Portion Control

In America we over eat and generally have portions that are much too large to be healthy for our bodies.

For example:

There are several restaurants dedicated to steak and assortments of different meats. Usually in these restaurants the meat takes up most of the plate and the veggies, if there are any, are a very small portion of the meal. Any meat that is being consumed should be about the size of your closed fist.

There are drink sizes that are XXL, which to me sounds like a shirt size for a very tall, hefty, grown man. What is interesting is that almost any fast food restaurant serves drinks this big.

Also Americans usually eat until they are overly full instead of just about full. When we do this it stretches out our stomach which creates pain. If this is continuously done you will be able to fit more food in each time, thus making a person's abdominal region "pudgy". 

Cucumber Sandwitches

I don't think cucumber sandwiches get enough credit.

They are delicious, not bad for you, and really easy to make.
Cucumber. Cream cheese. Bread.
Two pieces of pretty hardy bread, I like honey wheat.
Spread the cream cheese on one piece and if you'd like a little on the other (just so they stick together), whipped is much easier to spread and my preference.
After you have sliced the cucumber fairly thin  put about six slices on the bread with the cream cheese on it.
Once the the sandwich is made I usually cut it diagonally so they end up like triangles.
 And There You Go!!!

Movie Food

Why are movie foods so expensive??

Popcorn:

It is wonderful and buttery, however, it is not hard to make and I do not think a bucket of it should cast $8.00. I could make the same amount at home for abut $2.50. The only reason it is so expensive is because you are not allowed to bring food in so you are almost forced to buy it. They know people want to snack while they watch their movie so they buy the overly priced food.

Soft Drinks:

A large drink is about $6.00 which is crazy. Also the cups are so huge the only cup holder they fit in are the ones in the seats of the movie theaters.

Combos:

The combos are generally just a little more money than buying separate items but if you decide to get a combo you usually have way more food and drink than you can consume in one movie. If you do consume all of it then you might have a stomachache afterward.

Cheesecake Factory

Cheesecake Factory has about a billion types of cheesecake and regular cake. Yes, the food is delicious, however, we all know people really go for the dessert.

At least sane people.

Out of all the types of cheesecake, Lemon Raspberry is my all time favorite.

Would you like to know why it is the best dessert eevvvveeerrrrrr??

1. It is super refreshing 
2. It is light weight so it's not too dense
3. It has both regular cake and cheesecake
4. It isn't toooooo rich to the point you cannot eat all of it
5. It has syrup drizzle over it
6. It is ascetically pleasing

Ingredients

1. Half the filling ingredients for Cheesecake factory cheesecake, plus an extra tablespoon lemon juice.
2. 1/4 package vanilla cake mix.
3. 1/2 package frozen raspberries in light syrup[2]
4. 1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries.
5. 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
6. 8 lady fingers, chopped[3]
7. 1 package instant lemon pudding

Soup Beans and Butterscotch Pie

My Grandpa's birthday was a few days ago and his favorite foods for his birthday are Soup Beans and Butterscotch Pie. The easiest and hardest things to make. However, mom and I made both of them.

Soup Beans are so simple. All you need are navy beans, onion, some sort of meat and/or bone, water and some form of tomato if you like (my grandpa is happy with ketchup). Rinse the beans. Then put them into a crock-pot of water with the meat and onions. Now cook the crap out of the beans. You can add almost any spices that appeal to you. After it is put into a bow and ready to serve just put some ketchup on top, maybe even cheese. 

I think Soup Beans are one of my grandpa's favorites because it reminds him of when he was young.

Now for Butterscotch Pie, also my favorite.

This is possibly one of the hardest pies ever made, especially if you make it from scratch. We tried twice, called grandpa once to see if we were doing it right, and i don't even know how many times we reread the recipe and contemplated what we were doing wrong. 

THE DAMN FILLING REFUSED TO THICKEN.

After the first try at the filling it was just soupy and runny. Around 11:30 pm we gave up and started over. The second filling got to a pudding texture. We put the slightly strange, pudding textured filling into the already beautifully golden pie crusts... the filling is supposed to set up a bit more and become more firm. It did nothing of the sort.

