Police buy the doughnut shop

Several cops in Michigan who were upset about their doughnut shop closing purchased it so they could have all the doughnuts they could eat.

It's a great idea. Cops and donuts. Everybody talks about cops and donuts," said Officer Gregory.

A group of police officers were upset because their favorite donut shop was closing, so they bought it. Nine members of Clare's finest are now in the donut business.

"[It's a] group of, you know, nine policemen in this community, we all live here. That said, we're going to ban together as a group, and we're gonna save this bakery," said Officer Gregory. "You hear, you know, the same old jokes, like you guys are gonna eat up all the profit."

The bakery has been in business for 113 years. Now it will stay open a while longer.

Not afraid to be a walking stereotype are they?

Assualt with a deadly cheeto

A Tennessee couple were involved in a domestic altercation with Cheetos.

Warrants filed by Cpl. Kevin Roddy, of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department, stated he responded to a call at a home on Pass Road, where 40-year-old James Earl Taylor and Mary S. Childers, 44, were allegedly involved in an argument.

According to Roddy's report, the pair became "involved in a verbal altercation" with each other "at which time Cheetos potato chips were used in the assault."

"There was evidence of the assault," the report read, "however no physical marks on either party and the primary aggressor was unable to be determined."

I wonder if they had orange marks on them. Are Cheetos made of potatoes, the article calls them potato chips?

Strawberry sausage anyone?

A strawberry festival in Wisconsin will have big competition this year for the best strawberry sausage. Yes, strawberry sausage.

The strawberry brat market at the festival was for years cornered by Hoffmann's Market, but the owner of the business, Dave Hoffmann, retired and closed up his shop in November, leaving three sausage makers scrambling to fill the strawberry brat niche, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday.

Steve Biertzer, a former Hoffman's Market employee who was tapped as his former boss's official successor, will be selling the strawberry bratwurst -- in accordance with his predecessor's recipe

-- at the festival's food court, while two others have announced plans to sell strawberry sausages elsewhere along Washington Avenue during the event.

"The strawberry brat is a novelty available only once a year," Biertzer said. "I'm sure there will be a few copycats on the street, but competition is a good thing. It keeps us on our toes."

I think I'd skip the sausage. Strawberry sausage doesn't sound good to me.

Prostitute takes box of chips as payment

An Oklahoma woman accepted a box of chips as payment for her services as a prostitute.

Police said Lahoma Sue Smith, 35, admitted to making the deal with the man, who said he was a Frito-Lay employee.

Officers found Smith and the man, both partially clothed, inside Smith's car.

The man was not charged and his name hasn't been released.

Smith, who police said has a history of prostitution, was fined $1,142 after entering her plea.

I wonder if she got to keep the chips.

Firefighters respond to fire at their own station

Several firefighters in Hawaii were surprised when they got a call to report to a fire: at their own station caused by food left cooking on the stove.

Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said firefighters left food cooking

when they responded to reports of a traffic crash May 22. They received a second call on their way back from the crash to put out a fire at their own station, the Honolulu Advertiser reported Tuesday.

"The firefighters (at the station) are very chagrined about it," Seelig said. "It goes to show that no one is immune."

Seelig said unattended cooking is one of the top causes of fires locally.

"The fire's cause was attributed to unattended cooking," Seelig said. "We, like everybody else, need to be careful and attentive when cooking."

You'd think that firefighters would be more careful about fire safety wouldn't you?

Man mugged for his sandwich

An Oklahoma man was mugged while waiting for the bus for his bologna sandwich.

Roger Hamilton, 24, told investigators that he was waiting for the bus Wednesday at the Hudson

Street bus station and preparing to put mayonnaise on his sandwich when he noticed a man, described as African-American and in his 30s, staring at him, The Oklahoman reported Friday.

Hamilton said he asked the man if he could help him and the other man responded by punching him in the mouth and running off with the sandwich, which the police report valued at 76 cents.

I could see assaulting someone for a burger or a or sub sandwich but bologna?

Cop pulls gun at McDonalds

A Colorado policeman is in trouble after pulling his gun at a McDonald's employee because it was taking too long to fill his order.

A spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department said they plan to present the case -- now classified as a felony menacing incident -- to the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office Thursday for possible filing of criminal charges.

Sources familiar with the case, and the fast food worker's account of what happened, say two off-duty Denver police officers placed an order from their car in the early morning hours of May 21. But once at the drive through window, the employee said the men became agitated and angry at how long their food was taking. The men thought they were being ignored, according to contacts familiar with the worker's account. The male clerk then said one of the officer's flashed his police badge and pointed a pistol through the drive through window in a threatening manner, before driving off without paying.

