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Posts Tagged ‘food’

The Weekend That Wasn’t

22 Jun

So a couple weeks back I previewed some upcoming posts. I haven’t forgotten that promise…however life has had other plans for me. So rather than recap “Wheels & Squeals” like I had planned it will be a bit of this & that.

This past weekend was the local summer festival weekend. There were tons of activities along with plenty of vendors for the all important RibFest. Friday night the action kicked off with a Burnout contest followed by an ugliest/loudest car contest. Unfortunately I missed all of that as I had spent most of my day in the maternity/delivery area of the hospital being monitored for extremely high blood pressure. I was released & sent home to R E S T!

burn out remains

Burn Out Alley

Saturday was promising as a bright sunny day & we had plans to be out for a bit enjoying the weather and festivities. Of course I wanted to check out all the cars at the car show & late in the afternoon was the greased pig chase I was anxious to witness (hey, I wanted pictures to share with you all). As life would have it none of those plans were to be. After being awake for awhile it became apparent that I was headed back to the hospital.

I spent about 6 hours lying in the labor/delivery area of the hospital hooked up to the fetal monitor & sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff). I also had blood drawn & a urinalysis. After several readings it was apparent that my blood pressure was normal & Baby was doing great. I got a large IV bag of fluids to keep me from getting dehydrated (when they finally placed the IV…I got 2 blown veins in my right forearm & some nice bruising) & was subsequently released to head home.

Since it was dinner time we met up with my brother A & his wife A to head downtown to RibFest. We started with Willingham’s ribs. They use a dry rub & any sauce is served on the side. We tried the Cajun Hot Sauce which added a nice bite & heat to the ribs. We also sampled the Sweet N Sassy sauce which is great if you don’t want anything too spicy. Next we had the pulled pork & brisket from Rowdy Hog Smokin’ BBQ. The pulled pork was tender & savory while the brisket simply melted on the tongue. We sampled the Rowdy Hot sauce with the brisket. For me it really added to the flavor of the brisket while not overpowering the melty tenderness.  Finally we had a single sample of the Dixie Dew Hellbound Hot from Skin & Bones BBQ.  This was the one with the most kick to me but the heat didn’t overwhelm everything else.

Overall it was good to get out of the house even if I didn’t really do anything except sit on a picnic table bench & eat.  I also braved the idea & tried bacon/chocolate kettle corn.  Don’t give me that disgusted look…it was very, very tasty!  I’m looking forward to next year when we can go & I’m not on bed rest.

 
 
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Posted in Miscellaneous, Out & About, The Life We Lead

 

Cowboy Day & Flapjacks

03 Dec

We are staying at my parents’ house for the rest of the week/weekend as we attempt to find housing for the big move which is coming up fast.  So far we’ve had lots of great prospects but unfortunately there seems to be something odd or not workable each time we get close….but that’s a whole other “Dr. Phil”.

Last night while making pancakes for supper (with fresh blueberries….. *drools*) we needed more butter.  Mom got some out & put it in the microwave to soften it.  She placed it next to me as I dropped 2 piping hot pancakes onto my plate (everybody else had already had their first round).  I grabbed the knife & proceeded to find that the butter was NOT soft….  ”Well it’s not frozen any more”, Mom retorted to my observation.  ”You know how I feel about butter on my pancakes.”  With the long suffering sigh only a mother possesses, “Yes I know….”  Growing up Mom always made the best pancakes (she still does) and would always spread just the right amount of butter on each one, letting it melt into the golden brown before adding the syrup.  They were always light & fluffy, melting sweetly on your tongue.  It was the best thing in the world to wake up to the smell of the griddle heating for pancakes.  Sometimes we’d get pancakes with faces or ones that looked like Mickey Mouse.

Here’s the story of me & my pancakes….

