Alright. I bought some Halloween fun-shaped silicone pans from Aldi and I wanted to use them. I’m not a baker. I could have made beer cheese bread? This seemed easy enough though. No measuring. No fuss. Fall shenanigans good for Halloween or Thanksgiving. These taste like delicious pumpkin rolls.
Three ingredients. OK, four. I used some pumpkin spice. Alright, five if you count the frosting.
Ingredients:
1 box (15.25 oz) Yellow Cake Mix
1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin
1 single-serve cup (4 oz) Unsweetened Applesauce
A shake or two of Pumpkin Spice
1 tub Baker’s Corner Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF.
Get your cupcake tins of choice ready, grease, spray, or line ’em if so inclined.
Dump the cake mix, the can of pumpkin, & the cup of applesauce t into a large bowl.
Shake on some pumpkin spice and/or cinnamon. Mix it all together. Mix it well.
Slap that batter into your cupcake thing, go about ยพ fill ’cause it’ll rise.
Pop the baking sheet into the oven and bake at 350ยฐF for about 30 minutes.
Pull ;em out & let ’em cool.
Slather on a generous amount of cream cheese frosting.
Notes:
I used the silicone cupcake trays, so I put them on a flat backing sheet. Apparently this can extend typical baking time a bit. I started checking at 20 minutes with a knife, and it was still gooey then.
This would be fine in a cake pan or pie plate or casserole dish or even a loaf pan or two, I bet. I am here for you doing you & using what you’ve got.
I like pumpkin flavor more than pumpkin spice. Of course, go heavy if that’s your thing.
Hit me up with your tips, tricks, similar recipes, or super easy stuff to bake.
There’s other stuff I’m surely gonna try. The Wedding Soup Meatball Sub worked, why not make it a meatloaf? Maybe? I thought of a chili meatloaf, whic would maybe have beans in it… and I still may try that someday, but this seemed like more of an easy win. Plus, leftovers right into a warmed tortilla? Yes, please.
Maybe this is “white people tacos” because of the seasonings, but I mean… it was pretty good, and it tasted like the tacos I grew up eating in the 80s. I should have snuck in some salsa and black olives. Wait. Maybe refried beans? Would that even work?
I absolutely do not measure. All measurements are approximate. Measure with your heart, and season according to your ancestors. If your ancestors come from the same place mine do, maybe keep seasoning a bit past that.
Ingredients:
2ยฝ lbs. 80/20 ground beef
2 Tbsp taco seasoning (from a shaker; about 1-1ยฝ packets if youโre using packets)
2 large eggs
1 cup crushed Doritos (about 2 cups before crushing; roughly 2 big handfuls)
ยผ cup panko
ยผ cup taco sauce
ยผ cup milk, for soaking the panko
1 cup Mexican-style shredded cheese
2-3 Tbsp. sour cream
ยฝ cup slightly crushed French fried onions
Other seasonings, approximate:
1 tsp chili powder
ยฝ tsp cumin
ยฝ tsp garlic powder
ยฝ tsp onion powder
ยฝ tsp paprika
ยผ tsp cayenne
ยฝ tsp black pepper
ยฝ cup taco sauce, divided (for glaze/topping)
ยฝ cup shredded Mexican-style cheese (for topping)
3 sacrificial slices of white bread.
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400ยฐF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and lay the bread slices side by side, shaped roughly like the loaf.
Soak the panko & crushed Doritos. Stir the panko, ยผ cup taco sauce and ยผ cup milk together in a large bowl. Let it sit about 5 minutes until itโs a thick paste. Season this up.
Beat the eggs lightly and stir them into the soaked panko mixture..
Add the beef, taco seasoning, cheese, sour cream, French fried onions and all more spices to the bowl. Mix gently with your hands.
Shape. Form a loaf on top of the bread, about 9-10 inches long and 3-4 inches tall. (The bread catches the drippings and keeps the bottom from burning.)
Bake for about 50 minutes.
Take it out and brush the top with about ยผ cup taco sauce. Add a thin layer of shredded cheese, then drizzle with the remaining taco sauce. Bake another 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbly and the internal temperature reads 160ยฐF.
Rest for about 3 minutes, then slice.
