Balsamic Vinegar flavored Ketchup??? I think NOT

Heinz offers foodies a fancier ketchup spiked with balsamic vinegar

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• by Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine, 5 hours 56 minutes ago

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The new, limited-edition Heinz ketchup with balsamic vinegar (Photo: Meredith Galante/Business Insider)

Heinz is taking ketchup upscale, launching a new version of the classic condiment blended with balsamic vinegar.

The company's biggest fans get first dibs on dipping their French fries, though: The limited edition bottles will be available only via Heinz's Facebook page starting on November 14. The balsamic ketchup should be available in select Walmart and Safeway stores by the end of December.

"This is the first time we've offered a product for sale via Facebook in the U.S.," Jessica Jackson, group leader of public relations and communications for Heinz North America, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The company's Facebook page has more than 830,000 fans.

The new version made its debut in the United Kingdom back in March, also through Facebook, where critics declared it to be "a roaring success." Heinz decided to put the eight-sided, black-and-silver labelled glass bottles on supermarket shelves there, and started wondering if the product would work well in the United States as well.

Former "Top Chef" contestant Spike Mendelsohn, who is also a past winner of the Heinz Best Dressed Burger Award, put the ketchup through its paces during a New York City lunch hosted by Heinz recently. He incorporated the ketchup into recipes for seared tuna, lamb chops, and even dessert dishes, showing that it can be much more than just a hot dog topping.

"I took everyday uses of tomato products or classic pairings, such as the thousand island dressings, and try to improve on them and make them more creative," he told Business Insider. "I also looked at the product as a base. It had a lot of tang in it. When using sauces you're always trying to find ways to marinate things."

But what we really want to know is: How does it taste?

"The taste is unmistakably tomato ketchup," writes Harry Wallop, consumer affairs editor for the British newspaper The Telegraph. "It has the same immediate hit of vinegary tartness, followed by a teeth-stripping sweetness. But whereas ordinary ketchup has little, or no, 'finish,' as wine tasters would say, the balsamic version has a depth to it. The flavor is darker and richer, with a definite hint of tamarind, one of the key ingredients in Worcestershire Sauce. It is genuinely sophisticated, without taking away from its basic ketchupness."

Ninety-seven percent of U.S. households have ketchup in their kitchens, according to the market research firm Mintel. Noel Geoffroy, the vice president for United States retail brands for Heinz, told The New York Times that the new offering is unique enough to appeal to all those ketchup lovers. "We think households who already use Heinz ketchup will use this in addition," she said.

From a flavor standpoint, pairing tomato ketchup with balsamic vinegar makes perfect sense. Both are high in umami, that savory taste that's the hallmark of certain natural amino acids in some types of food. And, of course, the combination is a classic in Italian cuisine and summer tomato salads.

The new ketchup will cost $2.49 per 14-ounce bottle (plus $2 shipping if you buy it on Facebook). If it turns out that your taste buds like the balsamic vinegar-laced ketchup, make sure to stock up once it's available in stores; the limited-edition product will be pulled in March 2012, to give Heinz a chance to crunch the numbers and see if it's worth keeping on the shelves

Martha Stewarts Mac n Cheese- One of my finer moments

So, last Sunday, I went on a daring adventure, and cooked what was promising to be one of the best Mac n Cheese dishes that I have had this far! I was on yahoo.com at the end of the day last Friday, when one of the pop up windows was a headline for Martha Stewart's Famous Mac n Cheese. This completely got my attention, albeit because I was probably hungry, but I decided that I wanted to try to make it!

Martha Stewart is an American Icon, not for cooking particularly, but an icon all the same. I knew that her mac n cheese had to be promising. So on Sunday, I got all of the ingredients that I needed and made a GIANT batch of Martha's Mac n cheese. The recipe seemed simple enough, fool proof even, but it sounded heavenly and I was utterly surprised with how delicious the dish was, based on the simple ingredients.

Martha required a french roll, bakery quality, literally, it stated that in the recipe. I stuck with a fresh french roll from Target! Ripped the roll in to bite size crumbs, tossed in melted butter in a saute dish, and set aside.

Then, I took more butter, mmmmmm and flour to create what would prove to be the thickening agent in the cheese/milk/gooey sauce. The butter had to be bubbling, not burning before the flour was added slowly! Oh Martha, how the details were endless.

I then added what proved to be 5 cups of milk. This became my rue. I had to whisk the milk/butter/flour concoction until it thickened, then set aside. You also are required to add a touch of salt, pepper, and cayenne. I was out of cayenne so I substituted with chili pepper and it tasted exactly the same. 

 What Martha's recipe writing minions forget to mention is that this takes about 10 minutes of non-stop whisking, and the cheese needs to be graded during this time, or prior, in prep work. Thank goodness my mom was home to assist me. I offered her the choice of whisking, of grading 3 blocks of cheese.

She opted for the cheese.

This recipe was just up my ally! It required 2 full blocks of White Sharp Cheddar cheese, which by the way Muffin Topzz, happens to by my favorite cheese in the world. And an additional block of Gruyere. Which I also adore. Pairing these two cheeses together sounded like a dream come true to me. The white cheddar is so sharp and almost tangy, and the gruyere is pungent but delicious at the same time. MMMMMMM my mouth is watering.

