The Cookie Monster

Today marks the 100 year anniversary of the Oreo cookie. It's still quite a popular cookie in this country but it doesn't seem to have the same popularity as it does back in America where it is the country's top selling cookie. The general consensus in this country is that they are over-rated despite their success. It seems that over the recent years, they've become more popular for their use in recipes such as milkshakes, cheesecakes and cupcakes rather than for the cookie itself.

You must all be wondering how I celebrated such a momentous day in history? Well, this afternoon whilst reading an article about the Oreo's legacy I came across several Oreo recipes. The one that caught my eye the most and appeared to be the simplest was one for Oreo truffles. For those interested, the recipe can be found here

As you can see, the presentation doesn't quite match that of the recipe. It's certainly tasty but they are probably too rich for most folk. I may attempt this recipe again but it depends how well received they are at work.

Meal Deal

There are occasions when timing is simply impeccable. Last night my cousin asked if I'd eaten dinner yet as she was offering to prepare a chicken sandwich for me. Fortunately for me I was only minutes for knocking something up myself.  Her meal may have only consisted of placing a few items in the oven but I'm still grateful for the offer. This also gave me a chance to review various new items in one go and besides, the Junk Food Connoisseur always has room for food.

Warburton's have yet another new product on the supermarket shelves. This time it's a bread based in white sliced sandwich thins. They look similar to a thinly sliced version of pitta bread.

Birds Eye Southern Fried Chicken can always be found in my freezer for unplanned chicken burger moments. They go well in a pitta, naan, panini or in this occasion sandwich thins. For those who like me who like a little spice in their life I would suggest the hot version.

The McCain Crispy French Fries are new to me, I'm not sure how long they've been around for but I've always favoured their Southern Fries or Curly Fries.

Yet another Birds Eye product, here we have a limited edition Crispy King Prawns Garlic & Herb flavour. I've never tried any of their King Prawn range so this was a first for me but a good choice for a side dish.

Here is the masterpiece in all it's glory. The southern fried chicken embedded within the sandwich thins was accompanied with a slice of melted cheddar cheese topped with mayonnaise and salad cream. The french fries were very crispy despite being oven cooked. I've tried a lot of the McCain range of frozen chips and this ranks up there as one of the best.

I usually make chicken burgers at home with panini bread but the new Warburton sandwich thins get the thumbs up from me and I'll be using these from now on. The fries are certainly worth having in your freezer but they could do with some light seasoning. It's important to space them out on the tray to ensure crispiness throughout. The crispy King Prawns were very strong in flavour but as you'd expect from frozen products, the quality of prawn will never quite match those of the fresh variety. However, they are a limited edition and based on the flavour they are a nice to have in your freezer.

There we have it, several new products at once that all get the thumbs up from me. 

Join the club

There's nothing more satisfying than picking yourself up a bargain. A visit to Marks & Spencer Simply Food last night had me scouring the aisles for items drastically reduced in price. The section I usually attack first is the sandwiches section. Even with closing time looming this section is often populated with reduced sandwiches. However, the fillings don't fair very well with a junk food connoisseur and usually consists of Egg and Cress or Egg Mayo. On this occasion the Club sandwich caught my eye and at a reduced price of £1.25 from £3.00 it was too good to turn down.

Anyway, enough about discounts, after all this isn't a money saving blog. Let's move on to more important matters such as what the Club sandwich contains. Each half contains 3 slices of toasted oatmeal bread filled with chicken, bacon, mature Cheddar, vine ripened tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce and seasoned mayonnaise. There are a lot of ingredients but they all fuse together very well with the seasoned mayonnaise and Cheddar having a prominent flavour. The cucumber offers a nice crunch in between the 3 layers of bread. It's the toasted bread that I'm not overly a fan of but it wouldn't be a Club sandwich without this.

As you can see from the nutritional information, it's a sandwich any junk food connoisseur would be proud of. Weighing in at 575 calories per pack with 26.7g of fat. Throw in a packet of crisps and an orange juice and you're looking at a whooping 1000+ calories lunch. Despite it being a favourite of mine this heavyweight sandwich is not recommended for regular daily consumption.

For a sandwich that's purchased from a supermarket this certainly ranks up there as one of the best and at the price I paid, it tastes even better. A deep filled sandwich at discount price to keep my pockets deep filled. Do you agree with me or is there another supermarket sandwich that can rival this?

Do you feel like chicken tonight?

I came across a news article tonight about a girl who has eaten nothing but chicken nuggets since she was two. Despite reading this article on a UK based news website my initial thoughts were that she probably resides in the US not UK. I must admit I was also expecting the girl to be obese but was surprised to see that she "appears" to look healthy which goes to show that appearances are deceiving after all.

It's astonishing that it's taken her this long to concede that her chicken nugget only diet is having a negative effect on her health. There is a plus side to all this though, least she's a cheap date for her boyfriend.

