Wynne Arkansas Mazzio's Pizza

A month ago, I took a road-trip across this great country of ours. Having met friends over the years from all over the world I asked some friends where to eat and what to do along the way. It's truly the best way to vacation, because they already know the best places. One of my friends, Sarah, grew up in Arkansas and a few week prior to our personal Gumball Rally, she visited a place called Mazzio's. I of course wrote it down, and when we landed in the small town of Wynne Arkansas for the night, we tromped over to the local Mazzio's for their pizza buffet.

Mazzio's is a small fast-food chain of pizza restaurants with a very clean, and upscale dining room. While the food is typical (though there are a few exceptions like taco pizza), and the pizza average, the chain boasts a dining room of dim light and a themed Italian cafe eatery (or at least this one did). We were of course simply happy to be off the road. We had drove all the way from Greensboro, NC, and food, especially pizza and a salad made us feel recharged. Considering this was likely Wynne's nicest restaurant, nosing out the Subway in the Wal-Mart, we were happy to be there.

Mazzio's was one of the innovators of thin crust pizza.
Ken Selby, a teacher, and by night a pizza connoisseur
 began his pizza career in 1961.

But then Dessert happened. Forget the pizza, forget the salad, go straight to the dessert pizzas. Apple, peach, cinnamon. in a pecan pie flavoring upon a pizza crust. They're fabulous. Something just occurs with Mazzio's dessert pizza's that turn their product into something amazing. Their most popular is the chocolate chip pizza. Of course, I've had chocolate chip pizza before. Pizza Inn is most notable for it. The truth is, Mazzio's does it better. It's like a combination of chocolate chip cookies and pecan pie.

I've now been working on this recipe for serveral weeks, and while the texture is slightly different than Mazzio's, the flavors are spot on. Give it a go, and you too might love Mazzio's recipe for chocolate chip dessert pizza.

Mazzio's Chocolate Chip Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

1 thin pizza crust *

My version of their recipe.

1 stick of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup of light corn syrup
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. If butter is cold, microwave for 30 seconds or until soft.
2. Mix all ingredients.
3. Spread on top of pizza crust on baking sheet **
4. bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10-12
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 8 servings
Serving size:  1 slice

*I simple purchased the pre-baked "thin" crusts that come two in a pack at the store.

**I would recommend leaving a bit of a crust on the pizza, as the cookie portion does spread as it cooks, unless you have a pan with a lip. 

The Big Mac may have originated in the U.S.,
but this Pennsylvania born legend is
dwarfed by the Mega Mac offered in other
parts of the world.

Several fast food restaurants have sandwiches labeled “big”. When they first came out they were indeed some of the biggest out there. Today they're dwarfed by the nearly half to one pound burger varieties available at the drive-thru. Today these big sandwiches are favored not for their size but their distinct taste.

McDonald's offering, the Big Mac arrived in 1967 in response to the Big Boy. Guarded as their secret "special sauce", it really was nothing more than an altered tartar sauce. The Big Mac has gone on to become an American icon, and a symbol of capitalism. With McDonald's new transparency campaign, the recipe for the Big Mac Special Sauce was released by Executive Chef Dan Coudreat in a homemade version using store purchased ingredients. The real product at McDonald's restaurants likely does contain more preservatives and synthetic flavorings, but are likely inconsequential to the final product.

 I'll try to break down the measurements in my recipe below, so you too can make your own Big Mac at home.

Big Mac Special Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of real mayonnaise

2 tablespoons of minced sweet pickles
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:

1. Mince pickles
2. Add all ingredients and stir.
3. Spread on hamburger bun lid.

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 0
Total time: 0 hr 5 min
Yield: 8 servings
Serving size:  1.5 teaspoons

Carl's JR's Double Bacon Western Cheeseburger Recipe

If you're reading this, then it's quite likely that you already know what Carl's JR is, and what the Double Bacon Western Cheeseburger is (also known in its smaller version as the Junior Bacon Western Cheeseburger). For those not in the know, it's a cult sandwich served on the West Coast by a fast-food restaurant called Carl's JR. Carl's JR who purchased the east-coast chain Hardees several years attempted to make their own iteration of the Western Cheeseburger when thousands of displaced Californians demanded they did so.

