Hello Friday and Hello Friends...

First up this evening is a bit of nostalgia. Below is a menu from Woolworth's 1957. My sister sent this to me and I was amazed not at only the prices, but the simple layout and selection. Oh for the days of being simple. I am trying more and more to be simple in my life. Enjoy the journey back in time and then be ready for a shocker!

Suck the meat and toss in a cup of coffee!
It seems a rule of nature that tasty things get placed in one's mouth. And nothing is tastier than a good slice of bacon. So, needless to say, we love sticking bacon in our mouths. But sometimes it's just too inconvenient to have bacon at hand. What's a geek to do? Find a source to get Caffeinated Maple-Bacon Lollipops - that's what! So we did.

Behold Caffeinated Maple-Bacon Lollipops; look at them and cheer. For not only are they each a time-tested wonder of organic, sustainably farmed bacon mixed with a deluge of delicious Vermont maple syrup, but they are loaded with the same amount of caffeine as an energy drink! Seriously, Caffeinated Maple-Bacon Lollipops are the two best things about breakfast (bacon and the caffeine from coffee) all mixed together into one delicious confection. Yummy in our tummies. Thanks to Think Geek for this amazing enlightenment!

So where do you go from there? Why not just just change topics completely. I am ready to do so. Food has consumed this blog a bit much for the week even for me and I feel that sometimes you just need to pause and go - so cool. That is what I did when I got this picture via an email this week. I would love to know where it came from but it just had me laughing and amazed at the same time. Perspective is all in the visual. Pause and enjoy as we just had our full moon for the month. The next one is like the 27th of May.


And finally, for this Friday, I think it is fun to end on a light note. This week I have used several photos from a website I discovered last weekend and well, this one below just had me laughing to no end. Sometimes you just have to say, "That is so GAY!" And this is one of those times. Who knew when they did it the repercussions it would have decades later. Well, hello Alan! Is nothing safe anymore, guess not. Have a great weekend and enjoy the arrival of May!

By the way, I did more posting in the month of April than all of last year combined. I think I am beginning to enjoy doing this. Thanks for all the feedback, it is fun to know what you are thinking about what I am putting up here. Cheers!

Where Oh Where Does it End?

You know, there are times when I am pondering about what to write about and am not sure if I will do a post or not. Well, it has been interesting in that I am yet again working on trying to eat less and shed some pounds. In so doing, why is it that weird food items come into my world. I was reading a blog (I guess that is pretty common among bloggers, they read each other's blogs) and came across posting about Paula Deen. She is a cook from the south who has several shows on Food Network and she and her two boys run a restaurant called The Lady & Sons in Savannah, Georgia. More on her later. Well, from there it lead to a discussion about KFC's new sandwich called a Double-Down. OMG! It is disgusting. Just call it a heart attack in a wrapper. Well, little did I know what can of worms I was just about to open...Ladies and Gentlemen, first up is The McGangbang! First discovered in 2006...

The McGangBang ranks up there in the holy pantheon of WTF. It's a sandwich made from a double cheeseburger and a McChicken sandwich — where you put an entire McChicken sandwich inside a double cheeseburger. It's a creative manipulation of existing menu items, and an exercise in frugality: taking two items off of the Dollar Menu and creating an entirely new sandwich for a total of a little over $2.00 with taxes added. Truly, it's a sandwich that's more than the sum of its parts. I went looking and sure enough I found an official reply from McDonald's on this most unique sandwich without ever referring to the common given name. Believe you me people just go Goggle, Bing, Yahoo "McGangBang" and there are all sorts of entries. How do you think I even found the picture!

