September 24, 2010

We've got less than a week before October rolls around and most everyone is already talking about baking with pumpkins and apples and getting ready for the holidays, but I'm not ready to say “goodbye” to summer yet!

We didn't have much summer weather this year in Southern California; it's been mostly cool and foggy, even into September, which is normally one of our hottest months of the year.

But, the good news is that it's supposed to be gorgeous this weekend; not a cloud in the sky and in the low 80s with a slight breeze.  And you can bet your booty that I'm planning on enjoying every second of it.

Since I'm not quite ready to admit that it's almost October and I'm still in the salad and grilling “frame of mind”, here are a few recipes that I found this week from some of my favorite foodies who aren't yet talking about pumpkin either.

Waldorf Salad by A Southern Grace

Grilled Portobello Pizzas by Lisa is Cooking

Skirt Steak Salad with Blue Cheese from Smitten Kitchen

Pan Seared Black Cod with Summer Vegetables by Use Real Butter

If it's nice this October, I may not say goodbye to summer until November and maybe by then I'll be in the mood to talk about pumpkin; just in time for Thanksgiving. 🙂

September 7, 2010

When BigSis initially told me at the beginning of the year that she had made the decision to become vegan, the first thing out of my mouth was “I think that's great, but HOW can you live without cheese?”

We've always been big snackers/grazers in our family. Growing up, we would almost always snack on some cheese and crackers late in the afternoon before SisMama would start on dinner. I can still remember the white cheddar cheese that our parents would bring back from their trips to Nebraska or our aunts and uncles would bring down to us when they came for a visit.

And when we would visit our Grandmama in the summer, a late afternoon snack was always a freezing cold, slushy, orange Crush soda or Dr. Pepper with a big ole' chunk of cheese! I think that was when I fell in love with cheese.

I obviously have some very fond childhood memories that revolve around cheese. So, why the walk down memory lane? Isn't that what you usually do when you're in mourning? I think that's exactly what's going on with me right now.

Some people, like BigSis, make the conscious decision to become vegan, which I happen to totally admire, but then there are those like me, who after 40 something years of eating cheese, are told that they can't have dairy anymore! That's not news that's easy to swallow when it's something that you enjoy as much as I do! 🙁

I've lived with a sensitive stomach my entire life and there are lots of things I can't eat; fried stuff, greasy potato chips, fatty meat, etc., but I've learned to live with that. This is going to be a little tougher. It took every bit of will power I had to not get into the gorgeous cheese tray that we had at our Labor Day party on Sunday!

But, after a few bad episodes, followed by a couple of doctors visits, a ton of tests, some medication, and process of elimination, it's been determined that I've become lactose intolerant. Even though it's not the news that I was expecting to hear, it definitely could have been something worse so I promise that I won't whine about it too much.

I'm now asking myself the exact same question that I asked BigSis about nine months ago. “How am I going to live without cheese?” I don't know the answer to that right now, but I do know that it isn't going to easy.

I've already discovered that low-fat vanilla soy milk isn't bad and Earth Balance buttery spread is actually quite good. BigSis has also given me a few suggestions for “faux cheese” but that's going to be the real trick; finding a veggie/soy cheese that actually tastes good. My first experiment over the weekend with the Trader Joe's soy mozzarella didn't really impress me.

I know there's medication you can take to ease the symptoms IF you do decide to eat dairy, but for now, I'm going to try to do without it completely to see how things go.

If anyone reading happens to be vegan or lactose intolerant, we would LOVE to hear from you if you've found any great cheese substitutes! 🙂

Photo credit from ayngelina's photostream

August 19, 2010

This time of year is really hectic for most of us moms; on top of normal chores, we're clearing our kids' closets and drawers of clothes that no longer fit, shopping for new clothes, school supplies, backpacks, and trying to stock the pantry with all the goodies needed for breakfasts, school lunches and/or after school snacks.

I do LOVE shopping for school supplies; the whole excitement of it brings back fond memories for me and I sometimes wish that I was still buying pencil boxes and crayons, but I won't delve into my obsession with school supplies today. Instead, let's talk about making sure we have what to need to assure that our kids start out each morning with a healthy breakfast.