There was a couple of problems however. One it wasn't produced verbatim. Apparently suppliers on the east-coast couldn't produce the same meat or onion rings for the sandwich, so they renamed it the Western Thickburger and topped it with French's fried onions. While it did fill the gap, it arguably wasn't the famous Western burger of Carl's JR. Furthermore it never caught on in the south which has a much different image of BBQ (shredded pork) and was poorly marketed. To make matters worse, several times during the "limited time only promotion", I found personally that our local Hardees never placed the sandwich on their menus and several employees said they didn't even make the sandwich. On one attempt I accidentally asked for the west coast version: "Double Bacon Western Cheeseburger", and they had no idea what I was talking about until I said "Western Thickburger."

While I do like Hardees, until they bring the Western back to the East-Coast, the restaurant will never be a "special" to me. With the nearest location some 1200 miles away in Dallas, it makes it a taunting tease for us stuck in a land void of the Double Bacon Western Cheeseburgers. A couple weeks ago I made the trip to Texas, and found our nostalgia for this amazing sandwich was not without warrant. The smokey sweet bbq sauce, salty bacon, and for me I add lettuce and tomato to round out one of the best fast food burgers I ever had, and which always leaves me with a smile on my face.

When I can't get to Carl's JR, I make my own. The same problems Hardee's had will likely be your difficulty too. Frozen onion rings just don't do it for me, so I'll either hand-batter some home-made onion rings, or use the canned French's Fried Onions too. The rest is just baking bacon, cooking a burger, and enjoying this wonderful combination of flavors at home in your kitchen.

Since Hardees has all the ingredients to make a Western BBQ Thickburger on hand as a part of other food products, the question is why don't they offer it? I'd be a fan.

Carl's JR Double Bacon Western Cheeseburger Recipe
Ingredients:

• 2 Hamburger patties (preferably charcoal grilled)
• Hamburger buns
• Center-cut bacon
• 2 slices of American cheese
• Cattlemen's Kentucky Sweet and Bold BBQ sauce (or alternative [**see below]) 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• French's fried onion crisps (or alternative onion rings).
• Lettuce and tomato (This is the way I like it!)

Instructions

1. I'm not sure that I need to dumb down the burger assembly process, but if you manage to get the above toppings in any sort of order between two buns, you'll be just fine! 

**Obviously the secret to this sandwich is the BBQ Sauce. Kraft foods (French's) and their corporate subsidiary Cattlemen is generally the distributor of most fast-food BBQ sauces. The closest formula is their Kentucky Sweet and Bold formula, though I do believe Carl's JR version is a slightly altered (proprietary) variation of this recipe. While Kraft does offer consumer size versions of there BBQ sauces under the brand-name Bulls-Eye, they do not offer this version (they did at one time, but no longer). You can either buy the commercial version on the Internet, or look for an alternative in your supermarket. Look for a Sweet and Bold style sauce, and look for the ingredients of either liquid smoke or natural smoke flavor (most important) and (prepared) mustard. Good Luck!

Velveeta Cheeseburger Recipe

This was the burger that made the cover of Nosh Cookbook.
I felt it genuinely combined burgers from around the world,
into a mosaic of international comfort food.

There's a tiny restaurant in central North Carolina called "Johnson's". There, they serve up the best chili-cheeseburger on the east-coast. It's absolutely phenomenal. They do several things right, but the one you might not be expecting is the fact they put Velveeta on their cheeseburgers. Forget ten-dollar a pound Gruyere, or black label sharps- once you try a cheeseburger with Velveeta, you'll never go back.

