Ty's Taste Tests: Spicy Garlic Sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings

I, much like the rest of the Midwest, am currently freezing cold. It isn't as cold here as other places, my cousin texted me and said it is -50 degrees where he lives, but it is still pretty cold here in Saint Louis. It was cold enough for schools, and some businesses even, to close today. So that means I have both my kids at home with me, and my wife is out of town for work. The three of us, me, my son and daughter, tend to get pretty bored when we have to stay indoors all day. So, just to get out of the house, I took them to Buffalo Wild Wings.

I like the food at Buffalo Wild Wings, and my kids love it, especially the mac and cheese. It was a good excuse to get out of the house, it was a short drive, and I made sure to warm the car up before we left, and we all bundled up. I got my usual lunch order, the small size of traditional wings, and I got a sauce that I had never tried, or seen before on the menu. I'm usually a dry rub wing fan, but sometimes I like to try the wet sauces. The one I tried today, that I have not seen, was "spicy garlic".

I love spice in my wings. It is the traditional way to eat them. But, I also love garlic. Garlic is probably my favorite spice. I will put it in everything if I can. I even eat a version of spicy garlic everyday. I put Siracha brand chili garlic sauce on my eggs every morning. So seeing the "spicy garlic" option on the menu intrigued me. I ordered it, with my other half being my favorite, salt and vinegar rub.

When my food arrived I was immediately taken aback at the "spicy garlic" sauce image. I don't know what I was expecting, but I didn't expect it to look like traditional wing sauce, with flecks of garlic in it. I assumed it would look a little lighter, possibly like their Parmesan garlic sauce. Nope. This wing sauce looked like wing sauce. That being said, I was still going to eat it. And when I did, I was immediately in love. It was an almost perfect mixture of my 2 favorite wing flavors. At first you get the kick of a medium wing sauce, but then that garlic comes in, and man is it a good bite. It is a really nice blend. The spice is great, and that garlic, it is almost like eating an Italian dish. It has that good of a flavor to it. I am part Italian too, so I know a thing or two about Italian food.

After that first wing, I wish I had made my whole order with just the "spicy garlic" sauce. It was really tasty. I don't know if it was just an oversight by me, or if it is a truly new flavor, but I am a fan. The only downside of the sauce, and this is the case with every wet sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings, they slather it on the wings. It was sitting in a pool of the sauce. But, when I would pull out a piece of chicken that was dry, I would dip it in the sauce. When I finished my half of "spicy garlic", and moved onto my salt and vinegar, I found myself dipping that in the "spicy garlic". I chose that flavor over my usual ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce. I was even using the "spicy garlic" as a sauce for my carrots and celery. It is really a taste sensation.

If you are a fan of chicken wings, and frequent Buffalo Wild Wings, I highly recommend trying this sauce out. I'm sure other wing spots have it too. It is that good. Spicy garlic is now one of my favorite wing sauces, and I do not see that changing for a long while. Well done Buffalo Wild Wings. I tip my hat to you.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is glad that Buffalo Wild Wings is still great, you know since Arby’s owns them now.

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A Trip to Krazy Jim's That was Intimidating, and Delicious

I mentioned in my Monday blog a burger joint my father and I went to. Today, I am going to talk about that spot.

When I went to Ann Arbor the first time, over a decade ago, we watched a show on the Food Network, and they showed this burger spot in Ann Arbor called Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger. The burgers looked great, and we tried it out. I thought, back then, it was pretty solid. Well, like I have mentioned many times so far this week, I was documenting and soaking in all Ann Arbor Michigan has to offer. We went to Krazy Jim's on game day, about 3 hours prior. When we got there, the line was already starting to get pretty long. We were in the restaurant, but we were closer to the door than the grill. That is always a good sign. We waited, I took a phone call, we talked to other patrons and barely moved in line. But, this was all anticipation building. I was still very excited to fully embrace and enjoy my experience this time around.

We finally made our way to the first spot that you order, the fries/onion rings/fried veggie spot. Now, for those that don't know, Krazy Jim's has a famous story where you need to know how to order correctly, or you get razzed. You better believe that I was practicing this in my head the whole time. So, we got to the fried spot and the kid behind the counter asked an odd question to me. Before I could blurt out my order, he asked who was paying, between my father and I. My dad raised his hand and the kid told him to go behind me. I was confused, but as I thought about it, it made sense. At Krazy Jim's you cannot save seats and your whole party has to be with you when you order. So, they needed my dad behind me so I wouldn't go try and steal a seat or anything. When we got correct in line, I ordered a large fried veggies for my dad and I to share. I remember and have heard since that the fried veggies are far superior to the fires, which are also great. So, we got the veggies ordered, and moved to the next stop, ordering your burger.

This is where you have to be on point. The burgers are on the smaller end, and they smash them on the grill. This means you can order a single, 1 burger, double, 2, triple, 3, quad, 4 and quint, 5. Last time we went I got a quint and I felt sick all night. It wasn't the burger, it was the amount. So this time I got a triple. That's the thing, you need to know how many burgers you want, what grilled items, they have a board that lists them all while you wait in line, the kind of bun you want, and if you want cheese. I, credit due to myself, got it right on the first shot. I ordered my triple on a pumpernickel bun with grilled bacon and onions and cheddar cheese. The grill cook even gave me kudos. My dad got a special, and he ordered his perfectly as well. We both nailed it.

We then got to the register, where the last person puts any condiments you want, and any dips for fries or veggies and then charges your order. When we got to the front, the cashier asked again if my dad was paying, he said yes, and the employee told me "you are free to go". I loved this.

My dad and I retired to an open table and sat down to enjoy our burgers, and they were wonderful. The burgers themselves are small, but they pack a major punch. There is something about burgers being cooked on a flat top that make them so much better, and at Krazy Jim's, they are second to none. The grilled onions were perfectly cooked. They were still a little crunchy, but they had that excellent grease to them. The bacon was exactly how I like it. It was flat, crispy on the outside and had a little chew on the inside. I got ketchup and mustard, which is the best condiments one can get on a burger in my opinion. The bun, pumpernickel, was the second best bread I have ever had, Zingerman's was better. It was a great compliment to the burger I ordered. It was great. I took it down in about 15 minutes, "taking my time", this time around. The fired veggies were also top notch. There was cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini and onion rings. They were so, so, so good. They had a slight amount of breading, which I appreciate and the bowl was plentiful. The broccoli was my favorite. I dipped them in some ranch, and I couldn't have been happier with my order. My dad's special burger was also a triple, and it had their homemade chili in it. The chili was dynamite. They did something I have never seen before, and that was top the chili with fresh tomatoes. It sound small, but it was excellent. It took the chili to a whole other level.

This meal, while not as great as Zingerman's, was a very close second. The burger was the perfect game day food. The veggies are the best fried veggies I have ever eaten. And the atmosphere was great. Krazy Jim's is one of the best burger joints around. It is one of the best burger places I have ever been to. Between Krazy Jim's and Zingerman's, Ann Arbor has a lock on some of the best food in the country. Kudos to Krazy Jim's. This time around I wanted to remember my experience, and I'm so glad I did it. It was awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty believes in the need of pure order when someone is in line at a restaurant. When he is at McDonald’s and someone orders a Whopper, Ty wants that person put in jail for a long, long time.