When I was in kindergarten we had Cowboy Day.  Everybody dressed up like a cowboy or cowgirl & we had flapjacks.  I was so excited for Cowboy Day…Mom even made me a special outfit to wear with my boots (I think I even took a six shooter cap gun…..my how times have changed.  Nowadays a kid taking a cap gun to school would surely be arrested & placed on a terrorist watch list) & of course I had a red handkerchief too.  It was all fun & games til it came time to eat.  One of the mothers who was helping gave me my flapjacks….with a big blob of butter in the center (all cold & unmelty) and promptly doused it in an overly large amount of cold syrup.  I was aghast!  Never had I witnessed such an atrocity….so I did what any 6 year old would do…pitched the mother of all hissy fits.  I was adamant that I would not eat a lukewarm flapjack with a cold butter blob & enough syrup in which to bathe.  There was no admonition, no threat, no “There are starving kids in Africa” speech that would move me….I wasn’t going to eat that flapjack.

I don’t remember what happened after that…it’s possible that I just went without & if so I would have done it with a sense of deep satisfaction at getting my way.  I do know that upon my return home that day Mom asked how my day had gone.  Bursting into tears I recounted my tale of woe & flapjacks improperly prepared.  No doubt Mom comforted me & reassured me that it was indeed okay to not eat the flapjacks.  I am equally sure that I was told to be more polite about not wanting to eat something.

To this day I have a difficult time ordering pancakes in a restaurant because often times they come in a haphazard pile (pancakes should be neatly stacked) with a giant blob of butter in the center.  At least they provide me the option of adding the syrup on my own.


 
 
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Posted in For the Love of Food, I should be in therapy, Memories

 

Seen Your Weiner or Why I Prefer Hooters

09 Nov

Lately life has been hectic & overwhelming to the point where I’m a hot mess.  Recently I’ve been off work quite a bit (ok in the last 2 weeks I’ve worked a total of  5 days) and it has reinforced my need to be done at my current job.  However I digress…this post is a review.  As a recent music reviewer (which I so enjoyed & hope to do again) I now take pen in hand ….ok keyboard in hand…to give you a review of a new restaurant in Sioux Falls, SD.  If you are looking for an adventure in eating I will admit that Señor Wiener is an adventure.  However, it’s a frightening adventure filled with double entendre of the lowest caliber.  There is nothing clever about the innuendo & even less cleverness in the menu.

Purporting to be a novelty hot dog restaurant this place lays on the schtick with a trowel.  Wieners, wieners everywhere & no relief in sight (bring your R O L A I D S–just so you are prepared).

the front window

Now from the outside there’s room for a few snickers & groans at the over the top signs.  Just inside the door is a large statue of Señor Wiener along with posters of our “hero” in iconic places/events.  The menu is basic & has the potential to be pretty good & seemingly inexpensive.  The offerings start with bratwurst, all beef hot dogs, corn dogs or Polish sausage.  Choose your white or whole wheat bun & whether you want grilled, boiled or fried.  For $2.50 it seems like a good deal…then the pick-pocketing begins.  For every additional topping that’s hot (chili, cheese, grilled onions etc) or every cold topping (onions, pickles, peppers, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, mushrooms, olives etc) it is an additional $.50 & sauces (mayo, hot sauce,barbecue sauce, gravy) are an additional $.25 with the exceptions of traditional ketchup & mustard.  Seriously if you want a Chicago-style dog with all the fixings: onions, relish, tomato, kosher dill pickle & sport peppers your hot dog now costs $5.00 plus tax.  Add in fries at $2.50 & a soda at $1.50 and you are looking at $9.00 plus tax for a very mediocre meal.

Now for the rest of the restaurant…okay I get why Señor Wiener is funny in the most sophomoric of ways.  I mean the first time I heard it & saw it I snickered like a 13 year old.  It’s funny but the over-the-top nature makes Hooters seem less absurd.  Here’s a small taste of what I encountered ….

the booths

the bonfire accessories

using the bonfire accessories--umm YIKES!

for the girl with no shame

stating the obvious

stating the obvious 2.0

I don't know what he's doing but I don't want him parked in front of my house....

All in all I will take a trip to Hooters any day.  Sure there’s more butt cheek on display there than I really care to see & if I wanted to look at that much cleavage I could do it for free at home but their wings are pretty damn tasty. If I am going to tolerate body parts (or pseudo body parts) with my meal I want something that is more like actual food & less like a chew toy for my dogs. Besides let’s be honest–I’d much rather have some hot girls serving my food than a snotty nosed teen with a wiener complex.

