What did you eat today?
I was leery about food carts initially, but have come to appreciate them, especially now that I found one we consider to be borderline "great."
Chopped one up with a little onion
And mixed it up with a couple scrambled eggs. It has no eyeballs at all, in fact it looks kinda disgusting, but it tasted really good.
couple weeks ago my dad had Hardee's big game burger he said it was good but not worth the 8.49 plus tax. Burger only...no combo or anything crazyQuote: billryanHad a Wendy's Baconator for lunch and thought it was disappointing. It was overcooked and dry, not fresh and juicy. I had a Daves single a few weeks ago, and it was better than I'd remembered. It was eight dollars with tax, and not worth it.
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Quote: avianrandycouple weeks ago my dad had Hardee's big game burger he said it was good but not worth the 8.49 plus tax. Burger only...no combo or anything crazyQuote: billryanHad a Wendy's Baconator for lunch and thought it was disappointing. It was overcooked and dry, not fresh and juicy. I had a Daves single a few weeks ago, and it was better than I'd remembered. It was eight dollars with tax, and not worth it.
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New law passed in CA effective April of 2024 requires fast food restaurants to pay their employees a minimum wage of $20/hr. Can you imagine the new price of a Big Mac? What will their Dollar Menu look like? Probably a buck a fry?
tuttigym
Quote: tuttigymQuote: avianrandycouple weeks ago my dad had Hardee's big game burger he said it was good but not worth the 8.49 plus tax. Burger only...no combo or anything crazyQuote: billryanHad a Wendy's Baconator for lunch and thought it was disappointing. It was overcooked and dry, not fresh and juicy. I had a Daves single a few weeks ago, and it was better than I'd remembered. It was eight dollars with tax, and not worth it.
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New law passed in CA effective April of 2024 requires fast food restaurants to pay their employees a minimum wage of $20/hr. Can you imagine the new price of a Big Mac? What will their Dollar Menu look like? Probably a buck a fry?
tuttigym
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You don’t have to imagine, it’s not like $20/hr for fast food workers is unheard of. I imagine a lot of locations in California were already paying that.
The average hourly wage of a McDonald’s employee in NYC is $24/hr and a Big Mac is $6.77.
Quote: gamerfreak
The average hourly wage of a McDonald’s employee in NYC is $24/hr and a Big Mac is $6.77.
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I heard the other day it's the cost of housing. Across the United States rent has doubled since 2010. So have mortgages. Some guy found a list of groceries bought at Walmart in 2005 that had details of every product. The size who made it and the price. Total price in 2005 was $87. Total price in 2023 was $195. And a lot of the packages were smaller now so it was even more of a cost. 14 oz shrunk to 11 oz on a lot of snacks and things like cookies and desserts were smaller sizes.
That means we have averaged about three percent inflation a year since then. That's with multiple recessions, an endless war, and a pandemic.
Leg of Venison minus the shank. I am hooked on processing your own now, you take it to a processor and they screw it all up, giving you a bunch of hamburger meat, not that many too thinly cut steaks, along with the tenderloins which is hard to screw up thank god. I guess the fault partly is with what most dumbaxes, limited in culinary ability, actually want. A typical guy can cook a steak but is puzzled by a roast I guess. And they debone everything, what the hell for? Did I previously post the pic of the deer ribs with tenderloins still attached? You aren't going to get that either if you don't do it yourself. In the past I've asked for roasts, not steaks, and that helps some with a processor.
The tragedy that goes on during deer season is the chef's bonanza, something to dream about, that so very very often gets reduced to something nobody could care much about
deer ribs with tenderloin attached. On the grill you cook the tenderloin with direct heat, the ribs with indirect heat. To kill for!
Well, actually, that's how you get them, but it's butcher-it-yourself or you don't get them
Lots of deer hunting here in the Northeast. I’ve never acquired a taste for it, though. I’ve tried, if it had worked it would be another delicious thing!
Quote: billryanI'd always heard venison was great, but I found it very gamey. My cousin, who is a hunter, prepared some for me and didn't care for his either.
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It is also stronger than I prefer. When it is blended with other meat it can be fine because the gamey taste is mellowed out by the beef or pork you are mixing it with.
Every animal has its own flavor, so it's possible to just not be familiar with it. I'd say venison has some similarity to lamb in flavor, and if you like lamb, you should like venison
If my diet doesn't kill me, I'll live 'til I die.