Official Statement From McDonald's regarding the McGangBang:

“McDonald’s loves to hear from our valued guests, especially when they customize
and create meal combinations to fit their personal taste preferences – no matter
how unique! Whether it’s requesting an Egg McMuffin without cheese or a Big Mac
with extra secret sauce, McDonald’s is proud to satisfy our customers’ requests
and provide them with a variety of great-tasting meals every time they visit our
restaurants.”
Danya Proud, Spokesperson

So I think OK, so this is pretty scary. There are big breakfast and oversize this and that, but most of the stuff out there at chains and such isn't too bad, is it? Oh how wrong I was. Little did I realize that the folks over at IHOP saw how much free press KFC got with their new sandwich, the Double-Down, that I mentioned above and so not to be outdone, they have come up with a new - limited time only - creation! Ladies and Gentlemen, I present Pancake Stackers!

Pancake Stackers consist of a crustless cheesecake filling surrounded by two buttermilk pancakes and toppings. You can choose from strawberry, blueberry or cinnamon apple compote and whipped topping. Pancake Stackers are available a la carte or with a combo meal, which adds eggs, hash browns and a choice of bacon, pork sausage links and ham to the tally, just in case the initial offering was not enough.

The Glendale, Calif.-based company did not provide nutritional information for Pancake Stackers by themselves. But the company said the regular combo meal — which includes Pancake Stackers with strawberries, two eggs, bacon and hash browns — runs 1,250 calories.

That meal is more than double KFC's Double Down chicken sandwich — which weighs in at 540 calories — and at least half the total calories many adults should eat all day. It also packs 2,750 milligrams of sodium. The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults not exceed 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day as a perspective. I do wish to acknowledge The Boston Globe for their statistics on this item and a nod to Seattle Weekly's Voracious for the heads up on McGangbang.

So if you think any of these items can even come close to the level of myocardial infarction inducing bliss that Paula Deen is capable of, well, you’ve got another think coming.

Meet the Lady’s Brunch Burger — a Paula Deen original. Its got a 1/2 pound of ground beef, topped by a fried egg and two slices of bacon, in between two Krispy Kreme glazed donuts.
Only in the south Ladies and Gentlemen, only in the south.Here's the recipe for The Lady's Brunch Burger:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
2 tablespoons grated onion
House Seasoning ~ recipe follows
2 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
6 slices bacon, cooked
6 glazed donuts

Directions:
Mix the ground beef, chopped parsley and grated onion together in a large mixing bowl. Season liberally, with House Seasoning. Form 3 hamburger patties.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the burgers and cook until desired temperature, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Fry bacon in a hot pan until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

While burgers are cooking, heat a non-stick pan, over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter. Crack 3 eggs into the pan. Cook until the yolks are just set and still slightly runny and remove.

Place burger patties on glazed donuts, as the buns. Top each burger with 2 pieces of bacon and a fried egg.

Please note: glazed donuts can be replaced with English Muffin or hamburger buns.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

So I think I'll stop now as I have gone on about all this food I need to go make some dinner and believe you me, it will not be ANY of the above. What I can tell you is that I am really happy that tomorrow is Friday and I am just a bit ticked off that I got a notice today from a company that I had gotten my collage student loans through and paid off over a decade ago telling me that "on March 21, 2010 ECMC discovered the theft of personal information of 3.3 MILLION individuals!" WTF?! How? How? How? And then offers a year of free identity protection. I wanted to make sure it was real and so went to their website and saw this:

Data has been recovered—suspect is in custody
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced on April 16, 2010, that the property and data stolen from ECMC headquarters on March 20-21, 2010, has been recovered and a suspect is in custody. It does not appear that the personally identifiable information of ECMC’s 3.3 million federal student loan borrowers has been compromised.

All borrowers affected by the theft have been notified via letter and offered free credit protection services through Experian. ECMC will continue to honor that offer.

So sometimes there is a somewhat better conclusion than thought and it is all not a total scam.

Is it Hump Day or Grunt Day?

Greetings to you,

Well, normally Wednesday is known as "Hump Day" as you have made it to the top of the week and now we head down into the weekend. But if you go down to the weekend then why are we so glad it is here? Maybe it is like crossing a finish line. I found the following on the Urban Dictionary website that amused me:

Wednesday, or the hump of the week The absolute BEST day of the week, the day of maximum hope that maybe, you might make it out of this week alive. A particularly good hump day can last you the rest of the week, and by Doomday morning (Monday) you survive by anticipating hump day. Nothing goes wrong on hump day Most other days can be defined by hump day.

