Tag Archives: food

WMEO Special Report: It’s National Toasted Marshmallow Day!

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An empty WMEO 9 news desk sits in a brightly lit newsroom. A microphone and two sheets of paper rest on the desk, and multiple blurred screens with news graphics appear in the background along with a city skyline.

This is an WMEO Special report. Our anchors are on location tonight.

We bring you live from the WMEO campground, a full report on the marshmallow celebration for Toasted Marshmallow Day. Our intrepid reporters, Banner and Balboa, are on location tonight, investigating the state of marshmallow toastiness across the region. Early findings suggest high fluff levels, excellent golden‑brown technique, and one missing marshmallow (Balboa continues to deny involvement).

Cartoon versions of two cats sit by a small campfire at night, each holding a stick with a marshmallow over the flames. The orange cat on the left and the black cat on the right are roasting marshmallows in a simple outdoor scene with a dark background and grass at the bottom.

[Live‑Mic Moment] (Audio crackles. The campfire pops.)

Banner: “You burned mine again!”

Balboa: “It’s called caramelization, genius.”

Banner: “It’s called sabotage.”

Balboa: “You’re lucky I didn’t eat yours for evidence.”

(Producer voice off‑screen) “Uh… we’re still live.”

Both: “Oh.” (awkward pause, then cheerful tone)

Banner: “Back to you at the desk!”

Stay tuned for updates as the investigation heats up.

 

Two marshmallows on a wooden stick roast over bright orange flames, with the marshmallows turning golden brown as smoke rises from the fire.

Crispy, Crunchy Cornflake Chicken

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I don’t know about you, but with today’s meat prices, chicken has taken a front seat in my kitchen. I love KFC — truly, deeply — but I can’t afford to order out every day. So I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a good homemade stand‑in. I wanted that crispy, crunchy coating without the fuss (or mess) of deep frying.

This is my compromise.

KFC claims to use 11 herbs and spices. My crispy, crunchy chicken uses just five… and cornflakes. Yup — Corn Flakes. And unlike KFC, who guards their recipe like Fort Knox, I’m more than happy to share mine.

So here it is. Let me know how you like it.

Crispy baked chicken pieces coated in a golden cornflake crust, arranged on a metal baking sheet with an evenly browned, crunchy texture.

Dusty’s Crispy, Crunchy Corn Flake Chicken

Ingredients

  • 2–3 boneless chicken breasts (or thighs), sliced or pounded evenly
  • Seasoning for the chicken:
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ½ tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 1 tsp paprika (smoked if you like)
  • Dredge:
    • 1 egg
    • ½ cup milk
    • 1 tbsp flour
    • ½–1 tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp paprika
    • ¼ tsp onion powder
    • Optional: a splash of hot sauce or Dijon mustard
  • Cornflake coating:
    • 2 cups cornflakes, pulsed in food processor to fine crumbs
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ¼ tsp pepper
    • Optional: 2–3 tbsp grated Parmesan
    • Optional: 1 tsp oil or melted butter mixed in for better browning

Instructions

1. Prep the chicken

Pat dry, then season both sides with:

  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika

This ensures the chicken itself tastes good before the coating even goes on.

2. Make the dredge

In a bowl, whisk together:

  • Egg
  • Milk
  • Flour
  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Onion powder
  • Optional hot sauce or Dijon

The flour helps the coating cling, and the extra seasoning boosts flavor.

3. Prepare the cornflake coating

Pulse cornflakes in a food processor until they resemble fine, panko‑like crumbs. Mix in:

  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Optional Parmesan
  • Optional drizzle of oil or melted butter

This creates a lighter, crispier, more flavorful crust.

4. Dredge and coat

Dip each seasoned chicken piece into the milk‑egg‑flour mixture. Press firmly into the seasoned cornflake crumbs, making sure every surface is coated.

5. Bake

Place on a lightly greased or parchment‑lined baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway if you want extra crispiness. Cook until golden and the internal temp reaches 165°F.

6. Optional finishing touches

  • A sprinkle of paprika or Parmesan right out of the oven
  • A squeeze of lemon
  • Serve with honey mustard, ranch, or a simple garlic‑yogurt dip

Your Turn to Get Crunchy

Now it’s your turn. If you’ve been hunting for a budget‑friendly, crispy chicken that doesn’t require a vat of oil or a secret vault of spices, give this one a try. Grab a box of cornflakes, roll up your sleeves, and see if my five‑seasoning wonder can earn a spot in your own kitchen rotation. Make it, taste it, tweak it — then come back and tell me how yours turned out. I’m genuinely curious to hear if this crispy, crunchy chicken wins you over the way it did me.

Chocolate Cake: Because Summer Needs Dessert Too

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Freshly baked chocolate sheet cake covered in thick white frosting and rainbow sprinkles, resting on a cooling rack in a home kitchen.

A Chocolate Cake Kind of Day

Lately I haven’t been testing too many recipes. We’re deep into the summer months, which to me means hamburgers, hot dogs, and steak. I grew up with steak — my Dad loved it — but beef has been outrageous this year. So when my local supermarket had sirloins on sale three weeks in a row, well… there was no contest. Steak it was.