I think it was pretty good. Obviously you could do regular tortilla chips and add more seasoning. I may do that next time. This time I baked it alongside a normal meatloaf just in case nobody liked it. The family looked at me weird when I rolled out my plan.
I served all this along with some Spanish rice & black beans. I probably made that very not traditionally, but it was also pretty good. Also with it I sauteed some zucchini and bell pepper. Would have done onion, but the last one was a little too squishy for my taste.
What unconventional meatloaf ideas are you sitting on? Would you try this? What are you making out there?
Lots of other people have done this and there are certainly other recipes out there, but as always I did my own take here. I get real tired real quick on foodie gatekeeping about the “right” way to do stuff, as it recipes and ingredients haven’t always changed across generations, borders, & families.
I had what I wanted to do and a taste I was going for in my head, and it definitely hit the mark. My son tasted a meatball before we made a sandwich and he said the meatball tasted exactly like wedding soup. I’ll take that!
I ended up making a broth on the side to kind of have like a a French Dip sandwich. Google says it’s a Brodo di Bollito. I took the bun that I messed up, but it still looks pretty good. I’ll try to make the recipe concise below. I just kind of throw stuff together, don’t measure, and hope it works.
How would you do yours? I present this as a guide and a reminder for myself the next time I make these. I encourage you to make it your own. Here’s what I did, I’ll try to present it as a recipe:
Dash ofย extra virgin olive oil, for sautรฉing mirepoix
Seasonings! (To taste, throughout.)
onion powder
garlic powder
black pepper
Dash table blend
paprika
dried parsley
Italian seasoning
rotisserie chicken seasoning
poultry seasoning
3ย tsp.ย jarred minced garlic (I know, I know, the internet hates this. Use fresh then.)
1 (32 Oz.) box chicken stock
1 (32 Oz.) box chicken broth
1ย beef bouillon cube
1ย cupย whole-milk ricotta
4ย cupsย fresh spinach
4ย hard rolls, split on top
1ย cupย fontina, freshly shredded
ยฝย cupย fancy shredded Parmesan, for topping
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400ยฐ F.
In a soup pot, sautรฉ the Carrots, celery, & onion in some butter & a splash of olive oil, with the jarred minced garlic. Season with a bit of the herb/spices to taste, add minced garlic after the stuff cooks a bit.
Take out maybe ยฝ to ยพ cup of the mirepoix and set aside to cool.
Add the chicken stock and beef bouillon cube to the pot with the remaining mirepoix, and bring it to a boil.
Add the acini di pepe, cook about 9 minutes per the box, just shy of tender โ you want it barely cooked, not swollen.
Set aside about ยฝ to ยพ cup of the acini di pepe to cool.
Put the stock on a warmer or a low simmer.
Mix the meatballs! Combine ground beef, ground chicken, 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, plain & panko breadcrumbs, 0.5 cups grated Parmesan. Gently fold in the cooled mirepoix/acini di pepe mixture, Mix by hand until just combined, don’t overwork. Don’t forget to season the egg mixture, the breadcrumbs, & the meat.
Form a bunch of meatballs on a backing sheet with some parchment paper. Mine were probably just a little smaller than 2 inches in diameter. I seasoned them after forming, too.
Bake the meatballs at 400ยฐF for 17-ish minutes (until they reach 165ยฐF internal).
Season the ricotta: While the meatballs bake, mix ricotta with a pinch of the seasoning blend until well combined.
Wilt the spinach in a pan with some butter & seasonings.
Split 4 hard rolls on top. Spread the herbed ricotta inside, then toast in the oven at 400ยฐF for about 5 minutes. (You can time it to go in with the meatballs or wait until they’re done.)
Layer wilted spinach into each toasted roll, top with meatballs, then sprinkle fontina & shredded Parmesan generously over the top.
Melt the cheese: Return assembled subs to the oven at 400ยฐF for about 7 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Warm the broth and serve alongside the subs for dipping, French dip style.
Notes:
I should have used fresh parsley in addition to the dried stuff.
Use “real” garlic if you’re cooler than me.
I should have put a tiny bit of spinach in the meatballs too.
This could have made like 10 sandwiches, I only made 4. We’re gonna freeze stuff for later.
Use plain or panko or seasoned breadcrumbs, or crush up crackers, parmesan CheezโIt, or croutons. Hell, crush up Ritz. Use what ya got.
