A Can Of Chili

Today for dinner, I didn't have a whole lot to eat so I chose to eat a whole can of Hormel's Chili with no beans.  I ate a sleeve of butter crackers with it, but they didn't last.  Ate most of it with a spoon.

As you can tell, I'm feeling really good right about now.

Source: http://phantomfullforce.blogspot.com/2010/08/can-of-chili.html

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PCOS - but not a perfect "Out of the Box" meal

I made a squash dish, complete with mushrooms and tomatoes hmmmm good.  I cook the mushrooms and garlic in clarified butter, then I add the zucchini and yellow squash, at the very end I add the tomato and finish cooking with basil added for extra flavor.  It's a fresh uncomplicated flavor. 

The chicken was grilled on my favorite George Foreman GRP99 Next Generation Grill with Nonstick Removable Plates. I had marinated the chicken in a chipolte seasonings, served on the sandwich thins, with a touch of cheddar cheese.

I had a crystal light sugar fee raspberry lemonade to top it off.

I wish I was a full and complete foodie, but here I am doing what I can to manage my PCOS with good foods.  The chips were not a part of that plan, but they were given to my husband from a client.  So a whipped up some guacamole for dip, and enjoyed a couple.

Here's to dreaming and living the good life!

Now I'm off to finish my sitcom, work out and do the dishes before I dash of to sleep. 

Source: http://dawn-black.blogspot.com/2010/08/pcos-but-not-perfect-out-of-box-meal.html

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since daddy's on leave today, so we fetched my Yeye for breakfast...

we went to Cheong Foh Cafe. (I pronounce it as Cheong Ho)

the baby

fake smile!

I had 2 half boiled eggs, 1 wantan mee (dumplings noodle) and a cuppa coffee! =)

its okay to eat a lot in the breakfast, since its the most important meal of the day!

"Eat like a King in the Morning, Eat like a Queen in the Afternoon and Eat like a Beggar at night!"

~SIGNED OUT~

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Day 88 - Red, White & Brown

Wednesday, Wednesday - Did you know today is Wednesday?

Here are the answers to yesterday's Sam riddles...
1- ANSWER - Meat
2- ANSWER - Pour two pancakes and brown the first side. After the first side is done, flip one, take the second off, and pour the third pancake. After another minute, take the first one off, flip the third one, and put the second one back on. Cook both pancakes until finished.
3- ANSWER - An egg

Hope you enjoyed the riddles. Luke's brain got these unraveled pretty quick, well done. His first try at #3 was a caterpillar, which I got a chuckle from... don't caterpillar's have meat? :-) If I had offered a prize for first to the answers it would have been a shiny new car, but, I forgot to offer a prize. Maybe next time.

Rice, I like rice; I love wild rice. I haven't eat allot of rice recently as I've tried to keep carbs in check a bit. No, I wouldn't say I am on a low carb diet, or any diet plan. My old eating habits were a display in carb overload. Today I keep them in check better while replacing much of the bad carbs I used to eat with fruit, veggies and better protein choices.

There you see a picture of a box of wild rice I bought recently. Unfortunately I have not been able to enjoy it yet. The other night I was going to make this rice as a side dish, that is, until my kids saw the box and let me have it. They love rice, but only, and I mean ONLY white rice. And more specifically they greatly prefer short grain rice cooked in the rice steamer over long grain versions. Bottom line, they love white sticky rice, and that is the only rice that exists in their minds.

Debate on - I countered that there are tens-of-thousands of  varieties of rice on this rock we call home and that we ought to try a few of them. Red, White & Brown, all sorts of rice colors, shapes and sizes to explore and adore! Silly me, I am talking to teenagers. They have all the answers and know it all, right? On that day I relented and put the wild rice back on the shelf. Simply I was not in the mood to make it, watch nobody else have desire to eat it but have plenty of desire to complain about it. That fun will we'll have on another day.

When you have six mouths in the house you will frequently encounter these challenges where some like an item and others don't. Fish and veggies are constantly being debated here. Rice not so much as we usually just go sticky. But now that my wife & I are working on getting healthier I am finding myself a little less tolerant to unwillingness to broaden palate horizons. As we are adding healthier options and trying new things we too would like to see them be a bit more desirous of doing so.

