: 8.5

Comments: This wasn’t too hard to make, and it was really good! However, next time I make it I’d modify the recipe a little bit. Specifically, I’d use less lime juice and more onion, jalapeno, cumin, and cayenne pepper. What is shown in the picture is only half the recipe, so make sure you are hungry for a lot of guacamole, or have at least a few guests! However, it did refrigerate well (I covered it with plastic wrap), so you may be able to reuse this for the next couple of days.

Alton Brown’s Guacamole

Overall score: 9

The boyfriend/husband test: 9

The leftover test: 9

Comments: I thought this was really good! I liked it a lot and it was very easy to make! My husband doesn’t like guacamole in general but he liked this one. I wouldn’t make any changes next time either! It’s perfect!

Allrecipes Guacamole

Overall score: 10

The boyfriend/husband test: 10

The leftover test: 9

Comments: OMG… THIS… WAS… SO… GOOD!!! This was literally the best guacamole we have ever had! It was sooo delicious- the flavors went together perfectly, I think because I used fresh cilantro, as opposed to the one I usually use from my spice rack. Also, the particular tomatoes in this recipe are perfect for guacamole, who knew a tomato could change so much? The only thing I would change next time is to cut down on the cilantro, since it was fresh, it was very overpowering, and for people like me who don’t love cilantro, I could taste it in every bite. But otherwise this was amazing and will definitely become a regular around here!

The winner:

For your next party the dip to bring is…

Allrecipe’s Guacamole

Special Diets:

While we can’t guarantee the results, here are some ideas you can use to customize the winning guacamole to your dietary needs:

Gluten-free: This should be inherently gf, but double-check everything just in case!
Vegan: This should be inherently vegan, but double-check everything just in case!
Vegetarian: It already is!
Lower fat: It’s commonly said that the fat in avocados is good for you! But, if you must lower the fat, consider this adaptation.
Lower sugar/calories: There already is no added sugar!

Leftovers:

If you happen to have extra guac after making this, consider keeping it fresh by including it in this:

Seven layer dip

Jun 16 2012

The “Real Best” Salad

Posted on June 16, 2012 by thepoli3

With all the unhealthy things we have been testing lately, we figured it was time for something a little more attuned to bathing suit season. So, give it up for the “real best” salad!

The contenders:

Allrecipes Strawberry Spinach Salad

Allrecipes Jamie’s Cranberry Spinach Salad

Allrecipes Roquefort Pear Salad

The nitty-gritty:

Each salad was scored on a scale of 1-10 (where 1= that’s food? and 10= the best salad that has ever entered my mouth) for overall score, the boyfriend/husband test, and the leftover test. We also provide other comments.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Overall score: 6

The boyfriend/husband test: 6

The leftover test: 4

Comments: This salad wasn’t bad, but there just wasn’t enough in it. There was a ton of spinach, and only strawberries and a tiny amount of silvered almonds as substance? Maybe the dressing was supposed to make up for it or something, but it wasn’t even that good. Jennifer picked the recipes this time, and I think she purposely gave me (Megan) the most boring, expensive, and fattening (see: the dressing) salad. To convince myself to bring this to work for lunch the next day, I added pecans and used a honey mustard dressing (side note: I highly recommend Bolthouse Farms dressings that are made with Greek yogurt!), and it was a little better. The salad holds up great for a few days (and I would know, because most of the leftovers sat in my fridge, uneaten, for quite a few days after), but the dressing does NOT do well in the fridge.

Jamie’s Cranberry Spinach Salad

Overall score: 7.5

The boyfriend/husband test: 8

The leftover test: 7

Comments: This salad was okay… I think it could have been much better with a raspberry-walnut dressing rather than the one in the recipe. It did taste much better chilled the next day but you have to make sure to keep the dressing separated from the spinach leaves otherwise they will wilt. Overall this is a very healthy salad with a little bit of extra punch to please a picky eater (i.e. husband thought it was actually really good!) but for a frequent salad eater, this is something I may make again, modified.

Roquefort Pear Salad

Overall score: 9

The boyfriend/husband test: 9

The leftover test: 8

Comments: To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to like this, but it was soo good! Even my husband loved it! Side note: I added red onions for color.

The winner:

Roquefort Pear Salad !

Special Diets:

While we can’t guarantee the results, here are some ideas you can use to customize the winning salad to your dietary needs:

Gluten-free: While this looks to be inherently gluten-free, double-check that all the ingredients are, in fact, gluten-free because you never know!
Vegan: Leave out the cheese.
Vegetarian: It already is!
Lower fat: Use less or omit cheese, avocado, and pecans. (Although, the kind of fat that’s in avocado and in nuts is said to be good for you.. but I can’t say the same for the cheese!)
Lower sugar/calories: Save 1/4 cup of sugar by not caramelizing the pecans.