Brainstorming Notes Behind Pizza Hut’s Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza

[This is post #043 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project. Yeah, we’re behind, but we’ll catch up…]

The Internets are all a fury with the news that Pizza Huts’ hot dog stuffed crust pizza (The Hot Dog Bites Pizza) would finally be coming to America. (Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for the freaking Bacon Box to catch on…)

Yeah, we went there. 6.18.15. #HotDogPizza https://t.co/A8IJEwK3ST

— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) June 12, 2015

Some people love it.

Some people despise it.

But there’s one thing that can’t be debated: A lot of hard work went into developing the pizza. Fortunately, the actual* brainstorming notes from the Hot Dog Bite Pizza creative development meeting were leaked recently.

Below are some excerpts, while you can view the full page here.

Hot Dog Bites Pizza | Pizza Hut | getinmymouf.com

Every good idea involves at least one venn diagram.

Whew…we were THIS close to a puppy stuffed crust pizza.

Would really like to see the full discussion.

The engineers have their work cut out for them.

Strawberry Picking at Yankey Farms – Nokesville, VA

Yankey Farms – Strawberry Picking

[This is post #042 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project. Yeah, we’re behind, but we’ll catch up…]

Around here, Strawberry Season lasts long enough for you to realize that you just missed Strawberry Season.

So, then you’re stuck with a strawberry craving that is forced to be fulfilled by playing a game of food roulette at the grocery store. Sure, those strawberries grown in California and shipped out here look pretty, but most of the time they’re hard and sour and overall disappointing.

Fortunately, it turns out that living in the burbs so far away from the city has its perks: There’s a strawberry farm less than 10 minutes from our house (which equates to about an hour outside of the city for you folks in DC).

And in the spirit of the NBA Finals, we hit something of a strawberry buzzer beater by going strawberry picking on essentially the very last day of this year’s season. So we’re like the Stephen Curry (or Lebron James if you prefer) of strawberry picking.

We ended up at Yankey Farms which is a small, family owned farm in Nokesville, VA. Aside from strawberries, you can pick your own pumpkins in the fall, and in the summer months they produce melons and sweet corn. We recommend liking the Yankey Farms Facebook page to stay up-to-date with strawberry picking conditions as well as updates on their other produce.

It’s definitely worth it to find a local farm to pick from, as we ended up with almost four and a half pounds of strawberries for $20. If you can’t eat that many strawberries, a pint was only $4. They were dark red and juicy inside with a strong sweet strawberry flavor that was pleasantly tart. And these ain’t no grocery store strawberries, so treat them with love. They bruise more easily and won’t last as long as their shelf-stable counterparts, so eat or freeze within a couple days.

“But are they organic?!”

That same question was posed on the farm’s Facebook page, so here’s the answer:

“We are not certified organic. We practice integrated pest management and avoid pesticide applications as much as possible. If we do have to spray, we use reduced risk pesticides, generally products approved for organic production.”

#TheMoreYouKnow

After an afternoon of strawberry picking, we are now experts (yep, that’s all it takes), so here are our mostly common sense tips:

Wear clothing that you don’t mind getting red stains on. Duh, right?
Boots are advisable if you’re picking after a week of rain. Even if it’s not raining, it is a farm.
Feed your inner child and eat a few strawberries straight from the vine while you pick (demonstration below).

#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Reviews

Review: Wendy’s Crispy Dill Chicken Sandwich

Wendy's Crispy Dill Chicken | getinmymouf.com

[This is post #041 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project. Yeah, we’re behind, but we’ll catch up…]

“A pickle lover’s dream.”

That’s how Wendy’s has been marketing their recently launched, limited time Crispy Dill Chicken Sandwich. The sandwich improves upon their standard crispy chicken sandwich with crinkle-cut dill pickles, cucumber dill sauce, and Monterey Jack cheese.

Well, I love pickles. Is this a sandwich I’d be dreaming about?

Not likely.

