Honestly, I really don’t know what our Congressmen were thinking. Taking away one source of revenue for banks only means that they will immediately seek out a new source, or sources, to replace what they have lost. Do you think these banks can mismanage themselves all on their own?

Most consumers are waiting for the next shoe to drop. Many are running scared looking for a bank that won’t be adding or raising fees for basic services that they’ve enjoyed for years without conflict. Unfortunately, the new reality is that the fees are here and they are here to stay. Secretly in boardrooms in banks across this great land schemes are being devised to raise fees, add fees and, in some cases, create “service enhancements” that, of course, are nothing more than just a fee in disguise. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if banks started charging for bill pay and online banking soon.

Considering I live in the banking capital of the south I have taken it upon myself to inform you of all of the fees that haven’t been announced yet; it is also my responsibility to alert each and every one of you to the potential consequences of various ordinary everyday banking activities you might be performing which could eventually lead to an overdraft charge (or affect your credit rating).

Studies have shown that the inability of banks to replace these lost revenues is so dangerous to society at large that new customer agreements are being drawn up at this very moment to stop it forever! Cruel and inhuman fees are being carefully described in tiny paragraphs in order that they won’t conflict with the Dodd Frank Act (which, itself, is being watered down thanks to the powerful banking lobby).

One such fee that I’ve recently learned about has been so closely guarded that it is known only by its code name: Tom Coughlin. Yes, that Tom Coughlin, the head coach of the New York Football Giants. As you are all aware Mr. Coughlin is known for his predilection towards fining players he deems late to team meetings even when they are technically on time according to the clock in the room. Of course, in Mr. Coughlin’s world, on time is considered to be seven minutes before the stated meeting time.

Big banks have studied his playbook well and are set to unleash what I am calling an “on time fee” for payments made on all credit accounts, even when they have “technically” been paid on time. This has wide ranging implications for consumers, most notably those with mortgages owned or serviced by Bank of America.

In their research they have noted that the advent of online banking combined with cash flow uncertainty due to the economic downturn has resulted in consumers making their mortgage and credit card payments at the last possible minute while still remaining current on their accounts. Under the formula for the “on time fee” the bank will be assessing a penalty if your payment is not received at least seven hours before it is “technically’ due.

This information is highly confidential and I am putting both myself and my confidential informant at risk for publishing it here in a public forum. Still, it is a risk that I am willing to take in order to keep you, my friends, informed.

So, watch your timestamps people. They are watching.

Or, you could always tell them to pound sand and join a credit union.

Featured image credit: Frank Kehren

This month’s Ready Set Eat post has me a touch nostalgic. First, my time reviewing recipes for Ready Set Eat has come to an end and this will be my final post. And, second, the recipe I chose from this month’s options has taken me back to my family’s dinner table.

When I saw LaChoy in the list of ingredients it instantly took me back to the sweet and sour dishes my mom used to prepare when I was a kid. While this Quick Sweet and Sour Pork may not be exactly what my mom used to serve, it is close enough. Especially when I also saw the pineapple chunks on the list.

There is just something about warm pineapple. Heat transforms this already great fruit into something more, bursting with even more flavor. This could be the reason why pineapple is one of my favorite fruits to grill.

One of the things I really liked about this recipe was the use of pork tenderloin as the protein. It cooks up quickly, stays tender, is is a lean cut of meat and it really took on the flavor of the sauce well. Additionally, outside of preparing the rice, the dish can be prepared in a single pan.

With seven total ingredients this Quick Sweet and Sour Pork is a dish that will no doubt make a more regular appearance at our dinner table.

Quick Sweet and Sour Pork

recipe courtesy of Ready, Set, Eat

Ingredients

• 2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
• 1 tablespoon Pure Wesson® Canola Oil
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cups frozen bell pepper and onion strips (from 16-oz package)
• 1 can (8 oz each) pineapple chunks in juice, drained
• 1 jar (10 oz each) La Choy® Sweet and Sour Sauce
• 1 tablespoon La Choy® Soy Sauce

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and butter.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook and stir 6 to 8 minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove from skillet.
3. Add pepper blend to skillet; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in cooked pork, pineapple, sweet and sour sauce and soy sauce. Heat 5 minutes more or until hot. Serve over rice.

Disclosure: I am compensated by ConAgra Foods to review recipes for Ready Set Eat. However, my opinions contained herein are my own.

