Burger King vs. McDonald's vs. Subway - Breakfast Sandwich Show Down

There's a war a brewin' and it's not in the middle east.

It's in the USA and it's over your breakfast buck. Recently BK has touted stealing the recipe for the Sausage McMuffin with Egg from McD's, saying it's not original but it's a buck. (McD's has price matched although that is not reflected on the menu.) Subway has entered the breakfast sandwich fray as well with both muffin and flat bread breakfast sandwiches.

So who's winning? Who will be king of the hill for your fast food breakfast buck.

Recently our esteemed panel of judges headed out in my jeep for a Muffin Sandwich throw down. We ordered sausage, egg and cheese version at each place 2 sandwiches, one for eating hot and fresh at the drive in window and another for dissecting at home. While it was a close call, there were significant differences.

Winner - BK Breakfast Muffin sandwich. Best over all taste and best sausage. $1.00 Nutritional info coming.

Close second - Sausage McMuffin with Egg. Slightly buttery aftertaste with strange egg texture pushed it in to second. $1.00 (currently) 450 calories, 27 g fat.

Last place - Subway Egg Muffin Sandwich with Sausage. Not a lot to like and the most expensive. $2.45 nutritional info coming

The differences between the firs two were in the sausage and egg. Everyone liked the sausage in the BK sandwich better and while the egg in the McMuffin tasted more like an egg, there is always a unnatural rubberiness to those McDonald's egg circles. The muffins were very similar with McDonald's doing the best job of toasting it. They get a small amount of brown right around the edge. It gives it a nice crunch.

The Subway sandwich was much more greasy and had much less taste. To be honest it would have fared better if we had added the veggies but that wouldn't have been fair. The egg part was the least flavorful of the three. Unlike their other sandwiches, they don't make the bread fresh on premises.

The egg parts are all from different origins. While they all claim to use real eggs, the McDonald's and Subway sandwiches both get the egg part delivered by truck twice a week. The BK people cook up the egg fresh on premises and we thought that came through, although they use an egg mixture they get from corporate.

So enjoy that BK sandwich while it lasts. Actually make one at home.

New Gadgets from the Chicago Home and Housewares Show

Cool new kitchen gadgets from the Chicago Home and Housewares show. Check them out.

Tuna Nachos, Need I Say More

Sometimes I get strange ideas.

Normally, my wife just shakes her head but I've had enough lucky hits that she's started to just say,"Go ahead, you never know."

So I had this idea for Tuna Nachos and also Tuna Pizza. I mean, what's the worst thing that can happen. (see previous 46 posts)

First I made some normal nachos for my eldest daughter who doesn't like seafood, and also in case the tuna ones are gross.

Pile o chips.

Melt some cheese under the broiler with the plate on the middle rack. Careful, it's hot.

Add left over sloopy joe meat or any kind of meat or chili. Put back under broiler for about a minute to heat up the meat.

Remove and add vegetables and salsa. Yum.

I recently found these Frontera chips that I really like. They are great for nachos, just a little thicker than normal chips.

Now do the same thing with Tuna.

Pile 'o Nachos

Add just a little cheese, include some fresh mozzarella, melt under broiler for a minute or so.

Now add sliced tuna (salt and pepper) and Tzatziki sauce. (Greek sauce from Costco)

Place back under broiler until tuna just starts to brown (about 30 seconds).

You want the under sides still raw if possible.

Add some pomegranate seeds serve. Yum.

We also did a tuna pizza that wasn't as successful.

Pizza dough with olive oil, green onions, fresh mozarella cheese, cook for 6 minutes or until just browned. Add tuna and Tzatziki sauce and place under the broiler until the tuna just turns, about 30 sec. Add some Pomegranate seeds.

Serve hot. It was fine, I experimented with the dough a little and that wasn't the best, but the tuna part and the sauce were good.

Definitely try the nachos if you're game.

Cook well.