This is my new favorite picture! Besides any pictures of Jackson of course.

I think the fumes as I was stirring the cheese into the rue were potent and delicious. I was melting in the cheese one handful at a time to make sure that every morsel was melted, and gooey, just as Martha demanded.

There is not much better in life I find, than stringy, melty gooey cheese.

Typical Italian, watching the pot, waiting, begging for it to boil.

My cheesey goodness waiting to be mixed with the noodles.

The prepped mac n cheese in the dish waiting to be entered into the oven. So you mix the noodles with the cheese mixture, then put the remaining 1 cup half cheddar half gruyere on top of the mac n cheese.

I then topped the mac n cheese with the toasted and buttered bread crumbs and spread across the whole dish. This is my favorite part of a mac n cheese. I love the toasted texture with crisp edges and gooey cheese dripping off. So I made sure to take care and spread the bread crumbs accordingly.

Pleasantly Baking

This is a horrible picture

This mac n cheese came out beautifully. I was so proud of myself for making something so beautiful, not only in looks, but this mac n cheese was appealing to all of my senses. It smelled incredible and tasted even better.

It was perfect. The creamy cheesy sauce was moist enough, the noodles were cooked perfectly, the cheese was pungent enough while settle enough and the crispy was perfect on top! Martha Stewart, your recipe is delicious and easy to make. Appealing to the everyday person. Leave it to Martha Stewart to come up with an amazing, traditional yet kitchy, comforting version of one of America's favorite dishes. While it isn't number 1 in my book, it sure is up there. And anyone who reads this blog often, knows that to be up there in the Mac n Cheese book, is saying a lot!

I know you are all going to ask, yes the recipe is listed below, and no this is not the best mac n cheese I have ever had. Still the list is as follows-

1. Barcelona on the Go- Manchengo Mac n Cheese

2. Haven Gastropub- Appetizer Mac n Cheese

3. Martha Stewart's Mac n Cheese

Anything beyond top 3 in my opinion is not worth listing. If you have recipes that you think at sinful, send them in! Let's see who can make the top 3 list!

Martha Stewart's Mac n Cheese
Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.
4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Beef Stroganoff- mmmmmmm

So, as everyone may or may not know, Friday is date night for Jackson and I. No matter what we spend Friday night together, at home just playing and relaxing. I made beef stroganoff for dinner tonight which I honestly one of my most favorite meals ever.


Jackson loved it and so did I. I cannot stand ordering beef stroganoff at restaurants because it never tastes how I like it. Everyone in my family makes their own version of this dish.
My mom makes her version with steak, Alix makes hers with ground turkey, and Andie makes a hybrid version of stew and stroganoff.


Typically, I make my stroganoff with ground turkey, but today I used ground beef. It tasted great and smelled so good while it was cooking.





We had these gorgeous heirloom tomatoes that my mom had from the organic market, so I made a tomato salad. Chopped tomatoes, a little bit of balsamic vinegar, and a touch of pepper. It tastes so good and I cannot get over the coloring of the tomatoes. You'll see below! All courtesy of my iPhone.








This salad tasted as good as it looks. The reds and yellows in the tomatoes were so pretty and made for a colorful salad.





The stroganoff was delicious. Jackson loved it and ate a big helping. I was so happy to have a classic favorite of mine and I was pretty impressed with my cooking. I may be a great baker, but I am still working on being a good cook. I think I am doing a great job thus far!

Sunday Snacking

This will be a quick blog, because really, I am hungry! This was the gauntlet of food that I ate yesterday. Yes, it was a busy day for me food wise, but call what happened yesterday, me getting back on the wagon.

Mac n Cheese from BJ's Restaruant. It was ok, but as you all know, I am a snob about my Mac n Cheese. I like a traditional noodle. And, it is my opinion that if you are going to put bacon in Mac n Cheese, then distribute it in a way that there is a piece in every bite I enjoy. When there are only a few bacon bits on top, it ruins the flavor profile for the whole dish. I did like the saltiness of the bacon added with the cheese. I do wish that the cheese was more pungent. This cheese was way too mild for my taste!

Seafood Gumbo, looks gross but it smelled good!

This was BJ's attempt at a Caprese Salad. The balsamic was soooooo good, but I wished there was a little more.

I am a sucker for a good caprese salad. All my favorite ingredients- Tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette, how can you go wrong? Plus, the presentation was pretty. I am proud of my Iphone for the picture above.

Now we are working backwards, but Colleen and I went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory. I know what you are thinking- how could she eat all this food, and what a pig! But I do it for the blog, it's all of my bloggers and the love of the food!

This is the best cheesecake in the world- Dulce De Leche cheesecake! Honestly, everyone is skeptical of this at first. I still remember the first time I had it was over 6 years ago with my friend Brad. I told him it was going to be sick, but he swore I would love it. Well, as it goes, I have eaten this delicious sinful cheesecake every single time I have ever been to Cheesecake Factory since. The Carmel whipped goodness on top is sinful and the cheesecake is light but rich enough to make your mouth pucker. It is incredible and well worth a visit!