The meringue is a whole other story. It flat out did not happen... most likely because we tripled the recipe and were trying to mix it by hand instead of with an electric mixer.

Anyway, Grandpa was thrilled with his Soup Beans and pie even though they did not turn out quite like we planned. He is the only one who ate the Soup Beans, bless his heart (he probably drove all the way home with the windows down). The Butterscotch Pie was scooped out with a giant serving spoon, plopped on a plate with a small pile of whip cream (store bought, because well you know meringue is really difficult), and we all ate with spoons. I have to say it was a pretty wonderful night.

Happy Birthday 25th(x3) Grandpa!!! 

Double cheese? Yes, Please!

This was a fantastic burger.

A double cheese burger with the cheese done different ways.

Mayo. Ketchup. Mustard

A golden, fried, crispy layer of cheese.

A giant, juicy burger.

A melted pile of cheesy goodness.

All in between a beautifully toasted bun

---My cousin Gregg made this for our lunch today. It definitely felt like a vacation type of burger!

Food Baby

FOOD BABY

Dictionary Definition:
a protruding stomach caused by eating a large quantity of food and supposedly resembling that of a woman in the early stages of pregnancy.

My Definition: 
When you have eaten so much your stomach literally stretches out and becomes hard/stiff like a pregnant woman's stomach (it also hurts)

      

thanksgiving day

Today, Thanksgiving, is the ultimate food baby day!

All day you eat delicious food and you can not stop yourself from overeating. At some point, usually for me it's when I stand up from the table, you realize there is way too much food in your stomach. Buuuuut you keep grazing throughout the day anyway.

There is a pretty standard procedure for how we consume food on thanksgiving day at our house.

1. Wonderful, filling breakfast in our pjs after we have slept in a bit (today it was breakfast burritos w/ eggs, bacon, cheese, sour cream, salsa verde)
2. Generally the adults make bloody marys
3. We then sit down to the long wooden table over flowing with steaming dishes at about 2:00pm (stuff ourselves silly with every single thing on the table and my dad has a rule that you have to at least try everything, even if you didn't like it last year. His philosophy is that it's been a year so maybe your taste buds have changed so you might like it this time)
4. About an hour later we break out the coffee, pie, ice cream, whip cream, and sometimes grammy's brownies
5. Almost any time after that people can make left over sandwiches or small plates warmed up or cold. Any which way you want it you can have it.

My Uncle Gunther always makes 2+ turkeys and they are prepared different ways.
Sweet potatoes are a must.
This year we had 2 types of mashed potatoes.
A variety of sides but i feel like veggies aren't always on our mind in the cooking process.

To me THANKSGIVING is about the abundance of faith, family, and good food!!

OATMEAL

My dad makes the best oatmeal ever!

I know most people would argue that oatmeal is very generic and boring. However, if you put the right stuff in it it's delicious.

Regular Quaker oatmeal with water goes into a bowl  then into a microwave. So simple yet the smell wafts throughout the house  and it seem glorious.

Once the steaming, and sometimes overflowing, bowl comes out of the microwave it ready to ravished with all sorts of sweet loveliness.

A dollop of butter. A swirl syrup. An extravagant sprinkle of brown sugar.

MIX

and

ENJOY EATING YOUR SWEET, WARM, FANTASTIC OATS

Comfort Food

My Favorite Comfort Food

Ooey gooey warm brownies with a little bit of crispy edges

Mashed Potatoes (skin or skinless) with loads of butter, garlic, salt, black pepper, and sometimes parsley

Coffee. Usually strong, sometimes with just cream, sometimes just sugar, occasionally BOTH

Sticky, golden, lovely cookie dough that has just been mixed. But not just the regular recipe! My great grandma's recipe is certainly the best

