yeah, that's right. if you close your eyes, they taste real. and if you're a fat kid like me, you'll understand why next time i'm gonna put them in a bowl and add vanilla ice cream.why must things like this always be for "a limited time"?
Showing posts with label eats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eats. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
world, meet delicious
yeah, that's right. if you close your eyes, they taste real. and if you're a fat kid like me, you'll understand why next time i'm gonna put them in a bowl and add vanilla ice cream.why must things like this always be for "a limited time"?
Friday, October 1, 2010
eats adventure
i promised some friends i'd report this, so...
in late july, during my 3-day staycation, i was up late watching tv. we all know that at 3am it's difficult to find quality programming. i ended up on pbs because of the food title "Get Delicious! Atlanta's Hidden Restaurant Treasures". uhh, yes please!
i arrived later than i had planned, around 2:40pm, since i had hella errands to run that day and the starvation i was feeling was slowly sending me into a depression. luckily they still had food available. the food is lined up in a window, and the specials change daily so there's no menu. Jim Stacy had suggested the fried chicken that was a Carver's staple, but they were all out. so i went for the country fried chicken (or was it steak?). naturally mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans go well together so i added them plus a biscuit and sweet tea to round it all out in the most southern way possible.
it was delicious! one might say that i felt so happy with my meal b/c of the starvation, but that's not the case. i was impressed. and the customer service matched. i ate there, oblivious to the fact that they close at 3 - my bad! but they assured me it was not a problem and told me to take my time.
disappointed about missing out on the chicken, i went for the other highly recommended coca cola cake. it was so good and moist, like somebody's grandma would make.
i will be back.
day3 - Ria's Bluebird
this idea actually came from an Atlanta Magazine article. in every issue they do restaurant reviews and this was maybe my 3rd time seeing it mentioned. they referred to it as an "atlanta staple" which apparently i can't resist. i try to read reviews on yelp.com before making decisions. i like to read 3 good and 3 bad and then proceed from there. a bad review won't keep me from going somewhere i wanna go, but it helps to lower my expectation. anyway, all signs pointed to 'yes'.
this time, i picked up my brother for a late brunch. i'm a good samaritan and figured he'd be good company.
he wasn't. but that's neither here nor there.
Ria's is one of those places that serves breakfast all day. i love breakfast, so i ordered a basic breakfast for lunch. we were sat at the bar, which i also like. i can see better or something.
do you see how regular my food looks? it had a taste to match. i've had more happiness on my plate at IHOP. but then again i love ihop, so perhaps the comparison is unfair. either way, booooo! the bacon tasted a bit like spiced leather boots, the eggs hadn't been seasoned and that ramekin of thin, runny syrup was sad. never again.
my bro ordered a steak quesadilla. it certainly looked better than my food, but i didn't taste it and having an incessantly-starving man review food is like having a rapist review coochie. can 1 really be better than another?
in late july, during my 3-day staycation, i was up late watching tv. we all know that at 3am it's difficult to find quality programming. i ended up on pbs because of the food title "Get Delicious! Atlanta's Hidden Restaurant Treasures". uhh, yes please!
the host was a big burly dude with a long ZZ Top goatee, he looked like the epitome of all tasty food knowledge. *straight face* thou shalt not judge...so this guy knows what he's talking about. he led the show by tossing out his credentials. Jim Stacy, a self-proclaimed "foodie" owns and operates a corn dog/tamale cart and is the manager of the Starlight Drive-in. He took us to about 8 different places where he ate and critiqued and suggested the most popular things each restaurant had to offer.
this is the type of show i need in my life. i love when someone does the work for me and all i have to do is show up.
so i made a list of all of the places of interest and promised i'd take myself to lunch the following day. and please note that all of these places are wallet-friendly.
this is the type of show i need in my life. i love when someone does the work for me and all i have to do is show up.
so i made a list of all of the places of interest and promised i'd take myself to lunch the following day. and please note that all of these places are wallet-friendly.
day1 - Carver's Country Kitchen
i arrived later than i had planned, around 2:40pm, since i had hella errands to run that day and the starvation i was feeling was slowly sending me into a depression. luckily they still had food available. the food is lined up in a window, and the specials change daily so there's no menu. Jim Stacy had suggested the fried chicken that was a Carver's staple, but they were all out. so i went for the country fried chicken (or was it steak?). naturally mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans go well together so i added them plus a biscuit and sweet tea to round it all out in the most southern way possible.
