I was on the way into work when I heard the news. Hostess was not only going bankrupt (which many companies do) but was closing shop and selling off all of their assets. Wow! I cannot say that I have bought many Hostess products over the years and very few recently (maybe that is why they are having financial difficulty), but the company is such an iconic one and brings good memories of their products.
I went out at lunchtime and had to run to the local grocery store to pick up an item for dinner. Once inside, I decided to stroll down the bakery aisle. There, near the end, were two grandmotherly women stopped in front of the Hostess display. The fully stocked Hostess display. They were talking about the news and while they gabbed, I grabbed a box of Twinkies and one of HoHos (my wife’s favorite).
I brought them home with strict instructions (upon pain of death) for the family to not open them. By the end of the day, there were reports of runs on them at local stores and plenty of empty shelves. I should have bought much more. Over the next several days there were over-reported erroneous news reports of boxes on eBay selling for hundreds of dollars. The reality was people were listing them for hundreds, but the sales were about 50% above the shelf price. Not enough to make it worth my while to sell them.
By the end of the week, there was Twinkie panic. Would someone start making them again? The general consensus was they would, but it might take some time. In the mean time, the well of HoHos would dry up.
That Friday, my wife and I were walking around the neighborhood and ran into a couple of boys from our street riding their bikes and with huge smiles on their faces. We stopped to ask them what was going on and they very happily told us they just bought the last bag of Hostess mini-powdered doughnuts from a hole-in-the-wall convenience store near by. I told them that I had an unopened box each of Twinkies and HoHos at home and they looked at me like I was Warren Buffet and King Midas all in one.
The next day we had a small get together of family over to watch my Ohio State Buckeyes put a beat down on our rival from the University of Michigan. At halftime I pulled out the boxes and with great flourish, pulled the zip tabs on the boxes and opened them. We then proceeded to likely have the last Twinkie or HoHo we may ever have.
While these chicken breasts are not filled with white pillowy cream like the Twinkies, they are stuffed never less.
Don’t know why it was so blurry. Maybe I was hitting the wine too early, or at least my camera was.
One of the hundred pictures of peppers and onions being fried up that I have taken for the blog.
Veggies in the pan.
The peppers and onions are slid under the skin.
Out of the roaster.
Ready for the table.
Red Pepper-Stuffed Herb Chicken
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. basil
- 1/4 c. feta cheese
- 4 chicken breasts (with skin and bone)
- 1/4 c. white grape juice with a splash of vinegar [or Capri Sun juice]
- 1 tbsp. butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. In a skillet, heat the olive oil, add the onion, pepper, garlic, salt and pepper, and herbs and cook until onion is translucent and peppers are soft. Let cool. When cooled, add the cheese, tossing well to distribute.
In the meantime, prepare chicken. Loosen the skin of the chicken and stuff 1/4 of the mixture in between skin and flesh. Sprinkle the tops of the chicken with salt and pepper, and place in a metal baking dish.
Roast chicken for about 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm.
Heat the pan on the stovetop, about medium-high heat. Add the white grape juice and, using a wire whisk, get all the browned goodies up off the bottom of the pan, whisking as you go. Let the pan juices reduce to about half. Remove from heat, add the butter, whisk well, and serve over the top of the chicken.
Jan 20, 2013 @ 11:07:17
This looks delicious. I think I can actually make it with a few minor changes – like no feta cheese. Does feta break down in the oven? Would farmer cheese work? It is one of the few cheeses I am allowed to have.
Jan 20, 2013 @ 11:07:57
Looks delicious – but hardly a Twinkie. Good news about Twinkies, if you buy some they keep forever.
Jan 20, 2013 @ 11:11:18
This dish looks absolutely wonderful, and may be the first recipe I have found on all of WordPress that I will actually try. The feta cheese sealed the deal for me. The local Expired food Discounters were selling their soon to expire Twinkies for 1.00 each a few weeks ago. I reluctantly bought two, and didn’t touch them. I hate Twinkies, after all.
Jan 20, 2013 @ 11:29:56
This recipe looks much better – and healthier – than a Twinkie. I’ve heard people are recreating the Twinkie recipe at home. It would be interesting to try, if I like Twinkies which I don’t.
Jan 20, 2013 @ 13:10:09
what’s a twinkie?
Jan 20, 2013 @ 14:28:30
Princess Melita Bonaparte issued an appeal for her starving husband, who has food allergies to everything except Twinkies. He is now on life-support. I took a photograph of an empty Hostess product rack on my way to catch a Pan Am flight. What? Huh? Ah, the way of the world….
Jan 20, 2013 @ 15:01:43
I miss those snowballs, the white marshmallow coconut treats.
Jan 20, 2013 @ 20:48:30
That is awesome! And also while I’ll never leave San Diego other then for vacation, I’m from Ohio and love you mentioned the Buckeye!
Woot woot! O-H!
Jan 26, 2013 @ 14:58:55
I-O!!
Jan 20, 2013 @ 22:19:48
Enjoyed your twinkie post, oh, and the recipe too.
Jan 21, 2013 @ 01:35:26
Looks delicious – saw carrots in the photo but not listed in the recipe, so did you add these on a whim?
Jan 21, 2013 @ 01:54:56
looks delicious and you are too funny! There is not so much of a Twinkie following here in BC but we would relate it probably to BeaverTails going out of business
Jan 21, 2013 @ 06:41:31
I just love the way you weave a story around the cooking bit – your posts make for a good read. thanks.
Jan 21, 2013 @ 11:09:36
That is funny that you tell that story. Right when I heard the news i was joking with friends about how they were going to be sold on ebay for a lot of money. I guess it was true!
Jan 21, 2013 @ 20:03:46
Can you believe I have never seen, not consciously at least, or eaten a Twinkie or HoHo in my entire life? I have lived in the US for 22 years and never tasted a Twinkie or HoHo and could not even describe them. I think they should have made this experience a requirement to become a citizen!!! It is part of history, after all!
Jan 21, 2013 @ 20:43:10
Due to my corn allergy the Ho Ho and Twinkie are out of the question. However, the chicken recipe sounds fabulous. Thank You
Jan 21, 2013 @ 22:36:10
Great story! But I must admit, I’ve never had a Hoho… or a Twinkie for that matter. Do they taste anything like Sara Lee cakes? They were a favorite when we were little. Vinny would think it is probably good riddance
Jan 28, 2013 @ 19:00:27
Aw no, I never got to try a twinkie
do you know if there’s any way I could still get my hands on one in the UK?