My problem with Hunt's tomato sauce!

As a man who loves to eat pasta, you would be right to think I would be picky about what sort of sauce I put on my noodles! And, as a careful shopper, I've taken advantage that Hunt's tomato sauce in the 24 ounce can which when on sale can be bought for only a buck! The sauce itself is great tasting and when you look at the nutritional label, you'd only see one big offender which would be the large salt content! (But, that's not why I have a problem with this product). It's the fact that they use High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as an ingredient. Yes, it's in a small amount, but it's there and it shouldn't be, in my opinion!

So, I wondered why use an ingredient that's really not very good for you? I'm not sure, and it doesn't look like much can be done on my part, as most of these types of products use it with abandon. I believe that they do it for three reasons; it's liquid in form, cheap and enjoys multiple byzantine agricultural supports and subsidies! That said, it wouldn't add that much to the cost for ConAgra to switch over to regular old glucose or even a sugar substitute. I know that I'd be happy to pay a little more, if they did!

Update: Feb 14, 2018 - I did receive a response from ConAgra in the form of an email. They denied using corn syrup, but used a different product as an example. I sent back a copy of the label shown above.

Critique: Trio Italiano

After going to a local grocery store and searching in vain for a package of American Beauty Penne Rigate on sale. No luck. I selected instead, a 340 gram package of Trio Italiano! Like the Penne I wrote about earlier, it was on sale for only a dollar! I figured I'd give this a try.

Now, normally, three different pasta's will cook to doneness at different times. However, I suspected that the AM Beauty people aka New World Pasta Company's quality control staff were on top of this and so designed all three types at about the same weight and thickness. As to why they decided on this particular mix, I really had no idea.

The cooking directions on the American Beauty package call for about two quarts of water, heated to boiling, in a pot. And even as salt is often considered optional, I like to add a small amount as it does add some needed 'flavor'. (If your on a salt free diet, then consider using a salt substitute). 

Once the water is boiling, you can add the noodles and maybe set a timer for say eleven minutes as per the package instructions. One thing to remember is that actual cooking times will depend on a number of factors such as the density and even age of the particular batch your working with. Do what I do and grab a sample piece from the pot for a quick taste test towards the end of the cooking cycle. After some practice, I've found that I can hit the 'al dente' mark just about every time!

Weights are in grams!

Once your pasta is cooked to the degree you like it; strain it and then add a pasta sauce of your choice back into the pot along with the noodles. (For this meal, I used Hunt's pasta sauce). Reheat everything for a bit and perhaps even add a small amount of Parmesan cheese to give this meal-a-deal an added flavor kick. There you go! Trio Italiano, ready to eat in only about 15 minutes!

[Take note that this meal is so not a diet breaker! Just make sure that any sides you choose to add are low in caloric impact; like say a salad with a vinaigrette dressing!] In the actual meal that I consumed, I used a tad less pasta sauce (110 grams) and sub'd in Catalina salad dressing and so the whole deal with a salad came in at about 360 calories! A very doable and satisfying repast!

David Bowie and that Starman guy!

In a very frighteningly short amount of time, and after over two hundred thousand years of species development and darkness, modern humans emerged on the current scene almost as if by some magic.

Less than a hundred years ago, we can now look back and wonder at the lack of those things we now take so much for granted. That perception of wealth exists here only in the US and perhaps a few other countries..

The task before us now is daunting indeed. Each and every person, every mammal and even every tiny insect or other lifeforms now deserve our undivided attention. Being granted awareness by our Creator, does not come without any responsibilities. Duh! Those who have the most, owe the most to a world that suffers so dearly and supports our daily existence.... Me? I'm still trying to figure out what to wear when Jesus comes to my door....   Jesus: 'Perhaps Depends would be in order sir.' 

Pontius Pilate and a dream!

OK! So, I'm working up to some things and some times yet to come. Stay tuned, as individuals like myself are either blessed from on high, or incredibly lost and a joke of existence.

My friends, enemies and associates, loving me and my love of my God, is your choice to believe in or not, either way! God walks with me every day and He's a pretty tough dude to hang with. I've been given sight or some semblance of sight. An internal awareness of His hard, but also incredible love.

Asides: Someone very old once said to me, 'To know the way, you must have first walked the way in my shoes.' The word 'the way' should have been a wake up call. 'The way' is the time line of each of our lives and how we all got to this point of existence (2018). Sort of like survivors in a poorly made sit com, and waiting for the next curtain. Well, here we are all now... [I take a breath. I breath in and then I breath out]. All the trials of my very petty existence, pales this on day, as I weigh my average life and my times against a man who is walking towards me now. For I now see, and am humbled... Forward: https://forsythkid.blogspot.com/2018/01/yvonne-elliman-late-night-thought.html

SpaceX's great experimental launch!

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX's giant new rocket, the Falcon Heavy, is set for its risky first test launch today (Feb. 6) from the historic Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch window stretches from 1:30 to 4 p.m. EDT (1830 to 2100 GMT). You can watch the launch live here on Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, beginning at 1:10 p.m. EST (1810 GMT). Weather conditions are currently at 80 percent "go" for today, and 70 percent for a backup launch time tomorrow, according to the 45th Space Wing's Weather Squadron, which monitors weather for air and space operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center.