That said, I am a firm believer in not needing to ever eat a food you don't enjoy. Brussel sprouts, an absolutely hideous food according to my palate. You can pound out the health benefits of brussel sprouts in bronze and I won't capitulate to eating them. So then who am I to suggest, let alone insist, they take a left turn from sticky rice to a dish of wild rice? I mean, they are still eating rice, a healthy choice, right? It is not like they insist on having a side of gummy-bears with the chicken.
 

What foods do enjoy that you wish your family shared your desire for?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Source: http://responsibility199.blogspot.com/2010/07/day-88-red-white-brown.html

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Our Old Favorite: Root Beer

Early last week, while out on a run, pretty much all I could think about was getting some sort of sweet refreshing relief.  I was really doggin’ it up a hill in my neighborhood, and I suddenly had an urge for a certain drink.  Usually it’s just cold water, but not today. It wasn’t light blue Gatorade, nor a vodka martini extra dirty up, either.  The Kool-Aid man could not burst through my wall of thirst, and I knew grape drink wouldn’t cut it.

I craved a frosty root beer...

While thinking about which root beer I would want to get my hands on the most, I began to wonder how my root beer hierarchy holds up after all these years.  Knowing that most of my friends similarly loved root beer in their younger years before becoming alcoholics, I decided to write on and publish my findings here for your benefit.  To complete the rankings, I investigated the origins and reviewed A&W, Barq’s, Boylan’s, Dominion, Hires, IBC, Jones’, Main Street, Mug, Stewart’s and Virgil’s root beers.  Wonder where your favorite stacks up? On to the rankings!

Dead Last: Mug 

History: Mug root beer was first brewed by Analingus County, Arkansas resident, Cleetus Morgan, after consuming four servings of his Gammy’s famous Hot-Possum Chili.  Recognizing Morgan’s concoction for its potential as a lead paint corrosive, PepsiCo bought the recipe in 1986.  While searching for a viable root beer brand to insert into its line-up of sodas, a brand executive consumed it as a drink on a triple-dog dare, and Mug brand root beer has been a staple of the soda aisle since.

How does it taste, mothertrucker? This disaster of a soft drink is certainly the bottom rung of root beers, and one would be hard-pressed to find a lesser beverage of any variety.  As per most Pepsi products, the lowest quality ingredients are used, and it shows. The first thing anyone notices when drinking Mug is the painful sting of over-carbonated, sweetened preservatives and food dyes.  I would recommend that anyone looking for a refreshing drink should stay far, far away from Mug.  Even Special Ed himself, a fan of Mug, said this of the brand: “Mug is good too, but it always leaves a nasty aftertaste in my mouth.” I think that goes a long way in explaining what Mug is about.  The last time I had a Mug root beer was quite a long time ago, and was not a very pleasant event:

               

My friends and I were hanging out at one of our houses, and I was given the choice of either Mountain Dew or Mug root beer. I wished that Crab Juice was a choice, but I chose Mountain Dew.  Upon returning with my selection, my friend, who had kindly opened my drink for me, handed it to me and I took a sip.  I immediately tasted that horribly weak root beer-ish flavor and knew they switched the Mountain Dew out with Mug. I flew into a white rage, but no justice was served because I had to sprint to the bathroom to avoid vomiting all over his carpet.

I never did get my revenge on them, or perhaps I did…Anyway, I wrote this section while dropping a Jumbo Stink Nasty. (Read: Huge Dump)

11. Jones’ 

History: Jones’ root beer traces its uh, roots, to a group of lumberjacks in the province of Victoria, Canada.  After a various failed experiments in creating a unique, sweet beverage that they could make and drink while on the job, they discovered mixing sassafras roots and leaves, syrup from maple trees, and their own sweat created a refreshing beverage upon which they could all agree.  Jones’ is probably more famous for its quirky flavors (you used to be able to order a Thanksgiving flavor pack that included turkey and mashed potatoes or Christmas flavors like candy cane and Christmas tree) and the fact that its bottles are decorated by photos submitted by customers.  I got bottles that featured a beastly bovine sticking its tongue out (above) and the demented toddler-aged daughter of Satan, peering into my soul (below).