I don't have little ones in elementary school or middle school any more and I really miss those mornings when I used to pack the kids' lunches and put little surprises or notes in their lunch sacks. Since those days are long gone for me and my high-schooler won't take a sack lunch anymore, it's more important than ever for me to make sure he has a good breakfast before he leaves every morning.

I've always tried to make sure that my kids don't start the day on an empty stomach or with something sugary. Both can lead to problems with blood sugar levels and make it hard for the child to concentrate during school.

For adults, eating a healthy breakfast also has tremendous health benefits, but specifically here's what Mayo Clinic says about the benefits for children.

Benefits for children

Breakfast is especially important for children and adolescents. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:

• Concentrate better
• Have better problem-solving skills
• Have better hand-eye coordination
• Be more alert
• Be more creative
• Miss fewer days of school
• Be more physically active

My family would probably tell you that I sound like a broken record when I say “You know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”  I wish I had a dollar for every time I've said that. 🙂

Obviously on those early morning school days, breakfast needs to be quick, and most importantly, a healthy combination of whole grains, low fat protein, low fat dairy, and fruits and/or veggies.

Here are a few of my favorites.

• Oatmeal with fruit and almonds. (To me, this is a perfect breakfast.) I like the McCann's Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal but Quaker Oats Quick One Minute Oats is also a great choice. The Quaker brand actually has one more gram of fiber and protein than McCann's. After cooking the oatmeal, I add some cinnamon and top with blueberries or sliced banana and sliced almonds.

• Scrambled eggs or egg beaters with 2% cheese in a whole wheat tortilla. It's so quick and easy to make a great breakfast burrito. If your child is open to it, add just a little fresh chopped spinach when you scramble the eggs. (This can even be done in the microwave.)  Then put a little grated cheese on top, scoop into a tortilla and roll it up. I buy a low sodium ham from Trader Joe's that I sometimes add to this.

• Fresh fruit salad. I make fruit salads all the time and both my guys love it for breakfast. Have your berries and grapes washed ahead and if adding pineapple, it's quicker if that's cut up the night before. We like blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, bananas, grapes, mandarin oranges, and pears, but you could use any of your child's favorite fruits.

• Whole wheat or multi-grain bagel. We are really liking the new Thomas' Bagel Thins. The Whole Wheat ones are great but the Everything Bagel Thins are our favorite. These toast great and aren't as heavy as a regular bagel. They're perfect with just cream cheese or even better as a breakfast sandwich with an egg and a piece of healthy ham and low fat cheese.
  

• Yogurt with berries and granola. We also love yogurt at my house for breakfast. I mostly buy the Trader Joe's brand and instead of granola, I sometimes toss in some Kashi Heart to Heart cereal.

• Eggo Nutri-Grain low fat waffles. It doesn't get much easier than this.  These frozen waffles are quite good; I have one most mornings after my yogurt and fruit.  I try to find something other than syrup to offer with a waffle and I've found that these are great with a little almond butter spread on top.

• Banana and granola bar. If your child is running late and insists that he/she doesn't have time to sit down for breakfast, then stick a banana and a granola bar in their hand on the way out the door. It's definitely better than a Pop Tart. There are many nutritious choices for granola bars these days. My favorites are the Peanut Butter Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars.
  

All of these choices take five minutes or less to prepare and when served with a small glass of low fat milk and/or orange juice, it'll jump start your child's day and allow them to get through the morning with enough energy to last them until lunchtime. 🙂

August 14, 2010

What if I told you I could make brownies without butter? Probably doable, right?

How about without eggs? Hmmm, getting trickier. How will you keep them together without eggs?

Now, what if I told you I made brownies with no eggs, no dairy, AND added blueberries! What?! Get outta here!

Using the Fudgy Wudgy Blueberry Brownie recipe from Veganomicon, that's exactly what I did. And guess what? They're awesome!! I took them to the office and actually got good reviews. Even great reviews! And the comments weren't what you would expect: “I guess they're ok for healthy brownies, BigSis. Better than no brownie at all”.

