Police: Pickles dispute preceded McDonald’s shootings

USA TODAY NETWORK   –   MacKenzie Elmer, The Des Moines Register

DES MOINES — Two 18-year-olds who were shot outside an Ankeny McDonald’s Saturday night reportedly said something about pickles inside the restaurant that made their alleged shooter angry about their behavior, police say.

Gabriel Joe Coco, 36, of Des Moines, turned himself into the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 10:44 p.m. Saturday, when the log notes that the suspect in the shooting was in custody, authorities said.

According to police logs, at 10:23 p.m. outside a McDonald’s in the 2500 block of S.W. State St. in Ankeny, someone identified as “Nick” called 911 , reporting that a person had been “pistol-whipped and shot in (the) leg.”

“This guy was just in the McDonald’s. Caller was upset about pickles, and the male beat him,” dispatchers wrote in the log, which gives police information about a crime scene as they approach.

Police arrived to find Nickolas Culver and his friend Justin Phongsavanh, both 18, with gunshot wounds. Capt. Joe Schaffer of the Ankeny Police Department said investigators mentioned that a “Nick” tried to call 911 that night, but it wasn’t clear if it was Culver.

“The reason these kids were shot was not because of pickles,” Shaffer said, adding that they “alluded” to something about pickles. “There was an interaction between McDonald’s staff and the victims in this case. … What our suspect saw, he did not agree with.”

Whatever happened inside the store allegedly irked Coco, who responded with violence, police said.

Coco didn’t know the boys, Schaffer said, and the 18-year-olds’ comments and “poor behavior” weren’t directed at anyone specific inside the restaurant, Schaffer said.

“But it particularly bothered Mr. Coco,” Schaffer said, declining to elaborate.

The shooter allegedly left in a black Chevy driven by a woman before turning himself in, according to the log.

The handgun Coco allegedly used in the shooting was still inside the vehicle when he arrived, the trip log states. Shaffer said police have not had a chance to confirm who owned the gun but said Saturday was the first time Ankeny police interacted with Coco.

Police identified the female driver but did not charge her, according to a news release.

Culver was released from Mercy Medical Center at 1:15 p.m. Sunday, but Phongsavanh remained Monday in hospital care. Gregg Lagan of Mercy Medical Center said Phongsavanh was in the Intensive Care Unit in serious but stable condition.

Coco is charged with two felony counts of willful injury, a charge that carries up to 10 years in prison.

Coco was released from the Polk County Jail at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday.

Management at the restaurant declined to comment Monday.

Southern cornbread with charred jalapeno butter

Courtesy Devan Rajkumar   –   Cityline
@chefdevan

In the mood for some comfort food? This southern-style cornbread will add some heat to your next meal!

Southern cornbread with charred jalapeno butter

Serves 3-6

Ingredients:

Cornbread
1 1/2 cup fine corn meal
1 1/2 cup 3.25% milk
1 egg
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp Maldon sea salt
1 tbsp chives, finely sliced
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3” x 4” cast iron skillets
Non-stick baking spray

Butter
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 jalapenos
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp vegetable oil

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 500 F. Place cast iron skillets on a baking tray and put in oven to pre-heat for at least 15 minutes prior to using.

Rub jalapenos with vegetable oil and char over an open flame or in a hot pan until charred all over.

Remove to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam.

After approximately 10 minutes, remove plastic wrap, peel skin and discard. De-stem and de-seed the jalapenos and brunoise.

Combine all ingredients for butter and cornbread in separate bowls (except the Maldon sea salt and chives).

Carefully remove tray with cast iron skillets from the oven and generously coat with non-stick spray.

Fill each tray to the top with cornbread mix and top each with a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt and chives.

Place in the oven for 8 1/2 minutes.

Remove and allow cornbread to cool for approximately one minute before serving. You may serve with butter on top or on the side.

Meet the Amazing Cat Who Adopted a Senior Living Community

Nursing homes do everything they can to create a relaxing and welcoming environment for their residents. In fact, the environment is so relaxing and so welcoming that it’s very likely for them to attract more than just the elderly!

