Forget Shake N Bake- Try This “Cheetos Chicken” Recipe Instead

After last weeks Munchies Ultimate Cheddar post I was thinking about how sad I was that that variety doesn’t have Cheetos. Well turn my frown upside down cuz I have found a Dangerously Cheesy Cheetos recipe that will make up for everything, Cheetos Chicken! (I’m surprised I never thought of this before).

cheetos_chicken_recipe
Cheetos Chicken
Servings: 2 Prep Time: 10 mins Total Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:
* 3 cups crunchy Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks
* 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
* 1/4 cup flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg (I like using Egg Beaters)
* 1 tablespoon water
* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
1. Place the “Cheesies” in your food processor and process into small crumbs. Add the Parmesan Cheese and pour onto a plate.
2. Coat chicken breasts in flour & salt.
3. Combine egg & water. Beat until well combined. Dip floured Chicken in egg mixture.
4. Coat the chicken in the Cheesie crumbs.
5. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet (I use cooking spray).
6. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350° until chicken is cooked through (cooking time will depend on thickness of meat).

You know that simply have to try this at least once in your life. Let us know what you think.

I nabbed this off of http://www.cheetos.com. That is actually a pretty fun site they have a few other recipes I may try. For instance, Cheetos sushi I think has the potential to be a life changing experience.

-Daniel

My New Best Friend is Ultimate Cheddar Munchies

At the risk of looking like a “one note” when it comes to my snack related posts I simply must share with you all a new variety of Munchies!

munchies-ultimate-cheddar
As my loyal fans know I love Munchies and have reviewed them before. Well the clever people at Frito-Lay have spawned a new addictive variety of Munchies with a slightly different combination.

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While on work break one day I was browsing a Walgreens here in downtown Chicago when I first caught a glimpse of this new Munchies incarnation. This is the smaller sized bag they call the “Hunger Grab.” This is the Ultimate Chedder Munchies which consists of three snacks married together in one bag of flavor ecstasy.

munchies-varietiesFirst you get Chester’s Cheesy Bites (basically Frito-Lay’s clone of Cheez-It crackers). Next is Rold Gold pretzels in two shapes: sticks and loops. Finally, it has Quaker Squares cereal pieces (it’s actually hexagons and squares). I’m not exactly sure what the little round flat crunchy breads are from but they are yummy. One thing that is missing that I love from the other Munchies is Cheetos. Still I think the Quaker Squares cereal pieces are the best part of this mix because it adds a little sweetness to the other savory seasoned items in the bag. After all, that is the beauty of Munchies how the different flavors and textures come together and make us forget they are about 180 calories in each cup. Yeah it’s a wonder I stay so thin. :-P

-Daniel

Spooky Good Times at Mattel’s Monster High!

monster_high_mattel_07So I was peaking in the toy aisles at Kmart the other day because I am shameless about being over the age of 15 and still being interested in what the latest toys are. I love trying to guess what the next big toy phenomenon will be. Well if I was the gambling type I’d bet that Mattel’s Monster High may just hit the jackpot.

The “elevator pitch” or basic idea behind Monster High is this: what if the most famous monsters like The Mummy, Frankenstein, Wolfman and Dracula had kids and these kids were all in high school together. Kinda clever concept especially given the ever-present obsession with vampire stories (Anne Rice, Buffy and Twilight to name a few). The line is focused on tween and teen girls and expect the market to get saturated with product tie-ins.

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Let’s first look at what I’d consider the main product, namely the line of fashion dolls. The dolls look similar to the discontinued Bratz line with the big anime eyes. You may have heard the controversy about Bratz. Allegedly Mattel was urged to kill the line because they looked like young prostitutes. Anyway, the big eyes is where the similarity ends because these characters are much darker.monster_high_mattel_08As mentioned above each character is based on a monster such as the mummy, werewolf, vampire etc. The guy character, Deuce Gorgon is based on Medusa and has a row of snakes on his head like a mohawk. See that is pretty kewl you have to admit.

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I am not ashamed to admit I think I have a favorite Monster High character. And it’s Frankie. Just look at this chick. She’s like a zombified version of Alicia Siverstone’s character from Clueless. Did I mention I love zombies.

monster_high_mattel_packaging_01As a graphic designer I have to mention the packaging. I like the look of it. They carry over the same bold line style that the logo has. It combines a kind of urban street look with a touch of Halloween. All the dolls have clothes that are kind of goth and edgy. It looks like they all shop at Hot Topics.

monster_high_mattel_clothes_06Speaking of clothes, lets move onto the many other products that have the Monster High cutsie skull with pink bow logo plastered all over it. Coming to a Justice or Limited Too near you…Monster High attire.

monster_high_mattel_notebooks_04What tween girl can start the new school year with out their very own Monster High notebook, notepad, pencils and scented erasers, right?

monster_high_mattel_plushies_03What franchise is complete without plushies? I mean you know an idea has reached the apex of commercial success when it spawns plushies. So here you go. Each Monster High character has their own plushie version with accompanying plushie pet. Those button eyes give it an extra creepy voodoo doll look.