 
 
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Posted in Embarrassing stuff I make Abe do to entertain me., For the Love of Food, Oh WOW!, Out & About, Patently Ridiculous

 

The Great Steak Sale

28 Jan

About 2 weeks ago Abe & I had some errands to run & we ended up in at his brother’s to spend time with our nephews.  This is almost always the goal since we have a blast hanging out with the boys.  (Abe’s brother & wife are pretty fantastic–we love to do stuff with them too).  Anyway we were sitting in the living room when there was a knock on the front door.  We all looked out the picture window to see a kid of about 19 standing on the front deck.

My sister-in-law Anne anwered the door & the kid asked if she’d be interested in buying some steaks.  Curious about this I looked more closely at the vehicle parked in the street.  There in big letters on the side of the van was “Northstar Meats”.  The kid talked to her for a bit & she agreed to let him leave a brochure.

Next thing we know kid #1 (we’ll call him “Silent”) & kid #2 (slightly older we’ll call “Deal-Maker”) are standing in the entry with a box asking to come in.  Anne makes them take off their shoes & they walk into the living room, plop the box on the floor & start removing smaller boxes.  Deal-Maker kneels on the floor & starts opening the smaller boxes.  Each one filled with steaks.  There had to be 5-6 boxes filled with different cuts of steak plus the bonus “steak burger” box.  “Silent” now stands back & off to the side like some apprentice steak seller.

Deal-Maker: So what we have here is our case of steak.  Price is on the flyer you are holding.  We got your New York strip, your filet, your filet bacon wraps…plus we offer a 1 year money back guarantee.

Me: Okay so for 5 boxes of steak & a box of burger you want $350?

Deal-Maker: Yeah! It’s a great deal.  Nice looking steaks huh?  I mean in the store you’re gonna pay like $16 or more for these New York strip alone.

Anne is shaking her head at me most emphatically at this point.  Of course I see her but decide to keep going just to see where it will end up.

Me: You know we’re just not interested.  It’s too much money.

Deal-Maker:  Well this is our last case & we want to get rid of it.  Tell you what, you buy this case & we’ll throw in another one for free.

*Yes I noticed that suddenly the “last” case was two*

Me: No, still can’t do that.  I could go buy a 1/4 beef for about $400 & I’d get ribs, roasts plus the steaks.  Besides times are tough, we’ve got people looking for jobs and stuff.

Deal-Maker: Well let’s see I can give you this one case for $177.  That’s a great deal…I mean look at how nice these are.  You cant’ beat these.

Anne is still shaking her head & commenting on how if only her husband were there they could talk it over.  I’m using my phone calculator to figure out exactly how much it would be to split the cost.

Me: No, sorry that ‘s still just too much.  I have other groceries I need to buy.  I can’t just eat steak. (Well I could but it’d be a pretty bad idea)

Deal-Maker: Okay well I can’t get much stupider on the price but how about if I give you the whole case for $149.50.

I look at Anne & show her the split would still be $74.25 and shook my head to tell her I still thought the price was insane.  She nodded in agreement.  Meanwhile Abe is holding the baby, the 3 year old & the dog are running around crazy.

Me:  Sorry that just isn’t in the budget right now.  Can we keep the flyer?  Also, is it possible to buy just a single box of steaks?

Deal-Maker:  Sure the prices for a single box are listed on the back of the flyer.

Me: *turning over the flyer* Really?  I just don’t see spending over $50 for 6-10 steaks.

Deal-Maker: Tell you what I can give you this box of bacon wrapped filets for $40 as a trial.

Me: Sorry that’s just out of my price range right now.

Deal-Maker:  Okay make me an offer….if it’s reasonable you can have it.

Me:  Okay how about $30.  That’s $3/steak.

Deal-Maker:  Ummm, okay, okay$30 it is.  Do you have cash?

Me: No, I never carry cash.  I’ve got checks & a debit card.

Abe:  I’ve got $29 but that’s it.

Deal-Maker: *now in a tremendous hurry before we talk him down any further….* Perfect.  You won’t regret it. These are fantastic.  I guarantee you’ll be back ordering more.

They raced out the door while I laughed at my conquest of $2.90 bacon-wrapped filet mignon.  My nephew immediately began asking for steak for dinner.  We’ve enjoyed those steaks.  They provided us (and my nephew) with a great evening this past Sunday.

 
 
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Posted in Out & About

 
 
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