They're moist, they're unbelievably chocolatey, and you really can't figure out what's different about them. I guess blueberries have such a mild flavor usually, that the brownies don't scream “BLUEBERRY!!!!”

These guys have 3 chocolates (I used vegan), fresh blueberries, and a whole jar of blueberry spread. Plus the usual suspects: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, canola oil, vanilla and almond extract,

They aren't completely without guilt, but at least you get a little fruit with your chocolate.

August 12, 2010

Being single and eating my biggest meal of the day before noon, it's really easy for me to skip dinner or to just have a handful of almonds.  I try to eat intentionally though, and skipping dinner doesn't set me up for a very energetic morning.

I have a solution that works for me, even in the summertime when you don't automatically think of something warm.  How about a one-pot stew/soup dish that's inexpensive, nutritious AND super speedy?  I got it for you.  It's so simple, I don't even need to give you an official recipe; I can just tell you how to do it in a few words.

Take 5 cans from your pantry, and don't feel bad that you're using cans!  You need a big can of fire-roasted tomatoes (diced or crushed), a small can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilis (similar to Rotel but I think much better!), a can of green beans, a can of red kidney beans and a can of corn.

Open all the cans, and dump both tomatoes into a large saucepan and turn the meat to medium.  Fill the small can with water and add that.  Then add whatever mexican seasonings you like to the tomatoes and simmer for few minutes.  I used garlic powder, cumin, chile powder, dried cilantro, shallot pepper, salt and a touch of dried chipotle.

Bring the tomatoes to a boil, and then add the drained corn and green beans, along with the kidney beans that have been drained and rinsed.  You don't want that nasty bean juice.  Heat until the vegetables are heated through.  Voila!  You're done!

I like to serve my stew with dairy-free cheese (Daiya) and sour cream (Tofutti).  My diced tomatoes with chilis were pretty potent so I didn't even need any Frank's Red Hot Sauce!

In this one bowl, you get nutrients from the veggies, plus protein from the beans that will keep you full for a good long time.  Use whatever veggies you have, and feel free to add other goodies like mushrooms, onions, and chili peppers.  Hatch chilis are almost in season and they would be incredible in this.

I'd say this is a much better dinner than a few sorry nuts!  😀

August 6, 2010

Even though we've had unseasonably cool weather this Summer in Southern California, I realize that in some parts of the country there are still many of you experiencing record high temperatures. I feel for you, I promise!

Summer is actually my favorite season but I know, from spending most of my life in Texas, that the last thing anyone wants to do in that kind of heat is to cook. So, I thought this might be a perfect time for a Summer Salad Roundup.

Here are just a few of my favorite Summer Salads.

Ceviche Salad with Avocado, Cilantro, and Green Chili

Egg White Salad with Spinach, Feta Cheese, and Parmesan

Tomato Salad with Feta, Basil and Balsamic Reduction

Spinach and Orzo Salad

And, last but not least, this is absolutely, positively my most favorite summer salad EVER! And yes, I do realize that I've shared it here before, (more than once) BUT there's no way that I could leave it out of this Summer Salad roundup.

In the Summertime, I make this almost every time we have  friends over and I take it to almost every get-together we attend. You can't go wrong with this salad; just make sure you use fresh mozzarella and the best tomatoes and basil you can get your hands on!

Insalata Alla Caprese

These Summer salads are super simple to put together and perfect to take to any Summer barbeque or picnic.

Stay cool and have a great weekend! 🙂

July 11, 2010

I didn't even know that they still made Pop Rocks until a few weeks ago when a friend of ours brought them out at the end of a party. (Yes, we tend to get a little silly sometimes.) These little popping candies bring back some fond childhood memories for me so when I stumbled across Noble Pig's Firecracker Cupcakes recipe with Pop Rocks, I knew that I would be making them soon.