Tuesday is the day before hump day. Thursday is one day after hump day. Except Friday is WOOOH!!! FREEDOM!!! Day, Saturday is Mostly Hungover day, and Sunday is PreDoom day. Hump day has nothing to do with sex. Unless one wants it to. I like to declare the existence of hump day just to see people's faces. Usually being conservative and all "Do you know what the best thing about Tuesdays are? Its the day before Hump Day!" "What's hump day?" "It's the hump of the week!!" (they all shake their heads in pity).

So while the day is often looked to fondly, I just had a feeling about this day. And it proved to be true on several levels. You see, the mind can only handle so many situations and calculations and decisions in a particular time span. Between the hours of 9 and 10 this morning I was called upon from oh 14-22 different sources to make snap decisions on issues. I short-circuited. It was kinda funny, but I do think I have several staff and vendors quite scared. Oh well, that is their issue, not mine.

It happened again this afternoon when I was basically informed, mistakenly by the way, that an issue was blowing up in Arizona. It took a few calls and calming too many people to see that FIRE had been screamed in the proverbial Movie House. Why? Why? Why?

But guess what...the day is done and I am home relaxing. Much like last night when Markie came over and made an amazing dinner! A lovely pork loin with cinnamon apples plus fresh salad and a loaf of bread that is still being enjoyed. I have to say here and now the Markie makes some of the best bread I have had in a long time. He knows I love heels of bread and often adds extra sides for more heels. He also knows I love salt on the top of a loaf. His recipe for Jewish Egg Bread (Challah) is just fabulous. Butter or Balsamic vinegar...you cannot go wrong. Listen to me, I'm your muther! Add to that cocktails and wine with dinner and well, it was a lovely evening. Tonight it is all about leftovers and I am going to get to read some more of "Best Food Writing 2009" and who knows what I will share next.

Laughing about Fluff and Spam

I am currently reading a book that is the "Best of Food Writing 2009" and there have been some fun articles in it. Two I read yesterday had me laughing pretty good. The first was on Marshmallow Fluff. Now we don't have that as much out here on the west coast, but back east, specifically the northeast, it is like hallowed ground. It is the basis for a sandwich called Fluffernutter. Long a staple of playgrounds, after-school snacks, college dorms, and the local diner, a Fluffernutter is a wonderful concoction of Marshmallow Fluff and peanut butter in a delightfully tasty sandwich! Of course you only use white bread for such a treat. Do you know there is an entire website devoted to this product?
So tell me, when was the last time you had a Fluffernutter or enjoyed the wonderful taste of Marshmallow Fluff? I must say I do believe I have only had it two or three times and that is when I lived in New York City. It was so sickeningly sweet, I could not believe it and actually had to try it again just to be sure. I guess I must like pain of something?

The next article was also quick a lot of fun and one that I was proud to say I have tasted in a very delicious way. I went to collage at Willamette University and there was a high concentration of Hawaiians there. Well, Hawaiians eat more Spam per capita than any other state in the union. They could cook it like there was no tomorrow. Quite delicious. You can learn recipes and much, much more at their website. It is where I found out that you can get the following kinds of Spam currently:

Spam Hickory Smoked
Spam Bacon
Spam Lite Single
Spam Classic
Spam Oven Roasted Turkey
Spam Lite
Spam Low Sodium
Spam Spread
Spam with Black Pepper
Spam Single Serving
Spam Hot & Spicy
Spam Cheese
Spam Garlic

Sadly, I have to announce the special Spam made during the run of Spamalot is no longer available but the website does have other items available. I am the proud owner of a Spam snow globe and it does get a laugh or two when people pop in my office and look at my collection of items I have accumulated when traveling for work.

