Product testing results

Back in April, I blogged that I was participating in a product testing of Miracle Whip Salad Dressing and said I report the results back on my blog. Unfortunately, I forgot until now to do that.

To the right, you will see the two generic jars of Miracle Whip that I was sent to test. I was to use the first one for one week, recording the dishes that I prepared with the dressing. Then, do it all over again the second week with the other jar. The survey instructions said to use each product as a spread or condiment on sandwiches as often as possible. In addition, use the product in salads, such as egg salad, potato salad, dips, or heated recipes. The three questions on the survey were what I liked about the products, disliked about the products, my thoughts on the products, and finally I had to list the types of foods/dishes that I used the product on.

The first week, I used jar #1 on a ham, cheese and lettuce sandwich; chicken salad; cheese sandwich; potato salad; and tenderloin sandwich. I liked jar #1. It had the normal consistency of Miracle Whip and the taste was wonderful. There was nothing I disliked about the product.

The second week, I prepared a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich; tuna salad, egg salad, potato salad, and tarter sauce. The consistency was the same as the first product, but the taste was not as sweet. However, I liked the second jar just as well as the first and if I had to chose which one I liked the best, I don't think I could.

The only thing I did not like about the testing was the over-use of Miracle Whip. With only one week to test each jar, I had to make a lot of sandwiches, etc. with Miracle Whip. I normally don't use Miracle Whip that often in my normal making of daily meals. By the time the second week was over, I was pretty sick of making things with that product in it. My additional comments on the survey were that the testing period needed to be spread out over more than one week for each jar.

I didn't get paid for the product testing, but I did get to keep the remaining salad dressing and kept using them. I have no idea what the difference was between the two jars, but if one of them was fat-free or sugar-free, I could not tell much difference.

This was the second product testing that I have done for the survey company. The first time, I tested mascara. I'm hoping to be able to product test for them again. I enjoy taking part and hope that my opinions can help make a better product.

Carol

Popsicles are perfect for summer heat

The heat of summer is upon my part of the country, hitting over 100°f heat index today. Now I don't have kids at home anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't have some popsicles in my freezer to cool me off on this hot day. One problem I have with buying the frozen treats at the store is that by the time I drive home in this heat, they have started to melt and have become a little messy. Usually in the summer, I keep a Styrofoam cooler in the trunk of my car for those types of items purchased at the store, but I haven't put the cooler in the trunk yet and I don't want to drive all the way to town just for popsicles. Another reason is that I just don't want all of that sugar that I get in store-bought popsicles.

My solution is to make my own. I can always find fruit juice in my pantry and that is the perfect thing to use to make popsicles, especially if you have 100% fruit juice. Of course, if you don't mind the sugar, you can use lemonade or Kool-Aid. No matter what concoction you use, one thing you have to be aware of is the sugar content and how it relates to freezing. Think about how hard ice cubes are. They have no sugar in them and are hard as a rock.

Store-bought popsicles are a little softer because they have some sugar added to them. So, if you find that the popsicles that you made at home are too hard, then they didn't have enough sugar in them. If they are too soft, you made have added too much. Either way, it's a good way to cool off.

Carol

By they way, Popsicle is a trademark held by the Unilever company. No infringement intended.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate is probably the messiest thing to have around on a hot summer day, but I love chocolate and I love chocolate and peanut butter even more. Remember my earlier post about spreading peanut butter on my chocolate brownie? Yes, I have it bad and I'm craving peanut butter and chocolate right now. So, to help take care of that craving, I thought I would share my recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

Looks a little like a Hostess Cupcake doesn't it? Oh, but it is so much better. I usually use chocolate frosting on top, but lately I have been thinking about trying a peanut butter icing. I've never made peanut butter icing, but I think if I mix together powdered sugar, peanut butter, and a little milk, it would be perfect.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Filling:
2 T. whipping cream
2 squares of semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 t. granulated sugar
1/4 C. peanut butter

In a small saucepan, heat the cream until just boiling. Add in the chocolate and sugar and stir until all is melted. Refrigerate the mixture for about 40 minutes. It needs to be firm, but not hard.

Mix together a chocolate cake mix according to the directions on the box. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups. Fill each cup almost 1/3 full of the cake batter. Using the palms of your hands, roll the firm peanut butter filling into a ball and put one into each cup in the muffin pan. Cover each ball with the rest of the cake batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350° f. or until the center springs back when touched lightly. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting and serve. They taste the best after they have cooled.

Enjoy,
Carol

New Discount on my book

My publisher is offering a new discount on my book, Masters & Disasters of Cooking. From now until May 31, 2011, you can get 15% off of the print edition of the book. Don't delay and miss the deal. Clock here to get the code and order the book.

Thanks,
Carol

Food Tip of the Day

First, Happy Kentucky Derby Day! I live in southern Indiana near Louisville, Kentucky and love to celebrate Derby Day. It's way too wild for me to attend because I would only be able to go to the infield and believe me the infield is crazy on Derby Day. You also rarely see a horse when you're in the infield. So, I'll be watching at home, television turned up loud, drink in hand, and cheering for my horse. I haven't really studied them close, but I think I'll chose Twice the Appeal. He's a long-shot, but the name is sort of related to my day job.

Okay, so for my Food Tip of the Day, I made brownies this week so we would have something sweet in the house to eat. The pan is on the counter in the kitchen and when I went in to get a brownie, I noticed our jar of Jiffy Creamy Peanut Butter next to the pan. Hmmm, I love Reese's Cups and wondered how a brownie would taste with peanut butter spread on top of it. OMG, it was wonderful. You have to try it.

Carol

Oysters

I do believe that fried oysters are my favorite seafood. I've had a can of them on the shelf for a while now waiting for the opportune evening to fix them for supper. The reason I have to wait is because my husband does not like oysters, so I wait until he works late so I can fry them. Tonight is that night. He has to work late filling in for a coworker and it's oysters for me tonight. Now, don't feel sorry for him, he already told me not to make him anything for supper as he would probably just eat at work, or grab something on the way home. Perfect for me.

Frying the oysters is pretty simple. Rinse them off and make sure there are no shells pieces or pebbles in them. I then dip them in beaten egg and coat with crushed cracker crumbs. Fry in a hot skillet of oil until they reach the desired doneness. I really wish I could find my iron skillet because that would be perfect for the frying, but it's no where to be found.

Carol

A new story for Masters & Disasters 2?

I baked fish a few days ago for supper. It wasn't until I already had it in the over when I realized we didn't have any tartar sauce. I called my mom to see if she had any I could borrow. She didn't, but suggested that I just make some. Hmmm, how do I do that? She told me to use Miracle Whip and relish. Okay, I have both of those and this would work out great for the Product Testing I'm doing with Miracle Whip. So I asked her how much of each I use. Her answer, "I don't know, I just mix some together until it tastes right."

Why not? I throw things together like that all the time. I started by mixing equal amount of each and gave it a taste. Too sweet. I then added just a pinch of salt. Too much. How about a little sugar. Better, and I thought I had better stop or it might end up worse.

The verdict? All I'm going to say is that we ate the fish without tartar sauce, which is now on my grocery list for my next shopping trip.

A NEW OFFER:
I also wanted to remind everyone of the limited offer of free shipping on my book, Masters & Disasters of Cooking and tell you of a new offer. From now until April 26, 2011, you can get 20% off of the purchase price on the print version of the book. Visit my M&D web page for the codes for both offers. These offers cannot be combined, but must be used individually.

Thanks,
Carol