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My First Visit to Zingerman's

As part of my trip to Ann Arbor, my father and I decided that we were going to try a few local eats. I’ve heard and seen a lot of places while watching games for years on TV about 2 main spots. These 2 spots will take up my next 2 days. The first place I want to talk about was the deli we picked to go to on Friday night after we checked into the hotel.

My entire football watching life I have heard about the excellent Jewish deli, Zingerman’s. I’ve seen the sandwiches, I’ve seen the cook books, I’ve heard the announcers talk about it and I’ve seen the store front a bunch. But, I’ve never been there. We decided to change that last Friday. I kind of pushed my dad to go there. He was a bit hesitant, he’s not really a sandwich guy, but he relented.

We got there around dinner time, and I was immediately enthralled. The entrance to the deli looks like a store front. They have a ton of their stuff for sale. They had bags upon bags of mixed nuts, candy, bread, chips, anything you could ever want from a deli. I also noticed the fresh lox in the refrigerated section. This was when I knew this deli was going to rule. I tried to study the menu on the drive up, but that didn’t due justice. You have to go in their to truly appreciate the many, many varieties of meats and sandwiches you can get.

After looking over the menu for about 10 minutes, my dad and I made our decisions. I got a roast beef, they call it brisket, rightfully so, on a Jewish rye bread with slaw, cheese and horseradish. My dad got what they call a “Georgia Club”, which is a turkey sandwich on a toasted Jewish rye and it had all the fixings of a club sandwich. The first thing I noticed was the bread. It is, by far, the best bread I have ever tasted. It has a great, crunchy crust and the inside, the dough, is lush and perfectly chewy. It was the perfect bread for my sandwich. I was amazed. The brisket was juicy and crumbly and flaky and tremendous. The slaw was incredible. And the horseradish had just the right kick. The sandwich was also humongous, but I still took it down in about 15 minutes. My dad ate half his sandwich and then asked me if I wanted to try it. I did, of course, and it was just as amazing. The turkey wasn’t dry at all. It was quite moist. The club fixings were elevated because the ingredients were so fresh. And the toast on the bread gave it an extra crunch that was wonderful. I ended up taking three enormous bites of his sandwich, almost finishing off his second half.

It wasn’t only the sandwiches that were awesome. We both loved the chips. They were kettle cooked, in my best guess, and they were great. I got the bbq flavor and it was better than any other bbq chip I’ve ever had. We also both got sodas, the same flavor, and it was made in house as well. We both have their diet black cherry cola and it was perfect. They blended the flavors with the absolute correct balance. It was also refreshing, for a soda, and I loved it.

Just when I thought this meal couldn’t get any better, we made our way to their bakery. Again, you walk into another store front, right next to the deli, and there are endless sweet treat options. They had everything from scones to cookies to brownies to cakes and pie, and then some. We decided on cookies, I got a lemon sugar cookie and my dad had a chocolate chunk cookie. I also got a brownie with a caramel center. My cookie was awesome. It had a nice crunch on the outside and a gooey center. It reminded me of the bread. It also wasn’t overly sweet, which I appreciate. My dad said the same, but loved the big hunks of chocolate chips in his cookie. The brownie was out of this world. It was gooey and crunchy, like the bread and cookies. But, it was a little sweeter, which I want out of a brownie. It also had course sugar on the top, which I love. And the caramel center had me coming back for more. I said I was only going to eat half, but after hitting that caramel center, I finished the brownie in the next three bites. It was an excellent dessert.

This whole meal was totally worth it. Sure, Zingerman’s may be a bit pricey, but it’s worth it for someone who is visiting from out of town. I cannot recommend this place enough. It’s the best deli I’ve ever been too. This was a great start to a great trip. Zingerman’s rules. Seriously, they make the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Seek this deli out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Being a person who lost a lot of weight on Atkins, Ty does not visit many delis. Those indulgences are for cheat days and tourism. Oh, and he needs to test them all out in the name of good journalism.

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Sweet Chili Pistachios are My New Road Trip Staple

I’m currently on a road trip with my dad for the weekend. We are going to Ann Arbor to watch a football game. We have stopped once for gas and to use the restroom and get snacks. I’m here today to talk about the delicious snack I just finished.

I try and eat as low carb as possible in the car. I don’t need to stuff my face with candy, chips, cookies, any of that stuff. I like jerky, diet soda and peanuts. You could even throw in the occasional sunflower seed. I enjoy a good ranch sunflower seed. But, when on the road, I do like to splurge on my low carb treat. Sometimes I’ll get fancy jerky or a nice bag of almonds. Today, I decided I wanted some pistachios.

Pistachios are my favorite nut. They are a little sweet, and it’s almost, almost like I’m getting something close to candy. I prefer the Wonderful brand of pistachios as well. They have come as close as any to perfecting the amount of salt to put on the shell and nut. I was going to go with the original with the shell on, as I thought this was the only flavor they made. Much to my surprise, they had a new flavor, sweet chili. I’ve been known to like my heat with a little sweet. That’s how I order my Chinese food. I like doing a hot bbq sometimes when I get wings. My favorite chips have some kind of heat and sweet to them. I was intrigued by these sweet chili pistachios.

I bought them, and I have to tell you, they are magnificent. They have that perfect amount of heat and sweet. My lips are still tingling, but in a good way. They’re also addicting. I got the 4 ounce bag, the bigger one, thinking I’d only eat half. I ate the whole thing. In about 20 minutes. I even got my dad to try one, and he said before trying it “I don’t like to work for my food”. Well, even he said he thought they were tasty. He liked the heat. He had a few more after trying one.

Whatever the people at Wonderful are doing, they’re nailing it. They pretty much own the snack game when it comes to nuts. I will most definitely be purchasing these again, and not just on road trips. This will become a home snack as well, I can tell. These pistachios were great, and I just had to tell everyone about them. If you like pistachios and spice, try these out. You won’t regret it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He, unlike his father, is not afraid to work for his food. On the next road trip he will be on the lookout for gas station whole lobster and crab legs.

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Nutella Filled M&M's? Yes Please.

Just like I wrote about yesterday, some days we get something that is so great, I just have to write about it. Today, my piece is food based.

I was scrolling around on Facebook and Twitter last night, and I saw something that made me very happy. Lately, when scrolling through social media, it is all bad, but this news last night was tremendous, and it actually made me smile. The M&M's company announced that they are about to release a new flavor of M&M's, hazelnut spread.

This is amazing.

These new M&M's might be the best M&M's, or maybe, just maybe, even the best candy that has ever been made. I have made it abundantly clear that I am a Snickers guy. I feel like Snickers is the best bite of candy that has ever been made. It has the perfect amount of salt and sweet. The people that have created Snickers have perfected the model. Snickers is the Diet Coke of the food world. But, these new M&M's have the possibility of maybe, just maybe, passing Snickers.

I love Nutella spread. It has passed peanut butter, jelly, basically any other spread that you can put on any food that offers a spread. I love how creamy and sweet Nutella is. I prefer a Nutella and jelly sandwich to a PB and J. I love putting Nutella on graham crackers. It makes everything it touches instantly better.

