75 South is a lower-shelf, blended whiskey. I picked up a 1.75 Liter bottle of this at a Safeway store in Tucson, Arizona while my wife was shopping for wine for Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll be honest, when I checked out of the store, I still wasn’t sure if I was holding a bottle of bourbon or scotch. The label didn’t exactly go out of its way to explain what this brownish liquor was, either. The bottle simply read, Blended Whiskey.   At $10.99 for a 1.75 Liter bottle, I figured it was a bargain whatever it was and I can drink either bourbon or scotch so the 75 South was worth sampling. The label, 75 South, sort of hinted to me that it tastes a little bit more like something from Kentucky than say, Scotland. There is a section of Interstate 75 South that runs throughTennessee,Kentucky,Georgia andFlorida. Does that geography have something to do with its name? The whiskey looked a little darker in color which also made me think of the richer, darker taste of bourbon. I tend to gravitate more towards heavier whisky in the colder months of the season, so I wouldn’t mind having a bottle of bourbon on hand. Read the rest of this entry

Maybe it is too cold during these late fall evenings to stand by the grill or maybe you are just tired of going outside when the kitchen is so near and dear to your heart. Good news! There is another way to make a moist, great steak; whether it is a cheap steak or fairly expensive one - and you won't need to embarrass yourself by asking for steak sauce this time. First off, a refresher course about good beef. Here are a few rules discussed from my Target Beef Ratings article:

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"Pass the A1 steak sauce."

"Don't you dare ruin that good steak with steak sauce!"  How many times have you reached for the Heinz 57 or A1 Steak sauce only to get scolded as if you were about to do something sacrilegious or just plain evil and insane? It's as if you were accused of dousing your neighbor's steak with arsenic. Who's the one eating it, anyway? I think it's happened to all of us at one time or another. Even those of us who have accused others of ruining a really good steak have done the same thing ourselves at one time or another - and we all do it for the same reason: we want to make something good even better. A tender, pink and juicy Filet is hard to beat on its own, or is it? Can you possibly make that pink, juicy, succulent cut of beef more flavorful; richer, zestier and exciting than it already is in its own natural state? Furthermore, have you ever seen or known someone who has done such an evil deed and regretted the way it tasted? You might expect them to react in such a way as, "Gee, you're right - that last bit of steak, smothered in A1 steak sauce was awful. I'll never do something like that again! I sure wish I had listened to you before I ruined my steak" That's not the typical reaction of the accused. On the contrary, the steak sauce lover has that guilty look of extreme pleasure and satisfaction and is already anticipating how they can devour their entire steak in the same manner without creating an uproar the size of the next world war. It does't have to be this way, nor should it. In this brief, steak sauce review I will prove why it is not only acceptable to use steak sauce on an expensive cut of red meat, but desirable. Here is why you should enjoy your Heinz 57 and A1 steak sauce guilt free. Read the rest of this entry

In the last couple of weeks, I've had to continue updating my ratings on the best k cups. When I learned that Starbucks K Cups would be coming out in November, I stopped by my local Walmart and Target at least once every other day to see if they were on the shelves. Each time, I ended up buying 18-pack box of something else to tide me over until the Starbucks is finally here. Last week, I reviewed the worst and the best in Grove Square (yuck) and Emeril Big Easy Bold (excellent). Once again, I need to revise my ratings and put a new one on the very top: Caribou Obsidian. I can describe Carbibou Obsidian in one word:  Delicious. Wait a minute - something's missing. Let's add a few adjectives:  bold, complex, smooth and deep. Will there be any reason to buy Starbucks after this? It depends on the price.
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K Cups Ratings

In the past couple of weeks I've tried two new K Cups brands; one really good and one not so good. I am not afraid to try new things especially when the price is really low. Grove Square Coffee K Cups are only $7.98 for an 18-pack. The premium brands that I'm most familiar with cost $11.88 for an 18-Pack at Walmart, including popular ones like Donut Shop Coffee, Newmans Organic Extra Bold, Green Mountain Dark Magic/Breakfast Blend and Van Houtte. Then,  last and least was the Folders Dark Silk which was cheaper, not worth the savings,  and previously ranked in last place in my previous K-Cups Coffee Ratings. Well, step aside Folgers - there is a new kid in town and he just knocked you out of the last place spot in the latest K-Cups Ratings: Grove Square Coffee. Read the rest of this entry

Pearl vodka is my new, favorite vodka for making straight-up, martinis with two olives. I like my martinis very dry with little or no olive juice. Who would waste good money on vodka and put olive juice in it? Not me, but maybe that's just me. I never did understand the dirty martini craze. Of all of the different wines, foods and liquors I've tasted and reviewed, I think vodka is not only the most difficult to rate, but the most disagreed upon substance known to man. I frequently visit the VodkaBuzz website where I often don't agree with the reviews. It was of no surprise to me that Pearl vodka had a poor rating: 2 out of 5 stars. Pearl vodka is a completely misunderstood and under-rated liquor, now let me tell you why: Read the rest of this entry