Mr. Pickles was an outdoor cat before he became a permanent member of the Bayview Retirement community. He’d often stop by the home for free treats and to sleep by the fireplace as his previous guardian was in and out of the hospital so much that he could no longer care for Mr. Pickles.

Once Mr. Pickles previous caretaker got wind of where his cat was going, he knew that Bayview was the right place for him. Since then, Mr. Pickles has earned his place as the self-appointed hospitality specialist and greeter at the Bayview Retirement Community. He keeps the residents company and uses his dashing good looks to keep everyone entertained and upbeat.

This kitty is way more than just a mascot, though, at five minutes in, a resident displays one of the many times Mr. Pickles has pulled his own weight and helped out with chores!

While there is no doubt that this particular kitty is special, animals who take on therapeutic roles in retirement homes like Mr. Pickles aren’t uncommon. Having a four-legged friend around does wonders for the physical and mental well-being of residents. At Bayview, there is no question that the residents love Mr. Pickles and it’s pretty obvious that he loves them back. What more can you ask for?

The English Provender Co. reinvigorates the pickle category with latest innovation

Published on by in ,

The English Provender Co. has launched a range of premium pickles, set to revolutionise the stagnating pickle market and drive consumer engagement.  Building on the brand’s proven success within the wider category – the number one chutney brand in the UK with 13% market share – the product range addresses a real gap in the market and delivers an attractive alternative to current pickle offerings.

The four-strong range combines contemporary, creative combinations to deliver a distinctive range of great tasting pickles: Proper Pickle in Chunky and Finely Chopped options, Beetroot Pickle and the unique Pickled Onion Pickle. Available from Waitrose and ASDA stores nationwide from October 2015, the pickles come at an RRP of £1.50.

Made with authentic, natural ingredients that champion British produce and with no added perservatives, colours or flavours, the pickles are aimed at ABC1 consumers looking for a  quality pickle to add to sandwiches and salads.

Joanne Walsh, brand manager at English Provender Co,, said: “Our research* revealed that consumers perceive the category as old-fashioned and dull and with no innovation in recent years there was a clear gap in the market for premium, great tasting pickles.

“Our Proper Pickle range is just as pickle should be – naturally delicious with a more refined flavour and texture to appeal to time-poor consumers looking for something different. With flavours to suit individual preferences and tastes, the range has already received fantastic feedback and we’re confident it will help bring the pickle category back into growth.”

New contemporary labels will highlight the simplicity of its natural ingredients and champion British produce. With strong in-store stand out the range is presented in a slender 305g format, which stays true to EPC’s iconic premium square glass jars, for added convenience for both customers and consumers.

Walsh adds: “With 92% of UK consumers eating a least one sandwich a week*, from traditional sandwiches to burritos, paninis and toasties, our Proper Pickle range offers a strong opportunity for retailers to increase their revenue and re-engage consumers within the category. Moreover, there is huge growth potential outside the main lunch occasion, such as the consumption of pickles with salads.”

The product launch will be supported by a heavyweight PR campaign, digital advertising and targeted in-store sampling and outdoor sampling.

Families flock to Habersham Harvest Festival on perfect autumn day

Kids eating dill pickles

A group of youngsters struggles to eat plates full of pickles in a minute during a pickle eating competition at the Habersham Harvest Festival in Beaufort on Saturday. “It was really sour,” said contestant Kailey Kreiss, 10, second from right. Jay Karr jkarr@islandpacket.com

Carnival rides, a pickle-eating contest and petting zoo animals entertained visitors at the 7th annual Habersham Harvest Festival on Saturday in Beaufort.

Families enjoyed a perfect autumn day strolling beneath the overhanging Spanish moss-draped branches at the Habersham Marketplace.

In addition to seasonal activities such as hayrides, the festival featured carnival rides provided by Big Round Wheel of Blacksburg.

