With the Courthouse Café in downtown Anniston temporarily closed, the Peerless Grille is stepping up to the plate, now serving breakfast starting at 6 a.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday.
The Peerless has always had breakfast on the menu throughout the day; now they're just opening three hours earlier.
Breakfast options include the Saloon Slammer (hashbrowns, cheese, bacon or sausage, topped with three eggs), as well as eggs and pastries, including, we hear, a to-die-for cheese danish.
The Peerless is at 15 W. 10th St., Anniston, 256-238-1899.
'Iron Chef' used stunt produce
The Jan. 3 Iron Chef America, featuring produce from the White House garden, drew 7.6 million viewers, the highest-rated show in Food Network history.
Only now it's been revealed that the fruits and vegetables used on the show weren't from the White House. They were stunt produce. Ringers.
At the beginning of the show, the chefs were shown picking sweet potatoes, broccoli, fennel and tomatillos from the White House garden. Then the chefs were seen walking into Kitchen Stadium, produce in hand. One problem: The show is filmed in New York City.
Due to the production delay, the chefs used replacement produce. Honey was the only ingredient that actually came from the White House garden.
Pillsbury Bake-Off finalists announced
The 100 finalists in the 44th annual Pillsbury Bake-Off have been announced, and their recipes are posted online at www.pillsbury.com.
The only finalist from Alabama is Bebe Williams of Huntsville, who entered her Hot Fudge-Marshmallow Monkey Bread, using Pillsbury refrigerated buttermilk biscuits.
Us, we're headed off to try the Cup o' Joe Chocolate Cookies from Helen Fields of Springtown, Texas.
Finalists will compete for the $1 million grand prize in April.
Testing Ove Glove
Made with Kevlar and Nomex by DuPont, the Ove Glove (as seen on TV!) is the high-tech version of your common oven mitt. It claims it "withstands extreme heat up to 480 degrees." The Detroit Free Press recently tested one, and decreed it a good buy.
The pros: It's not bulky like a traditional oven mitt, and its individual finger construction gives you more control while cooking. It's washable, and some versions of the glove have silicone grips that make handling hot dishes even easier.
The cons: If you get it wet, or if your thumb accidentally dips into the casserole you're baking, you can get burned.
Priced from $14.95 to $24.95 online and at mass retailers.