This isn't the first time M&M's have tried something different. In fact, candy companies do it all the time now. I am one of the people out there that like white chocolate. I like milk chocolate and dark chocolate better, but white chocolate is fine. But, when it comes to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, or Kit Kat's, give me their milk or dark chocolate variety. When it comes to Reese's, give me their holiday shapes in fact. Those are way better than traditional Reese's. The peanut butter to chocolate ratio on those is stupendous. Skittles, which I used to love, have tried this too. They made tropical flavors and sour flavors, and none of those were as good as Skittles. Starburst has done the same thing. Traditional Starburst are the best, and while I like when they do the all pink packs, or their tropical flavor okay, traditional Starburst reign supreme. And even M&M's have done this. In fact, I feel like they are the pioneers of this. Peanut M&M's are some of the best candies I have had. Peanut M&M's are second only to Snickers when it comes to that perfect balance of salt and sweet. Peanut M&M's are always a road trip favorite of mine. I also enjoy original M&M's. It is the classic candy. I'm a big time fan of almonds, so I do enjoy their almond filled M&M's. Peanut butter M&M's are my wife's favorite candy of all time. I enjoy them quite a bit as well. I like the coffee M&M's. My son and daughter love love love the caramel filled M&M's. Basically, whenever M&M's does a new flavor, it seems to hit.

This hazelnut spread M&M's may change the whole candy game. These things, I just do not see how it will not be a massive success. Just imagine the first time you try these how excellent these will taste. Taking that M&M chocolate and pairing it with Nutella, it is going to be a perfect marriage. I am going to absolutely devour these things when they are released. I haven't been this excited for a new candy since the peanut butter Snickers, which is wonderful by the way. I'm so stoked. I will most likely buy a new pack the day they come out, then I imagine I will most likely buy about 3 or 4 more after that.

This is awesome, and I cannot wait to try them. Thank you for this much needed great news M&M's. I appreciate it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He spends part of his day smashing interesting food items into his M&Ms. His greatest creation has been Snickers stuffed with almond M&Ms. Will this Nutella fusion be even greater? Time will tell.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte in August. No Thanks

Fist shaking

I’m going to go old man today and gripe about something that I saw while driving around this past Tuesday.

I was out with my daughter, heading to the playground, and we drove by a Starbucks. Now, Starbucks is fine when it is the only option. On a road trip is when Starbucks really steps up. But, if I have a chance, I go to a local shop or even a Tim Horton’s, which has some of the best coffee anywhere anytime. I’m also a big fan, as you all know, of Kaldi’s Coffee. But, I do have the occasional Starbucks. Yes, I’m one of those people who thinks their coffee tastes burnt. They clearly over roast their beans. But, it works in a pinch.

Anyway, what drove me to anger Tuesday was, when we drove by, I saw a sign that read, “it’s pumpkin spice season!”.

I was confounded.

First off, I’m a guy who enjoys my coffee sweet. But, pumpkin spice is way, way too sweet. I love pumpkin pie, and the pumpkin spice latte makes the pie taste savory. It’s too much. Also, this is a bone of contention in my home because my wife loves them. We debate about pumpkin spice lattes around this time of year every year.

What really threw me was the timing. We are not even close to fall, which is when all things pumpkin usually show up. The date when I saw the sign was August 28th. My son has only been in school for 2 weeks. It was still 100 degrees outside here in Saint Louis. It is still summer time. The weather, and the calendar still say it’s summer. Hell, it has “cooled” off a bit today, but it’s still in the low 80’s outside. How does any of this say fall to the marketing geniuses at Starbucks? Also, releasing the pumpkin spice in August is insane. They should wait, at the very earliest, for the end of September. I have not seen anyone put up fall or Halloween decor yet in my neighborhood, and I live in a spot where people love to dress up there front yards for whatever holiday it is. So I’m baffled that Starbucks felt now was the right time to put out this latte.

I’m sure it sold a ton, it’s a limited item, but come on. This was, and is becoming, a clear cash grab. People see “get your #PSL”, or, “it may not feel like fall yet, but a PSL will put you in the fall mood”, and they lose their god damn minds. They have to get one. It’s a little odd. I just don’t like it. We are in a rush now to push seasons so coffee shops can sell limited bull shit.

I’m not a fan.

I will not be buying any pumpkin spice lattes and I’m a little appalled at the release date of the first ones. Wait awhile Starbucks, you will still get people to buy them in waves if you wait until it actually is fall. It just made me real mad and I have a platform to say why. Take this as you will. Yes, I’m grumpy, but you have to admit, August is way too early to start selling pumpkin flavored coffee.

It’s absurd.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is going to lose his mind on September 4th when he sees the massive Christmas display in Macy's. Who doesn't think of the North Pole when it is 100 degrees outside?

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Culinary Delights From Ty: Crush Mixers

Imagine this, but with toms of sugar, and in soda form

Every night before bed, when we eat our dessert, my wife and I have a bottled water filled with a packet of Crush mixer. Now, for those of you that don't know, Crush is a soda brand. Crush sodas used to be one of my favorite brands. I loved how sweet and bubbly the soda was. I used to get it whenever I could, be it at a gas station or a restaurant. I loved all the different flavors as well. They truly ran the gammit.

But, as I got older, like most people, I switched over to diet soda when I do drink soda. Unfortunately for me, I have never found a diet Crush. For Crush to be as great as it is, it needs the full, real sugar taste. I tried a Crush recently, but it was far, far too sweet for me. It was so sweet that it reminded me why I liked it so much as a child. Kids love sugar, and Crush soda is filled with it.

So, I had just kind of forgotten about Crush sodas. I moved on and specifically drank Diet Coke, with a Coke Zero or Diet Dr. Pepper sprinkled in there from time to time. But, to be honest, I do not drink much soda that much anymore.

Well, my wife's cousin, who does Atkins like we do, told us about this miracle drink. She mentioned that Crush was making these mixers, now with fake sugar, and that they were amazing. I was excited/skeptical because, as I said, I used to love the soda, but that last time I tried one, it was too much. But, my wife's cousin has great taste in food and drink, so I trusted her, she gave us a few boxes of the packets, and we tried them.

I have got to say, she was 100 percent right about these things. They are amazing. They taste so good, It fully reminds me of being a kid, but without all the real sugar. I do not know how they do it, with fake sugar after all, but damn, they have made this stuff amazing, and accessible to dieters, and I couldn't be happier.

Oh, remember when I talked about all the flavors at the beginning? Well, the Crush mixers has just as many flavors, maybe more than I remember. They have the classic orange, grape and strawberry, all of which are tremendous. But, they have expanded now, and they have flavors like cherry limeade, cherry, raspberry, blue raspberry, and my absolute favorite, pineapple. The pineapple is out of this world. It has this amazing pineapple flavor that is just sweet enough. It doesn't over power you, but you most definitely get the taste of pineapple in there. The other flavors are great too. The cherry limeade mixer is second only to the Sonic drive thru cherry limeade drink. The raspberry is the sweetest of them all, but it is wonderful. That is my son's favorite. Blue raspberry is like drinking a slushie, which is awesome. And the cherry, my goodness is that a taste sensation. It is second only to pineapple. It tastes like a cherry Jolly Rancher, and everyone knows that those are the best. The classic flavors are great as well. The orange literally tastes like the soda, without the bubbles. Not that it tastes flat either, it just tastes good. The grape tastes exactly as I remember the soda tasting. And the strawberry is perfect on a hot summer day. It is very refreshing.

