“I’m coming over and you better have something good to eat. Or else.”
“Or else what?”
TOMC 10.19.18
The Old Man Car (TOMC)
2006 was a traumatic year. I was terminated from an executive level job on July 24 2006 and my income went from six figures down to zero. I was rendered car-less because I had to give up my company car. Car sharing for several months until our financial situation improved was the plan. But after a few months my consulting work started getting pretty steady and I felt comfortable enough to consider buying a car for myself. On January 23, 2007 I bought a 2006 Ford Taurus. It was used and a former fleet car per the salesperson. The odometer read 15,366. My former company car was also a Ford Taurus. I told the guy I’d take it. With an extended warranty the car cost $15,262.95. I figured the extended warranty was worth the cost since this was a used car.
2019 is coming up and I’m still driving The Old Man Car (TOMC). No debate. This is the BEST car I’ve ever owned. In January I will have driven TOMC for 12 years.
Nice. For all of you foodies out there sorry, but this post has Nothing to Do With Food.
Give Her a Day
Give Her A Day
Published: February 2006
What can you give to one small girl?
A diamond ring, a baton to twirl?
A pretty pink dress with lots of bows,
or dainty sandals that show her toes.
A walk in the woods, a romp in the park,
a shopping trip from dusk till dark?
A shine new bike, a kitten for a pet?
No, there’s still time for such things,
yet…
Give her a day of her very own.
Just one small girl and her Dad alone.
Give her the gift that only you can,
the companionship of her old man.
Games are outgrown and toys decay,
but she’ll never forget
if you give her a day.
Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/give-her-a-day
Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan
What do you do when you want to surprise your friends with a new dish? You think of something that they probably never had, never thought they would like, and make it. You sneak it in as a side dish. Serve it with something familiar like Maple Soy Roasted Salmon. You make…
Hipster food. And if you’re thinking to yourself that cauliflower can’t possibly be hip and trendy I actually found a restaurant that has whole head roasted on their menu for seven bucks.
Here’s what I made:
Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan
One head cauliflower
Extra virgin olive oil
Granulated garlic
Dried thyme
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Salt and black pepper
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Remove the green outer leaves and stalks from the cauliflower head. Tear and cut the cauliflower into florets, removing any hard tiny stalks. Each piece should be about a US quarter in width. Golf ball size is too big.
- Place the florets into a baking/roasting pan with sides.
- Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil. Toss with a wooden spoon. You want a nice thin coating of oil on each piece.
- Lightly salt and pepper and sprinkle with a hint of thyme.
- Generously sprinkle granulated garlic over all.
- Place in the oven and roast for approximately 35-40 minutes. Shake the pan every 10 minutes or so to ensure most of the surfaces of each floret get browned (this is why you want a pan with sides).
- When nicely browned add a handful of shredded Parmesan cheese over the cauliflower. Roast for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a serving bowl and add more Parmesan.
- Eat.
Unfortunately this dish is Not Tiny Taste Tester Approved. She was not present at the dinner.
“What is a Collie Flower?”
Tiny Taste Tester Tries Pizza
Sniff test.
Smells good. I’m going for it.
Another day. Another new food to try. Hideaway, a Stillwater OK original.
Tiny Taste Tester Approved.
Today’s Quote 09.07.18
When food is the lens, you can see all the contradictions of self and time right there on your plate. And with each bite, you bite into your past, memories of your family, your tribe, your race, your tree-swinging ancestors. And into your future, your kids’, your country’s, your globe’s.
Betty Fussell Eat Live Love Die
Herrera’s Bean Soup
The Boss is gone this weekend. There was a sister get together and I wasn’t invited. The Boss is a worrier. She frets about leaving me home alone for the weekend. I say worry not. There’s simply something that must be done when The Boss is gone.
Make beans. This weekend’s mini-project was to recreate the free cup of pinto bean soup you got with every meal at one of our favorite Tex-Mex restaurants. I know the location we frequented in Carrollton Texas has closed. Many of the chain’s locations have boarded up and I’m not sure if any have survived. The Doctor always ordered 13b double beans, no rice. Each family member has fond memories of the food. I’m fairly certain there was plenty of lard but we’ll never know for sure.
I started with my basic Sopa de Frijol con Vegetal and used bacon slices to saute the vegetables. Instead of the canned tomatoes I used a commercially bottled Salsa Casera medium from Mexico (seriously, this should have nailed it).
Nope. The beans taste exactly like my pinto bean soup with bacon and some spicy tomatoes. I have failed to replicate Herrera’s bean soup.
Now if I could just find out the brand of hot canned jalapenos Herrera’s used…
High-protein Ricotta Pancakes — Hurry The Food Up
High-protein ricotta pancakes. Even just writing that sentence makes me happy. We love pancakes, and when they’re simple, tasty and packed with protein we love them even more. Protein is important, and many people don’t get enough. If you’re not sure exactly how much protein you need then there’s a free guide and meal plan…
via High-protein Ricotta Pancakes — Hurry The Food Up
I thought I’d re-post this post from Hurry The Food Up featuring several ricotta pancake recipes. When I mentioned to a friend I gave a sample of my Ricotta Buttermilk Pancakes to the Tiny Taste Tester I got the following response:
“Ricotta what?“
PANCAKES! You have to start them young. Hopefully if you raise ’em right they get to the peanut butter and pancake pinnacle of pancake heaven.
Tiny Taste Tester Tries Ted’s
I moved to Texas when I was 25 years old. It didn’t take long for me to develop a taste for Tex Mex. If you’re from Texas you crave Tex Mex. If you’re from Texas and you find yourself living in Oklahoma, you still crave Tex Mex because the restaurants in this state don’t make or serve Tex Mex. We have Okie Mex. Some restaurants do Okie Mex better than others. One of those places is Ted’s. The original Ted’s location near NW 63 and May Avenue in OKC opened in 1991. There are multiple locations in the OKC metro and the closest to us is 0.5 miles from the house. For the final installment of our Tiny Taste Tester series from this weekend we present:
The Tiny Taste Tester Ted’s Review
Tortilla chips. Very small pieces, thin, salty. Good chips. Four stars.
Small hand torn pieces of fresh flour tortillas dipped in queso. Each piece was savored for several minutes. Four stars.
Smashed Mexican Spiced Potatoes. Green chilies provide the predominant flavor profile. OK but not her favorite. She made a face. Two stars.
Refried beans. Mild flavor. Very tasty example. Four stars.
Guacomole. It’s green but doesn’t taste like any other green mush that comes in small jars. I don’t know what this is but I like it and I like it a lot! Five stars.
Overall 3.8 Stars. Tiny Taste Tester Approved.
Tiny Taste Tester Tries Pei Wei
“The Ginger Chicken and Broccoli was good but all I got was some very tiny pieces of chicken, rice and sauce.”
Didn’t spit any out. Seemed to enjoy the flavors. Tiny Test Taster Approved.
garyskitchen.net 