COFFEE

I got one of these Aeropress coffee makers for Christmas. I've been practicing and playing around with the process and amount of coffee for a few months, and I think I've really got it just right now.
Basically, it makes a 4oz cup of espresso, and uses a pretty good pile of coffee grounds to do it. I've been drinking Pete's Major Dickason's blend. It's a strong, robust, dark coffee and when I make it with the Aeropress, it's best enjoyed with a fork.

The really funny thing is how the caffeine seems to really get to me. I've just finished my one cup of the day (I have to limit myself) and I'm getting heart palpitations! I kinda like that.

... maybe it's just me?

clean plate club

Mmmmmm dinner time!

My very dear friend and land-lady Melissa made a quick hodge-podge of dinner happiness. Pierogies with onions and sour cream, fish sticks with tartar sauce, carrots, onions, mushrooms and Brussels sprouts.








The hardest thing for Melissa to understand is that I eat things I don't like. I don't like:

• Carrots
• Peas
• Squash
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts

That doesn't mean I won't eat them. I was taught to eat what's in front of me, and I can usually manage to do that and smile through it all. So, I'm always a member of "The Clean Plate Club". I at all my veggies and really liked the queso sauce she put on the sprouts. I also keep trying things that I might not like, because I never know when my tastes will change. For example, I started liking mushrooms this year. Who knew? The down-side of course is that it's also easy for me to overeat.

For me, it's ok if food goes to waist, as long as it doesn't go to waste.



...maybe it's just me?

Tiny Food

I recently had a late dinner special at a little pub. Little being the operative word here. Not only was the room small, so was the food. This "Petite Filet" came with an itty-bitty potato and snow peas. The Steak was fine - just about 3oz. The potato on the other-hand was the size of a ping-pong ball.

I felt like Gulliver.

So what goes with that? A tiny Coke of course.

... maybe it's just me?

Rebuilding

Well I may or may not totally rebuild this blog and all the posts, but for now - the text is available.

Food Challenge Fail

I've hardly blogged since moving to the Philadelphia area and starting my new job, and bemoaning that fact recently inspired me to eat something I shouldn't have.

3 pancakes!




I know - three pancakes doesn't sound like a big deal, but at a little diner in Royersford, PA they have a challenge on the menu. If you can eat 3, you don't pay, otherwise it's just $5.50. So, I figured I could take 3 pancakes.


I was so wrong.

I know some strategies - don't drink too much, don't eat other things, stay in training...





After a little while I felt pretty good. I thought to myself, "I can manage this." "Should be no problem."


I've eaten plenty of big things in the past:

• 2 cheese steaks
  

a really big burger


• this thing
  


• and of course - The El Gigante
  

I even won a donut eating contest once.


To my shame this time it was not to be.


FAIL

Annamarie's Cafe - you win, please enjoy my $5.50.

Part of this nutritious breakfast

Texas! Part of this nutritious breakfast

That's right - Texas! An important part of this nutritious breakfast.

The Residence Inn, Austin has been great so far. An easy walk to the Paramount Theater for the Q conference, and it's got a kicking breakfast.

Now I want more waffles in other shapes!

...maybe it's just me.

I Kin Do It

So my plane was stuck on the approach to the runway in Philadelphia - number 23 for departure...


I'm on my way to BibleTech in Seattle. My flights are scheduled to go from PHL to Dulles, to Seattle. That's two Washingtons in one day - nice.

I breakfasted at the airport Dunkin Donuts. They have two ad campaigns going right now.
1) America Runs On Dunkin
2) You Kin Do It

The second campaign shows people in impossible situations overcoming them. How? Why - because they have a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee or a donut, or a waffle-sandwich.

I needed to get from my new home airport to Washington DC - Dulles in time to catch the next flight to Seattle, but there are roadblocks. Getting out on the runway and staying there for 40 minutes with the engines shut down so we don't have to go back to the gate to refuel is this particular hurdle.

But - I realized - I still had some Dunkin Coffee. I'm all set I guess.

...maybe it's just me?

tall lasagna

tall lasagna

I'm not kidding, this thing is huge.

A recent business dinner brought a party of 7 to Maggianos for family style dining. One of the pasta choices was Mom's Lasagna. Will you just look at the height?

It must be oooh... at least... well... it's tall isn't it!?!?

... maybe it's just me.

Why You Are Fat

Another food blog has taken up the challenge.




Thanks to my friend Rob for pointing the way.

Some awesome samples...

The Mega-Stuff Oreo










Corn Dog Pizza












And my new favorite....

The Double Bacon Hamburger Fatty Melt

And this time I can prove that maybe it's not just me...

breakfast in bed

breakfast in bed

Honestly!
You know how in The Sound of Music, Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews are realizing that they are in love and they sing, "I Must Have Done Something Good"? Well that's how I feel.

However, that might be the gayest thing I've ever written in my life.