The other thing that my wife and I like to do with these mixers is put them in a water bottle, shake them up and put them in the freezer for, at least, 2 hours before consuming them. This takes the taste to a whole new level. When you have the bottles in the freezer long enough, you get that slushie texture that I talked about a minute ago, and it is wonderful. Also having them ice cold makes them that much more refreshing. It is second only to an ice cold glass of water after a work out.

I look forward to drinking Crush mixers at night when I have my dessert. It has replaced my decaf coffee or water. I load up on the boxes when I go grocery shopping. There is usually a deal on them too, which makes it even better. Oh, another suggestion I got from my cousin in law was to pour a LaCroix into a cup, I have found that the passion fruit flavor works best for this, and then put any one of the mixers into the cup. Then stir and add ice. I swear, it tastes just like the soda. You get the bubbles, the crush flavor and just a hint of the passion fruit from the LaCroix. It sounds weird, but it works so god damn well. Finally, the fact that these packets have zero carbs in them is just the icing on the cake. I have a big time sweet tooth, and while on Atkins, I have found that what I crave most is sugary sweets. Well, the Crush mixers appease that fix, and I do not have to feel guilty about drinking one.

Crush mixers are great, and I highly recommend everyone go out and try them. They rule.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The head editor puts some rum in his late night drink. It takes the edge off, makes you sleepy, and taste awesome after the fourth or fifth one.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

How to Grill the Greatest Hot Dog Ever

It is the Fourth of July. Time to go out and set some food on fire to celebrate the birth of America.

I hope your holiday was filled with awesomeness. In the spirit of being 100% awesome American, we here at SeedSing want to show the good reader how to grill the perfect hotdog. A friendly neighbor passed down this incredible secret to us a few years back, and we will never grill hotdogs the old fashion way.

Are you ready to be blessed with this knowledge?

In the words of an early role for Samuel L Jackson "Hang onto your butts".

Step 1

Buy Hotdogs - Sounds easy. Any brand of hotdog will work, but we prefer Nathans in our virtual office.

Step 2

Get the right tools. - You will need a skewer (wood or metal, it does not matter) and a sharp knife. I use a paring knife because it is small and easy to control.

Step 3

Run the skewer through the hotdog length wise. Try to get the skewer through the very middle.

Step 4

Spiral cut the hotdog with your knife. Slice the hotdog down to the skewer and slowly turn the hotdog as you tilt the knife down the length to make a spiral cut

It should look like this when done.

Step 5

Take the skewer out and place the hotdogs on a hot grill. Any kind of grill will work, we prefer charcoal around here. Taste the heat not the meat.

While cooking, rotate the hotdogs often. If the grill is very hot, you should rotate every 30 seconds or so. Hotdogs cook fast, these spiral cut dogs cook faster.

Step 6

Enjoy. Take the hotdogs off the grill when they are cooked to your liking. The spiral cut dogs should have mildly separated and created a delight that will be crispy and hot on every bite. The crevices are also great places to store toppings.

That is our gift to the world on America's birthday, awesome spiral cut grilled hotdogs. The small amount of extra work makes these a must have at a cookout. This even makes turkey dogs worth the effort.

Happy 4th.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He had three spiral cut hotdogs today. One for the U, one for the S, and the last for the great A.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Revisits, and Face the Consequences, of Little League Baseball Concessions

Tastes great today, does not feel great tommorow

This past Sunday my wife was working the concession stand at the ball park that our son plays baseball in. My son and daughter went swimming in the morning, and come lunch time ,we decided we would go to the ball park to visit, and to eat some lunch. Now, it needs to be known, my son plays at the same ball park that I did has a kid. I am very familiar with every field, I know where all the landmarks are, and I am very familiar with the food. This was the food I grew up eating after my baseball games. I had it all too. I tried pretty much everything they had to offer.

When we went the other day, some of the options have changed, and the food is of better quality, but for the most part, it brought me back to my childhood, especially when my son ordered a slushie. Slushies, for those that don't know, are drinkable snow cones. They are sugary, sweet and delicious. But, the one thing they still had on the menu, the item I ordered that day because I hadn't had one in almost 2 decades, was the "Pepper Belly".

Now, I'm sure that every little league park in America has their own version of this, and they call it by their own particular name, but here in West County, in Saint Louis, a "Pepper Belly" is a bag of plain Fritos covered in chili, cheese and jalapenos. I know it may sound disgusting, but it wonderful, and since Sunday I don't count carbs, it was well worth the purchase. When I was a kid they used to serve it in a Frito bag, which was visually cool, but also super messy. Now, they serve it in a paper bowl, which is much better. And, not to worry, you can recycle the bowl. So, you can eat garbage and save the Earth. Win

When I was a kid, I could house about 3-4 after every game. I used to get them without the jalapenos, which is how my son ate it on Sunday, and I would crush that Pepper Belly in less than a minute. So, when we ordered them on Sunday, I assumed that I would eat, at the very least, 2 of them. This time, I got the jalapenos, and added the ones from my son's, and was in high heaven. This Pepper Belly brought me back in all the right ways. The crunchiness of the Fritos mixed with the chili, which has beans, and that I usually don't like, but this almost needs it, was phenomenal. Then add on the cheese, that they sprinkle on and it melts as you are eating it and the jalapenos, this Pepper Belly is a culinary delight. I loved every single bite of it that I had. I was scraping the chili and cheese off the bottom of the bowl. I would try and get a little bit of every single item in every bite. I would take the Fritos that were not covered with chili, and dip them in the run off chili. The added jalapenos were amazing. It was the perfect amount of spice. I loved it. My son also loved his version, the jalapeno less one, as well. He kept taking bites, looking at me and saying, "you were right dad, this is really good. I may want seconds". It was awesome. Even my daughter enjoyed her few bites, and she is a very picky eater.

Unfortunately the Pepper Belly does have its down side, much like my naked chicken chalupa scenario. As I said, while eating the Pepper Belly, and enjoying every second of it, about 2-3 hours later, my stomach was not happy with me. It was worse than the naked chicken chalupa. It took almost 2 full days to get fully out of my system, and it hurt when getting it out of my system. I was in physical pain. I don't know if it was an ulcer, a bad batch(it was not a bad batch), or if I am just getting older, and my stomach cannot handle food like this, like it could before. It definitely wasn't an ulcer, I am fine today. As I already said, it was not a bad batch because my son was fine and my wife had one too, and she was okay. So, I think it is me getting older. I walked out of the shower on Sunday night and told my wife this realization. I told her that maybe I cannot handle spicy food as well as I once could. I then shivered because that is the oldest sounding thing I think I have ever said. Spicy food has never really given me a problem, until I turned 35. So, I'm pretty sure the chili and the added jalapenos were what put me under. It was heart breaking for me. But, just like with the naked chicken chalupa, I will never stop eating Pepper Bellies.

I am working the concession stand this coming weekend, and you better damn well believe I will have another one, maybe 2, and just deal with the consequences afterwards. Pepper Belly's are a culinary delight. I love them, and I do not mind the aftermath. Seriously people, if you haven't had one of these, or something similar, go get one, or even better, make one. They are great. Despite the issues, I am so happy that Pepper Belly's are back in my life. What a delight.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He needs to get down to Texas and have a frito pie, or better yet come on out to Cincinnati and get a walking taco. I think he would find some comforting similarities.

