Beef…it’s what’s for dinner. Or so we thought. ABC News has been investigating the use of a meat filler called Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings, BLBT or pink slime, in seventy percent of ground beef. Oh yeah, and this pink slime is disinfected with ammonia and was previously only sold to cooking oil and dog food suppliers. Um, gross.

J. Patrick Boyle, president of the American Meat Institute, is defending this nasty stuff saying it “is a sustainable product because it recovers lean meat that would otherwise be wasted.” You won’t find a label on packages of ground beef that says it contains pink slime though, so how will you know? You won’t. Janet Riley, senior VP of public affairs for AMI stated, “What are you asking me to put on the label, its beef, it’s on the label, it’s a beef product, it’s says beef so we are declaring … it’s beef.” I personally would like to know if there’s an ammonia lined filler in my beef!

Former employees of Beef Products Inc. are saying that pink slime doesn’t even resemble beef at all, claiming “It kind of looks like Play-Doh.” How is this stuff made, you ask? Well, since it comes from the part of the cow that’s most susceptible to contamination, they simmer it in low heat until the fat and tissue separates and then it’s sprayed with ammonia. Yummy, right?!

What stores don’t use pink slime in their beef? Costco, Publix, H-E-B, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Tops Markets. Safeway and Ahold on the other hand, trust what the government says is safe. Now, there are tons of other grocery stores, and ABC only asked the top ten in the country. So maybe you should ask your grocery store if they use pink slime in their beef or not, I know I definitely will.

What do you think about pink slime? Do you feel like it’s safe? Are you extremely grossed out like I am?

Caitlin is a senior at the University of Alabama who has an obsession with cupcakes, coffee, and Harry Potter. She always has random fun facts on reserve and aspires to be a professional blogger,social media bug, and/or James Franco’s assistant. Follow her fabulous life @caitlincorsetti. You’re welcome!

No, it’s not his lunch on his breath that you’re sniffing, but his cologne. Thanks to our friends at Burger King, your man can now smell like his favorite fast-food sandwich with help from their newly released scent, Flame. It’s described by the BK cologne website Fire Meets Desire as “the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat.” Because nothing says “I wanna treat you like a princess” like smelling like a $2.39 pile of grease. Flame will be sold on the Fire Meets Desire website as well as at New York City-based retailer, Ricky’s, for a mere $4 a spray-bottle.

I’m not quite sure why the Burger King himself (who, by the way, looks like the result of an illegitimate mating between Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and Flava Flav) appears on the website reclining nude in front of a fire with just a fur blanket. Seeing that made me feel as though I’d just rubbed my eyes with horseradish. And is it just me, or have there been a lot of unorthodox colognes being released on the market lately? Next up: Valentino’s Eau du Public Transportation.

That being said, if the sweet aroma of the Whopper does send tingles down your spine, this is just the gift for you. After all, it’s not that strange to want to combine food and sex. Burger King just may be onto something with this food-scented body spray. As my friend said, if nothing else, it gives a new meaning to the term “special sauce.”

And eating is even MORE fun when you’re smashed.

That’s right. They tell us that alcohol impairs your judgment and ‘they’ are absolutely right.

How else do I explain the empty jar of peanut butter I found this morning next to my bed?

Ah, peanut butter.

You know, you don’t have to eat a jar of it when you’re drunk to savor its goodness (which I seemed to have forgotten…)

One of my favorite drunk snacks involves a little PB, a little fat and a whole lot of delicious:

1 Rice Cake with Skippy Reduced Fat Peanut Butter smeared on it with Light Chocolate syrup poured over it. Oh. My. God. It’s so delicious, you’ll cry.

It is delectable without making me feel guilty in the morning, like, say, a Costco Cake would. However, that has nothing (noooothing) on my favorite drunkity drunk snack: NACHOS. Sorry, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t replace the goodness of a cheesey, beefy, fatty plate of nachos.

They’re so easy to make, even when you can’t walk straight.

Chips. Piled with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, beans, and whatever else you choose. You can throw these ingredients together in minutes (there is really no way to mess this up) and be munching your way into a reckless heaven in no time. Mmmmmm.

Don’t beat yourself up about your drunk eating, either. If you can’t remember it, it never happened.

What are your favorite late-night eats?

(photo from: mannpill.com)

I think I did a dance around the kitchen when I finally figured out how to replicate this Chinese dish so that it actually tasted authentic. SCORE! It’s a tad on the salty and oily side, but it’s sooooo good.

Ingredients for two portions: 1 tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil, about ¼ lb ground beef or ground pork, dried chili pepper flakes to taste (or red chili paste), 1 tablespoon of black bean garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, one fresh package of extra-firm tofu, a little bit of broccoli (optional), and 4-5 green onions (scallions).

In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil and cook the ground meat over low-medium heat. Mix it with the chili pepper flakes or paste, the black bean garlic sauce, and the soy sauce.

Meanwhile, cube the package of tofu and slice the green onions (and broccoli, if you’re using it). When the meat is completely cooked, add the tofu.

After 3-4 minutes, add the broccoli (if you’re not using it, then, well… don’t add it).

Let the tofu mixture cook for almost 10 minutes. If some of the tofu cubes crumble, that’s OK. Near the end of the cooking time, everything should be hot and at least some of the tofu cubes should be a little crispy or browned. In the last minute or so of cooking, toss in the green onions.

Turn off the heat and serve right away with white rice. Mmmmmmmmm… it brings me right back to China.