Rob Barrett

www.cookingfordads.net

3 Chili Recipes In 5 minutes. Magical Chilis with an unexpected ingredient.

When I was asked to do a segment on a local TV station where I start off with a vegetarian chili base and then add ingredients to make 3 different chilis I was a little worried. Most of the chilis that I have had taste similar so I wondered if I could differentiate them enough.

Here’s what I came up with and I have to admit they are some of my favorite recipes to date. They all start with the base, a bean choice, add meat and then one special ingredient. (On the video we kept that from the hosts to see if they could guess it. They couldn’t)

Here’s the link to the life video.
http://twincitieslive.com/article/stories/S1389358.shtml?cat=10743

Seafood Chili, Steak Chili and Meat Lovers Chili.

Base:
1 29oz. can tomato sauce
1 29 oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 spoonful italian seasoning
1 spoonful chili powder
1/2 spoonful salt
1/2 spoonful pepper
olive oil

Place a little olive oil in the bottom of a big pan. On medium heat fry onions and garlic for 3 minutes or until just cooked.
add rest of ingredients and stir. Let simmer on low.

Bean options:
add just one of either:
1 16 oz cab Bush’s Chili beans medium
1 16 oz can Bush’s homestyle Baked Beans
or 1 16 oz Bush’s Red Beans (drained)

For Steak Lovers Chili
cut 1 1/2 lb of top sirloin steak in to small cubes. Fry on high heat until just browned, about 2 minutes, add to chili.
unexpected ingredient – 1/4 red wine

Let cook for a couple minutes then serve.

For Seafood Chili,
fry 1 1/2 lbs sea food, (1/2 lb deveined shrimp, 1/2 lb langostinos, 1/2 lb bay scallops) in a pan with a little butter. add to chili
unexpected ingredient - 1/2 log Philadelphia Cream Cheese, stir until melted.

Let cook for a couple minutes then serve.

For Meat Lovers Chili
Fry a red pepper (cut into small squares), 1/2 lb bacon cut in to small pieces, 1/2 lb italian sausage, 1/2 lb ground beef until meat is cooked. Drain and add to chili.
add 1/2 cup of your favorite Barbeque Sauce
unexpected ingredient - 2 spoonfuls Semi sweet chocolate chips

Let cook for a couple minutes then serve.

© 2010 Cooking for Dads

KickaCajun Burger with Southern Comfort Onions - Go Vikes, Kick a Cajun.

KickaCajun Burger

For each burger

1 handful lanogstinos (crawfish tails) or Uncooked Shrimp

1 handful Cheetos

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

1 or 2 eggs.

For topping

1 onion cut in thin strips/rings

1" butter

1/4 cup Southern Comfort

Directions:

Take langostinos or shrimp and cut in to medium size chunks about 1/2 squares.

Smash Cheetohs in to small bits using a plastic bag and your hand. (Use one handful of each for each burger.)

Combine them together and add just enough beaten egg to coat. About 1/3 egg per burger.

Add a Sprinkle of Tony Chachere's seasoning and stir until wet.

Mold in to burgers and fry at medium high heat (with a little butter) until cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. Make sure shrimp is cooked all the way.

To make onions,

melt 1" butter in pan,

add onions and fry for 2 minutes, turning often.

Add 1/4 cup Southern Comfort, tilt pan to ignite and stand back.

Let cook for 3 minutes more or until starting to crisp up.

Serve burger with onions on top, Mayo, a little sprinkle of Tony's spice.

www.cookingfordads.net

©2010 Cooking for Dads

Healthy Wings, Better Than Deep Fried, Guaranteed!

Rob's Better than Deep Fried Healthy Wings, Teriyaki style

1. Preheat oven to 450

2. Start with fresh wings, don't used frozen.

3. Cut in to separate parts if necessary.

4. In a large plastic bag, add 1 cup of flour, 1/2 spoonful of baking powder, 1 spoonful salt and a little pepper. Shake bag to combine.

5. Add wings and shake to coat.

6. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay out wings making sure they don't touch.