For the next few days I am in sunny San Diego for the BlogHer conference and am currently plotting a way to get my family here without needing to leave.

While I’m here my friends at Bumble Bee Foods will be running a twitter sweepstakes with a very interesting prize.  My fellow Bee Squaders and I will have a QR code on the shirts we will be wearing during the conference and on our business cards that will take you to the landing page to give you the full sweepstakes details, including the official rules.

The sweepstakes will be based on the use of the #BumbleBeeFoods hashtag, and for every unique tweet including #BumbleBeeFoods, it will count as an entry to win a LIVE Ustream Q & A session with celebrity Chef Scott Leibfried for the winner’s blog.

Here’s a little more from Bumble Bee’s website:

Bloggers, we want to hear all about your experiences at BlogHer 2011! What do you see, which speakers are your favorite, who are you networking with, what are you learning!?

Keep us in the loop by tweeting using #BumbleBeeFoods. PLUS, every time you tweet using #BumbleBeeFoods, you will be entered into a sweepstakes to win an exclusive USTREAM video Q & A session with our celebrity chef partner, Chef Scott Leibfried!

You may recognize Chef Scott from his role on the hit TV show “Hell’s Kitchen.” Chef Scott also works with Bumble Bee throughout the year to create unique and flavorful recipes and webisodes for BumbleBee.com. He’s also the executive chef and partner of Arch Rock Fish restaurant in Santa Barbara. He has lots to share from the culinary world and is sure to be a hit among your readers.

Bumble Bee’s blog ambassadors, the Bee Squad, are on the floor at BlogHer, so be sure to connect with them to find out all the latest news and offerings from Bumble Bee! Enjoy your time at BlogHer and in our hometown of San Diego!

The sweepstakes will be live for the duration of BlogHer, or more specifically from 8:01am PT Friday morning to 6:59pm PT Saturday evening.

If you’re reading this and have a QR code scanner, you can also scan it on your mobile device right from this post, or you can click this link.

After becoming a household of four the dinnertime routine got a little more complicated. Trying to adjust to having another baby in the house, as well as a two year old that is still to this day a picky eater, occasionally left me a bit flummoxed. I started cooking meals in larger quantities with the intention of having leftovers the next night or, depending on how the day had been, calling an audible and going out to eat. Another great thing was figuring out how to contain the mess of chopping, prepping, cooking and eating by making one pot meals so that clean up didn’t take forever with baths and bedtime looming.

This month the folks at Ready Set Eat asked me to check out one recipe in particular that was a breeze to make and quite filling. Their Creamy Chicken Pasta Skillet dinner combines a number of my family’s favorite things – pasta, peas and tomatoes. As soon as I read the recipe I knew that our baby girl, who is a significantly better eater than her big brother, would be all over it.

With only six main ingredients and some cheese for garnish I was able to put it together within a few minutes of the recipe’s suggested prep time. Had I started my pasta water a little sooner I’m sure I could have come in a good two to three minutes early. The only substitution I made was exchanging cream of chicken soup for cream of mushroom soup because none of us care for mushrooms. Other than that this dish is a simple, tasty way to get a satisfying dinner on the table, plus we had enough left over for lunch the next day.

One other thing I did differently was that I added the drained pasta into the skillet rather than toss them together in a bowl. I like to give pasta the opportunity to finish cooking in with any pan sauce I make and I viewed this dish in the same way.

Lastly, I found the dish to be a little thick for my tastes, so while it the pasta was finishing up I added a ladle full of the pasta water to the pan to thin it out just a bit.

You Be The Judge Contest

For the past eight months you’ve been reading about the recipes that I’ve been asked to review by the folks at Ready, Set, Eat. Now, my friends at ConAgra Foods have decided to turn the tables and want you to be the judge. All you have to do is make their Creamy Chicken Pasta Skillet (recipe and video to follow) and post a review on the Ready Set Eat website. Then, when you are done, leave a comment here on my blog and let me know that you posted a review and what your username is on their site.

Each review is worth five (5) entries into the contest and you must post a review on their site in order to be eligible to win one of five ConAgra prize packs. Valued at $50 each prize pack contains a BBQ set, plate set, outdoor table cloth, recipe cards and a sampling of ConAgra products.