Quote: odiousgambitI find people will use goofy recipes and try to mask the taste of venison, thus other people get served venison that they decide they don't like, not knowing it can taste good. Sometimes the deer has been mishandled, if I get offered uncooked venison I have found there's a hefty chance it's "off"
Every animal has its own flavor, so it's possible to just not be familiar with it. I'd say venison has some similarity to lamb in flavor, and if you like lamb, you should like venison
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Those are also part of it. Deer that eat corn from farmers fields taste different from deer that eat acorns out of the woods. Every hunter thinks that he handles the carcass correctly, but that is not the case. Every butcher is completely sure he knows what he is doing, but obviously not.
And everyone has a secret family recipe that is supposed to make venison palatable… but why should you need a special recipe, if your venison is palatable? Well, it’s because you are hunting the same land your dad and granddad did, handling the carcass the way they taught you to, and probably taking it to the same butcher they did, too!
I do like lamb, by the way. There is a similarity to venison, but it’s different enough that each hits my brain a different way.
Good value, and good for you.
Quote: odiousgambitI find people will use goofy recipes and try to mask the taste of venison,
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Never had a piece of venison in my life that I can tolerate. Never cooked it myself but it always tastes really gamey to me and tough. And to make a burger out of ground venison you had to put half of it in ground beef so what's the point. Even then it still tastes dry and gamey.
I live in Michigan where there's lots of deer hunters and I've never seen one yet that doesn't throw away most of the venison in his freezer to make room for the new venison for this year. They always think they're going to eat it but they never do because nobody in their family likes it.
The bigger animals usually turn to grind, and get mixed with beef or pork.
Quote: DieterThe deer hunters I know
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I used to go deer hunting for a couple seasons in the late '60s after I got out of high school and I was serious but 75% of the the guys I got to know were not serious. They only did it because of the week away from the ball and chain and they can act like morons, like they were single again. Get falling down drunk every night and then stumble around in the woods in the day with a loaded gun. Close the bar every night and if they were really hardcore they would spend 50 bucks on a hooker. For the last 2 weeks of November some of the best looking hookers in the state would get together and they would rent RVs and set up shop in northern Michigan. And make thousands and thousands of dollars in 2 weeks. The local cops we're in on the take so they were left alone. 50 bucks, I have no idea what it cost now but it's got to be hundreds. Because it still goes on, it's tradition.
The serious hunters seem to be up in a tree an hour before sunrise and keeping silent until they see their prey framed in the shooting lane they cleared 3 months ago.
I certainly don't begrudge anyone the chance for a week off of the home monotony. I've seen crazy 'deer camp widow' parties - complete with exotic dance revue and absurdly large margaritas - for those left behind.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: odiousgambitI find people will use goofy recipes and try to mask the taste of venison,
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Never had a piece of venison in my life that I can tolerate. Never cooked it myself but it always tastes really gamey to me and tough. And to make a burger out of ground venison you had to put half of it in ground beef so what's the point. Even then it still tastes dry and gamey.
I live in Michigan where there's lots of deer hunters and I've never seen one yet that doesn't throw away most of the venison in his freezer to make room for the new venison for this year. They always think they're going to eat it but they never do because nobody in their family likes it.
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I can't speak to not liking the taste, but othewise none of this is necessary, certainly not 'dry' or 'tough', if you learn how to cook it. It is very lean, so generally you want to cook it medium rare to keep these things from happening. You can lard it if you want to cook it further.
And don't use recipes that try to alter the taste! Serve it with jam or jelly, for people who question it. Or horseradish, or the old fave cranberry sauce. BTW my wife has a lot, I mean a lot, of stuff she won't eat, but she loves the venison I cook. Well, she loves lamb too. Some of these things are 'acquired taste' that you really are glad to acquire!
Quote: DieterThat sounds like 'deer camp',
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Owning a deer cabin that sleeps 8 or 10 is your Fast Track to popularity. I knew one guy who was fanatical about deer camp, he planned it all year long, a week of celebration away from the wife and kids and Ball and Chain of marriage. It was a rustic cabin and he would go shopping at antique malls for stuff to fit the time period. It was a week of feasting and boozing and debauchery and they ate like kings. It was open for the whole two weeks of hunting and they would come and go, it was a two week never ending frat party only they had money and they were out to spend it. Hunting was the last thing on their minds. The wives had no idea what went on at these things because it was like Fight Club and the first rule was, you never talk about deer camp at home.
This is the idealized version of a deer camp cabin. Deer camp is the original man cave.
Quote: billryanI'm not much of a lamb person, either. I prefer a gyro to a leg of lamb. I've always been a picky eater. I like to eat, and I eat what I like.
If my diet doesn't kill me, I'll live 'til I die.
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I also don't care for lamb. It is also to strong for me.
Quote: DRichJust a simple dinner that takes 2 minutes to make.
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I have three waffle irons all different sizes and you can make so many things with them other than waffles.
Quote: DRichJust a simple dinner that takes 2 minutes to make.