By the way, Noble Pig's Firecracker Cupcakes garnished with blueberries and raspberries are the most gorgeous cupcakes that I've ever seen!

I made my simpler version, Funfetti Firecracker Cupcakes last Sunday for our 4th of July Party but in all the excitement of getting ready for the party, I didn't get photos taken of that batch. So, I decided to make them again since these fun cupcakes don't have to be made exclusively for the 4th of July. They could bring a bang to any holiday or birthday celebration.  What kid doesn't get a kick out of of Pop Rocks? (And most adults love them, too!)

Note: I don't do a lot of baking from scratch, so this is my easy, breezy, simple way to make these cupcakes.

Funfetti Firecracker Cupcakes
(adapted from Noble Pig)

One Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/3 c. oil
1 c. water
Pillsbury Whipped Supreme Cream Cheese frosting
One 1.75 oz Betty Crocker Rainbow Mix sprinkles
Assorted colors of Pop Rocks
Various candies or fruit

In a large bowl, add the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water and mix for two minutes on low mixer or whisk by hand for two minutes. Fold in the candy sprinkles. Line cupcake pan with baking cups and fill with batter. Bake at 350 degrees until done. If the cups are filled 2/3 to the top, the cupcakes should take 18-22 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

I prefer to fill the baking cups almost all the way to the top so they take between 22-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

I could actually enjoy one of these cupcakes just like this without the frosting, but decorating these cupcakes is where the fun comes in!

Frost the cupcakes or pipe on the frosting as I did and then sprinkle the tops with various flavors of Pop Rocks. I found a variety pack at Walgreens that contained one of each flavor: Strawberry, Watermelon, and Tropical Punch.

(I thought the Watermelon flavor in the green packet would turn out to be green Pop Rocks, but they were also pink like the Strawberry flavor.)

To achieve a good firecracker effect, sprinkle the Pop Rocks on just before serving. The moisture is what makes the candies pop, so they will start popping immediately.

How's this for a big teenage boy bite?

It's like a little party of explosions going off in your mouth!

Later this week, I'll be sharing with you another fun Pop Rocks recipe. Ever tried a cocktail beverage with Pop Rocks?

July 7, 2010

I noticed on Woopra the other day that someone got to BigSisLilSis.com by typing “adam richman weight gain” into Google.  I've never ever mentioned those words, I swear, Adam!  You know I love you!

That started me thinking though.  How much has Adam actually had to eat in the last 2 full seasons, plus what we've seen of Season 3 so far?  Here's what I come up with:

Amarillo:

• Spicy “burger from Hell” at Coyote Bluff
• Barbecued ribs at Moose's
• Golden Light's Albuquerque (Frito pie)
• Chicken-fried steak at Youngblood's
• 72-oz. Steak Challenge at the Big Texan (72-oz steak, dinner salad, shrimp cocktail, baked potato, and dinner roll in under one hour)

Anchorage:

• Massive sandwich at West Rib Café and Pub
• Mountainous breakfast with sourdough pancakes at Talkeetna Roadhouse

• 6-lb. Kodiak Arrest Challenge at Humpy’s Alaskan Alehouse (6 lbs. of Alaskan King Crab, salmon cakes and reindeer sausage)

Atlanta:

• Chicken and waffles with soul legend Gladys Knight

• 11-lb. Carnivore Pizza Challenge at Big Pie in the Sky (30-inches of meat-laden pie)

Austin:

• Texas-sized donuts at Round Rock

• All-you-can-eat barbecue plate at the Salt Lick

• Don Juan Taco Challenge at Juan in a Million (eat 8 massive breakfast tacos as fast as you can)

Baltimore:

• Pit beef at Chap's Charcoal
• Blue crabs at Obrycki's

• Great Steak Challenge at Steak and Main

Baseball Stadiums:

• Homewrecker hot dog

• Burger served between 2 donuts
• Fifth Third Burger Challenge

Boise:

• Double Big Jud with burger patties the size of Frisbees
• Spicy habanero pizza from Flying Pie
• Johnny B. Goode Challenge at Rockies Diner

