Festival Foods: Bacon Ranch Salad

This is the first post of a segment dedicated to the various "salads" that Festival Foods has to offer. It will feature noodle salads, as well as different potato salads.

The first one we will look at is the Bacon Ranch Salad. This salad has various ingredients, ranging from fresh broccoli, noodles, and bacon pieces! HELLO?! This salad gets off to a great start with the combination of both bacon and ranch; two of the world's best foods!

The nice thing about this salad is that it is not too think, but it isn't to weak either. Some salads just don't seem to have that "glue" that holds everything together. This is a great choice for just a plain salad to have with a meal, but also for putting on Ritz crackers. It really stands out against the saltiness of the crackers.

This salad is sure a winner. If you like bacon and you like ranch, you will fall in love with this salad from the first bite!

Price: $4.49/lb

Rating: A+

Spicy Cajun-Style Crockpot Wings

Chicken wings are a man's best friend. No doubt about it. I found this recipe on a web-site called DianasKitchen.com. It had a bunch of great recipes but this one screamed deliciousness. When I first looked at the ingredients list, I thought that these wings were going to be scorching hot. With three or four different hot sauces, I figured they would burst into flames. I loaded the chicken into the slow cooker, after trimming the wings, and poured the saucy mixture all over the top of the wings. I set the slow cooker on low for 4-5 hours and patiently waited for this chicken delicacy to be finished. As you can see from the picture to the left, they were very saucy indeed. They were extremely tender but also completely covered in the sauce. These wings were great. They had the perfect balance of spice and flavor and knew how to please the taste buds. The hot sauces weren't overwhelming but they were hot enough to satisfy the craving for temperature. The ingredients will be listed below and I encourage you to try out this fantastic Cajun wing recipe!

Spicy Cajun-Style Crockpot Wings

• 3 lbs. chicken wings
• 1 bottle Kraft Spicy BBQ sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp Red Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Flakes -- minced
• 1 tsp Onion Flakes -- minced
• 3 Tbl Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tbl Green Dragon or Jalapeño Sauce
• 1 Tbl Tabasco Sauce
• 1 Tbl Cajun Spice

In a crockpot, add the chicken, BBQ Sauce, and all spices. Stir together. Heat on low for 4 hours. To serve, prepare some rice and be ready to spread the chicken over the rice when it is finished.

OMG: The Sheboygan

What is 5 inches tall but looks like it is 5 feet tall? This burger (if we can even call it that). The Sheboygan is one behemoth of a creation. With the recipe obtained from CheeseandBurger.com, it truly something to be witnessed in its full nudity. As you can see from the picture, it is first composed of a nice, thick bun. On the bottom bun, you are to pile on sauerkraut and sauteed onions. On top of that, throw on a thick, juicy hamburger patty. Further, you then pile on two, yes TWO, bratwursts and a handful of cheese curds. Finally, top it off with the top bun that is overly lathered with beer mustard. Then, you are done. Make sure that you have some scaffolding nearby because this baby might topple over. As you can see, this burger requires no messing around. None whatsoever. This burger, constructed with the help of Paul Karker, came to fruition and quickly disappeared. This burger was devoured ravenously in 10 minutes and 45 seconds. If you can beat that, I would encourage you to contact me and I will personally call you with a valid telephone number and congratulate you. It would truly be a feat. But remember, be careful with this one. It is truly a beast of a burger. It is one of the Best of the Best I have reviewed thus far.

Additional Photo Added for Effect

Price: ~$11.00

Grade: A+

Quad Steak Burrito from Taco Bell!

When I first saw that this new product from Taco Bell was available, my jaw dropped to the floor. I'm sure that I am among many who experienced the same reaction. I figured, without hearing much about the new food line, that it was just another Grilled Stuft Burrito plug. Boy, was I wrong. It is a whole new addition to our world of fast food.

As for the size of this burrito, it packs some beef! This steak burrito could bludgeon a small child if thrown or tossed towards its general direction. The quality of construction is good too, but we all know that this will vary by location and staff.

The taste of this burrito is extremely pleasurable. It is hot an very flavorful. You know that kinda-spicy sauce that is put on the chicken/steak quesadillas? That sauce is in this burrito and it adds a nice kick to it. It has a lot more flavor than the Grilled Stuft Burritos and the Quesadillas.

The only thing about this burrito that is unfortunate is that it is kind of expensive. You are looking at $4.99 for just the burrito or $5.99 for the combo (medium drink). For Taco Bell's prices, that is kinda steep. On the other hand, you do get what you pay for. You can also get the Quad Steak additive in a quesadilla, the Quad Steak Quesadilla (same prices). Other than that, well done, T-Bell.

Price: $4.99 ($5.99 combo)

Grade: B

I would have taken a picture of this new burrito but as we all know, the actual appearance of fast food is WAY different than what we see in commercials and menus. So, a picture from TacoBell.com is used.

The ABC Shooter

What goes great with any meal? A shooter! The food (or DRINK) item featured today is The ABC Shooter. There is a reason that it has such a name. The ingredients include: Amaretto (bottom), Bailey's (middle), and Cointreau (top). Because of the differing densities of these three liqueurs, they layer perfectly in a shot glass.

For the purposes of this shot, it is best made when you use the above named ingredients. But, if you are more budget-minded in these hard economic times, you could skimp a little bit on the ingredients. You could use a cheaper amaretto instead of Disaronno. You could also use any brand of Irish Cream, instead of Bailey's. Lastly, you could use plain Triple Sec (orange liqueur) instead of the luxurious Cointreau. In any of these cases, try it how it is to be intended. Then, feel free to vary it any way that you would like. This shot tastes, to say it plainly, like chocolate. The Irish Cream and the amaretto play well together like toddlers in a sandbox. The Cointreau adds a nice, light twist to it that keeps it away from the heavy side. I wouldn't say that it is fruity, but it definitely makes it have a "lighter" taste to it. Overall, a great shooter. As for now, Cheers!

Price: ~$2.00

Grade: B+

The Walking S'more at the Pearl Ice Cream Parlor in La Crosse, WI

You have to treasure the simple things in life. I was in La Crosse, Wisconsin a few months ago, October 8, 2010 to be exact. I was walking with a very special lady of mine and we stopped at a local ice cream parlor. It was called the Pearl Ice Cream Parlor. I was there getting some sort of ice cream concoction and I noticed all of the chocolate and sweets that they sold there. One of the specific things inside the counter that intrigued me the most was what they called The Walking S'more. As we all know, NON-walking s'mores contain graham crackers, a marshmallow and chocolate. In the walking s'more, it is a little bit different. It is a marshmallow, stabbed with a pretzel stick, dipped in chocolate, rolled in graham cracker crumbs. It is truly magnificent. I must say that it was incredibly delicious. You wouldn't think that something so simple would be so awesome. I only bought one, but should have bought x1000. If you are in La Crosse any time soon, don't hesitate to stop by this place and grab some ice cream and some sweets. You will sure not regret the stop.

Price: $0.75

Grade: A