The Art of Roasting Marshmallows on an Open Flame

1. Put the end of your stick in the fire briefly before putting the marshmallow on it. It may be a wooden stick, an unfolded wire hanger, or and actual campfire stick. This serves two purposes: one is to get any gunk off the stick that may already be on it and the second reason is to warm up the end slightly.
2. Pierce the center of the flat side of the marshmallow until you can see the stick come through the other side. If you do not put the stick all the way through it will likely fall off in the roasting process.
3.  Place your marshmallow near the fire but not in any of the flames, near the bottom is preferable.  If it gets in any of the flames it will catch on fire and burn.
4. Once one side starts to bubble up and turn brown rotate it to another side that is not cooked yet.  This allows the marshmallow to become soft in the center and toasty on the outside.
5. Continue rotating the marshmallow until all sides are golden brown. It should now be completely soft in the middle and brown on the outside.
6. Slide the marshmallow off. Be careful it will be hot. Then start all over by putting the stick in the flame once again.

Cheap and Easy

A cheap, easy meal to prepare is delicious to me but may be repulsive to someone else.

White rice, a dippy (sunny side up) egg, and pan fried spam. It warms me up just thinking about it. Put all the ingredients into a bowl, stir it up, and enjoy. The saltiness of the spam it mellowed by the egg and the rice soaks up all the flavors. Based on the flavors you enjoy most you can season it any way you like. I usually put garlic and black pepper. However, a lot of the time I just look in the cabinet and pull out what ever calls my name at that moment; maybe hot sauce, or mayo, maybe I can add even some spinach.

I know this may turn people off but never judge a food solely on how it smells, looks, or how the ingredients sound together. JUST TRY IT!!!!

A Fun, Casual Joint

   ROOSTERS

This restaurant has a special place in my heart.

But not just anyone.

Specifically the Roosters on 161 and Cleveland Ave. 

I have been going there since I was a baby.

My brother worked there as a teenager and he is 18 years older than me, so it has been in my life for all 17 years of it.

My dad and I go every Tuesday night now.

We know almost everyone by name and see the same regulars every time.

My dad gets a double Jack on the rocks and I get a Shirly Temple.

Dad and I usually walk in and don't even have to ask for them.

I have seen bartenders and waitresses leave and I have seen others promote to mangers.

The atmosphere is always fun.

It's just a good place to be.

COFFEE

Coffee

*A simple drink or a fancy concoction*

•  Black
• Cream
• Sugar
• Latte
• Macchiato
• Espresso
• Frappuccino
• French Press
• Cold Brew
• Decaf
• Dopio
• Cappucino
• Flat White
• Breve
• Americano
• Caffe Latte
• Irish Coffee

I believe anyone can find some sort of combination of ingredients for coffee to suit their personality.  If you're a person who likes the darkest strongest coffee out there then maybe espresso is for you.  If you enjoy Fru-Fru, creamy, sugar filled drinks with just a splash of coffee then maybe you should try a frappuccino.  I love coffee. However, if you are not careful you can become addicted to it, I know I am.  Your body gets used to the extra caffeine and it is the sort of caffeine that pop or an energy drink just won't satisfy.  If you do not have your daily dose get ready for a huge headache at about 6:00pm.  Personally, It does not bother me too much to have to drink a little coffee everyday.  Experiment and choose what best suits you, just be ready for what come next, whether it be complete relaxation from the warm fluid or a jittery hyperness caused by caffeine.   

Food Poems?

The Beautiful Silver Bowl

Chocolate chip cookie dough is Childhood

Sticky, Globby, Golden dough

Small brown spots of heaven scattered throughout

Little girl sitting on the tiled counter top

Giant silver bowl in her lap

Every beautiful ingredient plopped in with a smile

Some say it was just cheap entertainment

No.

It was quality time spent making a delicious reward

Fun, Happy memories with Mommy and Libby

That's what really mattered

Learning to enjoy the small things in life

Accidental memorization of our altered recipe

Great Grandma Pat's recipe

Scribbled on a yellowing note-card, that was rarely needed

The card still sits in the metal mesh basket

The little girl is now 17

More time passes between each cookie occurrence

But the same question always remains 

Dough, Cookies, or Both?