                                                                 She's thirsty for your soul

How’s it taste, mothertrucker?  Confusingly, although it’s a fancy “micro-brew,” this root beer is terrible. Despite the fact they use sugar cane, and other quality ingredients, it has a cheap, watery texture and tasted of licorice and wintergreen. I couldn’t even finish the bottle. It is also one of the more expensive root beers I tested.  Is this due to it being from Canada? We may never know.  Also, underneath the bottle caps you can find short inspirational messages.  I thought that was an interesting touch (kind of like the visual riddles underneath the bottle caps of Lionshead or Natty Boh beers), until their caps admit that they are literally stolen from Chinese fortune cookies.

10. Virgil’s

History: You know at first, I liked Virgil’s root beer. It wasn’t great, but definitely palatable.  When investigating the background, I found it to be the most absolutely pretentious beverage in existence. Allow me to illustrate.  To start things off, Virgil’s claims that “we’re what Ben and Jerry’s is to ice cream, what Dom Perignon is to champagne.”  This is, without a doubt, inaccurate. I’ve never heard of a girl drinking an entire four pack of Virgil’s when they find out their ‘shnookums’ is shnooking someone on the side.  Nope, that’s a pint of Chunky Monkey to the rescue.  Virgil’s site then proceeds to list all the ingredients, and exactly from where they are imported: Cinnamon from Ceylon, wintergreen from China, balsam oil from Peru, etc. WHO CARES? This is the exact same thing as ‘that guy’ who proudly proclaims that he shops at Whole Foods to buy his imitation fruit loops, pasta and tomato soup. I sent an email to Virgil’s parent company demanding that they send me a list of the people who give a shit where they shop for ingredients. Still waiting on a response. Virgil’s then starts slinging some mud, attempting to explain why other highly touted root beers are inferior, and goes as far as to imply that they are root beer posers:

Some root beers claim to be “cold-brewed.” This is merely another term for the filtering process that yields common soda. Even so-called premium root beers like Stewarts, IBC and Weinhard’s are not hand crafted brews like Virgil’s. Only Virgil’s Microbrewed Root Beer is truly “brewed.”

That’s pretty vicious, Virgil’s. It even continues on their bottles' labels, where one can read about how the root beers of the days of yore were heartier than today’s versions because they used actual roots and native herbs in the brewing process.  Of course, Virgil’s root beer is brewed in the same vein as these amazing wonder drinks made by “the original brewers.” Here’s a new slogan for you: “Virgil’s, the only root beer that wears sweater vests and owns a Lamborghini but can’t drive stick.” SUCK IT!

How’s it taste, mothertrucker? Virgil’s definitely has the fullest body of all root beers tasted. You will also find licorice accents, but they’re partially balanced out by vanilla flavor.  Vanilla from Madagascar, that is.  One of the main ingredients is anise (from Spain), an odd little herb native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwestern Asia. It is known to have a licorice-like flavor, the same used in Jagermeister.  Why they would make anise and licorice (shipped in from France!) the primary ingredients, I don’t know.  I guess it’s just another douchey, pretentious crime that only Virgil’s would commit.  I definitely would not want to spill this on anything though, for it would probably be sticky for a decade and would attract more ants than the fallout from a nuclear strike on Hersey, Pa. 

Addendum: While waiting to be recycled, an empty bottle of Virgil’s indeed attracted hundreds of ants.  Every single one was dead at the bottom of the bottle. Yikes…

9. Pinnacle Root Beer Flavored Vodka

History: Who cares? IT’LL GET YA DRUNK!

How’s it taste, mothertrucker? Like Barq’s. Yea, yea, it’s not really a root beer, but despite being vodka, it’s actually smoother than Barq’s. There are other root beer vodkas out there, but this is the only one that I think is worthwhile.  Mixing root beer vodka with root beer may seem like it would be way too sweet, but it’s actually pretty good.  In fact, it helped me get through drinking some of these lesser root beers. Which brings me to…

8. Barq’s

History: Coke’s entry into the root beer death match, Barq’s was originally created in New Orleans in 1890 by two brothers named…Barq. And yes, it earns extra credit simply for the fact that it comes out of the French Quarter. For a long time it was not even marketed as a root beer, as to avoid possible legal conflicts with Hires, who had tried to claim a copyright on the title “root beer.” Hires obviously lost.  Barq’s was independent and actually had two competing brewing facilities in New Orleans and Biloxi, MS, until purchased by Coca-Cola in 1995. Barq’s is known the world-round as the official drink of Riverdancers.