7. Lightly brush wings with olive, vegetable, or peanut oil just on top side.

8. Place in oven for 20 minutes then remove and flip over the wings.

10. Cook for another 20 minutes or until wings are firm to the touch.

11. Place in one layer on paper towels for 2-3 minutes to absorb excess oil.

12. Place in large bowl and add teriyaki sauce or favorite sauce. stir to coat.

To make Teriyaki sauce add 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 sugar (or equal parts of a larger or smaller amount) and 1 spoonful fresh ginger chopped. Place in small pan and bring to boil for 30 secs. stirring to dissolve sugar. reduce heat to low and let simmer for 4 minutes. turn off heat. Sauce will thicken naturally.

© 2010 Cooking for Dads

Death By Slow Cooker

Anybody want some pork?

I've been asked to compete in a Slow Cooker Contest on a local TV show I often appear on. For 5 days, 5 chefs will show how to make a slow cooker recipe, and the station's weather guy will taste each one, one each day, and judge which is the best. I agreed to make a pork roast. I hope he's not Jewish.

So I've been doing some experimenting, as is my wont. I've made 7 different pork recipes, borrowing crock pots from all the neighbors. One night I had 5 going at once, each making a different idea.

So to say the least, we've had our fill of pork.

Throughout this Crock pot/pork odyssey I've learned two main things.

1. Not all Crock pots are made the same. We couldn't believe the differences in cooking quality.

Our old stand by, the Rival, stinks as does our neighbors mini Rival.

This Fagor Multi-cooker does a lot of things, one of them slow cooking, and it does it pretty well.

This Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker does a fair job but...

The All Clad Slow Cooker is AMAZING. The meat was so much more tender and evenly cooked. While they don't give it away ($199) if you're going to do any amount of Crock pottery, this is the one for you.

2. Slow cooking is quite different from the normal fast cooking that I love and practice.

I made 6 recipes (7 actually) and 2 were total bombs. Complete failures. Of all my experiments, of which there are many, I haven't had such losers like these 2.

I'll list the recipes. Which ones do you think FAILED and which was the best? Cast your vote in the comments.

I'm on tomorrow, wish me luck.

Rob

www.cookingfordads.net

Slow Cooker Thai Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

2 large red bell peppers, cut in to slices

1/4 c soy.

1/4 c sugar,

1 sp fresh ginger

2 sp rice vinegar

1 sp red pepper flakes

2 garlic minced

1/4 creamy peanut butter

green onions

chopped peanuts

spray slow cooker with non-stick spray.

place soy, sugar, ginger, rice vinegar, and garlic into cooker,

stir

add pork and red peppers,

cover and cook on low setting until pork is tender (8 or 9 hours)

remove pork, and cut into small pieces.

add peanut butter to slow cooker and stir to combine with liquid

Place pork back in cooker to coat.

Serve over rice, squeeze a little lime juice on top and add chopped peanuts and green onions.

and here are the other two I'll throw together just to show how easy it can be.

Root Beer Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 can Mug rootbeer

1 small onion cutt in medium pieces.

1 inch butter

Rob's Coconut Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 can coconut milk (shake before opening)

1 spoonful red curry paste

4 spoonfuls sugar

2 spoonfuls fish sauce

Dump everything in to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork and cut in to small pieces or fork apart. Return to pot. Combine with sauce.

Serve on rice with sprinkled shredded coconut over the top

Rob's No Brainer Crock Pot Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 can Cream of Celery (Mushroom) Soup

1 small can crushed pineapple

2 spoonfuls tabasco sauce

1 spoonful Montreal Seasoning

Dump everything in to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork and cut in to small pieces or fork apart. Return to pot. Combine with sauce.

Serve over rice.

Citrus Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 lime cut in half

1 lemon cut in half

1 orange cut in half

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

Dump everything in to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork and cut in to small pieces or fork apart. Return to pot. Combine with sauce.

Serve over rice.

Saucy Pork

2 lbs pork tenderloin cut in 4 pieces and sprinkled with salt and pepper

1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup

1 small can crushed pineapple

1 spoonful Italian seasoning

Dump everything in to the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork and cut in to small pieces or fork apart. Return to pot. Combine with sauce.

Serve over rice.