After you’ve reviewed the recipe and left a comment here, you can earn additional entries by:

• Following Ready, Set, Eat on Twitter (1 entry)
• Retweeting this post and leaving your Twitter status link as a comment (1 entry each, max of 5)
• Subscribing to the Real Men Drive Minivans RSS Feed (1 entry)

All eligible entries must be received between now and 11:59PM EST on Sunday, July 31, 2011.

Creamy Chicken Pasta Skillet | Ready Set Eat from PJ Mullen on Vimeo.

Creamy Chicken Pasta Skillet

recipe courtesy of Ready, Set, Eat

Ingredients

• 8 ounces dry rigatoni pasta, uncooked
• PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1-1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt’s® Petite Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1 condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 6 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken and onion; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in centers, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in undrained tomatoes and soup; cook 5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally. Add peas; mix well.
3. Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl. Add chicken-tomato mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Disclosure: I am compensated by ConAgra Foods to review recipes for Ready Set Eat. However, my opinions contained herein are my own.

The Truth About Children’s Birthday Parties

In less than two weeks my son will be turning three-years-old, and party preparations are in full swing. The menu has been planned, tables and chairs reserved, invitations sent and a bouncy house rented.

Now, before you think I’m going overboard for a child’s birthday party and will be the next parent featured on TLC’s Outrageous Kids Parties I’ll stop you right there. We are the party planners, the food and cake will be homemade and the invitations went out for free by email.

Even if we had the means to throw a lavish, over-the-top party for either of our children there is no way that we would. In fact, for the first two years of my son’s life we made his parties simple, at-home functions with family and close friends.

Children that age generally don’t grasp the concept of birthdays, so the only point of spending to excess on a party like the $32,000 birthday party for a six year old you might have read about is to inflate the parents’ egos.

To read the full article, click on over to Man of the House.

In recent years I’ve become enamored with sushi. Ever since my wife and I started dating nearly seven years ago I started to become more adventurous and moved from eating only shrimp tempura rolls to eating things like raw tuna. Making sushi, however, is always something I’ve felt I should leave to the professionals. Getting the rice right, seeking out the freshest fish and assembling it all in such an elegant package just overwhelmed me.

It also doesn’t help matters that seafood is one of the glaring holes in my culinary game. My best seafood dish is tilapia filets poached in coconut milk because it’s hard to screw up. I set the target temperature in an electric skillet and can theoretically can let the dish cook all day long without overcooking because the temperature of the fish and the poaching liquid will reach an equilibrium point.

However, when I was perusing recipes for my latest Bee Squad post, I stumbled upon Bumble Bee’s Spicy Thai Tuna Rolls (click for recipe) and decided that it was time I make the plunge. I had received a can of their Spicy Thai Chili tuna from their Sensations line and wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with it. This provided the perfect opportunity to sample the product and possibly get past my sushi making fears.

The first thing I needed was a good sushi rice recipe and my man Alton Brown did not disappoint. Then I wanted to make the dish look as much like a plate from my favorite sushi restaurant here in town as humanly possible. So, I noodled over the rest of the ingredients and what I might be able to do. I settled on using cucumber slices and pickled daikon and carrot as my two main garnishes. Those two things combined with a little drizzle of wasabi mayonnaise and sriracha sauce seemed like the perfect way to finish up the plating.

The recipe makes two rolls and my only mistake was that I used way too much rice, which made rolling them more difficult than it needed to be. Also, on my first one I didn’t let the nori paper absorb enough moisture from the rice to make it more flexible, so that one cracked like crazy. When I did get it right the second time around what was left was a spicy and sweet creation with some crunch from the strips of cucumber, carrot and daikon that provided a different textural element.

This is something I’d definitely make again and is a great option for dinner guests that might like the idea of sushi, but aren’t sold on the whole raw thing. And, if you are interested in giving this or any of the other great recipes available over at bumblebee.com a try, my friends at Bumble Bee Foods are offering you a chance to win the same Bee Squad prize pack that I received.

Check out the quick video I made showing how I made the Spicy Thai Tuna Rolls and then scroll down for more information on how to enter.

Spicy Thai Tuna Rolls | Bee Squad from PJ Mullen on Vimeo.

