My family will testify that I am not the best cook in the kitchen. I can't count how many times I've had to make my children pancakes for dinner because I burnt the steak. The most disappointing thing to me was my lack
of ability to make edible lasagna-one of my favorite foods. No matter how many times I asked my Mom how to make lasagna I just couldn't do it. Either the noodles got stuck together or the dish came out soupy. It wasn't until I discovered Ronzoni's Oven Ready Lasagna noodles that I made a perfect lasagna for the first time.
I've always needed specific step-by-step instructions to cook any type of dish-even hot dogs. The problem with my Mom's directions was their lack of specific detail. A pinch of this, a dash of that, and a scoop or two are not specific enough for me. Ronzoni's Oven Ready Lasagna has a section on the back that says Step-by-Step Lasagna. Just what I needed. That is what actually convinced me to buy it and give it a try.
Having exact step-by-step instructions was key for my making a successful lasagna dish. That was only one of the best things about this product. What's even better is the no need to boil the pasta. All you have to do is arrange the pasta pieces in your baking pan and continue layering as directed on the back of the box. No more boiling, and no more noodles sticking together!
The fact that you do not need to boil the noodles or unstick them saves you 20 minutes of preparation time. I literally only spent ten minutes assembling my lasagna (or fifteen minute if I decided to add meat). I can assemble the lasagna in the morning and then just pop it in the oven 30 minutes before dinner. Once I had such a busy day planned I even made the lasagna the night before. Ronzoni even provides you with make ahead directions.
If you prefer, you can even microwave this dish, but it is not something I would recommend doing. Nothing cooked in a microwave tastes as good as being baked in an oven. You really aren't getting the food to your table any faster either since the microwave time averages 19 minutes with the oven time coming in at 30.
Tags: lasagne, pastamitalian food
Tags: love, relationships
The buns should have bread the writing on the wall: nothing but the automobile for Americans' daily meat-to-mouth resuscitation. Which is why KFC buh-bye to bread in order to shove even more gross industrial chicken Double Down hungry throats. KFC is shooting for a more manly for getting meat to the gullet, opting for the Hummer of the food world: more meat.
The recipe for total organ failure? Two slabs of bacon, along with Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese, between two fillets of chicken (this is where the buns get the middle finger), all slathered with the Colonel's special sauce. That's 32 grams of grease that KFC's Double Down will get ya. Because the Colonel isn't too chicken to add more chicken.
Psst … for a meaty bonus, scroll down to the bottom of this story for the fictional precursor to the Double Down chicken-on-chicken sandwich. Compliments of 30Rock's Tracy Jordan!
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You are almost certainly aware of this, but this day is not just any Monday. In the same way that we all remember September 26, 2006 as the debut of Burger King's Chicken Fries, April 12th, 2010 will be seared upon our historical consciousness as the premiere of the new KFC sandwich, the Double Down. I'm afraid I must confess that when I—a connoisseur of speedily-prepared foodstuffs—first heard about this sandwich, I found the concept distasteful and thought myself unlikely to sample it. But here I am, having eaten both of the available versions and writing about them on the internet.
If you aren't familiar with the Double Down, here's some marketing language from the Colonel's website that breaks it down:
The new KFC Double Down sandwich is real and it's coming April 12th! This very special sandwich features two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!
One of the things about this blurb is that they had to make sure people understood that this was not actually some sort of pleasing prank or illusion. Which makes sense really. If someone told you KFC was coming out with a sandwich that used either grilled or fried chicken in place of bread and bacon as the "meat," accompanied by multiple layers of cheese, and then a sauce, you might assume it was some clever comment on America's obsession with fast food and subsequent obesity. So I suppose an assertion of the product's actuality is both warranted and necessary.
Also, KFC is not lying. An accurate review of the sandwich is pretty much: "This product is so meaty, there's no room for a bun!" In fact, I should probably stop wasting everyone's time because that's the most systematic description of the sandwich that could ever be written. But you know what? I ate both of these things. You're going to sit here as I walk you through each component of this "sandwich"/"product" and like it.
So let's get to it and break the Double Down piece by piece.
The "Buns"/Fried Chicken and Grilled Chicken
There are two options when ordering a Double Down: one can either the grilled version or the fried version (or, in my case, both). The grilled version offers the breakout (right?) KFC item of last year: the Grilled Recipe filet. It evokes a less ambitious Boston Market/Kenny Rogers' rotisserie chicken. It's not terrible, and is actually probably superior than you would think it to be, but it's definitely not good. (to clarify the comparison, let's establish in the context of this review that the Boston Market/Kenny Rogers' rotisserie breasts are sufficient but not exceptional.)
The fried option is essentially the chicken breast they serve in the buckets that you may or may not remember from your childhood depending how awesome or unawesome your parents were. While undoubtedly palatable, I've never found the Colonel's blend of flavors to be my cup of tea. Which should not be taken as a disparagement of all fast food fried chicken; I am no stranger to Bojangles' and Popeyes—the former being much better than the latter, but both ranking significantly above KFC for me.