Boston:

• Traditional New England clambake from the Barking Crab

• Spicy feast from Hell from East Coast Grill
• 12-lb. Eagle Challenge (5 lbs of hamburger with 2 lbs of bacon and cheese, and 5 lbs of fries)

Boulder:

• Wing King Challenge at West End Tavern (50 wings in 30 minutes)

• Mountain Pie at Beau Jo’s

• Saddlebags at The Buff (a secret recipe of pancakes with bits of bacon and sausage cooked into the batter)

Brooklyn:

• Gargiulo Burger from Brennan & Carr (tender roast beef on top of a cheeseburger)
• Brooklyn’s best Sicilian pie from L&B Spumoni Gardens

• Suicide Wings Challenge at Buffalo Cantina

Charleston:

• Oysters served by the shovel
• Fried chicken sandwich smothered in sausage gravy

• Spicy Tuna Sushi Challenge at Bushido Japanese Restaurant (3 pounds of sushi!)

Chicago:

• Lucky's Overstuffed Sandwich Challenge (eat 3 of their monster sandwiches in an hour)
• Italian beef from Al's

• Famous deep-dish pizza from Gino's

Cleveland:

• Greek gyro bursting with savory beef at Steve's
• Polish Boy from Hot Sauce Williams (kielbasa sausage buried by fries and slaw, stuffed in a bun, and drenched in spicy barbecue sauce)

• 5-lb. Grilled Cheese Challenge at Melt Bar & Grilled (3 giant slices of bread with 3.5 lbs and 14 varieties of cheese, plus fries and slaw)

Columbus:

• Thurmanator burger at Thurman Cafe
• Half pound cream puffs and all-you-can-eat-sausage buffet at Schmidt's Sausage Haus

• 2-1/2-lb. Dagwood Challenge at Ohio Deli (2-1/2 lb cold cut sandwich with fries in less than 30 minutes)

Denver:

• Cricket Burger at Duffy's (half-lb. patty with choice of 21 different toppings)

• Rocky Mountain oysters
• Breakfast Burrito Challenge at Jack-N-Grill  (7 potatoes, a pound of ham, 12 eggs, a whole onion, cheese and chili)

Detroit:

• Triple Threat Sandwich (bacon, ham and pulled pork)
• Coney dogs
• World’s biggest burger at Mallie’s Sports Grill and Bar

Durham:

• Burgers at Wimpy's Grill

• Chopped barbecue and smoked ribs

• Doughman Challenge (running, swimming, biking, and eating at 5 places)

Hartford:

• Woody's loaded Deputy Dog (a foot-long hot dog topped with pulled pork, melted cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce), and 2 ft Works Dog with every topping
• Steamed cheeseburgers
• 10-pound Super-Stuffed Pizza Challenge at Randy’s Wooster St. Pizza Shop (4 pizza doughs packed with meats, cheeses and veggies)

Hawaii:

• Pipikaula short rib and kalua pig
• Loco Moco (a burger dish topped with fried eggs and gravy)
• Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge (3 pancakes, 14 inches wide, covered in toppings in less than 90 minutes)

Las Vegas:

• Hottest crawfish in the country

• Fried chicken benedict and a stuffed egg burger at Hash House A G0 G0

• Big Badass Burrito Challenge at the Nascar Cafe (6 lbs and 2 ft long, covered with melted cheese, guacamole and sour cream)

Little Rock:

• Quadruple Hubcap Burger at Cotham's Mercantile
• Huge community barbecue at the Osborne Family Farm
• Shut Up Juice Spicy Pulled-Pork Challenge at The Mean Pig BBQ (super spicy pulled-pork sandwich)

Los Angeles:

• French dip at Philippe's
• 5-lb. Manuel's Special at el Tepeyac (designed to feed 2 to 4 people)

• Special Number 2 (a spicy Ramen made with 10 different chilies)

Man v Food Live:

• Don Shula’s 48-oz Steak Challenge (Adam's the first to finish it in 20 minutes)