it was delicious! one might say that i felt so happy with my meal b/c of the starvation, but that's not the case. i was impressed. and the customer service matched. i ate there, oblivious to the fact that they close at 3 - my bad! but they assured me it was not a problem and told me to take my time.disappointed about missing out on the chicken, i went for the other highly recommended coca cola cake. it was so good and moist, like somebody's grandma would make.
i will be back.
i had been to The Beautiful before, but i didn't eat. it was roughly 5 years ago and at the time, the beautiful was a popular after hours spot. they've changed their hours, i'm guessing to keep the hooligans out, because business was most definitely booming.
anyway, i didn't wanna eat alone again and since i knew my sister was working from home, i invited her. (she's preggers right now, so she doesn't turn down food. she's usually all about low carbs, grilled chicken and salad. this is where we differ.)
Similar to Carver's, there's no menu and the food is on display. The Beautiful has a cafeteria feel in that there are people lined up ready to fix your plate and you're in a single file line with a tray. here, they offer more of the deep south (slave food, as i like to call it) - oxtails & neck bones are definitely available. i chose to keep it simple.
that's crab-stuffed flounder, mac n cheese and string beans with potatoes. i really like string beans. everything was good, but it wasn't great. it's funny that every time i see something labeled as "crab-stuffed" i go for it, yet 90% of the time i'm not into it.
and by funny, i mean irritating.
however, the mac n cheese was solid. even though i love it just like the average person, i rarely order it b/c i think people are really lazy about it. i CAN'T STAND mac n cheese that doesn't taste cheesy. <-- pet peave. all in all, it was cool. it was inexpensive. i'll probably try them again. been thinkin bout oxtails...:)
anyway, i didn't wanna eat alone again and since i knew my sister was working from home, i invited her. (she's preggers right now, so she doesn't turn down food. she's usually all about low carbs, grilled chicken and salad. this is where we differ.)
Similar to Carver's, there's no menu and the food is on display. The Beautiful has a cafeteria feel in that there are people lined up ready to fix your plate and you're in a single file line with a tray. here, they offer more of the deep south (slave food, as i like to call it) - oxtails & neck bones are definitely available. i chose to keep it simple.
that's crab-stuffed flounder, mac n cheese and string beans with potatoes. i really like string beans. everything was good, but it wasn't great. it's funny that every time i see something labeled as "crab-stuffed" i go for it, yet 90% of the time i'm not into it.and by funny, i mean irritating.
however, the mac n cheese was solid. even though i love it just like the average person, i rarely order it b/c i think people are really lazy about it. i CAN'T STAND mac n cheese that doesn't taste cheesy. <-- pet peave. all in all, it was cool. it was inexpensive. i'll probably try them again. been thinkin bout oxtails...:)
day3 - Ria's Bluebird
this idea actually came from an Atlanta Magazine article. in every issue they do restaurant reviews and this was maybe my 3rd time seeing it mentioned. they referred to it as an "atlanta staple" which apparently i can't resist. i try to read reviews on yelp.com before making decisions. i like to read 3 good and 3 bad and then proceed from there. a bad review won't keep me from going somewhere i wanna go, but it helps to lower my expectation. anyway, all signs pointed to 'yes'.this time, i picked up my brother for a late brunch. i'm a good samaritan and figured he'd be good company.
he wasn't. but that's neither here nor there.
Ria's is one of those places that serves breakfast all day. i love breakfast, so i ordered a basic breakfast for lunch. we were sat at the bar, which i also like. i can see better or something.
do you see how regular my food looks? it had a taste to match. i've had more happiness on my plate at IHOP. but then again i love ihop, so perhaps the comparison is unfair. either way, booooo! the bacon tasted a bit like spiced leather boots, the eggs hadn't been seasoned and that ramekin of thin, runny syrup was sad. never again.
my bro ordered a steak quesadilla. it certainly looked better than my food, but i didn't taste it and having an incessantly-starving man review food is like having a rapist review coochie. can 1 really be better than another?
another low point is when i asked my server for more runny syrup, an additional charge showed up on my bill. really? that isht shoulda been free, but she still could have said something.
Ria's, i won't be back.
Ria's, i won't be back.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
superbowl.