Although it was good (and clearly good enough for me to eat two in one sitting), I have a few improvements that this sammich would need in order to be permitted into my REM sleep cycle:

Needs about a dozen more pickle slices – If I’m having a pickle-induced dream, there better be more than three pickles on my sandwich. I actually really like Wendy’s pickles, so the lack thereof makes it even more frustrating. If they really want to please the pickle coalition, maybe they should give away a free jar of pickles with every purchase.
The sauce tastes too much like tarter sauce – I didn’t dislike the sauce, but I kept thinking I was eating a fish sandwich. Never a good thing when you’re not eating a fish sandwich.
Lettuce, seriously? – You could make the argument that the lettuce is there for texture, but the pickles already add a crunch (and if there were more pickles, there’d be even more of a crunch), so the lettuce feels redundant. Add a sprig of fresh dill if you want a green plant on the sandwich; at least that’s what would be in my dreams.

Verdict: It’s worth a try if you like pickles (it was only $1.99), but I probably won’t be getting it again unless these toppings are offered on the whole chicken breast fillet sandwiches rather than the processed crispy chicken patty. Wendy’s regular Spicy Chicken Sandwich still rules my dreams.

Want a second opinion? Check out these other online reviews:

Grubgrade | Review: Crispy Dill Chicken Sandwich from Wendy’s

Fast Food Watch | Review: Wendy’s Crispy Dill Chicken Sandwich

If you liked this post, you might like the Brainstorming Notes Behind Pizza Hut’s Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza:

Disclaimer: Wendy did not pay us to write this review, nor did she provide any free sandwiches.

#100DaysOfFoodBlogging, Reviews

Review: Popeyes® Smoky Garlic Chile Chicken

Popeyes Smoky Garlic Chile Chicken | getinmymouf.com

[This is post #039 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project. Yeah, we’re behind, but we’ll catch up…]

As announced this week by Hector A. Muñoz, Chief Marketing Officer of Popeyes, the Smoky Garlic Chile Chicken “features the flavors of slow-smoked morita chile peppers and garlic in our marinade, bringing a slow-smoked heat to our premium tenderloins.” If you’re more of a visual learner, you can watch the television commercial here.

I’m not one to shy away from limited time promotions at Popeyes (especially those deliciously crispy/spicy/sweet Waffle Tenders!), so I stopped by my favorite fast food fried chicken place to check out the goods.

Smoky Garlic Chile Chicken

Looks: Very similar to their standard chicken tenders, although (and I’m not sure if it was just a random coincidence), the Smokey Garlic Chile tenders were in larger “cubes” than the long skinny traditional tenders. Not sure if it makes a difference, but that shape may help decrease the chances of your tenders getting a bit dried out and overcooked, as has occasionally happened with their skinnier counterparts.

Texture: Juicy interior, with their famous crispy crunch on the outside. The promotional signs talk of a “southern style crispy coating,” which I’m not really sure if that’s any different than their normal breading. I didn’t notice a huge difference, save for maybe a touch more crunchiness (but that could be the sign psychologically manipulating me).

Taste: You definitely get the smoky flavor. Spice level is subtle and I would rank it below their traditional spicy tenders. What I enjoyed most was that the smoky garlic flavor permeated the meat. So, even if you ripped off all the breading (as I have done before), the chicken will still have a really nice smoky taste.

Garlic Herb Sauce

This sauce is a winner winner Smokey Garlic Chile Chicken dinner. To me it was a fast food version of a garlic aioli, and I rank this above a normal Buttermilk Ranch, but below their Blackened Ranch. The tenders aren’t spicy enough to require a dipping sauce, but it never hurts to take a dip.

Verdict

I would absolutely buy these again. In fact, as I’m writing this my mouth is starting to water as I think about them… I enjoyed these better than the recent tangy/spicy Red Stick Chicken, but not quite as much as the legendary Waffle Tenders. If you want to try them, I recommend you hurry, because these smoky tenders will be gone after June 28th.

Continuing the delicious and endless cycle of limited time offerings, they even had the promotional posters out for July’s product: Hushpuppy Butterfly Shrimp. Interesting…very interesting…

If you liked this post, you might like THE BACON BOX: AN OPEN LETTER TO PIZZA HUT.

Disclaimer: No money or free chicken was provided to us for this post. I can even show you the receipt if you want. All opinions and chicken adjectives are our own.

Get in my Mouf

Food Stories

Brainstorming Notes Behind Pizza Hut’s Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Pizza

Strawberry Picking at Yankey Farms – Nokesville, VA

Review: Wendy’s Crispy Dill Chicken Sandwich

Review: Popeyes® Smoky Garlic Chile Chicken