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Freaky…!!! I made my wife breakfast in bed today! Three Eggo waffles. She likes them smothered in butter then drowned in that crappy faux maple syrup. She said they were perfect…. but said to only make two the next time.
I just had cherry tomatoes covered in Italian dressing.
Quote: SOOPOO
Freaky…!!! I made my wife breakfast in bed today! Three Eggo waffles. She likes them smothered in butter then drowned in that crappy faux maple syrup. She said they were perfect…. but said to only make two the next time.
I just had cherry tomatoes covered in Italian dressing.
Clearly your wife has a refined palate like myself. Two Eggos is not enough for me and four is too many. That brings me to my dillema. Why does no one make a three slot toaster?
BTW, I tried something new today and I think it is a winner. I sprinkled smoked bacon salt on my waffles and it was wonderful. I love sweet and salty.
Quote: DRichQuote: SOOPOO
Freaky…!!! I made my wife breakfast in bed today! Three Eggo waffles. She likes them smothered in butter then drowned in that crappy faux maple syrup. She said they were perfect…. but said to only make two the next time.
I just had cherry tomatoes covered in Italian dressing.
Clearly your wife has a refined palate like myself. Two Eggos is not enough for me and four is too many. That brings me to my dillema. Why does no one make a three slot toaster?
BTW, I tried something new today and I think it is a winner. I sprinkled smoked bacon salt on my waffles and it was wonderful. I love sweet and salty.
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My toaster oven can handle 6 - maybe more.
I have seen slot toasters with one very long slot, which should be able to handle 3 toaster waffles, or two standard bread slices, or one long slice of bread.
Quote: billryanA longish post, but it will tie in at the end.
I'm spending more and more time in my Tucson house and didn't like how my wood laminate floors looked, so over the weekend, I got on my hands and knees, scrubbed them, and applied a cleaner and then a finisher/wax layer. After it dried, it didn't look so great so I applied another layer of finish. The bottle says not to exceed three layers in 48 hours, so I was done. I skipped lunch while working so I decided to cook a nice meal.
I sliced up an eggplant, breaded the slices and cooked them in the air fryer for a spell. Then, I added sauce and three types of cheese and baked it in my oven. Meanwhile, I'm boiling water for pasta and letting a pot of meat sauce simmer. The water takes a long time to boil, so the eggplant finishes first.
I'm scrambling to get a platter and clear space for it on the counter. It is a 24-inch platter and perhaps four inches of it hang over the counter. I put the eggplant on the platter, add some parmesan cheese, and stir the rigatoni now mixed into the meat sauce. I pour the pasta/sauce onto the platter and keep it away from the unsupported portion when I somehow shift my grip and touch hot metal. The platter starts to flip over the edge. I try to grab it, and for a second, I have sauce coming out of the pan onto my bare chest, hot cheese and eggplant landing on my bare legs and feet.
Somehow, enough hot sauce is already on the floor that I slip and fall on my ass. I am pissed and realize my feet are in pain. I quickly swipe off the cheese and grab a dishtowel to wipe myself off.
I gather myself and behold a miracle. While waxing, I'd moved three cases of water from the pantry they usually are in and they were in a row at the base of the counter. Half to three-quarters of the food is on the plastic-wrapped cases, not the floor. I scrape it onto the tray and then see the rest is sitting on the newly waxed floors.
If there would ever be an opportunity to eat food off the floor, this was it. I gathered it into a different dish and tried to wash it, but ended up tossing it.
I was pretty lucky. Hot mozzarella cheese can leave a nasty burn. I want to think my training kicked in and kept my arms in while falling, but don't want to try it again to find out.
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Of all the posts in this food thread, this is the most action-packed and the only one that might be made into a scene in a movie.
These little quesadilla things.
Tortilla, refried beans, a bit of leftover taco meat (optional), a spoonful of salsa, a sprinkle of cheese.
Folded over, warmed up in the clamshell grill.
The clamshell grill is generally unspectacular, but nicely compact and convenient. (A big cast iron skillet would do much better.)
Still hoping to get back on the road, and I'll need to be able to cook something convenient, moderate in sodium and fats, and satisfying. These are a maybe.
Quote: Dieter
These little quesadilla things.
Tortilla, refried beans, a bit of leftover taco meat (optional), a spoonful of salsa, a sprinkle of cheese.
Folded over, warmed up in the clamshell grill.
The clamshell grill is generally unspectacular, but nicely compact and convenient. (A big cast iron skillet would do much better.)
Still hoping to get back on the road, and I'll need to be able to cook something convenient, moderate in sodium and fats, and satisfying. These are a maybe.