How’s it taste, mothertrucker?  Barq’s slogan is “Barq’s has Bite!” and I find that to be very accurate. The flavor is frankly stabbed to you in the mouth by an over-abundance of carbonation.  It has a very generic type of root beer flavor, the kind that you can find in root beer candy barrels, dum-dums, ice cream, lip gloss and even Vodka.  It also contains caffeine, which you can take or leave, but thankfully most root beers do not. It’s certainly better than Mug. Also, one of my best friends hilariously called it Bargs.  The same friend whom, when I mentioned I’d be writing this list, responded with only “Riooot beerrrdhgrd!”  Don’t worry, he’s not insane or Welsh, he just had a lot to drink…

7. Main Street

History: I actually have no idea. I think it’s the store brand from Giant. It could disappear next week and be replaced by “Pop Shop” root beer, or “Great Taste!” root beer or whatever other corny generic title they think of. I got it because it was 25 cents a can.

How’s it taste, mothertrucker? I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is very sweet, smooth, but has slight chemical aftertaste– possibly due to the can.  Overall, it has a decent flavor; even a bit of honey.

6. Hires

History: Hires root beer is recognized as the longest continuously brewed soft drinks in the United States, alongside of Vernor’s Ginger Ale.  The recipe was created by Elmer Hires in 1876, and he first distributed the drink in powdered packets that would yield five gallons. Hires root beer was marketed with great gusto, and it became massively popular.  If I remember correctly, it may have been the first root beer I ever drank; perhaps that explains some of the pretenses of this article…

How’s it taste, mothertrucker? After exhausting a long list of grocery stores, pizzarias, and even dimly-lit produce marts, I just could not find any.  It's still on the list because I remember drinking it, thinking it was pretty good. Whelp…

5. IBC

History: This root beer is a survivor of a failed independent brewery syndicate founded in 1919 in St. Louis.  IBC stands for Independent Breweries Company (the name of the syndicate), and the owners of the root beer recipe opted to buy the old name and continue to use it for their product.  IBC root beer could primarily be found in restaurants and diners. The brand really took off when it was purchased by 7-Up, and distribution grew into supermarkets throughout the Mid-west and South.  Today IBC sodas can be found nationally and features flavors like cream soda, black cherry, and cherry limeade.

How’s it taste, mothertrucker? This root beer has a full flavor with a honey persuasion. IBC is an excellent choice for floats, because of the sharp carbonation. IBC uses high-fructose corn syrup instead of sugar cane, molasses or honey to sweeten their soda; that is frowned upon by the judgmental eyes of root beer connoisseurs. I think I care less about that, and more that it does not wow me like it used to when I was younger.  That’s why I’ve placed it a bit lower on the list than I figured I would when I first got to work. Both A&W and Stewart’s use high-fructose corn syrup, and they’re great, so you can SIT ON IT! 

                                                                         EEEEEEEEEEEYY!!

4. Dominion

History: There really isn’t much to discuss here; the Old Dominion Brewing Company set up shop in Northern Virginia in 1989.  Their root beer recipe was apparently created from old recipes they found laying around the library of Congress. Their bottles have deer on them. Yup.

How’s it taste, mothertrucker? The Honey is where it’s at, baby.  The brewer claims that the honey is straight from Virginia, and coupled with sugar, produces a very sweet and rich taste.  Dominion also has a wonderfully creamy, full-bodied texture.  Definitely try this one out when you can find it; it’s sometimes elusive.

3. Boylan’s

History:  William Boylan started by making Birch beer (that oh so wonderful brother of root beer) in his “apothecary” in 1891 and found moderate regional success in New Jersey and New York in the following decades.  The business rode a rollercoaster of expansion and retraction until the mid-90s, when it expanded into the form we know today.  Boylan’s bottleworks claims to use old-school techniques and ingredients to stay as true as possible to William Boylan’s original recipes. Boylan’s supplants their original and delicious birch beer with many flavors in the same vein as Stewart’s or IBC, including the reason for its place on this list, a root beer.