What I'd point to as the major flaw in this sandwich—in its underlying principle, really—is that both varieties of chicken, particularly the fried, out-muscle and overpower the rest of the sandwich with the intense taste of saltiness. Make sure you get a drink. Actually, if you're ordering the Double Down, you should probably get water instead of a fountain soda, because you are going to be really parched both during and after the act of consumption. Also, you don't NEED a soda.
The Bacon
Sadly, the belly of the hog is pretty much an afterthought. To be frank, by the time I had turned my attention to the grilled version I was unable to perceive even the existence of bacon. I thought to myself, "Hey, maybe the grilled one is the 'healthy' version! Maybe I could try this again!" But nope, that wasn't the case: There was bacon in that one too, only I just couldn't tell. It's either because the chicken, cheese, and sauce are all so flavor-full/salty and the bacon is kind of "meh," or because the bacon is kind of flimsy and afterthought-y. Or maybe it's because I was eating my second KFC Double Down in the span of 15 minutes and at some point your palate gives up and says, "F you, if you're not going to treat me with respect you don't deserve to taste." I'm still not sure.
The Cheese
If you like gooey cheeses that promise the suggestion of a flavor with which you are familiar without actually presenting such flavor, this is going to be up your alley. The cheese, much like the chicken—or perhaps because of the chicken—has sort of a salty and nutty thing going on. It's more identifiable than the bacon while eating, but this may be more a product of consistency than actual flavor.
The Colonel's Special Sauce TM
It's pretty much Thousand Island dressing. I think it's safe to say that when a fast food chain promises a special sauce, it's going to be Thousand Island dressing. If you're share my affections for the McDonald's Mac, note that that special sauce is also Thousand Island dressing, if have waded this far into a review of a fast food sandwich that uses chicken instead of bread this is nearly certainly a fact of which you had prior knowledge.
(Sidebar: Did you know that there's actually a place in the world that is called Thousand Islands, somewhere between us and Canada, that may be the origin place for Thousand Island dressing? It turns out that there's a pretty interesting—relative, perhaps, to this review—debate about it on the Thousand Island dressing Wikipedia page! Spoiler alert: passive aggressive comments arguing about salad dressings are behind that link!)
Nutrition (LOL!)
So KFC claims that the two Double Downs only have 540 and 460 calories each (fried and grilled, respectively). At the risk of being unfortunately unpleasant, I'm forced to express my disbelief of those numbers, because there's no way that these things have less calories than a Massive Mac (without cheese!). Also, if you look on the board at your local KFC (or at least at my local KFC), there's a calorie count for the meal, which comes with potato wedges and a drink (you fatty!), that counts the calories at 475-1080.
Further to this issue, Susan Levine, the nutrition education director for the Committee for Responsible Medicine, has issued a letter to Yum! Brands Inc. (operators of KFC, obvs) insisting that the shouldn't advertise the Double Down to children. Levine feels that the "sandwich" is a "troubling symbol of corporate irresponsibility." She also believes that the FDA should restrict Double Down advertising in a similar manner to the way it handles tobacco advertising. Sorry, phallus-faced Camel who's eating bacon surrounded by pieces of fried chicken, your kind isn't wanted here.
(Sidebar 2: Did you know that KFC also offers a Double Chocolate Chip Cake that is 1700 calories? I mean, truth be told, it looked pretty dope, but 1700 calories? Holy crap.)
Overall
Should you eat this? Probably not. It is very much what you think it is, a sloppy and salty mess, and will make your stomach injured for several hours after you've consumed it.
Still, I asked the KFC employee behind the counter how the Double Downs were doing, mostly in the hope that I would have been the first one to order this creation. It was not to be: Apparently my local KFC affiliate has been serving them for "a few days" already. In fact, they are "selling a lot so far." So I guess that's cool. America, we did it! We, like the Double Down, are pretty much exactly what people think we are.
Awl publisher David Cho previously reviewed the products prepared on the new Burger King broiler. The Awl has no financial arrangements with KFC or its parent company Yum! Brands, which should be pretty obvious right now.
Breakbeat duo, Evil Nine’s new album, They Live!, is one of the standout releases of the year. They Live! is powerful second album after 2005’s, You Can Be Special Too, its gruesome lyrics paying homage to all those misunderstood zombies out there. The duo — Automatom and Pardytron — compiled a Secret Playlist for us, writing about their eight favourite songs right now. Their first selection? Why, Toto’s Africa, of course [listen below]: ‘The epitome of smooth music, words can’t express how much this song rules! When the synths come in and the drums echo in the night, I’[m immediately transported back to my youth. Some people might say this is a guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel no guilt. I just stick it on and bask in their mellow might’. Read the rest of the Evil Nine Secret Playlist.