Lunch was a salad so I could enjoy my dinner without guilt. During this all‑too‑brief period of indulgence, I ignored the recipes landing in my email with startling regularity. Eventually I decided it was time to clear them out — and found a hidden gem I had to try.

Deliciously Moist Chocolate Cake

I am not adverse to using a box cake mix. They’re perfectly fine: open a box, toss in an egg and some oil, beat, bake, done. No muss, no fuss. I also hate frosting layer cakes (unless it’s carrot cake… ummmm cream cheese frosting). But I’m getting off track.

Buried in my emails was a recipe for a chocolate cake that I couldn’t resist.

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups flour
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
  • 1 cup freshly brewed strong hot coffee or hot water

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 9‑inch cake pans (I used a 9×13 sheet pan because, as I said, I hate frosting layer cakes). If using round pans, line with parchment rounds and grease the parchment.

Step 2: Whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) in a large bowl. Set aside.

Step 3: Using a stand or hand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix oil, eggs, and vanilla on medium‑high until combined. (If you’ve got a strong arm, a hand whisk works too.) Add the buttermilk and mix until combined.

Step 4: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet. Add the hot coffee or water and whisk/beat on low until the batter is completely combined. Batter will be thin.

Step 5: For 9‑inch pans: divide batter evenly and bake 23–26 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. For a 9×13 sheet pan: bake 35–40 minutes.

Step 6: Let the cake cool at least 1 hour, then frost with your favorite frosting.

What Makes This Cake Different?

For me, the biggest difference is the buttermilk. I went 60 years without ever using it, and now it seems I’m reaching for it at least once a week. This cake calls for a full cup.

If you don’t have buttermilk, here’s a DIY substitute: Add 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then fill with room temperature whole milk to reach 1 cup. Let sit 5 minutes. It will curdle — that’s exactly what you want.

Coffee or espresso powder is common in chocolate cakes because it deepens the chocolate flavor. It does not make the cake taste like coffee. Still, I don’t like coffee — not even coffee ice cream — so I skipped the espresso powder and used hot chocolate instead of coffee. Hot water felt too bland.

The recipe warned that the batter would be thin, and it was. Very thin. But I soldiered on. It also said the center might collapse even if the cake is fully baked because cocoa powder can’t support the weight of such a moist batter. Another good tip. So don’t beat yourself up if it looks like your cake fell. Just wait until you taste it.

Final Thoughts

I used traditional Crisco‑based birthday cake frosting instead of buttercream. It’s messy to clean up, but so rich and yummy that it’s worth every sticky bowl.

This cake is more involved than a box mix or even my usual from‑scratch cakes, but the difference is noticeable. They aren’t kidding when they say moist. The crumb is beautiful, and it holds together nicely.

This one is definitely going into my special‑occasion rotation.

 

Frog Eye Salad and Other Foods That Sound Gross (But Aren’t)

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A blue bowl filled with creamy frog eye salad made of acini di pepe pasta, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and colorful mini marshmallows, with a spoon resting inside the mixture.

Frog Eye Salad

When a Name Makes You Pause

How much are you influenced by the name of a food. Have you ever looked at a menu and thought, oh that sounds good — or just as quickly said, absolutely not. Would you try something that sounds, well… disgusting.

Recently one of the food bloggers I follow sent out a recipe for Frog Eye Salad. Yup. Frog eyes. It instantly made me think of a witch’s brew. All it needed was a little eye of newt or maybe a bat wing to round it out. Now, if they said frog legs, I could get behind that. After all, we eat chicken wings and legs, turkey legs, and even chicken feet. Why not frog legs. But frog eyes. I draw the line.

Fancy Names for Questionable Things

And while we’re talking about things that sound questionable, let’s consider eggs. We cook with chicken eggs every day, but I won’t even consider caviar. It doesn’t sound bad, but it’s fish eggs. I can’t. I just can’t. Meanwhile, I do like escargot — especially with garlic, butter, and cheese. Leave it to the French to make a tasty dish out of something slimy, but at least they gave it a cool name. Escargot is much easier to swallow than snails.

Moving on, let’s consider foie gras. Another French concoction. It sounds exotic and high‑brow. How do the French do that? It’s just a fancy name for goose liver. Goose liver pâté. Slap it on a cracker and voilà — a tasty appetizer. Ummm… no thank you.

Halloween Foods Are Just Drama Queens

Bloody Brains for Halloween

Now, if you’re preparing a Halloween feast, you might reconsider that Frog Eye Salad. Remember what started this whole train of thought. Halloween foods are basically regular dishes with dramatic names. A plate of “bloody brains” is just spaghetti with red sauce or a strawberry Jell‑O mold. “Monster eyeballs” can be mozzarella balls with an olive slice. And no one can skip “spider eggs” for a total gross‑out — deviled eggs topped with olive slices arranged like spider legs.

But back to the Frog Eye Salad. Is it a real thing? Yes. Yes it is. And based on the ingredient list, I think it might even be edible. No bat wings required. Not even any frog eyes.

Frog Eye Salad

A sweet, chilled holiday dessert made with acini di pepe pasta, coconut, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and marshmallows.

 Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Additional Time: 9 hrs Total Time: 9 hrs 35 mins Servings: 10

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups unsweetened pineapple juice
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 (16 ounce) package acini di pepe pasta *
  • 3 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
  • 2 (20 ounce) cans pineapple tidbits, drained
  • 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 cup miniature marshmallows
  • 1 cup shredded coconut

Directions

  1. Combine pineapple juice, sugar, eggs, flour, and ½ teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened.
  2. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add oil and remaining salt. Cook pasta until al dente, 5–7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
  4. Combine pasta, cooled egg mixture, oranges, pineapple tidbits, crushed pineapple, and whipped topping in a large bowl. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
  5. Before serving, add marshmallows and coconut; toss and serve.

*Note: In case you didn’t know (I didn’t) acini di pepe pasta is a very small, round pasta (about 0.2–0.3 cm). It’s Tender but slightly chewy when cooked al dente.

Let me know if you make it. I’m still struggling with the name.

And while I’m thinking about it, there are plenty of less‑than‑appetizing food names out there. Ants on a log comes to mind — and it’s actually a favorite of mine, though I’d never call it that. To me, it’s peanut butter on celery. Then we can head to England and enjoy Toad in the Hole (sausages baked in batter), same family as our pigs in a blanket. And while you’re there, would you like a dish of Spotted Dick.

There are a bunch more. What’s your favorite gross‑sounding food or meal. Or what’s something you’d never try just because the name is off‑putting. Bring it on. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Boogie in the Bogs: A Massachusetts Cranberry Story

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A close-up view of fresh cranberries, glossy and bright red, filling the entire frame.

Sweet Stuff and a Tart Little Legend

We’ve talked about all the sweet things Massachusetts is famous for — cookies, candies, Cambridge’s confectioner’s row, and that little “INN” in Wareham — but there’s one flavor we haven’t touched yet. And honestly? It’s one of my favorites.

Cranberries. The original sweet‑tart.

Fall Means Bog Season

Once fall rolls around, it’s time to boogie in the bogs. The colors turn electric red, the air gets crisp, and every farm stand suddenly smells like cider donuts and chocolate‑covered cranberries. I will happily pig out on those tart little gems until someone pries the bag out of my hands.

Ocean Spray: Born Tart, Raised Bold

Ocean Spray is a cornerstone of Massachusetts life, and its headquarters sit right in Lakeville — practically down the road from me. I’ve always loved their slogan: Born Tart. Raised Bold. It fits the berry and the people who grow it.

The company started with just three maverick farmers who weren’t afraid of bold beginnings. Today, around 700 family growers carry that same spirit forward. That’s a lot of families keeping a very Massachusetts tradition alive.

A Berry With Deep Roots

Cranberries aren’t just a fall decoration or a Thanksgiving side dish. They’re one of the oldest cultivated crops in New England. Native peoples harvested wild cranberries long before colonists arrived, using them for food, medicine, and dyes. When commercial bogs began popping up in the 1800s, Massachusetts quickly became the cranberry capital of the country.

And here’s the fun part: Most of those bogs aren’t on Cape Cod at all. They’re north of the bridges — in Carver, Wareham, Middleboro, Lakeville, and all through southeastern Massachusetts. The Cape gets the fame, but the mainland grows the berries.

How a Bog Works

Cranberry bogs aren’t ponds, and they aren’t fields. They’re a little of both. The vines grow low to the ground, and when harvest time comes, the farmers flood the bog. Cranberries float — which means the berries rise to the surface in a bright red sea. Workers corral them with big booms, scoop them up, and send them off to become juice, sauce, dried snacks, and those chocolate‑covered beauties I love so much.

If you’ve never seen a bog harvest, put it on your fall bucket list. It’s like watching the land turn into a giant bowl of cranberry punch.

Cranberries: A Year‑Round Massachusetts Flavor

Cranberries may be harvested in the fall, but they’re a Massachusetts flavor for all seasons. Summer cookouts, beach days, backyard evenings — cranberries show up everywhere if you let them. Sprinkle a handful into your summer salad and suddenly all those greens have a little bite, a surprise pop of tart flavor that jumps out and wakes the whole bowl up. And one of my favorite summer treats proves it.

A Seasonal Favorite: The Loaded Cranberry Hot Dog

This is the hot dog that says cranberries aren’t just for Thanksgiving — they’re for July, August, and every sunny day in between.

A hot dog in a bun topped with stuffing and cranberry sauce, served in a red‑and‑white checkered basket with bowls of stuffing and cranberry sauce in the background.

Here’s how to build one:

  • Place cooked hot dogs and buns on a platter for serving.
  • Add cranberry sauce into a serving bowl with a spoon.
  • Add gravy into a serving bowl with a spoon.
  • Add stuffing into a serving bowl with a spoon.
  • Build your hot dog by adding stuffing, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, and a drizzle of gravy over the top for a fully loaded summer hot dog.

It’s sweet, savory, tart, bold — and it works shockingly well. Cranberries aren’t just a fall tradition. They’re a Massachusetts tradition, all year long.