Election Day Special: Who Eats It Better?!

Well, it’s here, the day we’ve been waiting for all year: National Nachos Day. No, I’m just kidding—I’m talking about Election Day, of course! (But seriously, it actually is National Nachos Day as well, so maybe hit up your local Mexican restaurant after visiting the polls today.)

I know a lot of people like to make their decision by examining where the candidates stand on important issues such as the economy, civil rights, coolness factor, and international relations, but for our endorsement, Endless Simmer cuts through the crap to the only thing that matters: who eats it better?!

Round One: Ice Cream


(photo: WYNT)

vs.


(photo: Buzzfeed)

Romney goes for a tall cone o’ soft serve, which is one of my favorite treats. (Seriously, every time we drive by a Dairy Queen on a road trip, I scream “DQ!!!” like a rabid six year old.) Obama, on the other hand, goes for a controversial choice: mint chocolate chip eaten with a spoon. I’m not kidding about the controversy; bloggers had a heyday  about Obama’s outrageous rebellion. (“If he wanted to eat with a spoon, he should have ordered ice cream in a cup!”) Well, guess what, haters: I also eat ice cream out of cones with a spoon. Sometimes my teeth are sensitive! I’m glad to see our sweet-toothed POTUS understands my struggles.

Ice Cream Winner: Obama

Round Two: Chicken


(photo: Gigabiting)

vs.


(photo: Hard Grubbin)

Well, it’s reassuring to know that both of our options aren’t afraid to grub down on some bird. Romney seems a bit… uh… glazed over during the whole thing, while Obama aggressively tears into his wing. What does this mean? It probably means nothing. Both of these political bros are just chowing down on some chicken, and while Romney looks perilously close to the mortal sin of sticking his fork into that drumstick, he doesn’t actually do it.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner: Neither. Tie.

Round Three: Hot Dogs

(photo: DailyAdvance)

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Endless Ice Cream: I’ll Take a Waiver with That

No offense to unsightly and my magnitude of sweet loving friends…but I really just don’t like ice cream that much. It hurts my teeth, it gives me a headache from all the sugar, and I feel like vomiting after I eat it every time (lactard). I’m not saying I don’t enjoy it once in awhile, but normally, not what I go for.

HOWEVER. A few weeks ago when I walked by this ice cream shop in Rehoboth Beach, DE while waiting to sober up from lunch at Dogfish Head so I could drive home, I spotted something interesting. Not only does this unsuspecting ice cream place have some weirdly named flavors, but in order to eat Ghost Pepper ice cream, you have to sign a waiver. I’ve had savory ice cream and spicy ice cream before but…waiver worthy? I read the Ghost Pepper ice cream description:

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Endless Ice Cream: Pumpkin Chai

I couldn’t close out this ice cream series with including one of my favorites, pumpkin.

Pumpkins start showing up at the farm stands by me around the first week of September, and I cannot resist the urge to pick up a few pie pumpkins and roast them. If you’re down for roasting your own pumpkins and making puree, here is an easy tutorial. Make sure you puree it until very smooth; the ice cream is unforgiving to stringy pumpkin puree. Otherwise, canned pumpkin works perfectly. Scoop yourself a big waffle cone of this and pop in The Nightmare Before Christmas for a perfect (in my opinion) end to the day.

Pumpkin Chai Ice Cream

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Endless Ice Cream: Cannoli Cups

Here is a marriage of two of my favorite things: cannoli and ice cream. This is a pretty easy recipe: no eggs, no straining, barely any cooking at all. Plus, these cups are adorable, and perfect for individual party desserts. You can fully assemble and garnish them up to three days ahead of time and pop them back in the freezer, in an airtight container, until it’s time to eat. No need to defrost, you can eat them right away. I really like the wonton wrapper cups, they are crispy but not crispy enough to give you Doritos mouth shank.

Cannoli Ice Cream Cups

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Sometimes It’s OK to Cheat: Dump Cake

So I know that here at ES (and in my life in general) there is a no-cheating policy. That is, make your own damn food, don’t use a bunch of boxed, pre-made mixes and shortcuts. Basically, don’t be Sandra Lee. Sometimes, just sometimes, though… there is a time to break the rules.

Now is that time.

Have you ever heard of “dump cake?” Kind of a gross-sounding name, I know. My mom used to make it for us when we were younger. It’s a very easy, quick, and delicious dessert comprised solely of peach pie filling, cherry pie filling, and yellow cake mix. After dumping those in a cake pan and baking, it kind of comes out as a cross between an actual cake, a cobbler and a pie. Anyway, this summer I got to thinking about my mom’s dump cakes and decided I wanted to bust out my grownup version of the old favorite. It still uses some of the “cheater” ingredients—canned pie filling and cake mix—but I changed up some of the flavors (coconut instead of cherry) and added a few more interesting elements to the topping (toasted coconut-almond crunch versus just cake).

I wasn’t sure if this old recipe would stand up, but the acclaim I received from everyone who tried it confirmed my actions. Sometimes it’s okay to be a cheater.

Peach, Almond, and Toasted Coconut Dump Cake

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Endless Ice Cream: Hot Pepper!

This is an ice cream I created specifically to adorn brownies. Even more specifically, the Ancho Chile Brownies found in Robb Walsh’s Texas Eats, our most recent cookbook club pick. The ice cream is sweet and mellow at the start, and then swiftly kicks your throat’s balls with a spiciness that lingers only for a few seconds, keeping your spoon digging for more. It played perfectly with the brownies, but any chocolate pairing would work well.

Hot Pepper Ice Cream

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