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You are always talking about being on the road or getting back on the road, what's that about. Do you have a second family in Peoria? Are you a ladies undergarment salesperson who goes the door to door? Are you on the FBI's 10 most wanted list and have to stay constantly on the move? I'll bet the real answer is not nearly as exciting as these three examples.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: Dieter
These little quesadilla things.
Tortilla, refried beans, a bit of leftover taco meat (optional), a spoonful of salsa, a sprinkle of cheese.
Folded over, warmed up in the clamshell grill.
The clamshell grill is generally unspectacular, but nicely compact and convenient. (A big cast iron skillet would do much better.)
Still hoping to get back on the road, and I'll need to be able to cook something convenient, moderate in sodium and fats, and satisfying. These are a maybe.
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You are always talking about being on the road or getting back on the road, what's that about. Do you have a second family in Peoria? Are you a ladies undergarment salesperson who goes the door to door? Are you on the FBI's 10 most wanted list and have to stay constantly on the move? I'll bet the real answer is not nearly as exciting as these three examples.
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My day job usually has me travelling about 25 days a month.
It is a convenient way to have someone else cover my expenses between casinos.
It's not entirely unlike "vanlife" or RV'ing.
Quote: DieterQuote: EvenBobQuote: Dieter
These little quesadilla things.
Tortilla, refried beans, a bit of leftover taco meat (optional), a spoonful of salsa, a sprinkle of cheese.
Folded over, warmed up in the clamshell grill.
The clamshell grill is generally unspectacular, but nicely compact and convenient. (A big cast iron skillet would do much better.)
Still hoping to get back on the road, and I'll need to be able to cook something convenient, moderate in sodium and fats, and satisfying. These are a maybe.
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You are always talking about being on the road or getting back on the road, what's that about. Do you have a second family in Peoria? Are you a ladies undergarment salesperson who goes the door to door? Are you on the FBI's 10 most wanted list and have to stay constantly on the move? I'll bet the real answer is not nearly as exciting as these three examples.
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My day job usually has me travelling about 25 days a month.
It is a convenient way to have someone else cover my expenses between casinos.
It's not entirely unlike "vanlife" or RV'ing.
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EB’s post may be the first time in history anything about Peoria has been described as exciting.
Quote: mcallister3200
EB’s post may be the first time in history anything about Peoria has been described as exciting.
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I was going to say the Target store is pretty nice, but realized I'm thinking of East Peoria - not Peoria proper.
The big yellow heavy equipment is... OK.
Quote: Dieter
My day job usually has me travelling about 25 days a month.
It is a convenient way to have someone else cover my expenses between casinos.
It's not entirely unlike "vanlife" or RV'ing.
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Refilling the condom machines in gas station bathrooms? You have a van, do you pressure wash the dried chewing gum off the sidewalks in Chicago? Please let me know if I'm getting warm.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: Dieter
My day job usually has me travelling about 25 days a month.
It is a convenient way to have someone else cover my expenses between casinos.
It's not entirely unlike "vanlife" or RV'ing.
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Refilling the condom machines in gas station bathrooms? You have a van, do you pressure wash the dried chewing gum off the sidewalks in Chicago? Please let me know if I'm getting warm.
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Hopefully you have a thermometer and can check yourself.
Quote: Dieter
Hopefully you have a thermometer and can check yourself.
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Is that a clue? Are you a health inspector that shows up unexpectedly at restaurants to make sure the food is cooked to the right temperature? Notice the food reference, this is a food thread. I used to know somebody who did that, inspected restaurants and he said the only thing he would ever eat in a restaurant is cooked food. He said anything uncooked like at a salad bar is death waiting to happen. You never know how long that stuff's been left out, how long it's been there, at least with cooked food the heat kills the bacteria.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: Dieter
Hopefully you have a thermometer and can check yourself.
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Is that a clue? Are you a health inspector that shows up unexpectedly at restaurants to make sure the food is cooked to the right temperature? Notice the food reference, this is a food thread. I used to know somebody who did that, inspected restaurants and he said the only thing he would ever eat in a restaurant is cooked food. He said anything uncooked like at a salad bar is death waiting to happen. You never know how long that stuff's been left out, how long it's been there, at least with cooked food the heat kills the bacteria.
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If I'm a health inspector, it's strictly amateur. I have some recollections of which restaurant experiences have preceded a sick-tummy feeling.
Any accurate answer I'm willing to give is likely misleading, so "I sweep hardwood floors."
Breakfast was nothing exciting - a bowl of rice, topped with leftover cabbage and mushrooms.
Made up a bunch of red gelatin with fruit cocktail in it, sized for lunchboxes and snacks. I'll probably make a cake later - they seem to be popular with the kids, and go quickly.