Colleen and I shared a plethora of small plates. Our goal was to try and make it look like we weren't eating a lot so that our waitress wouldn't judge us when we each ordered a piece of cheesecake. Above it the spicy tuna tempura roll. It was good, but I prefer straight sashimi if I am eating fish. The sauce was good, tangy with a hint of spice. The tempura was also nicely made, it was crunchy but not soggy!

The stuffed mushrooms were good. The flavors were mild, but texture was soft and creamy. I liked the presentation of how they were served, but this was nothing that I would write home about.

Ahhhhhh, the Ahi Carpaccio! This was incredible. Not only did it look good, but it was amazing! The ahi was so fresh and cold which is a huge important factor to me! It looked like you were served a small amount, but the pieces were nice and thick, and layered on top of one another. I wish that they didn't put the oil on top. It didn't ruin the dish, but it didn't enhance it either. I could have done without the greasy oil. But this, was hands down my favorite! I am shocked that Colleen ate it also, but she really enjoyed it!

These were Asian lettuce wraps. The cilantro sauce was good and enhanced the flavors, but this is one of those dishes that isn't worth my time because of the headache it is to eat! It was so annoying. Unfortunately it tasted good but was hell to eat, I wouldn't order again.

So there in a nutshell is my Sunday in food! This was a good day, full of good food and good company!

October Birthdays

This past Saturday was a special day for my family. The majority of the women in my extended family have birthdays in October, so to celebrate, we typically all get together in October and celebrate for everyone. This year was also a little special because Alix, my sister just had Brylee, who is now 4 weeks old. Andie, my other sister is about 6 months pregnant with my little niece to be, and my Aunt Shannon, is pregnant with her 5th, yes 5th daughter! My mom and Aunt Shannon each now have 5 daughters! It is crazy to think about it that way, but it is a pretty special time in our family right now.

Andie hosted a really special luncheon at her house on Saturday. We had tons of good food, great company, and just a nice day together.

Above, on the left are amazing brie and balsamic sandwiches that Andie made. It is a french roll, with balsamic vinaigrette on it, tomatoes, cornishan pickles and brie. You really have to try it to get the flavors but it is a great tasting sandwich, and a delicious snack.

On the right, my mom made her famous chicken salad sandwiches on croissants. These are so simple yet so Delicious! Always a classic staple at any family gathering!

Andie made her famous Chicken tortellini soup for the luncheon. This is one of my all time favorites and I guarantee you that there will be a lot of blogs about this delicious soup this winter! It is a chicken stock base, with your classics, carrots, onions, spices, and then tortellini noodles! Add some pieces of fresh Parmesan and you cannot go wrong!

I love huge pieces of fresh Parmesan!

Horrible picture, but delicious lunch! Thanks again Andie for having us all over! It was a great day and the food was Phenom!

So I know its been a while...

I have been extremely busy this past month with work, Jackson, and just life in general. I apologize for not being diligent in my postings, but I have gotten back on the band wagon and will be back to posting regularly!

Above is Korean BBQ. My mom, step dad, Jackson and I ventured out 2 weeks ago for Korean bbq. Jackson was so good during dinner and ate so much sticky rice I couldn't believe it. The Kobe beef was good, but as with a lot of places that I go to for Muffin Topzz, I was still hungry when we left. We ate a seafood platter, Kobe beef, vegetables, and chicken. I have been to Korean bbq before and I loved it! But I knew the downfalls, you leave hungry, you smell like smoke, and no matter what, your dinner is delicious! The food was great and we had a great time trying something new.

The grill, and raw meat as it was served to the table.

I loved this car. I was driving to work last week, when it was raining and this Mercedes was in front of me. I almost crashed taking a picture but I thought it was hilarious.

The new Ralphs opened by my work and they have an incredible sushi section! It is delivered every morning from a really sweet woman who makes the rolls with her husband. I just like the idea of quick and easy sushi that is fresh, and well made!

This is a terrible picture, but this is homemade Lobster Mac n Cheese. Chad, my sister's boyfriend, made this and it was incredible! He used lobster that he brought home from Maine. It was delicious, cheesy, flavorful, and just the texture. The crunch from the top of the Mac n Cheese was perfect! Thanks again Colleen and Chad for sharing with me! I loved this.

This is just a simple pasta that I made one night for dinner about 2 weeks ago. Jackson and I had pasta for dinner. I kept Jackson's pasta simple with tomatoes, and chicken. I sauteed garlic, onions, and capers and made a delicious chicken pasta with tomatoes. It was very good and I actually surprised myself with this one!

Steak and white cheddar panini from Panera. It's good, with the right amount of contrast, salty steak with a touch of sharp cheddar cheese. The bread was way to hard though for my liking.

Darling cupcakes =  <3

BJ's Pizza- BBQ Chicken Pizza from Bj's

I hate pizza, but I eat this and enjoy it each time. This is a terrible picture though!