Genius part 2

And if you have a French toast bagel, and bacon, and eggs, and cheese...


...maybe it's just me?

Two Words

Two words: "Genius"!

Maybe it's just me?

Kony 2012

Total misunderstanding!
I've heard about this Kony thing but finally got around to figuring out what's up. Misspelling there made all the difference!

Join the CONEY movement! People shouldn't be subjected to these things any longer. Let's make these things known.
#CONEY2012





...maybe it's just me.




If you do want to support something doing trauma healing for the women in the DRC there's She's My Sister.

For the record

For the record, you can indeed freeze gumbo.

For the record, you can indeed thaw said gumbo and reheat it.

For the record, you definitely can add the leftover shrimp from Oscar night's shrimp cocktail to the gumbo.

...maybe it's just me?

Clip Clop

I haven't posted on this blog in what seems like forever. It's not that I've stopped eating, heavens no. It's a matter of what to post.

Today I drove out to Blue Ball, PA and hit the Smorgasbord at Shady Maple for breakfast. It's in the heart of Lancaster County, and that's Amish country.

I wrapped up the day in Intercourse, PA with a nice bread bowl full of some of the best chili I've ever had.

All in all, a very... satisfying... day.

... maybe it's just me

Let's Get Some Chinese

I've lived in the Philadelphia area for about 2 1/2 years. I have yet to find any really great Chinese food. That is until now.

My friends Sam and Beca took me to Han Dynasty. They have two menus. Stay away from the Americanized menu. Order from it and prepare to be mocked.

The Authentic Chinese menu is amazing. You will not find this menu on their website. Go to one of their locations and don't be afraid. The staff can recommend some good stuff.

There were leftovers. And this is where my critical error occurred.


I've called this experiment "Eggs of Fire." You see, the leftovers from my dinner included about half of the hot peppers from the dish. I tossed them in a pan got them sizzling and added some eggs. Then, against the advice of family, friends, the Surgeons General of the last 100 years, and a guy I met on the street, I ate it all.

Oh the delicious pain. It really was tasty, but I cried. A lot. I've never abused my body with drugs, alcohol, tobacco or tattoos - but I do attempt to turn this temple into a fire station with spicy food. I cried for an hour. My eyes poured forth tears streaming down my cheeks. (clearly, I live alone)

The worst part was my morning constitutional. ('nuff said)

As my old friend Paul (he's Chinese) and I used to say:
Brian: Hey, let's get some Chinese.
Paul: Yeah! Let's get 'em!!!!

I kinda want to go over there again now and "get 'em". I think they deserve some sort of comeuppance for allowing me to take all of that fire home. I love Han Dynasty, but I also hate it at the same time.

...maybe it's just me?

Mmmm... burger

Don't you just love a good burger? I know I do!

While my folks were visiting I took them to a new favorite place, Elevation Burger, and while I hate websites built in Flash more than steaming hot carbolic acid poured directly into my eyes, I love their burgers. Ingredients matter and they have that down. Organic (I really don't care) grass fed (makes a difference) beef, great cheese, great fries - fantastic.
5 Guys is similar, with different beef + bacon and BBQ sauce.

Either way, you get a fantastic burger, great fries and a fun environment.

I don't live out West, so if you want to talk about In-n-out burger, go ahead, but I've had them and Wendy's is better.

Maybe it's just me?

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.