So in writing about these two articles it made me think of this picture I saw online. Some of you remember the picture of the chairs in the posting I did yesterday. Well, the website had a picture of this girl looking at what I am guessing is her Mother putting jam on a piece of bread. The look in her eyes could only give her the title "Devil's Child" in that she looks like she is going to lunge for the bread and her Mother's hand in one swoop! The picture was to point out the bread, but that almost becomes, no wait it does become secondary to the little girl and her look of attack!

And so goes another day. Boy it was rainy and drippy here in Seattle this afternoon and work was about the same. But heck, it is over and now I am home and tonight it is British Antique's Roadshow followed by the American version. Not a bad way to kick off the week. Good Night!

Moments of Wonder

Sundays are wonderful things! They are a bonus in so many ways. I was up early this morning and puttering and the phone rings. Moonsong is calling and he is the most amazing person. He comes to the apartment every other Sunday or so and cleans. It is a thing of beauty. I really, really do not like to clean and he does a wonderful job. At times he leaves little surprises. Today, he left a sure sign of spring. I present Lilacs!

So while he was here I was up having breakfast with Jodie and Rob. Two dear friends and we are planning a dinner for May 15th. It will have 6 courses and an Intermezzo to transition from the first three courses that are being paired with whites to the final three courses that are being paired with reds. We are keeping it to 7 or 8 people and it should be a lot of fun. We had breakfast at Patty's Eggnest. Been a few times, fun to go to but you need to get there early. The orange juice is awesome but I just can't finish my breakfast there, too big of portions. We were going to share a Nutter Butter French Toast, but that will hold for another time.

So from there it was on to get gas and then take a break and read. When I decided to stay put in the apartment another year I told myself I was going to take time to go and enjoy the mountains and water. Have found a park over on Magnolia (neighborhood in Seattle) that is right on the water and is quiet. I took some New Yorkers and just read. Looked at the view numerous times and got caught up on the backlog of magazines. Even got the current issue out of the way. So then drove down and dropped them at Markie's in his mailbox. Had texted to see if home and no reply. That was at like at just before 11am. Heard nothing and did not recognize the car out front and so dropped the items in his mailbox and headed home. Nearly an hour later he replied via text - "Yes" and then called. We had a good laugh. Curt was up from Olympia and it would have been nice to see him. But I also wanted to get home as one thing Moonsong was also doing this day was fixing my chairs that sit around the dining room table. He put in new screws and redirected them. They are solid to be sure. Mind you they were not in any shape like these:

Isn't that a hoot! I am always amazed and in wonderment over the thing you can find on the internet. Have no idea where this was taken, but found it and just had to share. If you go to their sight there are some funny pictures and some weird stuff and some tasteless stuff as a fair warning. I just stopped by as a click through and saw the image and thought it would be fun to share as my chairs were being repaired. I also saw another picture that I felt deserved a sharing moment of wonder. It takes the hab-a-trail for Hamsters to a whole new level. Think of all you could get done in the morning or evening. You exercise and reading at the same time!

And so there you have a few moments of wonder in a variety of presentations. I am looking forward to seeing Helene later on for dinner. In closing, another moment of wonder on Sunday is a nap, I think I will indulge in that wonder now. Cheers!

Smiling on a Blustery Day

Oh hello there,

Glad you decided to stop by again. It is a blustery day in Seattle. Rain earlier and now the sun is shining and well, I am a blogging for now. Whenever I use the word "blustery" I instantly think of Winnie the Pooh. And then something happens, I smile. It is like when you get a delivery of flowers or a balloon, they make you smile. Same thing when you walk off a flight and see family or friends who are there to greet you, a smile. I have found that it is much more fun to smile and it keeps one in a happy place for a while. So I think that while I finish this post I'll just keep smiling.

As we progress in life more gadgets and gizmo's come into our lives. I was dragged into the cell phone age kicking and screaming. I have yet to go to the fancy phones and get email. That is for when I sit at a computer. To think that is old-fashioned makes me smile!