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A Non-Coffee Drinker Finds Joy in Cold Brew Coffee

I was never a coffee drinker. As I kid, I didn't like the smell of it, so I never asked my dad to try it. My mom didn't drink it either, and since she was the at home parent, it wasn't ever really an option. As I got older, high school age, I had friends who drank coffee regularly. But, I still wasn't interested. I was also the one kid who didn't drink alcohol, and I still don't, in my whole school, so the fact that I didn't drink coffee was not surprising to anyone. Even when I left college and started working in the real world, coffee was never an option. I still didn't like the smell, and the few sips I had were far too strong. That was my own doing, being that I tried my father's coffee, and he used to drink it black. I still stayed away even after my son was born. But, the tiredness was starting to take over, this was in the first year of his life, so I wasn't an at home dad yet, and I needed something. I tried Diet Coke for awhile, but that used to upset my stomach in the morning, and no one should ever be drinking soda at 7am. I tried tea for awhile, but it was either much too hot, or again, too strong for me, even if I added sweetener. What is a tired man to do?

My wife finally convinced me, around 6 years ago, to give coffee another shot. I moaned and groaned that it would be too strong and mess up my stomach. She then introduced me to the concept of cream and fake sweetener being added to coffee. At first, it was just a little cream and Splenda because I didn't want too much coffee. But, the more I drank it, this sweetened version of it, the more I started to like it. I do have to say to all the coffee purists and snobs out there, I sweeten the shit out of my coffee, so please don't come at me and tell me I am not a real coffee drinker. I don't drink it for the taste, I drink it for the caffeine and the fact that I can add stuff to make it palatable for me is just an added bonus. So, after getting the right amount of cream and Splenda in my coffee, I became, in my mind, an adult that enjoys a coffee every morning. I now drink it everyday with breakfast, and sometimes, I may even have a cup in the afternoon. I enjoy going to local coffee shops to try out what they have. I go to Starbucks occasionally, but lately I have been more of a Kaldi's man. Coffee shops are neat little places, and even the major chain places, like Starbucks and Kaldi's, have their own kind of charm.

Recently though I have found my new coffee obsession. It has been brutally hot in Saint Louis ever since schools let out here, in late May, so a hot cup of coffee in the morning, while I still have one almost every morning, isn't as appealing as it should be. But, again, thanks to my wife, I have started to drink iced coffee, and my new favorite thing, cold brew coffee.

It is amazing.

The fact that the coffee can still be doctored up with cream and fake sugar, and be "refreshing" is so awesome. I had an iced coffee from Starbucks this morning because I didn't have time to make one before taking my son to camp. And it was great. It paired very nicely with the sous vide eggs I got. My wife and I now love to buy Stok brank cold brew coffee from the grocery store. It comes in a jug, akin to milk, and we put some in our Yeti cups, add cream, fake sugar and ice, and it is wonderful. We usually have that in the afternoon on the weekends too, when our kids are taking a nap and having "quiet time". I like the local shops version of iced coffee too. Every local shop has their own brand of beans they use, and I like them all.

This whole cold brew thing is simply amazing to me. I don't know exactly how it works, but the fact that they brew it, make it cold, then add ice and you can do whatever you want from there, is remarkable. I'm a big time fan of buying the Target brand, Up and Up, bottles of cold brew that they sell in their stores. The cinnamon flavor is great. But, when it comes to cold brew coffee, it gets no better, for me, than what Kaldi's is doing. I don't know what they do, or how they brew it, but their cold brew is out of this world. I treat myself to this once a week, usually on the weekends so my wife can have one as well, and it is so good. The coffee at Kaldi's is already much better than any other chain I've been to, but that added flavor of some kind of berry, I can't quite put my finger on it, makes their cold brew stand out. I don't even have to add too much cream or Splenda to it because it is so good on its own. The berry gives it a natural sweetness, and it tastes so god damn good. Kaldi's cold brew is something I will drink year round if they sell it year round.

I know that I am a novice when it comes to coffee. I know that what I drink isn't "real" coffee. I know that purists are probably super angry with me right now. But, I do know that Kaldi's cold brew coffee is a joy and I cannot wait to have another one in a few days. I like coffee, I love cold brew coffee.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is starting to catch up on food trends from the last decade. He is all in on food trucks, with a look at bone broth and raw water coming up next.

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Quench Gum Still Exists and it is Still Awesome

Think of this, but in gum form

A few weeks back, when my son's school year ended, he told me wanted to go to a comic book store and the candy store as his "treat" for finishing out the year. I was pretty happy about this because it meant we got to go to The Loop here in Saint Louis. The Loop is a cool little strip of wacky and vintage clothing stores, art stores, record stores, great dining options, the best movie theater in the state, and of course, a comic book store and a candy shop. We went and did the comic book thing, and he was stoked. Me, I'm not a big comic book guy, but he loved it. After we finished up there, we headed over to the candy store. The place in The Loop is called Rocket Fizz, and it has all different kinds of candy. It has new stuff, old stuff, crazy sodas, with flavors like buffalo wing and bacon, it is just a cool, old school candy shop. They also sell old school concert posters, movie posters and they have those big cut outs of characters from popular movies that they sell as well. My son picked out a bag filled with a bunch of different salt water taffy, a solid choice, and my daughter wanted some Dots, an even better choice. I figured since I was there, I would indulge. I got myself a fancy root beer, some Altoid cinnamon mints, my favorites, and then I spotted something I thought I would never see again.

When I was a kid playing little league baseball, I used to chew Big League Chew gum. It made me feel like a major league baseball player. But, as I got older, I started to dislike the taste, and the powdered substance it left on my face was just ridiculous. I was in a local sporting goods store when I was about 10, and I saw this new gum called Quench Gum. It was essentially Gatorade in gum form. As I 10 year old that was all I needed to hear. I wanted that gum. I needed that gum. And my parents, being as great as they are, obliged and bought me some. I was hooked. It really did quench my thirst, I thought, and I chewed it all the time. It was so sweet and delicious and perfect for chewing during one of my games. I used to have packs and packs just stuffed into my baseball bag. My teammates loved it too, and we all started to choose Quench over Big League Chew.

By the time I was playing high school baseball, Quench Gum was gone, replaced by sunflower seeds. That was all I chewed for all 4 years of high school baseball. It was all about sunflower seeds. But, from time to time I would go to that same sporting goods store and ask if they were ever going to get any Quench Gum. I was almost always met with a blank stare.

This brings me back to Rocket Fizz. Not only did they have my favorite flavor of Quench Gum, orange fruit punch, they had all the flavors. I was so extremely happy. Now, I didn't go nuts and buy one pack of each, I just bought the orange fruit punch. The moment I got home I had to try it immediately, and I did, and I had the total opposite reaction as to when I ate that Hostess chocolate pie. Quench Gum was just as juicy and wonderful as I remembered it when I was 10. I was so happy. It was perfect. I chewed and chewed until it lost its flavor, which happens in about 5 minutes. But, those five minutes when the flavor explodes in your mouth, it is amazing. It really does taste like a sports drink. It really does quench your thirst. It does what it promises. With the losing its flavor after 5 minutes, so what. Fruit Stripes gum, which I also love, is the same. So is Big League Chew. Same with Bubble Tape or the single wrapped Bubble Gum flavored Yubba Bubba. The only gum that keeps its flavor is minty gum because it is supposed to. Gum like Quench Gum is meant to give you that immediate pleasure, go away, and have you coming back for more. It achieves that goal tenfold. I am chewing some while I type this, and I will probably chew some more when I go for a run later today. I love this stuff.