2/7/2010 - i'm backtracking
when my friend Amy invited me to her house for a superbowl party i was thrilled. not because of my love for football (because i have none), but because i got a chance to get back in the kitchen. plus, Amy's quite the overachiever when it comes to food, so i was forced to not be lazy. no dips, no cupcakes.
i used a combination of internet research and my mom's recipe to make my version of mushroom turnovers. sounds blah, right? well, i'm not a mushroom fan, but there's something about my mom's style of foodism that makes me eat things i would normally pass on. and even though i think making dough is the devil, i did it. Amy would never use store-bought dough.
1st, i sauteed some onions in butter. (could have been some EVOO in there too, but i can't remember back that far.)
surprisingly, my mom said it was cool to use canned mushrooms. i like everything super small and minced.
add the mushrooms to the onions. then add sour cream & any other seasonings you're into. mine is top secret - get your own.
the dough was simple: flour, butter and cream cheese. i rolled it out and used a glass to cut circles. yes, this was annoying, b/c i had to keep reforming the dough into a ball and rolling it out again. and the width of the circles was oh-so-important. i hate to sound like a negative nancy, but honesty is key. i don't want anyone to be misled...like i was.
however, i will say that homemade dough is far better than any store-bought kind. it was well worth the effort.
last, you spoon a little bit of the mushroom filling in the center of the dough circle, fold it in half and press the edges together with a fork. then bake. i brushed the tops with egg yolk, it creates a pretty "finished" look.
these things smell like pot roast in the oven. a strange hunger will take over you.
i didn't photograph the finished product because the savages at Amy's house wouldn't let me. but you get the idea.
when my friend Amy invited me to her house for a superbowl party i was thrilled. not because of my love for football (because i have none), but because i got a chance to get back in the kitchen. plus, Amy's quite the overachiever when it comes to food, so i was forced to not be lazy. no dips, no cupcakes.
i used a combination of internet research and my mom's recipe to make my version of mushroom turnovers. sounds blah, right? well, i'm not a mushroom fan, but there's something about my mom's style of foodism that makes me eat things i would normally pass on. and even though i think making dough is the devil, i did it. Amy would never use store-bought dough.
1st, i sauteed some onions in butter. (could have been some EVOO in there too, but i can't remember back that far.)
surprisingly, my mom said it was cool to use canned mushrooms. i like everything super small and minced.
add the mushrooms to the onions. then add sour cream & any other seasonings you're into. mine is top secret - get your own.
the dough was simple: flour, butter and cream cheese. i rolled it out and used a glass to cut circles. yes, this was annoying, b/c i had to keep reforming the dough into a ball and rolling it out again. and the width of the circles was oh-so-important. i hate to sound like a negative nancy, but honesty is key. i don't want anyone to be misled...like i was.
however, i will say that homemade dough is far better than any store-bought kind. it was well worth the effort.
last, you spoon a little bit of the mushroom filling in the center of the dough circle, fold it in half and press the edges together with a fork. then bake. i brushed the tops with egg yolk, it creates a pretty "finished" look.these things smell like pot roast in the oven. a strange hunger will take over you.
i didn't photograph the finished product because the savages at Amy's house wouldn't let me. but you get the idea.
Monday, February 15, 2010
heaven.
we got Zara, we got H&M, we got Tyler Perry and if we had a Friendly's, atlanta would be complete. (that tyler perry one was a joke - unless he's reading this, and in that case, what's up wit a job??)
i digress.
my sister (who is a 9-year old fat kid on the inside) convinced my mom at a simple trip to Target to buy us all of the ingredients we needed to make our favorite sundaes. and since my mom pretty much does whatever she asks, 15 minutes later we were on our way home to make sundaes. but these weren't just typical sundaes. it's the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae we ordered when we we used to live in MD and PA. i would get the same thing every time - chicken fingers, french fries and no matter what, this glorious sundae. luckily, big sis remembered the minor details. the very 1st taste took me all the way back to '91.
ingredients: vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, peanut butter, crushed Reese's cups, whipped cream, 1 whole Reese's cup. i don't mess with cherries or sprinkles, but those are there, too.
i digress.
my sister (who is a 9-year old fat kid on the inside) convinced my mom at a simple trip to Target to buy us all of the ingredients we needed to make our favorite sundaes. and since my mom pretty much does whatever she asks, 15 minutes later we were on our way home to make sundaes. but these weren't just typical sundaes. it's the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae we ordered when we we used to live in MD and PA. i would get the same thing every time - chicken fingers, french fries and no matter what, this glorious sundae. luckily, big sis remembered the minor details. the very 1st taste took me all the way back to '91.