New arrivals were met by a 47-foot-tall Ferris wheel with a long line of people stretching nearly back to the scarecrows at the festival entrance. From the air, riders were treated to a bird’s-eye view of the festival.

Down below, crowds of people, some pushing children in strollers or walking dogs on leashes, navigated the street past vendors and craft booths selling a variety of items ranging from pillows to neon-colored fish paintings.

Meanwhile, a pickle-eating contest got underway at the main stage area where groups of youngsters competed to see who could wolf down the most pickles in a minute’s time.

“I shoved them all in my mouth. I think I had nine or 10,” said Kailey Kreiss, 10, of Savannah after competing. “It was really sour.”

Further down the street, at the mini petting zoo, Rhonda Alexion, of Beaufort, showed goddaughter Carley Holmes a pair of turkeys strutting around their cage. “You know when I tell you, ‘you little turkey?’ Well, that’s a turkey,” she said.

A second petting zoo featured farm animals such as goats and exotic creatures like llamas. Next to the petting zoo, a carousel was spinning a few feet from an attraction offering rides on real ponies.

As the lead singer of the band NightTrain sang a country song about a honky tonk angel turning his life around, festival goers bellied up to a variety of food vendors. The Tavino’s wood-fired pizza booth was doing a land-office business, while nearby, the pulled-pork tacos with blue cheese slaw featured at the Downtown Curbside Kitchen food truck were selling like hotcakes.

New to the festival was a collection of whimsical scarecrows adorning the entryway. The scarecrows, which were a popular background for festival goers to take selfies and group photos in front of, were a collaboration between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northern Beaufort County and the Habersham Builders League, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs.

 

 

PRODUCT REVIEW: The art of canning requires a funnel

By Catherine Krummey   –   Grand Forks Herald

This fall, I reluctantly (and later happily) became one of those people who can their abundant summer produce.

After hearing stories about my mom making pickles and my brother making his own salsa—both through canning—my boyfriend was inspired to make pickles. I got my grandmother’s refrigerator pickle recipe from my mom to share with him, and it quickly turned into “We’re making pickles.”

As we both had an abundance of cucumbers thanks to a mom with a very green thumb, a sister with a CSA subscription and one too many trips to the farmers market, he figured it was the thing to do, and he was right.

My grandmother’s pickle recipe came to us via a text message, without many suggestions on techniques, so we learned a few things the hard way during our pickling attempt:

First, how important it is to routinely clear off your cutting board no matter how big it is and how many cucumber slices you can stack on it, otherwise you might run out of room and take a nice slice into your finger.

Second, when you’re letting your cucumbers, green peppers and onions sit in salt for a bit, do it in a strainer in the sink, not on a cutting board on the counter, where pools of water seep onto your kitchen floor.

Third, when it came time to actually can our refrigerator pickles and pour the vinegar and sugar brine over the top, it was a little messy. “I wish I had a funnel,” I said as I clumsily transferred the brine from my saucepan to the jars, spilling a fair amount.

“I could go get the one from my car,” my boyfriend joked, his quip met with a glare.

Our first batch of pickles turned out to be very delicious despite any mishaps, but when the boyfriend announced he wanted to make a second batch, I wasn’t going to fool around: I bought a funnel set (of the non-automobile variety) on my next Target run.

As the OXO Good Grips name suggests, the two funnels each have four skinny red rubber grips to keep them from slipping and sliding when you use them.

Using the larger funnel from the set made the brine process go much more smoothly with our second batch of pickles. No spills, no sticky residue on the outside of the jars when you go to grab some pickles for your burger.

