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The holiday of Cinco De Mayo commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is a common misconception by many Americans that May 5th is Mexican Independence Day which is actually September 16th.
Team Fooey will be celebrating at the new Rick Bayless “quick-service” restaurant Frontera Fresco. Come join us!
UPDATE: Frontera Fresco was crap! We want our lunch hour back Rick Bayless! One of our employees quit after we forced her to go. Tiny menu, nowhere to sit, had to clean our table from the previous diners, muy pequeno (small) guacamole, chips from a bag, weird white colored meat (steak?) on salad and the restaurant smelled like a wet dog. Not cheap either especially for what you get. What happened Rick? Doesn’t seem like something you would attach your name to.
Every time I purchase a Chick-O-Stick it is inevitable that the person I am with will make some HILARIOUS comment about how gross my candy choice is, something clever like “Chick-O-Stick? Gross!” HA HA HA! ZING!
Now, have these naysayers ever actually tried a Chick-O-Stick? Of course not and isn’t that the perfect way to formulate an opinion? Can you feel my anger and passion here people?
Let’s talk about how awesome my friend the Chick-O-Stick is. The candy has been produced by Texas based Atkinson’s Candy Company since the early 1930’s and is defined on the wrapper as “Crunchy peanut butter and toasted coconut candy.” The best way to describe the Chick-O-Stick is it’s like a Butterfinger if you were to strip the chocolate off. The Chick-O-Stick is not as sweet and buttery though and kicks serious ass all over its imitator the Butterfinger. It’s so flaky and crunchy and like many classic candies has a delicate salty note. Although I often choose them as road trip candy they are notoriously messy and you can plan on eating pieces off your lap over the next few hours. The gift that keeps on giving! It’s like a delicious treasure hunt.
Until recently the packaging included a cartoon chicken which often confused people who thought that maybe it was chicken flavored candy or crackers. Come on people, are we really that easily confused?
Still wondering what to get me for Christmas (or my birthday that you so rudely forgot) – Chick-O-Stick T-shirt size Large
I will leave you with this challenge: Please try one if you have not already done so and leave a comment praising my impeccable taste in candy. If you have tried one already, please leave a comment and let the world know what you think.
I’m walking to Walgreens right now to buy me a stick or two!
- KR
Yes, I love to cook and yes, I have 3 small children so let me just jump right in with the standard bit about having hectic weekday schedules and not a lot of time to fuss over meals – most specifically dinner. I know, heard it a million times but it’s real, isn’t it? Plus I’m fairly big on three things: 1) as much “from scratch” cooking as humanly possible, 2) meals eaten all together as a family, which is obviously not always possible and 3) the kids get what we get – not a modified or dumbed down version of dinner.
I realize as they get older and get involved with more after school “stuff” that our schedule will get even more insane and I’m sure it will be tricky to maintain that “all together” thing. I don’t know, will it? Parents of older kids you tell me.
For my birthday my mom sent me Nigella Lawson’s latest book “Nigella Express: 130 Recipes for Good Food, Fast” and I have to tell you, it’s excellent. I made her version of a homemade granola bar and it ruled! My kids devoured them! They were really healthy and very filling. I didn’t have all the exact ingredients so I just went with what I had on hand in the way of grains and nuts and they still came out delicious. The Coq au Riesling is hearty and sustaining without being too rich.
But the aspect of the book I am most enjoying is the informal way she’s written it. It’s possibly the most conversational cookbook I have. It actually made me chuckle out loud more than once. Full disclosure: I find almost anything said with a thick British accent to be utterly charming and clever. Take this, for example from the Caramel Croissant Pudding recipe which lists bourbon among its ingredients, “Oh, and if you don’t have any bourbon in the house, first may I say, please consider it, and second, replace it, rather, with rum. Scotch whisky may seem the obvious substitute but it would be the wrong one, I feel.” Come on! So far it has helped me to change up our menu options without a lot of prep and complicated recipes.
Plus, I like how the pink spine of the book looks on my shelf.
That’s right, we were the last holdouts but we finally gave into peer pressure and started a damn blog. HAPPY?!?
Some of you might recognize the previous posts as the “Fooey Faves” from our website. If you are a fan of Fooey Faves don’t fret, the Fooey Blog will be taking over that duty. In fact, now that we are using a real blog format we will be able to post more frequently and hopefully on a daily basis. Bookmark us, stop by often or even subscribe, you never know, I might even post some special coupon codes just for our readers.
So there you go people, welcome to 1996 Fooey!
