food network

As Seen on TV Gift Extravaganza. Day 7: Quirky Stem Fruit Juice Spritzer

December 7, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Hey wait a minute, now that I am living in the middle of no-where in the Great State of Alaska, the Mall of America, one of my favorite hang outs by the way, is over 4000 miles away, I will be forced to procure gifts by alternate means.

I have been known to order some crazy things in the middle of the night from 1-800 numbers and a guy named Billy on TV, so much so that my wife has hid my wallet on occasion.

[ Rewind: Gifts that NOBODY wants! ]

But this year, I am going to showcase some of the greatest gifts known to exist for sale at 2 am. Yes, my rabid reader, I am going to give you the gift ideas of all gift ideas. So sit back and relax, find those credit cards you stowed away during the Great Recession and warm up your touch-tone (or maybe even rotary dial) phone and order away.

I bring you 25 Days of AS SEEN ON TV GIFT EXTRAVAGANZA!!

Everybody today thinks they are the next Iron Chef. With the popularity of the Food Network and the Cooking Channel every housewife secretly lusts over guys named Alton, Guy, and Robert Irvine, or Bobby Flay while they sit on the couch poppin’ Pizza Rolls.

If so they need one of these…

Quirky Stem Fruit Juice Spritzer

This innovative fruit juice spritzer from Quirky allows you to spread juice straight from fresh fruit evenly over your meal. Spritz citrus juice over your pancakes, add lemon to your scampi, or add a squirt of fresh juice to your favorite drinks with no mess or fuss. Simply push the hygienic plastic stem into your preferred fruit and squirt. The spritzer can be pulled apart for easy cleaning.

Order yours today– but you’d better hurry Christmas is right around the corner. I bet you can’t wait to see the joy on their faces when they tear open the package and finding a Quirky Sten Juice Spritzer. Well look at it this way, it’s not a can of Simonize!

Available today for $4.99 (plus shipping and handling, sorry NO C.O.D.’s)

Best Butt in Town!

May 24, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

On a recent trip to Fairbanks I stopped at Big Daddy’s BBQ. The restuarant dubs itself as the northern most southern barbecue and it is dang good food.

Big Daddy’s was profiled on The Food Network’s show Diner’s Drive-in’s and Dives with Guy Fieri. I wonder if he drove his classic red muscle car up here or was forced to take a plane to the Great White North? If you haven’t seen the show, Triple-D travels the country looking for the coolest places to eat. Big Daddy’s lives up to its name.

Set up like a sports bar with a huge flat screen TV airing the NHL Network and banners from every pro football team in the rafters and a stage in the corner for live music, Big Daddys’ charm is pleasing and not your average chain-style BBQ joint.

Some of the cool menu items:

Cowboy Sundae

Start with a layer of BBQ beans then you choice of beef brisket, pulled pork or smoked chicken, top that off with their creamy cole slaw and drizzled with their sweet BBQ sauces and served with a side of Texas Toast.

Smoked Wings

Whole chicken wings smoked then deep fried with your choice of sauce.

Moose Nuggets

In the South they call them Hush Puppies but these are with a kick; cornmeal stuffed with onions, corn, and ham served with a side of honey mustard.

Fried Pickles with a side of sour cream.

I ordered the beef brisket sandwich. The sandwich arrived with a side of fries and a smattering of sliced pickles on a plate you might find at a backyard barbecue. I was offered a choice of three sauces–sweet BBQ, hot BBQ and Spicy Mustard. I liberally doused my sandwich with the mustard and it was excellent. The smokey flavor of the beef was not over powered by the sauce and the crispy but somehow sweet fries were a great compliment. The serving size was just right.

Total cost: $13.50 with a coke. Not bad for Alaska.

If you are in Fairbanks on a tour bus or up for the start of the 1,000 mile Yukon Quest dog sled race, Big Daddy’s BBQ is with the stop!

Lucky Wishbone, Kissing Irishmen and Sled Dogs

April 3, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Michele and I headed out early for Anchorage to pick up Hugh Neff’s Iditarod team at the airport. He finished 17th this year and we are proud of him and his dogs for running a great race. But that is a story for another day….

On our way down to the city we talked about stopping for breakfast. Denny’s was our first choice. I know, blah!

Then Michele said, “we should stop there. They are always busy!”

It is the Lucky Wishbone. The little place has been serving up some of the best fried chicken in Alaska since 1955.

The restaurant is on the right as soon as you hit Anchorage on 5th and Karluk St. Its decor is plain and simple and looks like it should be profiled on The Food Network shows called Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Even after half a century George and Peg do things the same way–using chicken that is flown in from the Lower 48 and never frozen.

The chicken is to die for! It is made to order and pan fried style. As Michele said, “it’s just like grammy’s!”

Served simple in a basket with fries, a corn muffin and honey–in three sizes:

Pop–5 pieces

Mom–3 pieces

Junior–2 pieces

You can even order gizzards, livers and giblets if that’s your thing.

On a side note, it just so happened to be St. Patrick’s Day and the place was decked out in green and an old guy kept getting kissed. I guess it was his lucky day!

If you are visiting Alaska or just a local that’s wants to get away from the chain fast-food joints, you have to check out the Lucky Wishbone.

You’ll be glad you did!