Someone needs anger management training.

Nothing says healthy like a french fry salad!

French Fry salad? I thought I'd print the recipe for those who missed this heart attack on a plate "healthy" salad they made on the Today Show this morning.

French fry salad

• 3 medium sized Idaho potatoes (peeled)

• 8 cups spicy greens (peppercress and/or baby arugula)

• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes

• 4 ounces shaved parmesan cheese

• 1/4medium red onion sliced thin

• 2 tablespoon red wine vinaigrette (recipe to follow)

• 2 tablespoon creamy Dijon dressing (recipe to follow)

For the vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon red wine

• 2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the dijon dressing

• 2 tablespoons dijon

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 pinch cayenne

• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

For the vinaigrette: Whisk all ingredients well.
For the dijon dressing: Whisk all ingredients well.

For the dish
Cut the potatoes into french fries as long as the potato and about a 1/2-inch in diameter. Blanch these fries in 250° Canola oil until cooked through but not browned. About 8-10 minutes. Reserve.

Add the salad greens, tomatoes, sliced onions and parmesan cheese into salad bowl. Deep fry the reserved fries in 325° Canola oil until golden brown and very crispy. Season with salt and pepper and add to the salad along with red wine vinaigrette. Toss lightly and plate. Drizzle each salad with some of the dijon dressing.

Nothing says healthy like a salad with TWO dressings and french fries. I'd bet that a burger paired with some fries would be about the same amount of calories and a whole lot more satisfying.

Salad diet anyone?

Company to produce James Bond popsicle

Daniel Craig has won a Del Monte contest as one of the coolest celebrities and will have his likeness made into a popsicle that will be sold for the UK's ice cream week.

The food company said a poll of 1,000 British women resulted in the 41-year-old "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace" star being named Britain's Coolest Smoothie, The Mirror reported Monday.

For just a week, Del Monte will be offering its Craig-inspired Superfruit Smoothies -- blueberry, pomegranate and cranberry flavored -- in the shape of Craig's head and torso. It's all part of Britain's inaugural National Ice Cream week.

"Daniel Craig topped our poll of Britain's coolest celebrities and, thanks to our Del Monte lolly replica, he is officially immortalized as super smooth and licensed to chill," spokesman Matt O'Connor said in a statement.

That's just wrong. You know people would be outraged if those were Pamela Anderson pops. Could you eat one of those in public?

Florida inmates grow veggies for local food banks

Inmates in a Florida prison have been growing vegetables to donate to food banks.

The gardening program has become so successful that it was scheduled weekly into the RECAP program, which includes inmates with substance-abuse problems, county officials said. And Huber inmates without jobs soon will work in the garden.

"They're so proud of what they're doing out here," Sgt. Laurie Sprecher said. "They're doing a good day's work and accomplishing something positive."

Rock County UW Extension and the master gardener program teach inmates about gardening. They work in a half-acre of soil off Highway 14 east of the jail. Inmates grow everything from tomatoes, lettuce and potatoes to peppers, asparagus and strawberries.

"We long ago realized that this is not about teaching them gardening," said Mike Maddox, Rock County UW Extension's horticulture educator. "This is about working together, teamwork and working independently."

The garden is a safe environment for inmates, Maddox said, and inmates talk about their kids, wives and families while working.

"It becomes kind of a reflection time," he said.

What a wonderful program. Teaching the inmates to value hard work and allowing them to produce a product that helps the community. I just hope that they get to eat some of those veggies.

Japanese melons go for a discount price of 5,200 a pair

The first two Yabari melons of the year (a special type of cantaloupe farmed in a special place) went for 5,200 in an auction, a steal compared to the 26,000 they went for last year.

Weighing about eight pounds, the premium cantaloupes were part of the season's initial harvest at Sapporo Central Wholesale Market. Every year buyers flock to the market for a shot at the prestige of winning the very first melons of the year.

The orange-fleshed melons are grown only in the city of Yubari, a small town on the northern island of Hokkaido. Valued for their perfect proportions and taste, they are typically given as gifts by Japanese during the summer.

The other melons at the first auction aren't quite as expensive, but even those tumbled in price this year. The average price Friday of 84 melons was about $400, down from $630 last year, according to the Sankei newspaper.

Department stores and high-end retailers sell the fruit to the public for $50 to $100, though prices can run much higher depending on quality.

$50-$100 for a melon? Really? And it's a cantaloupe which isn't even a good melon.

Teen uses banana to rob bank, eats it while waiting for cops

A teenager in North Carolina tried to rob a bank with a banana and then ate the evidence while waiting for the cops to arrive.