Okay, full disclosure on this entry… The Sugar Syndicate is my wife’s pastry company. So, yes, I obviously have an extra interest in her success, BUT I feel confident in calling this a Fooey Favorite because she is an amazing pastry chef who keeps the Fooey sweet tooth happy.
Cathay started her professional pastry career in 2002 after graduating from the prestigious French Pastry School where she had the privilege of studying under Master Chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sebastien Canonne. While working at Chicago’s Hotel Sofitel she met Chef Dimitri Fayard and subsequently spent four years as Sous Chef for Dimitri and his wife, Chef Keli Fayard, when they opened their own French Pastry shop. Cathay decided to fulfill her dream and started The Sugar Syndicate in late 2006.
The Sugar Syndicate specializes in custom cakes and miniature pastries. She combines sumptuous pastry made with fresh, high quality ingredients and hand-crafted decorations for a truly personal creation for every occasion.
Update:
The Sugar Syndicate has joined forces – SweetCollective
“There are no two finer words in the english language than, ‘encased meats,’ my friend.” That’s what the wall at Hot Doug’s says and who are we to disagree. I’ll get to Doug’s in a second but first let me proclaim that Chicago style hot dogs are the best in the world. For those who do not know, here is the formula that MUST be followed:
- Vienna Beef frank, grilled not boiled
- Bright green relish
- Chopped white onion
- Yellow mustard
- Tomato wedges
- Cucumber slices
- Shredded lettuce
- Dill pickle spear
- Hot peppers
- Celery salt
- Poppy seed bun
Where’s the ketchup you ask? On the fries where it belongs and don’t ask again!
Now that we’ve got the ground rules down, let’s talk about two giants in the world of Chicago hot dogs.
Murphy’s Red Hots
1211 W. Belmont, Chicago
When it comes to a true Chicago style red hot, nobody does it better than Murphy’s. Bill Murphy has been dishing out his perfect char dogs since the mid-eighties from his cozy storefront location on Belmont. When a Japanese company was seeking the quintessential American red hot for their new chain of hot dog restaurants in Japan, they searched the country and chose Murphy’s winning formula to emulate. If you are a hot dog purist Murphy’s needs to be first on your list. It’s worth a trip on a busy Saturday just to see Bill direct the crowd and his staff like an air traffic controller. The best hot dog ever!
Hot Doug’s
3324 N. California, Chicago
Doug Sohn is practically a god in the world of encased meats and could probably start a cult without much effort. His “Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium” has reached legendary status in Chicago and across the country. When was the last time you saw people wait outside in the rain and snow for 45 minutes for a hot dog? So what’s the big deal? Sure, you can get a good Chicago style dog at Doug’s but that’s not why you just waited in line. Doug is a bona fide chef and has elevated sausage on a bun to an art form. How about a little kangaroo sausage w/gin and juniper mustard and goat cheese, or maybe blue cheese pork sausage w/dijon-scallion butter and smoked almonds. If you go on Friday or Saturday make sure to get the duck fat fries. It pays to be adventurous at Doug’s.
I won’t even bother trying to explain or defend my position on Competitive Eating because it totally rules and that’s just the way it is. Hey, it’s covered live on ESPN so it’s got to be a real sport, right?
The sport has really taken off due to recent live televised coverage of the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest held annually since 1916 on the 4th of July at Nathan’s Coney Island. With the help of The International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOC) the sport continues to grow to almost mainstream heights.
Another key factor in competitive eating’s rise to fame lies in the hands, and stomach, of it’s number one ranked star Takeru Kobayashi. If you are in a contest with Kobayashi you are going to loose. He is the Michael Jordan of eating. The Japanese wonder is also responsible for changing the perception that in order to win an eating event one must be fat. At just 165 pounds Kobayashi proved the power of training and technique over shear girth. Some recent records include 97 Krystal Burgers in 8 minutes and 53 3/4 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs and buns in 12 minutes.
My favorite eater has to be Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas. Although she weighs in at miniscule 105 lbs, she is currently ranked number 4 in the world and has some amazing wins under her tiny belt. 11 lbs of Downtown Atlantic Cheesecake in 9 minutes and 44 Maine Lobsters (11.3 Pounds of meat) in 12 minutes.
I also have to mention Chicago home town eating hero Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti. The 21 year old culinary student has risen to a number 3 ranking in only a couple short years and shows no signs of slowing. He’s eaten nearly 2 lbs of chocolate in 7 minutes and a whole 5 lb turkey in 12 minutes.
Feeling hungry yet?