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Breakbeat duo, Evil Nine’s new album, They Live!, is one of the standout releases of the year. They Live! is powerful second album after 2005’s, You Can Be Special Too, its gruesome lyrics paying homage to all those misunderstood zombies out there. The duo — Automatom and Pardytron — compiled a Secret Playlist for us, writing about their eight favourite songs right now. Their first selection? Why, Toto’s Africa, of course [listen below]: ‘The epitome of smooth music, words can’t express how much this song rules! When the synths come in and the drums echo in the night, I’[m immediately transported back to my youth. Some people might this is a guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel no guilt. I just stick it on and bask in their mellow might’. Read the rest of the Evil Nine Secret Playlist.
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Fine isnt that ? 
Tags: photography, pics, pix
London based fashion photographer Jessie Craig got into the industry in September 2008 after having edged her way in during her four years at art school. Her work has already been published by publications such as Clash, Dirrty Glam, Vanity Teen, Grazia UK, Contributor Magazine, PUSH IT, Magnificent Magazine, and Milk X Monthly. Last fall she was finalist in the Dazed & Confused Blog Awards, and recently she had some work featured on ELLE.com. She’s not stopping there, because this week she started getting the wheels in motion on a collaborative project that will feature some of London’s best new models of the season. She’s also putting together ideas for a cover shoot with an actress next month.
She’s inspired by paintings and films that have an escapist quality, as well as the subjects she shoots, and she describes her style as “comfortable with a dash of whatever my mood is that day.” All I know is that I love her work, and here’s a taste of it:
Check out the rest of her work here.
I can't think of anything to change.
Firs thing, "contact" is misspelled in the inner page navigation.
I think you're making good use of the grid! I like how the squares are large on the home page and smaller in the inner pages. Even though though the grid isn't so obvious in the inner pages, you can still see the grid through navigation and the thumbnails.
There was no chance that the crowd packed into Cedar Street Courtyard to see She and Him Thursday night at SXSW was going to listen to the guy who asked people to refrain from taking pictures of the band. So, after a barrage of flash photography, singer Zooey Deschanel offered a tip for snapping photos in low light.
“Just set it on a longer exposure,” she advised. “It'll look cooler and it won't blind us.”
Even so, it was pretty dark, but light mattered less than sound as Deschanel and collaborator M. Ward (supported by a five-piece band) focused on songs from their new album, 'Volume Two,' due March 23, along with a handful of songs from 2008's 'Volume One.'
The arrangements were by necessity more stripped down than the album versions — no strings, for example — but the tunes were still plenty intricate. The Chapin Sisters sang lovely harmonies on new song 'Thieves,' a punchy rhythm drove 'I Was Made for You' and Deschanel played an organ vamp on 'Sentimental Heart,' her voice cracking a little as it rose and fell with the melody.
The group included both covers from the new album, with Deschanel plinking away on a quad guitar for Skeeter Davis' 'Gonna Get Along Without You Now' and Ward dialing in a jangling guitar solo on NRBQ's 'Ridin' in My Car.'
They finished the set with 'In the Sun,' the first single from 'Volume Two.'
Any special moment, occasion or you are on a family trip, then you wouldn't ever forget to carry camera which is the most important accessory to keep your moments cherished forever. You can capture the most beautiful and artistic photography with a camera that can convey tranquility and harmony just as how the pictures would look real and full of energetic. One magnificent advantage of perfect photography is that they can capture transitory moments in a jiffy with a swift and simple click of a button. Thus photographs are always preferred for sporting events and even a relaxed portrait of a group of friends.
However when it comes to photography, the digital gesture is very much in facts and yet, both function on the same principles. Both have a lens, an aperture and a shutter. The difference lies in how the image is formed. There are different kinds of photography these days like corporate photography, wedding photography, advertising photography, and many more. Photography lighting plays an important part when it comes to good photography. The main reason of a photography lighting system or kit is to enlighten a subject to let proper image capture or to attain the preferred result. So to get high quality photography then proper illumination of the subject is very much essential.
Among so many photography's the portrait photography entices most of the populace. Portrait photography indicates photographing the subject in which the facial expressions are a principal feature. Moreover in this kind of photography, a photographer can also take the picture of the group of people as a group portrait. The chief point of portrait photography is to spotlight on the person's face. This photography centers on the feel of the subject and the photographer portrays this mood of the subject. In a portrait, the focus is often faces the camera directly.
However lighting effects used for the portrait photography is very important. A photographer should properly light the subject as well as the background. They can keep a simple background or overlay several sorts of images at the back of the subject. There is a key light that lights up the background as well as the subject. The back light distinguishes the settings from the subject in the photograph. While planning to hire a professional portrait photographer, there are three things that one should bear in mind. First, the amount of money that one is ready to spend on portraits is one of the most significant aspects guiding the choice of portrait studios and who you can hire. Second, they need to decide on what kind of portraits you will want. It can be either an outside photo session, or one in the studio.
With the novelty in cameras, photography has rapidly become a new, exciting art form. But at times portrait photographers are also used for promotional or public exhibition. These types of photographs are typically used for personal use. However sky-scraping digital photography lighting is an absolute requirement of a successful photo.
Fine isnt it ?
Tags: gallery, photography, photos