• Joe's jumbo stone crab claws

• Supermoon Perro (a Colombian-style hot dog topped with bacon, potato strips, 5 different sauces, and a quail egg)

• Sarussi Original (a massive 16-in., 2 1/2-lb. Cuban sandwich)
• 10-lb. Mother Burger Challenge

Minneapolis:

• Juicy Lucy (burger with the cheese on the inside)
• Lutefisk at Landmark Grill

• Meterbratwurst Challenge (a meter-long 40-oz bratwurst with 2 sides)

New Jersey:

• Gigantic Strombolis from Stuff Yer Face (their biggest ‘Bolis are 18 inches and weigh 2 lbs)
• Fat Sandwich Challenge at R.U. Hungry grease truck (5 fat sandwiches in 45 minutes)
• Triple-decker deli sandwiches from Harold's Deli

New Orleans:

• Po' boys at Mother's Restaurant
• Seafood at Deanie's Seafood Restaurant

• Coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde
• 180 oysters in the Acme Oyster House Challenge (15 dozen in under 1 hour)

New York:

• 1-lb. sandwich at Katz’s Delicatessen
• Soul food at Sylvia’s
• Hottest curry in the country at Brick Lane Curry House

North Carolina:

• Chicken biscuit sandwiches
• Whole-hog barbecue
• Hot dog Eating Challenge (17 hot dogs in under 1 hour)

Philadelphia:

• Italian roast pork sandwich
• Mt. Vesuvius at Franklin Fountain (a mountain of homemade chocolate ice cream erupting with hot fudge, brownie chunks and whipped cream)
• Ultimate Cheesesteak Challenge at Tony Luke’s (2-1/2 lbs. of beef over 1 lb. of cheese, fried onions and a 20-inch roll)
• Italian ice at John's Water Ice

Pittsburgh:

• Scorching Atomic Hot Wings Challenge (150,000 Scoville units)

• Sandwich from the famed Primanti Brothers, served with fries on top of all the other fixings
• Hearty breakfast at Deluca's Restaurant

Portland:

• Plate-sized mancakes (a stack of 13-inch pancakes)
• Doughnuts shaped like voodoo dolls, and a maple bacon bar

• Great Balls of Fire Challenge at Salvador Molly's (5 blazing hot habanero fritters)

Richmond:

• Buz and Ned's hickory-smoked spare ribs
• Black Sheep's battleship size sandwiches (2-ft long, 2-1/2-lb. monster sandwiches loaded with toppings)

• Stupid Wings Challenge (8 jumbo wings drenched in habanero, cayenne and pure chili extract)

San Antonio:

• Lulu’s Bakery and Café's 3 1/2-lb. cinnamon roll

• The Police Chief Special from Lulu's (48-oz. chicken-fried steak)
• Big Lou Pizza (a 42-inch, 3 1/2-foot wide, 70-lb. mega pizza piled high with toppings)
• Four Horseman Challenge at Chunky’s Burgers (a half-pound burger topped with the spiciest chilies in the world, including the infamous ghost chili)

San Diego:

• Surfin' California Burrito from Lucha Libre (filled with steak, shrimp and french-fries)
• Tri-tip barbecue and ribs

• Ironman Challenge at the Broken Yolk Cafe (a 6-lb. breakfast served on a 15-inch pizza pan: 12-egg omelet with chili plus a mountain of home fries and 2 biscuits in less than 1 hour)

San Francisco:

• Mission Style Super Burrito

• Kryptonite Sandwich from Ike's Place
• Kitchen Sink Challenge at the San Francisco Creamery (2-gallon sundae heaped with 8 softball-sized scoops of ice cream, 8 servings of whipped cream and 8 different toppings including sprinkles)

San Jose:

• Baby back ribs from Henry's
• Burritozilla from Iguana's (a 17-in, 5 lb burrito)
• Hellfire Hot Wing Challenge from SmokeEaters (a dozen wings drenched in lethal sauce that isn't even on the menu)

Sarasota:

• Homemade pies (cherry pie, shoofly pie, and peanut butter cream), and more!