Winston-Salem authorities say 17-year-old John Szwalla held the banana under his shirt when he entered the store Thursday, saying he had a gun and demanded money.

Owner Bobby Ray Mabe says he and a customer jumped Szwalla, holding him until deputies arrived. While they waited, Mabe says the teen ate the banana.

Mabe says deputies took pictures of the banana peel. Forsyth County Sheriff's office spokesman Maj. Brad Stanley says deputies joked about charging Szwalla with destroying evidence.

I'm surprised he didn't split when the cops arrived.

Expert: French bread not crusty enough

An American French bread expert says that the French are no longer making their baguettes crusty enough.

Steven Kaplan of New York's Cornell University says after spending a lifetime studying and eating French bread he has witnessed the slow death of the crust, The Times of London reported Friday.

"This is a significant and catastrophic trend," Kaplan told The Times. "The crust is what stands between France and the Armageddon of soft, mushy, repugnant loaves that we get in the U.S. and you get in Britain, too."

Kaplan says bakers in France have been cutting down on cooking time, succumbing to the global trend for softer food.

The upshot, he says, is the loss of the Maillard reaction, a chemical process occurring at high temperatures and leading to browning and crispiness.

French bakers say they are responding to a growing number of customers who demand baguettes that are "not too cooked."

A "global trend for softer food"? An American French bread expert?

Man finds snake head in his food!

A New Jersey man found a snake head in his broccoli while eating dinner at Fridays!

Jack Pendleton said he was dining with his girlfriend at the Clifton Park restaurant when he noticed a gray object on his plate under a piece of broccoli, the Albany (N.Y.) Times-Union reported Thursday.

"I could see these black, rotted eye sockets on the top," he said.

Pendleton said the snake head still had part of a tendon and the spinal chord attached.

Amy Freshwater, a spokeswoman for the restaurant chain, said the company was trying to determine how the snake head wound up in the food.

"We are taking this situation very seriously," she said. "We immediately pulled the broccoli from this restaurant and began an extensive investigation. As a precautionary measure, we pulled broccoli from all restaurants that received product from this supplier. We have since isolated the specific lot date of the broccoli in question and have now reintroduced the product in all restaurants not included in the product hold."

EEK! I wonder if the snake crawled into the broccoli when they were transporting it, or picking it? How creepy!

Thief breaks into house, steals jellybeans

A thief in Pennsylvania broke a window to get into a house and only stole jellybeans.

Sgt. Mark Zaleski said it remains unclear whether the suspect wanted only jellybeans. Or maybe that's all the thief had time to grab.

Police said the burglar broke a front door window Friday night and took the jellybeans from a dining room table. The homeowner reported that nothing else was missing or even moved.

I wonder if the thief worked for the Easter Bunny.

This wedding sponsored by Dr. Pepper

A Virginia woman got a little help to have her dream wedding from Dr Pepper after auctioning off a spot in her wedding party on e-bay.

Last year, one of her five bridesmaids suggested Gray auction on eBay a spot in her wedding party to raise funds for her Sunday nuptials. Imagine Gray's surprise when the winner was not a person, but a company: Plano-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

Dr Pepper Snapple placed a winning bid of $5,700 but decided Gray deserved a bit more for her creativity and increased the payout to $10,000 after the auction. The company also agreed to donate drinks for Gray's rehearsal dinner and wedding.

The eBay auction and subsequent corporate bid sparked interest in Gray's hometown, prompting several vendors to donate their services. In a large display of local support, bridesmaids' dresses, groomsmen's attire, videography, photography, flowers and the programs all have been donated.

The auction money has been used to pay for the venue, catering, wedding party gifts, the guestbook, and other miscellaneous items, Gray said.

And what about that empty spot in Gray's wedding party? At one point, it was rumored that Dr Pepper Snapple would fill the bridesmaid slot with a celebrity. But that idea never came to fruition.

"It started turning into ‘who's the celebrity' instead of being about me and Karl," Gray said.

"We talked to Kelly and the focus became making the wedding of her dreams, not filling the wedding party spot with someone she doesn't know," said Christine Danuser, a company spokeswoman.

Gray's wedding on Sunday will involve more than just one perfect match. The wedding is specifically being covered by the Diet Dr Pepper division of the company, and Gray happens to be an avid Diet Dr Pepper fan.

"I drink about two cans a day," Gray said. "That's all my mom drinks. Once as a kid, I got her Peanut M&Ms and Diet Dr Pepper for Christmas because I knew that's what she'd like!"