It's interesting how the toppings of a burger can geographically determine where you are. For instance in Argentina burgers are boiled and served with a fried egg topped with pumpernickel. In Germany, the beef is mixed with wet bread, mustard, onions, and egg. In Switzerland it would be a faux pas to eat a burger with your hands, and are served with a knife and fork. Sweden calls their burgers "pannbiff" which are made with a brown sauce, fried onions, and lingonberry preserves.


Then there's the names we call burgers, such as The Long Boy, The Double Double, The Big Mac, The Big Boy, or my favorite west-coast version, Tommy's MEGA. It's a triple chili-cheeseburger that's out of this world. 


Now here's where the magic happens. What happens if you combine my East Coast favorite Velveeta cheeseburger, with my West Coast love of Tommy's chili? Magic! That's what happens! Pure Magic! Whether you produce the recipe below verbatim, or try your own concoction, cut a nice 1/2 inch slice chunk of Velveeta and melt it on top of your cheeseburger the next time you cook. I promise you won't regret it one bit.

Velveeta Cheeseburger Recipe

This, perhaps the ultimate cheeseburger!

Ingredients:

• Chili
• Mustard
• Sliced tomatoes
• Chopped onions
• Shredded lettuce
• Ground beef
• Hamburger buns
• Velveeta cheese

Directions

1. Procure the chili (see link above). 
2. Form hamburger patties between two pieces of wax paper and chill in freezer for 15 minutes to solidify.
3. Cook patties over medium-high heat with a bit of salt and pepper.
4. Near completion top patties with a 1/2 slice of Velveeta cheese, and place top of bun on top. Cook till melted.
5. Top with condiments and chili and enjoy.

**If you really want to get a little freaky, try the European approach and add a fried egg to the top of the burger.

**Traditional chili cheeseburger methodology includes a basic mustard used almost as a salad dressing. Placed around your vegetables (dill pickles) to bring out their taste. The onions you want on the chili so the heat can permeate into it, and sweat and release their flavoring.


Of course, if you're going to make a Velveeta Cheeseburger with chili, you might as well make chili-cheese fries too. :)

Ned's Noodles | Yakisoba Chicken Recipe

Unless you're Anthony Bourdain on a layover in London with a production team and fancy restaurants, you might like me, want to pick up some food that's warm and delicious but also cheap and quick. When I'm in London, there's one place that fits the bill: Ned's Noodles.

Sure it's a take-out Asian noodle place, but as my realtor keeps saying, with Ned's it's all about the location, location, location. Located in a alleyway just behind the London Eye and Jubilee Gardens, it's at the center of everything. Perfect for taking your bucket of fried noodles and bottled cola to the shores of the Thames where you can watch the sunset as Big Ben rings in the distance. As a ukulele player from Finland busks behind the park bench playing a melodic tune, you've just managed a English riverside dinner with live music for under 10£, and can be back at Heathrow in less than an hour by The Tube.

Of course, when I'm back State-side, and I'm craving my chicken yakisoba from Ned's, I close my eyes, reach for this recipe and enjoy:

Yakisoba Chicken recipe
Ingredients:
You can also use beef or shrimp if you prefer.

• 1 pound of skinless chicken breast 
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• ½ sweet onion
• 2 tablespoons of Teriyaki sauce
• 1 handful of bok choi (Chinese cabbage)
• 1 package of Portobello mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons of McCormick's brand Far East Sesame & Ginger Blend
• ½ cup of egg or egg substitute
• cooking spray
• 1 box of thin spaghetti
• pinch of Accent brand seasoning (optional)

Directions:
1. Chop chicken, onions, mushrooms and shred bok choi.
2. Cook chicken using non-fat spray, adding in vegetables near completion.
3. Cook eggs in separate frying pan with spray.
4. Boil water and cook noodles to firm per box.
5. Strain noodles.
6. Shut off heat, spray pot with spray, and return noodles to pot.
7. Add to the noodles, seasonings, and sauces. Mix well with tongs.
8. Add chicken and vegetables.
9. Continue mixing, as you add cooked eggs.

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20-25
Total time: 0 hr 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Serving size:  1 Bowl