Bee Squad Prize Pack Giveaway

If you’re made it this far, you’re probably interested in getting yourself some Bumblee Bee swag. Here’s what you can win:

• Bumble Bee apron
• Bumble Bee pen
• 2 Bumble Bee recipe cards
• Bumble Bee Prime Fillet Tonno in Olive Oil
• Bumble Bee Prime Fillet Solid White Albacore in Water
• Bumble Bee Prime Fillet Atlantic Salmon
• Bumble Bee Sensations Sundried Tomato & Basil
• Bumble Bee Sensations Lemon & Cracked Pepper
• Bumble Bee Sensations Spicy Thai Chili
• Bumble Bee Premium Albacore in Water Pouch
• Bumble Bee Premium Wild Pink Salmon Pouch

And here’s a few ways you can enter between now and midnight EST on Sunday, July 17, 2011:

1. Tell me about your favorite recipe that uses tuna in the comment section (1 entry);
2. Like, Tweet or “+” this post on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus and leave a comment below (1 entry, max of five);
3. Subscribe to the Real Men Drive Minivans RSS feed and leave a comment below (1 entry); or
4. Calculate the number of unladen swallows required to carry a one pound coconut. You must specify whether it is an African or European swallow (due to the difference in maximum air speed velocity) and show your work (automatic win)

The winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be notified by email. If the winner does not contact me within 48 hours (or declines to provide full contact information including a valid home address), then a new winner will be chosen and subject to the same terms. US residents only.

Update: 7/19/11 – Congratulations to Melisa W. for winning the Bee Squad Prize Pack.

Disclosure: As part of the Bee Squad I receive product information and samples and Bumble Bee is sponsoring my trip to BlogHer ’11. I was not compensated in any other way, nor was I offered or promised anything else in exchange or my review of their products or recipes. All opinions contained herein are my own.

What I love about chicken salads is that I can prepare big batches of it in advance, portion it out and have a healthy lunch at the ready. Now I have two different ways to prepare it thanks to this month’s recipe review challenges. The first one I made was a Creamy Dill Chicken Salad that was really good, as I love dill and the cucumbers added a nice crunch. However, it was the Apple Bacon Chicken Salad that was the bigger hit in my home. I mean, if you think about it, chicken, good. Apples, good. Bacon, very good.

Loaded with fresh ingredients – chicken, green onions, apples – it is a light, yet hearty meal option for lunch in a pita or a sandwich thin or dinner with a bed of arugula dressed in some olive oil and lemon. When I made my most recent batch I used plain greek yogurt in the mix, which is a nice departure from the more traditional mayonnaise, and even topped it off with some roughly chopped walnuts to add another textural element.

This apple bacon chicken salad has got a lot going on with the sweet from the apples, the saltiness from the bacon and the tang from the mustard and greek yogurt that should leave a little something for everyone at your table.

Apple Bacon Chicken Salad

recipe courtesy of Ready Set Eat

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Parkay® Original Spread-tub
• 2 slices turkey bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups chopped unpeeled apple
• 1 container (6 oz each) plain nonfat yogurt (6 oz = 2/3 cup)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Gulden’s® Spicy Brown Mustard

Directions

1. Melt Parkay in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and chicken; sprinkle with salt. Cook 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in centers, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet; place in shallow dish. Cool in freezer 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine apple, yogurt, onions and mustard in medium bowl. Stir in cooled chicken and bacon.

Disclosure: I am compensated by ConAgra Foods to review recipes for Ready Set Eat. However, my opinions contained herein are my own.

Well, apparently after the immense criticism that Palin has received for defending her remarks, she has decided to release yet another clarifying statement to demonstrate just how well she really knows her American History.

I, for one, am just glad we have for the very first time a full and complete record of what truly happened the fateful night the Revolutionary War got started. I managed to get an advanced copy of the statement she plans on releasing later today:

“My fellow Americans. Here’s a little story I’ve got to tell about three bad revolutionaries you know so well. It started way back in history with Hancock, Sammy A and the man, Paul Re.

Ironically he also had a horsy named Paul Revere, it was just him and his horsy and a quart of beer. Riding over to Lexington, kicking up sand, the British were on his tail cause he was in demand.

One lonely patriot he be, all by himself without nobody. The lantern beamed down on his colonial hat. The tension was getting thick and his beer was getting flat. Lookin’ for the trail, he ran into a guy. His hame was Sammy A, he said, ‘Howdy’, Paul said, ‘Hi’.