Just melt butter with herbs/seasonings & spread it on the bun, then add mozzarella or provolone or whatever kind of cheese you like here if you’re so inclined. I went with Ricotta and Fontina because they seem more mellow for some reason.
I would use a little pasta here. Maybe orzo or stelline or any kind of pastina.
Of course you can use sausage, or veal, or pork, or whatever floats your boat.
The spinach could have used some type of vinegar maybe, to cut the richness? Lemon would work too, but I’m not a huge fan. We had these with a nice small side salad.
I feel like red bell pepper may not have been out of place here somewhere? In the meatball sauteed? Roasted red peppers on top?
I hate rice in meatballs, so I subbed in veggies for my cabbage rolls, and that really worked well.
FoundationsMeatball Before & AfterAccoutrementsRoll out! Sub assembly collage.
So, there you have it. What do you think? Do you make a similar sub or know of a restaurant or food truck that does? What other kind of soup would make a good meatball sub? My wife suggested French onion. That seems doable and delicious.
What if we got weird with cheddar cheese-filled meatballs dipped in tomato soup? Broccoli cheddar soup inspired, made with meatballs sort of like ham loaf ? I suggested a meatloaf made like a green bean holiday casserole and the family told me that the madness had to stop. (It’s not that far off from mushroom meatloaf mayhem.)
Wait. Ground turkey, boxed stuffing as the breadcrumbs, and a cranberry glaze? That would make one hell of a meatball sub or a meatloaf. (Sort of like my Thanksgiving sliders?)
So, the other night, I caramelized some onions for some burgers. In my time-honored tradition of always making too much… I had some leftover. I had an idea for English muffins for breakfast topped with the onions & some Swiss cheese, so I tried it, out.
The were absolutely delicious. Just posting this so I can pin it & refer back to it.
When caramelizing the yellow onions in a ridiculous amount of butter, I added some salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, ground mustard, & black pepper. I have no idea if this is “correct” but it was delicious. I start them out on medium until they’re translucent, then cook on medium-low for a ridiculously long time.
Fast forward to the next morning, I split some L’Oven Fresh English Muffins, spread butter on them, spread some of the leftover caramelized onions on them, and topped with half a slice of Swiss cheese… and baked in a pre-heated 350ยฐ F oven for about 13 minutes. (The onions were cold from the ‘fridge, & I wanted to be sure they were heated up before everything was too toasted.)
It was a great breakfast… but I did miss a beef broth or au jus kind of flavor. Would have been like French Onion English Muffins then. Maybe next time?
What would you call this? Have you done something similar? Would you do it different? Ever try the oven method to caramelize onions, or something other than slow & low on the stovetop? Let me know in the comments!
We can talk about meatball club. We can share recipes & secrets. A meatball sub is great, but a meatball club is epic. (With a small shout out to the meatball melt.) Stack or you’re whack.
๐ด๐ด๐ด
You have to check out this design on TONS of STUFF at TeePublic & RedBubble. Get a T-shirt, a hat, a pink, a sticker, a magnet, an apron, a mug, a clock, socks… and you’re in the club. No questions asked. Maybe share some photos of your homemade meatball clubs.
There are way too many ways to cook a hot dog. Not long ago, if you suggested I boil some… I would politely have found the quickest way out of that conversation. This time I simmered the dogs in beer, then popped them in the oven on the air-fryer setting.
Then again, sometimes I get weird ideas that won’t go away until they come to fruition. Hot dogs aren’t my favorite food, but they’re fun to make different every time. If not grilling, I like to cook them in the oven, especially when cooking dinner for the family & wanting a whole pack cooked at once. This time I did something different.
After you read this recipe, tell me what you’d do different, or what you like on your dogs! Oh yeah. sides too. I wanted to use corn starch on the potato wedges, but I was out, so flour it was. It crisped them up just enough to keep it interesting. I was heavy on the black pepper, so they had a bite.
Cut potatoes into wedges, about ยฝ” thick at the skin edge.
Soak in cold water 30 minutes (this pulls starch so they crisp better).
Drain, blot very dry. Moisture = soggy wedges.
Toss in a bowl with:
1โ2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp oil (olive, canola, or peanut)
Seasonings: paprika, garlic/onion powder, salt, pepper, maybe cayenne or smoked paprika for punch.