This week a dear friend bought a house in Longview while another is celebrating 21 years of being sober. Both of these make me smile. You know what make me really smile some times. Names of bands today. I was looking at a list of favorite songs on a friend's blog today and here are a few:

Flashing Lips, oops sorry it is Flaming Lips
Band of Horses
The House of Kite, oops, wrong again it is House of Love and The Brother Kite
My Morning Jacket
Kitchens of Distinction and oh I love this one - Fish Karma!

Me, I listen to solo artists and a whole lot of Soundtracks & Original Cast Recordings - yes, there is a difference! But I am still smiling.

On Facebook, I am down to 32 friends and slowly fading. They keep doing stuff on there that is creepy. I have had to lock down my settings to keep out unwanted websites from snagging information. But yesterday a friend posted a website that is quite amusing. It takes several beaches and makes them into "subway maps" which make me smile. I might even get one, but where in the world would I put it? I have gotten to the point in my apartment where something goes when something comes in. Keeps life simple to be sure.

I have been pleased to hear from friends and family that I have been an inspiration to simplify their lives and let go of all the excess. One friend finally cleared out a storage unit that had just held "stuff" for 16 years. Mind you, the stuff was a lot of memories and things that were loved, but had just sat there and now she has kept what she wanted and let the rest go. Wowzers! My sister did the same thing at her place cleaning out closets this year. I smile knowing how good they feel in letting go and getting thing more simple.

In closing I was trying to think of something else that makes people smile and boy do I know cupcakes do - Enjoy!

Friday means Chowder

You know I often feel when it is Friday it means chowder? Clam chowder is usually on a lot of menus on Fridays. Why? Well who knows. But, with a full bow to Wikipedia I am posting their entry on chowder here and by full disclosure I take no credit, but it sure is nice to get some answers on chowder and may be useful to you as well:

Chowder is any of a variety of soups, enriched with salt pork fatback and thickened with flour or more traditionally with crushed ship biscuit or saltine crackers, and milk. To some people, it means clam chowder, made with cream or milk in most places, or with tomato as "Manhattan clam chowder." Corn chowder is a thick soup filled with whole corn (maize) kernels.

The most accepted etymology for the word chowder comes from the cooking pot in which it is cooked, known in French as a chaudière, from the Latin caldaria (akin to English cauldron). The word "chowder" is a New England word that came from Newfoundland, where Breton fishermen—who would throw portions of the day's catch and other available foods into a large pot—introduced the word, and perhaps the fish soup itself (compare bouillabaisse). Another possible origin for the word chowder is derived from the Old English "jowter", which means fishmonger (one who peddles fish).

Fish chowder, along with corn and clam chowder, continues to enjoy popularity in New England and Atlantic Canada. Seafood chowder is a traditional and popular dish in Ireland. Sometimes the freshest clam chowder can have a gritty consistency due to small particles of sand still present in the clams at the time of preparation.

So there you have it. Mind you there is a whole lot more on chowder in Wikipedia, but I don't think we need to go too terribly long on about it. OK, so I am going to let you know that I prefer Boston style and like Oyster Crackers over saltines. No, I think that is about all I have to say on the subject but my good manners would not let me close without listing at least one recipe. So here you go, enjoy and happy Friday!

Cindy's Awesome Clam Chowder!

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 unpeeled potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams with juice
2 (1.8 ounce) packages dry leek soup mix
1 quart half-and-half

Directions: (Keep in mind 15 minutes to prep & 40 minutes to cook)

Place the bacon in a large pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisped and browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pot. Set the bacon aside. Stir the potatoes and carrots into the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Pour the juice from the clams into the pot, and add enough water to just cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Gently stir the leek soup mix into the potatoes until no lumps of soup remain. Stir in the clams, reserved bacon, and half-and-half cream. Cook and stir until the chowder returns to a simmer and thickens, about 10 minutes more.