Rating: A

Price: $7.99 at Target

Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard Turns up the Heat with New Burger

Regional All-Natural Quick Service Chain Introduces the Jalapeño Cream Cheese Burger

DENVER, Oct 22, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Good Times Restaurants Inc. GTIM, +2.09% operator of Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard, a Colorado favorite quick service restaurant chain best known for its fresh, high-quality, all-natural products, is firing up the month of October with the Jalapeño Cream Cheese Burger.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151022005099/en/

The savory new burger features fire roasted jalapenos, fried red & green jalapeno sticks, cream cheese and raspberry jam. Available for a limited time, the new menu item will continue to uphold Good Times’ mission of offering fresh, all-natural, hand-crafted food using locally-sourced ingredients to create the tastiest fast food available. Similar to the everyday items on the menu, the Jalapeño Cream Cheese burger will be made with Good Times’ humanely raised, steroid-free beef.
“The Jalapeño Cream Cheese Burger is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy ingredients, and a Colorado favorite that you would otherwise only find in an upscale casual dining environment. Using ingredients you won’t find at any other fast food restaurant, I believe we have created a true one-of-a-kind menu item,” said Nick Biegel, Director of Product Development. “Our LTO offerings are a fun way to incorporate different local produce into our menu items. We’re looking forward to seeing if our customers love it as much as we do.”

Good Times continues its commitment to quality menu offerings with its completely all-natural protein platform, recently adding all-natural, nitrate-free bacon to the mix. The restaurant chain also recently introduced All Natural Housemade Pickles and Hand Breaded Fried Pickles, which are prepared in small batches by hand daily in each restaurant.

“Our brand position is based on the belief that food should be as fresh as possible, unique and of the highest quality,” said Biegel. “Every menu item that we have and will have in the future will be held to that standard in order to give our customer’s the best quick service experience possible.”

About Good Times Restaurants Inc.: Good Times Restaurants Inc. (GTIM) operates Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard and was founded in 1987 in Boulder, Colorado. Good Times prides itself on serving fast food to be proud of by offering a high quality, fresh, unique, proprietary selection of hamburgers made with Meyer All Natural Angus beef, All Natural chicken tenderloins from Springer Mountain Farms, All Natural, Nitrate Free Bacon from Good Nature Farms, Hatch Valley Green Chile Breakfast Burritos, signature Wild Fries and Natural Cut Fries, Beer Battered Onion Rings and fresh, creamy Frozen Custard in a variety of flavors, Hand Spun Shakes and Spoonbenders. Good Times currently operates and franchises 38 restaurants.

GTIM owns and operates Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar restaurants. There are currently 14 company owned, joint ventured, franchised and licensed Bad Daddy’s open. Bad Daddy’s is a full service, upscale, “small box” restaurant concept featuring a chef driven menu of gourmet signature burgers, chopped salads, appetizers and sandwiches with a full bar and a focus on a selection of craft microbrew beers in a high energy atmosphere that appeals to a broad consumer base.

Good Times Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. The words “intend,” “may,” “believe,” “will,” “should,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “seek” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, which may cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks include such factors as the uncertain nature of current restaurant development plans and the ability to implement those plans and integrate new restaurants, delays in developing and opening new restaurants because of weather, local permitting or other reasons, increased competition, cost increases or shortages in raw food products, and other matters discussed under the “Risk Factors” section of Good Times’ Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2014 filed with the SEC. Although Good Times may from time to time voluntarily update its forward-looking statements, it disclaims any commitment to do so except as required by securities laws.

An easy introduction to modern fermenting

If a man ever asks you to try his “new greens”, I’d advise you to take him up on the offer. That was the invitation I received from pickling and fermenting expert Nick Vadasz. A week later I’m standing in an industrial unit in Hackney peering into a big plastic bucket. Murky brown liquid, flecked with chili, garlic and herbs, surrounds a mass of bright green cucumbers curling in upon themselves like snakes.

“New greens” are what these are called in New York’s Jewish delis. Vadasz fishes one out with extra-long tongs. I bite into it. It’s crispy, sour, garlicky, spicy – I immediately want to take the whole bucket home. And I’m not alone: we British are developing a taste for the sour and Vadasz is one of a growing number of producers selling fermented foods and teaching others how to pickle, too.