ingredients: vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, peanut butter, crushed Reese's cups, whipped cream, 1 whole Reese's cup. i don't mess with cherries or sprinkles, but those are there, too.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
1st and last.
can you tell what these things became?
nobody told me baking was labor designed by the hands of satan. i hated every second of it. partially because it's so tedious and partially because i started at 11 pm. AND when you bake cookies you have to set aside atleast an hour to chill them. ugh! i had a bit of a tantrum when i got to that part.
i cook. to me, it's simpler and it allows the chef to create. i've never been a by-the-book person about anything, so the baking thing just isn't designed for my personality type. (i did however make tiny modifications, just so that i could call them my own.) nonetheless, my 1st attempt resulted in a delicious cookie.
elle's oatmeal cranberry white chocolate cookies.
nobody told me baking was labor designed by the hands of satan. i hated every second of it. partially because it's so tedious and partially because i started at 11 pm. AND when you bake cookies you have to set aside atleast an hour to chill them. ugh! i had a bit of a tantrum when i got to that part.
i cook. to me, it's simpler and it allows the chef to create. i've never been a by-the-book person about anything, so the baking thing just isn't designed for my personality type. (i did however make tiny modifications, just so that i could call them my own.) nonetheless, my 1st attempt resulted in a delicious cookie.
elle's oatmeal cranberry white chocolate cookies.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
a new leaf.
Me and 2 of my girls got together for a night of mexican eatery. i guess they didn't trust me, since they left me in charge of guacamole, limes & salsa (how rude!). so i decided to make pico de gallo. i love it like a sister, but have never taken the time to make it. it was easy.
i learned online the easiest way to peel a tomato. that's boiling water on the left and ice water on the right. it has to be transferred from one to the other very quickly. it basically peeled itself.
i don't appreciate the time it takes to chop things up. this $7 food processor and i have a close relationship.
el fin.
i learned online the easiest way to peel a tomato. that's boiling water on the left and ice water on the right. it has to be transferred from one to the other very quickly. it basically peeled itself.
i don't appreciate the time it takes to chop things up. this $7 food processor and i have a close relationship.
el fin.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
giving thanks.
thanksgiving was smaller than usual this year, it didn't feel the same. my sister and her family were out of town, so the guestlist total was only 6. plus, with her being gone, there were sooo many leftovers. she's the type of person that rolls to my mom's house with lots of tupperware - claiming that it's "for the kids". chile please! also, with her family gone, it was really quiet...until we got out Taboo! ahh, that game gives me life. i think it goes without saying that my team won (even though I offered to have my dad on the team - a certified 'tard. love you daddy!) i have a million things to be thankful for. being a genius is definitely one of them.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
elle and salmon sittin in a tree...
smoked salmon and i have this "thing". it understands me and i understand it. we just work really well together. i've been looking into enjoying it in more unconventional ways. this recipe is my salmon roll. you will need...
smoked salmon, crescent rolls, smoked provolone cheese and chive & onion cream cheese. this particular brand of salmon is the absolute best i've ever had to date. i got it from the Your Dekalb Farmer's Market.
roll everything up nice and tight, and space evenly on the cookie sheet.
your end result will look a lot like this, but even better (i need a new camera for Christmas, hint hint :)
smoked salmon, crescent rolls, smoked provolone cheese and chive & onion cream cheese. this particular brand of salmon is the absolute best i've ever had to date. i got it from the Your Dekalb Farmer's Market.
roll everything up nice and tight, and space evenly on the cookie sheet.
me & my little muffin head
my new thing is projects. so when i decided to keep my niece overnight, i planned for us to make a bunch of stuff. she's 4 (and some change) and very impressionable. i want her to take on my creative spirit and do even more with it than i have. luckily, she's a genius too. so not a lot of coaching is needed. she watches me do it, then she finishes. this particular day's episode was "pizza and girl stuff".
her inner fat kid was working on overtime. she ate all of her slices and all of my crust.
her inner fat kid was working on overtime. she ate all of her slices and all of my crust.
Monday, July 6, 2009
independence day.
so my boy Dugger invited me to the Jaspects bbq - my only real plan for the day. i met mom for pedicures, went to the mall and helped her pick out her outfit for that night, baked some cupcakes, partook in fun bbq time, gave myself an at-home mani and stepped out briefly. this nightlife, btw, is not for me. all in all, a solid day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)