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Egg Muffin

MacDonald’s Hamburger Restaurants are sweeping the nation, with a new one popping up on the street corner every week it seems. The inside may seem flashy, but once you look past the crusty exterior all you find are sticky floors and a play pit that’s not fit for a hamster.

Mar 3, 2022
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Cinnasquares

Cinnamon for breakfast? Some think it farfetched, unhealthy, or downright ludicrous! But the success of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or “CTC” as it is sometimes called, has illuminated the truth: with enough sugar anything can be food.

Feb 15, 2022
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Peppermint Bark

Woof! Whoops, wrong kind of bark! A classic holiday treat, peppermint bark combines three great ingredients, peppermint, white chocolate, and a traditional chocolate (milk or dark).

Dec 26, 2021
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Frozen Soup Dumplings

Soup? Inside a dumpling? You may think it impossible—nay, outrageous—to have a small serving of delicious soup delievered from the convenient shell of a dumpling inside a home kitchen, but the proof is right before your eyes!

Dec 24, 2021
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Elephant Garlic

Nothing says “me-yow” better than a pop of garlic flavor in a dish. But mincing, pressing, and dicing leads you to a fresh headache faster than you can say “Oh my, what a pleasant meal.

Dec 23, 2021
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Egg 2

A standard unmodded chicken lays a couple hundred eggs per year, with a break in the late fall to take care of some molting business. The data is sketchy, but most seem to agree that at least 20 billion chickens are pecking around at any given time.

Dec 22, 2021
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Toaster Dogs

Tis' the season! For a delicious steaming hot dog that is! But it’s too cold to grill outside in this climate, what does it take to get some dogs cooking over here?

Dec 21, 2021
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Whacky Root Beer

From schoolteachers to skateboarders, everyone relishes a refreshing glass of root beer on a hot summer day. The biting sugar, the sparkling carbonation, the feeling like your teeth are melting away with each swallow: the experience is universal and beloved.

Oct 27, 2021
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Sweet Bites

The Trader Joe’s frozen dessert section draws a large crowd daily. People clamor for mochi ice cream, both miniature and regular sized in between swiping pints of esoteric ice cream flavors.

Oct 3, 2021
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Cheese Corn

For those that frequent a certain type of ethnic barbeque, cheese corn is a fan favorite. Imagine: cheese and corn mixed together. My mouth is watering already, and we haven’t even talked about the mayonnaise!

Oct 1, 2021
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Egg

“Leggo my eggo” rings out from elementary school cafeterias to auto-playing TVs in a Walmart electronics section. But where are the eggs? Aside from the “breakfast for dinner” trend, it’s all pancakes and waffles and stuffed pancake bites.

Sep 30, 2021
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Cat Tofu

You can hardly walk down a city street without being pelted with cats from every direction these days. The worldwide cat population is in the hundreds of millions.

Jun 10, 2021
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Bean-gate

Every bean has a simple dream: to grow and mature in the sweet sunshine of mother nature, be picked by a Ploeger BP2140E self-propelled bean picker, shucked, cooked, canned in a pool of their own juice, packaged in a group of eight, shipped to a Costco, sold to a scrupulous consumer, microwaved for one minute, salted, and eaten from a bowl.

Jun 7, 2021
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Small Cookies

Not everyone has the resources, time, or fortitude to bake their own cookies. And sometimes, even with all that, that funny old thing called life can sometimes get in the way.

May 10, 2021
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Wagyu Hot Dog

“Wagyu” in Japanese is 和牛 which means “Japanese cow,” which is where Wagyu beef comes from. Wagyu cows were invented in the old times, from a specialization of the East Asian aurochs that found their way across the sea.

Apr 19, 2021
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Chicken Pot Pie

A twist on the classic “chicken and waffles,” this Trader Joe’s Frozen Chicken Pot Pie combines chicken and bread in a most unusual way. Suspended in a slurry of peas and carrots, a series of cubed, dense chicken bits float around.

Mar 8, 2021
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Big Cookies

Cookies again! Before you go off thinking I’m slamming down a dozen sticks of butter each week with all these cookie posts, rest assured, there’s plenty of broccoli and fresh cans of corn that don’t make the cut for a post here.

Mar 7, 2021
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Mac and Cheese and Sausage

Every child dreams of waking up on Christmas morning to a nice hearty bowl of mac and cheese. Unfortunately, a garden-variety boxed mac and cheese doesn’t have anywhere near the protein levels that a growing boy or girl needs, so it’s time to improvise.

Mar 2, 2021
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Bag of Potatoes

Potatoes have found their way into every facet of modern life. 100 years ago, a typical person would have seen a potato only a handful of times in their whole life.

Jan 22, 2021
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Cookie Showdown

Two eternal rivals finally put face to face in a head-on contest of flavor, texture, and cookedness. Who will win the Christmas cookie showdown? On one side of the ring is half of a Chili’s Skillet Cookie.

Dec 23, 2020
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Cupcookies

The cookie is a veritable swiss army knife of desserts. Though it provides some playful constraints, these conspire to create a platform that inspires creativity. You will often see cookies formed into a playful and exuberant shape, such as a dinosaur or a christmas tree.

Dec 8, 2020
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Grilled Cheeseburger

Coming in hot off the press, it’s a fresh take on the tired old grilled cheese. Before you say it’s just a patty melt, take a closer look!

Nov 5, 2020
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Tea Pea Smoothie

No, not toilet paper! While similar in that you may have a tough time finding peas at the market this time of year, the tea pea smoothie is far more satisfying!