For those that aren't aware, chicken nuggets are generally produced from bad chickens grounded to the bone and combined with preservatives. There are many videos on the web that illustrate this and one particular clip I'm a fan of is Jamie Oliver's, from his US school dinners series. Unfortunately in the US version he fails miserably to convince the school children that processed meat is bad.

Admittedly I do find chicken nuggets tasty but as with everything else in life, they should be consumed in moderation. Alternatively, you can try making them yourselves and then you're guaranteed they'll be free of preservatives.

This is just another reminder that despite the fact I promote junk food products, it's very important to have a varied and balanced diet coupled with regular bouts of exercise. Go on, treat yourself then!

Meals on wheels

Laziness is an obstacle in life that we must overcome on a regular basis. The ever growing popularity of the Internet has hindered rather than helped our idleness. Gifts, groceries and even takeaways can now be ordered online and delivered to your door step thus removing the need for the little effort it requires your legs to carry you through the aisles of your local supermarket.

At work this week a trolley service has been introduced by a firm named Superior Sandwiches. Quite simply put, it's a lady (maybe a cleaner) pushing a trolley full of refreshments for sale around the office floors during lunch hours.

There are a wide variety of items available from pork pies to custard tarts, soups to yoghurts and of course the usual suspects like wraps and sandwiches. The three tiered trolley has attracted a lot of attention but either the quality or pricing has deterred the majority.

As good as food delivered to your desk sounds, they are not encouraging signs when several employees who could benefit from the brisk walk to the local convenience store are seen purchasing multiple items. To make matters worse, I noticed the lady do the rounds on our floor not once, not twice but three times. She's clearly discovered a few weak souls on the floor that she can capitalise from and fair play to her. As much I'm criticising the service, it's a welcome addition and there are occasions when this will be beneficial. Besides, their offerings are a far better option than the sandwiches available in our vending machine. 

Working in an office and being sat staring at a computer for numerous hours a day makes it even more important to get some fresh air at lunchtime. Despite the fact that I'm preaching this, I am often guilty of walking no further than 20 yards to the canteen.

Unfortunately for you readers I haven't sampled anything from the trolley service. Sooner or later though the laziness will overpower me. I just need to make sure I don't go for seconds!

Luncheon Meat

It occurred to me the other night that I'd not blogged yet this year and I know my readers in Singapore will probably be quite concerned that I'm not eating this year. Fear not Singaporeans, I am not on a diet!

As it is January I've been making a conscious effort to bring my own lunch into work. On Monday I had prepared Fried Udon with Luncheon Meat otherwise known as Spam. This brings me on to the product of Luncheon Meat, something that you're certain to find in the cupboards of a Chinese household. However, as controversial as it may sound, us Orientals don't opt for the Western option. Instead, we purchase our own variation from the East, Ma Ling "Premium" Luncheon Meat.

OK, you got me there, as it says on the tin it's produced in Holland but the essence is that of the East. Personally, I have no preference as to which brand I purchase but I do find that Spam is slightly saltier than the Eastern alternatives. Either way, Luncheon Meat is a great accompaniment to noodles, fried rice or in my case sandwiches too cooked or uncooked. If you've never tried it, give it a go, it's the future! It's meat in a tin, forget Tuna that's far too healthy!

For those of you intrigued by the lunch I prepared on Monday, below is a photo. Pan fried with garlic, onions and soy sauce it only takes a few minutes to cook yet even less to devour!

Chocolate Jenga

The Christmas period hasn't quite ended yet and I'm still feasting away on a daily basis. On Tuesday, I was invited to a friend's house party and was welcomed by quite an impressive spread. Here is a list of some items that were on offer; cocktail sausages, sausage rolls, sandwiches, home made burgers, pizzas, chicken wings and home made potato wedges. For dessert there was a home made chocolate sponge cake too.

However, despite all that's been mentioned, the item that most caught my eye was the chocolate finger Jenga tower. Constructed from a combination of milk and white chocolate Cadbury's fingers, it was stacked at about 20 fingers high. It was certainly the party piece that caught the attention of all the guests that evening.

After much admiration though, it was time for the game of Jenga to begin. It was suggested that the culprit who removes the finger that causes the tower to tumble should consume the remaining fingers but that idea was quickly dismissed by the majority. It's certainly a challenge worth considering for future parties though. I'd like to add that rather than adding the finger removed from the tower to the top of the tower as you would do in a conventional game of Jenga, we simply ate the finger.

In case you're wondering, I removed my finger with consummate ease, opting for a white chocolate. Unfortunately the girl that whose turn was immediately after mine wasn't so skilled and the tower tumbled in what was only the 6th turn. Everyone then seemed to dive in like vultures and below is what remained. There was an attempt to construct a smaller tower from those remains but it wasn't worth the effort.

The tower was certainly a (brief) talking point of the night prior to it's demolition. I personally think it could actually be used as a ice breaker at a party. Maybe you'll consider creating a chocolate finger Jenga tower in your next party or a variation of it? Feel free to share any other food related party games or show pieces you've seen before.