It was such a great surprise to see Quench Gum sitting on the shelf at this candy store. I will definitely be going back to get some more in the very near future. I do have to try all the old flavors now since orange fruit punch was such a hit. For now though, I will just enjoy this very delicious and wonderful and juicy and thirst quenching orange fruit punch gum. I am so very happy that Quench Gum is back in my life. What a treat.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was also looking for some candy cigarettes for his kids. He found none so he just sprang for the real thing.

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This Food Truck Trend is Pretty Great

The truck fumes add that extra zing

Today I took my kids to a local garden that has small pools and big splash pads everywhere. It is free and it is awesome, and if you ever visit Saint Louis and are looking for a good time, and to cool off, I suggest going to this place. The place I speak of is Citygarden. But, my piece today is not about Citygarden. I will do that another day. Today I want to talk about something that makes Citygarden great, and that is the food trucks.

There are food trucks everywhere when Citygarden is open. It is so awesome and perfect for kids and adults alike. There are many different types of food trucks down there today. Today it was seemingly all Mexican food, which is my favorite. But, I have seen fancy food trucks, grilled cheese food trucks, fried food food trucks, Middle Eastern food trucks, pretty much any type of food you could want, there has been a food truck for it down at Citygarden one time or another.

As I said, today it was all Mexican food. I was stoked. I went to the nacho food truck for my kids because who doesn't like chips and cheese? I got them some BBQ nachos to share, and they woofed them down. It was perfect. For me, I had a hard time deciding if I wanted nachos, a quesadilla or some tacos. I eventually decided on tacos, and boy was I happy with my choice. I went to the nearest truck to me, and found a limited taco menu. This makes me happy because whenever I see a small menu, I feel like they know what they do best, and that is all they will serve. I am not a fan of menus that are 3, 4 and 5 pages long. And Cheesecake Factory needs to really slim it down. There is a thing as too many choices. But the menu today had 5 different tacos, a burger if that was what you wanted and a few sides. The tacos were a sweet potato, a fish, a pork, a chicken and a beef taco. I got the pork, chicken and beef. And they were delicious. Not only was the menu small, but the portions were just the right size, and while the stuff on the taco was minimal, it was the perfect blend of flavors. The pork taco had braised pork and a cabbage slaw with some Mexican cheese, and it was outstanding. The beef taco was super simple. It had this exceptional tasting beef, that same Mexican cheese and something they called Cha Cha sauce on it. Again, outstanding. But the best one I had had the fewest ingredients, and that was the chicken taco. It had shredded chicken that was put in a citrus glaze, and Mexican cheese. Oh my goodness was this taco amazing. I ate the thing in 3 bites and I wanted to go back and buy 5 or 6 more of these tacos, it was that good. The tortillas on these were excellent too. They had a little grill to them they were flour, they were the perfect size and they held in all the ingredients. There was no spillage or seeping out, it was just right. This was heaven as far as food goes for me. Oh, and don't let me forget my corn salad side, it was awesome. It had chilled corn, red peppers, cilantro, jalapenos and that Cha Cha sauce on it. It was so refreshing and delicious on a hot day like we had in Saint Louis today.

While you are reading this you may be saying, well it was a food truck, those are trendy now, it must have been expensive , right? Nope. My whole meal cost me 10 dollars. And when you put my kids nachos in the mix, it only cost me 17 bucks to feed me and my 2 children. That is one hell of a deal if you ask me.

I love the food trucks downtown, but today was something special. There was a little something extra. The delivery of a taco, not from a fast food restaurant, is just perfect, when it is done right. I wish I could remember the name of the truck, and I hope it will be downtown the next time I take my kids, but today's lunch was a meal I won't soon forget. I try to lay off the carbs during the week, but these tacos today were just too enticing. Go out and eat a taco tonight from a food truck, and this will all make so much more sense to you. What an excellent meal. Tacos from food trucks rule.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is used to eating food out of truck, but prepared food being delivered from a truck with a health inspected kitchen, that is a new one.

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The Naked Chicken Chalupa was Good for the Taste Buds, Not So Good for the Stomach

Damn you Beautiful Taco Bell

Last Friday I wrote about how excited I was that Taco Bell was bringing back the naked chicken chalupa. It was my ode to the one thing I love about Taco Bell. Well, last night I went to get a few for me, and one for my wife. She wanted to try them too, because much like me, she loved them. So I got us 3 mild ones, 2 for me, 1 for her, and we dug in.

I have to tell you, they’re still pretty great. The fried chicken shell was pretty tremendous. It has a nice crisp to it, the way it’s shaped is perfect for a taco, and the “chicken” tastes pretty good. The inside is filled with shredded lettuce, shredded Mexican cheese and diced tomatoes. This was all fine, but didn’t add much. But, something I forgot about, there is some kind of spicy green sauce at the bottom. It’s too smooth to be guacamole, but too green to be sour cream. I am glad I got us the mild flavor because this green sauce has a kick. I am a big fan of what they did with this sauce. I added 2 packets of hot sauce and my wife ate her’s sans sauce. I prefer my method. While eating the naked chicken chalupas there were just sounds being grunted, or the occasional, “yep, these still hold up”. We both remembered why we liked them so much.

So yeah, the naked chicken chalupa is still pretty great. And, shockingly, I didn’t feel sick or gross after eating them last night. I was kind of surprised by this pleasant feeling. I was full, but not bloated. But, all that changed this morning.

Now, before I get into it, I regret nothing. My wife got up to get ready for work and told me she wished she hadn’t eaten the chalupa. I asked if she were sick, and she said no, but that she felt awful. I was surprised because I still felt okay. This was around 7am this morning. My wife left for work, seltzer water in hand around 730. I still felt fine, but as I was making my son breakfast, the pain set in. I’m not going to get gross, but I will say, I’ve spent a good amount of time in my restroom today. I feel like I’m being punished by my diet and by Taco Bell. I shouldn’t have eaten one of these, let alone 2. My body is rejecting these chalupas. I now remember why I don’t eat like this regularly anymore, and why I stay away from Taco Bell. As I said, I regret nothing, but my body sure does. The thing that frustrates me most is how long it took to take effect on me. I thought I was in the clear. I thought my stomach was going to let me get away with it. I thought, since Sunday is my day to eat whatever I want, I would be free from this feeling. Well, I was/am not. I should have only had one, but who’s to say I still wouldn’t feel like I do now? Taco Bell is evil, and I’m paying for it today. All of this isn’t to say that I won’t be going back to get more naked chicken chalupas, hell, I might get more this coming Sunday, but I will think about it a bit more.

The fact is that the naked chicken chalupa is great. I still love it. But, I despise the way it has made my body feel today. Was it worth it? Probably not. Will I buy more, eat them and deal with the aftermath? You better believe it. Go, please and buy these because they’re great. Just know, you will be in for a rough day the day after. God damn you Taco Bell. Why must you torture me so?

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His body has not been properly trained for Taco Bell like the head editor. A strong regiment of chili cheese burritos should be all the training Ty needs.