Cook
Oven air fry or convection at 425ยฐF (both will crisp better than standard bake).
Spread on parchment-lined sheet, not touching.
Cook 25โ30 min, flipping halfway.
๐ญ Hot Dogs
Parboil
In a small pot, add:
1 bottle/can Yuengling
1 beef bouillon cube
ยฝ tsp onion powder
ยฝ tsp minced garlic
ยผ tsp ground mustard (optional, but yes itโll add a tangy depth)
Bring to a gentle simmer. Drop in hot dogs, simmer 5โ6 min (donโt boil hard).
Finish in Oven
After parboil, move hot dogs to a rack or foil-lined pan.
Toss them in the oven (same rack as potatoes if you can) for 8โ10 min at 425ยฐF (air fry/convection), flipping once, so skins blister and caramelize a little.
๐ฅ Buns + Cheese
At the last 2โ3 min of hot dog oven time, open buns, lay on pan.
Add cheese slices. Toast until buns are warm and cheese is gooey.
๐ Timing Plan
Start soaking potatoes โ 30 min.
Preheat oven to 425ยฐF (air fry/convection).
While soaking, prep hot dog beer bath.
Drain & coat potatoes. Get them in oven first (they take longest).
Timer: 25โ30 min.
While wedges cook, simmer hot dogs in beer bath (~5โ6 min).
About halfway into potato time (15 min mark), move hot dogs to oven on pan/rack.
Theyโll need ~8โ10 min to finish, which lines up with potatoes finishing.
Last 2โ3 min: add buns + cheese.
Everything should hit the plate hot at the same time.
๐ญ๐ซ๐ฅ
๐ซ Drunken Baked Beans
A simple can of beans made rich with the leftover beer broth from the hot dogs. Deep, savory, slightly maltyโฆ itโs like BBQ beans with a secret ingredient.
Ingredients:
1 large can of baked beans
ยฝ cup reserved beer broth from hot dogs (strained)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp mustard (yellow or Dijon)
Optional: dash of hot sauce or crumbled bacon
Method:
Taste and adjust seasoning โ more sugar if you like sweet, hot sauce if you like heat.
Combine beans with broth, sugar, and mustard in a saucepan.
Simmer low and slow (20โ30 minutes), stirring occasionally, until thickened and glossy.
๐ Extra Tips:
Flip wedges and hot dogs at halfway for even browning.
If wedges look done before hot dogs, crack the oven door and let them hang on residual heat.
You can reduce a little of the beer/bouillon liquid into a quick dipping sauce (mix in mustard/ketchup) if you want to go wild.
I added the beer/bullion liquid to the baked beans with BBQ sauce… not what ChatGPT suggested.
๐ซ๐ซ๐ซ
Needless to say, I didn’t follow that exactly… but I did toast the buns, & made the dogs to order. Mine had relish, my son’s had fresh jalapeรฑo from the garden, my wife didn’t want cheese, and my daughter didn’t want mustard.
Dunk, Drunk, n’ Dried Dogs
I gotta buy some damn corn starch.
Crispy Potato Wedges
I used Yuengling, but I also would use Straub Amber, Penn Pilsner, Lion’s Head, or Smithwick’s. What would you use?
Like everyone who has a vegetable garden, or even just one potted plant, we have an abundance of zucchini. I was asking AI language models for casserole cooking times & temperatures based on what I had around & could easily grab from the store, and I sort of picked a hybrid of all of them. I used ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, & CoPilot. Originally I had been asking about zucchini bread recipes, then asked about the casserole. It is interesting to bounce ideas off of them.
“Zucchini!” (But, say it like a Jawa yelling “Utini!” in Star Wars.)
I had the idea for the lil’ zucchini things last time I made breaded zucchini & ran out of breadcrumbs before zucchini.
Zucchini Ditalini Chickpea Chikini
I hesitate to call this a casserole, because the kids are on a brainrot social media kick where they have been informed somehow that CrockโฌฉPot meals & casseroles are bad. The best part is they both ate & loved it… one even went back for more. It was a hit with the wife too, and I’d eat it again.
Zucchini Ditalini Chickpea Chikini
I felt like making a casserole, but not making a mess by pre-cooking/par-cooking or measuring anything. So… I ended up making two 9″x13″ casseroles. Here it is to the best of my memory.