How’s it taste, mothertrucker? Boylan’s is superbly full-bodied. It possesses an ideal amount of carbonation for a delicious foam head, and has a strong, sweet, vanilla and molasses taste. No crappy flavors like licorice are found here. I was very impressed by this root beer, and I will from here on sing its praises.

2. A&W

  

History: A&W traces its back story all the way back to the end of WWI, where an entrepreneur named Roy Allen decided to open a stand to sell his root beer for a parade honoring returning veterans in California.  After partnering with Frank Wright, they combined their initials and the A&W namesake was born. They opened a permanent drive-in location in the early 20s, and soon became a franchise that spread like a wildfire, growing even during the difficult economic times of the depression and sugar rationing during WWII.  Only increasing in popularity in the postwar boom of drive-ins and diner joints, and eventually coming to sell cans and bottles directly to the American people, A&W represents an important part of America’s culinary culture. Also, A&W’s website is www.rootbeer.com.  Can’t argue with that, can you?

How’s it taste, mothertrucker? I say it’s the king of the widely available root beers.  A&W sports a strong, rich vanilla taste, with enough carbonation to create a good foam cream, rather than simply being fizzy. I’ve been a lifelong A&W fan, and completely flip my shit whenever I see an A&W restaurant.  Chowing down on a Big Papa Burger with a tall mug of draught root beer is nothing short of paradise.

1. Stewart’s

History: Stewart’s, just like A&W, started off as a drive-in type stand owned and operated by Frank Stewart, but in Ohio instead of California.  Stewart’s business grew as quickly as A&W’s, and actually became competitors when drive-in franchises began to open in proximity to one another.  Fortunately for us, the root beer deities allowed both to survive so we can enjoy them today. Stewarts has steadily expanded its drink line-up over the years to include some truly great sodas such as Orange Cream, Key Lime, Cream Soda, Strawberries and Cream, and Black Cherry.

How’s it taste, mothertrucker? Stewart’s is the best of the best. It boasts a medium body where the carbonation creates a wonderful texture for an appreciative palette.  It has a sharp taste, which is seemingly absent of licorice or honey. Supposedly, Stewart’s root beer has over 20 varieties of roots, herbs and berries in the recipe.  That may seem like overkill, but they obviously know what they’re doing. This is a great choice to make a root beer float. I’d also like to use this opportunity to declare that Stewart’s Cream Soda is, without a doubt, a beverage delivered directly from the hands of God.

I implore you to use this list in conjunction with The Hoffbeast’s two fantastic “best of” articles for burgers and hot dogs; the result will be a totally kick-ass lunch.

Now that I’ve fleshed out the best from the inadequate, I need to share something very important.  While researching some of the more prestigious brands, I uncovered a root beer revolution.  A&W, Hires, IBC and Stewart’s are all fighting the oppression of Barq’s and Mug (Coke and Pepsi) together, under the banner of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. That’s right; four of the top six root beers reviewed are in it together.  While I thought this discovery was inspiring enough, this group also owns RC Cola, Canada Dry, Dr. Pepper and 7-up, my preferred lemon-lime soda over Sprite (Coke) and Sierra Mist (Pepsi). The DPSG has over time built an alliance consisting of many of the nation’s independent brands, and now holds some real under-dog potential against the Coca-Cola and PepsiCo empires. Viva La Revolucion!  

                                                       Christ, someone get me a copy of Photoshop...NOW!

So now that the list is complete, and I’ve opened your eyes to the soft drink uprising, I invite you to tell me, in detail, why your favorite should be higher, where I got it wrong, or let me know you think I did a good job (thanks Mom!) in the comments section.  Let the debate begin!
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Source: http://specialed335.blogspot.com/2010/06/our-old-favorite-root-beer.html

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Dine Out Vancouver 2010 - Maurya Indian Cuisine

Had a wonderful time at Maurya Indian Cuisine tonight with wonderful dining companions. Surprised that even closer to 7pm, this restaurant with excellent food and that had been honoured by Dine Out patrons two years running (they were Best Overall Menu and Best Appetizer in 2009) was less than half occupied.