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Long Live Taco Bell's Naked Chicken Chalupa

Taco Bell has big plans for you guys

I'm not much of a fan of Taco Bell. I have stated as much on the podcast. Hell, RD and I went into a big time debate early on in our podcast. He loves it, me, not so much. Everything there tastes the same to me. It is all one big goo of meat and random sauces. Now, this isn't to say that I do not go there. In fact, on days that I don't diet, Taco Bell is one of my go to fast food spots. It is cheap, and I know what I am going to get, and that it will satisfy me until it decides it is time to void my body. I want to give the right person credit, and I am pretty sure it is Matt Braugner, a fantastic stand up comedian, but he nails it when it comes to Taco Bell. He basically says that everything comes from what is basically a caulking gun, and that the food is meant for drunk people to "soak up the night". I mean, come on, that is too perfect.

I say all this because I am excited about something that I saw on my TV last night pertaining to Taco Bell. One thing I do "admire" about them, they always take chances. They come up with new food stuffs all the time. I remember when the chalupa first came out. I remember when they first started making their version of quesadillas. I have tried their take on fries. I haven't had their breakfast, but I have heard good and bad about it. I used to love their 2 shelled tacos, I can't remember what those are called (ed note: Double Decker Taco), but I do know that they were held together by a smear of refried beans, and their selection of drinks, even though it is a Pepsi establishment, and that is utter blasphemy, is pretty unique. But, the one new product they came out with a little over a year ago that I went nuts for was the naked chicken chalupa.

For those of you that don't know what that is, first off, you are a better person than me, second, it is a taco, but the "shell" is a piece of fried chicken shaped like a corn tortilla. When this first came out I stayed very, very far away. I did not want to lower myself to being a person that tried, and liked, a naked chicken chalupa. I had lost all this weight, I was calling myself a runner, I was, and still am, hiking all the time, and I was, still am, an avid basketball player. I didn't need the naked chicken chalupa. But, I was convinced by many, many people, who I trust, to try this thing. So, my wife and I ventured on over to Taco Bell on a day where I let myself eat whatever I wanted, and I tried one.

Oh my goodness was it amazing. I kid you not. I was floored by how good this naked chicken chalupa was. I couldn't believe that, of all places, Taco Bell made something so original, and tasted so good. This wasn't like their typical fare, this was unique. As I stated, the shell was a piece of fried chicken shaped to look like a shell. That is insane. Then, the inside had some lettuce, diced tomatoes and a little Mexican cheese blend. I put some fire sauce on it and I was hooked. I went back that day and got some more. I then went a few more time, just to get the naked chicken chalupa. Then, like some cruel joke, it was off the menu. No reason was given, other than it was seasonal, and I was crushed. I finally had a reason to got to Taco Bell, and not be ashamed of myself. I know it isn't healthy, but as a big time advocate of the Atkins diet, this was as close as Taco Bell, or any other fast food restaurant for that matter, has gotten since KFC made the double down, which is horrendous.

Lucky for me, I saw a commercial that brightened my day last night. Taco Bell has these new ads that are like throwbacks to old creepy news stories, and the guy that is the spokesperson said that they were bringing the naked chicken chalupa back. I was so excited I rewound the commercial and showed it to my wife, who was just as excited as I was. I'm not sure the exact date that they are bringing it back, for all I know, they already have them in the restaurant, but I know for god damn sure that I am going to buy a shit ton of them. This is a good thing that Taco Bell has done. They are bringing something back that was wildly successful, and hopefully this time, they keep it around for longer, or just put it on the menu permanently.

I know this is a weird and goofy thing to be excited about, but dammit, I'm pumped. Thank you Taco Bell. For once in your odd existence, you are doing the right thing. Long live the naked chicken chalupa.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is not yet aware that there is a "Wild Naked Chicken Chalupa" that is advertised to be a little spicy. Dump some fire sauce on that thing and experience fast food heaven.

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Aldi is Awesome

Good food is wherever you find it

As a kid, my mom did all the grocery shopping for the house. Now that I am the at home parent, I do all the shopping. When I first started to do all the grocery shopping, we had one kid, and it was pretty easy for me to go to our local store, Schnucks, and get pretty much everything we needed at a decent price. Then, we had our daughter, and I started to realize that buying everything at Schnucks was becoming a little too expensive. It just became too much. I then remembered that when I would go grocery shopping with my mom when I was young, she would go to a place called Aldi.

Going to AIdi meant we were "poor". That is what I always thought. I was a dumb kid, and the fact that I wasn't getting brand name cereals, chips or even Pop Tarts, made me think that we just didn't have the money that other families did. Well, I was dead, dead wrong. Now that I do all the grocery shopping, I have become in love with Aldi.

I started to think about going there after our daughter was born, because as I said, groceries were getting to be way too much. So, I decided that I would try out Aldi for everything that we needed, except for protein and veggies. I figured that I could get the off brand cereal, off brand Pop Tarts, off brand chips, all the stuff that I could throw into the pantry and it would last. It was great. On just buying all the non proteins and veggies, we were saving a ton of money, and honestly, we couldn't really tell the difference in taste.

For example, I bought some off brand cool ranch Doritos at Aldi, I think it was Burmann's brand or something like that, and my wife and I ate them, and we couldn't find any real difference. Now, you people need to know that we both love cool ranch Doritos. So, the fact that we found something so similar for almost 1.50 cheaper, it was a game changer. The same thing goes for the cereal and their off brand Pop Tart. Their Cinnamon Toast Crunch, called Cinnamon Crunch, is delicious. My kids love their Marshmallows and Stars, many of you may know that as Lucky Charms. Their Cocoa Rice, or coca Crispies, turn the milk from the cereal into chocolate milk all the same. Their off brand Pop Tarts taste exactly the same as regular Pop Tarts. I literally cannot tell the difference between Pop Tart brand Brown Sugar Cinnamon and Millville brand Brown Sugar Cinnamon. They both taste exactly the same. Same thing goes for Millville's s'mores, blueberry or strawberry. They all taste the same, and they are much, much more cost effective. 

Then, as an almost dare, I, along with my wife, decided we should try the meat and veggies. The veggies were really no problem because we go through veggies in a week. I will say, if you do plan on buying veggies at an Aldi, make sure you eat them within a week or two, or else they may not last. But, as I said, we plow through our veggies. We have one every night with our dinner, and Aldi brand asparagus, canned green beans, canned corn, brussel sprouts, it is all good. Even their fruit is delicious too. My son loves their apples. They sell bags of limes, which we go through fairly quickly weekly, are very good. We love their bananas. It is all good. After going through the veggies, we decided it was time to try proteins there. We were saving so much, and going to Schnucks just to get meat, became tedious. We also talked to a good group of our friends who shop at Aldi, and they all said the meat was fine. So, we decided to try it, and we have not looked back. I get all the protein there. I can buy a 2 pound skirt steak at Aldi for 9 bucks. Two plus pounds of chicken breast is only 3.50. Getting ground beef at Aldi is wonderful. It cooks up real nice, and it is mad cheap. I got three pounds of it this past Monday for only 9 dollars. That is wild.