“My Hungarian dad passed on two skills to me. One was the ability to swear brilliantly in Hungarian, the other was to make great pickles,” Vadasz laughs. “I started fermenting because it’s part of my heritage. It seemed like an ethical and sensible way to deal with foods that were plentiful, too. I also realized there were lots of Eastern Europeans living here who couldn’t get the sour pickles and krauts they ate back home, so I spotted a gap in the market.”

Think fermentation is just a foodie trend? Stay with me. You already eat lots of fermented foods – including wine, vinegar, cheese, yogurt, sourdough and salami – all made using the mysterious power of microbes. More distant cultures consume them in greater quantities: kefir, slightly sour fermented milk, is drunk in the Caucasus; labneh is a staple of the Middle East; fermented pickles are offered at every meal in Japan; kimchi, spiced fermented cabbage, is a staple in Korea.

To ferment vegetables all you need is salt. To make your own yogurt you just need some live yogurt. To ferment milk or water you need to get kefir grains (you can find them online). It might seem mysterious at first, but pickling isn’t difficult and it’s a great kitchen adventure.

“The way fermentation transforms foods is quite magical,” agrees Vadasz. “Shred and pound some cabbage. Add salt to create a brine. Within that brine you have natural sugars that are activated by the yeasts in the vegetables and in the air. You don’t add sugar or vinegar. The cabbage sours and keeps because of lactic acid fermentation. All you have to do is keep the cabbage submerged and observe the changes in flavor.”

Some people are interested in fermented foods for health reasons – they are said to improve gut health – but I’m interested because of taste. During a recent trip to the United States (where pickling evangelist Sandor Katz kick-started the trend with his 2003 book Wild Fermentation) the best meal I had was at Bar Tartine in San Francisco. It was brunch, but there was no French toast with maple syrup; just home-made yogurt, fermented vegetables and kefir butter.

At first I groaned – I even tweeted a picture of the menu because it was so achingly hip – but it turned out to be a meal of startling flavours. There was sourness – from the fermented elements – and a real earthiness. This meal and Vadasz’s “new greens” are the most persuasive argument I’ve encountered for fermenting at home.

But how do we know what we’re creating in our own kitchens is the product of good bacteria and isn’t just food rotting? Food writerCharlotte Pike’s new book, Fermented, should help you embark on experiments confidently. Her recipe for Kombucha – fermented tea – is simplicity itself. It tastes like tart apple juice with a dash of cider vinegar and, chilled, is addictive.

“Darling, my kefir has died,” reads the opening line of an email I receive from a friend living not in fermentation haven California but Dublin. It’s easy to laugh at the obsessiveness of food lovers, but she has my sympathy. Now that I’ve dipped my toes into the pickle barrel I’m fired up with enthusiasm. In fact, I’m waiting impatiently for my own kefir grains to ferment the cream I’m going to turn into butter.

Best Maid Pickles Dill Dash

at Coyote Drive-In

Dress up in your best pickle attire and run. Prizes will be awarded for the best pickle themed runner. All are welcomed at the After Party with family friendly pickle games.

The Dill Dash benefits the Smiley Fund, established to help at-risk Texas children with the means to achieve success and live healthy lifestyles, through after-school programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
5K – $20; $25 after Oct. 19.
1K Fun Run – $10 for 1K

The ghost pepper: Eat with caution

I confess that I am afraid of ghosts … ghost peppers that is. Known as one of the hottest peppers you can eat, just the thought of the lip-searing, eye-watering, sweat-inducing fruit leaves this Scandinavian quaking. Jalapenos are sometimes too hot for me to handle.

And speaking of handling them, that is one of my bigger fears. Too many times, I have burned my eyes or other sensitive skin by touching, hours after handling peppers and even after washing thoroughly. I once spent an agonizing night with fiery red hands after making some serrano pepper jelly. I scrubbed my hands with milk and used pure aloe leaf, to little relief and my hands were swollen and red for days.