... maybe it's just me.

shrimp po boy

shrimp po boy

The Shrimp Po Boy is a bunch of fried shrimp on a roll. Sounds simple? You'd think so, but the location of the really good shrimp po boys is hotly contested. This particular po boy came from the 49 restaurant in Gulfport, oddly enough located on highway 49.

To help you northerners understand, the shrimp po boy is the Cheesesteak of the south. Everybody makes one, and everyone disagrees over where to go to get the best one.

...maybe it's just me

Good to be that guy

So now I'm the Director of Web Communications at my new company - a very old company - the American Bible Society. The pace is frenetic, the people are fantastic and I'm trying to clean up a bit of a web mess.

Our Development department has been working through a direct mail provider called Stratmark who, in a wash of Christmas spirit, has sent me a gift.
A gift of Chocolate.

This tower from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company contained a plethora of cocoa goodness from the nutty caramels in the top to the lovingly wrapped pretzels in the middle down to the ensconced cashews and almonds in the bottom. All delicious.

It's good to be the guy who gets stuff from vendors for Christmas.

... maybe it's just me

Burgeriffic

Five Guys

First of all, it's been a long time since I've posted anything and that's not because I haven't been eating - oh no. I've just been very busy...

• Getting a new job


• Moving to the Philadelphia suburbs


• Getting engaged to Sylvia

I've been working hard and eating at home or at my desk a whole lot. But today at lunch TJ brought me over to Five Guys. It's the East's answer to In-N-Out.

Great burgers, fresh toppings, Bay's seasoning on the fries and Coke at the fountain.

This particular Five Guys is in a strip-mall, just about a mile from my office, and now I have a fun place to go for lunch from time to time.

One note - there are free peanuts in the shell available for munching. They are not roasted. They are raw peanuts. That is just wrong.

... maybe it's just me.

between the lines

Line at Pat's

In Philadelphia there are cheesesteaks. Today, I had them for the second time at Pat's King of Steaks. Jeremy was kind enough to haul me around after visiting his church.

In this picture, you can see the lineup to order (wit or witout) the beef bricks slathered or insulated with cheese. Across the street, there's another line at Geno's Cheesesteaks. You gotta give Geno's credit for building competition directly across the street from the originator of this east coast yummy.

Clearly, they're not hurting for business.

... maybe it's just me

mmmm... Big sandwich

mmmm... Big sandwich

Did you know Wal-Mart sells sandwiches?

I didn't either, but now I do. Living out of a hotel room in Philadelphia is strange enough and I honestly don't feel like a daily diet of eating alone at Chili's or Logan's is the best way to spend my time. I like to eat from the grocery store.

I found one with a salad bar my first night in town. Last night I noticed a Super-Wal-Mart (like Wal-Mart needed to be super-sized in any way). I made my way in and the first things I saw were these sandwiches in the deli.

Now I didn't bring a tape measure or anything, but I'm pretty sure this sandwich was about 20" long. Add mustard and I was tucked in for the night.

... maybe it's just me

Tony Packo's

Tony Packo's

I was in Toledo on my way to Philadelphia and I had to jump off at the Front Street exit.
The chilli, the spicy dogs, the even spicier pickles are a magical combination on a cross-country road trip.

... maybe it's just me?

Saint Pat

Today is my first day in my new office and I'm excited to start my new job at The American Bible Society in Wayne, Pennsylvania - near Philadelphia.

Pat's

With Philadelphia comes Philly Cheese Steaks.

This is Pat's King of Steaks, the claimed inventor of what might be the single greatest single contribution to American cuisine. I had this when I was here for my interview about 3 weeks ago. I also had Geno's across the street - also good, but I like Pat's better I think.

This last note might open me up to a horde of criticism and questions about my upbringing... you get the picture.

Maybe it's just me...

Twitter with a raspberry reduction

Twitter w/rasberry reduction

It's Internet Ministry Conference time and the food is always amazing. Notice this dessert - white chocolate mousse in a chocolate shell with a raspberry reduction, next to an iPod touch with twitter running on it.

That's much better than an iPod touch with a raspberry reduction running on it.

maybe it's just me...

Fall - with a twist

Fall

Whilst driving through my local Starbucks I like to make fun of Sylvia's order. She gets a "Venti, skinny, vanilla, latte" but when I order it I like to say something like this.

first I'm gonna need a big ole honkin' venti, skinny, no-fat, no-sugar, no-fun, no-nothin' vanilla, latte...

WITH WHIP

Sylvia laughs when I do that, and that's half the reason. This time, the intrepid barista in the drive-thru says:

wow - with that twist at the end I thought I was in an M. Night Shyamalan movie

We applauded when we got to the window.

I'm not a big fan of Fall - as it has fully arrived here in West Michigan, but I do like the Pumpkin Spice Latte an awful lot.
...maybe it's just me?

Crabs!

Crabs!

My friend Steve Wilcox invited a bunch of us over for Maryland blue crabs.

Sylvia and I had a great time and Zeke ate almost a whole hot dog.

Note about blue crabs: after you cook 'em, they turn red. Kind of a political statement, don't you think?

...maybe it's just me