So now, I pretty much do all of the grocery shopping at Aldi. The only reason I go to a Schnucks or Whole Foods or any other local store is to get the random things I cannot get at Aldi. I am so proud of myself if I am able to get everything I need at Aldi. If I can get it all done in one shot, that is a good day. I need to say, Aldi does not sponsor SeedSing, and this is not meant to be a commercial for them (ed note: yet). I just wanted to give my love to my new favorite grocery store. Also, sorry mom for saying and thinking that we were "poor" when I was kid because you shopped at Aldi. You rule, and so does Aldi. Thank you for showing me the way.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is also a big fan of Aldi because that means Ty always a quarter nearby. It is either in his pocket, or in the little pay slot on the shopping cart.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 24 - Christmas Pudding

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One,                              Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three

Day 24: Christmas Pudding

Christmas Eve is a day of tradition. Families gather to try and recreate memories from holidays past. Christmas Day is usually filled with early excitement, afternoon resting, and a quite evening meal. Christmas Eve is the time to party, and remember the great gatherings of generations past. The generational celebration brings back the ancient food of our ancestors for the modern crowd to enjoy. No food is more ancient, and more enjoyed, than the classic Christmas pudding.

Christmas pudding, or plum pudding if your nasty, has been a holiday celebration staple in western world for a long, long time. Most recipes called for indulgent ingredients that need to be mixed by every member of the family. The legend says that those who mix the pudding will get their holiday wish. The mixture is wrapped in linen, soaked in liquor, stored for months/years, and boiled for hours before the big holiday feast. Once ready, the pudding is unwrapped, soaked in brandy once again, set on fire, then a sprig of holly is ceremoniously placed in the top, once the fire is out of course. Once the family has finished the pudding the holiday's have officially been celebrated.

Christmas pudding is special treat to finish off the most wonderful time of the year. The recipes vary from family to family, the way to cook the different mixtures is not uniform, the taste is not consistent, yet the tradition of the Christmas pudding is the highlight of the season. Even a drunk ass like Bob Cratchit can not deny the masterpiece of the traditional Christmas pudding. Have a very merry holiday and an awesome new year.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Historic food like Christmas pudding deserves a song that tells the tale of Christmas's greatness story of goodwill towards man. 

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 23 - The Mall Food Court

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One,                              Twenty-Two

Day 23: The Mall Food Court

The final days of the holiday shopping season can be brutal. The stores are packed with people trying to score those last few perfect gifts. Anxiety is high among these last minute shoppers, and good will toward one's fellow person is at an all time low. There is very little time left to enjoy a well crafted holiday treat. The shoppers of the last few days need only to eat in order to survive. The local mall food court is the ideal trough to provide the necessary sustenance to the gift seeker.

The mall food court sees some of it's best business in the last days of holiday shopping season. Sbarro's, Panda Express like eateries, the cheesesteak joint, and Chick-Fil-A on a non-Sunday join their fellow store fronts in offering the shopping masses some needed calories during the homestretch of peak capitalism. Want pizza for Christmas, the food court has got you covered. In the need for generic cheesesteak and thick cut fries for your Hanukah,  the food court is your oasis. Do you desire a huge cherry Icee and some kettle cooked popcorn, the mall food court will deliver on your wish. If a person needs to shop first, and think of nutrition second, the mall food court is one of the best gifts these people can find in the Christmas rush. Taste be damned, just give these soldiers of late year commerce something edible, and give it to them quickly.

Shopping late in the holiday spending spree can be draining on a person's soul. Many people are looking for gifts that are in low supply. Sometimes multiple hands reach for the last doll on the shelf. The winners go home happy, the losers recharge at the food court. There must be a better way. The food court is a gathering place for the rest of us. Celebrate.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. What is this great holiday for the rest of us? Watch this classic episode of "Seinfeld" and be enlightened. 

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 22 - Eggnog

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One

Day 22: Eggnog

There are certain seasonal treats that certain people inexplicably look forward to. Minty flavors tinted with green food dye are sought after in the late winter weeks. A thousand different varieties of lemonade invade our taste buds during the summertime. Pumpkin spice everything appear once the sun sets on Labor day. When the Thanksgiving feast is complete, eggnog takes it's place on the throne of high holiday treatdom.

Eggnog has been around a long time. Texts dating back to the late 1600s talk of a nog drink. In the America's of the 1700's, history describes a dairy, egg, and spiced drink. The famous Modern Bartender's Guide from 1878  has multiple recipes for eggnog. It is a drink that has been around a while. Eggs, cream, sugar make this delicious elixir. Adding some nice brown liquor, bourbon, spiced rum, brandy, or cognac, make this holiday staple even more intoxicating. Eggnog has held the throne of holiday favorite for centuries, and it shows no sign of abdicating.

Eggnog, alcoholic or not, is awesome. Anyone that says otherwise is a holiday treat Grinch. Their humbuggery is not needed at your holiday table. Eggnog rules, and debate will not be tolerated. One does not challenge the throne without a hearty rebuke. Go drink some eggnog, and be merry and bright.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Eggnog is great, the song The Christmas Shoes is terrible. Enjoy your nog as you listen to Patton Oswalt masterfully take apart that Christmas tune from hell.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 21 - Ham

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty

Day 21: Ham

Welcome to the winter solstice. The day with the least amount of daylight, in the Northern Hemisphere that is. A day that is usually cold, again in the Northern Hemisphere. A day with a long history of grand feasting. For many millennia, at least in he Northern Hemisphere, having a grand feast on the winter solstice was a thing. Since the daylight was short, the weather was cold, and spirits needed to be lifted, a grand feast would cure all. The highlight of this winter fess was meat. There is no greater winter feast meat than ham.

Christmas ham is a tradition, and awesome one. Many meats show up during the holiday season, but nothing beats a good ham. Glazed in sugar, spiral cut, that is the best way to do a December ham. Go out to a reputable ham shop, get that magic meat, and your holiday guests will love you forever. Ham is the peak of holiday meat. No question about it.

The grand feast of the winter solstice has been lost to history. We tend to have our feast in the last days of November and the end of December. November gets the overrated turkey as it's meat star. December gets ham. December is the better month for feasting. 

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. The winter solstice is also a time for reflection. Maybe you can drink on apple wine and listen to Dolly Parton sing about a "Hard Candy Christmas".

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 20 - Champagne

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen

Day 20: Champagne

The holiday season is a time for indulgence. We eat more candy than any other time of year. Fine foods like steak, veal, and top of line fresh caught fish are enjoyed more often than in the other eleven months. Even our choice of bubbly wine gets an upgrade from the common sparkling variety to the fine heritage of champagne.

Champagne is special. Maybe it is grapes, maybe it is the process, or maybe it is marketing, but champagne is almost always worth it's hefty price. The legends in this case are true. actual champagne is light years better than sparkling wine. Pouring a few ounces of the bubbly elixir is indulgent, and it makes anyone's holiday's extra merry and bright.

The holidays are about gifting our guests, and ourselves, with the very best. Our lunch meats should be upgraded with roast beef or steak. Our M & M cookies need to be upgraded with red and green M & M's. Our sparkling wine deserve the ultimate upgrade in any holiday season. Go out and splurge on champagne, make your holidays merry and indulgent.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. If you happen to be alone this Christmas Day, go to your local tavern, order some champagne, and listen to Phoenix (with Bill Murray) sing a jaunty tune about being alone on Christmas Day.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.