Year: 2003

The Elvis: Peanut Butter, Bacon, and Banana

Ashley Bischoff11 Comments

I have my TiVo setup to auto-record shows with various keywords, such as “brownies” and “sandwich*” (no kidding). So, it auto-recorded the All About Peanut Butter episode of Sara’s Secrets that aired recently. Among the recipes — and the one that triggered the recording — was The Elvis, which is a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

According to The Presley Family Cookbook, the sandwich eaten by Elvis contained only peanut butter and bananas (which was then pan-fried, of course). However, the chef from Peanut Butter & Co (the guest on Sara’s Secrets) spoke of a variety with bacon as well. And that sounded mighty tasty.

So, during my trip to Super Target on Friday, I picked up some bacon and bananas (we already have peanut butter and Mike has some honey). The bananas were a bit green around the edges, at the time, but they were just perfect by today (small brown speckles here and there). So, Mike and I decided to embark on the Elvis adventure.

We started by frying the bacon and, as a non-bacon-connoisseur, I was surprised by how much the bacon shrank during cooking (some 10-inch pieces shrank to about half that size). The bacon happened to be low sodium, but I’d be kidding myself if I were to say that it made a difference to the overall healthiness of the dish ;).

As Mike kept watch of the bacon, I prepared the bread — which was just a matter of buttering the outside of each slice and spreading peanut butter on the other side of one slice (so, invariably, some slices end up butter-side down on the cutting board). I then sliced a banana length-wise and placed those pieces onto the peanut-buttered sides.

Once the bacon was ready, I placed the bacon on top of the banana (which, of course, was on top of the peanut butter). Each sandwich was about to hold about four slices of bacon. And, I drizzled some honey on top of the bacon to finish it off. After that, we grilled them grilled-cheese style in the pan.

Sure, Velvet Elvises are good, but the bacon is a really nice touch. In particular, its oily saltiness goes very well with the peanut butter. And, the honey gives balance to the sandwich’s sweet-vs-savory nature.

Believe it or not, Mike and I each had two of these artery-busting monsters. And, man, they were fantastic. We both agreed that we’d have to make them more often :). Though the recipe is fairly straightforward, here's also the official version from the show:

The Elvis

Recipe courtesy Peanut Butter & Co.
Show: Sara’s Secrets
Episode: All About Peanut Butter

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 8 slices white bread
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 large, ripe banana, sliced
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 12 slices bacon, Sauteed until crispy (optional)

Preparation:

Spread the butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. On the other side of half of the slices spread peanut butter. Place banana slices on top of peanut butter. Drizzle honey over bananas. Place 3 bacon slices on top of the banana, then place the remaining buttered bread slices on top, butter-side-out.

Place sandwiches on a preheated grill pan or griddle. Flip them over when they become golden brown and crispy. When the sandwiches are browned on both sides, remove to plates. Slice in half and serve immediately.

Reese’s Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups

Ashley Bischoff16 Comments

I heard about Reese’s Inside-Out Peanut Butter Cups from Supermarket Guru’s New Products page. As you might expect, they’re peanut butter cups, except that the peanut butter bit is on the outside and the chocolate is in the center. But, the review on Supermarket Guru wasn’t so positive:

Here’s what Julie Messerer from Hoquiam, Washington had to say about this product. “The peanut butter is on the outside with a chocolate filling inside. Reese’s is my favorite candy bar (my husband’s, too), and we both agree that it’s too much peanut butter flavoring. We couldn’t taste any chocolate! We’ll stick with the original Reese’s. […] ”

So, on account of the peanut-butteryness, they consider it a “Miss”. But, come on, how could any product have too much peanut butter? Of course, with as much sugar as they probably have, I don’t think I’ll be buying any except perhaps for Halloween festivities (if they last that long). I, for one, welcome our new peanut butter overlords.

Humperdinks — Border Burger

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I stopped by Super Target on the way home from the gym last night and, by the time I got back to the apartment, it was almost 10pm. I didn’t feel like making dinner at that point, so I asked Mike whether he had already eaten dinner (he hadn’t) and suggested that we head off to Quizno’s (there’s one less than a mile from here). My recollection was that Quizno’s closed at 10:30, so it looked like we had enough time.

But, we got there and quickly realized that their closing time was actually 10:00 (doh!). But, Humperdinks was just across the street, so we decided to give that a try (out of curiosity, what other restaurants are open past 10pm in the Lovers & Greenville area?).

Humperdinks has its own brewery and we both wanted to make use of that. Their “Total Disorder Porter” caught my eye and we both ordered one. It was also the special of the day, which was a pleasant surprise. While it wasn’t quite at the level of a Fuller’s Porter, it still very well done (and if it were sold in stores, I’d probably buy it from time to time).

Both Mike and I had a hard time deciding on the menu, but I settled on a Border Burger (a 1/2 pound burger with guacamole, bacon, Pepperjack cheese, jalapeños and salsa) while Mike went for a Ranch Chicken sandwich (a chicken sandiwch with Monterey Jack, ranch dressing, bacon strips, lettuce and tomato).

I noticed on the menu that the Humperdinks Melt was actually served on rye bread (along with Swiss cheese). And considering how ordinary most buns are, I got to thinking that perhaps the Border Burger might be even better on rye. And even though I’ve had a Border Burger previously, I wasn’t sure about those “spicy jalapeños”. So, when I ordered the burger, I asked whether I could get it on rye (and without jalapeños). The server didn’t seem to mind that substitution.

Once the food arrived, I was pleased that the rye bread was thickly cut (about half an inch) and toasted as well. Border Burgers are already tasty, but the rye bread just made it even better. The slight tartness of the rye along with the salsa and guacamole was a great combination.

It helped that the beer was the day’s special ($3.50 for 20oz or so), but the burger was still $9. It was delicious, but I’m still not sure if it was worth $9 (maybe $7-8 would have been more fair). So, once again, rye saves the day. Now if only they’d make a rye pizza :).

Disney Surpasses Microsoft’s Media Reputation

Ashley Bischoff3 Comments

Via MediaBistro’s Daily Media News Feed, Disney ousted Microsoft’s reputation in the media. These second-quarter results were derived by studying 60k news items:

Higher attendance at theme parks and stronger box office receipts from its newest films, “Finding Nemo” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl,” helped catapult The Walt Disney Company to the top of Delahaye’s most recent Media Reputation Index, a quarterly assessment of how news coverage affects corporate reputation. […]

The second quarter results, which are based on an analysis of more than 60,000 news items, also found that technology was the strongest of all sectors, with Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Hewlett Packard, Cisco Systems and Dell claiming six of the top 20 spots. […]

I haven't been able to find the complete list online, but the article includes the top 10:

Second Quarter 2003 Media Reputation Index — Top Ten Companies:

  1. The Walt Disney Company
  2. Microsoft
  3. Intel
  4. Wal-Mart
  5. General Motors
  6. IBM
  7. Home Depot
  8. Coca-Cola
  9. Bank of America
  10. AOL Time Warner

Disturbingly enough, it resembles a list of Companies To Avoid. In particular, I wouldn’t touch Disney, Microsoft, nor GM with a ten-foot pole. And Disney, with its let’s-make-copyright-last-forever nonsense, is more evil than most.

In a HHOS?-esque moment, I’m wondering whether the other companies on the list should be avoided as well ;). Granted, I already avoid Intel and AOL, but that’s primarily because their competitors make superior products (not because they’re evil, per se). Likewise, I don’t drink Coke, but that’s just because they don’t have a Splenda-based soda yet (unlike Diet RC & Diet Rite).

Both Wal-Mart and Home Depot are large companies, to be sure, but they seem fairly normal to me. And, I’ve never been a Bank of America customer, so I can’t speak of them one way or another. And on the other hand, IBM actually appears to be one of the Good Guys(TM) these days, with its fight against SCO.

High Carb Diets?

Ashley Bischoff3 Comments

Most people are familiar with low carb diets such at Atkins or (to an extent) The Zone, and now some people are trying a high carb diet called System S:

The System S Diet turns the high-fat, low-carbs ideal of Atkins on its head, promoting high carbs and sugar to ensure a low-fat diet.

Women are also likely to rejoice at the idea that having a little bit of what we like, such as chocolate and sugar, can equal sustained weight loss. […]

Sugar, especially that in carbohydrates, has fewer calories than fat and also makes you full.

Those on high-fat diets find it takes longer to get the information that they are full. […]

A diet with chocolate and sugar? Now I think I’ve heard everything <g>. And even though carbs might make you feel full more quickly, I found that they’re digested more quickly than protein or fat — which can result in recurring hunger sooner :-/. And corn syrup, in particular, has its own problems — unlike sugar, it doesn’t trigger the stomach hormone ghrelin which tells the body that it’s full.