2 (8 oz.) blocks of cream cheese, softened (Leave it out for a bit, nuke it, or cradle it in your armpits.)
1 (2 cup)bag of shredded white cheddar cheese
1 (2 cup) bag of Havarti cheese
1 (1ยฝ cup) bag of Gouda cheese (Same damn size bag – thanks, shrinkflation!)
1 (32 oz./4 cups) box of chicken stock
1 stick (4 oz./ยฝ cup) butter.
Breadcrumbs – Maybe 3 cups?
2 Tbsp. minced garlic from a jar because elicits unwarranted hate.
Seasonings to taste – I used Rotisserie Chicken seasoning, Mrs. Dash’s Table Blend, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika, & dried parsley. Ain’t nobody measuring all that.
I was going to include some “bacon pieces,” but I must have left them in the store, or they fell out in the car, or I put them in a weird place or threw them out, because they absolutely are in what may as well be a pocket dimension.
The Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 375ยฐ
Grease apparently two 9″x13″ glass baking dishes with a stick of butter.
Get two mixing bowls. In one, whisk the egg, then fold in the cream cheese, the chicken stock, the garlic, the (drained) chickpeas, about half of each of the shredded cheeses, the dry Ditalini, and spices in one mixing bowl.
Slice up the bell pepper, onion, zucchini, & chicken in consistently sized cubes. (If you left the zucchini in the garden too long like I did, cut out the spongy center.) Put all that in the other mixing bowl, toss it with some more of all the spices.
Mix the contents of the two bowls together as you string together new swear words and wish you have an even more ridiculously larger mixing bowl.
Put those into the baking dishes. Or one big one, or a casserole dish, or whatever you’ve got. Cover with foil, place in oven, & bake for 45 min.
Melt the remainder of the stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl. Or a microwave unsafe bowl if you’re an agent of chaos. Dump in some breadcrumbs and toss them in the butter, so the breadcrumbs are coated but not all gross. I used a mix of panko & regular. I did not measure.
Pull from the oven, but leave it on, remove foil.
Spread the remaining shredded cheese on the top of the casseroles, then the buttery breadcrumbs… and put it back in the oven. I swapped it to 350ยฐ on a convection setting at this point for 15 minutes… but you do you.
Notes:
YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRE-COOK THE CHICKEN, PASTA, OR VEGETABLES. You certainly can, and it may deepen the flavors and reduce baking time, but I wanted to do this all in one go. I checked the chicken in a few sports with an instant-read and it was a bit over the USDA recommended 165ยฐ.
I was going to mix the cheeses together at the end, but why dirty another bowl? I dumped them on almost somewhat evenly.
Obviously, cut out what you don’t like, add what you do, skip stuff, or add stuff.
I may try this again with bacon or ham… but there was a good bit of salt in all the cheeses already, and probably the chickpeas.
I may try this with shredded zucchini and maybe leaving the chicken breast cutlets whole on top. Maybe.
Ricotta instead of cream cheese may be good too.
Use chicken broth, bone broth, vegetable broth, milk, water, or whatever… just give the pasta enough liquid to absorb.
Pizzucchini Teeny Mini
Again, this was a quick idea I had last tame I made air-fried breaded zucchini and ran out of bread crumbs because the zucchini multiplies as I sliced it. I did it in the oven quick after I yanked out the “let’s not call this casserole a casserole.”
Pizzuchini Teeny Mini
Ingredients:
1 normal-sized zucchini.
1 (2 cup) bag of “pizza cheese”
1 (15 oz.) squeeze bottle of pizza sauce
a bit of EVOO
Maybe ยฝ cup of breadcrumbs
The Method:
Do you really need instructions here? I put the oven on 400ยฐ on the air-fryer setting. I didn’t pre-heat it because it was already running.
I sliced the zucchini about ยผ-inch thick, and put it on the baking sheet over a bit of EVOO.
I dropped on some sauce, some cheese, and a tiny bit of breadcrumbs.
I put it the oven for 15 minutes.
Notes:
What the hell is “pizza cheese?” It said that on the bag. I guess mozzarella & provolone? Please tell me in the comments that it is all plastic & slowly killing me. Maybe I should have read the bag.