The inaugural test will be flaunt with grave risks, as the vehicle's 27 first-stage engines will all need to light at the right time. The rocket stands 230 feet (70 meters) tall and will be the world's most powerful operational rocket, able to lift payloads of up to 19,000 lbs. (57 metric tons) into orbit. If it works! For this launch, though, the Falcon Heavy will have a smaller, stranger payload: Musk's car, a red Tesla Roadster. The car is set to end up in an orbit around the sun that's far enough out to reach Mars, had the mission launched at the right time, and Musk said it will carry cameras that should provide "some epic views," if all goes well. (Rumors that a crazed money, named Vernon, will be sitting at the wheel of the car have been repeatedly denied).

What is essentially three Falcon 9 first stages will boost the rocket into space, and then SpaceX will attempt to land all three of them. Two will set down on land, while the center stage, which will travel further, will land on a floating barge. Musk has emphasized that this is a high-risk launch, setting expectations low for a successful maiden flight. The vehicle's 27 first-stage engines will all need to light at the right time, for instance, and the central first-stage will undergo a lot of stress during the launch. After Musk made that comment, the Falcon Heavy underwent a successful engine test-fire, in which all the first-stage engines ignited for about 10 seconds on the launch pad. The good news is that the test was successful!

"It'd be a real huge downer if it blows up," Musk said during the teleconference. "If something goes wrong, hopefully it goes wrong far into the mission, so we at least learn as much as possible along the way … I would consider it a win if it just clears the pad and doesn't blow the pad to smithereens." Musk said that rebuilding the pad could take 8 to 12 months, which would be the limiting factor for when they could try another launch if this one went poorly; SpaceX can build another Falcon Heavy to test in 3 or 4 months.

All in all, this is must see TV!

Random thoughts for February 2018!

The dregs of winter!

I think of early February as a period that signifies both the midpoint of each winter and a focus of my discontent. It's the midpoint of winter, as the sludge of 2017 have not yet completely dissolved off me while the promise of yet another spring is still far off! A period of time when I often find myself falling back into old habits. Let me count a few off; slothfulness, gluttony and a general lack of any desire to exercise. (Two of those are major league sins, while the last is just me being stupid....)!

Fisa, piza, niza! Who really cares?

All that there seems to be in the way of political news has been the forever crusade to find Trump guilty of something. Anything! Womanizing, colluding with the Russians and even insanity top the charts for more than a year! And while this has been a white hot topic, for many on the Left, it has left me searching the channels for something else to watch. Sadly, advertising has now taken up the lion's share of most show's. I've even managed to surge a series of twelve stations in a row, never once hitting on anything other than ads for stuff I'll never buy. I can now see a time, where that tube will get someday get turned off, never to be restarted by moi... Too much garbage in too small a can.

Elvis has left the building!

As the midterm elections draw within sight, a veritable host of Republican Senators and Representatives are throwing in the towel and have announced their retirements. Even, Tray Gowdy, a man who some thought might try for the presidency has given up. This wave of Republicans will leave the door wide open for many weird minded Democrats to fill some seats in November. Putting these people in positions of power will be much like handing the keys over to you 17 year old hormone crazed kid and telling him, 'Go do what you want!' Well, it could make for a few interesting stories for the boob tube bunch...

Mediacom. A poster child for the limp!

After subscribing to Mediacom, a cable provider, for well over ten years. I can attest to fact that the number of outages I've experienced number far too many for me to remember. The company seems to put millions into advertising, but precious few pennies into infrastructure. Mediacom, a company that offers great discounts to new subscribers (for a year), and then seems to suffer amnesia soon thereafter. Mediacom, a company who fully takes advantage of being a true monopoly. King of the hill and Lord of the Flies!

American Beauty Penne Rigate vs Best Choice!

The last time I purchased Penne Rigate at a local store, the American Beauty offering was on sale for just a buck for a one pound (545g) package. A great deal! However, the next time I stopped there, I was forced to purchase a package of Best Choice that also came in at the same weight. The cost, at $1.89, was 47% more costly, however. (Something that caused me to consider buying this stuff only when on sale in the future)!

Am Beauty vs BC

As might be pretty obvious, the Best Choice product (right) had a larger bore diameter more due to the thickness of the wall than anything else. A thicker noodle should take a bit longer to cook and this was reflected in the length of the cooking times; 6-7 minutes for the American Beauty versus 10 to 12 minutes for the BC, (or about the same amount of time it would take to cook regular spaghetti). Each package had a recommended serving size of 2/3 of a cup or 56 grams of product. (I noted that the actual counts of noodles were 69 for the American Beauty and just 57 for the heavier Best Choice).

The question that then came to my mind was one of overall taste and firmness. I prefer my pasta on the al dente (pasta that is cooked to be firm to the bite) side of things, and so aimed for that in my effort at cooking it.

OK. Let the experiment begin!

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Preparation: For this test, I used 6 cups of water in a 2 quart Le Crueset. I added a quarter teaspoon of sea salt, brought the water to a rolling boil and then added the noodles. These were cooked for exactly 10 minutes, with me taste testing the noodles for doneness towards the end of that time. After cooking, I then added about a quarter cup of Hunt's tomato sauce to a sauce pan in which the two were brought together for the first, (and the last) time. That added a minute to the cooking time for the noodles. The only extra ingredient I used was a very light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. (At ~260 calories, this was a very doable diet styled meal)! Note: I'm not sure where that garlic toast came from!! That, and the tomato juice elevated this meal into the 400 calorie level...

Results: When compared to the American Beauty pasta, I found the Best Choice version to feel a lot more 'meaty'. It went OK together with the sauce and I enjoyed the experience. Still, in the future, I plan to base my selection strictly on the cost factor and will go with the 'lighter' noodle when I can!