Now do you see that Mattel is essentially printing it’s own money with this thing? Oh yea, I expect good times at Monster High for Mattel.

-Daniel

Beat the Summer Heat with a nice Cherry Coke Zero

sun2It is really really hot today! Summer is at it’s peak in North America. So I thought I would give you all a post about a refreshing soft drink that I recently became addicted to, Cherry Coke Zero. I’ve always liked Cherry Cokes. Even as a kid I would love to order Cherry Cokes at the Friendly’s Restaurant near where I lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. They would make them extra special by adding real cherries to float in the glass. Strange how just by adding cherries to a soft drink can turn it from lowly soda to gourmet treat.

Though I just discovered Cherry Coke Zero recently it’s been on the market for a couple years now. It’s really surprisingly yummy for a drink that doesn’t have sugar or calories or any of that stuff. The entire Coke Zero line was launched as a way to appeal to male soda drinkers. Apparently men associate the word “diet soda” with something women would order. As sexist as that sounds it does kinda make sense the way men think. So the Coca-Cola company devised this Zero brand to appeal to the boys.

So whether you’re a dude or a chick, crack open a can of delicious Cherry Coke Zero today for some guilt free, thirst quenching, cherry flavored joy. And if you’re really needing a pick-me-up then put a few maraschino cherries in it!

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Stay cool!

-Daniel

Everybody Loves the Star Wars AT-AT Walker!

Hey guys, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted. I was crazy busy with work, which often means I come home and crash instead of writing about food, toys and video games as I’d rather do. The good news is I have been working on some kewl posts that I will be adding this week. So rev up the RSS feeder and stay tuned.

kenner-star-wars-at-at
Now let’s talk about something awesome in so many ways, the Star Wars AT-AT Walker! AT-AT stands for All Terrain Armored Transport. Rumor has it that the idea for the AT-AT walker came to George Lucas when he drove by huge mechanical oil pumps. Long have I loved this machine first seen in Empire’s Strikes Back and then also a brief cameo on Endor in Return of the Jedi. I had the Kenner AT-AT toy growing up and it was always a favorite.

family-guy-star-wars-atat-darksideRecently the AT-AT walker has been seeping back into the public consciousness. I attribute this chiefly with Family Guy’s Something Something Darkside movie. In it there is a scene where an AT-AT gets hit on the leg and holds his knee, rocking back and forth similar to how Peter Griffin did in a previous episode. Expect seeing t-shirts of this soon if they aren’t out already!

Lego-at-at-star-wars
Readers of the site know that I love Lego. So I can’t discuss the AT-AT walker without mentioning the amazing Lego Star Wars AT-AT walker set. This thing is so boss and it really walks!!! I may be wrong but I think this is the first AT-AT walker toy to actually have a walking feature. Check out my full review of the Lego AT-AT walker on my Lego blog.

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As you may know Hasbro now owns the rights to the Star Wars action figure line. I’ve picked up a few of the Star Wars 3.75-in action figures. I have been collecting droids mostly (I have a thing for astromechs). I got a few kewl figures during my forays into the comic convention circuit this past year. Well now Hasbro is releasing an AT-AT toy! You are gonna “make the jump to hyperdrive” when you see this. That was a great pun I know, the pulitzer for blogging is mine I tell you. MINE! Anyway this could possibly be the best looking AT-AT toy I’ve seen.

star-wars-AT-AT_detail

Check out all the detail on this big guy. It looks like it’s about the same size as the old Kenner version but it looks more accurate to the movie. There are some additions though like the gun that pops out above the shoulders. Plus, look at all the compartments this thing has. The inside detailing is very impressive with platforms and railing for the figures to stand on and a retractable zip line for troop deployment. Oh yea this thing stirs my Kool-Aid. I expect this will be on display in my living room soon enough.

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Now take a look at a wee-sprig of a thing that is the Galactic Heroes AT-AT walker. Aw Isn’t it cute? It’s like a baby AT-AT Walker.

star_wars_galactic_heroes_06I haven’t really got into collecting Star Wars Galactic Heroes because they didn’t really grab my interest. They aren’t very posable and why are they all stuck in a bow-legged squat pose?

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Nevertheless the Galactic Heroes AT-AT is kinda kewl I have to admit.

Finally I just had to share with you a few funny AT-AT related items I found online.

atatcaddy

Pepsi came up with this ad on how to convert an AT-AT walker toy into a chairside soda caddy. Now if only it can go fetch my slippers it’ll be man’s best friend.

graffiti-at-atThis is what happens when General Veers drives through the bad part of Coruscant.

Imperial-Walker-AT-AT-boombox-stereoI found a number of AT-AT walkers converted into stereos and boomboxes. This one was my favorite because it’s sleek black. It would so go with my Xbox 360.

star-wars-at-at-anatomyEver wonder what the anatomy of an AT-AT Walker is? Well check out the x-ray above.

star-wars-baby-stroller-at-atAnd finally, the AT-AT baby stroller. I promise you. If I ever spawn an evil human worm baby offspring it will so definitely ride around in a stroller like this!

-Daniel