In a show of affection for the drink, when Gray was offered a free ice sculpture, she asked for it to be shaped like an old Diet Dr Pepper bottle.

Works out for everyone, she gets a great wedding and Dr Pepper gets lots of media attention. I don't know about having a sponsored wedding though.

School official convicted of Ketchup theft

A California school official has been convicted of petty theft after stealing a half bottle of ketchup.

Steve Rocco, an ex-Orange Unified School District trustee was convicted of misdemeanor petty theft for taking the bottle of ketchup from Chapman University last September.

The jury's vote was unanimous.

Rocco, who became known for railing about conspiracies against him by a group he called the Partnership during his single term on the school board,
testified that he was set up by political enemies.

He insisted that witnesses against him, including campus police officers, lied.

In earlier court papers, he told police he took the bottle to simply recycle it. But jurors didn't think that explanation cut the mustard. (Sorry!)

Deputy Public Defender Erica Gambale said Rocco picked up the bottle of
ketchup which was left out at an outdoor eating area on campus. She argued that its worth was "zero dollars and zero cents," which meant no crime was committed because nothing of real value was stolen.

Prosecutors can now slap Rocco's Hein-z (ouch!) behind bars for six months, but they said he most likely would face a small fine and probation. (And, no doubt, a restraining order against using any more condiments.)

Susan Schroeder of the Orange County District Attorney's Office said previously that she also expected prosecutors to seek an order barring Rocco from the Chapman campus.

During the trial, there were various estimates of the worth of the ketchup, with school officials reporting that they pay $1.20 per bottle.

There was also dispute as to how much ketchup was actually left inside the bottle, with one campus officer saying the bottle was three-quarters full. There was also some indication that the bottle had to be shaken in order to detect some liquid inside.

Really, was it worth the tax dollars that go into a jury trial for Ketchup? Ketchup? Both of those lawyers and the judge should get pelted with ketchup after that waste of time.

Woman shot in head then makes tea

A Mississippi woman made herself tea after being shot in the head on Tuesday.

"There's no way she should be alive," Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said. "The bullet completely passed straight through her brain. It entered at the middle of her forehead and exited from the back of her head. She should be dead. It's one of the most unreal, bizarre things I've ever seen."

Byrd said a young relative was in the home when the shootings occurred and ran to a neighbor for help.

"When deputies got there, they thought they were responding to a murder-suicide," Byrd said. "But, she was up walking around and talking."

Sheriff's Sgt. Leon Rushing said Tammy Sexton told detectives she had "just made some tea and was fine."

Rushing said she appeared slightly disoriented but was alert and responsive to questions.

"She had a cup of tea on her nightstand," Rushing said. "That was evidence that she had gone to the microwave and made tea. I'm sure she made it after she was shot."

I don't think I could make myself tea recently after stubbing my toe, muchless getting shot in the head.

This pothole repair brought to you by KFC

KFC is volunteering to repair potholes around the country for free as long as they can put advertising on top of the repairs that says "refreshed by KFC".

While KFC seems more suited to pot pies than potholes, the company is likely to build a reservoir of goodwill among the general population.

"This program is a perfect example of that rare and optimal occurrence when a company can creatively market itself and help local governments and everyday Americans across the country," said Javier Benito, exec VP-marketing and food innovation at KFC. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson noted in a statement that budgets are tight for cities across the country, and finding funding for road repairs is a dirty job. "It's great to have a concerned corporation like KFC create innovative private/public partnerships like this pothole refresh program."

In addition to the Louisville project, KFC has issued an open offer to U.S. mayors to tell them about the state of their city streets and request assistance. The chain will select as many as four more cities at random for pothole assistance.

Can someone tell KFC to come here. MI roads are horrible and the taxpayer savings in this economy would be welcome.

Woman calls 911 because her fried rice didn't have enough shrimp

A Texas woman called 911 because she was upset that her fried rice didn't have enough shrimp.

Restaurant' employees said the woman originally left with her order, but came back claiming she did not get her full $1.62 worth of extra shrimp. Since she had already left the building with her food, they refused to give her a refund.

"She started yelling and screaming, brought her boyfriend in and they started making a scene in here," said Alex Kim, the restaurant's attorney.

Employees said that's when the irate woman called 911 to try to get help from the police.

"I always get the shrimp fried rice, so I said I'm going to get extra meat this time. But he didn’t even put extra shrimp in there," she told the 911 operator.

Police say that the woman will not be punished for the phone call because it wasn't obscene or abusive.

I suspect that the ridicule that she will receive from the incident being publicized will be punishment in itself. I wonder if she'll go back to the restaurant.