So why am I growing the ghastly ghost, also known as the bhut jolokia? Just for the experience I guess. I grew one plant last year, purchased at Meinke’s, my favorite little garden center in Niles. It was shaded by the rather thuggish Swiss chard and did poorly, remaining under a foot tall and producing two fruits. And the fruits weren’t much hotter than a serrano, according to my Teflon mouthed husband.

But the wrinkly little fruits, with their odd, sparse prickles intrigued me, turning from green to chartreuse, then pumpkin orange and finally, red. So I saved the seeds and tried again. This spring, with all the rain, felt like failure waiting again, but I was not thinking, not considering the place the plant grows best, in the monsoon region of India.

My single plant is easily three feet tall and four feet wide, inhabiting considerable real estate in my community garden plot. Things grow well there, with untreated well water and rain water from the cistern, and I amend the soil in my plot with plenty of compost. At last count it had 32 dangling, wrinkly green fruits, and two that had turned orange. And they are considerably hotter this year, too hot to eat … scary hot.

This, of course, has me wondering what I can get from it next year. I once dug up a pepper plant in the fall, kept it over winter and replanted it in the spring. The mature plant bore early and bore heavily, the blocky peppers all turning red by late summer. What if I could get this thing up to tree size?

Stand the heat, and get in the kitchen

Meanwhile, I needed to figure out what to do with the ripening ghost peppers. I cut one open, without touching the inside and touched the knife to my tongue. It took a couple of seconds before the sear came, but it did. Even milk did not help for a while, and I later made my ear burn by scratching it with the finger that I used to hold the stem while I cut the pepper.

Now I needed my husband’s opinion. He likes things hot and uses hot sauce on everything. He sucked the edge of the cut pepper, paused and said, “That’s really hot; I couldn’t, like, chew it.”

That was all I needed to hear to determine that I would use only one fourth of the pepper in my Roasted Pineapple Habanero Sauce recipe. And it is enough; trust me. The heat in my sauce builds slowly, but continues to build to a nice, really hot, but not ridiculous, finish.

I decided to save a few to make hot pepper spray for non edible plants that get eaten by critters, so I chopped a few of those up and threw them, seeds and all, into a jar of ordinary vegetable oil and placed it in the garage, with a large easy to read label.

Then, I used three of them, deseeded and without the membranes, to make a hot pepper oil for cooking. I simmered the peppers in a cup of grapeseed oil, let them steep until cooled and strained through cheesecloth. This was also labeled and will keep refrigerated for about a year.

The pineapple sauce was something inspired by the way in which these peppers are rated – one of the hottest peppers in the world. Now, that being said, much depends upon soil, weather and stage of ripeness, and last year, a friend grew some ghost peppers that were barely hot at all. So my advice is taste before you waste. Had I put a whole pepper in my sauce, it would have been thrown out.

Just take this seriously and use care. Wear gloves, have milk handy and scrub everything the peppers touch. Remember that this is the same stuff used to make tear gas.

Roasted Pineapple Habanero Jam

½ large sweet onion, cut into quarters

1 small fresh pineapple, peeled and sliced *

1 red bell pepper

¼ to 1 whole habanero or ghost pepper, deseeded and membrane removed (wear gloves)

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon corn starch

* You may substitute a can of pineapple chunks in heavy syrup (not in juice), drained.

Roast the onions, pineapple and peppers on a heavy, rimmed cookie sheet, in a 400-degree oven, or on your grill. When the vegetables and pineapple are soft and caramelized (browned a bit and sticky) take them out. You may need to turn them once with tongs. Try to slip some of the skin from the peppers if possible.

Add the roasted vegetables, pineapple, cider vinegar and sugar to a large stainless steel skillet and bring to a boil. Add the piece of habanero or ghost pepper, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let the mixture cool a bit and use a stick blender to puree it slightly, leaving small bits and chunks. A blender or food processor works too, but don’t over process.

Combine the lemon juice and cornstarch to form a paste and stir it into the mixture. Return to a boil and boil gently for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring to release steam. Turn off heat and stir occasionally while cooling to release moisture. Bottle and chill.