Nov 1, 2020
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Pizza Bagels

Everybody and their mother is talking about Bagel Bites these days. I’m tired of it! Bagel Bites are overdone, overpriced, and they always underdeliver. Things like that have no place in a home pantry, let alone a grocery store aisle.

Oct 29, 2020
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Everything Peas

It’s not everyday you get to go outside your comfort zone and experience what the world has to offer. I was lucky enough recently to find such a situation inside the confines of my own home, with these peas.

Oct 27, 2020
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Golden Wheat Bread

Recently I had the pleasure (or displeasure, depending on who you ask) of being chosen to select a loaf of bread from my local grocer, Target.

Oct 15, 2020
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Bowl o' Brisket

There’s some disease going around these days; it has a variety of symptoms but the most prominent is an itch. An itch for Korean BBQ! But that can be tough to scratch to satisfaction in your own home.

Oct 14, 2020
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Eggs, Bacon, and Donuts

If there was ever a time to play it safe with a meal, it’s breakfast time. Upon waking up, the human stomach needs several hours to kick into high gear before it can handle complex foods such as hamburgers, celery, and pizza.

Oct 13, 2020
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Chips and Dips

In front of you a bountiful cornucopia overflows with tortilla chips. These chips are so bare and dry, they are practically begging for a dip to quench their thirst.

Oct 8, 2020
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Broccoli Beef

Another copy-cat dish, broccoli beef hails from the hallowed halls of Panda Express. These days, recreating a fast food dish at home is hardly noteworthy, so there are a few twists and turns waiting to surprise us as we dig into this mound.

Oct 7, 2020
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Three Snack Platter

Not every meal can be the next Sistine Chapel ceiling of meals. Especially now with global temperatures on the rise and political discord in the streets, it’s important to find simplicity where you can.

Oct 6, 2020
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"Chessmen"

The Pepperidge Farm Chessmen Butter Cookies have a rich buttery taste wrapped up in a soft, yet crackery, package. The cookies each have a single chessman (which includes the queen, mind you!

Oct 5, 2020
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Leftover Potatoes Medley

There comes a time in every man, woman, and child’s life when they must make a tough decision. Especially in these trying times, you will commonly find french fries, tater tots, potato wedges, and even fritters in your own home.

Oct 4, 2020
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Pea Smoothie

Frozen peas can work wonders for your health, but I’m going to vomit if I have to eat another bowl of steamed peas! Alas, there is another solution: that’s right, put them in a smoothie!

Sep 21, 2020
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Jjajangmyeon

Things are really starting to get cooking over here at whatscookin.biz! Today we have an exciting guest post from one of the foremost chefs in the area.

Sep 20, 2020
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Montaña de los Nachos

The fabled “Montaña de los Nachos,” or, as you may know it, the “Nacho Mountain,” is a common delicacy enjoyed throughout the Americas. The ingredients vary, but pictured above is a basic, unoffensive mountain consisting of beans, cheese, shredded chicken, and strip-shaped tortilla chips.

Sep 19, 2020
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Three Bean Salad

The obvious question that comes to mind is: “What are the three beans?” Like most things in life, there is a short answer and a long answer.

Sep 17, 2020
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Everything But The Bagel Seasoning Plus Bagels

It’s been a while but I’m back, and with a bang. I’ve previously written on some alternative uses for Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend,” but here today we have a more traditional application.

Sep 14, 2020
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Salmon Nuggets

“Nugget” descends from the mid 1800s word “nug,” which means lump. Gold, chicken, and even turkey have been shaped into nugget form, but until recent times, the general public has not accepted fish-based nuggets.

Sep 3, 2020
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Spicy Tajín Beans

Countless people through the ages have scoured the world searching for the spice of life, but little did they know it could be found as nearby as their own kitchen!

Sep 2, 2020
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Black Pepper

You’d have a tough time finding a kitchen these days without black pepper hiding away in the spice cabinet. Everyone has no trouble flinging salt and pepper every which way on every piece of food that passes over their countertops.

Sep 1, 2020
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Stuffin'

Yes, you read that right, we’re talking about stuffing. I know it’s far from Thanksgiving, but sometimes in life you have to say: to heck with it.

Aug 29, 2020
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Turkey Bacon Lettuce Tomato Avocado Wraps

When I do see a clock that shows it's noon, my stomach growls with zeal of a baboon. I hurry t'ward the kitchen pantry quick.

Aug 28, 2020
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Everything Beans

This is a little concoction of mine I discovered not long ago. Combine a microwaved can of black beans (specifically S&W Organic Black Beans in an 8 pack from Costco) with some Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend” and you get something heretofore unheard of.

Aug 27, 2020
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Udon from a Bowl

It can be tough these days to find a good Japanese soup restaurant. But fortunately, food science has progressed to the point where Japanese soups and noodle dishes can be made right in your own kitchen.

Aug 24, 2020
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Bean Chili

Those who know me well know that I am a sucker for a nice pot of chili, for too many reasons to list out here. For just the highlights: it’s quick and it’s good.

Aug 23, 2020
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Blue Gatorade

These days Gatorade comes in all shapes, colors, and sizes. I typically stick with the traditional “Thirst Quencher” line of products, which comes in dozens of flavors.

Aug 22, 2020
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Organic Honey Crunch n' Oats Cereal

It’s breakfast time! And unfortunately there are no Froot Loops to be found, so we will have to settle for Trader Joe’s Organic Honey Crunch n' Oats Cereal.

Aug 21, 2020
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Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

To kick things off here on whatscookin.biz, I will doing a short review of the Mint Cookies and Cream ice cream from Archer Farms. It may surprise you to find out that Archer Farms is actually the predecessor of Target’s “Good & Gather” store brand.

Aug 20, 2020