The in-restaurant menu was different from the initial menu posted on the Dine Out website (and there were reports of website hiccups later on, which made the menu inaccessible):

• Entree choices were trimmed, and the Goa Fish Curry is gone! But the helpful server asked the kitchen, and they made it available for me anyway.


• Dessert choices were dropped from three to two, with the Kesar Phirni off.


• Read the Gulab Jamun entry carefully as it differs from the typical offering (something about sitting on bread -- an oversight on my part meant I didn't catch that our party of four all ordered the ice cream, so we didn't get to see it at all).

Anyway, for appetizers, we very nearly all ordered the "Jewels of the Sea" (Samundri Ratan). I noticed this and sacrified my first choice for the Chicken Mumtaaz (chicken kebob). A fellow diner followed suit and got the mixed vegetables.
Mixed grilled vegetables was interesting in its mix of veggies and fruit (including jackfruit!).
Chicken was the firmer white breast meat, yet moist. Very nicely done, and large slabs to boot--not the usual cubes for kebob but four pieces each approximately a whole three cubic inches.
However, overall, I must say (and with the consensus of my fellow diners) that the "Jewels of the Sea" had to be the best appy. And though I hadn't ordered it, was gratified to have a bite at least. If you go to Maurya, order this! Two round cake/dumplings per plate, and of a good size (about 1-/2 inch in diameter). You can taste the seafood that went into it, and you can clearly see at least one whole shrimp on the inside.

For our entrees, the chicken seemed dreadfully popular at our table for some reason. I had, as mentioned, been set on the Goa Fish Curry, and fortunately the kitchen was willing to make it, though they weren't prepared, geared up as they were for their final dine out menu. The server's warning was that it would take about a half-hour, but with appetizers ahead and a lively party of four, I didn't notice a thing.
Our mean came with two servings of rice and one basket of excellent fresh naan! We did end up asking for more naan (about 6 more wedges came, I believe), and with nothing added to the bill. I would recommend going easy on the naan as you'll probably want to use it to get every last drop of delicious curry from the metal serving dishes.
Curry was either mild, medium, or spicy. I opted for spicy for the Fish Curry, and it was spicy enough, but not so much that I was weeping for yogurt to clear my palate of unbearable burning and bitterness. The "mild" chicken curry had a surprising sweetness that wasn't discernable (or I wasn't paying enough attention) in the medium versions. My fish curry had enough fishiness so that you were sure it was fish and not tasteless meat, yet not so fishy to be off-putting. Nothing too adventurous required to try it (and nothing extra on the bill, either).
Chicken was chicken, I thought, Stiff breast meat chunks. Very generous amount of curry overall, very good for an initial round of dipping while the naan is still on the hot side of warm. Whatever was added to the fluffy rice was overshadowed by the strong and delicious flavours of the curry.

For dessert, pink (strawberry) kulfi (ice cream). I think it's prepared in the back in very long rods and chopped up for each plate. That seemed to be the common shape, and with four plates coming to the same table, it was still useful enough to try different presentations. The actual quantity of ice cream in each plate may then very well vary by as much as two cubic inches, however. One to two mint leaves per plate -- and yes, you can eat it. (It's like a stick of Wrigley's Spearmint in your mouth, but with a grassy/leafy aftertaste.)
I'd never had "authentic" kulfi before, but it's supposed to melt less easily due to how it's prepared. What we had was in between an ice cream and a sorbet, and it melted just as quick as regular ice cream, so I'll leave it up to more knowledgeable foodies to comment on its authenticity.
Not sorry to have ordered it, however, as the fresh fruity flavour and coolness was a very nice way to offset the curry, that can leave you with a slightly heavy feel, sort of like how too much spaghetti and pasta sauce can make you feel a bit sluggish.

Wouldn't have done to chase the kulfi with a hot coffee or tea after, however, but I certainly could have done with a mint tea or strong chai afterward. We started at 5pm when the restaurant was just open, and by the time we were done, there was still a luxuriuos amount of room in the restaurant that we didn't feel pressured at all to leave and make room for others. Where's the Dine Out crowd? With not much time left on Dine Out (ends May 6th), they're missing out by not going to Maurya Indian Cuisine.

Source: http://lower-mainland-bc.blogspot.com/2010/04/dine-out-vancouver-2010-maurya-indian.html

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