I will probably skip the EVOO or get a cooking rack for the air fryer setting.
~๐ง~
OK, so that’s it. Hit me up with suggestions, questions, love, or hate in the comments! Share your zucchini recipes, too!
Teriyaki Stuff [November 19, 2023] Why I want this sauce.
La Choy Teriyaki Terror [December 8, 2023] ยท I sent a maze to La Choy (Conagra) to literally illustrate my fristration at not being able to find their sauce.
So, yesterday I made spaghetti with homemade meatballs.โToday, I wanted a meatball sub.โI was thinking I still had some good buns from New Year’s day.โThey were not good.โI had already melted the butter.โThe store-brand white bread was calling to me.โA sandwich?โNo, a club..,โSomething worthy of shenanigans.
Behold:โThe Meatball ClubLook at that toasty goodness.Open up & say “Mmm!”If you don’t cut it diagonally, you’re doing it wrong.
It seemed to be a hit on various social media platforms, so I thought I’d share the love.โIf you make one, please, post the photo, tag me (@AiXelsyD13 on just about everything), and let me know how it was!
The Meatballs:
I have shared my meatball ingredient secrets a quadruple of times:
I generally don’t measure, and make them different every time.โThis time I fried them on medium-high in a large pan on the stove & a tiny bit of EVOO.
The Sauce:โ
OK, gonna level with you.โI am not Italian.โThis is going to make some people mad.โI use jarred sauce.โThis was the cheap Aldi stuff.โUsually we get that or the Prego Three Cheese.โI add brown sugar & Parmesan/Romano shake cheese.โSometimes, I even add shopped garlic, onion powder, or “Italian Seasoning.”โThis time it was just brown sugar and cheese.โI don’t measure.โI toss a little in with abandon.โI like the sweetness & it cuts the acid.
The Club:
Get your stuff…
ยผ stick butter
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Parsley or (Italian Seasoning)
6 or so leftover meatballs.
Shredded cheese (I had Gruyere & Swiss, but I would probably go for Mozzarella or Provolone, but the stuff I had was fantastic.)
“Shake Cheese” I had the cheap Giant Eagle brand Parmesan/Romano blend.
Three pieces of white bread.
Do it…
Pre-heat the oven to 390ยฐ on the air fryer setting.
Melt the butter w/ garlic powder, onion powder, & parsley to taste in a microwave save bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until it’s a liquid.
Put the bread on a baking dish, brush on the melted butter after a good stir.โ(I just did the top sides.)
Air fry for 2 minutes, & it gets almost crispy on top, the bottom was nice and toasted.
While you’re doing that nuke the meatballs & sauce on a microwave safe plate for 2 min. (or longer if needed.)
Pull the toast out.โ(I cut the meatballs in half with a spoon then scooped them and the sauce on to two of the slices of bread.)
Top the meatballs with the shredded cheese.
Put the “shake cheese” on the 3rd slice of bread.
Put it back in on air fry for for 4 or 5 minutes.
Pull it out, assemble it like a tower of gluttony, then slice it diagonally with a giant serrated bread knife for dramatic effect.
Take a photo to share & make people hungry.
That’s it.โIt took a little bit of time & prep, but it was worth it.
Notes:
If you cook & have your own meatball or sauce recipe, of course do that.
Use whatever kind of cheese you want, shredded, or sliced, or whatever.
I would guess you can use the oven on 375ยฐ-ish on a regular setting for a bit longer times, or a counter top air fryer.
You could also probably do all of it in the air fryer from cooking the meatballs to melting the butter if you have the appropriate vessels.
If you slice it in rectangles and not triangles, you are a psychopath.
Discussion:
If you’re out of sausage or sub buns, or hot dog buns, what are you using?โPita?โTortilla?โSoft Pretzel?โDinner Rolls?โBisquick?โCrescent roll dough?
Please, tell me in the comments how wrong it is to use jarred sauce or add brown sugar.
Share with me your meatball secrets.
Do you like the powdery shake cheese or the fancy stuff?
Well, the tweets from before were apparently incorrect.โThe La Choy teriyaki variety that I liked has been discontinued.โI emailed Conagra via webform and found a bunch of names and tried to garner email addresses online, which worked on at least 2 counts.โI also got some replies from various grocery stores.