• Mystery Challenge at Munchies 420 Cafe

• Old Salty Dog (a foot-long hot dog, dipped in beer batter and deep-fried)

Seattle:

• Award-winning burgers at Red Mill
• Mountains of ultra-fresh seafood at the Crab Pot
• Southwestern Exposure Challenge at Beth's Cafe (12 eggs packed with chili, salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese)

Springfield:

• The Horseshoe at D'Arcy's Pint
• Corndogs at Cozy Dog Drive-In
• Firebrand Chili Challenge at Joe Roger's Chili Parlor

St Louis:

• Monte Cristo hot dogs and oak-roasted pork loin entree from Iron Barley
• Big Ben from Pappy's Smokehouse (6 lbs of pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken, loin ribs, and 4 sides)
• Crown Candy's Malt Milkshake Challenge (5 malt shakes in 30 minutes…almost a gallon of milkshake!)

Tucson:

• The President's Plate at Mi Nidito (bean tostada, birria taco, chile relleno, beef tamale and carne seca enchilada)
• Sonoran hot dog wrapped in bacon and covered in all the fixins
• O.M.G. Burger Challenge at Lindy’s Diner (12 patties and 12 slices of cheese)

Washington, DC:

• Jumbo fish sandwich at Horace and Dickie’s
• Half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl
• Colossal Challenge at Chick & Ruth’s Delly in Anapolis, MD (1-1/2 lb sandwich and a huge milkshake)

Ok, so all of you guys who're hatin' on my boy, Adam, consider this.  Would you gain a pound or two if you'd just eaten all that?  Hmmm?  I'd say Adam looks pretty ding dang good.  Plus, he's got awesome hair, so stop the hatin'.  Maybe you're just jealous that you don't get paid to eat?  😀

Eat on, Adam!  We can't wait to see what's next on your menu!

All photo credits: Travel Channel

June 15, 2010

Man v Food! Man v Food! Man v Food! Yes! It's finally time for season 3, and Adam's back with a vengeance for vittles! Woo hoo!!

What's Man v Food, you ask? Only the coolest, funnest show on TV, that's what! Adam Richman is our host, and he travels the country sampling the biggest and most fabulous, crazy food you can imagine. Oh yeah, and he gets down with the wildest food challenges ever! This show is normally on the Travel Channel, so viewers at home should tune in to see this amazing show. If any homeowners don't have access to that channel, it might be worth finding a new TV package. For example, to learn more about Dish TV Packages click here. Hopefully, more people will be able to watch Adam take on even bigger challenges!

Why should you watch Man v Food?

• Adam Richman is adorable! He's cute, he's funny, he can eat like a son-of-a-gun, and he has great hair! Yes, we have a little crush on him!

• You get to see unbelievable food, without traveling all over the ding dang country yourself, and you can eat it all vicariously through Adam without indigestion or weight gain!

• It's just plain great TV! How fun is it to watch a guy try to beat the Big Texan challenge in Amarillo (season 1)? That would be a 72 ounce steak with a salad, potato and roll. In one hour. In that challenge between Man versus Food, Man definitely won!

Where do you find Man v Food? On the Travel Channel; new episodes begin Wednesday June 16 at 9 pm E/P and 8 pm C. Be there, and set your DVRs!

June 10, 2010

Since our next SPCA Bake Sale is only 6 months away, I better get myself busy building a repertoire of vegan recipes!  I'm almost 6 months into “eating vegan”, but I'm not a big sweets eater so I haven't done much baking.

After my coworker K-to-the-T brought these awesome Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies to the office the other day though, I knew this was a recipe I had to adapt asap!  They were scrumptious, and reminded me of a Cowboy Cookie I used to make.  She had made a few tweaks of her own to the original Epicurious recipe, and I tweaked it even more.  Voila and ta da!  Here's my first adapted cookie recipe, sans eggs and dairy products!

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Vegan Cookies

Adapted from K-to-the-T and Epicurious

1 stick (1/2 cup) Earth Balance, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup + 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped