Product Review: Kool-Aid

Soda is expensive. At a dollar and 25 cents for a two liter and 3~4 dollars for a twelve pack, it can sometimes be prohibitively expensive.  I like Coke just as much as the next guy, but I'm not made of money.

Enter Kool-Aid.  At 20 cents a packet, it's reasonably priced, and it's actually fairly healthy as far as drinks that are not water are concerned.  And since you add in the sugar yourself, you can add less, or cut it with zero calorie sweetener (or just use zero calorie sweetener for it's entirety).

There are threefold issues I find with Kool-Aid. Firstly, one has to provide their own plastic or glass pitcher.  Secondly, one has to provide their own sweetener, either sugar or zero calorie.  Thirdly, it can stain skin and wooden utensils in its concentrated form.

For me, however, these are mostly non-issues.  If you don't have a pitcher, you should buy one.  They're great for juices from concentrate, home-made lemonade, Sangria and other mixed drinks one makes in large quantities, as well as kool-aid.
As for providing your own sugar, you should probably have some already.  It lasts forever, and it makes all manner of tasty things available to you. Like cake.

I'd also hope that you have something other than wooden utensils.  I love wooden utensils to death, but I also make sure to keep some plastic spoons and spatulas on hand.  There are just some applications where it makes sense to have them.

So, really, if you're looking for a way to save money around the table, skipping the soda and going with Kool-aid would be one way to get the job done.

Arbitrary product score: 8/10 (Go and get some.  It's tasty business!)

Sweet Potato Fries

Last week we covered how to make Salmon patties.  They're very tasty, but on their own they don't make a really filling meal.  So, you serve them with some Sweet Potato fries!  They're pretty easy to make, but can take a while, so prepare them in advance.

Ingredients:
Water
Kosher Salt (or Sea Salt)
1~2 Sweet Potato(es)
Olive Oil

Equipment:
1 plastic container/bowl large enough to fit the sweet potatoes
1~2 cookie sheets
spatula

Directions:
1. Peel (optional) and slice the sweet potato(es) into fry-shapes. (If unpeeled, make sure to wash them!)
2. Place them into the bowl and cover with water.
3. Add kosher salt to the water, and mix until dissolved.
4. Cover and allow sweet potato(es) to sit in the salt water for at 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Preheat oven to ~450 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Place the sweet potato pieces onto the cookie sheets.
7. Sprinkle olive oil onto the sweet potato pieces.
8. Place in oven until cooked all the way through.

One large sweet potato should make plenty for a party of 5~6.

Possible alterations:
This recipe could easily be adapted to using regular potatoes.  One can also add spices on the fries after they come out of the oven, or possibly bake them in after the olive oil is applied.  I've seen recommendations of using taco seasoning, but I haven't tried it.  If you try it, please let me know how it goes!

Happy Gaming!

Salmon Patties

Salmon patties are tasty, and a great way to have burgers while still catering to people who follow the pescetarian* lifestyle.  The problem with salmon patties is that, when bought preformed, they are quite expensive.  Just like hamburgers though, one can make them at home for a much more reasonable price!

Ingredients:
1 can (~15 oz.) Salmon
1 package (8 oz. ) Sour Cream
1 stick butter or margarine
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups corn flakes
1 stick celery, diced
~5 mushroom stems

Equipment:
1 spoon (for mixing)
1 bowl
1 gallon zip-top bag
1 large frying pan
measuring cups

Directions:

1. Open and drain the can of salmon.
2. Place the salmon in the bowl.  Pick out any large bones, such as the spine.
3. Pre-heat the pan.
4. Measure out the corn flakes and place in the zip-top bag.  CRUSH THEM!
5. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl.  Mix well.
6. Form into patties, and place in hot frying pan. DO NOT ADD WATER TO THE PAN.
7. Let the patties alone.  Once the patty is brown on one side, flip.

Makes enough for a party of 8.

Possible Alterations:
The celery and mushroom stems are just fillers.  The recipe has too much liquid without them.  They could easily be replaced with something else.  The reason one doesn't add water to the pan because then the patties will just fall apart.

Happy Gaming!

*Pescetarianism is the practice of maintaining a diet involving fish, dairy, and eggs while excluding other meats.

Flash Frozen Bacon!

A few weeks ago, some friends and I got to play with some liquid nitrogen.  Flash freezing bacon seemed like a good idea at the time, which is mostly because it is!  We also flash froze some tomatoes, which was also a pretty good idea.

Make sure that if you ever work with liquid nitrogen to be very careful.  Make sure to wear safety goggles, gloves, and shoes while handling liquid nitrogen. Liquid Nitrogen is VERY cold, and can do nasty, horrible things to you if you aren't careful.

Also, work outside or with the windows open. While nitrogen is in the air, as it boils off can displace the oxygen in a room. The oxygen that is important for your body to breath in. So, windows open or outside!

This is the first in a series of videos, where we mix science with noms!

Happy gaming!