From: Conagra Consumer Care consumer.care@conagra.com Date: Tue, Dec 19, 2023 at 1:03โฏPM Subject: LA CHOY Consumer Care Response: Case # 06631637 [ ref:!00D800cIJR.!500QU02afd0:ref ] To: [me]
Hello Eric,
Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to us regarding the La Choy Teriyaki Sauce. There was obvious passion in your correspondence, both for the former product you preferred and for the current product that does not meet your expectations. Weโd like to offer some background and what we hope is a worthy alternative.
Previously we produced both the La Choy Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce that you enjoyed, and the La Choy Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade. With two similar sauces available, earlier this year we discontinued production of the La Choy Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce. We work with grocery stores and other retail partners to optimize our product assortment. Through these conversations, we often need to make decisions about discontinuing products. These are difficult decisions, as we know a discontinued product can be a disappointment to consumers.
We appreciate your candid feedback on the current La Choy Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade. This feedback was shared with our brand team and will go to our internal culinary team as well. Every piece of consumer input is valuable to us.
Within the Conagra Brands portfolio, we also offer PF Changโs Home Menu, and we hope their Teriyaki Sauce is one that youโll enjoy. PF Changโs Home Menu is inspired by the tastes and high-quality ingredients of PF Changโs bistros. The Teriyaki Sauce is part of a collection of sauces we introduced a few years ago, and if youโre interested in trying it, weโd be happy to send you a few bottles. If this would be ok, please reply to this email with your complete mailing address, and if applicable, please include the Unit or Apt. #.
Thank you again for your loyalty to the La Choy brand and the time you spent providing us feedback. Both are appreciated.
From: Conagra Consumer Care [consumer.care@conagra.com] Sent: 12/11/2023, 1:43 PM To: [me] Subject: LA CHOY Consumer Care Response: Case # 06631637 [ ref:!00D800cIJR.!500QU02afd0:ref ]
Hello Eric,
Thank you for reaching out to Ms. Schaefer’s office to let us know you were a fan of our LA CHOY TERIYAKI MARINADE AND SAUCE.
From time to time we reformulate our product recipes, this also includes how consumer preferences change over time. Unfortunately, itโs no longer available but we’ll make sure to share your comments regarding your request to bring back the older formulation with appropriate personnel.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our supervisors at 1-800-722-1344, between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. CST, Monday through Thursday, and between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. CST, on Fridays. Please give reference number 06631637 to the supervisor who answers your phone call. If a supervisor isnโt available, please leave a voicemail with your name and reference number. A supervisor should return your call within 48 business hours.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your feedback.
Thank you for replying. We're unable to provide the recipe as it is proprietary but appreciate your interest in our products. Thank you again for taking the time message and enjoy your week.
From: Guest Relations guest.relations@target.com Date: Mon, Dec 11, 2023 at 4:12โฏPM Subject: Your Inquiry to Target.com Executive Offices To: [me]
Hello Eric,
Thank you for contacting Target about your experience. I received a copy of your email from our executive offices along with a request to reach out.
Thanks for asking about this “La Choy Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade” we understand you are interested to know if we carry or plan on carrying this. I do apologize, but we do not have this item available in our assortment and at this time we do not have any additional information to share regarding future availability. To view the wide variety of other Teriyaki sauces we do carry please click here.
We appreciate you reaching out and sharing interest with this item. Iโll be sure to share your comments with our buyers.
From: Melissa (Fresh Thyme) support@freshthyme.zendesk.com Date: Sat, Dec 9, 2023 at 10:50โฏAM Subject: [Fresh Thyme] Re: La Choy Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade To: [me]
Your request (26880) has been updated. To add additional comments, reply to this email.
Melissa (Fresh Thyme)
Dec 9, 2023, 9:50โฏAM CST
Dear Eric,
Thanks for reaching out! The products available at our stores may differ by location. To find out if your local store carries (product name), you may visit our website http://www.freshthyme.com and search for any of your desired products.
I will forward this to the Store Director for the Bridgeville, PA store location for you as well.
Thank you for being a Fresh Thyme customer! Melissa Fresh Thyme Customer Care
Nothing from Giant Eagle, Walmart, or Shop’n Save.
You should try to solve the maze, & then post it & tag me on social media.โI’m @AiXeLsyD on pretty much everything.