He told a little story that sounded well rehearsed. Four days hiding out and that he’s dying of thirst. The brew was in Paul’s hand, and Sammy was on his tip. His voice was hoarse, his throat was dry he asked Paul for a sip.

Sammy said ‘Can thee get some?’ Paul said ‘Thee can’t get none’. He had a chance to run, but Sammy pulled out a long gun. Quick on the draw, Paul thought he’d be dead. He put the gun to Paul’s head and this is what he said.

‘Now my name is Sammy A. I’m here to overthrow the oppressive British regime and end taxation without representation. I think you know what time it is, it’s time to form a new nation. Now what do we have here, a fellow patriot and his beer. I run this command, you understand, I make myself clear’.

They stepped into the wind, Sammy had a gun, Paul had a grin. You think this story’s over, but it’s ready to begin.

‘Now I got the gun, you got the brew. You got two choices of what you can do. It’s not a tough decision as you can see, I can blow you away or you can ride on to Concord with me.’

Paul said to him: ‘I’ll ride with you if you can get me out of here this instant . The governor is after me for what I did with the resistance. I did it like this, I did it just then. I did it with a quill pen. So, I’m on my midnight ride, the British ships are on their way, and right about now it’s time to try to save the day. The King needs to be no more and I know how to find the fly spot with the ammunition store.’

They rode for six hours then they hit the spot. The battleground was a bumping and raining buckshot. This dude was staring like he knows about their crusade, they took the empty spot next to him in the brigade. Sammy A said ‘Yo, you know this kid?’ Paul said ‘I didn’t', but Sammy knew he did.

The kid said ‘Get ready, cause this ain’t retribution, my name’s Hancock and I’m about to start a revolution.’ Pulled out a musket, aimed it at the sky, He yelled ‘Liberty!’ and let two fly. Hands went up and people hit the ground, he wasted two redcoats that were standing around.

‘I’m Paul Re and I get respect, my land and my freedom is what I expect!’ Sammy A was with it, and he was an ace. He grabbed the commander and punched him in the face. The commander was out, the fighting stopped. His lieutenant had beef and he got dropped.

Paul Re grabbed the flag, Sammy A snatched the British’s gold. They earned their freedom and beer that’s cold.”

* may not be historically accurate.

Whenever I think of mole I think of two things: Austin Powers and one of my wife’s favorite lunches. I’ve been making her a turkey mole soup that she found in Cooking Light magazine for a few years now as part of her work lunch rotation.

For the month of May the Shared Tastes Panel was asked to review several recipes that, especially at the beginning of the month, had a distinctive Latin flavor. Of the recipes that I reviewed our favorite was a Quick Mole Pork dish that was easy to prepare and very tasty.

To me mole is not a natural fit flavor-wise. I really chose this recipe out of the ones we were asked to consider because I knew my wife would love it. Admittedly, the heat from the cumin and chili pepper play nicely against the bittersweet chocolate, but it certainly would not be my first choice.

The first time I made this Quick Pork Mole I did so with the intention of using it as the protein for taco night. Piled up on a warm tortilla with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and queso fresco was a great way to serve this.

However, as I was preparing my post, I wanted to go in a different direction and the increasingly ripe mango sitting on my cutting board gave me the inspiration I needed. After fashioning a quick mango salsa (diced mango, chopped flat leaf parsley, finely diced onion, a splash of rice wine vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper) and making a quick batch of tostones I was ready to plate it up.

As much as I liked using this in a taco, the slightly tangy and acidic mango salsa really meshed well with the dish and balanced out the heat from the mole. Plus, like apples, mangoes are a natural fit with pork.

I’ve made mole from scratch before and it isn’t a lot of work, but it was nice to have an even easier way to get the same flavors to the table faster. If mole is on your list of favorite things this recipe will certainly leave you satisfied.

Quick Pork Mole

recipe courtesy of Ready Set Eat

Ingredients

PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1-1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Directions

1. Spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 5 minutes or until pork is done, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet; set aside. Add onion to skillet; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add chili powder, cumin and cinnamon; continue cooking about 1 minute or until spices are fragrant, stirring frequently.
2. Add undrained tomatoes and morsels; bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 8 minutes. Return drained meat to tomato mixture; heat until hot.

Disclosure: I am a compensated by ConAgra Foods to review recipes for Ready Set Eat. However, my opinions contained herein are my own.